Dakota Drawings was founded in 1983 when Ramsey County and Devils Lake celebrated their Centennial. At that time a county commissioner asked Anne-Marit to create some note cards that would represent the history of the Lake Region. The project held great interest for Anne-Marit since her grandparents and two of her great grandparents pioneered in Benson and Ramsey counties in Dakota Territory. Once the cards were created, her Aunt Belle (Mehus) said, “You need a name for these creations!” It was Aunt Belle who suggested the name Dakota Drawings. “You draw from your Dakota heritage as you draw.” Anne-Marit says, “Throughout the decades, my family has been my greatest inspiration. My loved ones continue to inspire me every day.”
Through the years Dakota Drawings has expanded to include numerous note cards and several publications including “Chautauqua Talk” which also includes creative work by Candace Bergstrom and Mira Norcross.
For twenty years Anne-Marit hosted a radio broadcast entitled “Our Dakota Sketchbook.” The program featured interviews that spotlighted community events.
A recent retrospective of artwork by Anne-Marit featured an oil painting she did at age eleven. Five decades of artwork were displayed in that exhibit.
Her oil paintings are in private and corporate collections throughout the state and beyond.
Early Life and Education
Anne-Marit’s first art lesson took place at Walker Art Center in Minneapolis when she was six years old. At age eleven, while on a family trip to New York City, she began painting in oils by taking lessons from Stokely Webster, impressionist artist whose painterly fashion continues to influence her. The palette that he introduced to her decades ago remains her basic palette.
Renowned German expressionist painter Oskar Kokoschka also made an indelible impression on Anne-Marit during her formative years. When she studied with Kokoschka at his School of Vision in Salzburg, Austria, she took his words to heart when he commanded: “Love what you see! Paint what you see!” and “Everyone stares, but few see. You must see!”
Anne-Marit studied music and art throughout high school, college, and the following years. After graduation from the University of Minnesota she spent three years performing and studying voice in New York City with Jennie Tourel of Julliard School of Music. In 1961 she married William Bergstrom and returned home to North Dakota.
Honors and Recognition
Her involvement in the arts earned her:
- North Dakota Governor’s Award (1981) — for her role in expanding arts awareness in the community
- President’s Volunteer Action Award — presented by President Reagan in the East Room of the White House (1982)
- Ladies Home Journal America Heroine Award (1984)
Mission Statement
In my childhood home an appreciation of the beautiful transcended boundaries of time and place. My grandfather came to America in the late Nineteenth century. He brought with him his violin and a treasure trove of Scandinavian Folk Songs. These songs became deeply etched in the hearts of our family. I am grateful to have learned to love both music and the graphic arts. This love deepened when I studied voice with Jennie Tourel and the legendary Danish singer, Aksel Schiot. My love of painting blossomed under the tutelage of Oskar Kokoschka at his Schule des Sehens in Salzburg, Austria. During my professional career I performed as a colorature soprano, but when I married I found an even greater satisfaction singing lullabies. Through forty plus years of marriage I cherished the great joys found in the simple pleasures of every day life. As I sing with my paintbrush I endeavor to communicate the songs that abide in my heart. I am deeply grateful for the songs my Mother taught me and also for the songs I learn daily from my grandchildren and their parents. I only hope I can pass them on.