Art
Bob Dylan Statue News
I am on record saying, “So help me, if Hibbing punks Duluth on this, I am going to freak out.” (more…)
Sixteen thousand people read my little project?
I am proud to learn that a journal I have co-edited for the past decade has a new mechanism for reporting its readership. I have always known that this journal was important to me — I am ecstatic to learn that it might mean something to other people — 16,000 people downloaded articles just this year.
If you would like to be a writer or a reviewer for this journal, reach out. We are going places. (more…)
Former Duluthian Miles Spangrud releases debut novel
My friend and former Duluthian Miles Spangrud will see their debut novel released by Two Gun Publishing. Flesh and Bone: A Historical Western is interesting to me because Western feels like one of those genres that keeps happening no matter how far outside the field of my vision it is. Like Art Bell, maybe. Always there, and I only stumble into it once in a while, this time because the author was local. (more…)
Selective Focus: Brenna del Junco’s Knit and Crochet Creations
Brenna del Junco in front of a yarn display in her new store, Moki Stitches. (Photo by Jess Morgan)
Before moving to Duluth, Brenna del Junco ran a yarn store in Toronto. One of her creations can be found at the Museum of Human History in Ottawa, while others are modeled and worn by loved ones. Whether she is creating a knitted sweater for her dog Button, preparing a stitch pattern to share with others, or piecing together a teeny tiny gnome, she is often spotted with a project in hand. Check out the interview below about her creations and new store, Moki Stitches, that is opening in Duluth. (more…)
Selective Focus: Brad the Sheep
A painting of Brad the Sheep by Annmarie Genuisz.
In the fall of 2024, Brad the Sheep was sold by a farm in Carlton to a farm in Two Harbors. Determined to return home, he wandered the North Shore of Lake Superior, through Duluth and back to Carlton. The journey spanned three weeks — from Oct. 29 to Nov. 20. Along the way, Braaaaaaaaaaad was occasionally spotted. Photos and videos appeared on social media — most famously of Brad tromping along the rocky shore at Brighton Beach. A series of Brad-based memes hit the internet at the end of 2024, and two children’s books were published in early 2025 telling Brad’s story.
For this edition of “Selective Focus” we’ve brought back an interview with Brad’s owner, Ryan Osvold, conducted shortly after his return home last year. For imagery we’ve added some of the altered photos from an anonymous source, speculating about all the places Brad wandered to during his 40-mile journey. (more…)
Call for writing and artwork for ‘Going the Distance’
Duluth Publishing Project, in collaboration with the University of Minnesota Duluth and Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador, is compiling a collection of creative works — visual art, poems and nonfiction writing — on the theme of “Going the Distance.” Students enrolled in classes at the colleges will edit and create the final product. (more…)
Deep Connections: UMD Art & Design Faculty Biennial
The University of Minnesota Duluth’s Art & Design Faculty Biennial opened Oct. 28 and remains on display through Feb. 27 in the Tweed Museum of Art. The exhibit highlights shared human experiences and shared creative experiences.
The biennial’s intention is to foster connections and build community and camaraderie. The works include painting, drawing, sculpture, digital media, printmaking and graphic design. (more…)
Duluth artist on view in Fergus Falls
I was in Fergus Falls at Kaddatz Galleries. There, nestled amongst the regional artists with increasingly national reputation, was an exhibition of student work. And nestled therein was a Duluthian, Reagan Cheshire. (more…)
ZXTv – “See How Much We Can Love”
“See How Much We Can Love” from ZXTv is from the band’s debut album, Snake Mother, now on all streaming platforms and Bandcamp. Members include former members of Duluth bands Ballyhoo, Hobo Alley, Sloe Loris and Chartreuse: Fitty on vocals and guitars/bass and his two sons on drums and synth.
Selective Focus: Emma Warmanen’s Chain-mail Accessories
A chain mail necklace made by Emma Warmanen, worn at the Dollhaus event at The Main Club on June 21. The headpiece worn by the model was created by Cherry Koch. (Photo by Jess Morgan)
Duluthians who attended the Dollhaus event this past June, or wandered to a punk or clown-themed show in the area, may have spotted one of Emma Warmanen’s chain mail pieces. What started as a project to create budget-friendly chain-mail pieces for herself turned into a practice of crafting additional pieces for fashion shows, local artists and selling to customers in large cities from her Etsy page. Read more about Warmanen’s designs and process in the interview below. (more…)
Rob Adams making new art in Florida
Rob Adams was most notable in Duluth for his art installation representing shipwrecks on the Great Lakes using Battleship game boards. Catch up with the former Duluthian in this radio interview about his new exhibit at Florida Mining Gallery in Jacksonville, Florida.
