Laurel Reuter, the visionary founder and longtime director of the North Dakota Museum of Art, passed away at her home on October 13 at the age of 81. Those who knew her best describe her extraordinary career as a mosaic of a rich life shaped by a cosmopolitan worldview while remaining deeply rooted in rural North Dakota, the place she absolutely cherished. A celebration of life is planned for November 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the North Dakota Museum of Art on the University of North Dakota campus.
Reuter leaves behind a profound legacy that transformed public awareness and appreciation of art throughout the region and beyond. Her impact reached international recognition in 2007 when she organized "The Disappeared" exhibition at the North Dakota Museum of Art. This groundbreaking show, inspired by her visits to South America where she met artists commemorating those who had vanished under dictatorships decades earlier, became a defining moment in her career. After its initial run, the exhibition and its accompanying bilingual catalog toured five U.S. cities, beginning in New York City, as well as five cities in South and Central America over three years.
The exhibition earned praise from New York Times art critic Holland Cotter, who described it as "a total-immersion emotional experience." Jennifer Tarlin, chamber music coordinator at the North Dakota Museum of Art, believes this exhibition marked a crucial turning point for Reuter. "It wasn't just a statement about an important story in South America," Tarlin explained. "It was her own vision of what she wanted to do. She wanted to use art to make people more aware of what was happening in their world, and that was an extraordinary vehicle for making that kind of statement."
Tarlin, who knew Reuter for about 30 years, described her as both fearless and visionary. "She was willing to go forward with her vision regardless of who it might offend or who might not approve," Tarlin said. "She didn't care about that. She cared about being true to her own sense of what was important and valuable." Reuter achieved success during an era when it wasn't easy for women in small Upper Midwestern towns to be taken seriously, yet she persevered in promoting overlooked artists and displaying art that challenged viewers rather than simply pleased them.
Raised in Tokio on the Spirit Lake Reservation south of Devils Lake, Reuter maintained an unwavering love for her region throughout her life. "She had a love for this part of the world that I don't know I've found in anyone else I've met," Tarlin reflected. "She was always grounded in her own history and roots, but she very much rose above that, giving her a perspective that was far more cosmopolitan." As a voracious reader who consumed a broad range of literature and criticism, Reuter constantly renewed and expanded her vision.
Matthew Wallace, Reuter's nephew who assumed the museum's directorship in March 2022 upon her retirement, emphasized her extraordinary generosity. "She would always tell her staff that, whenever in doubt, err on the side of generosity," Wallace recalled. "Over all the years I've seen her do that with countless artists and musicians and people who've come through the door to visit exhibitions." Wallace noted that his aunt consistently prioritized artists' needs, ensuring that museum staff understood their primary purpose was serving the artistic community.
Reuter possessed an exceptional ability to work collaboratively with artists, who could often be particular about their exhibition expectations. "Laurel was known for her aesthetic eye, and she had this ability to work with the artist to make the best of every exhibition," Wallace explained. "Whether it was repainting the gallery just to bring out the work or altering the lighting, or how the work was hung, more times than not the artist would come to appreciate how well she knew the art and how well she knew the museum."
Despite receiving international acclaim, including glowing reviews for "The Disappeared" exhibition in New York, Reuter maintained her humility and remained firmly committed to her North Dakota roots. Wallace emphasized that his aunt took particular pride in keeping her base in North Dakota while elevating the museum to international prominence. "It was always important to her to be here working for her own audience," he said. "She never would have left because she cared so deeply about the museum and the people who essentially grew up with her."
Nancy Friese, an artist and professor at the Rhode Island School of Design who grew up near Buxton, North Dakota, offered a poetic tribute to her friend. "I think of Laurel as a wild rose, blooming from a rural area into the world – someone who had a beautiful presence and an incredible vision, and then marched right through to realization," Friese said. She credited Reuter with extraordinary courage in developing the museum, which was relocated from the top floor of the Memorial Union to the former women's gymnasium on campus.
Friese praised Reuter's ability to encounter countless artists, authors, patrons, and visitors with enthusiasm and curiosity. "She had a huge orbit and a rippling effect outwardly that drew so many interesting people, artists, events and exhibitions to the museum," Friese noted. The artist also highlighted Reuter's remarkable talent for recognizing artistic potential, recalling how she could invite an artist to have a solo show after just one meeting.
Reuter's sensitivity to her environment and deep appreciation for the visual world around her informed her curatorial approach. "We talked about how beautiful and evocative the Red River Valley is in terms of light, color and form," Friese remembered. "She saw what artists saw. She described the world and nature so well, and sought the sense of wonder or searching in others." This keen awareness extended to her exhibitions, her home, her personal style, and her writings, reflecting what Friese described as "a full sense of curation."
The museum director's life exemplified a complete dedication to the arts that made retirement unthinkable for her. "The museum was really her life – the arts were her life," Wallace reflected. "To retire from that just didn't compute. It would be too difficult to try to separate those two aspects, your personal life from your career. They were one and the same for Laurel." Her legacy continues through the internationally recognized institution she built on the Northern Plains, demonstrating that enduring cultural impact can emerge from the most unexpected places when guided by vision, courage, and unwavering commitment to artistic excellence.
