- Welcome to PBS North's "Art in the Open," a documentary exploring the role of art in shared community spaces through conversations with local artists, arts leaders, and the people who help bring public art events to life.

I'm Anne Dugan.

When I began these conversations, I wanted to better understand what happens when art moves out into the open, into galleries, fairs, streets, parks, and other places where people gather.

Public art events are about more than seeing finished work.

They are places where artists and audiences meet face-to-face, where stories are exchanged, and where a community gets to see itself reflected back in new ways.

In those moments, art becomes more than something to look at.

It becomes a conversation.

That idea came through in my interview with Jonathan Thunder, a visual artist and storyteller whose work has moved through galleries, museums, murals, film festivals, and public spaces.

For Jonathan, sharing art with the public is not just about exposure.

It is about dialogue, connection, and the spirit of the place that shapes the work itself.

- [Jonathan] I'm Jonathan Thunder, visual artist.

- Excellent.

And tell us about where you show work, where people find your work.

How do audiences see Jonathan's work?

- Generally, I exhibit in galleries, museums, film festivals.

I have my own little studio/gallery where people can see my work.

And lately, I've been doing a lot of film festivals and kind of moving away from galleries, but that doesn't mean that gallery shows won't happen.

You know what I mean, so?

Throughout the years, I've worked primarily as what I would call a visual storyteller, which has landed me in painting shows, installations that are both three-dimensional or digital animation projections, and occasionally about every five years I make a film.

- Tell us about the experiences of having work in public.

So at galleries, at, you've painted murals, you know, people have watched you while you're painting these really big murals.

You have audiences coming in for film festivals that might not be familiar with your work.

And what are those spaces like, those sort of public art gatherings?

What happens in those spaces with art?

- Well I think community, you know, happens in those spaces, and community is a good place for dialogue to happen.

And to me, dialogue is kind of what validates my art.

Otherwise I'd just be some guy in a room making stuff for nobody, right?

But at some point, you know, maybe the storyteller in me wanted to talk to people and have them have things to say back.

So that's one of the most important things for me with public art or film or, you know, paintings is that people can talk about it, either with each other, you know, or with me if I'm around.

But you know, at a mural site, that does happen quite a bit.

You know, there's a lot of community that will come out and a lot will be supportive.

Some will be indifferent and others will be, you know, not so happy about the public art.

But I think those are all good things for an artist to consider, you know, because it's our place to create an environment where people are thinking, where people are talking, and where people can like see the story and the spirit of the place that they live in.

- Excellent.

What, so you mentioned place, can you talk about the role of place, in both your storytelling, but also in public art gatherings?

- I mean, for me place comes natural because you're kind of inspired by what you know, right?

And I grew up in the Twin Cities.

I studied in Santa Fe.

I went back to film school in Twin Cities and landed in Duluth about 12 years ago and was hit hard by the spirit of the lake.

So the lake often is what has kept me here.

I would say it's kept me inspired.

So stories around the lake often show up in my work, and those stories consist of the people that live here, not just the lake itself, and kind of the, you know, history and mythology of it.

Because a big part of a place is the communities, you know, that built it, so, and you need characters to write a story.

But yeah, for me, you know, I think a lot of people like to see themselves, you know, and work again with the visual storytelling.

We like to see ourselves in a painting, on camera, in the pages of a book, and that's why we continue to read because we feel connected to it.

So I think just by default, when I make a piece of work, you know, I'm talking to the people that know about this - Yeah.

- region, this place.

Those are my kind of like tribal members, so to speak, you know, and that's the dialogue that I know how to talk, you know?

And if you go to say another part of the country, like Rhode Island or something, you know, and talk like we would talk to each other here, they might not even really know how to take that, you know?

So I think place is definitely kind of the backbone of an artist's work.

- So maybe you can tell me a little bit about how public art gatherings help us reflect back on the place that we live and the community that we're a part of.

- Well, I think they call it the zeitgeist, you know, it's sort of like the spirit of the times or like the pulse, you know, of where you're at.

And it's nice to go down to an art gathering and feel that everybody else is there for the same reason.

- Have those kinds of events helped you continue your path of visual storytelling?

Like have you made connections at those events that have then informed the direction that you're going as an artist?

