New Holdingford Business Offers Trail-side Access to the Arts [GALLERY]

HOLDINGFORD – An art gallery. A café and wine bar. A trail-side outpost for bicyclists.

It’s difficult to succinctly describe Art in Motion, a new space nestled against the Wobegon Trail at 1400 4th Street in Holdingford, because it’s a little bit of everything.

Art in Motion, owned and created by Greg Konsor of Holdingford, is primarily an art space: the large, open building features an exhibition area, workshop, performance stage and large projection screen. Newly retired, Konsor purchased the property and began working with a builder about 18 months ago.

“I bought the land, not knowing if I was going to be able to pull this off,” he said. “We wanted a design where you could see the (Wobegon) trail. We wanted to be connected to it.”

Art in Motion's proximity to the Wobegon Trail is reinforced by large, cycling and nature-themed murals. Konsor says he wanted the mixed-use space to have character, but also complement the aesthetic of the small, rural community.

“It’s a Morton building,” he said. “Which, when you think of a Morton building, you think of farm machinery. But, we had a great architect who spiced it up a little bit. The colors are earthy. It’s open space, so you can be sitting in one place and see the art from a distance.”

The Art in Motion team includes a full-time art coordinator, as well as a part-time consultant to help strategize future arts programming. The gallery side of Art in Motion will include floating, removable walls, and will showcase the work of both local and faraway artists.

“We might do some mixed-artist exhibitions,” said art coordinator Lily Brutger. “We might also do some residencies or individual artists. We’re also hoping to do some student art shows with high school or college students, all levels, in the surrounding area.”

Brutger says they’re planning to offer workshops in a dedicated workshop space. They’re also planning passive projects customers can work on as they grab a meal or a drink. The menu will feature sandwiches and salads along with ice cream, coffee beverages, beer and wine. Konsor says they also plan to bake bread, and offer a variety of baked goods in the morning. The shop’s front patio will be alcohol-free with beer and wine served inside or on the back patio.

“We decided if we’re going to keep people here, we need to offer them some nourishment,” Konsor said. “We’re going to keep it simple and not compete with (the places that serve) pizza, or burgers and fries.”

Art in Motion hosted a preview and building tours last week for members of the central Minnesota arts community. Konsor plans to be open to the public by the end of July.

To learn more, visit Art in Motion’s Facebook page.