Tentative arrangements have been made to host an art exhibit later this year that will feature the work of contemporary cartoon artists. Britt Aamodt is a friend and her book will be released at about the same time as the exhibit, which is driving this exhibit. Her book will be available at the Minnesota Historical Society Press and can be found at this link. The intention is to invite several artists, exhibit some large format cartoons, have a cartooning Q&A and a book signing in an event spread out over three venues (Best of Times Bookstore, The Sheldon Theatre mezzanine gallery and at our gallery).

You might be asking yourself if cartooning is a legitimate art medium. It is and I would suggest you keep the comment to yourself, lest you become the parodied target of an offended cartoonist.

Therein lies the beauty of cartooning. It can either lampoon or glamorize their subjects. It can be humorous or it can be brutally and uncomfortably frank. It can address real life or it can fabricate an entirely new universe with it's own laws of physics. In other words, cartoon art defies definition.

This exhibit promises to be a lot of fun. I grew up reading the comics and I still read the comics. I love the comics.

This is completely consistent with past exhibits, including the Brown & Bigelow Pin-up exhibit in 2007, the Cream of Wheat original advertising art in 2008 and the original pulp magazine cover art in 2009 (see the illustration trend going here?). Details as they unfold.

Apparently not.

In any case, it is time for a Red Wing Central Park Band Shell follow-up.

This time last year, the park was a mess. Frozen and snow-covered dirt piles were scattered all over the site. It looked like a project that was going to miss the July 4th deadline. But the Red Wing Construction company is very professional and proud of the product they deliver. The 4th of July deadline was met with days to spare.

After the project was finished, Red Wing Construction presented The Jones Family Foundation (the benefactors of the band shell to the City) with this beautifully framed momento. It is a 36"x32" multi-opening custom framed piece of the band shell from all different angles and during the very first performance. It also includes a custom embossed mat of the Red Wing Construction logo.

We were proud to provide all of the photographs, the printing and the framing and we have since built a few of these pieces for Red Wing Construction.

The fundraiser for the Sheldon Theatre this year was like last year; exhausting and fun at the same time. The small army of photography volunteers were a well-oiled machine of diligence and the clients were steady all evening. We raised about $500, which is a 30% gain over last year.

The theme was a bit different this year (early morning Christmas in the 1950's) and the better images were the ones in which the clients became engaged in the fun. Above, Matt (my carpenter in real life) re-creates his proposal to his fiancée.

See? Fun.

Last year was the first year that we held a fund raiser for The Sheldon Theatre the Friday after Thanksgiving. The idea was to open the doors of The Sheldon to the public during the Downtown Red Wing Holiday Stroll and use their set and costume departments to re-create a family photo at a 1950's Macy's department store.

This year we are excited to work with The Sheldon again on another retro-Christmas family photo event. This year we will re-create the excitement of Christmas morning, circa 1955. To put it in proper perspective, think of the set of "The Honeymooners" (Brooklyn apartment, table, chairs and a table-top tree), throw on an old-fashioned robe (maybe with a night cap or hair curlers) and a few slippers. The photos will be printed using a very dated look (back and white complete with creases).

This will be way too cool for school. And all for $5.00!

Pulp cover art has a unique place in art history. It has terrific nostalgia appeal for anybody who enjoyed The Hardy Boys, comic books or even a peek at The Old Man's collection of True Detective or Stag magazines. It had the specific purposes to grab your attention on the newstand in a crowded field of competitor's and to evoke an emotion, usually with a provocative image of impending peril or suggestive sensuality. Common elements usually include a couple of 'toughs', a large breasted woman and a 'citizen' or a 'hero'. The above example (original on the left, Rudolph Zirn, 1939) has all three.

We are excited and delighted to announce a gallery exhibit of original pulp cover art. The show will open in October (date tbd) and will include both the original art and the subsequent ephemera the originals were used to produce. The colors are extremely vivid and the techniques used by the artists to project a response is fascinating.

This is the third year in a row that we have had the pleasure of working with Grapefruit Moon Gallery in presenting their collection of illustration art. In 2007 we presented original pin-up art (here and here) and in 2008 we presented original Cream of Wheat advertising art. Pulp magazine art is yet another sub-genre of illustration art that we are proud to present.

