Tweed and DAI Bring Special Events Here This Fall

Untitled, by Norval Morrisseau

From September 10 through March of next year the Tweed Museum of Art is hosting a major exhibition titled Blood Memoirs: Exploring Individuality, Memory, and Culture through Portraiture. Amber-Dawn Bear Robe is the guest curator of this show which features a compelling exhibition of painting, sculpture, photography, works on paper and video, all of which explore identity through the eyes of native and non-native artists. According to the Tweed's announcement regarding this show, "The exhibition looks at the contemporary vision of the "North American Self" by spotlighting how the artists choose to represent themselves, revealing a complexity of identity, a shared human constituent, and a mutual platform for dialogue."

The opening reception for this exhibition will be held the evening of Tuesday, October 22, 2013 with a presentation by Amber-Dawn Bear Robe followed by one of the artists in this exhibit Adrian Stimson, present as his alter ego "Buffalo Boy", who, through performance, provides visual commentary on the Buffalo Bill shows of the past as well as other identity issues.

The following evening internationally known filmmaker Chris Eyre will be introducing and showing his film "Skins" from 6:00-8:00 pm in Montague Hall 70. Eyre has been described as "the preeminent Native American filmmaker of his time" by People magazine. Mark you calendar.

National Juried Show "Possession" to Unveil This Week at the Duluth Art Institute

By Lenore Lampi

The Minnesota Women’s Ceramics Association (MNWCA) has assembled a show called Possession, a celebration of all things clay at the Duluth Art Institute. This was the MNWCA’s first national call for ceramic artists and the response was robust. 64 artists from 27 states submitted work for consideration in this grand event. And in the Steffl Gallery New Work by Robin Murphy will be on display. The opening reception for both exhibitions will be Thursday, September 19, 5-7 p.m.

I spoke with Tonya Borgeson of the Snoodle Studio regarding another feature of this show. Because of her involvement in clay and firing workshops around the country, she know the excitement that can come from the workshop portion of events like this, especially since our region is so alive with ceramics artists.

Borgeson has been with the MNWCA for seven years having attended numerous workshops including the Redwing Cearamic Workshop. She approached the Duluth Art Institute three years ago to host this major event which included and exhibit and workshops, developing the concept in conjunction with curator Annie Dugan. Workshops will be conducted Saturday at the DAI's Lincoln Center September 21.

By Holly Lacour

The title for the art show came from a discussion by the MNWCA in January. They talked about various potential themes and brainstormed about rhythm and life force and endurance. The idea of waters had already been a theme this summer. Ultimately they came upon the intrinsic possession of one’s skill and the personal possession of objects.

This is a juried show by two widely respected, internationally acclaimed artists, Eva Kwong and Mary Bohls. From the numerous submissions the judges selected 32 pieces that evoke a play with the understanding of ownership and control, passion and property.

When the MNWCA began it grew by word of mouth, attracting increasing numbers over time. They support both men and women artisans.

For more information on this show, visit mnwca.org/   Be sure to pre-register for the workshops if you want to participate.