Local Art Seen: Sculpture Show @ the Tweed. Museum Director Ken Bloom Retires.

"Pair, Pear" by Isidro Blasco (detail)

The food was good. The music was good. The speakers were good. The afterparty was good. And the setting was great.

After 15 years, that fellow from Brooklyn, the one who some thought would never stay, seemed like he'd never leave. And actually, the big surprise might be that he isn't really leaving. That is, he's not leaving Duluth, he's only stepping down from his position as museum director.

For Ken Bloom it will be a new chapter, not the end of the story.

He's not the first East Coast or West Coast artist to have move here and fallen in love with the region. Bloom's passion is photography, and his aim will be to stay, with wife Danielle, and have Duluth his continued "base of operations."

When it comes to the economics of retirement, you can own 40 acres here or 40 square feet in Manhattan, so why go back? (For my fact checkers, this is hyperbole, but not by much.)

UMD catered the food, Blackwoods the bar, with short farewell remarks by Jim Klueg (an art prof at UMD's School of Fine Arts), Rick Smith (director of the American Indian Learning Resource Center), Annie Dugan, and Ken himself, the highlight being Ken's screeching mike. (Just kidding, again.) These were followed by musical performances by Soprano Alice Pierce and pianist Jacqueline Foley.

The talks began with Jim Klueg welcoming us, then introducing Rick Smith, who thanked Ken for being respectful of the sacred items in the collection including repatriated spirit bags and birchbark scrolls.

"Time Bomb" by Karess Pastore

Klueg then introduced Annie Dugan, former director of the Duluth Art Institute, among other roles here in the region. Annie was in school when he first learned of Ken Bloom's selection to be Tweed Director. The person who informed her said, "He's not going to last long at all. He's from Brooklyn and doesn't even try to hide it."

Dugan said that while she was at the DAI "Ken came to openings, but also came back to look at the work." This is what impressed her. He cared about the art and took time to engage it. She spoke briefly about the importance museums like the Tweed offer "in service to the art, the cultural context, people and the stories."

"Cubic Herd" by Leslie Bohnenkamp

Always eloquent, she spoke about the challenges art museums face today, citing a New York Times article "Can Museums Find A Way Forward?"

Ken Bloom was then introduced and he began by indicating that all he did was "under the watchful eye of George and Alice Tweed." He talked about the mission of the Tweed, that it was an elevating opportunity for the whole community. The Tweeds gave their collection the the University so that it would be shared.

Ken Bloom awaiting introduction. 

"This museum is unique," Bloom said. "It is about us, our collective history. All exhibition s and acquisitions are paid for by you, the community. UMD pays for overhead and staff, but this is your museum."

Though he's lived in New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Japan and elsewhere, he is retiring here "because the lake got me. And my wife Danielle got me,..."

He noted that this was his first real opportunity to craft a collection. And at this moment the current show of art by Minnesota's Native Americans provided a visual endorsement of his description of our region as "the Ojibwa Riviera."

He closed with this takeaway: "Art is our way of expressing our community and our time here on earth."

EdNote: Except for the photo of Ken above, all photos here are from the sculpture exhibit upstairs featuring works currently in the Tweed collection.

"Untitled" by Isidro Blasco

"Figure Fragment #AV" by Orazio Fumagalli

Related Links
Powerful Images & Native Stories Fill Main Hall at the Tweed
Museums Confront Their Crowded Basements

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

Local Art Seen: A Thousand Words at the Tweed, and More

"A picture is worth a thousand words..." --English idiom

"and behind a thousand bars no world." --Rainer Maria Rilke*

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The exhibit A Thousand Words is soon to complete its run, so if you have not yet been there to see it you still have a few days left to take it in. The Tweed has filled a large section of the lower floor with photos from its permanent collection, and each time I've been there since it was hung in May I've been struck by something new. Last week it was the photo of Muhammed Ali, which I'd not seen previously, the champion boxer famous for his audacity.

The images vary in size, in substance, but not in quality. Each is striking in its own right, each telling a story, at times raising more questions than it answers. 

Last Tuesday evening museum director Ken Bloom discussed the exhibition in a Tweevening talk. Bloom himself has been a capable photographer, his aim always being to capture images that invite viewers to engage.

Meryl McMaster-- from "Between Two Worlds" series.

