Exhibitions
Annual Member Show 2024
Unless otherwise indicated, exhibitions are on view at the DAI Downtown Galleries, 130 W Superior St, Suite 400, Duluth, MN 55802
Current Exhibitions Virtual Tours
August 3, 2026 October 2, 2026 America/Chicago Ish Meets a Mermaid Ish Meets a Mermaid is a short film based on a reimagined Ojibwe story, directed by Jonathan Thunder, produced by Vera Bianchini, co-written by Tashia Hart, with cinematography by Jeff Saunders. This exhibition reveals the artistry of the cast and crew who brought Ish Meets a Mermaid to life. As viewers enter the exhibition, they are guided through the journey of the film’s creation with behind-the-scenes moments from production, original props, storyboards, costumes, and stories shared by the cast and crew, finishing with an in-gallery viewing of the film itself. By expanding our view outward from the finished product, the exhibition reveals the many layers of artistry, collaboration, vision, and labor required to produce a project like Ish Meets a Mermaid. This exhibition encourages the viewer to follow their curiosity about the process of filmmaking, and recognize the invisible creative work that goes into an art form as accessible as film. Artists Jonathan Thunder director, co-writer, and co-star Vera Bianchini producer Tashia Hart co-writer Read more about the artists in the sidebar Explore the audio tour, extended content, and ongoing virtual exhibition on Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app. Part of our 2026 "We Hold These Truths" programming. Funding for this program provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. Duluth Art Institute
August 3, 2026 October 2, 2026 America/Chicago Send Flowers Send Flowers takes the postcard as its medium. A postcard, often overlooked as ephemera, becomes a centerpiece in the language of care and human relationship. This exhibition asks the viewers to notice visual language in their day to day—the billboard we pass by, or the digital consumption of art on our personal devices. Art surrounds us—let’s slow down and smell the flowers. Mailable postcards fill the gallery walls with an illustrated garden, each adorned with unique, hand-designed flowers, inviting viewers to pause, pluck their floral of choice, write a note on the back, and mail it off, sending a little piece of the exhibition to someone they love—all from within the gallery. The gesture recalls the universal symbolism of flowers and the lost art of hand-written mail. Transforming a small act of connection into a lasting, collaborative art experience. Explore the audio tour, extended content, and ongoing virtual exhibition on Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app. Part of our 2026 "We Hold These Truths" programming. Funding for this program provided by the National Endowment for the Arts Send Flowers is made possible in part by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund. Duluth Art Institute
Kids in the Galleries
The DAI Galleries welcome guests of all ages. Here are some helpful guidelines to ensure our youngest visitors can enjoy the artwork in a way that is safe and respectful of the space, the artwork, and other gallery guests.
- Please do not touch the art! Parents, please hold the hands of kids that may be too young to remember this rule.
- The galleries are a place for careful walking, no running or playing. Always pay attention to where you are going so you don’t walk into any artwork.
- The artwork may deal with difficult or mature themes at times. Pay attention to content warning signage, and ask a DAI team member if you have questions about the content of a specific exhibition before introducing it to a young viewer.
- All children must be closely accompanied by an adult at all times.
- Ask at the front desk about coloring pages, activity books, or other handouts.
- Use the QR codes or Bloomberg Connects lookup numbers to listen to exhibition audio tours. The Bloomberg Connects app and website is free and great for non-readers and readers alike.
