Duluth Dylan Fest 2019 CALL FOR ART

CALL FOR ART

DULUTH DYLAN FEST 2019

The theme for this year's DDF Art Show is NORTH COUNTRY INSPIRATION. Even though Bob Dylan left the Northland as a youth, the Northland never left Bob Dylan. Echoes of our North Country have appeared in his songs for more than five decades. Here are but a few examples:

Chilly wind sharp as a razor blade...
So many roads, so much at stake
So many dead ends, I’m at the edge of the lake
--Dignity

In the hills of mystery
In the foggy web of destiny
--Born in Time


The circus is in town...
--Desolation Row

Rainy days on the Great Lakes
Walkin’ the hills of old Duluth
--Something There Is About You

The rocks are bleak, the trees are bare
Iron clouds go floating by
Snowflakes fall in’ in my hair
Beneath the gray and stormy sky
--Tell Old Bill

"Where do you want this killing done?"
"Out on Highway 61."
--Highway 61 Revisited

Submission Requirements
This year we are using SurveyMoney to gather artist  information. Here is the link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DZR7JGS

The information you will provide there is as follows:
1. Your name.
2. An artist's statement that ties to the show's theme.
3. A brief bio (2-3 sentences)
4. A description of your submissions for consideration including title, medium, dimensions and price.
5. And mailing instructions in JPG or GIF format (less than 1 MB each) . SUBJECT LINE: DYLAN ART
EdNote: All mediums of wall art will be considered.

Pieces MUST BE READY TO HANG. Digital submissions must be received for review via email by April 30th. Artwork will be selected by members of the Bob Dylan Way Art Show Committee.

OF SPECIAL NOTE: The artwork must be delivered between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Sunday May 19. It is likely that with Superior Street construction there may be special challenges. If you are unable to deliver the work because you are out of town, please indicate this and we will attempt to make special shipping arrangements for you.

NEW THIS YEAR

Win a $100 

A panel of judges will select a favorite painting or image that reflects the theme of the show. The winner will receive $100.

Artwork will need to be picked up from the Zeitgeist Atrium on Sunday May 27. The Dylan Fest Artist Reception will be on Monday May 20 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

If you are outside of the Duluth area, please plan accordingly to make sure your art can be brought in within the given time frame. Shipping arrangements can be discussed. Contact: ennyman3 (AT) gmail.com.

To reiterate…

DEADLINES
Submission deadline for consideration: April 30.
Art must be delivered between 2:00 and 3:00 on Sunday, May 19.
Art will need to be retrieved early afternoon Sunday May 26.
Out-of-town artwork is welcome. Shipping and handling matters must be arranged in advance. Send me an email for recommendations on shipping.

FOR MOR INFORMATION ON THIS YEAR'S TENTATIVE SCHEDULE VISIT
https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2019/02/tentative-duluth-dylan-fest-schedule.html
or the DULUTH DYLAN FEST website BOBDYLANWAY.COM

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SUBMIT YOUR INFORMATION HERE

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DZR7JGS 

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Art Credits -- Lower right: "Dylan III by Ed Newman
Middle picture, detail from collage portrait by Kristi Abbott

Friends, Food, Art, Music -- Twin Ports Events of Note

The Twin Ports Arts Scene is best followed by means of Esther Piszczek's Twin Ports Art blog. I am just highlighting a few additional items of note for the next several days.

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Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Eric Dubnicka's I'm Selling Most Almost Everything I Own and Moving

Eric is an artist in its truest sense. His house in Gary/New Duluth has been on the market and it was only a matter of time. Address is 93rd Avenue West which sounds easy, but it's a quirky little set of small turns if you've never been. The house is on the inland side of Grand Avenue as you go west. You will be rewarded if you can make it.

Interview with Eric Dubnicka

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Tonight and Tomorrow

Sarah Greer at the Oldenburg House. 

Improv vocalist Sarah Greer will be Cookin' at the O this weekend.
I wrote about Ms. Greer earlier this week and if you've never been to one of the jazz weekend dinner events, I encourage you to check out the Oldenburg House website at OACC.US to get acquainted. 

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Tonight and Tomorrow
RUBBER CHICKEN THEATER PRESENTS

Melody Mendis: A Night With Barbara

Ironically, in December I interviewed another Barbara Streisand impersonator who just happened to have initials MM. This event is at the Spirit of the North Theater in Fitgers.
Here is ticket info and more on Faceboook.