Dollhouse City Lift Bridge
Photos of the Richardson brothers Dollhouse City taken by their mommy Nell Richardson, except the last image by the Richardson brothers. Dollhouse City is a Duluth-based psychogeographical freakout representing the city and oh yeah the universe in fractal miniature. It is our joint toy collection plus the toys of my adult daughter which I never discarded, including most of the dollhouses. This three-sided collection was displayed locally at many of Sarah Heimer’s Dioramarama shows. (more…)
Selective Focus: Birdie Knox-Rose’s Mixed-Media Art
Birdie Knox-Rose at Studio Café. (Photo by Jess Morgan)
Churning curiosity and feelings into art since a child, Birdie Knox-Rose has explored many different mediums on a path toward healing. Whether creating dolls out of several different textile materials, dioramas out of found objects or exploring encaustic painting, many of her pieces center around authenticity, finding a place in the world or speaking gently to a younger self. She shares more about her work and upcoming gallery display, below. (more…)
Not just excavating, but creating the literary history of Duluth
I post a lot about books found at the Duluth Public Library sale, or at the former Gabriel’s books, as part of the general project in my class to excavate the literary history of Duluth and to work with the UMD archives to preserve it. (more…)
Helical Hymn
This animated music video was inspired by the Minnesota Million: Reforestation for Carbon Sequestration Project, which is focused on the reforestation of one million acres in northern Minnesota. It will be screened at Dovetail Cafe & Marketplace on July 3 at 6 p.m. as part of the Cafe Scientifique event. Dr. Julie Etterson will speak about the Minnesota Million Project and free seedlings will be given away. Please come hear about this exciting project and help us reforest the northland.
Selective Focus: Kai Murphy’s Visual Art
Working mostly with Copic markers, digital drawings and occasional oil paints, Kai Murphy has created commissioned artwork for Duluth Superior Pride, Trans Northland, the H.O.T.D.I.S.H. Militia and more. Murphy started their practice making fan art in online communities, and has since branched out from there. Readers can view their artwork and learn more in the interview, below: (more…)
Selective Focus: Puppets and Poetry with Promontory Palace
Atlas posing at Studio Cafe with one of his puppet heads. Photo by Jess Morgan.
Since moving to Duluth from the South about two years ago, Atlas, or the artist behind Promontoy Palace, has been interweaving his solo artistic practice into local arts projects. His work can be found at the upcoming Dollhaus event, as well as an upcoming show in August at Studio Cafe. He utilizes puppets, poetry, paintings and ambient music to tell stories through a variety of mediums. To learn more about his current and upcoming work, check out the recent interview below. (more…)
Arrowhead Regional Arts Council 2025 Grant Recipients
The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council has announced its most recent grant recipients. (more…)
Rag Mag: More Duluth Literary History Hunting
This post, also looking for resources and connections for my fall 2025 course in Minnesota Writers, has two asks. (more…)
Radical Expression Through Self-Presentation
Participants in the third Dollhaus fashion show, held at the Main Club in Superior on Aug. 24, 2024. (Photos via Dollhaus)
More than half of Americans believe in some extraterrestrial form of life. Considering the size of the universe, it’s not inconceivable to imagine an alien touching down on our planet someday. So what would happen if, one day, an alien came to Earth? It would be nice to imagine a scenario where this unknown creature is embraced. However, our culture has proven time and time again that the unfamiliar is not tolerated. What can’t be understood, must cease to exist. If an alien came to America, it would be swiftly eradicated. (more…)
Writers, Artists and a Culture of Creativity in the Loch
Chance Lasher and Justin O. Rose meet to talk writing, art and creativity at the Loch game shop and cafe.
I visited the Loch on June 6 for an event celebrating and cultivating creativity. The event was sponsored by the Duluth Failed Poets Society. (more…)
Poets from Minnesota in ‘Black Flag’ — but were any of them from Duluth?
At the Duluth Public Library sale, it seems that the Minnesota Poetry collection was weeded, deaccessioned.
I think that’s a loss. (more…)
Coffee Landing Radio Theater premiere revives classic radio
Readers of Perfect Duluth Day know I am enchanted with International Falls and the Icebox Radio Theater. I write about it for the Duluth News Tribune too. For more than a decade, the Icebox Radio Theater has focused on the theater experience. The audio dramas developed under Jeffrey Adams’ artistic direction have been funny, moving, and technically well-executed. Some have won awards, including the Ambie Awards for Excellence in Audio. But, in many ways, as a podcast, the Icebox has focused on the theater and missed out on the charm of radio. (more…)
Selective Focus: Robert Wildwood’s Outdoor Poetry
Outside the Poetry Dome in Chester Park. (Photo by Jess Morgan)
Duluthians wandering through Hillside-neighborhood parks or using the bus may have stumbled upon one of Robert Wildwood’s poetry collections hanging from a tree, or in other precarious or magical places. Wildwood shares about his latest outdoor poetry display in the interview below. (more…)
Reconstructing the Poetry History of the Arrowhead: Meda Casler and Edith Addison Thomas
I am reconstructing the Poetry History of the Arrowhead as I prepare to teach my Minnesota Writers class. Today, I want to ask you whether you know anything about Meda Casler or Edith Addison Thomas. (more…)