This Coming Week and Other Twin Ports Arts Announcements

Ceramic wonders at Tweed.

"Once you label me you negate me." ~Kierkegaard

It seems convenient to place things into boxes so we can label them. When we do this to people, however, it's a problem. Like snowflakes, people each have their own designs and really should not be categorized like elements on a Periodic Table. Persons are not "things."

Classifying and labeling things is something people have done since Adam gave names to all the animals. Naming and categorizing seems innate to our DNA.

I'm often asked what kind of art I make? I say I paint, and then get asked what kind of painting I do? It's really hard to say. "Contemporary" says almost nothing. "Avant-garde" says even less these days. Cubism was avant-garde a century ago but what does that mean today?

We live in a period of art history where the fences have been knocked down and artists are all over the place, wild horses running free. That is some of what I suspect you'll see this week on our local arts scene.

TUESDAY
Tweevenings: The East Meets West Connection
This is the second year of Tweevenings talks at the Tweed Museum of Art on the campus of UMD. This month's speaker will be Broc Allen, a Twi Ports ceramics artist who does wood-fired work. It's only natural that he might be selected to present insights on the works from our current exhibition Resurfaced and Reformed: Evolution in Studio Ceramics. He will attempt to demonstrate the Asian influence in Western studio ceramics.

According to the announcement: "Allen emphasizes that most of the works on display have some influence from Asia, and will thus select several pieces on display to contrast these divergent modes of art with aesthetic characteristics rooted in Asia."

Time and place: 6:30 p.m., main gallery of the Tweed.

THURSDAY

Phantom Gallery Superior Closing Reception
This show features two artists, Susan Loonsk and Jennifer Murphy. Mostly Birds is the work of Susan Loonsk, Professor Emerita of Art, Art Therapy and Ecopsychology at the University of Wisconsin - Superior. Her mixed media paintings "are post modern in style and use elements of autobiography and narrative to interpret, explore and discover the diverse realities of our world." If that is too complicated for you, then just enjoy what you see.

'Of Tidal Pools' exhibits creative ceramic expressions by Jennifer Murphy, an artist who "revels in creating various specimens of clay creatures with form, motion, texture and levity." In other words, expect the unexpected. Details here.

FRIDAY
Seraphina’s Necessary Illusions
Opening at Washington Gallery on Friday, October 10 from 6-9pm. The show is a collaborative effort by Carla Hamilton, Brent Kustermann, and Emma Rustan, and will feature a series of new paintings from each of the artists focused upon sequential illusory portraiture.

The three artists appear to be in an exceptionally fertile time. More than 200 unique pieces will be on display, most created in the past few months. All three artists will be present and all artwork will be for sale. Recommended.

If you can't attend the opening, Seraphina’s Necessary Illusions will be open Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 3-7pm from October 11 through November 1. These hours are a deviation from the usual weekend hours and Washington Gallery wants to ensure the public that the gallery will indeed be open each of these days for the entire duration of said time. Private appointments for viewing the gallery may also be made by calling Emma Rustan at 218-260-1110.

Yoga Health Art Opening

This is a nice addition to our Downtown Duluth Second Friday Art Crawl.
Yoga Health, 16 1/2 N. 1st Avenue W. (upstairs)
Esther Bixler Piszczek will be debuting two large murals at this joint art opening with talented nature photographer Professor Ladona Tornabene, Ph.D. All sales of her photographs go to support a scholarship fund in the Art and Health program at UMD. Other galleries around town will also be open for the 2nd Friday Art Walk!
Friday, October 10, 6-8 p.m.

PRØVE Gallery
It's a celebration of writing, with readings from past contributions to PRØOF, as well as unveiling the NEW CALL and theme of PRØOF Magazine Issue IV, due out in January. In keeping with tradition, there will be yummy food and delicious words, including but not limited to, Terrance Griep reading a selection of his literary nonfiction.

The Red Herring
Before you call it a night, be sure to stroll two blocks east on First Street to catch Gene Ritchie Monohan at The Red Herring.

SATURDAY
Get To The Point: Awesome Art and Gift Fair 
October 11, 2014, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Lafayette Square, Park Point, 3026 Minnesota Ave, Duluth
If you don't know where to go, this is the facility half way out to the end of Park Point, on your left. You pretty much can't miss it. Start your Christmas shopping early.

