Forecast for Friday Art Crawl Lookin' Good

One of the highlights of the local Twin Ports arts scene in 2013 has been the Second Friday Art Crawl that so many people have been participating in. If your thermometer is reading forty below zero right now, like it is at my house, the idea of doing a downtown walkabout may not elicit much enthusiasm. But take heart, the forecast for the end of the week is for a balmy 70 degree swing to the upside. Dig it.

Two shows of note for Friday evening have openings planned. Washington Galleries from 6-9 p.m. and PRØVE from 7-11 p.m.

The Washington Galleries show is themed Cracked with Ej Arnold, Renan Cruz, Faith King, and Jamie Uselman. Cracked features four local folk who know one another in varying degrees who are coming together to display their own personal preferences. The show's description is ambiguous at best, stating "there is no tangible description that comes to mind in trying to explain the artists or their pieces. We welcome you to come and draw your own." That's pretty loose when it comes to creating expectations, but works to create interest. Sounds like like a teaser right before a commercial break where they say, "The most incredible news just came across the wire. We'll be back to tell you about it after this word from our sponsors."

One thing that's definite: Live music from Nathaniel Harvie and Lion or Gazelle. Plus nibbles and beverages by Alyssa Brown.

Down the hill at the PRØVE this month's show is themed Polarize:

 
Artists interested in submitting to the February Valentine's Day show might be interested in their call for submissions. The theme for this show is ‘Quaintrelle.’ Deadline 3 February 2014. If nothing else, the name of the show will teach you a new word.

quaintrelle (n): a woman who emphasizes a life of passion, expressed through personal style, leisurely pastimes, charm, and cultivation of life's pleasures.

All genders may apply.

Duluth Art Institute
Be sure to mark your calendars for the 2014 Annual Membership Show sponsored by US Bank January 23 - February 20, 2014 in the Depot's Great Hall. The opening reception is Thursday, January 23 from 5 - 7 p.m. The DAI Membership Show has been growing annually and will likely be better than ever, both in quantity as well as quality. It's not too late to show your work in this show. If you're a DAI member and active artist, select something from this past calendar year and bring it to the Duluth Art Institute by the 10th this week.

Calls for Art and Lit Submissions from PRØOF and the PRØVE

Year one for the PROVE Collective was an exhilarating one not only for the five young men who made it happen, but also for those of us in the local arts community who watched it emerge. The big question in some minds was how long would it last. And where would things go once others in the group moved on. After all, four of the founders were newly graduated art students.

Two indeed move on and the replacement selections seem only to have strengthened the Collective in unimagined ways. Two women filled the void, both of them a little more seasoned, each bringing new artistic disciplines to this affiliation of artists: Kathy McTavish and Kathleen Roberts.

Roberts, in association with the PRØVE, founded PRØOF, a literary arts publication featuring essays, poetry, short stories and art. Each of the first two issues has been surprisingly good. I enjoy the multi-layered possibilities inherent in the themes.

Here's the announcement:

PRØOF, Duluth, Minnesota’s publication of contemporary art and literature, is accepting submissions to its third issue, ‘For the Record,’ coming out in February 2014. ‘For the Record’ will focus on the role of music in various forms of art. Any format or style of written or visual work addressing this theme is acceptable, and contributors are encouraged to think outside of the box.

Issue overview: Whether it is aural or visual, art creates a music of the mind. Moreover, our own movements as artists mirror the notes, harmonies, and pauses in our surroundings. Many artists and writers also use music as a source of inspiration. PRØOF is seeking work that speaks to the connection between music, art, and literature.

Work guidelines: 
 • Any form and style of work is acceptable. 
• Written submissions should be limited to three thousand words or fewer. 
• Submitted images should be at least 300 dpi. 
• Magazine staff reserves the right to edit for style, content, and grammar.

Cover letters are encouraged, although they are not required. Cover letters should tell us a little bit about you as a writer and include a brief statement about the work you have submitted. They should not include any pitch for or interpretation of your work. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable, provided that the author notifies PRØOF immediately if their work is selected for publication elsewhere. All works should be previously unpublished.

If you write or make art, I pass this along and encourage you to sift what you have created, or use this opportunity to create something new. For more information, or to submit work, contact proofmagazine@provegallery.com
Submission deadline is November 30, 2013.

To download copies of the first two issues visit provecollective.com and click on the PRØOF tab.

The call for art for the September PRØVE Show has also gone out. The theme will be Transplants. Here's the Show Description:

In this modern life, we all move a lot. For work, for environment, and for many other reasons, we relocate in order to better ourselves and to seek new experiences. This fosters a mixing of ideas, of cultures, and of media, across time, disciplines, and upbringings. For "Transplants," Prøve Collective is seeking works from artists who have moved to Duluth for any reason. We are in a time of change in many ways, and would like to showcase this with an exhibition highlighting the rich variety that all of this intermixing can achieve. All types of art and media will be considered for exhibition.

Local transplants will want to download a PDF for artist guidelines from the PRØVE website. (Click the øppørtunities tab.) Deadline for submissions is August 28.

If you have been making work - whether poetry, pottery or paintings -- that you're proud of but have been reticent to share, maybe this is a good place to make a go of sharing with a wider audience. It's a lot less work than assembling and promoting your own first show.

Thanks again, to everyone in the Collective who has worked so hard to bring this space to our community here in the Northland.