The Poet Bao Phi Comes North to the PROVE

"I think that different races struggle against different types of racism. I think that, Asian-Americans, it's 'We're never from here,' and so our history is largely seen as irrelevant if it gets acknowledged at all." --Bao Phi

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I'm guessing that if there had never been a Viet Nam War that most Americans would not know where Viet Nam was even located on a world map. The same probably holds true for Bosnia and Somalia, where the U.S. sent troops during  the Clinton administration, or Kuwait in Desert Storm.

It's interesting how Asian immigrants have played a role in U.S. history for more than 150 years, but that even though living within our borders there seems to be little awareness of their history, or how that history became intertwined with ours.

All these thoughts came to mind when I received an invitation to a reading by the poet Bao Phi here in Duluth next Saturday evening at the PROVE.

I asked Kathleen Roberts to share a little background on how she first became aware of his writings and how this event came about.

Kathleen Roberts: I'm not sure the first time that I ran across Phi's work, but I have been aware of him for at least the last 8-10 years, since college. It might have been in poetry class? At any rate, I can tell you that the poetry series selects poets using a system in which each board member selects three poets with new books forthcoming, and we vote as a group to determine which writers will be featured that season. The evening will be a pretty straight poetry reading, with Phi as the sole reader. It starts at 7:30, and I would estimate it will be 45-60 minutes long. The selections will probably be from periods throughout his writing career, but will focus on poems from his new collection.  

Follow this link to read an interview with the Bao Phi that appeared on National Public Radio.

Read a piece by the author titled Sirenum Scopuli.

His first book was titled Song I Sing (2011). His two new books are called Thousand Star Hotel and A Different Pond.

Local Art Seen: Out and About in the Twin Ports

Greetings from the Zeitgeist Atrium

"Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom." ~Soren Kierkegaard

I frequently compare time spent painting in my studio to visiting a therapist. Making art is good therapy and I'm sure there are many others who see creative expression as a therapeutic endeavor. But the Kierkegaard insight above also touches something else I've experienced when painting. With so many directions to go, how does one decide? Large canvas or small? Canvas surface, wood or paper? Monochrome or multi-layered rainbow extravaganza? Explore new mediums, textures and subject matter, or work in the familiar circles that sharpen your strengths? Anxiety is indeed the dizziness of freedom.

Perhaps this is why young people coming of age especially feel such a weight upon them. When there are so many directions one can go, such freedom may not be liberating. In more primitive cultures you often knew from birth what you would be when you grow up and where you would live. Your father was a cobbler, farmer or royalty, and this would be your place as well.

Sean P. Connaughty's early explorations blending art and biology.

So it is with a sense of amazement that one can see so many varieties of creative expression here in the Twin Ports over the course of a few evenings. At least this is how I felt this morning as I pulled my thoughts together to share a few of the works I spied Thursday and Friday at the Duluth Art Institute (DAI) and other venues.

The DAI reception was everything expected and more. Sean P. Connaughty's works filled the Steffl Gallery. Connaughty, a U of MN art teacher, captured headlines when his Ark of the Anthropocene sank last weekend a day after its launch. The artist is undeterred however and will find a more permanent home in a lake nearer to the Twin Cities with less boat traffic turbulence. the Ark is his largest but not first such project and the various iterations which preceded it were displayed throughout the balcony are of the Depot's Great Hall.

Fatih Benzer... simply stunning.

The Morrison Gallery featured an exhibition titled Signs and Wonders, with ceramic works by Jim Klueg and paintings by Fatih Benzer. Benzer is a UMD art professor who is originally from Turkey. The complex paintings were quite stunning, numerous. Benzer described the thematic nature of their contents as a collision of cultures, the one where he was raised and the other where he now resides.

Klueg's ceramic pieces stood on pedestals throughout the gallery, but with such an enormous quantity of visitors to the opening it proved difficult to really take it all in. The work will remain installed till November 2, so I encourage any and all to take a little time from their busy lives to visit these galleries in the Depot.