- Yeah, actually, and I would say that to any artist who's starting out, you know, showing up is very important.

You know, that's when students ask me like, how did I get started?

You know, it was the Yellow Pages and a lot of shoe leather, you know what I mean?

Just making it to events, shaking hands, being present, introducing myself, and that has led to a lot of opportunities for me.

And that's not always easy when you're the kind of person who sits around in the quiet and makes artwork most of your free time.

But when your tribe finds you, that's exciting, you know what I mean?

That's kind of an exciting thing.

So to me, that's kind of the benefit of showing up to these events and being present, you know, is just meeting your people, you know, and seeing how you can work together, 'cause they're looking for you as much as you're looking for them.

You know what I mean?

- Yeah.

I love it.

- Yeah.

- Jonathan's work reminds us that public art is not only about the finished piece.

It is about what happens around it, the conversations, the questions, the sense of connection that forms when people gather around something made by another person.

That same spirit shows up in places like Duluth Pottery Tile & Gallery, where art is part of everyday life.

In my conversation with Karin Kraemer, we talked about how galleries, art fairs, and handmade objects can create community in quiet, personal, and lasting ways.

- [Karin] I'm Karin Kraemer.

I'm the owner of the Duluth Pottery, and I'm a potter and artist myself.

- How would you define public art and public art gatherings, and can you talk a little bit about your experience with those?

- Okay.

Well, I make a living going to shows and having my gallery open, but I also participate in other kinds of art gatherings.

So I'll go to art fairs and interact with thousands of people and other artists there.

It's kind of a neat thing because you meet a lot of other artists and see what they're doing.

It affects you, your stuff affects them, and you tell each other's stories about the art world and your life.

Another way we do art gatherings here in the gallery is every couple months we have a new artist on the walls as a special exhibition, and then we'll have a gathering, kind of a reception so people can meet that artist and you know, have snacks and wine and stuff.

And that's when really fun things happen because artists meet each other and talk about their work.

Other people come in to look and meet that person and find out how they do things, and that it kind of just creates this great community.

And we kind of have a big group of people that come every time and then there's always some new people because that person's relatives or friends or collectors come.

And we've found that this has been a great space for things happening beyond just having art on the walls for sale.

There's a lot of community building in it.

- Yeah.

Can you talk a little bit about that?

Like, you know, it starts with the art on the wall for sale, but then can you tell us more about how that community building unfolds?

- Well, one reason we do it is to expose folks to somebody's art that maybe hasn't seen it before and vice versa.

Like, I have a following because I've been doing this for 30 years, so the folks that come to get my work get to see other work that people do and meet them and learn about what they're doing.

And then beyond that, you know, we make connections when we get together like that.

And then it's kind of formal too, like when you go to an art opening or an art fair or an exhibit at a museum and everywhere in between.

- So you get, you know, a lot of different people coming through this space.

You get people, you know, when you go to shows, art shows and art fairs, you get a whole lot of different people coming through booths.

Can you tell me, what are some of sort of the fun interactions that you've had with different people around work, that might not like, people that might not be seeking art out, but sort of stumble upon it?

- Yeah, which kind of happens here because we get a lot of tourism here.

But we do get this look by a lot of folks come in the door and they're like, "Ah," and that's just really great.

And that's because Janelle does a great job putting everything together here.

Definitely at art fairs you get that somewhat, because, you know, there's thousands of people walking by and maybe 1 in 10 come in and actually look at stuff because they're interested in clay.

Most folks don't have a lot of education about art.

It's one thing I love about clay is it's really accessible.

So it's a gateway into thinking about using beautiful things and looking at stuff in a different way.

- Yeah, yeah.

Why are these spaces, why are art fairs important?

Why are places like Duluth Pottery important for the immediate community, and then those ripple communities too?

- Yeah.

Well, right now it's really important because our world is going in a way that is so not in person or hands-on or participating even.

It's just all watching.

It's so important to have beauty in your life and your table or on the wall that you live with, so that you remember that there's a lot more to everything than just going to your job and coming home.

It helps you appreciate your food more.

Having beautiful things to serve on, really bring up your dinner party, so that everybody feels more welcome.

It's really important to have it in your life.

