Local Art Scene: This Week in the Twin Ports

Artist Kamikaze Hall of Fame: Intergalactica*

Tuesday

Tweevening: Annie Dugan Presents the History of Plein Air
Tweed Museum, October 3
6:30-8:00 p.m.
Annie Dugan has stepped down from her role as director of the Duluth Art Institute, but she's not abandoned the Twin Ports arts scene. Come hear Annie talk about the resurgence of interest in plein air (in open air) painting and its historical context in the grand scheme of things.



Wednesday

Opening Reception for Artist Kamikazi 8: Games
October 4, 7:00-10:00 p.m. @ Pizza Luce
Hosted by Eris Vafias and Lesley Ross

Artist Kamikaze is an event designed to pair teams of artists who work in disparate mediums. A theme is selected and the various teams create art that expresses or interprets this.

Sneak Peek: Artist Kamikaze 8 

Thursday

Opening Reception for As Above, So Below
October 5, 5:00-7:00 p.m.
New works by Karen Owsley Nease at the Kruk Gallery in the Holden Fine Arts Center.

Learn more about the artist here and at karennease.com.

* * * *

* I had the privilege of participating in at least two Artist Kamikaze events. In each case I enjoyed getting to know creative people I'd not known or worked with previously. When our project was completed, involving a costume artist, a photographer and myself, the story and pictures were so fascinating to me that I had them converted into a book which is available here for free on iTunes. Intergalactica was a collaborative project conceived and produced by Patty Peterson Mahnke, Kate Dupre and myself in the spring of 2012.

* * * *

Meantime, art goes on all around you. Enjoy the shows.

Lessons In Collaboration ~ Intergalactica

Discovery

Collaboration. It's something musicians do all the time. Think John, Paul, George and Ringo. Each brought something different to the group. And the music they created would never have existed had they not learned how to collaborate. Each had talent that was recognized and respected by the others, but in order to be The Beatles they also had to have an additional talent: the ability to collaborate.

Theater is another collaborative experience. The range of skills required is vast, from playwright to director to set designers, casting, actors and all the technical facets of sound and lighting in order for the audience to receive the full force of the production.

By way of contrast, artists and poets have historically been soloists. Walt Whitman, Claude Monet, Robert Frost, Salvadore Dali... They did what they did. They associated with others, bounced ideas off others, but they usually worked alone. Like writing this blog, or a daily diary, painting or drawing is usually a soloist pursuit...

The Beginning
Artist Kamikaze has been an annual Twin Ports event in which artists who work in different media and genres are paired with the aim of producing a work of art on a given theme. It's a competition, invented by Limbo Gallery and Eris Vafias, which results in art for display each year at Pizza Luce.

Last year for Artist Kamikaze IV I was paired with Steampunk fashion artist Patricia Mahnke. Intergalactic was the theme. We initially decided was to create a character and costume, that I would subsequently paint. Eventually this evolved into two characters and costumes, and ultimately a narrative. Our ideas kept expanding and the desire for a third team member with photography and Photoshop skills was fulfilled when Kate Dupre joined the team.

I found the end result -- costumes and five pieces that included two original paintings and over 700 photos -- so exhilarating that I felt it should be shared with a wider audience. That was the impetus behind producing the eBook Intergalactica. 

Here are some of the lessons I learned through this experience.

Trust

Intergalactic Contact

I had no pre-conceived notions on where to take our project, but when Patty and I first met she showed me some ideas for costumes that she'd sketched. She envisioned more than one character, as in a story. My skeptical response, when she described the first character was, "Can you do this?" She replied yes with much confidence.

Lesson One in collaborations is Trust. I was impressed by Patty's imagination and had to trust her capabilities. Being a painter my initial thought was that she would make the costumes and I would paint the characters wearing them. But Patty asked me to decorate one of the dresses, right on the material. I'd never painted on material in this manner and was insecure. But she was confident. And she trusted me as well. The final costume for Aurora was a true collaboration.

Confidence
Confidence is a plus in any endeavor, and Patty had it in spades. In basketball you give the ball to your star player at the end of the game because he is confident that he can make that final shot.

