Wordless Wednesday: Autumn in Pennsylvania

Photo: Gary Firstenberg.

(Sorry I couldn't be there.)

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The Road Not Taken

EdNote: The last segment of this blog post about the thought provoking and much loved Robert Fros t poem is about a photo by local photographer Ryan Tischer, whose gallery recently moved from the corner of Lake ^ Superior to its new home in Canal Park.

Photos by Gary Firstenberg on SmugMug

Twin Ports Art in October: Esther's Round-Up

The newspaper ran a story predicting that the autumn colors would not be as beautiful this year because it had been dry or some other rationale. It is apparent that someone thought it would make more of a story than to write, "Autumn Colors To Be Beautiful Again." 

The colors have indeed been gorgeous. I know this because it seems there's one thought that continually runs through my mind this time of year. "I should stop and take a picture of that." 

When I used to work in Superior I loved crossing the High Bridge heading back toward Duluth where the entire West Duluth Hillside was radiating color. 

Our crabapple tree one year had so many different colors that a photo I took captured all six colors of the rainbow in one close-up. Really nice. The artist who made these landscapes and breath-taking scenes is pretty talented.

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Esther has assembled another page of Twin Ports Art events for our community: Art In October!

Many of the events are virtual, including the Catalyst Film Festival, another Margi Preus book launch and many others. 

The list of activities begins with a nod to the Zeitgeist Mask Force. The concept: people with means can purchase a mask and in turn another mask will be donated to people without means. I'm giving the Mask Force this shout out because there is another arts even involving masks taking place at the Encore Theater in Cloquet. Kris Nelson, who curates art for the theater gallery, has organized a Creative Covid Mask Auction. Area artists have been busy coming up with ideas to decorate masks for the auction with proceeds going to the Encore Theater. I just finished mine last night. You can check out all the masks at the Virtual Art Tour and Auction from October 19-26 on Facebook.

Here's Kris Nelson, who you may know better as the artist who paints chairs.

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The Duluth Art Institute will have several new exhibitions launched in October, including work by Susanna Gaunt (right) in the George Morrison Gallery. I've been busy working on a mural at the Armory and have been "looking over her shoulder" as she prepares for Integument, the title of this show. Gaunt and several other local artists have studios in the Armory Annex on London Road. 

The mural project is on the Jefferson side of the Armory, a 17 x 13 foot space which will include contributions from ten area artists. The theme of the mural is Inspiration. More about this project later. Here's the status as of last weekend.

Meantime, be sure to scroll through the Twin Ports Art Blog

because there's still plenty to see and do. 

Be sure to get outside this week a little though,

because it will be warming briefly... 

The fresh air will do you good.

Photo at top right, detail from a painting by Jonathan Thunder,

now on display at Joseph Nease Gallery.

The Changing Colors and Open Studios Make for a Potentially Spectacular Weekend

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." ~ Albert Camus

I'm not usually one to mark the days on this matter, but if my memory is intact the leaves have been changing from green to brilliant oranges, reds and yellows a little later this year. For what it's worth, there are certainly places in the country where is spectacle of the changing seasons is especially rich. Washington Valley Road in Bridgewater, NJ was an explosion of color every fall. My drive from Scranton to upstate New York one year was one long tour of wonderland the autumn I did a business trip there. And Minnesota's North Shore is second to none.

So, it doesn't surprise me that a group of local artists would arrange to have this particular weekend be their "open studio" art tour. The Lake Superior 20/20 Studio Art Tour is a group of 20 artists within 20 miles, sharing not only their art but their work spaces, both this weekend and next. Friday, Saturday and Sunday there will be art, crafts, music and the fall colors to get subsumed into.

There are brochures around town in some of the places where art can be found (like the Depot) but there's an easier way to go... visit their website. Here's a link to the Art Tour Map, but you can catch the whole site by stepping back to the home page.

Next weekend, from September 27 through October 6, begins the Crossing Borders Studio Tour, another fabulous event designed in conjunction with the fall colors. This tour, however, doesn't stay tight-wound to our Southern tip of Lake Superior. Rather it shuttles you up the shoreline from here to Thunder Bay and all points beautiful in between. It's easy to see, and self-evident, why so many artists have chosen this corner of the world to call home.

A few other upcoming events to note include the opening for the Limbo Gallery's Artist Kamikaze V at Pizza Luce next Thursday. The theme is Monochromatic, which when I was a student became a fascinating opportunity to discover the range of possibilities inherent in a single color. Visit the MONOCHROMATIC Facebook page for details.

For what it's worth, my collaborative Intergalactica project in Artist Kamikaze IV was so rewarding that we made an eBook out of it. You can download a Free copy of INTERGALACTICA from the Apple store if you have an iPad.

Other events to get on your calendar include the major Tweed Museum exhibition called Blood Memoirs: Exploring Individuality, Memory and Culture through Portraiture, curated by Amber-Dawn Bear Robe, October 22.

Also next week is the beginning of what the Tweed is calling Tweevenings. Tweevenings will be held the first Tuesday of every month. It's an event designed for people to not simply look at art but to talk about it. The kickoff will be next Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Bill Shipley will discuss "Redwing #29," a sculptural relief in aluminum, by Charles Biderman. Take your art appreciation to the next level.

And don't forget tomorrow evening's Working Through, at the North End Arts Gallery space at the corner of Hammond and Broadway in Superior. 5-7 p.m. addressing issues of domestic violence.

And then there's a special art and nature opening at the Great Lakes Aquarium featuring art and otters. Ottertoberfest is also from 5 to 7. So whatever side of the bridge you're on, you have a little end of the week inspiration to look forward to.

In the meantime... art goes on all around you. Engage it!

NOTE: The picture on this page is in my files from a show but I do not have contact info and would like to give credit to the artist (and get permission to use it.) If you know who did it let me know. (It was in our Red Interactive collection.) If you have something you would like to send me to replace it, please do and I will give you credit. Thank you.