Minnesota Museum of American Art is proud to represent outstanding work by Hmong-American artists in their upcoming exhibition About Face: Portraits from the Minnesota Museum of American Art, from February 24 to March 26, 2011 in the Laura H. Miles Gallery of the Minnetonka Center for the Arts, 2240 North Shore Drive, Wayzata, MN 55391. The Opening Reception is free and open to the public and will be held Thursday, February 24, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

About Face: Portraits from the Minnesota Museum of American Art is organized by Minnesota Museum of American Art in conjunction with the Minnetonka Center for the Arts. Culling from is collection of over 3,700 works of art. MMAA will present an exhibition about the changing nature of portraiture from the 19th century to the present with a selection of portraits in a variety of media, including painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture.

The exhibition includes self-portraits, portraits of artists, and portraiture related to our like and region.  It will include works by Paul Manship, Andy Warhol, Joan Brown, Chuck Close, Edward Curtis, Wing Young Huie, Seexeng Lee, Vesna Kittelson, and Mike Hazard, among others.

Seexeng Lee created the “24-karat gold Hmong Icon”, which is a portrait of General Vang Pao meant as a gift for the late leader on the occasion of his 80th birthday. General Vang Pao signed it along with members of Minnesota’s Hmong community on the General’s visit to St. Paul in the summer of 2010.

MMAA is also including photographs by two artists associated with the group InProgress, a St. Paul-based non-profit that provides opportunities for young people to develop their creative skills through the use of digital media. The portraits by Kao Na “Raynie” Vang and Kao Choua Vue explore aspects of Hmong identity and sense of place in a new homeland.

In addition to an opening reception, Minnetonka Center for the Arts and Minnesota Museum of American Art will host additional events throughout the run of the exhibition.

Other events include Face to Face: A Gallery Talk and Reception with MMAA Director Kristin Makholm, PhD on Sunday, February 27, 2:00 p.m. and a Gallery talk at 3:00 p.m. Free admission. Curator and MMAA Director Kristin Makholm, PhD, will guide guests through the exhibition.

A Gallery Conversation will be held Thursday, March 10, 6:30-8 p.m., with special guests Diane Mullin, curator of the Weisman Art Museum; Julie L’Enfant, professor of the College of Visual Arts; and artist Wing Young Huie. Free admission.

The Changing Face of Portraiture will be held Saturday, March 19, at 1:00 p.m. A lively and informative lecture about portraiture in America from 1880 to the present with art historian Julie L’Enfant, PhD. Lecture Cost: $10 for $15 non-members.

Gallery Hours (Free admission) are Monday through Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and until 8:00 p.m. on Thursdays. For more information visit www.minnetonkaarts.org or call 952-473-7361, ext. 16.