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.

Duluth Art Scene: Coming Attractions

Carla Hamilton at the Red Mug thru end of April

“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.” ― Roald Dahl

A few tips for the week ahead.

Tonight @ the Red Mug
Opening reception for Carla Hamilton's Pocket Full of Unicorns
I know I'm just one of many fans of Carla Hansen's original expressions. If you are unable to attend tonight's opening at the Red Mug in Superior, then be sure to grab a soup and sandwich sometime over the next month for an impressive array of new work.

Friday
Opening reception for Dan Hansen @ Benchmark Tattoo. Get a preview of Dan's upcoming show here. This show will be u throughout the month of April.

Tuesday, April 7, 2015
The April Tweevenings at the Tweed will be presented by Dorian Beaulieu.  This free event begins at 6:30 p.m. Beaulieu is a ceramist and faculty member at Lake Superior College. During the course of the talk, Beaulieu will reference artists and their ceramic works according to the theme Mark of the Fire, from the exhibition Resurfaced, Reformed: Evolution in Studio Ceramics.

Thursday, April 9
Cody Paulson's Port City Supply Co is slated to run from April 9 to June 4 at Duluth Art Institute. Paulson's photography features Duluth imagery in a uniquely modern manner. The reception is scheduled from 5-7 p.m. on May 14, and a special Design Pop Up Shop will be available June 4 to June 6, 2015 featuring artists curated by Paulson alongside more of his design work.

“Cody Paulson is an emerging talent whose images have a voice that is specific to Duluth. It’s like you are looking at a visual identity manual for our town,” said Anne Dugan, DAI Executive & Artistic Director.

While many local photographers focus on the spectacular natural beauty of the area, Paulson takes a distinctive approach to documenting the region. He finds text and fonts from the backs of trucks, portions of hand-painted signs on brick alleyways or blocks of paint on industrial buildings. Geometry and color feature heavily in his work and the industrial roots of Duluth play a starring role in his port town portraits.

Paulson is also known around town for serving as senior design director and videographer at Swim Creative and as the founder and owner of Jambox Shred Gear, a clothing collective that creates skate and snowboarding apparel.

Saturday, April 4
In the mood for music, good pizza and a brew? Make it over to Thirsty Pagan and catch Amy Grillo and Gene LaFond. If I'm not mistaken Jeredt Runions' paintings still decorate some of the walls.


Meantime, life goes on all around you. Be part of it.

This Week in the Twin Ports Arts Scene

"Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense."
~ Gertrude Stein, who was born on this day in 1874.

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The weekend cold snap has passed so relax and get out a few times if you can.  Here are some ideas of happenings this week in the Twin Ports arts scene...

I'll start by noting that The Turn of the Screw is playing all this week atThe Underground, the relatively new theater space downstairs in the Depot. Details here.

Tonight
Tweevening with Jim Klueg and Liz James
6:30 p.m.
Tweed Museum of Art is hosting another evening talk about works in their collection. This month is a continuation of discussions based on the Resurfaced and Reformed exhibit currently on display. Klueg, a ceramist and head of the Department of Art & Design, will present about works related to the European and Bauhaus Influence group. Liz James, ceramics area head, will will focus on works from the grouping Variations on Form: The Vessel moves toward Sculpture. This is a free, and always informative, event. With light refreshments after.

Wednesday
Obscurities. Photos by Lori Molin
Lori Molin is also into ceramics. Currently a student at UWS this show at the Red Mug Coffeehouse in Superior features her photography, another of her interests. She uses her lens to catch the rare things people tend to overlook in everyday life. The opening reception is from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Thursday

9th Anniversary Celebrity Dance Contest
From what I hear this is an event not to miss. Area celebs partner with Minnesota Ballet dancers in a barn-burner ballroom competition in styles from elegant waltz to steamy tango. The event takes place in the Marshall School auditorium. The show starts at 7:30 p.m.

Friday
Pop Up Galleries Workshop
On February 6th at 7:00 p.m. the PRØVE Gallery is hosting a collaborative presentation on activating vacant commercial property with temporary visual displays, aka "pop ups." Across the bridge, the Superior Phantom Galleries project is in its fourth year, with many exciting shows having taken place in various spaces there.

This Friday Joan Vorderbruggen will share images and storytelling from her project, Made Here, which is the largest storefront initiative of it's kind in the nation, currently hosting 38 visual displays over 16 city blocks in downtown Minneapolis.

Jami Rosenthal, who is a part of Duluth Pop Up Galleries, will also give an update about this project that hopes to add to the beauty of downtown Duluth with the help of local artists. This project produces galleries in storefront windows that are accessible anytime, day or night, and appealing even to those who might
not usually engage in art spaces.

For more information contact Flo Matamoros at flo@provegallery.com, or Jami at duluthpopupgalleries@gmail.com

Or visit this website to learn more about Made Here.

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

Twin Ports Art Classes, Tweevenings, Studio 15 and More

One reason some people aren't drawn to art galleries and art shows is that they feel a little intimidated by it all. They aren't sure what to expect, including whether they're expected to like everything they see. (Don't worry, you don't have to like everything, even if the critics are going gaga over it.)

If you're someone who wishes they had a broader background in the arts, there are ways to overcome this lack. One of these is to borrow books from the library. It's free and a relatively endless resource. Another, is to go back to college. For most this is not really practical at all. For this reason the Great Courses company was created. The founder knew that there were a lot of folks like him who wished they'd paid more attention in college, or taken other classes that didn't fit their interests at the time. He assembled series of great lectures in every conceivable discipline to help give the opportunity to continue one's learning when he or she has matured a bit and could appreciate it more.