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Sunday, 3:00-9:00
Benefit for Tom O'Keefe 

Izzy's Bar in Superior

If you work in Superior and like fish fry, Izzy's is a great place to grab a bite. EXCEPT on Sunday when $10 will get you a spaghetti dinner as part of a fun-raiser for local musician and all around good man, Tom O'Keefe who has some major medical bills to cover.
There will be live music, a silent auction, 50-50 Raffle, and lots more music.

The Silent Auction will be from 3-6.
If you can't make it, you can still help at the Go Fund Me site
https://bit.ly/2UPCzdF

Tom O'Keefe (left)  leads sing-along, Blood on the Tracks Express, 2018

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February 19, Noon till 5 p.m.

Blazing Trails
And Finally.... MONDAY February 19 there will be an important event at AICHO in the Dr. Robt Powless Cultural Center called Blazing Trails. If you ever wished you knew what all the regulations were for making food products and selling them, this event is for you. Creativity comes in all stripes, and unfortunately some forms of expression more regulated than others. There will be a meal at noon followed by four hours of information invaluable to small farmers and gardeners.

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STAY CURRENT

Bookmark

https://twinportsart.blogspot.com/

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND. 

If you see me, say hello. 

Three Great Wake-Up Songs

Ingeborg Von Agassiz @ Cedar Lounge

Every morning at precisely 7:00 a.m. my father would go downstairs, turn up the furnace and turn on the radio in the kitchen, its dial perpetually set to WOR in New York, the Rambling With Gambling show. If memory serves me well, 7 to 7:15 was news and then the actual show would begin, almost always some kind of cheerful, upbeat music leading into it. One song that John Gambling liked to play was Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah. Another was a song with no lyrics that was all whistling, as in a marching band. There may have even been some Mitch Miller material in there, I can't recall. What I do recall is "upbeat" being the theme, a feel good lift to launch you into the new day.

This all came to mind when someone on social media asked, "If you had to spend the rest of your life with only one wake up song, what would it be?"

I didn't have to think very hard about it. Three came immediately to mind, not necessarily in this order. I don't play music in the morning when I get up except inside my head. At different times each of these has been my waking accompaniment at one time or another.

New Morning by Bob Dylan

I couldn't find the original version from Dylan's New Morning album, but over the course of near 50 years now this song has given me a lift. The opening cut from side two, here's the first stanza:

Can't you hear that rooster crowin'? 
Rabbit runnin' down across the road 
Underneath the bridge where the water flowed through 
So happy just to see you smile 
Underneath the sky of blue 
On this new morning, new morning 
On this new morning with you

New Morning was one of several early post-motorcycle crash albums, the first track of the album being "If Not For You." What intrigued me was how George Harrison recorded that opener on his first solo album, but the you seemed clearly God-directed, "If not for You."

In light of Harrison's interpretation, I often felt Dylan's own version was really in that vein. And in light of this perspective, the song "New Morning" could be given a similar slant. In the bridge where he sings, "The night passed away so quickly, it always does when you're with me" sounds like a night spent with a lover, but could easily be a metaphorical image. The darkness comes into our lives, but it's always followed by a new morning. "Thank you, Lord. It always does when You're with me."

However you want to interpret it, it's a nice wake up song.

Good Day, Sunshine
The Beatles produced so many great songs that never get old. And if you want to wake up with a spring in your step, the opening reps of "Good Day Sunshine" will take you there. George Harrison's "Here Comes the Sun" from Abbey Road is a nice runner-up from the Beatles catalog.

Oh What A Morning
Duluth singer-songwriter/performer Ingeborg Von Agassiz may not be a household name, but her album O Giver of Dreams became an immediate favorite for me as I listened to it enough times to internalize much of the material. For a couple weeks straight I woke ever day with the intro to "Oh, What A Morning" as my accompaniment. Great way to start your day.

Here's a fun video to get you familiar with the song.

Here's another video of Ingeborg performing the song live in the KUMD studio here in Duluth. I share it only to show how the song has been constructed.

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Well, if you're a little slow getting up to face the day, any one of these might be a good addition to your internal playlist. And if that doesn't work, try Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.

