At a reception on Friday, Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert announced the selection of artists whose work is now showcased in the Mayor’s Reception Room. Work from landscape photographers Rick Rice and Stephanie Irwin will remain in the room through 2025.

“It’s not just about making a room into a space and into a little bit of a gallery exhibit so that folks I need to meet with also get to see this work. It’s about the feel. It’s about the sense that art creates,” said Mayor Reinert. “I always say the arts are what make us human, and so the opportunity they have, not just the public space to do that, but also artists that are willing to do that is really important.”

Rick Rice is a long-time Duluthian and uses the region’s natural beauty as a muse in his landscape photography. This includes sunrises and sunsets, the aurora borealis, and the Northland’s vast landscapes. Rice uses his photography to capture our region’s essence and communicate the awe it inspires in him to his audience.

“I think in particular, I just hope that during this next year, people are able to see these photographs and know that this is such an amazing place and a great place to live,” said Rice. “We’ve got our biggest lake in the world right here, Lake Superior, and it just gives us tremendous view. Sunrises over Lake Superior are the best that it gets.”

Stephanie Irwin is a self-taught hobbyist photographer and focuses on landscape and maritime subjects. Her love of the Great Lakes, regardless of weather conditions, shines evident in her photography. Irwin lives in Duluth and is a full-time gastroenterologist at Tamarak Health Ashland Medical Center.

“I became interested in photography when I moved to Duluth,” said Irwin. “I feel like this area affords so much beauty, whether it’s sunrises, the shipping industry, or the northern lights. That just really piqued my interest, and I picked up a camera and it went from there.”

The reception lasted for two hours and allowed members of the public to view the artwork, interact with the artists, and meet the new City Administrator, Matthew Staehling.

“I have to say that the warm welcome from everyone I’ve met, Duluthians, staff, everyone has exceeded my expectations. It’s just been such an amazing warm welcome, which leads me to believe that this is just going to be the amazing community that I hope it would be,” said Staehling.