Serendipity was also working in our favor. Napolean Bonaparte stated that in planning a battle one is wise to include spaces in the plan to allow serendipity, the unexpected, to happen.

Njall

As a team the three of us brainstormed to develop a story line. That week I wrote a first draft. I was encouraged when they liked the foundation I fleshed out. In a subsequent meeting Patty and Kate expressed the thought that the names didn't work. The story was good. Together we generated ideas for names, searching online for Danish, Icelandic and other name sources which would sound foreign to us but have a cool ring to them. Names of characters and planets emerged. And a sense of mutuality began to build. It was not one person’s project, but began to have its own life to which we were all connected and to which we were all contributing.

This is an important part of team collaboration. In projects like this, everyone needs to feel part of the project, have a voice. But there was another important factor at work here, the ability to lay aside ego for the greater good. I created names in the initial story, but when Patty and Kate weighed in I let go of what I originally proposed. The suggestions they offered strengthened the story.

Planning 
The photo shoot would be an important part of the final presentation so we had to set a date for accomplishing this. It would have to give Patty enough time to produce the costumes she conceived and would be far enough from the deadline to create the final pieces we were to display, which was a collage of images, two paintings and a fabulous shot which required amplifications via Photoshop by Kate. The date was set for May 19.

Personal Sacrifice
Making the time commitment was challenging for we each had exceedingly busy schedules. But Kate made a comment that especially fired me up to not pull back on my end. She expressed her concern that what we end up with might look like a high school art project, that we must take this project to another level. This was precisely the prod I needed to go all out, to put in the extra hours required to embellish the paintings with essential details. The best teams are those in which everyone is making the same kind of all out effort.

The night of the show three other teams garnered more votes for their work, but I felt truly gratified by what we had accomplished. It was a privilege to be part of such a dedicated team.

Over the past eight months I have been working with TJ Lind, my ePublishing collaborator, to create an eBook version of our story so it could be shared with a wider audience. The art show is long gone, but the fruit of it is now available as a FREE DOWNLOAD called Intergalactica from the Apple iTunes Store. Check it out. You can't beat the price. 

Don't have an iPad or iTunes, here's a link where you can download the PDF.

Intergalactica: Part VIII (finis)

Words were useless, but soon they found creative ways to tell their stories. Aurora explained how she had been sent to find a new home for the people of Earth. Njall, using gestures, symbols and the universal language of mathematics, helped Aurora comprehend the plight of Galdur.

For a long time each was silent, pondering the meaning of these things. Aurora then stepped back a pace and as she did so her belt began to radiate in a fascinating swirl of lights and colors, clouds, oceans and deep spacial wonders. Njall’s cheeks flushed and her eyes went wide as she became mesmerized by so strange a sight, and the emergence of a new hope for the peoples of two planets, so different and so the same.

Intergalactica was a collaborative project conceived and produced by Patty Peterson Mahnke, Kate Dupre and Ed Newman in the spring of 2012 in conjunction with Artist Kamikaze IV. The role of Njall was played by Kailyn Avery.

Artist Kamikaze Teaches Lessons In Collaboration

Lessons I learned from this year's Artist Kamikaze experience.

Kate Dupre as Prof. Minerva Delphina Wonderborn w/automaton Aurora.

Collaboration. It's something musicians do all the time. Think John, Paul, George and Ringo. Each brought something different to the group. And the music they created would never have existed had they not learned how to collaborate. Each had talent that was recognized and respected by the others, but in order to be The Beatles they also had to have an additional talent: the ability to collaborate.

Theater is another collaborative experience. The range of skills required is vast, from playwright to director to set designers, casting, actors and all the technical facets of sound and lighting in order for the audience to receive the full force of the production.

Patty Mahnke's initial sketch of Aurora.

By way of contrast, artists and poets have historically been soloists. Walt Whitman, Claude Monet, Robert Frost, Pablo Picasso... They did what they did. They associated with others, bounced ideas off others, but they usually worked alone. Like writing this blog, or a daily diary, painting or drawing is usually a soloist pursuit...

