Twin Ports Arts Scene: April Watchlist

Poetry and art on my brain this morning. Am reading a book about Rainer Maria Rilke in which I learned where his middle name came from. Maria sounds like a woman's name... because it is. The year before he was born his mother gave birth to a girl who died very early so that when Rainer was born she named him Rene Maria. She wanted a girl quite badly, and for his first years she grew his hair long and braided it, dressed him in dresses. Because he had been a premie (two months early) he was somewhat small and frail already and this plus the girl's name made him an easy target for bullies when he finally began attending school.

Alas. Bullying is nothing new. Rilke survived and his poetry is his legacy. When Herman Hesse won the Nobel Prize for literature, he was recognized not only as an artist but a poet, "the foremost German poet" since Rilke and George. Hesse and Rilke have been two of my lifetime companions, along with the poetry of our own Northland Nobel Prize winner.*

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And now, some Twin Ports arts happenings for April. 

Hot Shop Grand Opening at Lake Superior Art Glass' Second Location
Saturday, April 1, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1325 London Road. They are planning to give away $1,000-worth of raffle prizes. It's in the former Perkins building next to the Armory. Live demos in the morning, free afternoon classes for the first 10 people who sign up. Glass blowing is mind-blowing and beautiful to watch. Stop by and check it out!

Thursday, April 6, 6-10 p.m., Erik Dubnicka Art Opening, Beaner's Central Concert Coffeehouse , 324 N. Central Avenue. Eric Dubnicka is a visual artist specializing in painting, drawing, photography, and sculpture. Five  years ago one of his pieces was selected as Best in Show at the Duluth Art Institute.

Thursday, April 6, 6 – 7:30 p.m., Great Room of the DAI Lincoln Center for Arts Education. POLLINATORS & POP-UP PICNIC: Anna Metcalfe + Dan Shutte (Details Below)

Saturday, April 8, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Nice Girls of the North 2nd Saturday Marketplace. "Free coffee, cookies, and a friendly atmosphere await while you browse a collection of handcrafted clothing and bags, pottery, jewelry, stained glass, photography, personal care products, baby items and much more. One central checkout, most major credit cards accepted."

Sunday, April 9, 1:30-4 p.m., Rags to Riches Ragtime Concert, First Covenant Church, 2101 W. 2nd Street,  hosted by the Lake Superior Ragtime Society. This Free concert is a special tribute to ragtime music composer Scott Joplin. Afterglow to follow at Sir Benedict's Tavern. For more information call 218-724-7696.

Saturday, April 22, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m., Douglas County WI HCE Craft Day, Mission Covenant Church, 5161 S. County Road P. I will be teaching Zentangle® Pattern Drawing during the morning session of this fair. Registration: $5 (includes lunch); Class Cost: $10 (supplies included).

Saturday, April 22, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Art for Earth Day 27th Annual Gallery Hop,
Tour local galleries, visit with artists and watch demonstrations at this fun event in honor of the 47th Anniversary of Earth Day. Look for a listing of participating locations, times and descriptions of classes, demos, and receptions. You can pick up a brochure with a map at any of the locations listed in the attached documents. For more information, call (218) 722-1451.

SPECIAL THANKS SHOUT OUT to Esther Piszczek for helping assemble much of the information that gets shared here.

Book & Film! Patterned Peace, by Esther Piszczek, CZT, published by Whole Person Associates, Duluth. Available on Amazon.com and The Bookstore at Fitgers. Original, hand-drawn artwork ready to color. Includes full pattern index.

Life & Art Entangled, a 17 minute art documentary created by Lola Visuals featuring Zentangle (R) inspired artwork on a piano created by fine-line pattern artist Esther Piszczek, CZT, and the improvisational jazz piano music of Peter Brown. Watch on YouTube.com.

Places to find Esther's art in the Twin Ports:
Art on the Planet, 1413 Tower Avenue, Superior
Duluth Fine Pianos, 405 E. Superior Street, Duluth
Master Framing Gallery, 1431 London Road, Duluth

Places to see some of my paintings:
Art on the Planet and Goin' Postal in Superior, and The Break Room, kitty-corner from Essentia/St Mary's on Positively Fourth Street and Fifth Avenue East in Duluth.

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POLLINATORS & POP-UP PICNIC: Anna Metcalfe + Dan Shutte
Minneapolis-based artist Anna Metcalfe will discuss the research and process behind her ceramic series exploring pollinators and their connections to our food. Metcalfe graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2009 with an MFA and currently works for Springboard for the Arts in St. Paul, MN. Interested in the junction of public art and craft, she makes work inspired by water, agriculture, food and community. As a teaching artist, Metcalfe loves to promote collaboration and interdisciplinary learning environments between the sciences and art-making. She is a recipient of a Jerome Foundation Emerging Artist’s Project Grant for Public Art in 2009, a MN State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant in 2013 and 2015, a Jerome Foundation Study and Travel Grant in 2013 and most recently an environmental artist fellowship at the Camargo Foundation in Cassis, France. Metcalfe is interested in art as a vehicle for social change and her work strives to reframe our relationship to land and agriculture, and to create meaningful ways to connect with natural resources.

She will be joined by Dan Shutte, the District Manager for the Lake County Soil and Water Conservation District (Lake SWCD) and the owner of Shoreview Natives, a Two Harbors-based business that specializes in growing and installing native plants including wildflowers, grasses, sedges, shrubs, and trees. Their services support efforts to help declining populations of monarch butterflies, native bees, honeybees, and other pollinator species exhibiting major population crashes, and he is currently serving on the Governor’s Committee for Pollinator Protection. He will discuss local pollinators and how they impact our region, and will recommend simple ways that everyone can contribute toward healthy environments for pollinators. A pop-up picnic will be included in this session to demonstrate the connections between pollinators and our food system.