The 'pulps' were fiction magazines that were very popular from about 1930 to 1960. The term 'pulp' comes from the cheap paper typically used in production (cheap paper has a lot of wood pulp). The magazines became noteworthy for their provocative covers. The covers became so important that in many cases the covers were designed first and the text was designed around the covers. Pulp magazines were also a major employer of short story authors and the subsequent demise of the pulp industry created a vacuum for these authors that has never been filled.

Oil or gouche paintings are used to create the original cover art. The colors are intentionally vivid to compensate for the primitive printing technology at the time. Several pulp cover artists (i.e., Frank Paul and Margaret Brundage) became accomplished artists in this genre and attracted a following. Pulp art has recently experienced a renaissance in popularity and is widely sought by collectors.

More details as they evolve but I thought this teaser would have value.

Several Fiddler on the Roof selections were sung (a teaser for an upcoming production) and Rosanne Cash and her husband came out and performed for about 90 minutes. It was a straightforward performance, very professional and simple (two guitars). Just a class act. Then Roomful of Blues picked up the tempo for the next 90 minutes. The skies cleared (it was spitting rain on occasion) and the Sheldon Brass Band took the stage and played mostly some traditional John Philip Sousa music.

It was the final score, which was Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, that something truly remarkable happened. Right at the crescendo, right at the peak of the music, cannons began firing off explosions and all the church bells in town started ringing. Red Wing has a lot of church bells and between the Brass Band, the cannons and the church bells, it was a very moving experience. Several people started spontaneously crying and it is hard not to get choked up thinking about it now. The Sheldon Theatre deserves a ton of credit for making this an amazing day in Red Wing history.

It has been fun charting the progress of the newest neighbor in our neighborhood. But now it is time to move on to other curious topics.

On April 18th, 2009 at the Goodhue County History Center (1166 Oak Street, Red Wing, MN) the Red Wing Photography Club will present an Exhibition of Photographs.

Ardent readers will remember that this club was formed about this time last year. This is the first time this club has formally exhibited members’ photographs. Assuming there isn't a like-wise repeat of the Rolling Stones incident in Altamont, CA, it is likely this group will exhibit again.

The rules were pretty simple: no more than three pieces and nothing larger than 16"x20". And like most good photographers, the rules were almost immediately broken.

It is a non-juried, non-themed, non-competitive, not-for-sale exhibit.  The objective is for members to share their favorite images and for many members to exhibit for the first time.

A public reception is April 18th at 2 pm at the History Center.

I did the poster layout. It is absolutely derivative of a wpa poster from the 1930's (read: rip-off).

You're welcome and thank you.

The Red Wing Central Park Bandshell is beginning to grow from the ground. The footings are in place and concrete forms are beginning to define the shell itself. I am impressed how progress was not slowed down by the sub-Arctic weather. The Red Wing Construction crews are true professionals.

I anticipate that this will have a major impact for the positive for the entire community. This will be a beautiful new performance venue to compliment the Sheldon Theatre. There will be music, live theatre, public gatherings, stand-up comics, outdoor movies, special events, etc. It is going to exciting and electric.

The grand opening is targeted for July 4th, 2009.

Last night was the 7th annual Red Wing Holiday Stroll. This event is hosted by the Downtown Red Wing Mainstreet organization and is meant to be an alternative to the enclosed mall exodus that typically occurs the day after Thanksgiving.

Anybody downtown can pretty much define whatever activity they want to do during the stroll and many merchants provide discounts and free snacks. We opted to work with The Sheldon Theatre to create a fun family event that is both corny and nostalgic.

It was decided to re-create an Eisenhower-era tradition…the family Christmas photo.

We settled on a fakey outdoor-looking Christmas photo set, obviously taken indoors, very much like you might find at a Macy’s Department Store in 1955. This allowed us to use period overcoats, hats and fake snow to re-create the era and move clients in and out of the set quickly. 15 minutes later they would stop by our shop to pick up a keepsake 5”x7” photo, printed in period fashion and in a stylish envelope. Most clients ‘got it’ and really became involved in the spirit of the event.

All for $5 and all the proceeds went to the Friends of The Sheldon, which is the fund raising arm of The Sheldon.

A small army of volunteers was recruited and it was a mostly-smooth workflow of production. There were a lot of laughs and there are too many people to thank here that made this work. Ideas are already brewing for next year.

Good times.