Detail of a Benzer piece. 

Klueg's ceramic work offers a smile.

In the Corridor Gallery you'll find a restropective of Sean Austin's paintings and prints. Austin is a lifelong artist now in his twilight. A graduate of Gustavus Adolphus he has apparently much loved based on the manner in which those who know him spoke of him. "My interest in art has been the force that has sustained me since childhood," he stated in his artist statement. "I delight in trying to create my own universe."

Finally, the Sophronia Project had been assembled for another public event. A future blog entry will feature an interview with Joellyn Rock who has been central to this inspired project along with Kathy McTavish.

The only thing missing Thursday evening was the cheerful countenance of DAI Director Annie Dugan who was evidently in the hospital. Many of us were asked and able to send her greetings through that magical device called the Smart Phone.

During Friday evening's Downtown Duluth Walkabout I found myself face-to-face with artwork in the Zeitgeist Atrium, Pizza Luce, Washington Galleries and the PROVE.

Earl Austin in the Corridor Gallery, DAI

Eris Vafias at Pizza Luce

Space and time do not permit me from sharing everything here, so you will have to get out and about and check out what's happening where it's happening.

Plan your lunch hour meetings in places where you can also get a pit of art with the meal. Esther Piszczek's Zentangle-inspired work is at Beaner's this month. Kris Nelson's Chairs are at Red Mug. And my own "Influences" show is at Benchmark Tattoo. No, they do not serve food, but it's across the street from Sara's Table (Chester Park Cafe) and you can eat there before poking your head in across the way.

One more must-see exhibit is the Gene Ritchie Monohan display at The Red Herring Lounge on First Street. The paintings are on loan from personal collections of the Monohan family. More about this in a future blog post.

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

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EdNote: Ennyman's Territory was today listed as one of 5 blogs to follow by The Duluth Experience. 

Art Hopping Twin Ports Weekend Begins Tonight @ DAI

The Duluth Art Institute opening reception and fall kickoff will be the place to be tonight. Signs & Wonders, Ark of the Anthropocene, Sophronia and the Earl Austin Retrospective will be seen and heard in the various galleries and the Depot's Great Hall. This is the opening I told you to mark on your calendar. The Sophronia Project is a happening in and of itself. Sean Connaughty, who teaches at the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities, will be on hand if you wish to talk with him about his Ark, which sank in the harbor last week.

The event is slated for 5-7 p.m.

Friday night's opening at the PROVE Gallery is guest curated by Sean P. Connaughty, the artist who launched his Ark of the Anthropocene into Duluth Harbor last week, and made news when it sank. Featured artists are David Bowen (of Duluth), Terez Iacovino, Jim Proctor, Aaron Dysaart, Vaughn Bell, Chris Sicat, and Sean himself. The title of the show is Permafuture, and its subject matter includes a variety of approaches to the topic of our changing climate. Event runs from 7-11 p.m.

This past Sunday I went and spoke with Connaughty about his Ark as he was doing repairs on the 4,000-pound, 6-foot-wide concrete sphere which contains a terrarium with more than 50 plants. He pointed out the cause of the failed first mission. He also explained how to object was designed to work. To keep it from floating out in the the big lake, or into the path of an ore boat, it is maintained by two anchors. The intermediate anchor has three pick points that hold the Ark upright. The major anchor is down on the harbor floor. 

When I first saw photos of the Ark I was curious why the art object was a boring white. "The work focuses on functionality over form," Connaughty explained, unoffended by this line of inquiry.

The evening before I listened to a retired electrician express consternation that this kind of thing could be called art. The man had been to the Sistine Chapel, and seen great art in Europe and did not think this should be in the same category, so I asked Connaughty, "Why is this art?" He replied, "Science can be art & art science. Science can bring different point of view."

