Scott Laursen aims to cultivate local arts scene in Upper Peninsula
SAULT STE. MARIE — What started as a retirement hobby has grown into a career in art for Scott Laursen.
Born in Manistee, Laursen, 62, has lived all across the country. Laursen lived in San Fransisco, New York and other cities as he worked as an executive search recruiter for several companies.
In the early 2000s, Laursen ended up moving back to Michigan, where he and his wife both chose to go back to school. After spending most of his life working, Laursen wanted a chance to pursue something he was passionate about, and spend his time making things.
"I went back to school as an adult in 2000 and I took my first photography class in a Grand Rapids community college and I was hooked, I fell in love with it straight away," said Laursen.
Laursen would move again and finish his degree in San Fransisco City College, before beginning to develop his own shows and galleries.
For a few years, Laursen created documentary galleries in California, and explored photography of all different kinds.
While mainly focusing on documentary photography, Laursen enjoyed exploring all kinds of art, including sports and nature.
"I tend to gravitate toward documentary photography as my own personal interest, but I also very much enjoy nature and sports photography. I like to tell stories with my photographs," said Laursen.
In 2007, Laursen finished his master's degree at the New Hampshire Institute of Art before moving back to Michigan, this time for good. Now living in Bay Mills, Laursen began one of his largest and most influential galleries ever.
Over the course of four years, and three tribal administrations, Laursen worked to capture the spirit of the culture of Bay Mills and other tribal nations.
"It was such an incredible experience, Bay Mills is such a welcoming place and I was really motivated to document the tribe," said Laursen. "It really is a story of resiliency in post colonial America. The tribes have had a difficult history and they had to overcome a lot of struggles just to celebrate their culture."
Laursen captured hundreds of photos over the years in Bay Mills and other places across Michigan.
During this time, Laursen even took classes at Bay Mills Community College to teach himself more about Native culture.
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The final exhibit, "Maampii," was shown in several galleries in Michigan, including the local Alberta Art House, home to the Sault Area Arts Council.
A few weeks after displaying his exhibit, Laursen was approached by the council and offered the position of gallery director for the art house.
Since becoming part of the arts council, Laursen has tried to help develop the local art community with more events and shows.
One example of this effort is the 48 hours in Chippewa County photo contest that took place in June. The event saw 48 photographers each covering a different part of Chippewa County over a 48-hour period.
"I've reached a stage of my life and retirement that I want to be able to contribute to building and contributing to artist communities," said Laursen. "When you're in a bigger city, there's a lot more opportunities for art, there are many parts of the art community, and that's what we're trying to build here in the Upper Peninsula."
For more information, visit saultareaartscouncil.org.
— Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@Sooeveningnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Scott Laursen aims to cultivate local arts scene in Upper Peninsula
