WITHIN THE LAST TWO YEARS, two of Northern State University’s longtime Art Department professors, Mark McGinnis and Mark Shekore have gracefully retired leaving some pretty big shoes to fill. In this Midwestern, conservative cocoon, a safe choice for replacement would have been an approachable young canvas painter with an ability to capture the essence of that down-home outdoor scene that hangs in your grandmother’s nursing home. An up and coming sculptor who is more likely to use tricycles or scrap metal instead of bronze and has a knack for rubbing the establishment the wrong way was decidedly less safe.

    When Matt Kargol, an Iowa native locally celebrated for his “dog peeing” bike rack, stepped into the newly vacated position last year, the atmosphere couldn’t help but change. Kargol intentionally focuses his courses more on conveying ideas than on art production. “In high school, kids learn the skills. But, they aren’t producing art until they have a message,” he explained.

    Right away, he assigned his sculpture class to create intervention art, an artistic statement made in an environment without displaying signs of intention. Curious objects began popping up all over campus. The American News ran a feature and the project began gaining recognition and interest. Despite its visibility and interest, not everyone understood. The projects generated from its second incarnation disappeared quietly without a word shortly after they were created. Seemingly, this removal resulted from a decisive but nonconfrontational reaction by a less-than-enthused administration.

    If a student doesn’t have a message, some of the lively debate in class will likely instill one. Kargol’s views often run counter to the status quo, and sitting through one of his classes might cause you to wonder if advertising is too manipulative, if factories should play second fiddle to art, or even if the American Dream is dead.

    Browse through his portfolio site, kargolart.com, and you’ll see that Kargol himself suffers from no shortage of messages. You might have to look hard to get them and they’re certainly open to interpretation. Even if the social lessons evade you, you’ll appreciate the many different ways that rocks can be balanced or what interesting shapes scrap metal can take.

    Matt doesn’t believe that art belongs only on walls or in galleries. “Art should be seen. It needs to inspire thought,” he says. These are principles that have worked well in hip, urban areas, but trickle down to smaller, rural areas has been slow. Opportunities for locally-produced art in a gallery are limited, and opportunities for artists to display their work in settings outside a gallery are virtually non-existent.

    And having art commissioned or sold is another challenge.

    Fine art produced by artists who aren’t Terry Redlin have a tough time gaining traction with the meat and potatoes crowd who live by the “if it’s good enough for my dentist” mentality. People are eager to buy a stipple brushed, warm fuzzy outdoor forest scene with a deer because they can hang it next to their “warm fuzzy cabin on the lake in the woods with a goose” painting. Tricycles pulling wagons with showers attached serving as a social message on property ownership tend to spark different interest. “Why, Johnny could use that tricycle and that shower head looks practically new; I’ll give you $15 for all of it.”

   That’s not saying that Matt doesn’t understand commercially viable art. Also featured on his site, you’ll find his wife Sarah’s commercially successful offerings. A series of fun, colorful monsters (think Sesame Street meets South Park) have created PS3 hysteria in many art shows and craft fairs she’s taken them to.

    Kargol loves his job at NSU, but admits ”Going against the grain doesn’t take much in Aberdeen.” After a brief pause, he added: “I’d like the whole place to be more progressive.” This is easy enough to say, but Kargol has taken an active role, stepping beyond his teaching, creating and coordinating new art approaches like the Downtown Art Walk. He’s optimistic about making Aberdeen’s art scene more visible and hopes to encourage Aberdeen’s art market by increasing exposure, as he’s seen in a larger city in the Midwest, Des Moines, where some of his art has gained a following, and where other artists have been able to successfully market their work. “I want to be able to put art anywhere people will see it,” he explained. “The arts will give people here a reason to get up in the morning.”

    We’re not sure if it will work as well as the threat of being fired, but we do look forward to seeing great new art.