Here's a link to a whole set of lectures related to the arts, from Art of the Ancient World to How to Look At and Understand Great Art. It's a great way to advance one's learning, and always stimulating.

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I can't recall if I've made many references to art classes over the years but there are actually quite a few opportunities in the Twin Ports to harness your creative energy in productive ways. Art classes are a great way to add new skills to your tool kit. Exposure to new techniques also helps you understand and better appreciate the art that you sometimes see in galleries. Here's a short list for consideration.

The Duluth Art Institute has classes and workshops for folk of all ages. The DAI has been a great resource in our community. Here's a list of current offerings for adults. They also have art classes for youth. In point of fact, I got my start as an "artist" when I was enrolled in classes at the Cleveland Art Institute, which was part of the Cleveland Museum of Art. I was five at the time, and not too young to make some memories that I still carry.

Here are a few other places to look that may not be on your radar.

Studio 15 

Instructor Lydia Walker will be holding a class on Paper Dying and Marbling this coming Saturday, December 6 from 3:00 p.m. till 6:00 p.m.  You'll learn how to dye and marble paper using household products. Studio 15 is located at 15 North 3rd Avenue East. Cool stuff for Christmas can be found there as well.
Cost for the class: $15, materials provided

The Armory Arts & Music Center and Snoodle Ceramic Studio & Gallery - Holiday Celebration 

This event is Saturday December 13 from 2:00 pm. till 8:00 p.m. and it promises to be a lively, family friendly affair. Tonya Borgeson and the AAMC have assembled whole range of events including music, games, art for sale by multiple artists, demonstrations and information on how you can become involved.

Artists include Aurora Baer/ performing music, Tonya Borgeson, Kitty Jacquot, Mike Joens, Ed Newman, Esther Piszczek, Brian Rauvola, Sharon Rogers, Richard Rosvall, Melanie Sternberg, Adam Swanson, Unicornucopia’s Handmade Ornaments, Pierce & Piszczek Fine Pianos & Duluth’s Forging Community of Blacksmiths. At 5:00 illustrator Ian Welshons and I will be signing copies of our new children's book A Remarkable Tale from the Land of Podd.

Location: The Armory Annex 1325 London Road Duluth, MN 55805

A quick plug for Tonya Borgeson. She's been owner of the Snoodle Ceramic Studio & Gallery for many years and a ceramics instructor at Lake Superior College near 15 years. She's very community minded and is worth contacting if you have young ones interested in the arts.

This Afternoon and Tonight at the Tweed
There's a lot happening at the Tweed Museum of Art today. At 2:00 p.m. there's Tea at Tweed with coffee, tea, cookies and music; Docent Training with Alison Aune at 4:00 p.m.; a Senior show opening with Desiree Harper also at 4:00 p.m.; and a Tweevening with Karin Kraemer at 6:30 p.m. Karin will talk about the Art of Majolica.

Get It Local
This Saturday December 6, 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. is another place to find creative gifts and items for your home. Get It Local is at Peace Church, 1111 N. 11th Ave. E.  If you're looking to learn how to transform your doodles into art, look for Esther Piszczek and ask about her classes on Zentangle. Sure we like supporting our local artists but why not make art yourself?

Benchmark Tattoo 
For the month of December the art gallery at Benchmark Tattoo will feature the work of a variety of artists who have participated in the previous months since their opening this summer. Friday evening they will be having an opening reception and everyone is welcome. This is the high end of low art, and a very nice space. They're located across from Sara's Table on 8th Street not far from the UMD campus.

Superior Council for the Arts
This just in. Friday the 5th is the annual open reception for Step Up On Broadway Show and Sell, 5:00 till 7:00 p.m. in the North End Arts Gallery. The gallery will be open 11-6 Monday thru Saturday for the duration of the season. (Holiday season, not winter season.)

All right. This is enough for now. Peruse the Transistor, the Reader and the Trib to see what else is happening. There's a lot.

Meantime art goes on all around you. Celebrate it.

Tweevenings at the Tweed: Karin Kraemer To Discuss Majolica

"God said to the clay 'Be ware' and it was." 
~ George Ohr

Karin Kraemer has been a fixture of the Twin Ports arts scene since I first arrived on these shores in 1986. A long time friend of the Duluth Arts Institute (DAI), she is also a lover of music and has played in a number of area jugbands along the way. She has a great sense of humor as indicated by the title of her business: Duluth Pottery, Superior Division. Her studio is in historic Trade and Commerce Marketplace Building adjacent to the Red Mug Coffeehouse.

This coming Tuesday Karin will be the presenter for this month's Tweevenings talk, Tuesday, December 2 at the Tweed. Her presentation will be about Majolica, a handpainted tin-glaze technique. Her piece Bee Mandala is currently on view at Tweed, as part of the exhibition Resurfaced and Reformed: Evolution in Studio Ceramics.

Every other month, on the first Tuesday, the Tweed holds informal viewing and discussion of selected works from their collection. Faculty, students and community members are invited to choose work to be discussed, and it's always free. I myself enjoy the Tweevening events as an excuse to see what's going on that is new. There is nearly always a student show on display in the corner gallery space on the main floor. And the major shows are always worth your time. If you miss this one, the next event will be the first Tuesday in February.

Read more about Karin Kraemer in this 2011 interview.

