Ennyman's Territory: Great Hall

Showing posts with label Great Hall. Show all posts

Friday, June 2, 2023

The DAI Member Show: Fun to See What Everyone Has Been Up To

The primary mandate for artists participating in the Duluth Art Institute's Member Show is that you submit something new, something created within the past year. Yes, there are other rules (no A.I. art and size limits, for example) but overall it's an opportunity to showcase your current direction and interests.

The opening reception took place Wednesday, June 1 in the Great Hall at the Depot. There were more than 150 artists' works on display and an enthusiastic vibe. The social component is almost as important as seeing what everyone has been working on.

As always, there were sculptures, prints, paintings, drawings, ceramic works and etchings. And, as always, the show is a vivid reminder that there's a heckuva lot of talent in this region. There's so much truly remarkable work that it is near impossible to select a "Best of Show." Nevertheless, like nearly everyone else, I did cast a vote.

Here are a dozen items that especially caught my eye. (EdNote: There were many others that captured my eye, but reflections made them hard to photograph.)

Like many others, Aaron Kloss delights in our region's white birches.

Hover by Shelley Breitzmann. A landscape muted by fog,
A bird floating low over the field. (Acrylic on canvas)

Ceramic artists were well represented, though these are from an exhibit
in the Steffl Gallery. (L) Iron Red Flask by Robert DeArmond.
(R) Vase, fireclay stoneware by Karen Keenan.

Shorthand in Red. Mixed media on panel.

Treehouse Love. Oil and wax on Arches oil painting paper
by John Ulrich.

Deuteronomy. Relief print by Tom Rauschenfels.

Deuteronomy (detail)

Spring fire. Eulsion on canvas by Charles Nahgahnub

Larix Laricina. Beer, charcoal, ink; by Lucas Anderson.

And they danced by the light of the moon. Julia Peterson, mixed media.

Autumn Royalty. Digital photograph on canvas by Ivy Vainio.

Freed Spirits of Petros. Photography by Tim Beaulier.

Regina Apis, et al. Linoleum print on lokta paper by Todd White

What a Child Knows. Acrylic on canvas, by Alexa Carson.

What does Santa eat? Children's book illustration, digital by Brian Barber.
The reflection on the glass is not part of the work.

Leading with our Hearts. Acrylic and paper on canvas, by Alison Aune.

Minimum Rage by Emily Koch. Oil on wood panel.

A Reflection of Ennyman

Again, try to stop and see this show before it departs June 18.

There's some excellent work upstairs in the galleries as well.

Friday, May 27, 2022

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/

Friday, May 20, 2022

RFPs and the Local Scene

Painting from Sarah Brokke's recent DAI show, Embody

I just received an email from the Duluth Art Institute regarding a potential upheaval they are facing. The email has a two-fold purpose. First, to inform members of an action that will effect the DAI. Second, to request help from the arts community. The help sought is two-fold. Contact St. Louis County Commissioners to ask questions and and express support for the DAI mission. Also, you can write letters of endorsement and send to Christina Woods at cwoods@duluthartinstitute.org. Here is a portion of the message from the email:

We want to share that the Duluth Art Institute (DAI) is entering into a lease RFP process for our current space within the St. Louis County (SLC) Depot building. The county has implemented this process in short order. Our current two-year lease, which began in January 2022, has been voided, and there are no assurances that we will be chosen to remain at the Depot. The DAI was informed of the RFP process in February, and received the RFP on May 10 to be submitted by June 14. RFP award announcements will occur later this summer, with RFP lease terms to begin January 1, 2023.

Now I personally have a beef with living in a world where the best proposals win instead of the best projects. It seems to me that an RFP should only have a partial weight in these decisions, especially when there has been a long history established. It's especially disconcerting that they have been give just over a month to defend their status or be ousted.

It's my understanding that the St. Louis County Historical Society is facing a similar disruption. I can't imagine the challenge, let alone the expense, of properly moving everything safely, let alone the challenge of finding a new space. I am curious, too, how many people saw the RFP much earlier and have had more time to develop their proposals.

Events like these can be a test of our ability to turn negatives into positives. They do keep us from resting on our laurels. The short timeline is frustrating because the staff is not sitting idle. There is always more work than there is time, so we're always doing triage with regard to our "to do" lists.

For more information about the DAI: https://duluthartinstitute.org/

Contact our County Board of Commissioners HERE.

RELATED

The 2022 DAI Annual Member Show is coming up fast, from May 26 to June 26 in the Great Hall at the Depot. Opening reception is May 26 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Will you be there? It's a great opportunity to see how vibrant our local arts community is.

Saturday, February 8, 2020

Local Art Seen: 22 Snapshots from the 2020 DAI Member Show

"Minnesota point (December)"--Ken Hanson

Thursday evening was the opening reception for the DAI Member Show. More than 145 artists had work on display in the Duluth Depot's Great Hall.

It really is impressive to see so much talent on display. The variety is also striking.

Here is a small segment of the larger whole.

I can't share everything here, so I'm just attempting to entice to come down and see the show. It will be on display through March 1.