American Visions and Other Events Worth Noting

You'd think Northlanders would hibernate for the winter. The weather can be so very unreliable, interfering with the best laid plans. For some reason we keep our calendars full anyways, knowing that at any time we may have to make an adjustment. But we don't let it slow us down. 

Here are some ideas you might want to pencil in for the weekend of February 8 and 9 which is just around the corner. Then I will talk about the American Voice film series that kicks off this Saturday morning at the Zinema 2.

On the 8th, there will be at least four art openings. Nora Fie's inspired Love Your Local Artist III will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Superior Public Library, with 31 artists showing their work this year. That's impressive.

At 6 p.m. the Washington Galleries will be opening its doors for Bound to the Light II, an exhibit featuring new work by photographer Ryan Tischer whose nature images are always spectacular. Also on Friday evening will be a show at Ochre Ghost and the Bitters show at PROVE and I hear rumblings that Art in the Alley down on Superior Street may be joining these three downtown galleries for these second-Friday celebrations.All I'm doing here is noting the fuzzy details for the moment so you can stamp it on your calendar.

We're not done yet. Make sure you get your Saturday established, too. Up at UMD the Proctor DECA team and Duluth Rotary 25 are pushing to set a new Guinness Book-worthy record for number of snow angels at one time. The target is 9,000 and Duluth/Superior, we need your help.  The event is being called Angels with a Cause and the gates will open at 9:30 with snow angel action to happen at 11:00 a.m. sharp. I do hope we'll see you there.

Saturday evening, if you're not yet exhausted,  Love at the Snoodle VII will be a-happening, with special guests including our local fire dancers. The theme of this year's show is Touch Me, in which artists have created art that you can touch. The Snoodle is at 7101 Grand Avenue out by the zoo. There will be an after-party at Beaners.

American Visions
One of the most exciting art events last year in the Twin Ports, of which there were oodles, was the ten part film series Shock of the New which was shared at the Zinema 2 theater by Annie Dugan and the Duluth Art Institute. Not only did we get an exciting overview of modern art, each segment was followed by lively dialogue led by various leaders from UMD, St. Scholastica and the local arts community. These dialogues were sometimes as stimulating as Hughes was dramatic.

Beginning this Saturday morning Duluth Art Institute has once again paved the way for the public to get a better appreciation for what has been happening in the art world with yet another Robert Hughes film series. Hughes called his American Visions series a "love letter to America" as he shows us the manner in which artists have responded to the natural wonders that surround us here, covering everything from early Spanish architecture to 1990's flabberghastation.

If the series is even half as good as last year's Shock of the New, it will be an enriching experience not to be missed. Anyone with half an inclination to learn more about the place of art in America will do well to join us over the next ten weeks, 11:00 a.m. Saturday mornings in the Twin Ports #1 theater for cool
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See you there!

Bitters: A Call for Submissions

"Love is only a dirty trick played on us to achieve continuation of the species." ~W. Somerset Maugham

Saint Valentine's Day is just a month away. Evidently Valentine’s Day is not what it’s cracked up to be for at least one segment of the population for whom Cupid's arrows have been blunted. This year the American Greetings Corporation added 10 anti-Valentine’s Day cards to its holiday collection.

For a lot of folks Valentine’s Day is a time for expressing romantic emotions and affirming attachments. Others will just go about their lives as is. Then there’s a third group that will feel a totally different set of emotions. Valentine’s Day is something painful, even bitter. The pervasive commercialization only aids in the backlash against the whole red roses and hearts extravaganza, just as the commercialization of Black Friday leads many people to a backlash against everything Christmas.

Now frankly, I’m not one of these, but if you’re an artist who shares this sentiment or has represented it at some point, the PROVE Gallery is inviting submissions for their upcoming show called Bitters.

The show description goes like this:
Each year in early February, homes and businesses are stuffed full of gaudy, gilded cardboard and horribly oversized stuffed animals; flower petals abound. It is Saint Valentine’s Day. In an effort to counteract the phony treacle of this wretched holiday, Prøve Gallery will be hosting ‘Bitters’, a celebration of the misery and loneliness that we all share. We are seeking art that disturbs, disgusts, or brings dark thoughts into the viewer’s mind in any way.

Work Guidelines:
• Any form and style of art is acceptable.
• Work cannot exceed 10' x 8' x 8' (h x l x d).
• All hung work must not exceed 50lbs, and must be READY TO HANG.
• All freestanding works must support their weight and may not be attached to the floor.

All submission materials must be written in English. PRØVE Gallery will provide publicity, exhibition invitations, mailings, and an opening reception. We will not provide insurance for any works exhibited at PRØVE Gallery. PRØVE Gallery claims a 40% commission on all works sold while on display at PRØVE Gallery. All work is shown at the artist's own risk. All work shipped to PRØVE Gallery must be sent with return shipping or be picked up by the artist or an artist's representative.

Submission Guidelines:
Please email submissions to kathleen@provegallery.com or send via mail with enclosed return postage to:

PRØVE Gallery
21 N Lake Avenue
Duluth, MN 55802

As with all PRØVE shows the gallery requests the following:
• Artist Statement as a PDF, including a brief statement on each piece if needed.
• Up to ten images or video of work for consideration in pdf, jpg, mov, or avi format.

Deadlines:
• Submissions are due by 28 January. This is not a postmark date, but an “arrive by” date.
• Selected artists will be notified the end of the day on 29 January.
• Drop off dates are 31 January through 2 February, from 3-7pm. All work shipped to the gallery must arrive no later than 6 February and MUST INCLUDE RETURN POSTAGE.
• The opening reception for ‘Bitters’ will be 8 February from 7-11pm.
• The show will run for two weeks and conclude on 23 February.
• Pick up will be 28 February through 2 March from 3-7pm.

Please direct any questions to Kathleen Roberts, kathleen@provegallery.com.