Educating Yourself About New Artists and Some Local Activities for the Weekend

Yesterday I heard a radio spot promoting the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. In the ad they mentioned three or four artists and it dawned on me that I myself was familiar with the names because of my art school background, but that for the average Joe the names may mean nothing. If that's you, here's an easy way to become familiar with artists old and new. I use it from time to time and you can, too.

Let's get familiar with the works of Chuck Close.

1. Open a new tab in your browser.
2. Google "Chuck Close"
This will open to a page with links to websites about Chuck Close and Chuck Close related news. You also will see a bio of the artist a a few small images which are examples of his work.
3. At the top of the page you will see the word "Web" highlighted in red. To the right of this you will see other tabs greyed out. Click on the tab adjacent to the word Web that says "Images"
4. In a matter of seconds you can see what kind of work Chuck Close does. It doesn't give you the scale, per se, but you can go further if you like and discover how large the pieces are.

Next time you hear mention of an artist whose work you're unfamiliar with, do a quick Google search and learn something new.

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Game Night @ Beaners
Meantime, there are a couple happenings tonight worth reminding you about. The first is a game night at Beaners Central where the public is invited to come and play Ellen Sandbeck's new game Bravissimo! Details about the Ellen and how the game came to be can be found here. The video footage shot tonight will be used in a Kickstarter campaign in January. I believe there will be half-price wine and beer to boot!

Winter Welcome Soiree & Patricia Canelake Art Opening @ Red Herring
Bob Monohan continue to bring new juice to the Twin Ports scene. Tonight his Red Herring Lounge is doing a re-mix of the cocktail offerings along with an art opening featuring paintings by Knife River artist Patricia Canelake.

Patricia Canelake loves putting paint on large canvases, though she also does plenty on a scale that fits in your home. Her down-home subject matter includes goats and barn animals, and is often thought-provoking and sometimes just plain fun. Here's a link to some examples of her work. Her show is titled "A Rosy View."

The Weekend at a Glance
For a short list of arts-related activities for the weekend ahead, skip back to the list I assembled earlier this week. It doesn't cite night life and music, but it has a pretty good snapshot of things to see and do. Missing here is the new show by the Superior Council For The Arts (SCFTA) in the North End Arts Gallery (two floors up from The Red Mug.) And if your event is missing and ought to me listed, feel free to add it here in the comments. We might as well get the word out.

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