This is the last of four videos in the PDD Shift series. This profiles Dan Neff, who happens to be one of the winners of the Greater Downtown Council’s Go Downtown / Grow Downtown contest from last year. At the end of this month Dan is opening a new store, Lake Superior Art Glass, at 202 East Superior Street. The shop will feature classes, various glass artwork, as well as front window demos.
This semester, UMD journalism student Jamie Merideth has been working at Perfect Duluth Day on a series of interviews with people at work. Monday through Thursday of this week, we’ll present four videos that profile five people and their jobs.
You’ll be seeing more of Jamie’s work around town, she’s employed at WDIO-TV now and will be managing editor of the UMD Statesman in the fall.
This first video is with Mark Bartel of Frost River. Filmed at Frost River’s store and manufacturing facility at 1910 West Superior Street, Duluth.
As usual, the Homegrown Music Festival has generated huge quantities of buzz, and remains a real showcase for what’s happening in the Northland. I was especially interested in the Homegrown arts facet, caught every opening and even the Lake Superior College opening that was not part of Homegrown … and a little music as well. So much to see and not enough time to write about it all. I did sum up my Friday and Saturday evenings this morning on my blog at Ennyman’s Territory.
Kudos to all organizers, volunteers, bands, and artists who once again made this a very special week for the Twin Ports community.
Patron of the arts enjoying a set of images at Prove Gallery Saturday night.
Our story begins in the year of our Lord, nineteen hundred and ninety eight, A.D. in a city built upon a hill, overlooking the greatest of the Great Lakes, the Zenith City of the Unsalted Seas – Duluth!
For those too young to recall, these were dark days in our fair city. The musical landscape was largely barren – a virtual wasteland of yellow beer and cover bands. A dark cloud hung perpetually heavy upon the arts community. A fog of pessimism and oppression obscured the vision of what this city could offer and whispered a sinister, “move to Minneapolis.”
In this darkest hour, a small group of rebels were desperately fighting to establish a foothold for original live music and authentic culture. One dark and dreary night they gathered at Enger Tower. Among the rag-tag group of rebels – Bacigalupo, Monroe, Lindquist, Brewhouse Boys, The SparHawk, and Rick Boo.
With a creative answer to the questions below (not actually required), not-for-profit organizations pay nothing to promote themselves and connect with people at this year’s Twin Ports Bridge Festival. And the admission is free for a member of the organization to staff the booth! Since vendors and exhibitors are located in the concert bowl with a view of the main stage, this means a free Jayhawks concert plus a full day of music from other great bands along with community yoga, inspiration and fun for the whole family — all while spreading the good word about the organization. (more…)
Yesterday I was out at The Princess Bride with a couple of goslings and other uberfans at the Zinema for their excellent Saturday-morning-movies-for-the-whole-family series. That would have been awesome enough, but they threw in free juice boxes for the kids, but it got even better. In the place where we expected the opening previews, or maybe a video short to roll we were treated to this 2006 video, by Duluth’s Willie the Warlock
Offering private (adult), semi-private lessons in ceramics (mom/child, dad/child), hand building, wheel throwing, extruding and hand building. Offering individual goals, with emphasis on techniques, ceramic art history, aesthetics, and just plain fun. $40 per hour plus materials and firing (which could be minimal). All with an outside view of Lake Superior, yes one can walk out and enjoy the view. Contact: lennilr @ hotmail.com
I’ll be teaching a beginning millinery class on Mondays, from 6 to 8:30 p.m., May 7 to June 11 (no class on Memorial day).
We’ll begin with the easiest material to work with: millinery-grade felt. This is not the same process as “felting” a hat. Picture the material used to make a fedora. That’s the stuff. You will learn to make a hat from the very beginning: blocking the felt, to the end: lining the hat. In the middle there are a whole bunch of steps that generally involve a needle and thread and some ribbon. Some proficiency with said needle and thread is helpful but not necessary.
Classes will take place at Otlak Felt Studio in the DeWitt-Seitz building and will cost $150 plus $56 in supplies. You can email me at emily @ moesewco.com for questions and to register. Space is limited, so jump right in there.
The Duluth Superior Film Festival is seeking submissions from local filmmakers and artists working in video or digital media. The festival is a local celebration of regional and independent film, as well as local music and arts.
Please send inquiries to Jacob Swanson at jswans85 @ gmail.com. Receiving submissions in Quicktime format would be preferred, but DVDs would also be acceptable. Feel free to send links to YouTube or Vimeo of work. Join us on Facebook.
This is a first rate exhibit that you shouldn’t miss if you follow the local arts scene. UWS professor Bill Morgan has influenced many art students and broadened their experience. There’s plenty to see.
More brother-on-brother nerf violence as Allen defends against attack inside Gonzo Science headquarters. Both men use a full-auto Stampede ECS. In addition Jim deploys an impenetrable “Captain America” shield.
I’m a little late this year, but here is the annual call. We’re looking for your Homegrown photos! The guidelines are the same as always. We’ll rotate Homegrown images in that extremely horizontal and hard-to-fit-a-photo-into space at the top of the page during next week’s festivities.
I only got to four sites in the Gallery Progressive, because I stopped to listen to the pickup group of musicians at Carmody on Thursday. Only recently did I learn that they now serve Real Food, including sliders and hot dogs of five varieties, which solves an age old problem. We can sit, enjoy the tunes, and relax.
