Central Park Bandshell 2 month update

Red Wing Central Park Band Shell: Architectural Rendering

Currently, the bandshell is mostly shrouded under plastic, so there's not much to see. However, loyal readers may want to check out the architectural rendering of the bandshell layout. It's going to be awesome!

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.

Red Wing from Barn Bluff

Barn Bluff: A Sentinel Over Downtown Red Wing

Barn Bluff vigilantly watches over Downtown Red Wing from the east, casting its shadow every morning and bidding farewell to the sun every evening. The bluff is a long and narrow rock formation, stretching east to west for about a mile. It's an easy hike along the south side to the lookout over Downtown Red Wing. The top of the bluff rises about 400 feet above the Mississippi River, which lies immediately to the right in the photo.

An unusual thaw this February provided the opportunity to capture this photo. Once the tree buds start popping out, many details become hidden. If you look closely, our shop is the small triangle of lights in the upper left corner.

As with most mid-winter thaws, it toyed with our emotions, giving us a taste of nicer weather only to follow up with a cold front and a fresh dump of snow.

Back to mukluks and stocking caps.

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. :)

Central Park Bandshell update

Red Wing Central Park Bandshell Construction Update

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

I anticipate this will have a major positive impact on the entire community. This will be a beautiful new performance venue to complement the Sheldon Theatre. We can look forward to music, live theatre, public gatherings, stand-up comedy, outdoor movies, special events, and more. It's going to be exciting and electric.

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

Full moon over Barn Bluff

The Largest and Brightest Full Moon of 2009: The Wolf Moon

Last night (Saturday, January 10, 2009), we witnessed the largest and brightest full moon of the year. This month's full moon is known as the Wolf Moon in Native American folklore. January's full moon is also called the Old Moon and the Snow Moon.

A full moon rises right around sunset, no matter where you are. This occurs because the moon and the sun are on opposite sides of the Earth during a full moon, allowing sunlight to hit the full face of the moon and reflect back to our eyes.

At moonrise, the moon appears even larger than it does later in the night when it's higher in the sky. Scientists can't fully explain this illusion, but some believe it has to do with our perception of things on the horizon versus overhead.

This photo was taken at 5:06 pm with the following settings: f/3.2, 1/320 sec, ISO 1250, -1.67 EV, 70 mm focal length, handheld. I used levels to bring some details back into the image without destroying the polarized sky and applied a very modest amount of unsharp mask.

Mister Becker's neighborhood

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

It has been an unusually cold and snowy winter so far (cold is mentioned twice because it has been just that cold), but it hasn't slowed down neighborhood activities.

Just a half block from the shop, the new Red Wing Central Park Bandshell is slowly growing from the ground. This project, the result of a generous donation from a local family foundation, is going to have a major impact on the cultural community. The first use of the bandshell is scheduled for July 4, 2009, and it will have regularly scheduled community and cultural activities going forward. It is an exciting design and promises to have excellent acoustics.

On the wall outside the shop, I am field testing some new large format materials to see how cold tolerant they are. The image is a self-portrait photo taken by my son. The colors were de-saturated, and the image highlights were blown out to create this very interesting "Chuck Close" effect. I slit the image every 4" to create movement in the wind, and the final image size is 6 feet wide by 10 feet tall.

Chuck Close is a terrific artist. He is a photo-realist and paints portraits on a massive scale. And in this case, size does matter.

Meanwhile, The Giant Dan is always smiling in the neighborhood of make-believe.