“Craig Blacklock’s Lake Superior” at Minnesota Marine Art Museum

Craig Blacklock's large format photographs capture the space and beauty of the Lake Superior region's environment. Blacklock has published seventeen books including: The Lake Superior Images; Minnesota's North Shore; and A Voice Within: The Lake Superior Nudes. Also, Blacklock is a conservationist, co-founding the Blacklock Nature Sanctuary, and helping establish the Lake Superior Water Trail of Minnesota. Currently, Blacklock is a Senior Fellow at the University of Minnesota's Center for Spirituality and Healing. This exhibition is courtesy of the artist and is sponsored by SEMAC (Southeastern Minnesota Arts council) and the media Sponsor is Wisconsin Public Radio.

There will be an exhibition reception and book signing: Thursday, July 12th from 5-7 pm as well as a lecture and workshop with Craig Blacklock Thursday, July 12, 12:30 - 4:30 pm and Friday, July 13, 5:15 - 9:30 am. This lecture and workshop is for experienced photographers who are interested in taking their digital images to a higher level. The focus for this workshop will be the beautiful wildflowers in the prairie gardens at the MMAM. The workshop will begin with a half day of lecture and instruction on Thursday, and finish with an early morning shoot on Friday. Photographers should bring their digital SLR cameras with a few lens options, a tripod, and a diffusion tent. Instructions to create a diffusion tent will be mailed to participants upon registration. Cost: $200* Call Heather at (507) 474-6626 to register.

The Minnesota Marine Art Museum opened July 27, 2006 featuring three major art collections, making it a regional and national attraction. On loan to the Museum, the Burrichter/Kierlin Marine Art Collection features oil paintings, watercolors and three-dimensional objects from a variety of countries and periods which were created by many of the world's most important marine artists. The Leo Smith Folk Art Collection consists of distinctive wood carved and hand painted sculptures that capture the spirit of small town river life. These whimsical, colorful sculptures represent and celebrate the flora, fauna and folklore of the upper Mississippi River region. Finally, the Museum’s permanent collection features historic marine art, artifacts and objects ranging from items such as personal letters from Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson to his wife to large stained glass window displayed in the Museum’s atrium.

On May 1, 2009 the museum opened a new expansion gallery and educational room. The new gallery features Impressionism and Hudson River school works from Renoir, Monet, Pissarro, Homer, Sisley, Cole, Bierstadt, Buttersworth, Silva, and includes one of Vincent van Gogh's first oil paintings.