The official announcement went out in mid-September. The Joseph Nease Gallery would become the newest addition to Duluth's Historic Arts & Theater District (HART).
For everyone who felt that Don Ness was the epitome of Mayoral Cool, I'd suggest that Mayor Emily Larson has proven herself to be a great sequel. Yesterday she made an appearance at the Ribbon Cutting ceremony for Joseph Nease Gallery in the emerging Duluth Arts District. Familiar faces included artists Matthew Kluber* (seen here in this scintillating sequence with the Mayor), Kathy McTavish, Tim White, and others. Former Duluth Poet Laureate Sheila Packa, journalist Claire Kirch, representatives from the Greater Downtown Council and Duluth Chamber of Commerce, Karen Anderson (Playlist) and assorted local media were all on hand for the occasion.
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| Mayor Larson, pausing to review notes... |
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| ...then lighting up the room. |
Mayor Larson shared that she was excited for the Nease gallery opening and said thank you for choosing Duluth as their new home. She reminded those present and the public (by way of the media) of the significant economic impact the arts has been having on our region, affirming that "art is more important than ever... a beautiful mosaic that tells our stories."
Joe Nease, who had the honors of doing the ribbon cutting, said he was happy to be downtown and was "glad we found this space." He shared that it was an opportunity to give Duluth exposure to other artists. The Nease Gallery in Kansas City had shows that on several occasions obtained national recognition. I personally have been looking forward to the contributions the Joseph Nease Gallery (JNG) will be bringing to the Twin Ports arts scene.
It's been a busy couple years for the Joe and Karen Nease who first had to find a suitable space, then purchase and renovate it. It's been a lot of work, and there's still more to do before Saturday's Opening Reception (2:00-5:00 p.m.) A few of the walls in the space are on wheels so they can be moved about for various kinds of exhibits, a conceptually intriguing idea in and of itself.
This first show, Three States, features Matthew Kluber, Kathy McTavish and James Woodfill. Woodfill was one of the Kansas artists with whom Joe Nease had been associated there. McTavish, one of our local artist explorers in the digital age of art, has been busy simultaneously preparing for tonight's major opening at the Tweed. You can catch a sneak preview here.
Yesterday's ribbon cutting was just one more reason to be excited about what's happening here in the Northland arts scene.
"CHANCE" Tonight at the Tweed
GOIN' POSTAL FALL ART SHOW. 17 Artists. Friday, 6-9 p.m.
OPENING RECEPTION SATURDAY for THREE STATES here at the Joseph Nease Gallery. Do drop in.
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*For Cleveland Indians fans: The answer is "Yes." Kluber is genealogically related to the young Indians ace. I also learned that Mr. Kluber's wife is a shirttail relative to Hall of Fame hurler Bob Feller, who one of my first teddy bears was named after.
My Grandma Wagner told me when I was about 12 or so, "Lloyd, the way I got it figured out, we got two kinds of people in this world. You got your high class, and you got your common."
ReplyDeleteThen she laughed and said, "I don't know ... the high class always seem to be out for themselves, but the common will try to help you out when you need it. I've always preferred the common."
Me too. :)