Eat. Shop. Play. Local.
The Importance of Funding Art and Spending Local
Recently, a letter to the editor of the local newspaper argued for funding art at the elementary school level. Apparently, there has been discussion about reducing the amount of art received in elementary schools due to budget pressures. The typical solution has been to increase the tax levy and ask taxpayers to pay more.
A more sustainable approach is to simply spend local. Every dollar spent locally in a community can have up to three times the multiplier tax return to the community versus buying from an out-of-state big box retailer, all without raising taxes a single cent. Let's use two simple examples:
Example 1: A citizen spends a dollar at a local big-box retailer. Taxes are exchanged for that dollar spent, and the dollar is promptly deposited in an out-of-state bank account somewhere in Four Corners, Arkansas. That dollar is retired as far as the local economy is concerned.
Example 2: A citizen spends a dollar at their local custom frame shop. Again, taxes are exchanged, but this time the local frame shop owner races to their local bank to cover the check they wrote to the local plumber to have their hot water heater repaired. The plumber, in turn, cashes that check to buy a silk suit from Josephsons Clothing Store. Tom from Josephsons then uses that money to buy himself a beer next door at The Staghead Restaurant to celebrate having finally sold that XXXL silk suit.
The same dollar has contributed to the local economy three separate times, each time participating in the overall tax exchange and actively contributing to the cash flow of four different local employers.
Red Wing Downtown Main Street is focused on exactly these types of issues. The Eat-Shop-Play-Local tag-line could include many other action verbs (Buy. Stay. Invest.), but the point is to think about where your money goes after you spend it.
Better living through framing
Innovative New Products from Red Wing Framing Gallery
Since the beginning of 2009, Red Wing Framing Gallery scientists have been quietly and diligently working on a number of new products. With the advent of 'digital everywhere' technologies, customers have been eager to use their own images to decorate their environments in ways that reflect their lifestyle and taste. Our challenge is to meet this expectation with innovative and unique products.
Two exciting products are nearing introduction:
Gallery Panel: Targeted at contemporary customers who want a unique and fresh way to present their images, the Gallery Panel is elegant with old-school details but also offers a bold and progressive presentation. Think of it as a harmonious blend of ebony and ivory.
Image Sandwich (I-S): Still in the early stages, this product is a bit further behind in its introduction. The I-S will be a transmissive image that allows light from behind and lays flat on a wall. Early prototypes are promising, though practical size limitations may need to be determined. As a humorous note, I-S Version 2.0 might also function as a PDA. :)
The European marketplace tends to be more aggressive in pushing image technology. Interestingly, some of the best ideas come from European organizations that have been in the image business since the Middle Ages. We aren't above learning from our European counterparts, but it's essential to remain unique and creative.
We will announce new products as they are ready, and teasers are always free and unsolicited.
And please disregard any misinformation.
The Red Wing Framing Gallery Panel Print
Introducing the Red Wing Framing Gallery Panel Print
For years, people have been wondering, "if they can put a man on the moon, why can't they put a print on a panel?"
Well, wonder no more!
Introducing the Red Wing Framing Gallery Panel Print.
It's a Panel! It's a Print! It's a Panel Print!
Starting with any digital photo, this innovative product ends with a full-bleed, UV-protected, 1/4" thick hardboard panel print that is pool-table flat and incredibly rugged!
The Panel Print features a linen laminate finish and a 1" reverse frame mount. This mount lays flat against the wall, while the print itself is elevated, creating a modern 'drop-shadow' effect.
Available in any size or aspect ratio (perfect for panorama photographs), it has become particularly popular among photographers who appreciate its contemporary look. It's also ideal for commercial projects that are restricted from using glass or need to cover large wall surfaces, yet still want to project elegance and creativity.
Call the shop today at 1-651-385-0500 to create your own art from your own images!
Now, back to the regularly scheduled programming.
The War on Poverty
Steve Liss: Photojournalist and Humanitarian
Steve Liss is a highly accomplished photojournalist, with an impressive 43 Time Magazine cover photos to his credit.
However, it is not just his professional success that Liss takes the most pride in. Steve Liss is a humanitarian who uses photo essays to shed light on tough topics. His subjects have included poverty in the Mississippi Delta, runaway youth living on the streets of Hollywood, and studies of the Nuns of Mankato and Alzheimer's disease. He has been honored with the Soros Justice Media Fellowship for his work on juvenile justice and the Alicia Patterson Fellowship for his work on domestic poverty.
