North Shore Arts Scene

Ah, the second week of September is here, and we can look forward to two stellar events:  Plein Air Grand Marais and North House Folk School‘s Unplugged xvii. Lots to do and see. And, of course, as the photograph above shows, fall colors are starting in the woods, and the weather has been perfect.

Plein Air Grand Marais, co-sponsored by the Johnson Heritage Post and Outdoor Painters of Minnesota, has been on-going for almost a week now and early paintings from the artists’ work are beginning to be emerge.

On Wednesday night, Yellow Bird Fine Art held an opening exhibit for the painters in the Open Class at the gallery’s annex.  Plein air painter Marge Brackin won first place with her painting, “Red Cliff.” The award includes an invitation to participate in the juried competition next year.

All the paintings submitted for the Open Class show will be on exhibit at Yellow Bird Fine Art Gallery through Sunday.

Meanwhile, Plein Air Grand Marais continues. First up is a panel discussion with three of Minnesota’s internationally-acclaimed painters – Jeffrey T. Larson, Mary Petti  and Andy Evansen at the Johnson Heritage Post at noon on Thursday. They will discuss the history and importance of plain air painting. The public is invited.

Then, at 3 p.m. on Thursday, the painters will gather on Artist’s Point for one of the most popular events of the week: The Quick Paint. Painters are given an hour to complete a painting and then display them along the shore. The public is invited to watch as empty canvases are transformed into beauteous renditions of the North Shore and Lake Superior. The event is held from 3-5 p.m.

Afterwards, the painters will gather at the Harbor Picnic Shelter at the Grand Marais Municipal Campground to sing, play music along with OPM’s ad-hoc band “The Plein Errors,” and celebrate the week’s painting achievements.

On Friday, look for the gala opening reception at the Johnson Heritage Post from 6-8 p.m., where more than 300 paintings by 75 plein air painters will be on exhibit through Oct. 7. It will be a fun time as the paintings themselves are extraordinary, and there’s lots of excitement as the awards are announced. Overall awards will be given for 1st-3rd place, as well as Best Historic Place and the Sense of Place Award. There will also be Night Paint awards and Quick Paint Awards as well an award for the winner of the Berney Quick Artist’s Choice competition.

It’s a little early to show what the painters have done, but we did find two great Night Paints. Look for more photos of the paintings next week.

 

Meanwhile, North House Folk School‘s Unplugged xvii, is on-going as well. This very popular event  runs from Sept. 14-16, and features lots of music, craft, and storytelling as well as classes, a Folk Artisan Marketplace and an on-line auction.

The Folk Artisan Marketplace opens on Friday from noon to 7 p.m. and will also be held from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday. Look for baskets, felted goods, carved bowls and spoons, jewelry, leather goods, and more.

Artisans this year will include Beth Dow, Carol Dunn, Marybeth Garmoe, Todd Hawkinson, Mike Loeffler, Cathryn Peters, Alex Yerks, Kim Garrett and Rebecca Utecht.

Also on Friday night, North House will host the Birchbark Bash from 5-9 p.m. featuring a live craft performance by Jögge Sundqvist, a multi-course dinner by Scott Graden of the New Scenic Cafe and a live auction. All proceeds go to support the educational mission of North House. Tickets are still available! Call 387-9762 for more info.

There are a wide variety of classes and min-classes offered on Saturday, too, including a chance to join the choir for a performance on Saturday night, learn about the Ukulele with Prudence Johnson as well as a Viking cooking demonstration.

On Saturday night is the Unplugged performance, which begins at 7 p.m. This year’s line-up includes storyteller Kevin Kling and singer/songwriters Marc Anderson, Dan Chouinard,  Bradley Greenwald, Prudence Johnson, Simone Perrin, Claudia Schmidt and Dane Stauffer will perform. This is always a great concert and fills the big tent at North House.

Tickets are still available. Click here for more info and tickets.

There are other activities and events this weekend, too.

On Friday, the Minnesota Zoomobile will be at the Grand Marais Public Library from 4-5 p.m. The Zoomobile includes live animals, storytelling, research techniques and audience participation to create a fun program for all ages. All invited. Free.

On Saturday, the Cook County Market, featuring work by a variety of local artists and artisans, opens in the Senior Center parking lot at 9 a.m. and runs to 1 p.m.

Up the Gunflint Trail, Gunflint Lodge will host a Fall Color Ride from 9:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. on trails in the Superior National Forest. Call 388-2294 for reservations.

Also on Saturday, Amy Lucas-Peroceski, who wrote “Arthur Zac’s Amazing Zebras,” will talk about her book at the Grand Marais Public Library at 10:30 a.m.

The second part of the program will feature how to draw a zebra on 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock. Preschoolers will paint with water soluble oil pastels. Adults will further enhance their zebra by adding background to the picture. The event is free and open to the public.

And at 2 p.m.on Saturday, Staci Drouillard will give a presentation at Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center on the Gunflint Trail.