It adds to everything.

It is also a form of communication about what we're doing in the world, everybody, you know, that's how we communicate things.

And you know, through writing and music and visual arts.

So having art around you is important, and maybe doing some is important, because it just makes our lives better.

- Yeah.

That's a perfect way to end it.

Karin's perspective shows how art can become part of our daily lives, not only as something we admire, but as something we use, share, and gather around.

At a larger scale, that same kind of connection happens at public art events, where the setting changes the experience.

At an art fair, the work is not isolated on a wall or tucked away in a studio.

It's surrounded by conversation, movement, music, food, and people.

Artists are a part of the moment.

Audiences encounter work that they may not have gone looking for, and the community becomes part of the experience itself.

That brought me to Carla Tamburro, Coordinator of the Park Point Art Fair, to talk about how one of Duluth's long running community art traditions continues to engage people and the arts year after year.

- My name is Carla Tamburro, and I'm with the Park Point Art Fair.

I'm the coordinator, and I'm really excited to talk about art and the fair.

- Tell me about the Park Point Art Fair, what it is, maybe how it started, what year it is, what your experience with it is?

- Okay, so the art fair is in its 54th year.

It was started by a Park Point community member and artist.

And it began during the smelting, the smelting time at the Tot Lot, and it just didn't draw the crowd.

You know, in May it's pretty cold in Duluth, and they started with just laying their wares out on blankets on the ground.

But as the event progressed, it moved to a couple different places on Park Point.

It moved to Lafayette, and now it's at the Park Point Recreation Area, where it's been for over four decades.

So it's really found its right timeframe and right spot.

We have over 100 artists in a variety of media, so there's a lot of variety there.

It's all visual artists so you'll find photography, mixed media, sculpture, ceramics, painting, printmaking.

The list goes on and on, even forging.

There's lots of demonstrations.

There are opportunities to make art and we even have music and food vendors.

So it's really a fun event.

And on average, people who come to that event come back like eight times or more, and we know that because we've asked people.

So if you come, you're going to love it and you're going to come back.

- Awesome.

- That's pretty much been the.

- Yeah.

Tell me about that connection with people.

I mean, why do you think they keep coming back?

Like what is it that?

- Good question.

Well, I think it's a couple things.

Number one, being able to talk to the artists when you're buying their art is pretty unique.

If you go to a gallery or a store, you might not be able to have those one-on-one conversations with the artist, and you get to hear about their inspiration, maybe even a story about the particular artwork that you're buying.

So it really creates those connections between the artist and the art buyer.

And I think it's really more and more important these days to have those one-on-one conversations in real life, where so much of the things that we do are now virtual.

So it's really special to be able to be in each other's presence.

- What role does place have?

I mean, I think that, you know, you've talked about sort of the fact that it started with the smelters.

Like it started with this like very specific time and specific place.

How has that maybe like continued, and what do you think place, how does place play a role in a public art gathering like that?

- That's a great question.

When I think about that vibe, I think that it's the people, the relationships, the art, but definitely that special place of Park Point.

So you have the energy from the people, you have the energy from the art objects, but you also have this beautiful, wonderful energy from the lake and the bay and the land.

The pine forest is very close by.

So all of that contributes to a really, I mean, dare I say, spiritual experience and awesome vibe.

- So what do you think people should take away from knowing that art is visible, accessible in spaces like the Park Point Art Fair?

- Well, I guess I want to emphasize the importance of being able to talk to the artist face-to-face in real life, learn about their inspiration, hear the story as you buy their piece.

I think that that's probably the biggest benefit of buying art at an art fair.

And then beyond that, would just be the really good vibes that you get from being in this beautiful environment with artists and community members who care about art.

And there's music playing and demonstrations and opportunities to create art.

So to really be engaged, all your senses engaged in the experience, I think is what keeps people coming back.

- Excellent.

Thank you so much, Carla.

- Yeah.

- Carla's interview shows how an art fair can become a work of art in itself shaped by the people, place, values, and culture of the community it brings together.

Over time, it becomes more than a weekend event.

It becomes a tradition, a meeting place, and a reflection of the community that gathers around it.

Public art does not happen in isolation.

