Art Posts

Chris Monroe Interview

Cartoonist Chris Monroe discusses the flooding in Duluth, her 848 comics and the upcoming show at the Duluth Art Institute in this MinnPost article:

Cartoonist Chris Monroe on writing, inspiration and Duluth

Review of 42nd Annual Park Point Art Fair

This is the weekend of the Art Fair at Park Point. Nice way to spend an afternoon if you want to get outside … (recommended). Here’s my take on what I saw on Friday.

Blacklist Brewing: Beer + Art Project 2013 Kickstarter Campaign

Blacklist Brewing: Beer + Art Project 2013 is a year-long project that meshes local artisans with beer and the brewing process to create fun and unique collaborations. Featuring a different artist and brew each month, we bring you a drinking experience worth sharing and talking about. “Share the Love, Share the Beer”

Pledge your funds to ensure this project happens in Duluth!

Learn more about the company at blacklistbrewing.com.

Rethinking “Incidents”

The show at the Duluth Photography Institute, by Kip Praslowicz, reminds me of how many filters I bring to the viewing of photography. I look at some of these images and I feel like I have seen life caught in action — akin to the Muybridge photos that helped us understand what photography could see that painting could not. I look at others and think: the people in the shot have paused for the creation of art. The photos, in the second case, are closer to portraiture.

DuSu Film Festival is a stellar event

I don’t think I can put enough likes on the page to do it justice. Just a note to check out some of the films that Richard Hansen and the Duluth Superior Film Festival folks have brought to us this year. Very much in line with our North Country interests and at reasonable price for all access passes — $20. Great films, great music, great art and good times. A longer version of my opinion here.

Brainerd on Film

May I please direct your attention to two quite excellent films playing this weekend at the  Duluth-Superior Film Festival (previously known as Sound Unseen International Duluth) — Marvin Seth Stanley and The Hole Story. Both were filmed in the Brainerd area and both are quite funny. You’d be hard pressed to find a better regional double feature.

Poet Dara Wier – “Not That Lake”

Here’s a video of a poem concerning our lake. Video by Bianca Stone, Emily Pettit, Heather Christle, Guy Pettit and Ben Pease; poem by Dara Wier.

PDD Shift: Dan Neff / Lake Superior Art Glass

This is the last of four videos in the PDD Shift series. This profiles Dan Neff, 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 E. Superior St. The shop will feature classes, various glass artwork, as well as front window demos.

The grand opening is May 31.

PDD Shift: Kenspeckle Letterpress

Next up in our series of people at work, Rick Allen and Janelle Miller of the Kenspeckle Letterpress.

We interviewed Rick and Janelle while they were working to get pieces ready for their current show at Siivii’s Gallery in Canal Park.

Music: “Gone from Minnesota” by Loup-Garou.

PDD Shift: Mark Bartel, Frost River

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.

Art the eye can touch at Prøve Collective

The Materialistic Intentions show at Prøve Collective opened tonight. Prøve is at a critical juncture.

Homegrown Art

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.

Homegrown Origin Mythology (part 1 of 3)

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.

Calling All Community Builders

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.

Willie the Warlock

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

Willie the Warlock Youtube video

Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site!