Mantorville Chamber reveals cookie tin artist
Mary Ayshford was officially revealed last week as the artist behind the picture on the 2022 “Cookie Tin” for “An Olde Fashioned Christmas” in Mantorville. The event is scheduled for Saturday, December 3.
Last year was the first time the Mantorville Chamber of Commerce had a Cookie Tin event. People receive a tin for making a $15 donation to the Chamber of Commerce. They can take the tin to 15 different stores, restaurants, and organizations in Mantorville to receive cookies for their tin on Saturday, December 3.
This year the cookie tins are larger than last year, said Mantorville Chamber President Terry Eckstein. This event is sponsored by the Mantorville Chamber of Commerce.
Ayshford is a Byron resident and artist who worked for the Mayo Clinic for 31 years as a graphic designer and artist.
Growing up in Rochester, Ayshford said she was always creating something.
“I would study the comics in the newspaper and try to draw them, or spend hours designing my own outfits for my paper dolls,” she said. “It seems my imagination has always flowed and I can honestly say that I have never been bored. I was also blessed with very talented parents who encouraged my creativity.”
School, she said, was a different story and always a struggle. But when she reached high school, art class was the incentive that kept her coming back. Her art teacher, she said, was a total inspiration.
After high school graduation she went to the University of Minnesota, majoring in Studio Arts. She built a strong freelance business, she said, and later, with her husband, owned and operated a design office in Minneapolis.
Returning to Rochester, she was hired as a graphic artist at Saint Marys Hospital in the Public Affairs Department.
“When the hospitals merged with the Clinic and we became ‘One Mayo,’ I joined my fellow creatives in the graphics area located in the Plummer Building. Again, it was an great opportunity to grow working with extremely talented people.
With her retirement from Mayo, she said, she returned to painting where “it’s like welcoming an old friend back into my life after years filled with computers and tech graphics — all wonderful, but there nothing like putting paint to canvas. Today I paint nearly every day and don’t own an article of clothing that doesn’t have paint on it.”
She paints a variety of subjects from florals, to pet portraits, from fashionistas to roosters, whatever inspires her at the moment.
She has exhibited her work at 125 Live Art Gallery, Park Side Gallery in the Charter House, Gallery 24, and exhibits annually at Dunn Brothers North. She is a member of the Mantorville Art Guild and has become more involved with community projects in the Mantorville/Kasson area. Some of the projects include the “Larger Than “Life” art exhibit which was on display this summer in Mantorville.
“Another exciting project is the relationship formed between the Guild and the Kasson Public Library. Each month the library provides the venue for Guild artists to showcase their artwork. And, of course, the “Old Fashion Christmas” Cookie Tin competition which I entered and I am thrilled that my painting was selected. It’s great that there is such strong support of the arts in Mantorville and Kasson.
“My vision is much the same for Byron where I’ve been a resident for 40 years. With the help of my neighbor and fellow artist, Jen Pietrzak, we’ve hosted an Annual Art Fair in July and an Annual Fall Bazaar in October. This was our fourth year holding the events. Each year both events have grown larger and the community has been very supportive — people are very excited to see the arts come to life in Byron. Me also.”
Businesses participating in the Cook Tin project include:
County Seat, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Corner of Main & 5th St.
Creative Change Hair Studio, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Main St.
MRA — Restoration House, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Main St.
Hubbell House, 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Main St.
Chocolate Shoppe, 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Main St.
Prairie Meadows, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Opera House 5th St.
Papa’s Roast, 11a.m. to 3 p.m., Opera House 5th St.
Mantorville Farms, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Opera House 5th St.
Hidden Pines, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Located at the Zumbro Valley Golf Course, at 25202 615th St.
StoneBridge Community Church, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., 515 Walnut St.
Mantorville Square Antiques, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Main St.
Finds on Fifth, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., 5th St.
Casey’s, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Main St.
Art Guild, Noon to 3 p.m., Main St.
Thrivent, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., 508 Clay St.
Photo: Photo by Karen M. Jorgensen The painting that Mary Ayshford entered into the contest to choose the winning design for the 2022 cookie tin promotion of the Mantorville Chamber of Commerce.