Star Tribune from Minneapolis, Minnesota • B4

MINNESOTA HISTORY She lived in every decade of the 20th century, and painted por- traits in most of them. Minnesota artist Genevieve Ritchie Monahan was born and raised in Duluth, schooled in Minneapolis and ran an art program in Farib- ault during World War II. Then it was off to Colorado and Alaska, along with her Army officer husband and three kids. By 1953, she had landed in the middle of the high-art world of Greenwich Village in New York City. fragrances of the coffee, tur- pentine and cigarette smoke mingled in the recalled her daughter, Jean E.

Kelly. Of all the places she planted her easel, however, true home was the tiny Minnesota border town of Ranier, up where the Rainy River meets Rainy Lake and Fort Frances sits just across the river in Ontario. She first visited Ranier, then numbering 205 people, in 1931 when she and soon- to-be husband George were courting at the University of Minnesota. Nearly 30 years later, they returned and moved into a house at Main and Oak streets when George retired. He died of cancer in 1965 but Gene spent her remaining 29 years in Ranier, painting into her 80s.

She opened an art colony on the shores of Rainy Lake, teaching classes and work- shops and submitting weekly sketches to the Rainy Lake Chronicle that grabbed the attention of renowned nature writer Sigurd Olson. caught the details of the changing season, the little things that appear almost without expecting Olson wrote, flash of a wing in early spring, the freezing of the lake Somehow you have caught the mystique of the North in an unforgettable portraits she called them spanned 60 years, a period when they won her critical acclaim. As an unknown artist attending the Duluth State Teachers College in 1930, her self-portrait landed on the cover of Art Digest magazine under the headline of 21 Wins First Prize at The story said: is some- thing to inspire art She went on to win prizes in New York and Washing- ton, D.C., where her paintings hung in the Smithsonian, not to mention the Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Institute of Art. forceful, and sympa- art historian Douglas Skrief said, describing her work for a 2016 exhibition in Grand Marais. Monahan, he said, often painted broad brush strokes or passes of the palette knife, always commu- nicating a warm kinship with her subjects whom she made present and Skrief first met Monahan when he was only 9, visiting an open house at her modest Ranier home, studio and gal- lery in the 1960s.

He remem- bers her oversized easel, her portraits of women and paintings of geraniums, rocky islands and bridges. Monahan counseled Skrief, while still a teenager, to turn his back to his subject in one case, a Ranier boathouse. bend over and look at the scene between your she told him, get an upside-down view divorced from your preconceptions and better reflective of the pro- portions and lines and color dynamics of the Skrief wonders if her career might have been dif- ferent had she been a man. Kelly said her mother was when a national art critic once assumed Gene was male such brush rather than a woman using a short version of her name. think Gene Ritchie Monahan had it said longtime friend Patricia Daugharty who was a nursing student in New York City in the 1950s when she first met the artist.

was a beauti- ful and accomplished artist as well as a beautiful person who was an inspiration to her chil- dren and to the people around Daugharty said. Monahan died in 1994 at the age of 85. Her family owns about 200 oil paint- ings and hopes to have her as a significant woman portrait artist of the 20th said Kelly, who splits her time between Ranier and Arizona. Kelly said her creativity underscored all aspects of her daily life, not just her paintings. it was a recipe book she needed, she bound a book.

An ashtray? She hammered one out of brass. A bowl? She threw one on her wheel. A dress for an opening? She made without a pattern, Kelly said. Monahan served up dinners, her husband once said, based on Monahan herself once said that to her, the creative arts were wonderful responsi- bility a creative flowering or out-flowing from the mind and the Added her daughter: She felt it was a responsibility to enrich the lives of other people through her creative talents. She had a wonder- ful sense of humor, and she touched the lives of every person she came across in some way.

