Twin Ports Arts: Things to See and Do

Nostalgia Tambourine by Moira V

Here we are right in the middle of our 16th annual Homegrown Music Festival. By now everyone has their own Field Guide, covering the more than 200 bands and their venues. At nearly a hundred pages you'd think the guide would have everything you need to know about what to do and see around here. But alas, it's just scratching the surface.

Here are some additional things to see and do this weekend and in the weeks ahead. Just in case you'd like to take in something different before you go out for the rest of the evening.

Tonight May 2 at Trepanier Hall: The Emerge Show

"Emerging Artists" are those who one might say are in the process of breaking out after years of study or fine tuning their craft and vision. This show is designed to showcase some of the not-yet-discovered artists in our region. More than a dozen artists are represented including Moira Villiard whose vibrant paintings have appeared in a number of shows this past six months and are catching peoples' attention. The event runs from 6 - 9 and will feature painting, illustration, sculpture, jewelry and more against a backdrop of musical performances.

Spirit of the Lake Community School's Kingfisher Players presents Canterbury Tales

Spirit of the Lake is a small alternative school based on the Waldorf Educational method developed by Rudolph Steiner. Instead of the arts being an abandoned stepchild, it is central to the development of a full-orbed personality. This development begins early and is integrated into all teaching.
Tonight the 7th and 8th graders are performing a rousing rendition of Chaucer's classic at Peace Church at 1111 North 11th Avenue East in Duluth. Show starts at 7:00 p.m.

Brunch for Prove at Zeitgeist
During the month of May the Zeitgeist Cafe will be donating 5% of all proceeds from their weekend brunches to the Prove Gallery. It's a great way to support the arts as well as support a major supporter of the arts in our town. If you've never done a brunch there, the hours are from 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The Zeitgeist is located in the heart of our downtown in our developing arts district.

Tuesday May 6: Tweevenings at the Tweed

This coming Tuesday Professor John Pastor will be making a presentation about the work of American impressionist landscape painter John Henry Twachtman. Pastor himself is an artist devoted to nature so it seems natural that he should be drawn to an artist like Twachtman. According to the announcement on FB
Twachtman was a member of "The Ten", a loosely allied group of American artists dissatisfied with The Society of American Artists, who banded together in 1898 to exhibit their works as a stylistically unified group. These monthly talks have been exceptionally interesting. They're held upstairs in the Tweed the first Tuesday of each month, from 6:30-7:30 p..m.

Thursday May 8 at the Duluth Art Institute: Native Skywatchers

Next Thursday you will not want to miss the opening reception for Native Skywatchers featuring work by Annette Lee, William Wilson & Carl Gawboy and (Un)ordinary featuring Emi Lyman. A few years ago I'd heard someone talking about Carl Gawboy's work with near reverence. You may be familiar with his paintings without knowing it if you are a regular at the Superior Public Library. Look up at the murals that spread around the room there. This show features  Do be prepared to be impressed. Don't miss it.

Dylan-Themed Art at The Red Mug
I'll write more about this another time, but just so you know, this month's featured artist at the Red Mug is actually a bountiful assembly of art by artists inspired by the music of Bob Dylan. More about that in an upcoming account.

In all cases, follow the links above for more details. I am simply aiming to point out a few things you may have missed because of all the other noise this week. By noise, I mean, music.

Meantime, art goes on all around you. Enjoy it.