Art Posts

Venus DeMars and Lynette Reini-Grendall at Prøve Gallery

On Saturday evening at the Prøve Gallery, Duluth was treated to a special acoustic performance by Duluth native Venus DeMars along with wife Lynette Reini-Grandell, who read from her poetry as part of the Duluth-Superior Pride Festival.

Call for Art: Nightmare Nasty

Washington Gallery is searching for grotesque, eerie, disturbing, weird, nasty, and uncomfortable pieces of visual art and poetry. The exhibit “Nightmare Nasty” will be opening Oct. 26. Gore, guts and everything in between are wanted.

Skyline Art Gallery features local artists; showcases Duluth history

This weekend I visited the Skyline Art Gallery for its grand opening. This location, right near the crest of Thompson Hill is an area that I recognize as the spot where I feel like I am “home” and the awe-inspiring views of the great inland sea and the cities of Duluth and Superior open up before your eyes when approaching on I-35 from the south. I’m sure that many others have a similar sentiment, the owners of this gallery could be included in that group.

A Day of Art and Craftiness

Saturday was a day of art and craftiness, and I mean that in more than one way.

Art at the Zeitgeist

Like Ed Newman, I was at the opening at the Zeitgeist on Wednesday for AJ Atwater. Unlike Ed, I am not a talented writer. So, I link you here to Ed’s account. For myself, I found that the pieces were amazing: they played with my sense of depth. At moments, some of the color seemed to be a rip through the canvas; some of the fields of color seemed to recede into the wall. There is a technical awesomeness to this work.

Looking for a versatile jazz band

The event committee for MinnRoast 2014 has decided to switch the venue from Pantages to the State Theatre. Because of the larger, more professional venue we need to up the level of professionalism. We think we need a band (preferably jazz or big band sound) to carry the transitions and learn the accompaniments (currently there is just piano). This would be a paid gig and requires a lot of improvisation and thinking on your feet.

If you do no know what MinnRoast is …

Local(ish) author Roy C. Booth wins recognition

Novelist and playwright Roy. C. Booth is from Hibbing and still has family there, and he’s the special guest at the 21st annual Diversicon (held in St Paul, MN). Roy will share the stage with Jack McDevitt, Catherine Lundoff, and posthumous guests Cordwainer Smith and Peter Cushing.

Changes to Arrowhead Regional Arts Grants

There are major changes coming in grant funding in the arts in our region. This notice will help explain some of them.

Duluth native launches Kickstarter campaign to support local eco horror flick

Duluth native Jim Ojala has been a professional special makeup/creature FX artist in New York and Los Angeles and now wishes to bring his first directorial feature film back home. It is an eco-horror film called, Strange Nature, revolving around the real-life frog deformity outbreaks in Minnesota that spread across the country and where it might lead. Check it out and support if you can — and please share. Since the production will be casting mainly locals maybe you’ll even get a role.

Another (Unexpected) Duluth-Related Kickstarter

For those of you who know your comic book writers, the name Alan Moore is usually found at the top of most peoples “favorites” list (maybe because he’s an incredible writer, or maybe because he’s a fucking wizard and people are scared of him).

Anyway, I was watching Alan Moore’s Kickstarter video for the “His Heavy Heart” project, and was completely surprised to hear the Duluth connection!

Skip ahead to 3:45 if you want to hear Alan Moore drop Alan Sparhawk’s name as a collaborator on the project!

Post-PDDX Banners

Back in April we announced that we’d be retiring all of the old banners. Well, the day has come, happy birthday to us, and sayonara to the old banners. Welcome the new, fresh banners. The old banners have been archived on Google Plus.

A Night of Awesome in Duluth

Monday was awesome.

Placing Literature in Duluth

Check it out: Placing Literature is a new website that maps scenes from novels that take place in real and familiar locations — like, you know, places in Duluth, as shown above. On the site you can zoom around the map worldwide and add new points of literary interest. (The hot spots right now are New York, California, around Lake Superior and the Orient.)

Ennyman Reviews Sol Fest: “Plein Air Painters and Ayla the Mermaid Take Sol Fest Over the Top”

From the Ennyman:

“The setting, as I noted previously, was spectacular, the weather cooperating with enthusiasm. And the performers, as anticipated, were not only determined to make Sol Fest a spectacle, they were accompanied by some wonderful embellishments. I refer here to the plein air painters and Ayla the Mermaid…

Low drones the Garden

So, as many of you have probably heard, Low played the “Rock the Garden” show at the Walker Art Gallery on Saturday and caused a bit of a ruckus by playing just one 27-minute song.

Now MPR asks, “What do artists owe you?”

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