The Public Arts Commission and Mayor Bochenski have selected local artist Greg Vettel to receive the 2026 Mayor’s Choice Artist Award.  Established in 2010, the Mayor’s Choice Artist Award represents the City of Grand Forks’ commitment to fostering a vibrant artistic community and a continued dedication to the cultural enrichment of Grand Forks. An open house reception and award ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 15, 2025.  The reception will be held at 5pm - 7pm in the 2nd floor lobby of City Hall located at 255 North 4th Street. 

About the Artist’s Exhibit: 

Multidisciplinary artist Gregory A. Vettel Sr. (Greg) presents a body of work that bridges art, science, and imagination through an inventive fusion of mechanical sculpture, digital collage, and photographic processes. Working across film and digital photography, printmaking, graphic design, and sculptural fabrication, Vettel is best known for his intricate, hands-on metal constructions—enigmatic machines that appear purposeful yet remain delightfully undefined.

Rooted in a lifelong fascination with the natural world, Vettel’s work is deeply informed by his upbringing in the rural Red River Valley, where expansive, star-filled skies first sparked his curiosity about the universe. As a teenager, he constructed his own telescope—an early expression of a passion for exploration that continues to shape his artistic vision. Influenced by science fiction literature and popular culture, his work merges speculative thinking with precise mechanical craftsmanship.

Vettel’s digital collages further extend this inquiry into scale and perception. Beginning with scanned images of motorcycle gear components, he constructs intricate visual systems that echo both atomic structures and celestial formations. These compositions are layered with imagery sourced from advanced scientific technologies—including the Hubble Space Telescope, James Webb Space Telescope, radio telescopes, and electron microscopes—creating a visual dialogue between the vastness of outer space and the complexity of the subatomic realm. By juxtaposing these extremes, Vettel situates humanity at a conceptual midpoint, inviting reflection on our role within the universe. His work resonates with philosophical ideas that suggest human consciousness may function as the universe’s means of observing and understanding itself.

Vettel earned his Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design from Minot State College and brings a uniquely interdisciplinary background to his practice. After 27 years as a certified automotive and motorcycle technician, he embarked on a 28-year career at the North Dakota Museum of Art. There, he served in multiple capacities, including Exhibition Coordinator and Registrar, preparator, photographer, and problem-solving “museum mechanic,” contributing to the care, presentation, and preservation of countless works of art.

His own artwork has been widely recognized and collected, with sculptures and prints featured in museum fundraising auctions and now held in over 50 private collections across the United States. In addition to his studio practice, Vettel has played an active role in community and cultural preservation. He served nine years on the Board of Directors of the Grand Forks County Historical Society, including terms as Vice President and President, where he helped oversee significant restoration projects such as the Lustron house and a 1930s gas station.

Vettel has also contributed to public art and design initiatives, including the development of the mural wall and informational kiosk/website for Grand Forks Veterans Memorial Park, and participation as a photographer for the Grand Forks Convention and Visitors Center public art project.

Through a career that seamlessly integrates technical skill, scientific curiosity, and artistic innovation, Gregory A. Vettel Sr. continues to create work that invites viewers to consider their place within systems both vast and minute—where imagination and inquiry converge.