2025 SHTA Artist of the Year: Anni Friesen
May 29, 2025
When Duluth artist Anni Friesen has artist’s block, being outside in nature helps her break out of it.
“Really paying attention to the natural world around me inspires me,” Anni said. “Something that is so cool about the North Shore is we have so many seasonal changes. I can go out in the woods every day and see something new.”
Anni loves that the Superior Hiking Trail is just a few blocks away from her home in Lincoln Park, and frequently heads to the Trail for inspiration.
When hiking, “you spend 90 percent of the time looking down, and it’s beautiful. You can see the small changes of season the most when you’re looking down,” Anni said.
Anni’s work perfectly captures the small wonders of the Trail: amanitas, chanterelle, and morel mushrooms so warm and colorful, just like what we see at our feet along the Superior Hiking Trail.
Each year, the Superior Hiking Trail Association partners with a local artist to produce Trail-inspired art for our Trail Store, which raises funds for the management and maintenance of the SHT. This year, we’re thrilled to announce that Anni Friesen is our 2025 SHTA Artist of the Year.
Anni chose the word “Breathe” as the theme for her artwork for our partnership this year.
“I think that the most important thing about being outside in nature is it gives me a break from all the noise going on in the world and allows me to just breathe,” Anni said. “Having that break from social media, the news, and the things stressing you out and worrying you, is so important. Just remembering to be present and look at the small things helps me to remember that I’m part of a whole entire world that will exist when I’m no longer here. I think that’s why the word ‘Breathe’ resonates so much with me.”
Anni has lived in Duluth for more than 20 years, longer than anywhere else in her life. She also spent a lot of time on the North Shore as a kid because her Dad lived in Duluth when she was growing up.
“I went mushroom hunting with my Dad a lot when I was kid — lobster mushrooms, bollettes, chanterelles. There is something about being out in the woods at such a young age and having to focus on finding these little spots of color,” Anni said. “I paint a lot of mushrooms because it puts me in the headspace of being a kid, and that hide-and-go seek wonderment of the world.”
Anni started making artwork after purchasing her first home in Duluth’s Lincoln Park with the help of a first-time homebuyer program. “I moved in and I had no money. I was so broke but I wanted original art on my walls. So I thought, ‘I’m going to paint.’ “
Anni fell in love with the process of painting, how it grounded and centered her. She started getting requests from friends and commissions for artwork, and selling her work.
Anni started with acrylic paints, but soon discovered watercolors were her favorite medium. As her professional artist career expanded, she added graphic and digital design to her portfolio, both vector and free-hand illustrations.
When we approached her about an artist partnership this year, Anni said she was “stoked.” It is a continuation of a great year of being invited to do projects for organizations and businesses in Duluth and on the North Shore that she loves, like helping WTIP radio station design a new logo, rebranding for Spirit Creek Farms, and a mural at the University of Minnesota Duluth. “It’s been really cool to work with organizations that I like and admire. It definitely is easier to get inspired when I’m excited about an organization,” she said.
If you’re interested in seeing Anni’s work in person this summer, she’ll be exhibiting at the Park Point Art Fair in Duluth June 28-29.
We’re so grateful Anni has shared her talents with the Trail this year! And we couldn’t agree more with her perspective about how the SHT helps us all just…. breathe.
By Annie Nelson, Development and Communications Director