Behind every fair, gallery, mural, exhibition, and creative gathering is a larger ecosystem of artists, organizers, volunteers, funders, and audiences who help make that work possible.

To understand that wider picture, I talked with Kelly Schamberger, a Duluth artist and arts advocate whose work connects the private act of creating with the public value of sharing art in the places where we live, visit, and gather.

- [Kelly] I am Kelly Schamberger.

I'm a fine artist in Duluth.

I also serve on the board for the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council on the Executive Committee and Finance Committee and various other organizations as well, regarding surrounding the arts.

- Yeah, and you're very much in the work that you're doing as an artist, as well as the community work that you're doing on boards, and you are in the arts ecosystem.

And so can you tell me about what does public art mean to you, and can you tell me a little bit about your work in all of those different regions?

- Sure.

So I moved to Duluth 10 years ago and did some training, advanced my art career.

Now, very involved as a professional artist, and kind of the organic development of that also involved applying for grants with the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council to fund projects that I wanted to do and professional and creative development.

And so that's how I got woven into the kind of grant route funding ecosystem in the arts in the Arrowhead region.

And then that expanded to being involved with other artists and exploring the galleries and the shows and the art fairs.

And then got to a point in my art career where I could then become involved in a kind of volunteer role in these different committees and commissions, the Duluth Public Arts Commission.

So most people think of art as a very private solitary practice that artists are doing alone in a studio somewhere.

As an artist, you then have to bring that out into the world for other people to encounter and experience, and that's where it kind of takes on this public component where you're sharing that with people.

And that may be through selling your artwork or exhibiting it or even just having it out in the world.

So I do plein air painting, so I am a landscape painter out in the parks in Duluth in various places painting.

So there's also that component of people stumbling across art in different places.

There is sculptures throughout Duluth, and like in Canal Park that tourists come across, and there are murals and the Public Arts Commission has paid artists to do these utility box wraps.

So there are all these little pockets around Duluth where people have ample opportunity to stumble across art unexpectedly.

- Why is it important to have spaces, whether it's a gallery or an art fair or noticing an artist doing a plein air piece?

Why is it important for the community to have those kinds of spaces?

- Well, I mean, you can go down this rabbit hole of what art is and what is the purpose of art and does art matter?

And it all kind of comes down to this core idea, I think, that the arts are really a representation of our humanity, especially as we are moving into digital world and AI and everything is mass produced and readily available.

And then you have these craftspeople who are spending hours, months, years on pieces of art.

I think it becomes even more important as a culture, as a society to hang onto the arts because they really are a representation of our joy, our grief, our passions, our excitement, everything that I think makes us human on a much deeper level.

And so I am a passionate advocate of supporting the arts and engaging in the arts, because I think that we need that long term to remember who we are.

The great thing about galleries and art festivals is that you can not only meet the artist, but you can buy their work, and you can know that you're supporting like a real human being in something that they're dedicating their life and craft and skills to.

It's kind of that concept too about, you know, buying local.

When you're buying from artists in your own community, you're supporting that artist in their ability to live and pay their bills and develop their artwork even further.

And then from kind of a tourism standpoint, if you're going to a community, if you're coming to Duluth or Northern Minnesota in general and you're going to these art fairs or these galleries, these are local artists and that art kind of represents the geography, the ecosystem, the culture, the visual aesthetic of an entire community.

And so I think it is, not only are artists critical to our communities and our society, but it's critical to support that so that that can keep going.

- [Anne] Absolutely.

- Yeah.

- Yeah, that's beautiful.

Thank you so much, Kelly.

- Yeah.

- What I heard in each of these conversations is that public art is never just about the art itself.

It is about the people who make it, the places that hold it, and the communities that gather around it.

When art is in the open, it invites us to slow down, to notice, to ask questions, and to see our surroundings a little differently.

It gives artists a way to share their stories and it gives the rest of us a chance to find our own stories reflected back.

Whether it is a mural, a gallery, an art fair, or anything in between, the experience of art helps us better understand ourselves, our neighbors, and the world we live in.

They show us the character of a place, the creativity of a community, and the value of being together in real life.

For PBS North, I'm Anne Dugan.

Thank you for joining us for "Art in the Open."

(upbeat music) (upbeat music)