Art Lives at Unity Church

Art provides another medium through which human beings experience gifts of the spirit.  Response to a work of art may be on intense, profound levels. As with poetry or literature, theatre, dance or music, the visual arts provide meditative and emotional opportunities and appreciation of life's process, our cultures and society. Unity's Art Team serves the congregation by hosting exhibits in our Parish Hall gallery, cataloging and sharing information about Unity's extensive art collection, and inviting the congregation into art appreciation through various events and learning opportunities. For more information about the work of Unity's Art Team, please email [email protected].

November Parish Hall Artist

Ekaterina Kazachenko
Kazachenko is a Minnesota artist born in Russia. Her formal education ended in 2013 with the completion of the PhD program in Fine Art through the Russian Academy of Arts where she also worked for eight years as an assistant in the art department. She received two fellowships through the Union of Russian Artists and had her work on display in the National Moscow Manege Art Exhibitions as well as many other shows. 

After that she relocated to Minnesota and began making connections in her chosen field. She has participated in multiple local, national and international juried art shows, averaging three to four exhibitions each year. She has received “Best In Show” and “Award Of Excellence” honors for her work and has had her paintings selected for display three times in the highly competitive Minnesota State Fair Fine Art Exhibition. In addition to the juried shows she has had three solo exhibits which included public discussions of her work along with Q&A sessions. Since her days at the Academy, Ekaterina has viewed collaboration as an important aspect of being involved in the art community. In light of this she is now serving as a review panelist for the Minnesota State Arts Board for the Creative Support for Individuals Grant Program. Also, several of her works are on exhibit at the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport as a part of the Arts@msp collaborative program. She participated in Studio:HERE which is a residency program for artists at the Minnesota State Fair. Each day of the fair featured one practicing Minnesota artist working live in the gallery. 
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She says, “In my work I strive to touch on emotions which are real and meaningful to myself and hopefully the viewer. With the help of the musicality and lyricism of the landscape I attempt to convey feelings, thoughts, memories and sometimes forebodings. Through the shrill, piercing moods of the landscape — inspired by changes of season, the instant state of nature and its mild sadness and nostalgic pensiveness — I find it easiest to manifest myself.”

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December Parish Hall Artists

The Shared Language of Home
Shona Dockter and Bebe Keith
We are cousins. We’ve known each other for a lifetime, and share many memories and experiences. While Shona grew up on the prairies of North Dakota and Bebe in the Twin Cities, our families traveled back and forth frequently so our moms could have sister time. 
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We share a language of home and of family. This exhibit explores our upbringing, our yearning for home, childhood, and for the familiar. We believe these captured memories will create a sense of place and time for the viewers. By sharing the beauty in the everyday, this evocative exhibit will prompt personal memories, feelings of nostalgia, and visceral touchstones that invite the audience to explore.

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Bebe Keith

Shona Dockter