Homegrown Illustration Show at the Prøve

Mayor Don Ness by Adam Swanson

Andy Miller by Brian Ring

There's a reason nothing was happening at the Prøve during this past Second Friday Art Crawl. They were gearing up for next Friday's Hoomegrown Illustration Show. Flo Matamoros, curator of this show, was selected by the Homegrown Steering Committee to illustrate the 2015 Duluth/Superior Homegrown Music Festival T-Shirt. Way to go, Flo.

For those not in the region, this is the 17th year for this annual celebration of homegrown music. It's a week of celebration that in addition to eight days of music includes lots of pictures of chickens. Homegrown Music Fest is slated for April 26 thru May 3 this year, and the Prove Show will be its warm-up at, April 24, 7-11 p.m., a visual hall of fame in which Homegrown musicians, characters, and masters of the nightlife are illustrated as chickens by kids, teenagers, emerging and established artists. There will be some homegrown music, too, provided by DJ Nola and Jeremy Ehlert.

Alan Sparhawk by Chris Monroe

In keeping with the spirit of Homegrown they have incorporated multiple aspects of this community into this illustration show.

The Art Club at Harbor City International School and Duluth East High School's Art Club will be participating illustrating chickens who will be the attendees to this Hall of Fame and to the Show. Children & Teenager's whose parents have been participating Homegrown Musicians for several years will be illustrating their parents or step parents as chickens.

Emerging and established Artists from the area will be illustrating some of Prøve's favorite characters in the music, Homegrown and Duluth Entertainment scene. There will also be new artwork by Adam Swanson, Chris Monroe, David Moreira, Brian Ring, etc.

Well, here's the list of who's pictures you can expect to see chickenized: Don Ness, Walt Dizzo, Hung, Starfire, Sparhawk, Adam Guggemos, Andy Miller, Heiko, Charlie Parr, Chow Haul, Dave Hoops, Melissa LaTour, Trampled by Turtles, Brian Ring, Greg Conley, Tyler Scouton, Matt Mobley, & The Social Disaster.

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This transitional period from spring toward summer really is a busy season. Now that our snowmen have all melted, and our parkas parked for the summer, Northlanders are ready to get up and go. Homegrown is the first of several weeklong celebrations this time of year. The eight-day Duluth Dylan Fest begins the week before Memorial Day, and the Duluth-Superior Film Festival will be from June 3 - 7 this year. The film North Country, which starred Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand and Woody Harrelson, is one of several worthwhile films already confirmed.

Recommended: Pick up the 98-page guide to the Duluth Homegrown Festival at all the great locations where you get streetwise local information... I got mine at Beaners, but I'm sure there at Luce and all the other places where you find Readers and Transistors. Be sure to note the Dylan Fest information on page 29. And Don Ness's book on page 19.

For those unfamiliar with Homegrown's roots, you can read Paul Lundren's History of Homegrown here. And for all the DuSu Homegrown details visit duluthhomegrown.org

Meantime, life goes on all around you. Listen to the music. It's happening.