WILLMAR

— John Salgado Maldonado of Willmar wears many hats. He is a mental health and occupational therapist who has co-founded an arts non-profit called Purpose Artisans with Nicole Konz. He leads a

community drumming circle

,

teaches Latin dance

and even helped

knit colorful tree wraps

that decorated downtown Willmar for several months during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

He describes himself as both an artist and an activist — an artivist.

“I’m using art to be active for things I believe, to advocate for,” Maldonado said.

His artwork is soon going to find itself in front of a much larger audience. An exhibit of Maldonado’s photography, titled “Willmar, What Comes To Your Mind” will be on show at the Minnesota State Capitol from May 9 through October. An opening reception will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. May 9 in the third-floor Exhibit Gallery in the Capitol.

“For me, it’s a big thing,” Maldonado said. “I really appreciate it, it is super exciting.”

The journey to the Capitol began several years ago, when Maldonado began taking photos of the people, places and objects of Willmar. He put his favorite photos into an exhibit, which was displayed at The Goodness Coffee Shop in downtown Willmar as one of the 2019 Willmar Main Street “Artists on Main Street” projects.

“I’m always taking pictures,” Maldonado said, usually when he is walking around town, which he does a lot.

A few years later, the Minnesota Capitol Art Exhibit Advisory Committee put out a call for artists to apply for the chance to display at the Capitol.

Under

Minnesota Statute 15B.36

, art exhibits at the capitol should tell Minnesota stories and engage people to understand, consider, recognize, reflect and appreciate much about the state, including its diverse peoples and varied landscapes.

In June 2022, the committee ended up recommending seven artists to exhibit, including Maldonado. The Minnesota Capitol Preservation Commission approved Maldonado’s exhibit in July 2022.

“I applied; I never thought I’d get selected,” Maldonado said.

Maldonado’s exhibit showcases photos of Willmar in two groups. The first is of objects, places and landscapes, illustrating just how varied Willmar is when one takes a moment to really look. Examples include the bright variety in grocery stores, the creative spin people put on their gardens and the beauty of the ever-changing seasons.

“It’s beautiful,” Maldonado said.

The second grouping of photos reflects the diversity of Willmar’s people.

“Seeing all this variety in people is beautiful,” Maldonado said. “It is full of possibility, it is rich.”

While the pictures themselves are nice to look at, that isn’t their only purpose. There is an underlining message to Maldonado’s exhibit, one he hopes viewers take a moment to consider.

“If I value all this variety and diversity in things, why is it so hard with people?” Maldonado said, explaining it as an example of cognitive dissonance when someone holds two contradictory beliefs at the same time.

Maldonado said it is common for people not to be aware of this cognitive dissonance, and he hopes the photography exhibit is a less preachy way of bringing it forward and perhaps start at least a conversation about it, if not a complete shift in thinking.

“I’m using photography to do it,” Maldonado said. “The idea is interesting; the message underneath all the pictures.”

Maldonado is looking forward to seeing his work on display at the Capitol, and expressed his graditude to those who have helped him along the way, including the Willmar Area Arts Council and the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council, who have provided support and grant funding for his work.

“It’s exiciting,” Maldonado said of his exhibit. “I’m nervous.”