Where's Art?

Photographer Bryan Hansel is sharing some of knowledge through a series of online photography courses, thanks to a grant from the Arrowhead Regional Council on the Arts ... you can find out more about the Master the Basic Craft of Photography Online Class here.

One of the oldest galleries in America shuttered its doors after selling $80 million worth of fake art.

Tomorrow (2/23) at 7pm, WDSE presents a virtual screening/sneak peek into In This Place.  It's a project that's part of a larger effort called Moving Lives Minnesota: Stories of Origin & Immigration, exploring "the histories of the many communities who have moved through and to Minnesota."

Here's something to make you feel all warm inside:  there's finally a way to watch all Bob Ross, all the time (PBS Painter Bob Ross Gets A Happy Little Digital Channel).  It's live on Samsung now, hits Roku May 18, and will expand to other video-on-demand (VOD) platforms in the coming months.

Annie Dugan lets us know about several snow sculptures that have been created on several sidewalks and parking lots in the Lincoln Park Craft District as part of the Duluth Winter Festival in Lincoln Park.

Annie Dugan says, if anyone is channeling the voice of the Northland, it's Brian Barber; a voice of quirky, dry, twisted humor, as she describes it.

If some dry, quirky, twisted humor sounds like just the ticket, you can join in tomorrow (Tuesday, February 2) night at 6 pm for Brian's episode of UMD's Visual Culture Lecture Series.

The weather outside is frightful - well, the wind chills are.

But that means it's perfect weather for ice luminaries or, if you're Mary Plaster, maybe something more along the post-industrial plastic/wire/LED line.

On this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Annie has some reflections on the art that resonated with us particularly this year, and looks at the "coalition of voices" that perhaps we need to listen for.

You can read more about the artists' response to George Floyd's death here.

No matter where you're physically located, you can enjoy the North House Folk School's Winter Virtual Film Fest from your couch, and maybe with a bowl of popcorn.

The film offerings change every week and you can find more information online here.

Annie Dugan says she's not usually into making resolutions, but all the time with her family over the holiday and - face it - the last nine months or so has he resolving to set aside time for art on a regular basis.

You don't have to paint or sculpt; your "art time" might be looking at art.  But Annie's kind of intrigued by the intersection or art and other "cozy indoor activities" - like jigsaw puzzles, for instance.

Reflecting on 2020, Annie Dugan acknowledges and offers her appreciation for artists, teachers and arts organizations in our area. "Artists and arts organizations and folks who enjoy art have had to adapt and be flexible, which is certainly one of the things that art teaches us."  She reminds us that art is "a place of refuge, of escape, [but also a place] for working out the problems and the joys in our world."  

This week, Annie Dugan helps us find some great art available online:

Red Lake Nation tribal member Jonathan Thunder has created a series of Anishinaabeg drawing tutorials for AICHO and Indigenous communities.

He's based the tutorials on the seven grandfather teachings of the Ojibwe (who may not have envisioned his “Bigfoot Riding a Skateboard While Drinking Cranberry Juice").  You can find the tutorials on YouTube.

One of the smart minds behind Warrior Printress Letterpress & Design and the WTF! (What The Feminist) art exhibits, Stacie Renne, has come up with another winner: Shop Small Duluth, "a collective of artists and small business owners who live and work in Duluth, Minn., and have partnered to bring you a unique Holiday shopping experience."

You might think of "terroir" in terms of wine: it's the "combination of factors including soil, climate, and sunlight that gives wine grapes their distinctive character," according to Merriam-Webster.

But Annie Dugan says art is what makes our Northland "the way it is," and she's encouraging folks to look for the work of local artists as they head into gift-giving season. 

Prepare to be star-struck this week.

Begin with a week of activities courtesy the Bell Museum's Statewide Star Party starting tonight.  (Click the link for the full rundown of programs)