Reception Thursday, July 12, 6-9 p.m.
On view July 12 -Sept. 2
Duluth Art Institute, 506 W. Michigan St.

Chholing Taha: Every Spirit Tells a Story
Opening Reception and Artist Talk
Chholing Taha is a Cree First Nations artist based in Anoka who uses Native imagery to express both contemporary issues and indigenous stories. Solitude and wilderness have been a loyal companion throughout her lifetime.
Taha draws on symbols from tribes from the Northwest coast, where she is originally from, as well as the Great Lakes tribes, including Ojibwe Woodland. It is her heart’s wish to instill a sense of mystery within anyone who views her work and discover that palce within each spirit that beats together as one heart. These narratives find themselves with one hand holding the past bringing the new insights toward the hand holding the future.

Payton MacDonald: Sonic Divide: States
Project screening 7:30- 9 p.m., Duluth Playhouse
The “Sonic Divide: States” film features 30 commissioned scores from 30 different composers performed during MacDonald’s mountain bike journey along the Great Divide. Each musical work was scored specifically for his voice or found percussion instruments, like logs, rocks, or the bicycle itself.
Four paintings, by Duluth painter Kenneth D. Johnson, accompany the film. The pieces are based on photos taken in each of the four states MacDonald traveled through. Johnson’s paintings introduce performance footage from each state, coupled with still images, to give the viewer a sense of the grandeur of making music in these incredible natural settings.

Jonathan Thunder: Suspension of Disbelief
Thunder's project will feature sound and what he calls “animated canvases,” a hybrid of hand painting and animation. The space will serve as an area for the artist to experiment with a variety of media and modes of installation in working towards a large-scale exhibition. There will be an artist talk at the close of the exhibition.