There's a New Art & Gift Shop in Town: Rabbit, Bird and Bear Fine Art & Gifts

This week I learned of a new Art & Gift Shop in Downtown Duluth:  Rabbit, Bird & Bear Fine Art & Gifts. The shop is next to Hanabi at 114 First Avenue West, a stone's throw from Joseph Nease Gallery on First Street.

I have been a longtime follower and fan of the work of Michelle LeBeau, owner/CEO who was Executive Director for AICHO for 13 years. 

"We opened our first shop in Cornucopia WI at Ehlers General Store until the Sept 15th -- we had a hugely successful time there, but it was only a seasonal shop so we decided to open a shop in Duluth," LeBeau said. "We closed down in Corny on the 7th and opened in Duluth on the 15th."

LeBeau previously 

Noteworthy work by Moira Villiard who continues to impress.

worked with AICHO staff to create the art galleries and Indigenous First gift shop. Her background includes 47 years in leadership roles in various non-profits here in Duluth including Women's Coalition (Safehaven), Women's Transitional Housing, Women in Construction and finally AICHO.  

"I retired in January 2023 and after a month was so bored that I knew I had to start working again.  I was in Red Cliff visiting Rabbett Strickland and the idea came to open a gallery in Bayfield. At the time I couldn't find available space so luckily found the spot in Cornucopia -- once I decided to open a shop," LeBeau explains. "I reached out to all the artists I had been working with the past 15 years and invited them to be a part of the new gallery. Everyone I reached out to was very happy to be part of a new shop."

As it turns out, while in Cornucopia LeBeau met additional artists that have now become part of her shop here in Duluth. 

"Avery Makes Room For Them is our gift shop coordinator -- he worked previously at Les Kendall's Smokehouse and Indigenous First. Avery is an artist in his own right.  I had a lot of help from my family and Avery setting the shop up so it went really smoothly."  

Michelle's son, Zach, is also an artist the store carries. "He makes custom knives and his partner Kim Nordin sells her jewelry in the shop. My grandson, Stone, named the shop," she said. "I feel very lucky to have had the support of my family and all the artist's we represent.  Our start-up loan came from NE Entrepreneur Fund."

LeBeau intends to open a second location in Washburn WI at the Washburn Cultural Center in June 2023. "We also have a space in Bayfield that will open this January."  

FOR MORE INFORMATION, including hours:

Visit https://www.rbbartgifts.com/

AICHO to Host Papercut Artist Ellen Sandbeck's "As Long As the Rivers Shall Run"

Mississippi River Headwaters

How do you spell "Impressive"? 
I spell it E-L-L-E-N S-A-N-D-B-E-C-K 
That's also how I spell the word Prolific.

Upper Mississippi River

After nearly two years of virtual visual arts, the AICHO Galleries is opening its doors for its first in-person exhibition since the start of Covid. The artist kicking off this new chapter is Ellen Sandbeck, a well-known local artist and publishing author who has been doing papercut art for 35 years. 

This show, which will be on display from January 8 through February 25, is titled "As Long as the Rivers Shall Run." It will include a papercut workshop on February 3 at 7:00 pm in the Dr. Robert Powless Cultural Center, 212 W. 2nd Street here in Duluth.

Middle Mississippi River

The artwork in this show depicts species endemic to the Mississippi River, including endangered and recently extinct as well as invasive ones. This is the first of a series of sets that will later explore the species found in other rivers around the world including the Yangtze, the Mekong, the Nile, the Ganges and the Amazon. There will accompanying text that includes scientific names, conservation status and snippets of natural history about each species, as well as the challenges faced by each river. 

Lower Mississippi River

The artwork consists of multicolored, multi-layered papercut images. The Mississippi River has been represented by five large-scale papercuts (39” x 27”): “Mississippi River Headwaters,” “Upper Mississippi River,” “Middle Mississippi River,” “Lower Mississippi River,” “Mississippi River Delta."  

OPENING RECEPTION: January 8, 5:00-7:00 p.m. 
Pre-registration required. Bookmark this page for more information:
http://www.aicho.org/ellen-sandbeck-2022.html

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Ellen Sandbeck's illustrations have been published by several publishing companies. Her artwork has been shown all over Minnesota, and in Wisconsin, Illinois, Virginia, and New Jersey. In 2020, she was awarded a Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant and she is on the artist roster for the Minneapolis Airport Foundation.

