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Photo credit: Jordan Bissell

4431 East Superior Street • Duluth, MN 55804 • (218) 606-1177

As of June, 2016, the Northland gained a new gallery. Found next to Amity Coffee, Lakeside Gallery is now offering a variety of art mediums to Duluth’s east end. We had the opportunity to talk with owner and operator, Aaron Kloss, also a well known painter in the area and long time Duluthian, who originally moved here in 1995 to attend UMD.

Reader:  What inspired you to open a gallery in Duluth?

AK:  I’d been showing art in galleries in Duluth and the region for about five years, and had been showing art at Amity Coffee next door for a couple of years. Then the space next to Amity became available, and so I started kicking around the idea of opening a gallery. There wasn’t one in this part of town, and I live in the area, so it’s just kind of a place that made sense for a lot of reasons.

Reader:  Did you mostly start with your own art, or gather other artists?

AK:  I gathered other artists, it has some my paintings, but I really want the gallery to feature local artists, and a wide variety of all of the creative talent we have in the area. We have about 60 different artists in the gallery right now, and each month (aside from this January), we have a different featured artist and a little reception event (usually the first Saturday of the month). It’s a great way to help the artist out, and get the community involved.

Reader:  Do you just use it as a viewing gallery, or does it also function as a shop?

AK:  It’s a shop. We’re open 10 am to 5 pm, Tuesday through Saturday, (and sometimes by appointment).

Reader:  So I see on your website that you do landscape paintings, is that your main focus?

AK:  Yep, I paint landscapes in acrylic on black canvas, very distinctive style using one brush stroke. I paint local scenes and buildings, landscapes and animals, those types of things.

Reader:  Do you usually stick with paintings for the shops, or do you carry other mediums?

AK:  Everything from acrylic, oil, to watercolors. We had a couple different watercolor artists with the Lake Superior Watercolor Society, we’ve had a couple photographers, and Don Devlin who’s a local potter, he had a show here as well. So yes, a variety.

Reader:  Anything coming up soon for events at the gallery?

AK:  In February, we have local photographer, Joe Polacek having a show here… That will be Saturday, February 4th, from 1 to 3 pm.

Reader:  Is there anything you’d like the community to know about the gallery?

AK:  When we first opened, we had a Student Exhibition, we haven’t had the chance to do another one yet, but that’s something I’d like to work towards again in the future, having something involved with the local schools.