Art
Sexhawk – “Duluth is Still Afloat (In Our Hearts)”
When life gives you lemons, Sexhawk gives you lemonade. And a stirring anthem about last week’s flood: “Duluth is Still Afloat (In Our Hearts)”
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:
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. (more…)
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. (more…)
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. (more…)
Art the eye can touch at Prøve Collective
The Materialistic Intentions show at Prøve Collective opened tonight. Prøve is at a critical juncture. (more…)
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.
(more…)
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
Private/semi-private ceramics lessons
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
Millinery classes begin
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.
Duluth Superior Film Festival seeking short film submissions
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.
Bill Morgan Exhibit at Zeitgeist
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.
Allen R. Defends Gonzo Science HQ
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQtd-vUHtMA
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.
Homegrown banners on PDD
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.
Gallery Progressive
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. (more…)
Repurposed Duluth Day: Art in the Alley
Art in the Alley is located across from the Red Mug in Superior.
[This article is the last in a five-part series profiling local dealers of used goods, in all their rich variety. Others in the series: North Shore Architectural Antiques, Sellers Auction, Retro Antiques, Central Sales.]
Tami LaPole Edmunds walks through her store and points out every piece of art, commenting and describing with passion.
“Those are just old castaway lamps, but you repaint the shade and it’s fabulous,” she says.
When the CD in the background begins skipping loudly she goes to its rescue, but she can’t help stopping to point out some jewelry while the jarring noise continues. (more…)