NOTEWORTHY: MESSAGE TO AREA ARTISTS
October 31, 2014 is the deadline for the Individual Career Development grant programs at the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council. The application process for each program is currently open online and will remain open until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, October 31, 2014.

ARAC will be holding grant workshops during the month of October to go over the grant programs for the deadline, how to apply using the new online grant system, and to offer assistance on writing your grant. Come see us at one of the following sessions and get your questions answered! Tuesday October 14th - 3-5pm, Duluth Wednesday October 15th - 3-5pm

Personal note: If you are in the creative arts, these people exist to help you. Their whole reason for existence is to assist artists in their efforts to advance their careers. They have resources. What are your dreams?

Meantime, art goes on all around you. Engage it!

Local Art Seen: Friday Night Art Crawl in Downtown Duluth

One of Faith's pieces

The weatherman teased us into believing it wasn't going to rain Friday evening, but to make sure it wouldn't I brought my umbrella. Unfortunately, after nearly leaving it at Washington Gallery I decided to drop it off at the car as I walked back down the hill and the sky appeared to be opening. Sure enough, within the hour the skies opened up in a torrential downpour. My apologies if you were unlucky enough to get soaked.

Brent Kusterman's work at Washington Gallery was worth seeing. I finally had a chance to meet the artist himself after seeing his paintings and constructions at Red Mug and Zeitgeist. His method of working is to be constantly layering until the composition eventually comes through. I asked how he knows when to quit and he said, "Each piece tells you when to stop."

Detail from "Surgery"

The collection displayed included a number of long horizontal pieces which were especially interesting. The painting pictured here is titled "Surgery," with elements based on his experience as an anesthesia technician. It's a right to left narrative about what happens if a patient doesn't make it.

After dropping off my umbrella I dropped in at Pineapple Arts on First Street where they were celebrating the 4th anniversary. Has it really been only four years? I was under the impression they've almost always been here.

Pineapple Arts is a downtown art supply store that also has classes and events. Local artists sell some of their work there. (My "Man with Hooked Nose" was purchased from their walls.) It's located next to the tattoo parlor across the street from Aces and home to origami specialist Todd Olson among others. Jon Hinkel of Tight Squeek Press is also a member with his print shop just upstairs.

The TYPES show Friday evening at the PR∅VE proved as interesting as I anticipated. Essentially the entire gallery was laid out with various creative ways of presenting the letters of the alphabet. As you entered the gallery, you encounter the the A-B-C-D and E that begins the procession. The back wall concludes with the letter Z. It's the manner in which each of the letters is created that makes this exhibit interesting.

They also had poetry readings at various points throughout, but the acoustics proved challenging. It's a large room and the sound of boisterous conversations in the back of the hall must have been unsettling for some who wished to hear the poets who that evening were reading from the entrance end of the room.

Betty Selnes & Karin Blank

During the downpour I managed to slip next door to take in the celebration of Swedish Immigration which was hosted in Nordic Hall. If you are not aware of it, this rather challenging geographic terrain (six month winters, short summers) was distributed by means of government land grants in the late 1800's to anyone sufficiently motivated to settle here. Northern Europeans got word that there were 40 acre properties available to anyone who would tame them. Oppressed people everywhere found there way to this North Country, but those most attracted were the Norwegians, Swedes, Finns, Germans and Baltic
countries whose homelands most replicated this region. So Friday eve the Swedish Cultural Society opened their doors and shared their heritage. It's impressive how strong the connections between many Northlanders and their homelands. Even the bartender there said it is his aim to return to Sweden to live, having visited three times.

And if you're a late nighter, there was a street dance on First that may have been dampened by the earlier rain but sounded just fine. Being parked in the vicinity I had to check out the singer who was belting out Me & Bobby McGee. I thought, "A new young voice in town. I wonder who it is." Turns out it was Maxi Childs who you will usually find doing the jazz thing with her trio at Blackwater. I honestly thought she was a 24 year old. Guess we never stop being kids.

Meantime, art goes on all around you. Don't ever stop dancing to the music.