Among the sites I visited, Friends of Industry was the site where art was most alive — art was being created as we speak.
Unsanctioned Homegrown Print Photo Show: Blue Tape. No Frames.
Just what it says. @2104 will be hosting a last-minute, non-sanctioned print photo show for Homegrown.
Opening night will coincide with 2104 Spring Series Episode Three.
Thursday Opening – May 3, 2012
Hours: 3 to 9 p.m. – times are variable … date is not
Presentation will only be photos taped to the wall … the tape will be blue.
Music by: Two Beat Band
Awesomeness = Guaranteed
If interested in participating you must contact me. Everyone is eligible to participate. However, content must be 2011 Homegrown related. No other discounts or coupons or other offers valid. Must be present to win.
Brother on brother nerf violence as Jim attempts to assassinate Allen inside Gonzo Science headquarters. Both men use a full-auto Stampede ECS. In addition Jim deploys an impenetrable “Captain America” shield.
Last night I spent a few hours in the boardroom of the Duluth Art Institute, where artists, representatives of arts organizations, and hangers on like myself met to talk about ways to better align local arts. The result, Twin Ports Arts Align, is a group that is 85 percent energy so far — a webpage, a Gmail account, a Facebook page, all set up by Crystal Pelkey of Zeitgeist and an engine behind Nerd Nite — with Kristin Duckart of the DAI.
What would you want to see in a group whose primary mission would be the support and facilitation of local art? So much of the work is just getting the key players to the table; Arts Align should just be applauded for getting us this far. What is next? I’m thinking they need someone to get their hands dirty — about 1-2 PR interns. What steps would you like to see next?
Do you like film, music and art? How about free tickets to movies, bands and art exhibits?
The Duluth Superior Film Festival (formerly Sound Unseen International Duluth) is looking for volunteers. The festival runs May 30 through June 3, 2012 and consists of film, music, and art events.
Positions available include ticket takers, ushers, and traffic directors. Volunteers will be provided with a festival pass for their service, which is good for all festival events. This is a great opportunity for those who want to be involved in film, music and visual arts!
Art history has taken us into some very interesting and sometimes strange terrains and spaces these past 150 years. What’s amazing is how much pop culture has been influenced by fringe and almost unknown artists in terms of the wider public, just as our clothing fashions are influenced by events that took place last year on a runway in Paris.
Thanks to the Duluth Art Institute we had an opportunity to re-visit the 1980 Robert Hughes eight-part documentary called “Shock of the New” which is a helpful overview of what occurred in the arts from the late 1900s to Pop art and Happenings. In a surprise follow-up DAI curator Annie Dugan gave us a 2005 sequel/addendum in which Hughes looks back and makes some additional observations.
Portrait of Joyce (Blue View)
There are reasons the wider public struggles to grasp what the fringe players are up to, but Hughes and art critic Greg Volk (who spoke at UMD a few weeks back) help bring insight and perspective to many basic issues regarding modern and post-modern art. My personal observations are assembled here for consideration and discussion.
Does anyone have beanbag chairs they want to loan the Duluth Art Institute for a couple months? We’re serious, even though this photo makes it look like we are not.
(FYI, image Google search “bean bag chairs” and you will find some delightful internet memes waiting to happen)
Not sure why I missed this but my Twitter friend Tim Landis and his amazing instagram pictures were featured a month or so ago on the Huffington Post(more…)
Nicole Meyer came up with the creative project of making a logo for every lake in Minnesota. At one logo every day, she figures it will take her 27 years to finish.
In the spirit of that, it might be interesting to see what kind of logos Duluthians could come up with for places like Goat Hill or Casket Quarry.
So here’s an open invitation to consider your favorite people, places and things in Duluth that no one would ever consider commissioning a logo for, and make one. How about a logo for “The Path” – the place across the street from Morgan Park Middle School where kids go to smoke? For the zip code 55812? For Restormel Street? Pick your favorite noun and go for it. The more obscure the better. Upload them to the comments of this post.
This is not a competition, it is only an exhibition. Please refrain from using the word “branding” at any point. That word makes everyone sick.
Friday night there are three art openings within walking distance of one another: The Prove, Washington Galleries and Ochre Ghost. This morning my post at Ennyman’s Territory shared other happenings here. The Twin Ports arts scene is moving.
The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council is currently accepting applications from individuals wishing to serve on its Board. ARAC offers grant support and technical assistance to individual artists and nonprofit arts organizations residing in the seven counties of the Arrowhead Region of Minnesota: Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, and St. Louis. (more…)
With so many other things happening again this weekend, I thought it would be worthwhile highlighting what is sure to be an interesting exhibit titled, “Culture Zoo: Looking In and Out of Our Cage.”
The focus of this exhibition is to showcase emerging artists, reflect culture, and display art’s ability to quote the past, comment on the present, and look to the future. Artists include Vince Cody – Sculpture/Painting, Chelsea Morgan of Magic Box Photography – Photography, Christopher Selleck – Photography, Adam McCauley – Painter, Michael Smith – Painter, Jeredt Runions – Painter. Colin Wiita – Mixed Media.
Native American sculpture and painting, portrait and urban landscape photography, abstract paintings and mixed medium on canvas. Their work will fill the North End Arts Gallery at 1323 Broadway Street from tonight through April 21 which coincides with the Art for Earth Day Gallery Hop.
