Exhibition by Gretchen Kottke opens Feb. 28 “The Silence of Good People,” an exhibition by North Dakota painter Gretchen Kottke, will open at the Third Street Gallery on Kittson, 310 Kittson Ave. Thursday, Feb. 28. The exhibition will kick off with a free, public artist reception from 7 to 9 p.m. and run until March 26. Kottke, born in Bemidji, Minn., grew up in Cooperstown, N.D., where she resides today. She acted as executive director of the GK Art gallery from 1996 to 2003, and is currently still involved in curation at the Post Office Restaurant in Cooperstown, where she installs exhibitions. In addition to helping others promote their work, Kottke has had a very successful exhibition record herself. She has exhibited at the Rouke Art Museum Midwestern Exhibitions, North Dakota Museum of Art Winter Art Auctions, and the Urban Stampede in Grand Forks and other galleries and venues thoughout the area. Kottke uses her work as a way to communicate with the many people who view her paintings and drawings. In Kottke’s artist statement she says, ”For me, painting is a language that I have used for as long as I can remember. Oftentimes I think that it is my first language, which I believe is true for most people since the beginning of time. Using this language, I attempt to go beyond everyday experience while capturing the simplest unnoticed essence of life. The moments that I want to capture in my figurative work are moments that are worth pondering and remembering for me and I think that many of those moments are shared by all of us.....joy, sorrow, loneliness, etc.” Come by the Third Street Gallery on Kittson to view this exhibition on display until March 26. View or purchase the work of local and regional artists, such as Kim Fink, A. Kemp, or Janice Tingum, in the Third Street Gallery on Kittson Consignment Gallery and Boutique Gift Shop. Check out the new artwork and gift items on display. The web site, www.thethirdstreetgallery.com is currently featuring the work by sculptor Josh Johnson of Lincoln, Neb. His work is meant to shock the senses and get the viewer to challenge their perceptions of the society in which we live. Third Street Gallery on Kittson is curated by Rebecca Sefcovic Uglem and Amy Lyste. The Gallery is open Tuesday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m., or contact the gallery to schedule an appointment. Those wishing group tours, including schools, should contact the Third Street Gallery at 701-757-3333. There is no admission charge, but donations are suggested. Third Street Gallery on Kittson is a non-profit arts organization created by artists for artists to provide exhibits and opportunities for regional and local artists and to revitalize the Greater Grand Forks community through the arts. The gallery will provide a space for local artists to exhibit, in addition to providing the citizens of this community the opportunity to view emerging artists from the Upper Midwest. For more information call 701-757-3333 or contact www.thethirdstreetgallery.com.