Great Lakes Atelier of Fine Art’s 2026 Student/Instructor Exhibition: What You Missed Last Weekend

It started with an idea. It became a world class art school attracting dedicated students from across the country to Duluth. This past weekend the school hosted its ninth annual Student/Instructor exhibition. 

The church, St. Peter’s, was on its way to demolition before the Larsons purchased it and turned it into a fine arts academy. It’s a staple of traditional training in Classical Realism and it’s the only place like it in the Northland, and among only a handful of its caliber in the nation. The four-year program is modeled after the traditional European Atelier system of training. The focus of the Atelier is to train individuals in Classical Impressionism. On day one, the student starts with pencil in hand, and over the course of the apprenticeship will systematically work their way through the program at their own pace, eight hours a day, five days a week.

There were examples of full-time student work, part time student work, instructor work, and children’s class student work on display. Here are some things we saw:

Patrick Glander, one of the school's first grads, is now an instructor.

 

Related Links

A Visit with Jeffrey T. Larson, Founder of the Great Lakes Academy of Fine Art

Rewarding Insights About "Seeing" from a Dialogue at the Great Lakes Academy of Fine Art

Weekend Open House Shows Why the Great Lakes Academy of Fine Art Is a Gift to Our Community

More on Jeffrey T. Larson here: http://jeffreytlarson.com/

The Atelier’s website: http://greatlakesatelieroffineart.com

Background on Jeffrey T. Larson: Jeffrey T. Larson was born in 1962 in Two Harbors, MN and grew up in the Twin Cities. Jeffrey has been trained in the manner of the Old Masters at the prestigious Atelier Lack, a studio/school whose traditions and training methods reach back through impressionism and the 19th century French Academies. He followed his four-year formal training with museum study in the US and Europe and has been painting full time for over 30 years. Jeff recently won the Draper Grand Prize honored by the Portrait Society of America, the country’s most prestigious portrait painting competition. 

The Annual Member Show at the DAI Is Always A Favorite: Here's Some of What You Missed

Nicholas Needs A Moment. Shawna Gilmore
Charcoal and acrylic on cradled wood.

Last night was the opening for the annual Duluth Art Institute Member Show, which is routinely my favorite art event of the year. Held in the Depot's Great Hall, it gives local artists and fans a chance to peek at what everyone is doing. It is a show for member artists and the one rule, as far as I know, is that you can only show something new, as in something you've done within the last year.

The show is a good reminder of how many talented artists we're rubbing shoulders with in this town. And it was good to see faces again -- or at least eyes, since there was a mask requirement. An out-of-towner recently referred to Duluth as an Art Mecca. Although that is a big title to live up to, it's certainly impressive how many artists there are here and how many genres they work in. 

Duluth Suuperior Sheepish Orchestra. Damita Beyer.
Acrylic on canvas

And if you've been paying attention at all, you privately know that what we saw last night was only scratching the surface as regards the breadth of work being done. 

I love the variety of themes, too. And the titles. Naming things is just something people have been doing since the beginning of time. I do my best to include the titles of the pieces. 

Here's a smattering of pieces I saw last night at the opening. 

The Artist. Jonathan Thunder. Acrylic on canvas.

Alvin. Anita Curtis. Acrylic on canvas.

Joy in a Jar. Kelly Schamberger. Oil on panel.
The painting is better than the photo I took, but I loved the title.

Love and Trust. Susan Krochallk. Acrylic on canvas.

Strength. Lin Rose. Watercolor, Arches coldpress paper, oil pastels.
The reflection of windows, etc is not in the art but it produced such 

an effect when I looked at this that I kept it to share.

Porky Pine Meat. Scott Murphy. Oil on aluminum.

Perhaps. Linda Glisson. Acrylic on paper.

Real Time. David Austin. Acrylic and mixed media on canvas.

Escape. Lisa Kosmo. Water-base oil on canvas. 

I missed the title on this, but it was by Patricia Lenz, a former
director of the DAI.

In addition to the artwork in the Great Hall, there was some official business conducted (DAI Board Members elected) and an artist talk by Christopher E Harrison whose "paper art" was used to illustrate Jacob Lawrence's The Migration Series.

And then there was also... the food. A wonderful selection from 
some of our classiest eating places. Food is art, too.

If you work in other media, there are spaces for you as well.