So when Artist Kamikaze was conceived, it challenged some of the dynamics in how artists work. I paint or draw by myself. But in the Artist Kamikaze artists are paired or teamed together with other collaborators wholly unlike themselves. Think Ringo Starr and bluegrass legend Doc Watson, or John Lennon and Yo-Yo Ma.

As in years past, a theme is conceived and teams established. Like the launch of any new project in business there is also a time frame set with a deadline. This year's show was slated for July 7.

My randomly selected partner in this venture was Patricia Mahnke, who does costume art and is active with a loose collection of artists called Friends of Industry. She met her husband Wally through theater, hence the theatrical aspect of conceiving and designing clothing for Steampunk events these past few years is a natural outgrowth of these interests.

In our first meeting we discussed concepts for our project. The Artist Kamikaze theme this year was Intergallactic. I had no pre-conceived notions on where to take our project, but when Patty and I met she showed me some ideas for costumes that she'd sketched. She envisioned more than one character, as in a story. My first response, when she described the one character was, "Can you do this?" She replied yes with much confidence.

Aurora in transport.

LESSON ONE in collaborations is Trust. I was impressed by Patty's imagination and had to trust her capabilities. Being a painter my initial thought was that she would make the costumes and I would paint the characters wearing them. But Patty asked me to decorate one of the dresses, right on the material. I'd never painted on material in this manner and was insecure. But she was confident. And she trusted me as well.

Confidence is a plus in any endeavor, and Patty had it in spades. In basketball you give the ball to your star player at the end of the game because he is confident that he can make that final shot.

As the project evolved, we felt it would be valuable to do a photo shoot once the costumes were designed. We asked Eris Vafias, who is the initiator/inventor of the annual Artist Kamikaze events, if we might be permitted to have a professional photographer do pictures of what we create. As luck would have it Eris said there was a photographer who wanted to participate and had no partner. Kate Dupre would become the third member of the team. Serendipity was at working in our favor. Napolean Bonaparte said that in planning a battle one is wise to include a space in the plan to allow serendipity, the unexpected, to happen.

We brainstormed to come up with a story. I took notes and wrote a first draft. In a subsequent meeting Patty and Kate thought the names didn't work, but the story was good. 

As a team the three of us brainstormed to come up with a story line. I took notes and wrote a first draft. They liked the foundation I fleshed out. In a subsequent meeting Patty and Kate expressed that though the names didn't work, the story was good. Together we generated ideas for names, searching online for Danish, Icelandic and other name sources which would sound foreign to us but have a cool ring to them. Names of characters and planets emerged. And a sense of mutuality began to build. It was not one person’s project, but began to have its own life to which we were all connected and to which we were all contributing.

This is an important part of team collaboration. In projects like this, everyone needs to feel part of the project, have a voice. But there was another important piece at work here, the ability to lay aside ego for the greater good. I created names in the initial story, but when Patty and Kate weighed in I let go of what I originally proposed. The suggestions they offered strengthened the story.

Planning was another major issue. The photo shoot would be an important part of the final presentation so we had to set a date for accomplishing this. It would have to give Patty enough time to produce the costumes she conceived and would be far enough from the deadline to create the final pieces we were to display, which was a collage of images, two paintings and a fabulous shot which required amplifications via Photoshop by Kate. The date was set for May 19.

Making the time commitment was challenging for we each have had exceedingly busy schedules right now. But Kate made a comment that especially fired me up to not pull back on my end. She was concerned that what we end up with might look like a high school art project. This was precisely the prod I needed to go all out, to put in the extra hours required to embellish the paintings with essential details. I think when you go back and study any great achievement in the arts, or in human history for that matter, you will see that there were personal sacrifices involved.

The night of the show three other teams garnered more votes for their work, but I felt truly gratified by what we had accomplished. It was a privilege to be part of such a dedicated team. The show is coming down today, but what we created will remain one walls or personal spaces for a long time, I am guessing. We may even produce a book. Kate shot over 600 great photos and the story will be as fun tomorrow as it was last week.

