Fund Raising Makes the (Art) World Go 'Round

"It doesn’t matter what the critics think, keep making more art."
~ Andy Warhol

COMING SOON

TO A DEPOT NEAR YOU

It's well known in arts circles that our museums and much of our arts culture is dependent on the generosity of the community.

The Masquerade Gala's costume theme this year is Pop Art.

The Duluth Art Institute's programs and services are made possible by the Duluth Superior Community Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, The Depot Foundation, the Minnesota State Arts Board and a multitude of other generous sources. Whether high art or grass roots in origin, artists bring value to communities everywhere.

In 2015, Creative Minnesota released a report showing the economic impact the arts have on our region. It was one of the most comprehensive studies of its kind. In writing about this I noted, "The foremost finding was that the arts has an economic impact of 1.2 billion dollars on the state of Minnesota, up 43% since 2006. According to the study 62,378 volunteers gave more than 2.7 million volunteer hours in a year."
(Read: The Economic Power of Arts and Culture in the Northland)

On one level this is exciting. On another level, it's an incomplete picture because the implication is that art only has value in terms of economics. That is similarly what is wrong with a society that places value on human beings only for their utilitarian contributions. Such logic applied in full leads to the elimination of the elderly, handicapped and mentally ill.

Fortunately, we find this kind of utilitarian view of humans to be abhorrent. By extension, our creative expressions have value beyond the economic.

It's my personal conviction that as persons created in the image of God, we are endowed with an innate creative spirit that strives for expression. Check out this passage from the Book of Exodus:

Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— 4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 5 to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. 6 Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you: 7 the tent of meeting, the ark of the covenant law with the atonement cover on it, and all the other furnishings of the tent— 8 the table and its articles, the pure gold lampstand and all its accessories, the altar of incense, 9 the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, the basin with its stand— 10 and also the woven garments, both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests, 11 and the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the Holy Place. They are to make them just as I commanded you.” Exodus 31:1-6

"What's With Andy?" by Ed Newman

This does not mean everyone is "called" to be an artist or craftsmen. It does, however, show that exercising our artistic gives can be a calling, that artists are an important part of a community and for those so called we need to support them.

I am personally inspired by and grateful for the murals that have been appearing in various parts of our city. Their value can't be measured in economic terms. Or rather, their value goes far beyond the retail value of the paint and the wages paid to an artist.

ALL THIS TO SAY there is a Masquerade Gala fundraising event November 2 in the Great Hall. It's a Pop Art theme. Will we see Andy? Roy Lichtenstein? Here's a page of Pop Art images that may trigger a costume idea or two.

November 2, 5 PM, St. Louis County Depot

506 W Michigan St, Duluth

FULL DETAILS HERE

Related Links
Pop Evolution at the Tweed
The Andy Warhol Museum: Reflections of the Contemporary American Soul

Local Art Seen: PLYS With Purpose @ the PROVE and a Call For Art

While downtown Tuesday eve I stopped in at the PROVE to check out their current show PLYS With Purpose, a silent auction of skateboards crafter by local and international artists. All proceeds directly benefiting the Gary New Duluth Skate Park. The artists in this show were selected not only for their art skills but also for their impact on skateboard communities or the influence of skateboard culture on their lives.

The skateboard decks are always impressive. It's also impressive how they've incorporated online opportunities into the auction mix. (Visit www.32auctions.com/plyswithpurpose2019)

The architect for the new skateboard park is Mark Leski, a nationally recognized skate park design known as "The Wizard."

THIS SHOW RUNS THROUGH JUNE 21
MORE PLYS BELOW THIS CALL FOR ART

CALL FOR ART

You Don’t Know Me

an exhibition about epic personal stories

You Don’t Know Me is an exhibition whose theme is inspired in part by the concept of “sonder,” a term invented by writer John Koenig and defined in his Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows as “the realization that each random passerby is living a life as complex as your own.” These lives--“populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness”-- continuously swirl around us as “epic stories,” that we move in and out of as we navigate the world around us.

Whether spoken in delight, anger, sadness, or as a simple matter-of-fact, “you don’t know me” is a statement that suggests the confrontation of humans’ inner and outer lives: what we do and do not know about the people around us, what we choose to reveal to others, and what we keep inside. At a time when the distance between human connections can seem exacerbated by technology, social differences, and our current political climate, Prøve Gallery invites artists to submit works of art that visualize--through representational, symbolic, and/or conceptual means--complex lives and epic stories in relation to, intersecting with, or distinct from your own. Show us what we may not know about you.

Selected artworks may explore (but are not limited to):
* Explorations of self & personal narratives or mythologies
* Human interconnectedness
* Empathy, understanding, & trust
* Connections & encounters among strangers or friends
* Isolation & distance
* Misconceptions
* Secrets & revelations

Specifications:
Open to all subjects and/or styles.
Open to all media that can be wall mounted. All works should be completed in a ready-to-hang format.
There are no size requirements or limitations beyond practical considerations of space (must fit through conventional door).

Submission
Deadline for submission is July 1, 2019 (midnight, central time).

HOW TO SUBMIT
Please email all submissions to info@provegallery.com with subject line: You Don't Know Me

Please submit (in one PDF document):

* Image(s) of Work

* Didactics [titles, medium, size, & price (if for sale)]

* A brief artist statement that answers the following question: How does your artistic work visualize, reveal, or even conceal the “epic story” of your life and its relationship to the epic lives that are playing out all around you?

All artists will be notified upon acceptance with a deadline of July 3, 2019.
Selected artwork is to be dropped off, or mailed in by Saturday, July 13, 2019.
Opening reception Friday, July 19, 2019.