FWIW DEPT.

Duluth Dylan Fest continues tonight with the Singer/Songwriter contest at Sacred Heart. There will be additional events Saturday and a farewell brunch Sunday. Full schedule of times and places here: https://duluthdylanfest.com/duluth-dylan-fest-2022/

Michael Letts' Closer to the Wild at the Duluth Art Institute

And now for something completely different. I'm referring here to the technique artist Michael Letts uses to produce his work.Details about these pieces are taken from the DAI description of this exhibit which has been on display in the Corridor Gallery since October and ended January 31... shared here in case you missed it.

About Closer to the Wild
Michael Letts fosters connections to people in rural diners, bars, and northern Midwest crannies. Here, he finds beauty in the workers, hunters, and denizens of the backcountry and examines the mythology of American individualism. Known for independence and self-reliance, Americans now face the impact of an increasingly interconnected reality. Letts reflects on how technology propels society to “live more and more on a screen, through glass, literally flattened.” Mirroring this effect in his monoprint painting technique, Letts layers paint on glass plates before transferring the work onto canvas. Pairing this medium with subjects that combine traditional still life and portraiture, the viewer experiences a two-dimensional life closer to the wild.

Description courtesy DAI

Yellow Bird Fine Art Spreads Its Wings In Downtown Duluth, But First -- FISHNETSTOCKINGS at JNG

I was in the neighborhood of the Tweed Museum this afternoon and found it to be still closed until fall, so I headed to Joseph Nease Gallery to see what's new there as things begin to open up. There was an artist's talk Thursday that I missed but as a Joellyn Rock fan I knew I'd have to visit. soon to see a couple new Jonathan Thunder paintings and the collaborative interactive installation FISHNETSTOCKINGS.

While discussing various aspects of the work with Joseph Nease I learned that the Yellow Bird Fine Art gallery of Grand Marais was having an Open House this afternoon for a second loacation here in Duluth. Naturally, I was heading over there, as it is located within walking distance from the JNG, in the space formerly occupied by Art in the Alley. 

It was nice to see the unmasked smiles and to meet the co-owner and curator. The Yellow Bird will be a nice addition to the Duluth's downtown arts district. 

Tomorrow I will share some of the work I saw displayed at Yellow Bird Fine Art, Duluth. Here are some snaps from FISHNETSTOCKINGS. The primary creators of this installation are Joellyn Rock and Alison Aune, both of whom I have followed with enthusiasm for many years, plus computer scientist Pete Willemsen. 

The work is a mashup of art, design, historical references, folk patterns and story frags plucked from the project's Twitter feed. There's a QR code on the handout that you can use to add your own imaginative contributions.

To learn more about this mermaid story and the project visit this FISHNETSTOCKINGS link or https://joellynrock.com/portfolio/fishnetstockings/

* * * 

Below are the two new paintings by Jonathan Thunder

whose NFT drop I recently shared here.

The Joseph Nease Gallery is located 

at the corner of First Avenue East and First Street

Another Stellar Student/Instructor Exhibition at the Great Lakes Academy of Fine Art

This is a photo of the interior when it was first being
considered for purchase and renovation.

Last night I attended the Great Lakes Academy of Fine Art's 2021 Student/Instructor Exhibition and what a rewarding evening. The progress these young artists have made is impressive, and the lifting of Minnesota's "Mask Mandate" a couple days ago made it especially rewarding. It was great to see actual smiles rather than just twinkling eyes.

The art school is located at 810 West 3rd Street here in Duluth, a former Catholic church. What follows are some of the photos I took, though there was much, much more to see than you see here. The Open House will continue today so drop in if you are able.

Portraits by Kelly Schamberger

Painting of Jeffrey T Larson teaching painting.

Same painting, with last night's open house guests in foreground

Perseverance, by Patrick Glander. Oil on canvas.

Four paintings by Jake Tremble

Cherub by Nelia Harper

Coffee Plate by Patrick Glander

Vintage by Jeffrey T. Larson

Mastering basic skills.

Reproducing forms while learning to see color values.

Brutus Bargue Copy by Austin Jasurda

Green Plate by Patrick Glander

Kelly Schamberger, Self Portrait at 35

For more information about the Great Lakes Academy, visit 

www.greatlakesacademyoffineart.com