Tom Erickson: Architectural Appendages

Architectural Appendages is a series of 55 drawings that focus on 11 cities in southeastern Minnesota: Red Wing, Wabasha, Winona, Caledonia, Preston, Austin, Albert Lea, Owatonna, Faribault, Mantorville, and Rochester.

These exquisite drawings focus on elements attached to buildings and hold a balance between an abstracted form, the building itself, and intricate detail of the appendage, that which was added onto the building, often as an afterthought. Look for well-known architectural buildings from Southeast Minnesota, see if you can recognize a stairwell tacked onto the side if a building or a water tower you rarely notice on top of another building.

Tom Erickson’s art explores relationships between architectural form and design processes. He is a native of Rochester with a Masters of Architecture degree from NDSU, and currently lives and works in Minneapolis. This project was funded through a SEMAC Emerging Artist Grant.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website