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CURRENT EXIBITIONS
Sept. 30 – Dec. 5, 2010
Borrowed Essence: The Ceramic Work of Elizabeth James
George Morrison Gallery
Exhibit Celebration, Thurs., Nov. 4, 5-7pm
Artist Dialogue, Thurs., Oct. 21, 6-7pm
Elizabeth James is a recent addition to the Duluth Art world. She works as an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota teaching Ceramics. Her work fuses together her observations on human behavior, life cycles and forces of nature into the fascinating medium of clay.
From James’ artist statement:
I grew up in the Northwest where a landscape of patterns, vast expanses and the cyclical and fleeting nature of life are very apparent. Exploring old mine shafts, wandering lush orchards and rummaging through Nana’s cupboards are part of my early childhood memories.
My forms are multiple assemblages that combine contrasting clay bodies, glazes and surfaces that are not direct representations of this environment but rather borrowed elements or essences. I introduce materials that typically would not be found in clay to create textures that represent nature and juxtapose the biomorphic organic forms with porcelain vessels that signify our human condition. Sensuous surfaces, muted colors, and fluid forms create a quiet relationship meant to entice the audience both visually and physically.
The tactile and responsive character of clay continues to interest me and is an essential component of my artwork. Using clay as a creative device allows me to explore the perfect balance and depth of visual texture that I remember from my youth and the progression of life.
Nov. 4, 2010 – Feb. 6, 2011
2010 Arrowhead Biennial
John Steffl Gallery
Exhibition Celebration & Announcement of Winners, Thurs, Nov. 4, 5-7pm
Panel Discussion, Thurs, Dec. 2, 6 pm
The style, motivation, medium, and content of the region’s artwork has changed a bit since 1919, but the Arrowhead Regional Biennial has been around to mark developments along the way. A snapshot of the community’s cultural zeitgeist, the 2010 Arrowhead Biennial showcases the work of 40 to 50 of the most exciting artists in the upper Midwest, drawing talent from Minnesota, Wisconsin, North and South Dakota, Iowa, Michigan, and Ontario, and Canada.
The biennial is a juried exhibition and this year we are pleased to have as our juror Paula Brandel, Executive Director of the MacRostie Art Center in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Brandel is an accomplished artist, practicing painter and, in addition to her commitments at the MacRostie Art Center, teaches part time in the art department at Itasca Community College.
Three awards will be named on the evening of the opening reception, including a first prize of $1,000, a second prize of $500, and a third prize of $250.
A full-color catalog will be available at the opening on Thursday, November 4th. Catalogs will include images of all work in the exhibition along with the announcement of the first, second and third prizes, as well as honorable mentions. The catalogue will also include a statement from juror Paula Brandel.
A panel discussion will be held at 6 PM on Dec. 2 in the Depot, consisting of our juror: Paula Brandel, Jennifer Web, Art History professor at University of Minnesota Duluth, as well as the winning artist from the 2010 Arrowhead Biennial. Anne Dugan, curator at the Duluth Art Institute will moderate the discussion. The panelists will speak to the role and practice of biennial exhibitions and how the Arrowhead Regional Biennial plays an important part in our area’s cultural landscape.
August 12 – October 24, 2010
Bits and Pieces: A Visual Journey
John Steffl Gallery
Exhibit Celebration, September 23, 5-7pm
Artist Dialogue, October 7, 6-7pm
Sponsored by Patty & Richard DeLano,
Robyn Roslak & Patrick Contardo,
and Jen Dietrich & Lew Conner
Adu Gindy has been an integral part of the Duluth arts community since her arrival on the scene in 1983. She is noted as a highly accomplished artist as well as a mentor, teacher, and collector. Her work is in museum collections in Sweden, Cuba and throughout the Midwest. The Duluth Art Institute is thrilled to have Gindy return to the depot galleries and share her unique blend of fanciful yet thought provoking painting.
For her latest exhibit “Bits and Pieces: A Visual Journey”, Gindy merges the structural grid with the fleeting nature of thoughts and memories. Using 12” x 12” square canvases filled with echoes of her daily experiences and arranged in uniform patterns, she creates a comic book style story line for the viewer to decode.
From Gindy’s Artist Statement:
Each image is a kind of "snapshot" of what I see, think about or reflect upon that day—visual pictures much like words in a journal or dairy. The small canvas format works as each image might be equivalent to a sentence or page, so to speak. My working method is quick and gestural. The characters tend to be whimsical, even cartoon like at times. The images themselves range from animals, people, houses, landscapes, roads etc. incorporating my old and new surroundings here in the Twin Cities and reflecting upon friends and places I left behind. I guess, simply put, they are fragments of thought and sight, memory and dreams.
Wing Young Huie: Retrospective
July 29 – September 26, 2010
George Morrison Gallery
We are extremely proud to be highlighting the work of nationally-known artist: Wing Young Huie – a Chinese American who grew up in Duluth. Wing’s work focuses on diversity and identity through photographic portraiture.
Wing Young Huie is an award-winning photographer who has received international attention for his many projects that document the changing cultural landscape of his home state Minnesota. His best-known work is Lake Street USA, which in the summer and fall of 2000 transformed six miles of a well-known Minneapolis thoroughfare into one of the most remarkable public art projects in recent memory.