Related Links

Books by Ellen Sandbeck
https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/ellen-sandbeck/219554/ 

A Buddha A Day, the Ellen Sandbeck Way  (2010)

https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2010/01/buddha-day-ellen-sandbeck-way.html

Local Art Seen: Sandbeck and Villiard Explore Issues Surrounding Endangered Species and Endangered Lifestyles Portrayed (2018)

https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2018/08/local-art-seen-sandbeck-and-villiard.html

Ten Minutes with Ellen Sandbeck (2008)

https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2008/12/ten-minutes-with-ellen-sandbeck.html

COVID-19 Safety Protocol Precautions: The gallery open hours are yet to be determined. Visitors to the gallery will be required to wear face masks regardless of vaccination status and that there will be limited gallery viewing hours and social distancing guidelines. 

Coronavirus: The Response In Duluth

When you made New Year Resolutions or goals for 2020, did you have even the slightest inkling that the world would unravel like this? Here are a couple stories of note related to how local businesses are responding to the crisis. I will try to collect more as things unfold.

Duluth Distillery Turns Spirits Into Sanitizer

Duluth is no longer flyover country.

According to the New Testament, when Jesus began his earthly ministry his first recorded miracle took place at a wedding where he famously turned water into wine. I say famously because this act has been referenced by many over the years as a tacit acknowledgement that drinking spirits is an acceptable lifestyle choice.

This week, a different kind of "miracle" took place at Duluth's Vikre Distillery. The cocktail room was closed as was the restaurant, yet people keep coming in, not for gin but for hand sanitizer. No, it is not really a miracle--turning spirits into sanitizer--but yes they're recognizing a need right now and stepping up to fill it.

Read the full story here.

Indigenous First Art & Gift Shop

Leah Yellowbird and many other indigenous artists are
represented at AICHO and can be found online at
the new website.

There are all kinds of jobs closing right now as the nation hunkers down. Restaurants, bars and other gathering places are taking a hit. Many artists and craftspeople rely on special events where they sell their wares that are also closing, thereby presenting challenges for this segment of the population.

This week I received an email from Michelle LeBeau, Executive Director of our American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO), detailing their efforts to develop strategies to fulfill their multi-pronged mission that involves housing and helping people with basic needs. In the letter she shared this message:

Jazmin Wong (our gift shop coordinator), who was concerned about the gift shop closing, and how that would impact the artists we serve, decided to launch a website she has been working on for several months. It launched tonight at 5PM.

Please share our new online galleries with others, this might just ensure the survival of the gift shop, and the work of dozens of Indigenous Artists and Food Producers, during these difficult times!

Here's the link: https://www.indigenousfirst.org/

Freelancer Resources
This isn't a local Duluth story, but something for freelancers everywhere. Hard times lead to innovation and resourcefulness. They also motivate us to look out for one another, to share insights on how we can help others get by, find a way through.

I saw this one on The Drum, a marketing-themed eNewsletter: A freelancer's guide to the coronavirus downturn: jobs, resources and support networks


20 Pinterest Pins to Help You Cope with the Coronavirus (COVID-19)
I saw an article by Sarah Butterfield on Medium and followed the link to her website, which had this link to a Pinterest page offering advice and words of comfort for those feeling weighed down by it all. Butterfield is a mom, so some of these Pins are about activities to help your children burn off energy during lockdown.
https://www.pinterest.com/sarahkbutterfield/coping-with-the-coronavirus-covid-19/

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A Visit with Native Artist Sam Zimmerman: More Than Meets the Eye

Sam Zimmerman has come home to the Northland, a Grand Portage Native who spent two decades in New York serving in the education field. His passion for working with children with disabilities evolved into his being responsible for the special ed programs in the 255 schools of New York City. Along with this responsibility for 130,000 kids came a measure of influence.

His achievements led to his taking on an even greater role for the State of New York, but the pressures, the rat race hours, and politics pushed him to find a way to get back in touch with his roots.

A 40th birthday in the Yukon's Torment Valley proved to be the turning point. Immersion in the natural beauty, and being confronted by the power of Native art and totems resurrected this desire to return to his Midwest homeland and his artistic visions. "I needed to find that balance" that was missing in his life.

Zimmerman is a gregarious man, easy to share time with.  He left for the East Coast in 1996 and never stopped moving for 23 years. "It's amazing the lessons we learn," he said regarding his transition from student to education to the political arena. Of this journey he said, "The only thing I miss is teaching at the college level."

While in Alaska he said he felt like he was home. And it felt especially good to not be on call, which had become a way of life with his level of responsibility.

I visited with Zimmerman this weekend in his home in the East Hillside. The apartment is full of art. His studio is a relatively small space, but just as I have a cramped little office here with laptop and books, he has a corner "office" that serves as a studio, with ample light from windows on two of the four sides.

Some of his earlier work hangs in his studio.

When I probed regarding the latter years of his experience--the political part--he said, "I learned that I'm not a politician. I don't have an agenda." He just wanted to help kids, families and schools. "I did not feel these were the priority of my department."

