Joseph Maurer ’98 has completed a vibrant mural that has transformed a once-unassuming tunnel into a work of art celebrating the Chippewa Valley’s natural beauty.

Back in April, 18 News reported that the tunnel beneath 5th Avenue, part of the Chippewa River State Trail near Mayo Clinic, would be turned into a large-scale mural. Now finished, the piece titled The River Above Us, pays tribute to the Chippewa River’s connection to the city and its wildlife.

The Minneapolis College of Art and Design’s exhibition Peter Williams: Homegoing–A Call and Response closed earlier this month after a celebrated run that drew significant attention from both local audiences and the wider arts community—including a feature in the Star Tribune.

Once a punk rocker in Minneapolis, John “JJ” Joyce, who attended the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in the 1980s, has become a cornerstone of New Orleans’ modern street jazz scene.

Jodi Reeb ’95, artist, curator, and co-partner of Kolman & Reeb Gallery, is celebrating a major milestone: the gallery’s fifteenth anniversary.

The celebration kicks off with Celebrate! 15th Anniversary Show. An opening reception will be held November 14, coinciding with the annual Art Attack weekend. The event will feature DJ Holly Wayzata, refreshments, giveaways, and 15% off all artwork throughout the weekend.

“Fifteen years is more than a number,” Reeb said. “In the life of an art gallery, it’s a milestone of endurance, evolution, and community trust.”

The 2025 Twin Cities Book Festival will open its annual Minnesota Author Showcase with a celebration of first-time novelists.

The session will feature three writers whose diverse backgrounds and creative perspectives reflect the breadth of the state’s literary scene, including MCAD faculty member Raki Kopernik. Together, they’ll launch the festival’s Minnesota Author Showcase series with readings and discussion about the art and urgency of debut fiction.

Jackie Ferrara, the sculptor who transformed simple stacks of lumber into structures of quiet mystery, died on October 22 in Basel, Switzerland. She was 95.

Ferrara, long admired for bringing warmth and craft to the cool precision of minimalism, found a defining moment in 1978 with the Minneapolis Project, a 14-foot-tall truncated pyramid built for the campus of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. The work was her first major public commission and marked a turning point in her career, expanding her practice from the studio to the landscape.

The Humboldt County Conservation Board received an update this week from local designer Jake Zweibohmer ’25, MA of 2trees Design on a new wayfinding signage project aimed at improving the user experience along the county’s trail system.

Zweibohmer chose the project as part of his graduate studies. His goal is to create a cohesive and user-friendly signage system for the Three Rivers Trail and other local paths. The concept includes clear, visually appealing signs to help guide trail users, improve accessibility, and create a unified visual identity for Humboldt’s trail network.

Greg Lang ’01 is one of three artists selected for the Rockford IceHogs’ 2025–26 Local Artists Hat Series.

Lang, a well-known figure in Rockford’s art scene and member of the art collective Fatherless, will see his design handed out to the first 2,500 fans on Black Friday, Nov. 28. Drawing inspiration from street art and graffiti, Lang’s winning design takes a bold, unconventional approach — a “ransom note” style that deconstructs the IceHogs logo.