Join us for the Artist Reception from 12–3 pm, with remarks at 12:30 pm. Meet artist Jacob Docksey and several of the cavers who accompanied him underground, and hear the stories that shaped this new body of work. Complimentary refreshments from The Smokin’ Oak. Free and open to the public!
About the exhibit:
“Torchbearers” is a new body of work created by St. Paul based artist Jacob Docksey. Completed during his 2025 travels exploring Minnesota caves, this exhibition contains landscape paintings of subterranean environments, still life works of caving equipment, and charcoal drawings of local cavers in action. His landscape paintings were completed from observation on site and are intimate looks into hidden underground worlds. The still life paintings show a more time extensive process, and are life sized, one to one, depictions of mud-covered tools borrowed from cave sites. The charcoal drawings help show the camaraderie of the caving community and express in greater detail rock formations, and the dramatic lighting created when exploring these dark spaces.
Jacob Docksey is a fiscal year 2025 recipient of a Creative Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.