"The biggest enemy is misinformation," he explained. "Who's crafting the narrative?"

Now that he's here in Duluth he's been painting again, passionately producing work that has been getting noticed, which can be found at AICHO. And he's involved with children here as well. "It's the first time I've been involved with Native children."

What stimulates him most, though, is the "energy of creation." And not just his own painting, but that which others do as well. His walls are decorated with numerous paintings by others whose impressive works he's collected over the years. A whole blog post could be written about these alone.

Here are some marvelous works he's collected from friends over the years.

This artist paints on book covers. Fascinating works.

A Native Princess painted by another friend.

Sam's Grandfather's photo, in a birchbark canoe from his high school days in Grand Portage.
Strong connections remain between Zimmerman, his roots and his family.

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Sam Zimmerman's paintings, giclee reproductions, prints, and other various merchandise with his paintings featured (CPL Imaging) can be found at Indigenous First Art & Gift Shop at Trepanier Hall, 202 West 2nd Street, Duluth. His Alaskan-inspired paintings are available at Lizzard's Gallery downtown..

Related Links
Local Art Seen: Sam Zimmerman at AICHO
Trepanier Hall Being Renamed to Honor Dr. Robert Powless at AICHO Fifth Anniversary

Local Art Seen: Sam Zimmerman in the AICHO Gift Shop

Friday evening, the American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO) hosted its very first art opening inside the renovated Gift Shop. The evening had many of its usual components. A strong supportive local community, treats, Native music (by Landon Manitowabi of the Red Lake tribe), and lots of color. Artist Sam Zimmerman sat in front of a small easel working on a painting while talking with guests, energized and energizing.

The event was meaningful on many levels. The title of the show explained the heart of it. The Journey Home, Chapter 2.

"Bird Clan - Totem" -- Acrylic, Ink

"Nimi At Hollow Rock" -- Acrylic, Ink, Silver Leafing

Ziimmerman, a Native artist who hails from Grand Portage, had gone to art school out East, took up residence in Brooklyn, employed as an educator for kids with disabilities. Three times a year during his two decades in New York he would refresh his energy by returning home for moose hunts and other outdoor activities that nourished him in deeply meaningful ways.

During his artist talk he also shared how much the beauty of Alaska inspired him. He's currently living here in Duluth and teaching at Harbor City.

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The West wall of the gallery space was filled with recent paintings by Zimmerman who has been quite prolific since his return from the Big Apple. What follows are a variety of paintings by a number of people familiar to us here, as well as examples of smaller items you can find in the AICHO Gift Show. Many of the items are affordable giclee reproductions, courtesy CPL Imaging.

Jonathan Thunder

Hover Board Designs by Jonathan Thunder

Leah Yellowbird Refrigerator Magnets Like You'll Not Find Anywhere

Detail from "Rollin' in the Deep" -- Leah Yellowbird

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Photo of more paintings by Sam Zimmerman. Some goofball got in the way,
so you'll have to go check them out in person.

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Have a great week! 

Local Arts Seen: Visit AICHO for Unique Native Arts and Crafts

"Young Nanabozhoo" by Rabbett Strickland Giclee on canvas, $300.

Amazing piece by Leah Yellowbird.

Sometimes there are no more words. It feels redundant repeating how many interesting things have been happening at the American Indian Community Housing Organization facilities here in Duluth. This past Saturday there were numerous arts and crafts events here in the Twin Ports. One could hardly hope to see everything, but I did make my way to a couple places, and made sure to stop at AICHO's event in the Dr. Robert Powless Cultural Center at 202 West 2nd Street.

Even if you missed the event, there's a great gift shop there which is open throughout the week. I strongly recommend making time to visit. If you haven't already bought all the gifts you intended, you'll surely find something special here.

Where else will you find Native designs on iPhone cases.

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The artwork alone is worth stopping to see. Works by Karen Savage Blue, Jonathan Thunder, Rabbett Strickland and Leah Yellowbird will be collectibles one day.

Rabbett Strickland reproduction, scanned by CPL Imaging, printed on canvas.

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Detail from Leah Yellowbird painting above.

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"Elk" by Leah Yellowbird.

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ALSO 
Here are Saturday scenes 
from last weekend in 
Duluth's West End

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Duluth Folk School

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Duluth Folk School

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Alison Aune

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The Forging Community was present as well.

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Duluth Pottery

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Dave Lynas @ Duluth Pottery

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STAY CURRENT WITH ALL 

DECEMBER ARTS HAPPENINGS

AT THE TWIN PORTS ARTS BLOG

U.S. Senator Tina Smith's Staff To Visit AICHO in Duluth November 26 Regarding Housing Issues

When was the last time you talked with a U.S. Senator about issues that mattered to you personally?

