Mayor Ness and Carlson Star in Duluth Art Exhibit
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DULUTH - You've seen them, read about them and now you can see them in portrait form. The Duluth Art Institute and Zeitgeist Art are opening an exhibit titled Hero/Villain/Savior/Scoundrel: Portraits of Jim Carlson and Don Ness.
The paintings and photos are done by local artists who take a more creative approach to get the conversation started about Duluth's synthetic drug battle.
They also explore Ness and Carlson's roles as either a hero or villain in the community issue.
"We just tried to have some fun with it,” artist Joe Klander said. “It's been a serious situation in town and it's been a lot of problems in a lot of people's lives.” “So I try not to make light of the situation and still try to keep it humorous."
“I appreciate the artistic creativity and talent, but certainly don’t see myself as I’m being depicted in this art,” said a laughing Mayor Ness. “It was a community wide, team effort to close down the Last Place on Earth.” “It really should be Police Chief Ramsay, City Attorney Gunnar Johnson, County Attorney Mark Rubin, and many others in those pictures.” “I’m just happy if folks do come downtown to see these this artwork, they’ll be able to enjoy a synthetic-drug free downtown Duluth when they do.”
The art show kicks off April 5th, 5-7 PM at the Zeitgeist Arts.
The event is free and open to the public.