Here's a description of the show according to the Tweed website:

A THOUSAND WORDS
PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE TWEED COLLECTION

May 5 – December 21, 2017
Alice Tweed Tuohy Gallery

Our world is awash in photographs—from silver plate Daguerreotypes of the 19th century to digital Instagrams on our cell phones. Our conception of the world has been built upon photographic seeing. Yet, photography is a latecomer to the collection of the Tweed Museum. With the support of the Marguerite Gilmore Foundation and the Sax Brothers Fund, the Tweed has grown a diverse photography collection that contains evocative story-telling images. A Thousand Words is a presentation of images that will inspire your imagination.

The newly featured Modern(ism) exhibition that was hung in October is pretty exciting, and a worthwhile destination on its own, but if you can make it in the next ten days you can see both these shows. (Recommended.)

MODERN(ISM)

October 10, 2017 – March 18, 2018

"Anorexia Girl" -- Jenny Schmid, 2002

Curated from the Tweed Museum’s permanent collection and generously supported by select loans from the Weisman Museum in Minneapolis, this exhibition of drawings and prints will offer audiences a rare look at small, intimate works by some of the most formidable Modern artists of the 20th century. Featuring works by Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Käthe Kollwitz, Henri Matisse, Oskar Kokoschka, Max Weber, Salvador Dali, and Otto Dix, this exhibition will serve as a tool to explore the vast representations of the various “-ism” in art movements that blossomed at the beginning of the 20th century. Collectively, these works express the radical attitude toward art that resulted in the replacement of 19th century Realism in favor of expressionism and abstraction that more accurately reflected the zeitgeist of the Modern Era.

Jim Dine, Viennese Hearts V, 1990

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* EdNote: For reasons I can't explain, in all my recent visits to the Tweed the Rilke quote above inserted itself into my conscious mind each time I saw the panel with the title of the show, its meaning somewhat elusive yet philosophically stimulating. The line comes, of course, from his famous poem The Panther.

Local Art Seen: Ken Bloom Shares His Resurrected Youth @ the DAI

The story goes that in 1976 a young Ken Bloom bought a one-way ticket to Japan with almost nothing other than a Leica camera.  Forty years later the fruit of this expedition is now on display at the Duluth Art Institute in an exhibition titled Public Domain: Street Photographs of Japan 1976-78.

When I think of Japan a number of memories come to mind. As a kid we used to play the game Risk and I always chose Japan as my "homeland" with my chosen color being black. In later years I think of Japanese filmmaker Akiro Kurosawa who some consider one of cinema's most influential filmmakers.

Bloom's photographs invite viewers to engage. His images capture moments in time three decades removed from the war that left this island nation scarred and tattered, a period that has itself now passed. History is fluid, but the lens freezes its details in the form of visual poetry.

A steady throng that included friends of the Tweed, the DAI and the local arts community remained present throughout the duration of the opening reception.

An artist talk will be conducted on March 15 at 5:00 p.m.

The exhibit will continue on display through April 2.

The Duluth Art Institute is located upstairs on the fourth floor of the Duluth Depot, 506 West Michigan Street. 

Meantime, art goes on all around you. Celebrate it. 

When I Paint My Masterpiece: DAI Presents "Public Doman" & "Land of Wonder"

"Someday, everything is gonna be diff’rent when I paint my masterpiece."

One privilege of youth is that you can throw caution to the wind and liberally pursue your passions, no strings to tie you down. The whole experience is made richer by the recklessness of your abandon. Even when you get too close to the sun because you tried to kiss the sky and the the heat melts the wax off your feathers, you can later remember with fondness how it felt... assuming you have a place to make a soft landing.

Later in life you have too many responsibilities to be so carefree. If you have assets you have to think about them. If you have children, a job, a mortgage... you cannot -- unless you're a one-percenter -- just set out like a message in a bottle leaving your destination to the wind and currents.

I mention all this because tonight Ken Bloom's photography exhibit "Public Doman" goes on display at the Duluth Art Institute. In his youth, Bloom followed his bliss and bought a one way ticket to Japan, accompanied by his Leica camera. "Public Domain" is a fulfilling backward look at this experience.

Bloom is Director of the Tweed Museum of Art located on the campus of UMD. Tonight is the opening reception for this show in the Morrison Gallery along with Shawna Gilmore's exhibition of new work. Both galleries are on the fourth floor of the Duluth Depot.

