Local Art Seen: Homegrown Illustration Show at The Prøve

This being the 20th Anniversary of Duluth's Homegrown Music Festival, the Prøve Collective assembled a special Illustration Show to commemorate the occasion. The show featured illustrations of 20 cultural lluminaries from the region dressed in the Homegrown Chicken mascot, as envisioned and created by 20 different local artists. It was a way of honoring individuals who have contributed to  making Homegrown a success and the regional arts scene vibrant.

The Prøve chose artists from a variety of sectors--teen, emergent, established--with an opening reception on Friday April 27 to kickoff the 2018 Homegrown. The show will remain on view through May 18. The Illustration Show is a first-time collaboration with the Duluth Art Institute. who also shares a common mission to engage the community through contemporary art.

There were 20 artists and thus 20 illustrations. Each was presented with a quality paper of the same size and instructed to produce a piece in any medium. The pieces were then affixed in idential displays with borders created to showcase the art.

The show took place the same evening as the 2018 Goin' Postal Spring Art Show in Superior, so I had to capture these images earlier in the evening. Here's some of what I saw.

Chris Monroe

Brian Ring

Eric Dubnicka

Jillian Dollars

by Erica Pauline

Nelson on Nelson

by Moira Villiard

And last but not least...

Illustration by Devon O'Shaunnessey
Maybe our former mayor can start a Homegrown in D.C.
and make America great again through art and music.

Stay current on all PROVE Shows at ProveGallery.com

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With Homegrown in the rear-view mirror, where objects are closer than they appear, it's time to look forward to the next big fest which includes still more music, art, poetry and all things Dylan. For more information visit BobDylanWay.com

Meantime, art goes on all around you. Get into it.

Local Art Seen: Homegrown Chicken Illustrators Primp @ The PRØVE

Today is the opening of the Duluth Homegrown Music Festival, but Friday evening's Homegrown Illustration Show was the appetizer, and it was sheer entertainment. Eighteen artists produced illustrations featuring various local heroes of the Homegrown music experience. In addition to the main show there were also sections of the gallery dedicated to art clubs from Harbor City School and Duluth East. It wasn't long after the doors opened that the space with filled with friends of the PRØVE and others checking it out.

Many of the paintings had whimsical titles that corresponded with the nature of the show. Others chose straightforward titles like, well, the name of the musician. Here is a list of contributing artists and their works.

Chris Monroe, Starfire

Adam Swanson, Chicken Ness
Alexis Le Blanc, #Wheres Dizzo
Skad Radioh, Hung
Amber Beck, Adam Guggemos
Sarah Riley, Melissa La Tour
Chris Monroe, Sparhawk
Sonnen and Klaus, Brian Ring
Jami Rosenthal, Matt Mobley
Emily Michog, Heiko
Quinn & Regan, Tyler Scouton
Carla Hamilton, Chow Haul
Devon O'Shaughnessy, Trampled by Chickens
Emma Rustan, Dave Hoops
Chelsey Beveiter, Charlie Parr
Lucy Tennis Anderson, Greg Conley
Liindsey Graskey, Choke Chicken


Here are examples of works represented at the event.

For details on this year's Homegrown Music Fest, visit 

www.duluthhomegrown.org/

Upcoming Twin Ports Arts Happenings of Note for Your Calendars

Tonight at the DAI

Plenty to see and do this weekend.

Tonight
The Duluth Art Institute is hosting a multimedia performance of George Morrison images accompanied by original jazz guitar compositions by Briand Morrison. It's a free event that will begin at 6:00 p.m. Karen Sunderman of the Playlist states, "Briand Morrison is a brilliant jazz guitarist. The Playlist caught up with him in Grand Portage as he prepared this show. Take a peek and stop by the performance at the Duluth Art Institute. Thank you for bringing him to town!" Sounds like you'll want to doublecheck your plans and see if you fit this in.



Friday

Two events recommended. Journey with Linda Powless at the Gimaajii-Mino-Bimaadizimin Gallery in Trepanier Hall (the former Y at 202 West 2nd Street.) Linda describes her show with these words:
"Come view a collection of pots, clay sculpture and other pieces of work that have defined a journey of self discovery." Kathy McTavish will provide musical accompaniment with Sheila Packa reciting some poetry as well. Event runs from 5 - 7:30 p.m.

And earlier this week I already mentioned The Homegrown Illustration Show at the Prove, which you will not want to miss.

Saturday

The Art for Earth Day Gallery Hop is an annual event that has traditionally taken place on the Saturday that coincides most closely with Earth Day. Since Earth Day was yesterday (if you didn't notice, Google gave us clues all day) so the event is Saturday, this year featuring nine Twin Ports galleries and art spaces. You can read brief overviews of each in today's DNT or go directly to their web space here.  A shuttle will be conveying folks around from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. but if you can't make it, each and all of these art spaces will welcome you back any time for the rest of your life. Nevertheless, this is a good tradition and usually their puttin' on the dog as they say, so it is an extra special time to see what the local gallery scene is about.