We are thrilled and honored to be invited to participate in his latest project, titled In Our Own Backyard: U.S. Poverty in the 21st Century. This unique poverty awareness initiative is being undertaken by more than 15 preeminent American photojournalists. The project's goal is to utilize the visual power of large-format documentary photography to elevate the discussion of making the fight against poverty a national priority.
This project is in partnership with Catholic Charities and their campaign to cut poverty in half by 2020. Starting in the fall of 2009, nine major photographic and multimedia exhibits, each featuring 50 emotionally moving large-format photographs, will tour throughout the United States.
The project will kick off at a leadership summit on April 20, 2009, at the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, MN. For more information, you can register here and view the invitation postcard here.
Poverty has many faces, and it is impossible to ignore when seen up close and personal. It is projects like this that make our work feel less like work and more like purpose.
This building has historical bones
A Journey Through Time: The History of The Lidberg Studio
1894 - Andrew Lidberg, an immigrant from Jarpen, Sweden, builds and opens The Lidberg Studio at 443 W. 3rd Street, Downtown Red Wing, Minnesota (the corner of W. 3rd Street and East Avenue), right next to Charlie Wah's Chinese Laundry. The Daily Republican on April 9, 1894, writes, "Mr. Lidberg opened his gallery today, and it is a fine one. He will employ only competent workers and work at the lowest living prices."
1899 - Upon graduating from Red Wing High School, Andrew's son Edward joins the studio full-time. The Lidbergs begin producing the first series of colored souvenir postcards of Red Wing and the surrounding area. The photos are exposed on glass plates and developed at the studio. Negatives are then sent to Germany to be lithographed into color postcards. These postcards are now collector's items with a passionate following.
1902 - Local businessman T.B. Sheldon donates money to the City of Red Wing to build the country's first city-owned theater. To make room for the Sheldon Theatre, The Lidberg Studio is moved across the park mall to 312 West Avenue, where the building is located today. A glass wall is oriented to the east to provide natural light for portrait photography.
1910? - Andrew Lidberg retires. Frank Booth, a graduate of Effingham School of Photography in Illinois, joins the studio.
1915 - Due to the war in Europe, it becomes increasingly difficult to receive color lithographs from Germany. Senator Knute Nelson intervenes to get a production run of postcards released. Production is moved to Chicago (Acmegraph Company) and Milwaukee (E.C. Kropp Company).
1915 - Edward Lidberg begins his real estate career, and the photography business winds down. By 1920, the building becomes a full-time real estate office.
1920-1953 - Very few building details are available. It is believed that from approximately 1920 to 1936, it was a real estate office, and from about 1937 until 1953, it housed various photography studios.
1953 - The Chalet Studio opens. This portrait studio is owned and operated by Ms. Louella Champs.
1972 - Edward Lidberg passes away.
1978 - The Chalet Studio closes, leaving the building in very rough shape with the roof in danger of collapsing.
1979 - The building is repaired and restored by Dick Tittle, becoming home to InComm Realty and Maas Realty.
2008 - The building becomes home to Red Wing Framing Gallery and Red Wing Portrait Studio.
What goes around, comes around—even if it takes 114 years.
The Big Picture
Interview Feature in The Big Picture Magazine
Last November, Clare Baker called for an interview for The Big Picture magazine, a trade journal for the wide-format printing industry. The article focuses on printers who have carved out a niche business providing wide-format, fine-art printing. Wide-format printing is anything larger than 44 inches, and fine-art printing is typically defined as low-volume, high-mix printing with tight duplication standards.
Over several weeks, Clare and I would occasionally talk, but I lost track of the publication date. I was pleasantly surprised to receive the article in my mailbox this week. Clare did her homework and did a terrific job detailing the priorities in wide-format fine-art printing:
Invest in capture, calibration, and proofing technologies.
Push the envelope in new applications and learn from the failures.
What the *#@!...Red Wing Digital Studio?!?
Introducing Red Wing Digital Studio
Astute observers will have noticed a new link in the banner image. Red Wing Digital Studio (RWDS) made a quiet introduction earlier this year. RWDS is a bit more nebulous (and fun) than either Red Wing Framing Gallery or Red Wing Portrait Studio, but here are a few clues:
We've found ourselves involved in digital projects that don't neatly fit within the domains of framing, printing, or photography. These projects always involve a digital file of some kind of visual, but the end result can vary from print to projection. The file sizes are enormous, creating unique complications and opportunities. Hence, a new business.
Over time, it will make more sense. The first priority is finding a location to set up this business. If only Red Wing had an "Innovation Incubator" or some kind of "College of Interesting Knowledge," then my prayers would be answered. :)