Upcoming Exhibitions
January 1, 2026 December 31, 2026 America/Chicago 2026 Exhibitions : We Hold These Truths Introducing the 2026 Exhibition Theme As we planned our exhibitions for 2026, the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the DAI team and a panel of regional arts professionals asked one powerful question: What is American art? We reached a clear conclusion: American identity holds many truths—complex, diverse, and sometimes contradictory—and art uniquely expresses every story, perspective, challenge, and hope that shapes our nation’s past and present. In 2026, we invite you to explore these truths with us. Throughout the year, we’ll host exhibitions, classes, and programs that celebrate the many facets of American art and identity. Reflect, create, and share with us: What does your truth look like? Read more about the theme Exhibition Schedule Q1: Truths of Culture and HistoryOn view January 12–April 3, 2026 Fur Trade Nation: An Ojibwe’s Graphic HistoryCarl Gawboy Ojibwe Adornment In Ribbons, Cloth, Beads, and FurWendy Savage Part of our 2026 "We Hold These Truths" programming.Funding provided by the Minnesota Humanities Center and the National Endowment for the Arts Q2: Truths of Community 2026 Annual Member ShowTheme: We Hold These Truths Part of our 2026 "We Hold These Truths" programming.Funding provided by the National Endowment for the Arts Q3: Truths of Visual Language Ish Meets a MermaidJonathan Thunder, Vera Bianchini, Camila Guillen Send FlowersCody Paulson and Stephen Pestalozzi Part of our 2026 "We Hold These Truths" programming.Funding provided by the National Endowment for the Arts Q4: Truths of Self and Materials Material DrivenAndrew Webster Applied PressureRobb Quisling RootedLauren Faherty Part of our 2026 "We Hold These Truths" programming.Funding provided by the National Endowment for the Arts We Hold These Truths Events and Classes [tribe_events tag="We Hold These Truths" view="list"] Thank You to Our 2026 Exhibition Advisory Panel Christina Woods, Deb Eagle, Tia Keobounpheng, Paul LaJeunesse, Wendy Savage, Jesse Switters, Madeline Kayser, Aurora Webster, Meg Litts, Robb Quisling, Jonathan Thunder, Sam Zimmerman Duluth Art Institute
October 19, 2026 December 21, 2026 America/Chicago Applied Pressure Register for Art Night Out, Thursday, October 29 About the Exhibition Robb Quisling turns inward, investigating ways objects become conduits for interpersonal connection—vessels that carry the weight of memory, at times offering release or further desire. Applied Pressure presents paintings, prints, and sculptural work, each offering a moment in time that reveals a story. As you move through the exhibition, each stop will invite you to consider and respond to a question. Quisling asks us to consider the pressures we place on ourselves and the ways we are shaped by the expectations and influences that surround us. Who really holds control… yourself, or another? From Artist Robb Quisling This exhibition has given me the opportunity to indulge in some compulsive behavior and to find some relief. I usually start by becoming overly attracted to an object, which I collect and carry around. Eventually, the object seems to imprint on me and becomes more pliable. It will cooperate with me to solve a problem. We regulate our emotions, relationships, our bodies, impulses, and behaviors to try to be socially acceptable by holding things in or letting them out. The objects in this exhibition became a way for me to think about these behaviors without having to illustrate them literally. I can look back on a finished piece and see what I was thinking and why. Duluth Art Institute
October 19, 2026 December 21, 2026 America/Chicago Rooted Register for Art Night Out, Thursday, October 29 About the Exhibition Lauren Faherty brings to the table the lineage of women’s craft traditions. The works highlight how craft practices such as quilting and needlework record histories often excluded from official narratives. Craft preserves lived experience—familial and communal. Fahery shares, “I am a direct continuation of this learning—my grandmother, a talented craftswoman, taught my mother, who in turn taught me. This connection to textiles, passed down through these women, grounds my artistic approach and understanding of craft as a living legacy.” Through material choices and processes, Faherty reveals how craft becomes an archive of truth. “Gathering” “Gathering,” an interactive, community-based project, sits as a centerpiece of the exhibition—a tablecloth that has been embroidered over several months. Accompanying the work are photographs documenting the life and history of the work as it traveled through communal dinner parties, picnics, and “crafternoons.” Sit at the table and become part of the material history of the work. From Artist Lauren Faherty Generations of women in my family added beauty to their lives and homes through crafted textiles. Central to this practice was the embroidered tablecloth; in joining around the table, people connected, shared ideas, and learned from one another. Duluth Art Institute
October 19, 2026 December 21, 2026 America/Chicago Material Driven Register for Art Night Out, Thursday, October 29 About the Exhibition Andrew Webster, a carpenter by trade, shares a profound respect for the histories embedded in wood and construction materials. His work reflects a lineage of craft in his family’s labor, where no object is considered waste, but seen as potential and a keeper of memory. Something as simple as scrap wood, metal, or glass, for Webster, is as significant as a finished artwork. These materials carry a narrative of place, time, and personal connection. Material Driven asks the audience to consider the relationship they have with the objects they consume, and how these interactions affect the world around them. From Artist Andrew Webster We are all consumers of goods and resources. There was a time when the planet could keep up with our desire for growth in building and expanding. My hope is that these materials will be recognized and appreciated for their intrinsic value and beauty. There is beauty in the ordinary that is often unseen or overlooked. All material has story, history, and context, significance and value. Sometimes the story itself is the value. My intent is to invite the viewer to consider the story or the life of the material, what it was, where it came from, how it arrived in its current form or application. Duluth Art Institute
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