Culturology Calendar: March 3 Edition

by Travis Ryder

The Culturology program is not on the air every Thursday at 8 a.m., at least not yet.  Right now, we're heard roughly every other week.  But there are great events and worthwhile historical anniversaries every week of the year, so we're committing to bringing you notes from these areas Thursdays around 6:50 a.m. on the "off-weeks".

Another great batch of First Friday events will unfold this Friday afternoon and evening in Bemidji.  Natalia Himmirska and Paula Swenson are among the artists who have new exhibitions. See the Bemidji Community Art Center site for the list.

There's an opening reception Friday evening for the new exhibits at MacRostie Art Center, Grand Rapids. Deborah Splain produces three-dimensional mixed-media paintings; Jackie Solem’s photography will be paired with Loree Mitich and Susan Hawkinson’s poetry, with calligraphy by Meredith Schifsky.  See these works through the end of March.

Calendar with secret box

The annual photography exhibition and workshops, called ‘Picturing’, is Saturday at Q Gallery in the Franklin Arts Center, Brainerd. Registration starts at 8 a.m., workshops from 9 to 4, reception at 5. The reception will honor Photographer of the Year Kelly Humphrey of the Brainerd Dispatch.

Next week, the eighth annual Range of the Arts series comes to Virginia venues. The Lyric Center in Virginia hosts the first three events: Mon. March 7: Words and Lyrics event with authors Deborah Gordon Cooper, Ryan Vine and Francine Sterle. Tuesday at 6:30 is the opening of a visual art exhibit featuring bead and fiber artist Betsey Harries, wood block printer Beckie Prange, and wood carver Fran Starich. Then it’s a public art walk starting at noon on Thursday. All the details can be found on the Lyric Center’s site.

Hibbing Community College art instructor Daryn Lowman presents a photography Lecture & Demonstration in conjunction with this month's exhibition starting at 6 p.m. Wednesday at MacRostie Art Center; it's free & open to the public.

Also Wednesday: touring gypsy jazz guitarist Frank Vignola and his Quartet perform with opening local gypsy jazz act Clearwater Hot Club, 7:30 p.m. at Myles Reif Performing Arts Center.

Historical Aztec calendar

HISTORY NOTEBOOK
March 3, 1849 Minnesota Territory is signed into existence by President James K. Polk. At that time, the territory stretches west to the Missouri River and has a population of about 15,000, 2/3rds of them Native American.

March 1, 1881 The first state capitol building burns. Saved were the occupants’ lives and the Historical Society archives, but the building and law library are a total loss. A second capitol is built on the same downtown St. Paul site, but is replaced by the present capitol in 1905.

March 1, 1921 Patrick Des Jarlait is born on the Red Lake Reservation. He made fine-art images of Ojibwe traditional life, and also did commercial work including the Land o’ Lakes butter maiden and the cartoon bear from the Hamm’s beer commercials! Des Jarlait died in 1972 and three of his children lead active art careers.

March 4, 1941 Goalie Sam LoPresti has a landmark performance with his Chicago Blackhawks. A native of the Elcor mining location just east of Gilbert, he makes an astounding eighty saves. But you know how it is: if a goalie stops eighty and lets three through, they’ll still call him a bum. Chicago loses to the Boston Bruins 3-2.

March 4, 1942 Tammy Faye LeValley (Bakker) is born in International Falls. With her husband, Jim Bakker, she would help found three of the largest Christian television networks in the world, including the PTL ministry.

March 1, 1994 The Minneapolis group Soul Asylum wins a best rock song Grammy for "Runaway Train".