One of Wing's recent project, 9 Months in America: An Ethnocentric Tour, presents a post 9/11 America; a place where Asians, particularly Chinese, happen to be in the majority. This ambitious, cross-country odyssey frames the complexity, nuance, appropriation, humor, contradictions, and surprises of American life in our time.
Whether in epic public installations or major museum exhibitions, Wing creates up-to-the-minute societal mirrors of who we are, seeking to reveal not only what is hidden, but also what is plainly visible and seldom noticed.
Wing Young Huie: Retrospective Exhibit Opening and Public Talk
July 29
5-7PM
Depot Great Hall
FREE
The opening of Wing Young Huie’s retrospective will feature a presentation by the artist himself. Huie will discuss his early life in Duluth, his career as a portrait photographer and his work this summer with the Duluth Art Institute’s public art project: “Port-Traits: Duluth Superior Shows its Face”. This will be a unique opportunity for residents of the Twin Ports to interact with an extremely celebrated artist whose star continues to rise.
Emerging Photographers Exhibition 2010
May 4- September 6, 2010
Duluth Art Institute Corridor Gallery
As an ongoing collaboration between the Photo Area at the University of Minnesota Duluth and the Duluth Art Institute, this annual exhibition has become an important part of the formation of the next generation of emerging artists that learn, live, and work in our community.
Included are several artists working in alternative processes such as cyanotype – a photographic process popular in the 1890s. We will also see a full array of digital photographic work that explores a wide range of artistic concepts.
The work of the photographers chosen for this exhibition is far beyond what we usually think of as “student work” and the ability of these artists to participate competently at this level reflects well on the strength of the photography program at UMD.
Seaworthy: A Celebration of the Tall Ships in the Twin Ports
July 1 to September 26, 2010
Fesler Gallery
4-Gallery Reception: Thursday, September 23, 5-7 PM
This exhibit is a partnership between the Duluth Art Institute, the St. Louis County Historical Society and the Duluth Children’s Museum.
This summer, Duluth opens its harbor to the “Tall Ships,” a fleet of international and domestic vessels outfitted with traditional rigging. In honor of their visit, the Duluth Art Institute has brought together artists and artisans for a celebration of marine craft. Seaworthy highlights the work of Tom Rauschenfels, Ed Labernick, and ship models from the collection of the Duluth Children’s Museum and the St Louis County Historical Society. All share the pull of the open water and their love for ships and sailing is evident despite their diverse mediums.
Sailing and being on or near Lake Superior has always been a part of Tom Rauschenfels’ life since growing up on Park Point. Now, as a retired art teacher working printmaking, drawing, painting, and ceramics, he continues to be influenced by the lake and the area he adores. For Ed Labernik, marine subject matter is a relatively recent focus in his watercolors. Self-consciously presenting himself as a regional artist, Labernik chooses scenes he encounters on a daily basis and tries to evoke feelings of recognition and nostalgia in his viewer.
The artists who created the ship models on display come from a long tradition of model building that has been in existence since Ancient Egyptians built prototypes to test the seaworthiness of their vessels. While the practice of model ship-building may not be as necessary as it once was, the attention to detail remains an integral aspect to the craft. This exhibit is a must-see companion to a tall ships visit.
The Smithsonian Exhibit In Focus: National Geographic Greatest Portraits has moved on to its next stop in Texas but we are still featuring the art of the portrait with our public art project Port-Traits and a retrospective of photographer Wing Young Huie.
Port-Traits: Duluth Superior Shows its Face
A Twin Ports Public Art Project
May 20 – September 26, 2010
Depot Great Hall
Port-Traits: Duluth Superior Shows its Face celebrates the range and diversity of visitors, residents, leaders and youth in our community. Photographs of participants in our summer workshops as well as visitors to the galleries are on display in the Great Hall of the Depot.
This public art exhibit will be free and open to the public. A closing party on September 23 will celebrate all the work created throughout the summer and show off the unique traits of our port-town faces.
2010 Arrowhead Biennial Exhibition
November 4, 2010 – February 6, 2011
John Steffl Gallery
August 20, 2010 is the deadline to submit entries for a chance to be included in the 2010 Arrowhead Biennial Exhibition. Artists are invited to submit up to three .jpg images on a CD with a non-refundable $25 entry fee. No more than 2 entry forms (total of 6 images) per artist will be permitted (each entry form will cost $25). Slides will not be accepted. All submitted CD’s will be destroyed after the selection process. Slides can be transferred to a CD by your local digital photo processor.
The Arrowhead Biennial Exhibition has always been a showcase for some of the best artwork to come out of the upper Midwest. For this exhibition we cast our net wide—artists residing in Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Michigan, and Ontario, Canada are all eligible to submit work. Typically 60 to 70 works produced within the last two years are chosen out of over 400 entries. The Juror each year is a respected art professional—this year’s juror will be announced in June. For this and more specific information on how to apply, stay tuned for future announcements at www.duluthartinstitute.org or by mail if you are an Art Institute member. This exhibition is a great opportunity to see what is going on in the visual arts in the Upper Midwest and how the regional arts scene continues to evolve and develop.
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