To learn more about the Tweed Museum, www.d.umn.edu/tma/

Broc Allen: East Meets West (October Tweevenings at the Tweed)

Tuesday evening I attended the October Tweevenings lecture at the Tweed Museum of Art. With the current Resurfaced and Reformed: Evolution in Studio Ceramics exhibition currently on display, it was only natural to have Broc Allen return to talk about some of the pieces here in this show in a lecture titled East Meets West.

Allen's talk was more challenging than most of the lectures I've attended, in part because of the lack of familiarity I have with the names and characters he talked about. Inasmuch as I try to take notes, I found myself sometimes scribbling Japanese names with phonetically imprecise markings. My guess is that this challenged some of the other listeners as well.

Nevertheless, I found it exceedingly interesting how some of the themes here echoed previous speakers' talks, most specifically Ann Klefstad's "Double Vision" lecture about masterfully artistic things that also had utility.

Broc Allen's talk began with how Japanese ceramic artist Soetsu Yanagi met Shoji Hamada. Yanagi's ideas resulted in a book called The Unknown Craftsman, a book that "challenges the conventional ideas of art and beauty. What is the value of things made by an anonymous craftsman working in a set tradition for a lifetime? What is the value of handwork?"

According to the book's description, "Mr. Yanagi sees folk art as a manifestation of the essential world from which art, philosophy, and religion arise and in which the barriers between them disappear. The implications of the author's ideas are both far-reaching and practical."

According to Allen, Soetsu Yanagi is often mentioned in books on Japanese art, but this is the first translation in any Western language of a selection of his major writings. The late Bernard Leach, renowned British potter and friend of Mr. Yanagi for fifty years, has clearly transmitted the insights of one of Japan's most important thinkers. The seventy-six plates illustrate objects that underscore the universality of his concepts. The author's profound view of the creative process and his plea for a new artistic freedom within tradition are especially timely now when the importance of craft and the handmade object is being rediscovered.

Allen talked about the artists who made objects for everyday use. Minji (or Minggi??) artists do not sign their work. Their aim is perfection, without trying to be famous. High level of art. It made me think about the superficiality of our American quest for celebrity and fame.

Yanagi created Tokyo Folk Art Museum. And at a certain point in time met Bernard Leach, the father of British studio pottery. Leach was a detail-oriented person who took great pains to document glaze recipes. (Glaze is the final coating on a piece of pottery that is fused to the piece through firing. Glazes are the decorative skin of the cup or bowl or vase, but also serve to waterproof the piece.)

Allen talked briefly about Shoji Hamada's path and then noted how Yanagi was into William Blake and Walt Whitman. In fact the Japanese master was so into Blake that he wrote a 700 page book on Blake.

Some of the details in the talk were probably a bit esoteric for the average person, and because of my own lack of familiarity with a lot of the lingo I was lost for parts of the talk. But there were some takeaways.

1. Everyone has a history. These men were individually influenced by people and places. They went on to other places and influenced many people.

2. Leach, Hamada and Yanagi went on a world tour that included a pass across the U.S. Their ideas were disseminated like apple seeds by means of lectures and demonstrations.

3. One story Broc Allen told was very interesting regarding one master's high standards when training new students of the high art of fine bowl making. The first day the student would try to make fifty perfect bowls. The master would keep one and scrap the rest. The second day he kept three. The third day he kept five. After that he never had to check again.

Warren McKenzie was the 1st Americans to appreciate what Bernard Leach was doing, another point in which the migration of ideas from East to West took place.

The next Tweevenings talk will be November 4.

This Coming Week and Other Twin Ports Arts Announcements

Ceramic wonders at Tweed.

"Once you label me you negate me." ~Kierkegaard

It seems convenient to place things into boxes so we can label them. When we do this to people, however, it's a problem. Like snowflakes, people each have their own designs and really should not be categorized like elements on a Periodic Table. Persons are not "things."

Classifying and labeling things is something people have done since Adam gave names to all the animals. Naming and categorizing seems innate to our DNA.

I'm often asked what kind of art I make? I say I paint, and then get asked what kind of painting I do? It's really hard to say. "Contemporary" says almost nothing. "Avant-garde" says even less these days. Cubism was avant-garde a century ago but what does that mean today?

We live in a period of art history where the fences have been knocked down and artists are all over the place, wild horses running free. That is some of what I suspect you'll see this week on our local arts scene.

TUESDAY
Tweevenings: The East Meets West Connection
This is the second year of Tweevenings talks at the Tweed Museum of Art on the campus of UMD. This month's speaker will be Broc Allen, a Twi Ports ceramics artist who does wood-fired work. It's only natural that he might be selected to present insights on the works from our current exhibition Resurfaced and Reformed: Evolution in Studio Ceramics. He will attempt to demonstrate the Asian influence in Western studio ceramics.

According to the announcement: "Allen emphasizes that most of the works on display have some influence from Asia, and will thus select several pieces on display to contrast these divergent modes of art with aesthetic characteristics rooted in Asia."

Time and place: 6:30 p.m., main gallery of the Tweed.

THURSDAY

Phantom Gallery Superior Closing Reception
This show features two artists, Susan Loonsk and Jennifer Murphy. Mostly Birds is the work of Susan Loonsk, Professor Emerita of Art, Art Therapy and Ecopsychology at the University of Wisconsin - Superior. Her mixed media paintings "are post modern in style and use elements of autobiography and narrative to interpret, explore and discover the diverse realities of our world." If that is too complicated for you, then just enjoy what you see.