She was extremely gifted, and she shared her gift with Curt tales about history appear each Sunday. Readers can send him ideas and suggestions at Duluth master brought talent home THE ARTIST FROM RAINY LAKE Who: Genevieve Ritchie Monahan Trajectory: After her self- portrait landed on a magazine cover at 21, Gene moved from her hometown of Duluth to Minneapolis, Faribault, Alaska and New York, finally settling in Ranier, in 1960 and spending her final 34 years on the shores of Rainy Lake. Education: Denfeld High School (1926) Duluth State Teachers College, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis (1936). Family: She married George Monahan in 1934. They had three children: Jean Laird and Robin.

North of the border: Ontario officials hired her in 1968 and 1969 to paint and mentor indigenous people at the Sandy Lake Reserve. Gene Ritchie Monahan estate I I I A A 1 9 0 8 1 9 9 4 Gene Ritchie Monahan was still painting in her 80s; at top, her painting of grain elevators in her hometown of Duluth. promises to bring thousands of new employees while expand- ing the city in all directions. And all those people will need a place to stay. The action is even draw- ing far-off and deep-pocketed investors like Airbnb Super- host Viki who describes her- self on the website as a Hong Kong resident who loves traveling and learning about other cultures.

She joined Airbnb in the summer of 2017 and now lists 14 apartments in Rochester. The units are heav- ily rented, and appear to be in a newer apartment complex with a pool and gym facilities. Anecdotes like that have drawn concern from afford- able-housing advocates, who argue that the rental rush is worsening an already tough housing market. Others say too soon to tell. And Airbnb hosts like Rachel Nagel say that Airbnb rentals can offer a homey, human touch in a city that hosts thousands of people every year who desperately need help.

Nagel has had guests fac- ing terminal illnesses, and recently hosted a mother from the United Kingdom who was seeking answers to medical mysteries that threaten her child. One guest was strug- gling with the door code; Nagel said she and her husband figured out that the woman was also dealing with her illness, so they sprang into action to give her extra attention. really is a great service to Rochester because these peo- ple need a lot of extra she said. Regulations coming So far, the city has largely taken a hands-off approach to the short term vacation rental businesses, but that could change soon. After months of raising concerns, the City Council has asked the plan- ning department to draw up a list of recommendations for licensing, inspections, density restrictions, code enforcement and other matters.

The city has struggled with a shortage of affordable hous- ing for years, even before the Mayo expansion started. Rochester was the third worst market for afford- ability out of 400 urban areas analyzed in a recent a survey by Nationwide, the insurance company. But unclear if Airbnb and other short-term rental businesses present a threat to affordable housing, said Paul Williams the president and CEO of Project for Pride in Living and a board member of the Destination Medical Center Corporation just think still uncharted territory. clearly serving a market and a he said. On a recent visit to Nash- ville, Williams learned that short-term rentals are upend- ing other cities too, but he said many of the units that end up on Airbnb are not affordable housing in the first place.

At least one new develop- ment in Rochester plans to block investors from buying units for Airbnb rentals. The luxury apartment building Riverwalk Rochester should see its first residents move in to some of the 152 units on Feb. 1, said Mike Zirbes, a developer for the project. Sitting near the banks of the South Fork Zumbro River, the building has views of downtown and is just blocks from the Mayo Clinic. Inves- tors seeking to buy units for short-term rentals have already come calling, but the company turned them away, said Zirbes.

would fear that that would risk the happiness of our long-term he said. For some Airbnb hosts, the market has already grown too big, too fast. Mark Schroeder said he enjoyed using Airbnb to rent out a duplex his family owns six block from the Mayo Clinic when he first joined the site four years ago. His big sell- ing point was a leather recliner. A renter who had just spent hours undergoing tests at Mayo loved being able to kick back and relax in the chair, he said.

Over time, however, Airbnb grew less appealing, he said. His family moved farther away from the rental property, mak- ing the cleaning and mainte- nance more time-consuming. He also felt he be away from Rochester for too long while renting to short-term visitors. The end came this summer, when Schroeder saw dozens of new Rochester Airbnb listings show up online. market just got he said.