The Ark will be here I Duluth till Nov 2. Connaughty, who will be present both at tonight and tomorrow night's events, is very approachable. You can learn more about the project at his Kickstarter campaign which helped fund the transport of his creation to Duluth.

If you're doing the Friday night art crawl tomorrow you'll want to start at the Washington Galleries Thread opening, which runs from 6-9. It has been a wonderful space for showcasing local talent and tomorrow' show is another worth investigating, featuring the works of Adam McCauley, Christopher Selleck and Colin Wiita. Selleck is a photographer whose work I'd not seen before. McCauley and Wiita are painters who evolved into mixed media artists. The following are examples of McCauley's new work on display here this month.

On the theater front there is also a lot going on, but I'll just mention that Sealed For Freshness opened last week and has three more gigs tonight through Saturday. It's about a madcap Tupperware party, and a nice kickoff for the Twin Ports Stage.

If I'm lucky, I will see you on the scene.

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

Tonight, Tonight: A Good Night for Gallery Hopping

The theme was Intergalactica

I can't say enough about last night's Artist Kamikaze IV in which at least fourteen teams were paired for a show which now hangs at the Luce for the remainder of June. Eris Vafias and the Limbo Gallery get the credit for putting it together, and the teams of competing artists get all the enjoyment as the devote themselves to three months of innovation and execution. I will most assuredly be writing more about some of the things I learned in this year's project. But we'll save that for another time as this morning I want to highlight a few happenings for gallery goers to look forward to tonight in downtown Duluth.

In a nutshell, if you do not have time to read any further, there are openings at the Ochre Ghost, the PROVE, the Washington Galleries and the Zeitgeist lobby. If you plan your route, each is two blocks from another, a most leisurely stroll... and if we're lucky the afternoon storms will have dissipated for a beautiful night on the town.

Ochre Ghost

Morgan Pease returns to Duluth for a solo exhibition of his new work. Pease is a young artist in his mid-twenties who hase been fascinated with triangles and movement. He studied paint, print and draft at University of Minnesota Duluth before heading off to St. Paul. He's traveled part of the world and like bicycle-riding. I first noticed his work at the Duluth Art Institute in 2010 and am certain he will be presenting some interesting pieces tonight.

PRøVE Gallery 

If you've been there you already know you love the space down on the ground floor of the Sons of Norway Building. Last night as I was heading in to the Artist Kamikaze opening I stopped to see what's on the docket for tonight's show. This month it will be a photography show featuring work by Ryan Tischer, John Heino, Andrew Perfetti and others. Curated by Richard Hanson, the lights were on early as they spackled nail holes and scratched their heads as to how best to display the many works on hand. 

Washington Galleries

Emma Rustan’s show at Washington Galleries, two blocks up the hill from PROVE, is titled “Goodbye, Blue Skies.” Among other things (according to yesterday's Wave) the event "will include re-creations of old portraits of military personnel, railroad workers and regular people in moments of outdoor leisure. She also has a series inspired by Homegrown Music Festival. The opening reception is from 6-9 p.m. and will include music by Kyle Ollah.

Zeitgeist Lobby

One of the great additions to the arts scene in recent years has been the Zeitgeist Building, Teatro Zuccone and the Zinema. A staple of this venue is the art in the lobby. My brother recently reminded me that my first show in New Jersey several decades ago was in the lobby of a theater in Bernardsville. This month's lobby "gallery" will feature paintings by Robert Dewitt Adams. Adams is new to Duluth, but not new to the arts. His shows at the Seattle Art Museum, the San Francisco Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum clearly make one aware that he's been around. Let's give a warm welcome to Mr. Adams.

As for other things happening, stay current by reading DNT's The Wave on Thursdays and The Reader, which has added a number of pages to cover the arts. We have great theater happenings (I suggest the two Tennessee Williams plays) and a vibrant music scene. So...

In the meantime, I do hope I'll run into you tonight on the town. Embrace as much as you are able. And be enriched.

This beautiful piece by Ryan Tischer will be on display tonight at the PROVE.