'Of Tidal Pools' exhibits creative ceramic expressions by Jennifer Murphy, an artist who "revels in creating various specimens of clay creatures with form, motion, texture and levity." In other words, expect the unexpected. Details here.

FRIDAY
Seraphina’s Necessary Illusions
Opening at Washington Gallery on Friday, October 10 from 6-9pm. The show is a collaborative effort by Carla Hamilton, Brent Kustermann, and Emma Rustan, and will feature a series of new paintings from each of the artists focused upon sequential illusory portraiture.

The three artists appear to be in an exceptionally fertile time. More than 200 unique pieces will be on display, most created in the past few months. All three artists will be present and all artwork will be for sale. Recommended.

If you can't attend the opening, Seraphina’s Necessary Illusions will be open Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 3-7pm from October 11 through November 1. These hours are a deviation from the usual weekend hours and Washington Gallery wants to ensure the public that the gallery will indeed be open each of these days for the entire duration of said time. Private appointments for viewing the gallery may also be made by calling Emma Rustan at 218-260-1110.

Yoga Health Art Opening

This is a nice addition to our Downtown Duluth Second Friday Art Crawl.
Yoga Health, 16 1/2 N. 1st Avenue W. (upstairs)
Esther Bixler Piszczek will be debuting two large murals at this joint art opening with talented nature photographer Professor Ladona Tornabene, Ph.D. All sales of her photographs go to support a scholarship fund in the Art and Health program at UMD. Other galleries around town will also be open for the 2nd Friday Art Walk!
Friday, October 10, 6-8 p.m.

PRØVE Gallery
It's a celebration of writing, with readings from past contributions to PRØOF, as well as unveiling the NEW CALL and theme of PRØOF Magazine Issue IV, due out in January. In keeping with tradition, there will be yummy food and delicious words, including but not limited to, Terrance Griep reading a selection of his literary nonfiction.

The Red Herring
Before you call it a night, be sure to stroll two blocks east on First Street to catch Gene Ritchie Monohan at The Red Herring.

SATURDAY
Get To The Point: Awesome Art and Gift Fair 
October 11, 2014, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Lafayette Square, Park Point, 3026 Minnesota Ave, Duluth
If you don't know where to go, this is the facility half way out to the end of Park Point, on your left. You pretty much can't miss it. Start your Christmas shopping early.

NOTEWORTHY: MESSAGE TO AREA ARTISTS
October 31, 2014 is the deadline for the Individual Career Development grant programs at the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council. The application process for each program is currently open online and will remain open until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, October 31, 2014.

ARAC will be holding grant workshops during the month of October to go over the grant programs for the deadline, how to apply using the new online grant system, and to offer assistance on writing your grant. Come see us at one of the following sessions and get your questions answered! Tuesday October 14th - 3-5pm, Duluth Wednesday October 15th - 3-5pm

Personal note: If you are in the creative arts, these people exist to help you. Their whole reason for existence is to assist artists in their efforts to advance their careers. They have resources. What are your dreams?

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

Throwback Thursday: How Literature Elevates Us

In light of Tuesday night's presentation on Picasso, Storytelling and The Unseen Masterpiece, this seemed a suitable follow-up while simultaneously being a nod to Throwback Thursday. This blog post originally appeared on August 19, five summers ago.

In addition to the philosophy club which we host, Susie has been for ten years involved with a Barnes & Noble classic books club in which each month the group reads and discusses some of the world's great literature. The group has seen its share of ebb and flow but one constant throughout has been the classics, literature that goes beyond its moment in time.

What's the difference between a good book and a classic? To illustrate, I'll point to the business book Built to Last by Jim Collins. In Collins' analysis, the great companies are those that have dedicated themselves to the long haul. They hang their shingle on the word excellence at every level of the game. By way of contrast, and this was the plight of the tech bubble, many companies were being built to flip. That is, from the outside they looked like good companies but the management disregarded strengthening the foundations for the sole aim of getting bought out at a very high price, bringing profits the stakeholders.

So it is that writers have different aims when they produce books. The Jonestown Massacre took place the year I worked in a bookstore in Puerto Rico, in 1978. The Peoples Temple tragedy occurred in November, and to my utter amazement two books appeared on this topic before the end of the year. These books, long forgotten now, would not be deemed literature. They were rushed to market with the intent of exploiting the moment and are examples of a "built to flip" style of writing.

Books written to exploit the moment are not necessarily bad books, and can be informative, often timely and have a measure of value, though many are clearly written with the hope of making a buck, its only aim quite transparent. On the other hand, classics aspire to something greater. Classic fiction strives to participate in the great dialogue, our human story, bringing additional light into the great battle of light verses darkness. Unlike books on how to make a killing on Wall Street or how to raise your son to be a doctor, the great stories wrestle with ethical issues, the problem of evil and questions like Why am I here? Where did I come from? Who am I and what is my life about?

In other words, the great books deal with great themes.

Another factor in the great books is the writing itself. The importance of the theme motivates the great writers to strive for a perfection of language that is effective for higher purposes, laboring over his selection of words and sentences to more eloquently convey the ideas and the story. Hence the phrase belles letres, beautiful letters. The aim is not only a worthy theme, but writing that is worthy of the theme.

My view on these matters has been significantly shaped by John Gardner, who wrote, "Thus the value of great fiction, we begin to suspect, is not just that it entertains us or distracts us from our troubles, not just that it broadens our knowledge of people and places, but also that it helps us to know what we believe, reinforces those qualities that are noblest in us, leads us to feel uneasy about our faults and limitations." (The Art of Fiction)

Gardner's high view of literature stems from a high view of humankind.

