Marie Snavely, a visual artist and alumna of Dickinson State University (DSU), has spent her life exploring color and emotion through her paintings. A self-proclaimed "color-scape painter," Snavely’s works use color, composition, and line to craft ethereal and atmospheric landscapes that invite viewers to explore the depths of their imagination.
Snavely’s recent recognition with the 2025 North Dakota Governor’s Award for the Arts for Individual Achievement is a testament to her influence on the state’s artistic landscape. The honor, presented by the Governor’s Office and the North Dakota Council on the Arts, acknowledges her lifelong commitment to expanding arts opportunities and integrating the arts into education and community life. Snavely will receive the award at a reception on February 6 at the North Dakota State Capitol in Bismarck.
This winter, the Badlands Art Gallery in Klinefelter Hall at DSU is hosting Snavely’s solo exhibition, Reaching for Heaven. Running from January 9 to February 8, 2025, the exhibition showcases the Bowman resident’s moving and introspective pieces. An opening reception will take place on Saturday, January 18, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m., offering attendees an opportunity to connect with the artist and her works. The gallery will be open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. MT during the exhibition.
Snavely’s journey as an artist began at Dickinson State University, where she earned both a B.A. in English with a minor in library science and a B.S. in Art. She credits her painting professor, Dennis Navrat, for shaping her artistic philosophy. “He told me to paint fast,” she recalls. “The spark of creativity doesn’t last long.” Inspired by his encouragement and his own paintings of birch trees, Snavely has made the elegant trees a recurring motif in her work. “My paintings are about getting in and getting out,” she says. “They’re about heaven. Are we looking in or looking out?”
Snavely’s career began in K-12 education, where she advised the production of a remarkable 43 yearbooks in the Rhame and Bowman school districts. In 2000, she began teaching art courses for DSU, first as an evening instructor and later as a full-time faculty member. When the Rhame school closed in 2006, then-department chair Ken Haught encouraged her to join DSU full-time. She retired in 2018 to care for her husband, Les, who battled Alzheimer’s disease until his passing in October 2020.
Her art has been a means of processing the profound loss of both her husband and her son. Her son died in a car accident during the time she taught at DSU. Her latest series, The Passage of Time, explores themes of grief and resilience. “Trees are a veil or an obstacle,” she reflects, quoting philosopher Ram Dass: “We are all walking each other home.”
A family friend, Lynn Brackel, who passed away in March, nominated Snavely for the Governor’s Award. A musician from Bowman, Brackel shared her belief in the transformative power of art, particularly in small communities. The couple, who both had lost their spouses, fell in love, bicycled thousands of miles together, and found solace in their shared losses and appreciation of creativity.
Snavely’s artistic journey is as inspiring as her work. From painting on insulation boards with house paint in her twenties due to lack of financial resources, to presenting in respected galleries, she exemplifies perseverance and passion. DSU is central to her story, serving as the foundation for her artistic and teaching careers. “My students saved me,” she often says, underscoring the relationship between her life and her art.
Snavely’s paintings are more than visual experiences; they are meditations on life and loss. Don’t miss the chance to experience this remarkable exhibition and celebrate the legacy of one of DSU’s most treasured alumni.
By: Debora Dragseth, Baker Boy Professor of Leadership, School of Business and Entrepreneurship, Dickinson State University
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