Interesting Friesens

There aren't many Friesens out here in the American Pacific Northwest, but the small numbers haven't stopped a few of them making a name for themselves. 

Yesterday I did something I'd meant to do ever since I first noticed the place in downtown Seattle a couple of years ago. I stopped in at The Friesen Gallery, not far from Benaroya Hall and the Seattle Art Museum. And no, it's not a museum of Mennonite art (is that an oxymoron?). It's a museum of fine contemporary art, and I do mean fine.  At least very expensive! The typical price of the pieces on display was $20,000! I chatted for a while with the woman at the desk, telling her that I too was a Friesen, and that the Friesen of the Friesen Gallery might be a long-lost cousin. Well, it turns out that the Friesen in question is Andrea Friesen, originally from Minnesota. The lady at the desk did not know anything about her Mennonite heritage or lack thereof, but I suspect she's probably from the long line of Russian Mennonites from Canada. Is there another line of Friesens out there?

Another artistic Friesen out here is David Friesen, one of the best musicians in his genre in the world. And no, that genre is not gospel or bluegrass. His genre is jazz.  How un-Mennonite is that? I checked out his website, and there's no indication of any Canadian connection (born in Tacoma in 1942), but you never know. Obviously he doesn't share the Mennonite Rhythm Section gene that I unfortunately have.

And then there's Peter D. Friesen, who last lived in Lynden up near the Canadian border. He gained fame as a mover of buildings and other things (like 280' tall lighthouses) that no one else could move. Now this guy is a true Russian-Canadian Mennonite. He was born in Russia in 1922 to a formerly wealthy landowner who fled to Canada after the Russian Revolution. They ended up settling near Provost, Alberta. You can read an article from the Provost News here and you can see some videos from a movie that was made about him here. I liked watching the videos.  He kinda reminds me of my Uncle Abe, complete with that Plautdietsch-Canadian accent so familiar in my youth.

It's unlikely that this Friesen, i.e., me,  will ever reach the ranks of interesting and somewhat famous Pacific Northwest Friesens, but you never know.