You will find “Land of Wonder: New Paintings by Shawna Gilmore” in the John Steffl Gallery. Gilmore, who paints in acrylic, is a storyteller whose imagery crosses generations. On March 9 she will be giving a family-friendly Artist Talk that will include youth activities, but her work isn't all kid's stuff. As Picasso famously quipped, "It takes a lifetime to learn how to paint like a child." In this case, it is learning to paint with the eyes of a child, to see something fresh in the world we move through and often take for granted. A special feature of this exhibit is a cell phone audio tour stop, where you can listen to the artist talk about her work.

When Jim Morrison of The Doors sang, "This is the strangest life I've ever known" he conveyed it with an ominous texture. Gilmore's world may also be a rendering of strange imagery, but her stories reflect whimsy and delight. You can get a feel for her approach by reading about her show at the Kruk Gallery at UWS last fall.

Also on display during tonight's event is the annual Members Exhibition in the Depot's Great Hall, comprised of work by DAI members created during the past year. If you missed that reception in January, here's a second chance.

For more, visit the Facebook page for this event.

Meantime, art goes on all around you. Check it out. It's free.

Local Art Seen: Massive Reception for Cheng-Khee Chee at the Tweed

Thursday evening was the opening reception for Cheng-Khee Chee's retrospective, The Way of Cheng-Khee Chee, a retrospective of a half century of work. I can't recall a more crowded Tweed, though their major events these past few years have had comparable crowds turning out for the fanfare. And its no wonder that we saw such a turnout. That his achievements are too numerous to count plays a small part, but his modest disposition and gentle spirit contribute greatly toward making him someone desirable to honor. Here's the introductory portion of his bio:

Cheng-Khee Chee, Associate Professor Emeritus of the University of Minnesota, is a Dolphin Fellow of the American Watercolor Society, signature member of the National Watercolor Society, Transparent Watercolor Society of America (Master Status), Watercolor USA Honor Society and many others. He is listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Art, Who’s Who in American Education, and Dictionary of World Chinese Artists Achievements. He has been represented in numerous national juried exhibitions and captured over 200 honors, including the American Watercolor Society Silver Medal, Transparent Watercolor Society of America Skyledge Award (First Place), Allied Artists of America Gold Medal, and Knickerbocker Artists USA Grand Award Gold Medal and Purchase Prize for Excellence.

His goldfish paintings are familiar to nearly all of us in Duluth, as his award-winning children's book Old Turtle. And out of all the places in the world that he could have lived, he chose Duluth to be his home.

After a period of mixing Ken Bloom, Tweed Director, managed to still the tumult in order to welcome everyone who had turned out. Bill Payne, Dean of the school's Fine Arts program was introduced. Mr. Payne shared how Chee's watercolors transcend the norm, how his work brings joy to the soul and mind. The man is both gentle and profound. As a professor and member of the UMD staff he has provided decades of encouragement and inspiration to students and has made a difference on the next generation, serving as a sincere role model and mentor.

Peter Spooner curated the show as he had last year's major exhibition featuring the work of Sister Mary Charles. In explaining what curators do, he said, "Chee's work is diverse. Our job is to package it so the public can engage and interpret it." Spooner noted that Chee was born in China with roots in the art of calligraphy. He paintings often seem about that space where simplicity meets complexity.

Mr. Chee was then introduced whereupon he shared a part of his journey, from China to Malaysia and then the past half century in Duluth. Over the years he has been chided now and then by people from afar who say, "What a shame that you live in Duluth, which is so cold." His reply is always, "Yes, Duluth is cold. But Duluthians are hot." If that doesn't warm your heart on a frosty morn, nothing will.

Chee's website (like Picasso, the coin of his name is of such strength is seems diluted with a "Mr." in front of it) outlines his approach to his work.
1. Thorough knowledge of the subject matter.
2. Strong feelings toward the subject matter.
3. Thorough understanding of design elements and principles.
4. Competent craftsmanship for expressing the subject matter in a natural way.
The same principles can easily be applied to writing, public speaking, performing and other arts.

Recommended: Visit the Tweed sometime this summer to see a wonderful exhibit by a master artist.

Cheng-Khee Chee shares his passion.

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For what it's worth another famous Duluthian's art is going on exhibit this weekend, in Youngstown, Ohio. While this week we celebrate Duluth Dylan Fest, Dylan's "Face Off" series goes on display at the Butler Museum of Art there.

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