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Today on Medium I saw this article on How to Wake Up Smiling. It has nothing to do with music. The title corresponded to our theme here, so I have added it. Some good suggestions for a better life.

Happy Valentine's Day.

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Lincoln Paintings

Civil War Lincoln

A Serious Lincoln: Burdened by His Calling

As a painter, it's well known I am fascinated with faces, and especially interesting faces. Whereas most Dylan fans are followers of his music and writings, I have found his face itself of endless interest. In part, he has permitted so many thousands of photos to be taken from his youth to the present, with light refracted and reflected from every possible angle so as to reveal the sculpted cheekbones, deepening furrows and such, so the face is always new, ever revealing and concealing.

It's too bad Abe Lincoln pre-existed the camera. Presidents get their share of photos taken today, but old Abe was an early candidate for that, back in a day when you were instructed not to move, hold still, and it would appear, "Be grave."

The real Abe Lincoln was actually a great storyteller and not the humorless mask we see captured in Matthew Brady's photos.

It would have been interesting to have a catalog of early Lincoln photos, to watch the progression as time and responsibility etched his appearance. But we don't.

Here are some of the paintings I produced over the years of our 16th president. You may call a few disrespectful, but I'd like to believe that in light of his sense of humor he just might get a kick out of them.

Blue Lincoln with Sunblock

Lincoln in Black & White

Candidate Lincoln in Pen & Ink

Lincoln with Impish Smile

Sunday Funnies Cartoon Lincoln

Lincoln Just Being Lincoln

"You can never escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today."--Abe Lincoln

Tech Tuesday: Dali Is Back!

If you watched the Super Bowl you most likely saw the unusual ad featuring Andy Warhol eating a Whopper. I was on the phone with my brother at the time and he said, "Is that Andy Warhol?"

I replied, "No, he's been dead nearly 30 years. It's just a look alike."

Silly me. It was indeed Andy Warhol. Like, wow.

This morning's The Drum (an eNewsletter devoted to marketing) has a related story about the re-appearance of of another internationally famous artist, Salvador Dali. Unlike the Warhol bit, the Dali Museum has worked with the ad agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners to create an AI deepfake Dali, a computer generated resurrection, drawn from analysis of footage and writings, for the purpose of showcasing The Dali Museum.

For nearly a dozen years I flew to Tampa to help drive my mom back North after doing her winter snowbird thing there. One several of those trips I took advantage of the opportunity to visit the Tampa Museum of Art, the St Petersburg Art District or the Dali Museum.

Dali, perhaps one of the three most well-known artists of the 20th Century, had been a strong source of inspiration for me when I was a young art student. I'd often intended to see the fabulous Dali collection when it was in Cleveland, and only later delighted to discover it was now housed here in Florida.

Like the art itself, the architectural design of the museum is a worthy complement to the life of Dali. If you've never been, you owe it to yourself to make time for this treasure if you're ever in the vicinity.

Now, not only does his work live on, but he himself will live on in his own inimitable way.

Read Anatomy of a deepfake: how Salvador Dalí was brought back to life

Related Links
Dali Steps Out
Dali Museum More Striking Than Ever
Warhol Revisited
Warhol and Lichtenstein

Photos created using a Salvador Dali die-cut card purchased at the Dali Museum. 

Miscellaneous Monday: AICHO, Art Happenings and Other Upcoming Events

The American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO) is hosting what looks to be an interesting event next Monday. In a world of increasingly complicated regulations, especially as regards foodstuff, it would be great to have some kind of guide to lead you through the red tape jungle.

Well sure enough, next Monday from 1 to 5 p.m. there will be a workshop called Blazing Trails: Food Regulations Training, to be conducted at the Dr. Robert Powless Cultural Center, AICHO. The training is FREE for anyone with a passion for local farms and local food. You can learn more here on their Facebook page.

