DAI Biennial and Annual Member Show This Week... And More.

The Muse (Maureen) by Dale Lucas

There is always something happening here, and though there is no one spot that lists everything that's happening Esther Piszczek's Twin Ports Art blog is always a good place to start and a gift to the community.

While looking for the Twin Ports Art site I found a Pinterest board that features Twin Ports artists and was most surprised to see a couple of my pieces there. Thank you, Tweed Museum of Art. Honored to be considered worthy of such company. Keep adding more to this board. There are simply so many talented artists in this region whose work is worth sharing.

This week I received a notification from the Duluth Art Institute regarding the upcoming Member Show and Biennial Opening Reception this Thursday evening. The 62nd Arrowhead Regional Biennial, which is again displayed in the John Steffl Gallery on the fourth floor landing, is being dedicated to the late John Steffl whom we lost this past year.

The DAI is also dedicating the member show to another regional artist whom we lost very recently. Here is the letter many of us received this past week from Christina Woods:

Art touches everyday life in ways that is both personal and imperfect. January 9, we lost a dear friend in the truest sense of the word, Paul McIntyre. Paul, in his “old sarcastic New Englander- the Johnny Walker wisdom running high” way gave of his time to the arts with deep love. He, himself a photographer, had a down-to-earth inclusive way of seeing the world. “The imperfections are the most beautiful part,” he shared with me once, words that mean even more to me today. You can see that sentiment in Paul’s photography, how he captured the inherent beauty of everyday things, personal and imperfect. Paul’s album is available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/pelrrojo/. It is worth the time to view his work and revel in Paul’s view of the world.

Paul used his sense of humor and wisdom to advocate for the arts by immersing himself in the local art scene and supporting those in our region who are the makers of art. At the DAI, Paul was a regular volunteer, assisting with installs, checking in works of art for the Annual Member Show, and attending events highlighting the talent in the room. We were so pleased he accepted the 2017 DAI volunteer of the year award. We miss his poignant expression of life, wisdom, and his commitment to be present. Join us in saluting Paul’s talent, wisdom and commitment to the art with a well made chocolate chip cookie. His favorite, personal and imperfect.

The opening reception for both the Member Show and the Biennial are this coming Thursday from 5:00 to 8:00. In addition, Vern Northrup's Akinomaage, a photography exhibit, can be found in the Morrison Gallery along with Ray Allard's Jazz Forest in the Corridor Gallery.

Detail from Wendy Rouse's Ely Summer

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Artist and former Tweed Museum curator Eric Dubnicka is having an Art Exhibition and Garage Sale February 16.  The show is titled, "I'm Selling Most Everything I Own and Moving." Eric has made a rich contribution to the local art scene and will be missed. You can read more about his event Here on Facebook.  Here's my 2018 post about a visit with Eric in which we discussed his new directions, the Tweed and our Twin Ports art scene.

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QUICK NOTE: Next Saturday there will be a Jamie Ness Medical/Dental Relief Party at The Rex from 4-8 p.m.  I'll be writing more about this later but wanted to get it on your radar. We all fall on our faces once in a while, but in this case Jamie fell on his face from a ladder and had extensive damage as well as medical expenses. There will be music, live painting and $10,000 of silent auction items... and much more. Can't make it but wish to help? Visit the Jamie Ness Go Fund Me site here.

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And finally, one more image from the Biennial,

Julian Shibata's Daisies

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