Looking to put some art into your weekend? The College Art Gallery Collaborative will hold its Fall Art Tour from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday in the O’Shaughnessy Educational Center lobby gallery.

Undergraduate and Exhibition Program Manager Sue Focke said students should take advantage of the free exhibit.

“This is the seventh year for the CAGC Fall Art Tour,” Focke said. “The tour began as a way for the local college galleries to open up their galleries to students, neighbors, and friends and show them that there is good art close to home. It’s free and proves that you don’t need to go to a major gallery to find art.”

The tour is sponsored by the Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities and involves nine area colleges.  Music, refreshments and free shuttle buses will be provided so everyone can visit each college’s portion of the exhibit.

All the schools will be showing print exhibitions since this year the Fall Art Tour is offered in collaboration with the Mid-America Print Conference, which is taking place Oct. 13-16 in the Twin Cities. St. Thomas’ part of the exhibit, “Stop the Presses: Graphic Art in a New Light,” features more than 60 pieces of work by eight print artists with Minnesota ties.

There are several different printmaking types featured in the exhibit that appeal to a wide range of audiences. Some pieces highlight items found in everyday life, while others portray supernatural and mythical beings.

Betsy Bowen’s “Shingebiss and Wintermaker” is a multi-block woodcut that is inspired by folklore.  Anna Marie Pavlik’s “Legacy” reveals how beauty can be found in just one piece of nature.

Art history professor Cathy Peters said she is impressed with the variety of print art featured in the exhibit.

“It’s an excellent exhibit highlighting different forms of print making, wood cut, lithography, and etchings,” Peters said.  “This will be a wonderful event.”

Cynthia Johnson can be reached at john3175@stthomas.edu.