Leo Tolstoy had this to say about the writer's task: "The main purpose of art... is this, that it tell the truth about the soul, revealing and giving expression to all the secrets one cannot say in simple words.... Art is a microscope that the artist focuses on the secrets of his own soul, and that then reveals to men the secrets common to them all."

There are two metaphors I've frequently used regarding our personal stories, which help us not only understand our human condition but also help us to better understand God. The first is the image of a chandelier. Picture a large ball of cut glass (or jewels, diamonds, whatever) and in the middle is the light, which we cannot see, but which is reflected through each jewel. We are the jewels. Our stories, and transparency, make the light more vivid. We each make a contribution to the human story, and our role is to do it the best we are able, first in learning how to understand our stories and then fine tuning our ability to communicate the story.

The second image is that of a fly's eye. (Yes, I know flies are creepy to to people, but go with me on this.) The eye of a fly has two thousand faces, which enables it to see in multiple directions. These multiple images are then synthesized in the fly's brain into something coherent. So it is with our own manifold stories. Each contributes to the whole of our understanding of the human situation.

Remember growing up and thinking every family was like yours? Then you discover that not only families are different, lives are totally different based on where they are from, their station in life, etc.

I'm out of time and will have to leave off discussing Alan Paton's Cry the Beloved Country or Andre Gide's Two Symphonies, Melville's Moby Dick or Dickens, Conrad and Twain.

If you write, aim high. In the process you will not only achieve more for yourself, but might lift others as well. Let your light shine and your story be told.

AFTERWARD: At the end of Tuesday's Tweevenings lecture there was a Q&A period in which several interesting questions were asked. One person asked who I thought might be the Picasso of our generation might be, or something to that effect. At the time I had no clear answer,  but later recalled to mind Duchamp's statement that what is significant today will be more apparent in retrospect fifty years from now. 

Meantime, if you are local here to the Twin Ports, Ken Marunowski's opening tonight at the Red Mug, 5-7 tonight should be a rewarding experience. And With Sirens Blaring tomorrow night at the Prove. 

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.... Minnesota Arts Scene

Last night's Tweevenings was invigorating. I had been asked to speak about an artist whose works were represented in the Tweed Museum collection and I chose Picasso's etchings created to illustrate Honore de Balzac's The Unknown Masterpiece. The etchings were commissioned by Ambroise Vollard for the Centiennial edition of Balzac's story of three artists. The illustration here is my original "working outline" as I loosely captured my thoughts and created the stories for my presentation. You may see better if you click to enlarge.

Thank you to everyone who came out to hear. The next Tweevenings will be October 7 featuring ceramics and Broc Allen.

I was introduced last night by Bill Shipley, head docent of the Tweed, who will have some work at Gallery 13 in Minneapolis this weekend. The opening for "Remains of a Beautiful Nowhere" will be from 7 - 10 p.m.

Tonight in Maple Grove there will be another Salute to the Music of Bob Dylan, a free concert by an impressive set of musicians. The event will run from 6:30 - 9:30 p.m.  Can't make it? There will be a sequel in St. Louis Park on Saturday the ninth.

Central High by Marunowski

Thursday there will be an opening for Kenneth Marunowski's show at the Red Mug. Ken is a plein air painter who has really come on strong in recent years. I've been seeing his work in a whole variety of spaces and if you get the chance you should go out of your way to see what's on display at Red Mug this month, even if you can't make the opening.

Be sure to go upstairs to the North End Gallery to see the watercolor show there if you can arrange your schedule to be there when it's open during the day.

The 8th is Second Friday and the PROVE Gallery in Duluth is pumped to present a show that I have been looking forward to titled With Sirens Blaring. Prøve Collective member Kathleen Roberts has teamed up with a group of artists to bring her written pieces to life in a variety of formats. When Roberts first joined the Prove team I had a good instinct about it, as she brought literary features to the collective. Her PROOF Magazine was the first proof, and shows like With Sirens Blaring only add to the record. It looks like a great lineup of artists and musicians. Details here.

One more event to squeeze in here: Art in Bayfront Park will be coming soon. If you missed the Park Point Art Fair like I did for the first time in many years, this is a variation on the same theme, pulling together artists from all around for a weekend in the park. The setting can't be beat, especially when the weather's nice. The dates are August 16 and 17.

There's always more to see than there's time, but if you have an hour here or there, go explore.

Meantime, make the most of your day.

A Few More Thoughts in Preparation for Tonight's Tweevenings Lecture at the Tweed: Picasso, Storytelling and The Unknown Masterpiece

Yesterday world leaders commemorated the 100th year anniversary of the outbreak of World War I. Tonight I will be speaking at the Tweed Museum about the illustrations Pablo Picasso created for the 100th year anniversary of Honore de Balzac's The Unknown Masterpiece. Balzac's story about three painters whose paths serendipitously cross is a masterpiece of storytelling.

Ambroise Vollard, the editor of this commemorative edition of the book, commissioned Picasso to do the illustrations so as to help elevate perceptions about printmaking as an art form. Picasso, who arrived in Paris in 1901 at age 19, wasn't an arbitrary pick in this matter. His relationship to Vollard went all the way back to the beginning of his career. Vollard assembled the ambitious young Spanish painter's first Paris show. Vollard purchased 27 canvases, including everything from his Blue Period, in 1906. Vollard made purchases twice annually through the next five years, and introduced the young artist to others whom he could sell works to including Leo and Gertrude Stein.