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Stay current with Duluth Art Institute activities here. Their Saturday a.m. Zeitgeist film series will continue through the month. (10 a.m. Saturday mornings.) Gezielt (Carla Hamilton) and Rooted Expression (Elizabeth Kuth) and still on display through April 9. Lest We Forget is coming soon, including a special event on April 24, Holocaust Remembrance Day.

And don't miss the Pop Evolution exhibit at the Tweed, if you have not already seen it. Really interesting.

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Meantime, Art Goes On All Around You. Engage it!

*Duluth Dylan Fest is just around the corner, kicking off with a concert at Karpeles on Saturday May 20. We've sent out a Call To Artists for Dylan-Themed or Dylan-Inspired art. There will also be a poetry event. Check out the full week's schedule here at the Bob Dylan Way website.

**Looking or something new or different to read. This author's not too bad. :-) Eds-Books.com

Local Art Scene: Miscellaneous April Events (In Chronological Order)

Zentangle-inspired design by Esther Piszczek

Though we're continuing to get snow the calendar insists that spring is in the air, whether it's confirmed by weather or not. One sure sign of spring that we're familiar with here is the annual Sea of Bowls coming up next week, soon followed by the Art for Earth Day Gallery Hop and the Empty Bowl events at the Depot.

Lately I have been reading quite a bit about the integration of technology into our lives. We have increasingly smart phones and other "smart" devices. Pretty soon we'll also have smart cars. As we transition to this technology-driven future that integrates high tech into the fabric of our lives and culture, I sense there were be an antithetical movement of high touch activities that enable us to feel a measure of control over our sense of humanity. For this reason there will always be a place for arts and crafts, for human creation and affirmation. It's art and design that keeps our hotel rooms and restaurants from being sterile.

Here's a short list of upcoming arts events and happenings.

Tonight
Beaner's Central, Hermantown High School Art Showcase, 6-8 p.m.
Located at 324 N. Central Avenue in Spirit Valley, Jason has been showcasing local talent for ages. The front room of the coffeehouse is wonderful for these events as the natural light flows in from his massive windows. It's a great room to have lunch in with new art exhibits every month. You should make it a habit to grab a bite there at least once a month or more... The soups, sandwiches and other delights are tasty as well.

Eris Vafias, Collection of Chaos 

Also tonight, Pizza Luce is hosting an opening reception for Eris Vafias. Her show is titled Collection of Chaos II, featuring paintings, photography, assemblage/conceptual art and music by Richie Townsend. On display throughout the month of April, the opening reception will be from 7 to 9 this evening.

Friday, April 8
Pierce & Piszczek Fine Pianos at 405 E. Superior Street will again feature Zentangle (R) Inspired Art by Esther Piszczek, CZT, and nature photography by UMD Professor Ladona Tornabene, Ph.D. Free parking available behind the building after 5:30 p.m. Her Zentangled piano is now complete. Check it out. Esther's newly patterned and thrown ceramic pieces will also be for sale.

AICHO has lined up another promising exhibit featuring works by Gordon Coons, Ojibwe/Ottawa. The art exhibit open March 21-April 18, from 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. in the Gimaajii Gallery. The artist reception is tomorrow evening @ 5:30 p.m. AICHO is located at 202 West 2nd Street, Duluth, MN.

Gordon Coons is a member of Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians and lives in Minneapolis. Gordon creates works in a variety of mediums, including linoleum block prints and paintings and pen/ink. Gordon has won numerous recognition awards and a commission for his fine art.

Next Week

Sea of Bowls: Empty Bowl Preview Night Monday, April 11, 5-7 p.m., The Depot, 506 W. Michigan Street, Free!  Bowls range from $25-$100

Empty Bowl Tuesday, April 12, 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m., The Depot, 506 W. Michigan Street, Soup is Free. Bowls are $25. To learn more about the nature of this fundraiser you can read this summary of the 2013 event.

Now until Wednesday, April 13, 3 p.m.; professionally handcrafted bowls are online for you to view and bid on. For more information call 218-727-5653.

Zeitgeist Arts Café: Henry Roberts, "Venice Carnival" Monday, April 18, 5-7 p.m.
Photography Exhibit. Roberts traveled to Venice, Italy to experience the colorful Carnival pageantry in 2015; this show features photographs depicting his experience of the event.

Zeitgeist Arts Atrium will feature work by figurative and portrait painter Yuta Uchida. Reception Monday, April 18, 5-7 p.m., 222 E. Superior Street

Zeitgeist Arts Lobby will exhibit designer/printmaker David Moreira's work. "SkatRadioh is an art, design and printmaking studio started by David Moreira in Duluth, Minnesota."

Duluth Art Institute's Design Duluth Series, a year-long series that explores Design in Duluth will have its next event Thursday, April 21, 5:30 p.m. at the Red Herring Lounge, 208 E. 1st Street. The theme is "Minnesota Nice: Good, Bad, Nice?" Featured Designers to include: Chaperone Records, Hemlocks Leatherworks, Frost River, & Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial Committee.

Duluth Gallery Hop - 26th Annual
Saturday, April 23, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. "In honor of the 46th Anniversary of Earth Day several downtown Duluth galleries, Duluth Art Institute, Washington 315 Gallery and UMD Art & Design will be hosting free receptions and open studios. Tour local galleries, visit with artists and watch demonstrations at this fun event.

Can't catch it all? As they say, just keep trying.

See you there.