TWIN PORTS ARTS HAPPENINGS

Thursday, February 14, 3-4 p.m.
Crafternoons for Kids, Blue Room, Mount Royal Branch Library, 105 Mount Royal Shopping Circle
"Drop in for a fun make-and-take craft project. No experience or sign-up required. Age Group(s): Preschool, Kids, Tweens"

Thursday, February 14, 5-7 p.m.
Bring Her Home: Stolen Daughters of Turtle Island, Duluth Art Institute, The Depot, 506 W. Michigan Avenue
"All My Relations Arts and its partners present art by Indigenous artists residing on Turtle Island.This traveling exhibit highlights the ongoing epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous women. Featuring work from Shan Goshorn, Luzene Hill, Laura Youngbird, Kayeri Akweks, Hillary Kempenich, Chholing Taha, Cara Romero and more."

Thursday, February 14, 5:30 p.m.
Valentine's Day Soiree 2019, Gresolon Ballroom, 231 E. Superior Street
Join Lyric Opera of the North for it's biggest fundraiser of the year. Always a delightful evening filled with good food, lovely voices, and a few surprises. Free Valet Parking.
5:30 p.m. – Hors d’oeuvres / Cash Bar .  6:30 p.m. – Dinner and Music $100/person ($50 tax deductible) (click on link above to see dinner choices)

Friday, February 15, 5:30-8 p.m.

9th Annual Love Your Local Artist, Superior Public Library, 1530 Tower Avenue
"This annual fundraiser celebrates local art, live music, libraries, and community. Peruse the tables and meet local artists while purchasing their work. Support the library through the Adopt-a-Book sale and the silent auction. Enjoy wine and refreshments, all while supporting your local library. This after-hours event is free to attend and open to the public."

Friday, February 15, 6-8 p.m.
Free Mixed Media Techniques Art Lecture with Bonnie Cutts, Two Harbors Community Center, 417 South Avenue, Two Harbors
"Minnesota artist Bonnie Cutts is a graduate of the University of Minnesota where she received her B.F.A. in drawing and painting. She has been exhibiting her work professionally since 1981, in both solo and group shows. Her drawings and paintings are included in numerous corporate and private collections around the country. Event sponsored by Voyageur Artists. *No charge, but RSVP is required: email Sandi at authenticartist@sandipilsbury.com"

Friday, February 15, 7-8:30 p.m.
Adult Story Time, Zenith Bookstore, 318 N. Central Avenue
"Zenith Bookstore staff and friends read short stories, poems and book excerpts. There will be wine, chocolate and comfy chairs."

Saturday, February 16, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Douglas County Historical Craft Fair, Douglas County Historical Society, 1101 John Avenue, Superior, WI
"New Monthly Event at DCHS! Visit the fair and receive free admission to our museum that day. For more information email dchs@douglashistory.org. Next fair: March 16."

Saturday, February 16, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Free Family Art Day, Duluth Art Institute at Lincoln Park, 2229 W. 2nd Street
"People of all ages and artistic abilities can create make-and-take art projects."

Acrylic Painting Workshops with Guest Artist Bonnie Cutts

$110 per workshop (or become a member of Voyageur Artists and pay $75 per workshop)
RSVP to authenticartist@sandipilsbury.com (see class descriptions below)

Saturday, February 16, 9:30-4 p.m.,
Two Harbors Community Center, 417 South Avenue, Two Harbors
"Loose, Lush Landscapes: Approach landscape painting using personal photos for subject matter, and see what fun adding lots of color and texture can be! You will learn to add texture with gels and figure out which gel best suits you as you create little paintings packed with emotion. The focus of the class will be on capturing larger shapes rather than details as you simplify the landscape images. You will be encouraged to work quickly with big brush strokes or swiftly apply paint with a palette knife. Each student will finish several small paintings during the class, all with a different feel depending on the acrylic materials used. All levels of painting experience are welcome."

Sunday, February 17, 9:30-4 p.m., Two Harbors Community Center, 417 South Avenue, Two Harbors
"Encaustic Effects With Acrylics: Learn to create the wax like look of encaustic painting with the durability of acrylics. Mimic the soft, luminous effects of beeswax by applying multiple layers of acrylic paints and gels layer upon layer. Cut and bury paper images and stenciled patterns deep below the surface and create lovely soft translucent layers over them. Become familiar with encaustic-like wax formulas, explore a variety of applications and create a whole new feeling in your artwork. Open to all levels of painting experience."

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In Carlton, there are a number of events this Valentine weekend. Here is the lineup for Oldenburg House. Also, the Historic Scott House has a nostalgic weekend planned for friends and lovers: Words of Love. Celebrating the Music of the 60s.