Three decades later Picasso was a celebrated artist and major force. For this reason Vollard saw an opportunity to cash in some chips on his notion that reproducible work could be considered art.

As art collector Rob Leff pointed out in a Tweevenings lecture late last year there were others embracing this idea, one of them being Stanley W. Hayter, a British printmaker who moved to Paris and founded Atelier 17, one of the most influential art studios in the world. All this to say Vollard wasn't entirely unique in exploring the possibilities of these new paths for artists.

During this period when Picasso was commissioned to illustrate The Unknown Masterpiece he was already commissioned by Vollard to produce 100 etchings for a series that became known as The Vollard Suite. Picasso's innovative approach included efforts to make effects by using syrup and acid, for example. The last three pictures in this Suite are portraits of Vollard himself.

I'm reminded here of collector Steve Wynn's exhibit in the Wynn Casino in which the final piece is a Warhol screen print of Wynn.

Speaking of Wynn, his sale of Le Reve to hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen shows just how valuable the Picasso name has become. Vollard was clearly a primary agent in creating that value. This is not to diminish Picasso's innovation, prolific productivity and other achievements.

Balzac proved to be one of the most influential authors of the first half of the nineteenth century. Picasso became one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century. Four of the Picasso drawings for Balzac's book will be on display tonight. I'll attempt to make a case as to why these pictures are signiicant. Perhaps we'll see all 13 in this set again sometime before long.

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

Did Modern Art Dealer and Collector Ambroise Vollard Make Picasso What He Was?

"He did not like people to watch him when he was painting... as soon as he noticed her... he packed up his things in a rage and away he went."
~Ambroise Vollard, on Cezanne

This spring I was asked if I might be interested in contributing a lecture to the Tweevenings series which the Tweed Museum of Art has been hosting since last autumn. The essence of Tweevenings is that a speaker makes a presentation on one of the works from their extensive collection. From the beginning I've tried to attend as many lectures as I was able (sometimes I have been out of town) and not a one has been a disappointment.

Ambroise Vollard

For me, attending the Tweevenings lectures has not been simply to acquire more facts and names and knowledge. Rather it remains part of my lifelong quest to understand questions like "What is art?" and "What is the role of art and artists in our culture?"

In addition to learning about the Tweed collection I have also met some and heard some interesting people.  In October, I discovered the work of Charles Biederman through a lecture by Bill Shipley. In February Ann Klefstad gave a talk called Double Vision which very directly discussed the faultlines over which our art understanding has trod, specifically the notion of "art for art's sake" often being pitted against functional art instead seeing them as siblings. In all cases I have gained new insights which brought new understandings, as well as a deeper appreciation for the Tweed as a community resource.

My talk in 18 days will revolve around the Pablo Picasso's illustrations for Honore Balzac's The Unknown Masterpiece, an 1832 story about three painters which went on to influence many future artists including Paul Cezanne and Pablo Picasso.

Researching the themes surrounding Picasso's drawings, which became a series of limited edition prints, has brought many rewards. One of these has been discovering the degree to which a single collector can have such extensive influence. It's a relatively small step to the conclusion that the Tweeds themselves have made an immeasurable contribution to our Northland which we often can take for granted. And in point of fact, these 13 Picasso etchings in the collection here were donated to the museum by the grandchildren of the late Alice Tweed Tuohy, an avid art collector along with her husband. Ms. Tuohy herself donated over 500 art works to UMD.

Ambroise Vollard (1866-1939) must have had an astute sense of the times as he became integrated with the Paris art scene. Artists whose works he collected include Renoir, Gaugan, Cezanne and, famously, Picasso. The young Spaniard Picasso arrived in Paris in 1901. I can't say for sure when Vollard first noticed him, but in 1906 the collector purchased 27 canvases from the as yet undiscovered artist, which included all of his "Blue Period" works. Through 1911 Vollard made purchases twice annually from the young artist, a time transitional not only for Picasso but for modern art as a movement.

Their relationship last nearly forty years, during which time the artist did several paintings and drawings of the collector/art dealer, including an interest Cubist portrait of the Vollard. The patronage of Vollard and the Steins, Gertrude and Leo, kept Picasso financially solvent.

Because etchings were one of Vollard's passions, he leaned on Picasso to produce two series which may have been influential in elevating this craft to a fine art form. These were the illustrations for Balzac's Unknown Masterpiece and the 100 images known as the Vollard Suite, the last three being illustrations of Vollard himself.

Picasso ultimately became a household name far beyond the art circles where he established himself as a pioneer. Was this Vollard's doing? Unquestionably Vollard contributed to Picasso's succes. This might be one reason he was willing to "give back" by producing the Vollard Suite and the illustrations for Unknown Masterpiece. Then again, he may have simply relished the opportunity to explore new creative terrain, as he had with sculpture, theater, and ceramics.

Undoubtedly another factor in his success was his charm. To a public eager to embrace new ideas on the threshold of the Twentieth Century, he made for a good alternative to the somewhat feisty Cezanne or the ultra-sensitive Van Gogh. Picasso became an emblem of modernism, and went on to influence generations of artists in his wake.

By the time Ambroise Vollard died in a freak accident on the way to his chateau, he had collected more than 10,000 paintings and art objects. Had he not died when he did, he may have died a year or two later from a broken heart when the Nazis over-ran his homeland.

To learn more about this topic join us Tuesday, August 5, in the library of the Tweed Museum of Art, 6:30 p.m. ... Picasso, Storytelling and The Unknown Masterpiece.

