Art, Art and More Art... Plus Blues Fest

There are plenty of good reasons to hope for nice weekend weather here in the Northland, and several additional ones this particular weekend. For starters, Blues Fest is here. 3 days, 32 bands. It's always better with clearer skies. We dislike it when it rains on our parade of great music, though it seldom dampens our spirits when it comes to having a great time. And you can't beat the setting. And the best part is the way that all the local music hot spots take the bands under their wings to produce one of the year's best weekends for nightlife.

A second reason to wish for nice weather is the outdoor arts and crafts fair at Glensheen Mansion. Art fairs are a lot more fun, for both artists and art buyers, when there's sun. This is one beautiful setting for an art fair, though so is Park Point and the upcoming event in Bayfront Park. Take a stroll around the grounds while you're there.

Then there's the "Art in Me" family day for art and more at Lester Park on Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  This event features art related activities for "kids" of all ages. You can read more about it in today's Wave in the Trib. The event is sponsored by an arm of the Anchor Point Community Church.

This being the second Friday of the month, tomorrow evening is the Second Friday Art Crawl, featuring art openings at the Washington Gallery, PROVE and Ochre Ghost, plus the Minnesota Wine Exchange. All four locations are conveniently within walking distance of a single parking spot if you play it right.

Hootenanny @ Washington Gallery
We've seen Emma Rustan's work displayed here before, but the joint show will also feature first time exhibitor Chris Dunn's work.  Evidently tomorrow's opening is unusual for more reasons than one. Tonight the two are getting married. I can picture this exchange: "Where would you like to go on our honeymoon, honey?" "Oh, how about we do an art show?"  "New York? San Francisco?"  "No, I mean we do our own art show and invite people.... you know."

Rustan works in a couple styles sometimes in acrylic and also with markers. Dunn, who has a degree in Industrial Design, sketches with markers as well. It will be an interesting show with the opening from 6:00 till 9:00 p.m.

Payrpi @ PROVE
Paper is the theme. We all know the power of the written word. Add a visual component and there's potential for some really exciting work. In addition to the artist and their offspring, there will also be regional writers and people from the local publishing scene including Holy Cow! Press. Hours, I believe, are from 7:00 till 11:00 p.m.

Colin Marx @ Ochre Ghost
Take a stroll down the alley to see the portraits of painter Colin Marx. The small space is packed with new work. Marx has shown some of his paintings in a variety of venues including
regional and national galleries such as Cult Status in Colorado and the MCAD in Minneapolis, Roman Susan in Chicago and the NYSRP in New York.

Then there's Saturday....

PANORAMA @ Northern Prints Gallery
This group show will feature works from the Northern Printmakers Alliance. The afternoon opening (1:00 - 4:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon) features images that reflect the impact of the Northern land on NPA artists. It also presents a full range of the other themes that they explore, in the spirit of a panoramic view of the group's versatility. Over three dozen master printmaker members, working in all the printmaking media, are represented in this show which will continue through the summer. Maybe you'll be able to catch this opening on the way to or from Glensheen. The gallery is right across the street from Burrito Union on 14th Avenue East.

Umbrella Cloud Pre-Fest Art Opening @ Room 416, Board of Trade Building in Superior
From 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. there's still more to see. Art, plus music by The Tico Three (Israel Malachi and friends). The actual Umbrella Cloud Festival is the last weekend in August at Sacred Heart, which will feature a lot of art and live painting, among other things. Someone will meet you at the door to let you in.


The best way to enjoy art is first hand. So, bottom line... get out and see what you can see. And maybe I'll see you, too.

The True Origin of the Blues

It's Blues Fest weekend in the Northland. Music in all its forms is a somewhat amazing tradition throughout human history. Rock 'n roll has its roots in the blues, which many people believe has its roots in America's Mississippi Delta. But here is the true and definitive origin of the blues.

The True Origin of the Blues

Blue began when the world was new, but not so new as the very beginning. The original world was black and white. Eventually, God decided that color should be added to His wonderful creation.

In an effort to protect His integrity (He had already declared all things good) He broke white light up into sections and called it color. This was how the color blue came into being.

At first, Adam and Eve were so enamored by their new experiences with color that they never even thought about why the world was originally created in black and white. But after a while, when they had settled into their new techni-colored paradise, they began to wonder. "Why did God originally create the world in black and white? Was He trying to withhold something from us?"

It was at this point that they doubted God. Was He really concerned for their best interest? What was the point in making a black and white world if He was capable of making color? Had the black and white version of the world been a mistake? Does God really know what He's doing?

Such questionings, it would appear, led directly to Eve's being seduced by the serpent. (Though it may have been that forbidden Red apples are more enticing than forbidden black and white ones.)

After the Fall, Adam and Eve became acutely aware of why God had been so reluctant to give them a full-spectrum techni-colored world.

As a result of the apple incident, Adam and Eve were banished from Paradise forever, which put them both in quite a bad mood. Adam sank into a depression. The following evening, (a time of day which he also blamed on his significant other) he lay on his back feeling particularly mournful and low. As he lay staring at the deepening twilight sky it entered his mind to compose a poem, soon to be published in an early anthology called Man's First Poems, Volume One. The poem was rather inferior in quality, but still maintains its historical significance. Whether it was the color of the sky he was trying to name, or the feeling he was analyzing at that moment in time, the word has forever become associated with grief and sadness.

This is the true origin of the blues.

Disclaimer: the phrase "the apple incident" in the second to last paragraph was purloined from Mark Twain's Diaries of Adam and Eve.

Baseball Cards Found In Attic

By now you've probably heard about the guy in Ohio who stumbled upon a collection of baseball cards while in his attic. They say it is worth millions.

It's interesting what gives things value. Nostalgia is part of it. Rarity is another. Being in mint condition certainly helped. They were not moldy or chewed by mice.

What's valuable to you? Friends are certainly valuable. Especially when they are rare, in mint condition and have not been chewed by mice.

Hope you have a nice weekend. It's Blues Fest in Duluth, a highlight of the summer for many here. May the good weather gods smile on the gathering throng.