All submission materials must be written in English.
All work is shown at the artist's own risk.
All work shipped to Prøve Gallery must be sent with return shipping or be picked up by the artist or an artist's representative.
--
Dr. Jamie L. Ratliff
she/her/hers

Board Member, Prøve Gallery
21 N Lake Ave
Duluth, MN 55802

jamie@provegallery.com

* * * *

Tuesday Is a Fund Raiser for The Armory Music Resource Center @ Chipotle. Muy Bien!

DOWNLOAD & PRINT THIS DOCUMENT 

AND BRING IT WITH YOU TO CHIPOTLE AT MILLER HILL MALL, or Just Tell Them you're there to support the Music Resource Center. 

Either way, you get a great meal and the MRC receives 33%! 

DETAILS HERE

VAMANOS!

Almost Wordless Wednesday: The Characters of Hallowade

Over 2,000 people attended last Saturday's Hallowade Fundraiser...

...before they lost track of the count. 

Hope you had a Happy and Safe Halloween.

Wednesday Is Last Day To Register for the Masquerade Gala

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”
--Thomas Merton

The Duluth Art Institute celebrates its 110-year anniversary this year with a masquerade gala, raising funds for the future and continued growth. The DAI Board of Directors has appointed Christina Woods as Interim Executive Director to oversee the gala; lead a talented team forward into the 2018 exhibition and education season; and serve in succession planning and the search for an executive director. Gala proceeds will support more than 15 exhibitions in the coming year, as well as the Art of Grief exhibit opening Nov. 4; and a variety of workshops, classes, Free Family Days, and the Lincoln Park Craft District Artist Residency program. For details about the gala, Art of Grief, Christina Woods, and the 2018 exhibition program, keep reading.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Masquerade Gala Nov. 2 to Celebrate 110-Year Anniversary of the Duluth Art Institute; Raise Funds for 2018 Programs and Operations

2018 Exhibition Calendar Announced; Interim Executive Director Christina Woods Appointed to Lead Talented Team Forward

Duluth, Minnesota—Oct. 6, 2017—The Duluth Art Institute celebrates its 110-year anniversary this year with a masquerade gala, raising funds for the future and continued growth. The DAI Board of Directors has appointed Christina Woods as Interim Executive Director to oversee the gala; lead a talented team forward into the 2018 exhibition and education season; and serve in succession planning and the search for an executive director. Gala proceeds will support more than 15 exhibitions in the coming year, as well as the Art of Grief exhibit opening Nov. 4; and a variety of workshops, classes, Free Family Days, and the Lincoln Park Craft District Artist Residency program.

For details about the gala, Art of Grief, Christina Woods, and the 2018 exhibition program, please see below.

About the Masquerade Gala 
Nov. 2 The Duluth Art Institute is pleased to present a Masquerade Gala Nov. 2, All Souls’ Day, celebrating 110 years of connecting visual arts, artists, and the community. The evening at Greysolon’s Moorish Room includes a sit-down dinner at tables hosted by local artists/recent DAI exhibitors. Guests will receive a gift personally selected by the artist. Also available for purchase will be original artwork and artisan-designed masks; silent auction items and experiences; and beautiful, handcrafted vases in recognition of 40 years of partnership with the Fiber Guild and 25 years of the DAI Lincoln Park Ceramic Studio.

Tickets are available via 
www.duluthartinstitute.org/Masquerade-Gala 
through Oct. 25.

* * * *

For an aside on this theme, read my blog post Of Masks and Men.

Better yet, check out the images at this blog post on Henry Roberts' Venice Carnival.

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

Lefty Fest

No, this is not a blog entry about a festival for Lefties. Though I have written about famous lefties in the past, today's comments pertain to this weekend's fund-raising event on behalf of a local guitarist whom we've all known as Lefty.

I met Larry “Lefty” Sandman somewhere around a dozen years ago. For about a year he, Stel (the other half of “Lefty and Stel”) and Julie Finkle (of the Centerville All Stars) led a Tuesday night music circle at a road house in Saginaw Junction. That is, people would show up with their instruments and we’d all take turns picking songs, singing and make music. Lots of guitars, percussions and I with my harmonicas.

Every once in a while Lefty and Stel (Brian Stelmaszewski) would stick around after and continue to play in that easygoing acoustic style. On one occasion I stuck around as well and let my harmonica weave in and out of the melodies, creating rhapsodies. We were in a groove and everyone knew it. Before long someone bought us a beer. Then a pitcher, but these remained untouched because the music was our beer. To stop playing in order to take a sip would have been to break the spell.

For Larry music has been a way of life. He's played with many local bands, including the Fractals. But since this spring he's been missing on the scene. He had a stroke that left him in intensive care far too long, racking up an incomprehensible quantity of medical expenses.

For this reason on Sunday at Clyde Iron Works there will be a benefit concert and silent auction to defray some of these expenses. (Too bad we can't just through those bills into one of the sinkholes that swallowed a couple cars this summer.)

The concert and auctions will be at Clyde Iron Works this Sunday, September 30, from 3-8 pm.

LIVE AUCTION 5-5:30

SILENT AUCTION 3-7

A $10 donation covers salad, Clyde's wonderful wood fired pizza and plenty of great music featuring:
The Centerville All Stars
Fractal Trio (With special guest Todd Eckart)
John and Andy
Jack Kritzer

For more information about the items being auctioned, including some art by local artists, visit the Lefty Fest Facebook Page. 


In the meantime, I hope to see you there.