What lessons have your learned from your most recent collaborative venture? 

Patty Mahnke as Aurora. Phot and Photoshop work by Kate Dupre.

Inside Insights On This Week's Artist Kamikaze IV

Musicians have always understood the power of collaboration. They form groups, or bands, sometimes in pairs and sometimes with a full orchestra, but always understanding that their effectiveness involves working together with another. Artists and writers, for the most part, work solo. The studio beckons and we value that time to put the world aside.

But three years ago I saw the powerful effect of a collaboration in the show 3N6D at the Red Mug. Last year I was part of an art event called Artist Kamikaze III in which artists working in different mediums are paired off to see what they will produce. It is an artist version of a Battle of the Bands, and this Thursday Pizza Luce here in Duluth will host Artist Kamikaze IV.

Here are some insights about this annual event from its founder and prime mover, Eris Vafias.

EN: What is Artist Kamikaze and how did you come to conceive of it?

Eris Vafias: The Artist Kamikaze is a one-of-a-kind art show/competition in the Twin Ports area, with close to thirty local artists all vying for the title of Artist Kamikaze Champion and other assorted prizes. It is based loosely on the Rock and Roll Kamikaze (which occurs annually at Pizza Luce-Duluth), insomuch as artists sign up and get placed into teams by random draw, fate, etc. Teams are then given a period of time, typically 1-3 months, to create collaborative work for the Artist Kamikaze (AK).

Artists in the competition include photographers, painters, sculptors, fashion designers, plus…The Artist Kamikaze is historically one of the largest group exhibitions in the Twin Ports area and is open to emerging local talent as well as local veterans. The collaborative nature of the event, often pushes artists to leave their respective “comfort zones” and to try things that they would have never done absent the other team member(s). Sometimes, in this process, artists will realize that they would like to go further with this new direction (sometimes not—though if they don’t like the work they generated they can explain it away by saying the Artist Kamikaze made me do it…smiles). Other times, due to personality conflicts and whatnot, projects don’t get completed or the teams drop out. It can be a difficult process for some, however I think by and large it is a positive experience for the lion’s share of participants. It allows artists to make connections in the art community, if not lifelong friendships.

All pieces are marked via team number. This is to level the playing ground, so that the AK champions are not selected due to any sort of “name recognition.” The team members are revealed by name after voting. AK Champions are selected via general in person voting. Ballots are available the night of the opening for a suggested donation of $2. The donations help defray costs for the event and the remainder, above and beyond those costs, is given to the Champion team in recognition of their efforts and uber-stellar art (as will be the case this year).

EN: This year the theme for Artist Kamikaze IV is Intergalactic. Where do the ideas for themes come from? (and what were the themes for the first three years?)

EV: Originally, the Artist Kamikaze (as envisioned) had no theme, however, during the first year, a couple of days into the process, after gathering information from artists who had signed up, it was decided that a unifying theme to tie all the art together is something that we wanted to pursue. The Artist Kamikaze themes that were chosen are meant to be highly open to interpretation, allowing for each team’s “take” on them to shine through. There is no real science in the selection of themes, other than passing potential themes by assorted alumni and seeing which theme seems to carry the most excitement with them.

AK-I theme: Gnomes
AK-II theme: Time
AK III theme: Elements
AK IV theme: Intergalactic

EN: Artist Kamikaze is sponsored by Limbo Gallery. What is Limbo Gallery?

EV: Limbo Gallery is a pop-up gallery. Much in the way a church can be anywhere, we believe that art can likewise be anywhere. We specialize in art events varying from one night only to longer dependent upon host/circumstance. It is our hope that by hosting art events in spaces that aren’t so “polished” it is more inviting to those who have never been to an art opening, as well as to provide a more comfortable space and an opportunity for new emerging artists to come out of their shells and show their work. Additionally, it is a great way for the more established artists to try something novel (a great majority of the art events have a loose theme). A lot of the art events we curate are more intimate than that average opening and in certain instances, depending on the show, contain art that may not be “fit” for the more mainstream galleries in the area. We particularly enjoy being on the fringe and helping people get started.

