Local Artist Creates Image to Promote First Ever Show in New Richardson Studio Theatre
Winnipeg artist Miriam Rudolph has created an original image to promote Gather, the first show that will be shared with audiences in MTYP’s newly created Richardson Studio Theatre. We are so honoured that she said yes! Miriam’s work is known for her beautiful, aerial linocuts of Winnipeg neighbourhoods that have perfectly melded the themes of the play with MTYP’s place in our community.
Rudolph was initially hesitant when approached with a commission, but the show’s content and her love of MTYP led her to say yes. “When you approached me about the idea for an artwork to promote this show, I felt an immediate connection with the themes and the content of the play. I don’t usually accept commissions because people want me to portray their experience, and I always need a personal connection with my work.”
We were so honoured that she said yes! Especially given that Rudolph had to work quite fast, with only about six weeks from concept to completion.
Miriam Rudolph
“For this piece, I immediately had a few ideas in my head: The play is titled “Gather” and the MTYP is located at The Forks, a millennia old gathering place and the heart and centre of the City of Winnipeg (in my opinion). We will gather there to experience the play Gather. The circular design of the City connected with bridges also symbolizes the coming together of community – a kind of connectedness and a sharing circle, where people are given space to share their voices, to celebrate community.”
Originally from Paraguay, Miriam first moved to the city to study fine arts when she was 20 years old. “I was terribly homesick for Paraguay,” she recalls. “For the first few years in Winnipeg, I didn’t go anywhere without a physical paper map in my pocket (this was before smart phones and GPS).”
“Busses didn’t have digital or voice announcements of upcoming stops, so I had to follow along on the map to know where to get off the bus. Landmarks became important orientation points and sometimes appear oversized in my images. In my maps I portray the experience of walking down a street and seeing buildings on my left and my right. The birds eye view comes from arriving in Winnipeg by airplane and trying to identify places I know in the City from up above. I like to use this mix of overhead map-like orientation with the on-the-ground experience of a place. Mapping Winnipeg through my artwork has really helped me to connect with places and learn about its history as well, since I usually research the history of the buildings I include.”
“It helped me find my home and a sense of belonging here.”
Today, Rudolph is happily settled in Winnipeg with a home studio, a printing press, a big vegetable garden, her husband, and young son.
Of the art that she created for Gather, she says. “The circular design of the City connected with bridges also symbolizes the coming together of community – a kind of connectedness and a sharing circle, where people are given space to share their voices, to celebrate community.”
Born and raised in Paraguay, South America, Miriam moved to Winnipeg in 2003 to study Fine Arts at the University of Manitoba. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Honours in 2007 and a Bachelor of Education in 2010. She completed her Master of Fine Arts in Printmaking at the University of Alberta, Edmonton (2017). Over her career, she has received numerous scholarships, awards, and grants and has shown her work nationally across Canada and internationally in the USA, Paraguay, Europe, and Asia.
Miriam and her family are planning to attend the opening night performance of Gather. “For the past two to three years we have started attending shows with our little son. We go to see two to three performances per year. We all have greatly enjoyed the experiences of being transported into new stories and worlds. We love going to the theatre as a family.”
Gather (2025) Linocut by Miriam Rudolph