Senator Tina Smith's staff will be at the American Indian Housing Community Organization (AICHO) next week on November 26 to address housing issues. It's all part of what's being billed as a statewide "listening tour" to address the issue of affordable housing.

The objective of this particular meeting is to gather information in order to the housing shortage and its impact on Native American Families, Businesses, Communities and Tribal Nations.

The meeting will take place Tuesday, November 26 at 12 pm - 1:30 pm at the American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO) as part of her statewide “Housing Listening Tour.”

"Sky Woman" -- Jonathan Thunder

Senator Smith, who is a member of both the Senate Housing and the Senate Indian Affairs Committees, said virtually every Minnesota community—whether it’s in rural areas, urban areas or on tribal land—has a housing crisis. The crisis upends the stability of families, the ability of businesses to create jobs, and the opportunities communities have to grow and prosper.

The listening session will include local leaders, housing officials and residents to not only discuss the shortage, but also the successful local efforts that are addressing it. The meeting is free and open to the public.

Detail from larger piece by Leah Yellowbird.

WHO: U.S. Sen. Tina Smith’s Housing and Regional Staff

WHAT: Meeting on the impact of housing shortages on Native American communities as part of Senator’s Housing Listening Tour

WHEN: Tuesday, November 26 from 12:00 pm to 1:30 p.m.

WHERE: American Indian Community Housing Organization, 202 W. 2nd Street, Duluth, MN

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Senator Tina Smith took office as Minnesota lieutenant governor on January 5, 2015, and served until she was appointed to represent Minnesota in the U.S. Senate on January 2, 2018. She has been appointed to serve on numerous Senate committees including the Committee On Indian Affairs. Click here to see her full Wikipedia bio.

Moiira Villiard's Paintings Honoring the Children

Moira Villiard has been producing excitement with her work ever since she appeared on the local arts scene several years back, a young artist with an extra-large heart and ambitious desire to make a difference. Her active role in the community has been noticed big time.

During the month of October her paintings and digitally designed posters have been on display in the Zeitgeist Atrium as part of an exhibition titled The Rights of the Child. In her artist statement she points out that the United States is the only country that has not ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Villiard is a multidisciplinary artist whose work has grown in complexity and significance, Currently she is a full-tine Arts & Cultural Program Coordinator at the American Indian Housing Organization (AICHO). She is also a freelance writer, creative/community consultant, editor and graphic designer as well as a member of the Bush Change Network and co-director of the Twin Ports-based variety show, A Goody Night.

Here are a number of images from this Zeitgeist exhibition.

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If you've never been to the AICHO Gift Store, this next two months would make an excellent time to visit. The holidays are coming and you will most certainly find some things both locally made, unique and memorable. 202 West Second Street.

Related Links
Moira Villiard: Getting Real
Moira & Steveboyyi @ The Red Mug

Local Art Seen: Rabbett Before Horses Strickland at AICHO

Friday evening was an opening reception for a impressive two-man show featuring work by Ojibwe Birchbark & Quillwork Artist Pat Kruse and Rabbett Before Horses Strickland. Both artists were present with a strong turnout from the community including friends and fans of their work. This blog post will feature Strickland's work with Pat Krise in the near future.

Rabbett Strickland is a Native American painter of the Red Cliff and Bad River bands of Lake Superior Ojibwe near Bayfield. He was born in San Francisco, but in his early twenties came to the Midwest, the origin of his people. Over the course of many years he's produced a striking body of images, many quite massive in scale.

His work has been influenced by European Renaissance and Baroque masters, including Botticelli, Michelangelo, Titian, Velasquez, Rubens and Leonardo, as well as by Ojibwe mythology. He has been featured in the American Indian Review, San Francisco Chronicle, Santa Fe Trend Magazine, Tea Party Magazine, and in the TV series Native Report.

"Getting Nibi"

The central character in his paintings is Nanabozho, the mythological Ojibwe archetype trickster figure and culture hero.  Strickland tells stories through the various images of Nanabozho, lamenting the loss of the wolf, creating butterflies or doing the Shut Eye Dance. One of his most impressive works, not on display here, is a 9' x 18' painting now in the possession of the Tweed titled "The Right to Consciousness."

Here are some images from Friday night at AICHO. Go see this show in person if able. Trepanier Hall is at 202 West Second Street, the former YWCA.

"Getting Nibi" (detail)

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"Young Nanbozho"

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"Sudden Gust of Wind"

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"Nanabozho Dances with the Crane"

Related Links
Konnie LeMay story in Indian Country Today.
Collection of Rabbett Strrickland images on Pinterest.
You can also follow the artist on Facebook here.