He left the website in June. Airport service For others, hosting on Airbnb has been life-chang- ing. far more than a side hustle for people like JoLynn Skogen a retired Rochester resident who said she prides herself on her Airbnb hosting. She learned about the website two years ago from a nephew in St. Paul.

love it; I just love said Skogen, earned a five- star rating. had guests from countries near and far, many to receive treatment at the Mayo Clinic or even work there for short stints. the patients who often need extra support, and Sko- gen said she goes out of her way to be useful. She drives to the Rochester airport to pick up or drop off guests, stocks her rental apartment with flowers, and religiously cleans the unit between guests, keep- ing in mind that some of them are in fragile health. known had a long flight, gone so far as to put a roast in a hot pot for she said.

Some of the guests become friends after invited down to her house for dinner; others need their privacy. Skogen said become good at reading her guests. rewarded her diligence with high ratings and good reviews, driving more business her way. tell you how many people have said so grate- ful to have a place like this to come home she said. not worried about growth in the local Airbnb market her guests want a place that feels more like a home.

will be some time before it taps she said. think this is just really the begin- Matt McKinney 612-673-7329 Mayo sparks a surge of Airbnb bookings in Rochester BRIAN PETERSON brian.peterson@startribune.com Rachel Nagel said being an Airbnb host in Mayo back- yard is important because people need a lot of extra AIRBNB from B1 Coleman played role in ending role as teacher at law school. By ROCHELLE OLSON rochelle.olson@startribune.com Never mind the stacks of law books and the jockeying for grades at Harvard Law School Second-year student Molly Coleman is working on bigger things. Harvard, it feels like when you get your admissions letter, you get this platform to make the 27-year-old from St. Paul said Saturday while home on break.

Coleman was a writer on a Sept. 20 opinion piece for the law newspaper titled, is HLS (Harvard Law School) doing about Profes- sor Brett At the time, Kavana- ugh was fighting for Sen- ate confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court. article asked: Harvard Law School take seriously the credible allegation of Kava- sexual assault against a young woman before he is allowed to continue teaching young women? Or will Har- vard allow him to teach stu- dents without further inquiry and continue paying him our tuition Kavanaugh was confirmed to the Supreme Court, but he be back at Harvard, where he had taught for about a decade. After piece and scattered protests, the school announced last month that he be back in January.

Taking on a powerful figure and chal- lenging the administration at the hallowed halls of Har- vard was a no-brainer for her, Coleman said. She said she received sup- port from her most admired professors, as well as hundreds of students who joined a walk- out. Of Kavana- appoint- ment, she said, so infuriat- ing. We are saying so loudly for everyone to hear that women Coleman has more writ- ing in her future: She was recently elected co-editor of the Harvard Civil Rights- Civil Liberties Law Review A graduate of St. Central High School, where she was even to being valedictorian, and the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Coleman said she was drawn to the law to seek systemic change on racial and gender equity issues.

at Central, hard not to think of things through a racial inequity she said. taken time off from her studies to work with inner-city New York schools. Last sum- mer, she was a clerk in the Hen- nepin County Public Defend- office. Next summer, split her time between two jobs. be at Gender Jus- tice a St.

Paul nonprofit legal and advocacy group fighting discrimination based on sex, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity. But first Coleman will head to New York City to work at Paul, Weiss a Man- hattan law firm that is work- ing with families separated at the border. Coleman is the daughter of former St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, a lawyer himself. Will she follow in the political footsteps of her father and her late grandfather Nick Cole- man, who served as major- ity leader in the Minnesota Senate? Coleman demurred, saying she sees lots of ways to push for change.

Rochelle Olson 612-673-1747 Twitter: St. Paul native is notable at Harvard Coleman ZSW B4 Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018 B4 TA I I TA DAY, OV 2 5 2 0 1 8.