ARTS: “Boots on the Ground” by Alexandra Beaumont

---

Artist Statement

My upcoming exhibition spotlights a contemporary opposition: collective movement through social dance vs. the increasing presence of federal law enforcement and military in U.S. cities. I contemplated this duality through the phrase “Boots on the Ground.” It is the name of a popular Black line dance of summer 2025, but it traditionally connotes the placement of military troops. This stark dichotomy is emblematic of our moment in American social and political life.

On the one hand, dancing together has grown as a form of connection — in person and shared via TikTok and other platforms — elevating moments of group celebration as well as individual performance. It seems we are hungrily seeking out opportunities to move and groove together for both grounding and release.

On the other, we are living with new levels of military demonstration, occupation, aggression against our communities and against immigrants, executed by neighbors.

The work in “Boots on the Ground” ruminates on these different expressions of collective power – one through joy, the other through dominance. It asks us to consider what we want to be stepping in time toward together.

In some pieces, I’m working with sheer cloth that I’ve painted or dyed in prismatic hues. The textured effect of the color echoes camouflage and tie-dye, intentionally blending the two meanings of the show’s title. This fabric is cut and sewn into grids, evoking landscape in some works, shelter in others. These abstract pieces are deeply inspired by the women of Gotta Dance, a soul line dance group based in Saint Paul, dedicated to showing up for each other and community.

Other works pay homage to local Mexica-Nahua culture bearers and dancers I’ve witnessed at recent protests. They bring their powerful, soulful traditions to bear in the name of solidarity and resistance. These pieces feature overlapping figures stitched in red on collages of various white textiles.

Within the tension between the grid lines, the whirls of dye, and the images of individual dancers moving as one, is an invitation into the expansive beauty and power of stepping in rhythm together — a defiantly inverted picture of rows of military troops, advancing to suppress.

---

Exhibition Dates:  January 17–February 28, 2026

The Catherine G. Murphy Gallery also offers a solo exhibition by Minnesota artist Marjorie Fedyszyn, titled “No Where, Now Here.” Fedyszyn navigates a journey of healing — transforming past trauma into present joy and new artistic expression.

For over a decade, Fedyszyn’s installations processed deep-seated pain and grief from childhood. This exhibition marks a new beginning: the artist’s embrace of her significant shift toward self-discovery and release. Handmade paper and textile abstractions glow with fluorescent color, reflecting the lightness and hope she has recently discovered in her life.