EN: What can we expect from this year’s show? How many artists are participating and what kinds of work do you anticipate?

EV: This year’s show will be out of this world! We had close to thirty artists sign up this time around- at least five of whom are participating for the first time. It is always exciting to have alumni come back into the fold, however, it is equally if not more exciting to see new faces and new art. Since the pieces are collaborative, that means that every piece of art in the show is generated for the show and thereby is new, fresh and unique for any given artist in the competition. We are especially excited to have the musical workings of the Cosmic Pit Orchestra (Richie Townsend and Kathy McTavish) during our reception, since this is a new component to the Artist Kamikaze.

EN: When and where is the opening for this year’s event? 

EV: June 7, 2012 at Pizza Luce in Duluth, Minnesota from 7-9 p.m. Voting ends at 8:30 p.m. and the team reveal and results of the vote occur around 9 p.m.

For more information or to be part of next year's event, follow the Limbo Gallery on Facebook.

Photo Credit: (top left) Paul Dobson, Rochester, MN

EdNote: This is my second year involved in Artist Kamikaze. The pictures here offer clues with regard to the submission my team has assembled. 

Five Minutes with Eris Vafias and Tomorrow's Art Kamikaze 3

Art Kamikaze 3
Time: 
Thursday, March 3 · 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Location: 
Pizza Luce-Duluth 


Created By: 
limbo gallery 


More Info: 
What will the artists come up with? Who got teamed up with who? Can they work together to complete the project? Who will win? Mark your calendars and come and see for yourself! General in person voting $1 per vote (March 3 from 6-8 p.m.)... no absentee votes.

It's called Art Kamikaze and this is year three of this fascinating event. The impetus behind the show, which will be on display throughout themonth of March at Pizza Luce in Duluth, is Eris Vafias. This year there are 21 teams (42 artists) whose collaborative works will be delivered today for the opening tomorrow evening. The artists are paired in late fall and given the overall theme. This year it is ELEMENTS. I've been paired with a your photographer named Lydia Walker. I can't show you any pictures of our work because there will be voting tomorrow night and the voting is "blind" in that the artists' names are concealed. I know several of the artists who will be there and I can tell you there is a lot of excitement in the air here in Duluth.

Ennyman: What inspired you to do the Artist Kamikaze show?
Eris: Ha, ha...it's a bit hazy how the Artist Kamikaze originated, but if memory serves me right....I think it was during a conversation with Heiko regarding the Rock and Roll Kamikaze... and I thought (and may have said aloud), "Hmmm....we should do something like this with artists." One thing lead to another and Pizza Luce agreed to host same. It is an excellent show for new artists to "break into" the art scene. It is also a wonderful opportunity for more seasoned artists who want to try something new or push their artistic boundaries. It is a unique experience to work with and meet other artists in the area no matter the skill level or experience.

Enny: When is the opening and who is invited?
Eris: The opening is Thursday 7-9 (with voting 6:30 - 8) at Pizza Luce it is a public event, so anyone who wants to attend, should attend.

Enny: This is your third year doing this. The theme is Elements.
What were your themes the first two years?
Eris: The first year the theme was "gnomes" and the second year was "time". They are decided by whim.

Enny: What did you learn from those first two experiences?

Eris: I have learned that it is a challenging, yet rewarding, process for artists to collaborate with each other. Some teams succeed where others fail and lots of teams (not all) seem to wait until the last minute and then rush to complete their projects in the 11th hour. If there is one thing I can count on, it is that I cannot count on anything; I cannot foresee what will happen, who will drop out and how many pieces we will end up with at the end of the day, but I guess that's part of the excitment...

Enny: Anything else you would like to share here?
Eris: Artists who have participated in years past report looking forward to participating in the future Artist Kamikazes and I always look forward to seeing the end result and sharing it with the masses.

Special thanks to Jitters and Carmody's Irish Pub for their continued support and to Pizza Luce for hosting the Artist Kamikaze.