Twin Ports Arts: Things to See and Do

Nostalgia Tambourine by Moira V

Here we are right in the middle of our 16th annual Homegrown Music Festival. By now everyone has their own Field Guide, covering the more than 200 bands and their venues. At nearly a hundred pages you'd think the guide would have everything you need to know about what to do and see around here. But alas, it's just scratching the surface.

Here are some additional things to see and do this weekend and in the weeks ahead. Just in case you'd like to take in something different before you go out for the rest of the evening.

Tonight May 2 at Trepanier Hall: The Emerge Show

"Emerging Artists" are those who one might say are in the process of breaking out after years of study or fine tuning their craft and vision. This show is designed to showcase some of the not-yet-discovered artists in our region. More than a dozen artists are represented including Moira Villiard whose vibrant paintings have appeared in a number of shows this past six months and are catching peoples' attention. The event runs from 6 - 9 and will feature painting, illustration, sculpture, jewelry and more against a backdrop of musical performances.

Spirit of the Lake Community School's Kingfisher Players presents Canterbury Tales

Spirit of the Lake is a small alternative school based on the Waldorf Educational method developed by Rudolph Steiner. Instead of the arts being an abandoned stepchild, it is central to the development of a full-orbed personality. This development begins early and is integrated into all teaching.
Tonight the 7th and 8th graders are performing a rousing rendition of Chaucer's classic at Peace Church at 1111 North 11th Avenue East in Duluth. Show starts at 7:00 p.m.

Brunch for Prove at Zeitgeist
During the month of May the Zeitgeist Cafe will be donating 5% of all proceeds from their weekend brunches to the Prove Gallery. It's a great way to support the arts as well as support a major supporter of the arts in our town. If you've never done a brunch there, the hours are from 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The Zeitgeist is located in the heart of our downtown in our developing arts district.

Tuesday May 6: Tweevenings at the Tweed

This coming Tuesday Professor John Pastor will be making a presentation about the work of American impressionist landscape painter John Henry Twachtman. Pastor himself is an artist devoted to nature so it seems natural that he should be drawn to an artist like Twachtman. According to the announcement on FB
Twachtman was a member of "The Ten", a loosely allied group of American artists dissatisfied with The Society of American Artists, who banded together in 1898 to exhibit their works as a stylistically unified group. These monthly talks have been exceptionally interesting. They're held upstairs in the Tweed the first Tuesday of each month, from 6:30-7:30 p..m.

Thursday May 8 at the Duluth Art Institute: Native Skywatchers

Next Thursday you will not want to miss the opening reception for Native Skywatchers featuring work by Annette Lee, William Wilson & Carl Gawboy and (Un)ordinary featuring Emi Lyman. A few years ago I'd heard someone talking about Carl Gawboy's work with near reverence. You may be familiar with his paintings without knowing it if you are a regular at the Superior Public Library. Look up at the murals that spread around the room there. This show features  Do be prepared to be impressed. Don't miss it.

Dylan-Themed Art at The Red Mug
I'll write more about this another time, but just so you know, this month's featured artist at the Red Mug is actually a bountiful assembly of art by artists inspired by the music of Bob Dylan. More about that in an upcoming account.

In all cases, follow the links above for more details. I am simply aiming to point out a few things you may have missed because of all the other noise this week. By noise, I mean, music.

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

Ann Klefstad Discusses Double Vision at the Tweed

Twentieth century ideas of Western art have been tremendously exciting for artists, and have created a realm of radical freedom where almost anything can be done. Why then does so much current art seem so irrelevant to so many? As an artist I worry about this. This talk is an attempt to locate some strategies to bring art into contact with ordinary life again, to give it traction.

So began Ann Klefstad's thoughtful and thought-provoking talk at Tuesday eve's Tweevenings.

She began by setting forth a concept that very much intrigued me because it seems to be a true truth that I have perceived but never knew how to articulate, the notion that there is a canon of what is considered art and what is outside the canon.

Twentieth century Western art seemed to be largely in the service of creating visual art as a separate realm, a self-referential practice in which artists addressed ideas of art’s status (such as, what was allowed to be called art, what was legitimate). The modern and postmodern strains alike both seemed committed to ensuring that art was about art, no matter what it was made of or who was doing it. Art that wasn’t about art—that is, illustration, decorative work, traditional visual practices—tended to be shut out of the canon.

And against this backdrop, Klefstad sought to open the door once more, or rather, widen the box, or knock down the fences so that what was being called "art" could become more inclusive.

The four pieces she selected from the Tweed were Dennis White's sash, a painting by Frank Big Bear, a print by John Sims, and a carved wooden ladle with a goose-head at its tip. The title of her presentation: Double Vision, art that isn't simply self-referential (art for art's sake) or that arises from the Western traditions of art history. Nor is it art for investment sake. Rather, it is double-duty work that "performs action in the larger world."

Dennis White's finger-woven sash is exactly this kind of double-duty work, a work of art that is also worn, best displayed in conjunction with a body. This kind of art gets diminished by calling it a craft. Klefstad highlighted the features of this piece and noted how it ignores the boundary between craft and art.

White is an Ojibwe mathematician from Hayward who makes art but also teaches math. If I understand her correctly Klefstad identified what it was that has made the distinction between art and craft. Something made for intellectual purposes, that serves the mind, can be art while that which serves both the mind and body gets relegated to craft status. This ought not to be.