One of the highlights of the Gallery Hop takes place at UMD where the Department of Art & Design is opening its doors to the public for its Annual Student Exhibition at the Tweed Museum.

Art & Design's Annual Student Exhibition runs April 7 - April 30, 2015 at the Tweed Museum of Art but on Saturday there's an Open Studio event that includes classroom tours, demonstrations, hands-on activities, live music, and an affordable art sale of student work. The studios are located in Anderson Hall, Montague Hall, and the Humanities Building at 1201 Ordean Court on the University of Minnesota Duluth campus.

Visiting the Open Studio last year brought back all kinds of fond memories from my experiences as an art student at Ohio University. You don't have to have been an art major, however, to have your heart stirred.

Linda Powless piece from Journey

The Open Studio event is a joint effort created by UMD student groups, including the Art Guild, Photo Alliance, Media Arts Club, Mud Guild, Impressive Collective, Art Education Club, Art History Symposium, and the Student Design Organization. Students will display creative work and demo various art processes such as stone lithography printmaking and screen-printing, ceramics wheel throwing, welding, and digital art techniques including video game creation. The public is invited to take part in a photo booth, art education activities, video game tournaments, interactive painting, piñatas and more. Student work from all art and design areas will be on display, including the senior portfolios of the UMD Graphic Design majors. Affordable art, ceramics, posters, cards, and food will be available for purchase, in addition to Open Studio T-shirts. The Open Studio event promises to be a fun and interactive day, perfect for all ages and families!

After touring the Art & Design studios, the public is welcome to attend the Annual Student Exhibition Reception, which will be held at the Tweed Museum from 4 - 6 p.m. The exhibition reception will feature live music, refreshments, and an awards ceremony at 5 p.m. to announce the exhibition prizes and honor UMD Art & Design scholarship students.

As if this isn't enough,there will be a rooftop barn dance in Bohannon Plaza, featuring local musicians and dance callers, Four Mile Portage, from 6 – 8 p.m. The invitation concludes, "Bring a creative spirit, wear your dancing shoes, and join us on April 25 at the UMD Department of Art & Design, where we have fun down to a fine art!"

Homegrown Illustration Show at the Prøve

Mayor Don Ness by Adam Swanson

Andy Miller by Brian Ring

There's a reason nothing was happening at the Prøve during this past Second Friday Art Crawl. They were gearing up for next Friday's Hoomegrown Illustration Show. Flo Matamoros, curator of this show, was selected by the Homegrown Steering Committee to illustrate the 2015 Duluth/Superior Homegrown Music Festival T-Shirt. Way to go, Flo.

For those not in the region, this is the 17th year for this annual celebration of homegrown music. It's a week of celebration that in addition to eight days of music includes lots of pictures of chickens. Homegrown Music Fest is slated for April 26 thru May 3 this year, and the Prove Show will be its warm-up at, April 24, 7-11 p.m., a visual hall of fame in which Homegrown musicians, characters, and masters of the nightlife are illustrated as chickens by kids, teenagers, emerging and established artists. There will be some homegrown music, too, provided by DJ Nola and Jeremy Ehlert.

Alan Sparhawk by Chris Monroe

In keeping with the spirit of Homegrown they have incorporated multiple aspects of this community into this illustration show.

The Art Club at Harbor City International School and Duluth East High School's Art Club will be participating illustrating chickens who will be the attendees to this Hall of Fame and to the Show. Children & Teenager's whose parents have been participating Homegrown Musicians for several years will be illustrating their parents or step parents as chickens.

Emerging and established Artists from the area will be illustrating some of Prøve's favorite characters in the music, Homegrown and Duluth Entertainment scene. There will also be new artwork by Adam Swanson, Chris Monroe, David Moreira, Brian Ring, etc.

Well, here's the list of who's pictures you can expect to see chickenized: Don Ness, Walt Dizzo, Hung, Starfire, Sparhawk, Adam Guggemos, Andy Miller, Heiko, Charlie Parr, Chow Haul, Dave Hoops, Melissa LaTour, Trampled by Turtles, Brian Ring, Greg Conley, Tyler Scouton, Matt Mobley, & The Social Disaster.

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This transitional period from spring toward summer really is a busy season. Now that our snowmen have all melted, and our parkas parked for the summer, Northlanders are ready to get up and go. Homegrown is the first of several weeklong celebrations this time of year. The eight-day Duluth Dylan Fest begins the week before Memorial Day, and the Duluth-Superior Film Festival will be from June 3 - 7 this year. The film North Country, which starred Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand and Woody Harrelson, is one of several worthwhile films already confirmed.

Recommended: Pick up the 98-page guide to the Duluth Homegrown Festival at all the great locations where you get streetwise local information... I got mine at Beaners, but I'm sure there at Luce and all the other places where you find Readers and Transistors. Be sure to note the Dylan Fest information on page 29. And Don Ness's book on page 19.

For those unfamiliar with Homegrown's roots, you can read Paul Lundren's History of Homegrown here. And for all the DuSu Homegrown details visit duluthhomegrown.org

Meantime, life goes on all around you. Listen to the music. It's happening.