The Duluth Art Institute ( DAI ) is a contemporary, fine art and cultural institution that specializes in contemporary art from the Twin Ports Region and the Upper Midwest . It was founded in Duluth in 1907 and is one of the oldest art centers in the U.S. state of Minnesota . Based on the curatorial model of the German " kunsthalle ", the DAI is a community arts center that works closely with artists and the community, creating associated symposia, workshops, and studios.
18-665: The Duluth Art Institute has two locations. The main exhibition space is located in the Duluth Depot , the historic train station in Duluth that also houses the Lake Superior Railroad Museum , the St. Louis County Historical Society Museum , a Veteran's Memorial Hall, and several performing arts organizations. A second location is situated in the former Lincoln Branch Library , a 1915 Carnegie library building in
36-617: A biennial that dates back to 1919. Formerly called the Arrowhead Art Exhibit, it is now known as the Arrowhead Biennial Exhibition. In 1990, the DAI auctioned off the eight paintings in its permanent collection because it was not equipped to care for the works. The paintings included pieces by Knute Heldner , Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec , Charles Rosen , and David Ericson. The auction was criticized by
54-541: A scenic railroad, with the remainder being used to display various trains and train cars. The current building is the second depot built on this site. The first, a small wooden building, was built in 1869. That same year a large group of Swedish immigrants arrived in Duluth, seeking work on the first railroad line to serve the city, the Lake Superior and Mississippi. The Depot was designed by architectural firm Peabody and Stearns . Many local materials were used in
72-466: Is a historic railroad station in Duluth, Minnesota , United States. It was built as a union station in 1892, serving seven railroads at its peak. Rail service ceased in 1969 and the building was threatened with demolition until it reopened in 1973 as St. Louis County Heritage & Arts Center (The Depot) . Train service also resumed from 1974 to 1985, by Amtrak . Owned today by St. Louis County ,
90-793: Is expected to include stops in Coon Rapids , Isanti , Cambridge , and Hinckley in Minnesota and in Superior. Peabody and Stearns Peabody & Stearns was a premier architectural firm in the Eastern United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Based in Boston, Massachusetts , the firm consisted of Robert Swain Peabody (1845–1917) and John Goddard Stearns Jr. (1843–1917). The firm worked on
108-604: The Lincoln Park neighborhood. It serves as a community center for arts education and houses multipurpose classroom spaces, a darkroom, ceramics studios, a fiber studio, and professional development services for artists. The Duluth Art Institute originated as an art club established by Bishop McGolrick in 1897. In 1907, the Duluth Art Association was officially incorporated. The original Board of Trustees included G.G. Hartley and Chester Adgate Congdon . In
126-518: The Saint Paul & Duluth . The main entrance to the building on Michigan Street opened into a "general waiting room" (today known as the Great Hall) which featured a newsstand and a lunch counter . In addition the main floor also boasted a barber shop, a Western Union telegraph office, a smoking room, a ladies' waiting room, and a men's toilet. A large train shed originally covered
144-734: The 1930s, the Duluth Art Institute Association , a separate arts organization, was active. The organizations merged in 1946, retaining the name Duluth Art Institute Association. The organization later dropped the Association from their name. In 1976, the Duluth Art Institute relocated to the St. Louis County Heritage and Arts Center. The arts organization opened an additional location in the old Lincoln branch library in 1993. The Duluth Art Institute hosts
162-624: The Depot's Great Hall & Performing Arts Wing. The ballet has three rehearsal spaces in The Depot; it mounts occasional events and performances in the building. In 2011, renovations to the depot were planned to serve the Northern Lights Express Higher-speed rail service from Minneapolis to Duluth. This 155-mile (249 km) project is proposed to roughly follow the route of Amtrak's former North Star and
180-401: The Depot. The historic building houses several contemporary and historic artworks and artifacts, as well as an experimental theater, and also hosts public events in its Great Hall. The 1977 addition, houses a large theater and a ballet studio. The lower station has one side platform and three island platforms that provide access to its seven tracks. The outer southeast active track is used by
198-523: The French Norman-style building, including granite, sandstone, and yellow brick. After two years of construction, the Depot was completed in 1892 at a cost of $ 615,000, at which point the earlier depot was demolished. Over the decades, it served seven railroads: Duluth & Iron Range , Duluth, Missabe, & Iron Range , Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic , Duluth Missabe & Northern , Great Northern Railway , Northern Pacific , and
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#1732801752025216-451: The St. Louis County Historical Society and residents who wanted the art to stay in the community. In March 2017, The Duluth Art Institute started an artist-in-residence program. The first artist to participate in the program was Duluth-based Paul LaJeunesse. The current artist-in-residence is painter Adam Swanson, who is working on a Public Art project to be unveiled in the summer of 2018. Duluth Depot The St. Louis County Depot
234-554: The building houses three museums (the Duluth Art Institute , Lake Superior Railroad Museum , and St. Louis County Historical Society Museum), two performing arts organizations (Duluth Playhouse and Minnesota Ballet ), and serves as the departure point for the North Shore Scenic Railroad . The Depot is located at 506 West Michigan Avenue right off of I-35 , which runs immediately southeast of
252-679: The building's platforms, but it was removed in 1924 and replaced by the canopies that remain. Its last trains in the late 1960s were the Great Northern Railway's Badger and Gopher , both to Minneapolis and St. Paul (later absorbed into the Burlington Northern Railroad ) and the Northern Pacific Railway ran local unnamed service to St. Paul and Minneapolis and service to Staples, Minnesota . The station closed in 1969. It
270-758: The era's large railroad terminals and the connection they provided to the rest of the nation. While The Depot continued to house its other tenants, Amtrak provided rail service to the station for nearly a decade (1977–1985). In 1975, Amtrak launched the Arrowhead to run from the Great Northern Depot in Minneapolis to Superior, Wisconsin (south of Duluth, just across the Saint Louis Bay of Lake Superior). Amtrak Thruway service connected Duluth to Superior until 1977, when Arrowhead
288-757: The station are provided by the North Shore Scenic Railroad , a heritage railroad operated by the Lake Superior Railroad Museum. Excursions of one to six hours' duration run northeast along Lake Superior's northern shore to destinations that include the Lester River , the area of Palmers , and the city of Two Harbors . The railroad runs other special excursions throughout the year, and may be chartered as well. SLCHS exhibits housed in The Depot include Veterans Memorial Hall. The Duluth Art Institute exhibits work in its George Morrison Gallery, John Steffl Gallery, and Corridor Gallery and in
306-698: Was extended the 4 miles (6 km) north to the Depot. In 1978, the North Star replaced the Arrowhead and extended the rail service south from Minneapolis–Saint Paul to Chicago , Illinois . The next stop for both Amtrak trains was in Superior. In 1981, service by the North Star was truncated to the Midway Station in Saint Paul . In 1985, Amtrak discontinued the North Star and all passenger rail service to Duluth. Scenic train rides from
324-549: Was scheduled for demolition but was purchased from the railroad for the bargain price of $ 250,000. The edifice was in excellent condition, but renovations still cost $ 4.7 million. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Duluth Union Depot in 1971 for its state-level significance in the themes of architecture and transportation. It was nominated as a unique example of
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