Dennis White brings to this array the ability and confidence to ignore these boundaries: his sash incorporates the patternmaking of mathematics, seemingly the most “intellectual” of practices, with the pure visual appeal of color and form, and with the loyalty to mind and body together of traditional craft.

The colorful picture by Native artist Frank Big Bear became Klefstad's next talking point. Frank Big Bear grew up on the White Earth reservation, then went to Minneapolis where he drove cab and raised six kids. His colorful Prismacolor drawings reflect some of the influence of Kandinsky, but his renderings of perspective transform traditional ways of seeing. Klefstad then went into detail "reading" the imagery in this magical composition.

She next addressed John Sims' drawing and print from the math and art show, a mathematical metaphor about fractals and the Golden Ratio that permeate quilt patterns and Pi, complexity and beauty. Mathematics is the ghost in the machine... or the machinery of the universe.

Klefstad then turned her attention to the spoon. Native artists have often had their work relegated to the anthropology section of the museum rather than being called art. She spoke at length about the features of this simple carved tool, a work of beauty and functionality.

In the end she stated that many artists today are striving to bring art outside art's walls to the larger community because they aware that there is a disconnect between art and the broader culture. Artists with "double vision" will help us escape the canon imposed on us of what art "should" be. This talk was her contribution toward that end.


You can read more of Ann Klefstad's ideas here.

Local Art Seen: Student Shows and a Tweevening at the Tweed

Nascent, by Sarah Nelson

What a gift the Tweed Museum is to this community, and especially to the students who attend schools in this region. I, for one, had taken it for granted for most of the years I have lived here. It's my hope over time to stir others to re-acquaint themselves with this treasure.

Tuesday evening was another opportunity to enjoy the ambiance of the Tweed while awaiting Ann Klefstad's presentation which she titled Double Vision. On that topic more needs to be written than I have time for here, but it's a subject we'll return to.

I started at the student show downstairs to your left as you enter. It happened to be an opening reception for Sarah Nelson and Dolly Phillips' joint show. The size of the space is perfectly suited for these student shows. There's a sense of privacy, yet with the space embedded in the gallery proper it gives a sense of importance to the work. Year after year I have been impressed with the level of maturity and depth of thought these students shows demonstrate.

The title of Nelson's exhibit is Anatomize. Working in ceramic and mixed media, the pieces combine the anatomical with something other, inviting more questions than answers. Phillips' theme was '42, as in 1942. Photographs evoke nostalgic reflection. There would clearly have been valuable to have taken advantage of the opportunity to speak with Nelson and Phillips to learn more about their motivations and aims.

It was interesting to learn last week at the Glensheen Chester Chat just how intentional the early inhabitants of Duluth were with regards to bringing art and culture to this corner of the world.

In the next day or so I'll share a bit of what we learned from Ann Klefstad illuminating ruminations. As always, she is a fountain of insights.

EdNote: Tonight there is another artist-curator discussion with Kip Praslowicz and Kristen Pless, 5:30 p.m. at the Duluth Art Institute    on't miss River Ulke's opening reception followed by poetry and music tonight at Beaners Central. 

Whoever watches the wind will not plant... and two upcoming events.

"Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap." ~Ecclesiastes 11:4

New Living Translation puts it this way: Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.

This Old Testament verse doesn't say to ignore the weather. It simply says that one can get so hung up on waiting for perfect conditions that they never do anything.

Whereas it's true that you have to sensitive to external conditions, all too often we use those conditions as an excuse for why we didn't do something in the first place. As Shakespeare wrote, "The fault is not in the stars but in ourselves."

What is it you're looking for? Don't wait till conditions are perfect to begin your quest. Start your preparations. Take action. Don't sit back and let life pass you by.

Last weekend we went to a movie and dinner downtown here in Duluth and noticed that our town was hopping. Weather that shuts down other parts of the country made little impact here. The only challenge is probably parking because sooner or later experience teaches you to beware of parking horizontally on the hills in the winter. In short, unless the event is outright cancelled, the locals here venture forth.

Tomorrow evening at Glensheen Mansion, in conjunction with the UMD Office of Civic Engagement and the Duluth News Tribune, is hosting another CHESTER CHAT, a Ted Talk-styled event designed to foster critical thinking. The topic is Regional Art. The speakers slated include local artist: Sarah Brokke Duluth Art Institute curator: Anne Dugan and UMD art historian: Dr. Jennifer Webb

Dr. Webb will talk about the many works of art housed in the historic Glensheen. Doors open to historic Glensheen’s Winter Garden at 7:00 p.m. for a happy half-hour with the guest speakers. The program starts promptly at 7:30 p.m., each talking for approximately 10 minutes.

I first heard about this through KUMD who will be rebroadcasting the talk as a regular monthly feature. In the event that you were unaware, Glensheen is a unit of the School of Fine Arts within the University of Minnesota Duluth.

The next TWEEVENINGS at UMD is Tuesday, February 4 at 6:30 p.m. It should be another good one with artist and critic Ann Klefstad sharing how art traditions both within and beyond the Western influence link daily life, spiritual life, and natural sciences. She'll be speaking about works by several artists: mathematician and artist Dennis White's finger-woven sash, a traditional Anishinaabe work; John Sims' African-inspired Mathematical Art Brain, a drawing and inkjet print; a Frank Big Bear colored drawing; and a duck-headed carved spoon from the Rawlings Nelson's Collection of American Indian Art. Image of the drawing by: Frank Big Bear, Spirit of Things, 1986

In short, here are two rich opportunities to go deeper in your understanding of the arts, especially as it intersects our life and times here and now.