Solo & Two Person Exhibitions
2023
Passageways, Scott Community College, Bettendorf, Iowa. November 1 – December 15, 2023. Workshop with students on watercolor and collage; Artist’s talk.
Storms and Silver Linings: Zaiga Minka Thorson. Figge Art Museum, Davenport, Iowa. January 28 –May 28. Paintings and installation Spirit Vessel with community participation. Artist’s talk February 2.
2019
Sense of Place, Midcoast Fine Arts, Davenport, Iowa. Two-person exhibit with ceramic artist Lori Roderick. February – March. Artists’ talk.
2017
Transitions: Pottery by Lori Roderick & Paintings by Zaiga Minka Thorson, ArtSpace Gallery, Black Hawk College, Moline, Illinois. October – November. Artists’ talk.
2016
Transitions: Pottery by Lori Roderick & Paintings by Zaiga Minka Thorson. Quad City Arts, Rock Island, Illinois. October – December.
2015
Works on Paper by Zaiga Minka Thorson, Cortona Art Gallery, Ashford University, Dubuque, Iowa. Lecture and workshop with students, September 15 – October 8.
2012
Refugee in Four Seasons, sabbatical works, ArtSpace Gallery, Black Hawk College, Moline, Illinois. January – February. Presentation to faculty and administration; artist’s talk with students.
2009
Paper, Stone & Clay: Works by Tammi Schmidt and Zaiga Minka Thorson, Rock Island Public Library, Rock Island, Illinois. October, 2008 – January, 2009.
2007
Silhouettes in Nature: Zaiga Thorson, Morrissey Gallery, Galvin Fine Arts Center, St. Ambrose University, Davenport, Iowa. October, 2006 – January, 2007.
2004
Zaiga Thorson: Recent Works, MidCoast Gallery at the Davenport River Center, Davenport, Iowa.
January – February.
Selected Group Exhibitions
2025
Wayfinding, group exhibition with ceramicist Lori Roderick and fiber artist Rowen Schussheim-Anderson. Quad City Arts, Rock Island, Illinois. August 14 – October 4, 2025.
Explorations, invitational exhibition with Ralph Iaccarino and Stacey Replinger, Rock Island Library Watts-Midtown Branch, Rock Island, Illinois. June 20 – July 31, 2025.
2024
Getaway, Art Fluent online exhibition, https://art-fluent.com/gallery/getaway/
2018
Golden, Jack Arends Hall 50th Anniversary Juried Alumni Show, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois. September 5 – October 19.
40th Annual Rock Island Art Guild Fine Arts Exhibition, Figge Art Museum, Davenport, Iowa.
January – May.
2017
Out & About, MidCoast Fine Arts and Quad City Arts, Rock Island, Illinois. October, First place award.
Art Exhibition, 50th Anniversary Celebration, Latvian Center Garezers, Three Rivers Michigan, July.
2014
Artists First, Figge Art Museum, Davenport, Iowa, October.
2013
You’re Going to Major in What? Art Faculty Exhibition, ArtSpace Gallery, Black Hawk College, Moline, Illinois. August – September. Artist’s talk.
2010
Sacred Tree: Works by Ladislav Hanka, Sniedze Rungis and Zaiga Minka Thorson, Kalamazoo Nature Center, Kalamazoo, Michigan. February – March. Invitational exhibition.
2008
Venus Envy, Bucktown Center for the Arts and Figge Art Museum, Davenport, Iowa. February.
2007
31st Annual Rock Island Fine Arts Exhibition, Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois. March – April.
2005
Works by Ladislav Hanka, Sniedze Rungis and Zaiga Minka Thorson, Overbrook Art Gallery, Muskegon Community College, Muskegon, Michigan. November – December. Invitational exhibition for artists with ties to Eastern Europe.
2004
The Glass and Digital Exhibition, Quad City Arts at the Airport, Quad City Arts, Moline, Illinois. November – December. Co-curator and exhibiting artist.
Quad City Arts at the Airport, Quad City International Airport, Moline, Illinois. August – September.
Complete exhibition record available upon request
Permanent Collections
Figge Art Museum, Davenport, Iowa
Hauberg Estate, Rock Island, Illinois
Unity Point Health – Trinity, Rock Island, Illinois
Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan
Kalamazoo Latvian Heritage Center
Numerous private collections
Grants & Awards
2022
Women Empowering Women award from Black Hawk College Student Government Association, Moline, Illinois. Commendation from State Representative Cheri Bustos.
2016
Humanities award from Daughters of the Revolution, Quad Cities chapter.
2002
Artist-in-resident, Illinois Arts Council at Horace Mann Choice School in Rock Island, Illinois, in collaboration with Ballet Quad Cities.
Workshops & Presentations
2024
The Healing Power of Art, presentation to the Rock Island-Moline Branch of the American Association of University Women, November 2.
Watercolor and Collage Workshop, Figge Art Museum, Davenport, Iowa. April, 2024, instructor.
2023
Herstory: Women’s Empowerment Luncheon and Panel, keynote speaker. Sponsored by the Black Hawk College Student Government Association, Black Hawk College, Moline, Illinois. April 13.
How Artists Deal with Trauma, panel discussion with Dana Keeton and Ryan Vizzions, Figge Art Museum, Davenport, Iowa. February.
Heavy Hearts, Grateful Souls workshop with Rock Island High School students, January 11–12 with Figge educational staff.
2022
Heavy Hearts, Grateful Souls workshop with art therapist Dana Keeton, Figge Art Museum, Davenport, Iowa. November 30 and December 7, 2022. Elements created became part of community engagement installation Spirit Vessel during my solo exhibition Storms and Silver Linings.
Teaching Experience
Professor of Art, Emerita, Black Hawk College, Moline, Illinois. Retired in 2022 after teaching art and visual communication for 23 years. Taught a wide variety of classes, but primarily drawing, painting, 3-d design, 2-d design and graphic design. Commendation from the Board of Trustees for excellence in teaching, 2008.
Adjunct teaching at Marycrest International University, Davenport, Iowa; St. Ambrose University, Davenport, Iowa; National Louis University, Chicago, Illinois; Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois and Elgin Community College, Elgin, Illinois.
Education
MFA in Painting with concentrations in sculpture and drawing, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, 1987.
BFA in Painting, with a concentration in Graphic Design, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, 1983.