Red Wing Central Park Band Shell: A Follow-Up
Does this guy ever stop talking about the new bandshell?
Apparently not.
It's time for an update on the Red Wing Central Park Band Shell.
This time last year, the park was a mess. Frozen and snow-covered dirt piles were scattered all over the site, making it look like a project that was going to miss the July 4th deadline. However, Red Wing Construction is a very professional company, proud of the product they deliver. They met the July 4th deadline with days to spare.
After the project was completed, Red Wing Construction presented The Jones Family Foundation (the benefactors of the band shell to the City) with a beautifully framed memento. It is a 36"x32" multi-opening custom framed piece showcasing the band shell from 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 created a few more of these pieces for Red Wing Construction.
Hard Boiled Art exhibit
Hard Boiled Art: Original Pulp Magazine Cover Art Exhibit
Details have been finalized for our next original art exhibit. "Hard Boiled Art" presents original pulp magazine cover art from the 1930s to the 1960s. The exhibit will run from November 5th to December 6th, 2009, with a reception date still to be determined.
This is a unique art form. Pulp magazine covers were very sensational and were considered the most important aspect of the sales of any particular pulp series. The socially acceptable boundaries were often tested, and the topics reflected the popular culture of the time.
The covers were typically machismo in nature, with elements of evil or danger and at least one hero. The 1930s had strong detective and science-fiction followings, while the 1960s were all about the 'Red Scare' of the communists.
Regardless of the threat, the damsels in distress typically had a torn blouse. :)
Come and enjoy the exhibit. This is a rare opportunity to see the original art used to create the published covers. It's fun and an absolute snapshot of an industry that hardly exists any longer.
Today was a good day
A Pleasant Surprise from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune
This morning, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune business columnist Dick Youngblood wrote a very favorable column about our business here in Red Wing. It was a lot of fun getting to know Dick over several conversations and meetings, and I really didn't know what to expect. Needless to say, I was very happy and a bit embarrassed by the attention.
But it was the sub-headline on the second page of the hard-copy article that really made me smile. For many years, I thought I was a "washed-up sales rep" when, in fact, I was only a "burned-out sales rep." Imagine my relief.
You gotta love it. 😊
The article can be found here.
Thanks for the article, Dick, and thanks for the support, Dave Murphy from Red Wing Shoes.
Flyway Film Festival countdown
2nd Annual Flyway Film Festival
This weekend is the much-anticipated 2nd annual Flyway Film Festival. The event kicks off on Thursday night with a meet-and-greet reception, and the opening night of movies begins on Friday night with "Storm," followed by "Ink." In many cases, both actors and the directors of the films will be at the festival to answer questions. Over the course of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, more than 30 independent films will be shown.
Saturday will be a bit different, featuring a one-day, genre-specific event of classic and cutting-edge independent zombie films. And everybody loves a good movie about the undead :)
We are proud to be a red carpet sponsor of this ambitious art endeavor and to have provided the large format graphics to promote this event.
Details are available at FlywayFilmFestival.org. See you in Stockholm this weekend!
AmericanPoverty.org
AmericanPoverty.org Exhibit Kicks Off at Catholic Charities USA Annual Conference
Last week, Catholic Charities USA kicked off their annual conference in Portland, Oregon, with the large format photojournalism exhibit produced by the In Our Own Backyard photojournalism team. Entitled AmericanPoverty.org, this exhibit aims to raise awareness of people living in poverty in the United States. Catholic Charities has set an ambitious goal to reduce poverty in the United States by 50 percent by the year 2020. They understand that the only way to meet such an aggressive goal is to set the bar very high.
In Our Own Backyard is a team of skilled and seasoned photojournalists who have witnessed firsthand the struggles of extreme poverty in the United States. This team includes talented photojournalists such as Steve Liss, Jon Lowenstein, Brenda Ann Kenneally, and Eli Reed. They have crisscrossed the United States, capturing exactly what it means to be poor.
It has been a delight to be involved in this project. The deadlines were tight, and God bless overnight delivery. There are at least six more cities that will be hosting this exhibit over the next year, so we look forward to future involvement. Learn more about this large format photojournalism project at AmericanPoverty.org.
Jon Hassler paintings
Remembering Jon Hassler: A Multi-Talented Artist and Novelist
It's been 18 months since Jon Hassler passed away. While Jon was well known for his literary prowess, many people are not aware that he was an artist before he became a novelist. He spent his school years teaching English at high schools and colleges, and during the summers, he was a regular on the art fair circuit. He began writing relatively late in life—his first novel, Staggerford, was published when he was 44—but he always enjoyed painting whenever he had the chance.
Much like his books, Jon's paintings exhibit recurring themes: rural landscapes, long light, complex skies, and almost always a strong vanishing point element. In fact, they are almost exactly what you would expect if you've read any of his novels or short stories.
We came to know Jon five years before he succumbed to complications from progressive supranuclear palsy. Jon and his wife, Gretchen, entrusted us with 22 of his original paintings (pictured above left, 'Snowfall', 20"x16", oil on canvas; pictured above right, 'Road to Johnson's Farm I', 16"x12", oil on canvas), all of which were painted in the late 1980s. These remarkable originals are now available for sale, with a portion of each sale being donated to CurePSP (www.psp.org).
Flyway Film Festival sponsorship
Exciting News: Red Carpet Sponsorship of Flyway Film Festival
We are super excited to announce that Red Wing Framing & Fine Art Printing will be a 'Red Carpet Sponsor' of the 2nd annual Flyway Film Festival in Pepin, Wisconsin, taking place from October 22 to 25, 2009. The primary venue will be the Lake Pepin Art & Design Center. In addition to supporting the entire event, we will be the presenting sponsor for the opening night events on Friday, October 23rd at 7 pm.
This is a significant investment for our modest operation, but it makes sense for several reasons:
We admire what this group is trying to accomplish and their ambitious approach.
We love films, which should be evident from our past entries about the Chief Theater in Red Wing.
We believe it's essential to contribute to the community, and we appreciate art venues that strive to be all-inclusive.
We'll share more details as the festival date approaches.