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Word on the street is that there will be a Benefit for Tom O'Keefe this Saturday at Izzy's in Superior. Tom has been a generous spirit who's lifted many spirits with his music. Tom O'Keefe & Friends have been performing at a number of Dylan Fest events the past several years. Details on this event will be forthcoming.

Music, Art, Dance... and Life! Get into it.

There Will Be A Special Sweetness to This Week's Valentine Events at the O with Sarah Greer

"I help singers sing what they need to say."--Sarah Greer

Improv vocalist Sarah Greer is featured this coming week
for several evenings at the Oldenburg House.

There are many reasons people like jazz. One is simply the pleasure one gets from music itself. A second is the pleasure we receive when we witness virtuosity. A third, and one that is almost exemplified in great jazz, is the unexpectedness and beauty of improv.

Here's a description from APassion4Jazz.net:

Jazz improvisation is the process of spontaneously creating fresh melodies over the continuously repeating cycle of chord changes of a tune. The improviser may depend on the contours of the original tune, or solely on the possibilities of the chords' harmonies. It has been said that the best improvised music sounds composed, and that the best composed music sounds improvised.

I think this is why so many of the great jazz recordings come from live performances in clubs. The great genius of players like John Coltrane and Miles Davis is this ability to weave a spell into the improv realm so that all the players are improvising around a theme that got the whole riff started but now is only assumed. Listen to Kind of Blue. Listen to how they establish the theme and then begin springing off.

Actually, this was my own early fascination with the supergroup Cream with Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton. Jack Bruce. Jack Bruce, who became fascinated with jazz in his teens, fused his background with Clapton's blues mastery to produce great new sounds and concerts with incredibly robust improv, my favorite being captured on sides three and four of Wheels of Fire.

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All this to introduce you to this week's featured performer at the Carlton Room this coming weekend, Sarah Greer. In addition to giving private voice lessons Sarah Greer teaches singing at Minneapolis Community & Technical College (MCTC).

"I practice, study and teach the art of spontaneous singing," she says.

The thing about vocal improvisation is that it's not for some elite person who's "got it" but rather, something anyone can learn who can carry a tune. (Ms, Greer might even suggest that you can still contribute if you can't carry a tune.) On her Songtaneous Blog one entry is "8 Lessons from Improvising." Group improv singing is collaborative, not competitive.

When you attend a typical jazz performance at the Oldenburg House (or elsewhere) you will see and hear individuals working together to weave a fabric of background that serves almost like a trampoline to propel the singer to the zenith of his or her skills. But its also a mutual respect society, and a team.

I think what surprises some people is how sometimes a new performer comes to Oldenburg House and even without a rehearsal the fluidity of the show comes across as if they'd spent a month preparing. How do they do this? Because it's that jazz methodology or approach.

Sarah Greer's career revolves around teaching this improv sensibility. "I'll share what I learn and experience while traveling in the intuitive, joyful, beautiful, expressive, challenging, abstract world of vocal improvisation."

Improvisational performance is the world she most enjoys swimming in. For this reason she is part of a couple of Twin Cities improv groups including the a capella ensemble the Give Get Sistet and a jazz quintet called BLU-7.

Here are a couple quotes from Ms. Greer's website that illuminate where she's coming from.

"I am passionate – some might say evangelical – about every person’s right to sing and the power of singing to change the world."

"I help people find out what they are 'supposed to sound like' so they can find a unique and joyful place from which to sing, whether they sing on stage, in the studio or in the shower."

In other words, it's really all about you.

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Valentine's Day at the Magnolia Salon

Sarah Greer will also be the featured guest with musician/singer Steven Hobert at Thursday's Magnolia Salon. Together they will explore, play, ponder and expound on the power of improv and their love of music. The duo will present and lead songs, improvisations and conversation.

Steven Hobert describes himself as a soul who plays, sings and dances while exploring life’s mysteries. His genre-blending piano, accordion and vocal music has been described as “delightful, innovative and viscerally inspiring” that “dazzles audiences with sincerity and playfulness to open up hearts and fire imaginations.”

February Salon Schedule and RSVP HERE.

For Sarah Greer tickets visit https://oacc.us/programs/cookin-at-the-o/
Stay connected to what's happening in 2019 at Oldenburg House: OACC.US