Drouillard’s grandfather, Fred Drouillard and grandmother, Lola, had worked at Chik-Wauk Resort in the 1930s and 1940s. Fred was a fishing guide on Saganaga Lake and Lola cooked three meals a day at the resort. Fred and Lola would spend every summer at Chik-Wauk living in the Raven’s Nest cabin. Staci’s father, Francis, started work as a bait and dock helper at Chik-Wauk and by the age of 16, was working as a fishing guide alongside his dad. The presentation is free.

Exhibits:

 Landscape painter Greg Prelicka  is exhibiting his work in the Great Hall at Tettegouche State Park through October.

In Duluth, the Duluth Art Institute will host an opening reception for two new exhibits from 6-9 p.m. on Thursday. “Land/People” by Amanda Breitbach explores the decline of family farming and the emotional and spiritual issues that underlie the human relationship to land, making larger, universal relationships visible through Breitbach’s, and her family’s own experiences in Montana.

The DAI is also opening an exhibit by Aaron Squadroni entitled “Mesabi Land Portraits.” His work is centered on mining imagery and metalpoint drawing techniques. This particular exhibit focuses on the Hull Rust mine in Hibbing, one of the largest open-pit mines in the world.  Both artists will be at the opening reception. All invited.

In Thunder Bay, Christi Belcourt‘s exhibit: “Uprising: The Power of Mother Earth, A Retrospective with Isaac Murdoch” continues at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery with a great selection of her work.

Also in Thunder Bay, check out the new art murals by the diE Active Art Collective on Cooke Steet in Waterfront District downtown.

 Also in Thunder Bay, the Baggage Building Arts Center is exhibiting costumes created for the plays they have produced there.

 Upcoming:

 The North Shore Music Association is bringing Pura Fé to the Arrowhead Center for the Arts on Sept. 22. Co-founder of the Indigenous women’s a capella trio Ulali and member of the Tuscarora Indian Nation, Pura Fé is recognized for bringing Native contemporary music to the forefront of the mainstream music industry. Her group, Ulali, played the music for Sherman Alexie’s movie, “Smoke Signals.” She will perform at solo concert starting 7:30 p.m. Here’s an example of her music:

And, starting on Sept. 28 and running through Oct. 7, the Fall Studio Tour will be held in Cook County. Featuring work by more than 50 local artists in studios and galleries throughout the county, the tour offers visitors the chance to see new work and talk to the artists who made it.

For many featured artists, these 10 days are the only time they open their studios to the public all year. Access to some of the artists featured on the fall art tour is limited, since they do only a few art shows per year and limited online sales.  “We have had customers fly in from around the country to come to the Studio Tour,” said Dan and Lee Ross, who are sculpture and print artists. This year, Lee Ross will debut her new glass work.

Last year, there were more than 1,350 fall art tour visitors. The art tour also features a variety of demonstrations and talks by the artists. Stay tuned for details. For more info, click here.

Music:

Here’s the music schedule for this week:

Thursday, Sept. 13:

• Gordon Thorne & the Wildcats, North Shore Winery, 6 p.m.
• Frozen Britches, Cascade Lodge Pub, 6 p.m.
• Plucked Up String Band, Gun Flint Tavern, 7 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 14:

• Kyle Ollah, Voyageur Brewing, 4 p.m.
• Jim & Michele Miller, Bluefin Grille, 9 p.m.
• Don Juan Trio, Wunderbar, 8 p.m.
• TBA, Gun Flint Tavern, 8 p.m.
• The Millers, Bluefin,  8 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 15:

• Jim & Michele, Cascade Lodge Restaurant, 6 p.m.
• Cook County’s Most Wanted, Grandma Ray’s, 7 p.m.
• Ghost Wagon, Wunderbar, 8 p.m.
• Dance Party with DJ Beavstar, Papa Charlie’s, 9:30 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 16:

• Briand Morrison, Mogul’s Grille, 10 a.m.
• Ghost Wagon, Wunderbar Brunch, 11 a.m.
• Eric Frost, North Shore Winery, 2 p.m.
• Open Stage with Joe Paulik, Wunderbar, 6 p.m.
• Jim & Michele Miller, Gun Flint Tavern, 7 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 17:

• Trevor James Americana Rebel, Monday Night Songwriter Series, Papa Charlie’s, 8:30 p.m.
• Joe Paulik, Bluefin Bay, 9 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept, 19:

• Gordon Thorne, Bluefin Bay, 9 p.m.

We found lots of photos this week:

First, a flower:

And a mushroom:

And a sunrise spider web:

We found a few wildlife shots:

 

Here are some sunrises and sunsets.

 

 

 

And a great northern lights shot:

And here is water:

 

And finally, this beauty:

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

 

(Psst: If you enjoy reading NorthShore ArtScene every week, consider making a donation today. And Thank You!)

 

 

 

September is always busy on the North Shore, with music festivals and art events, as well as the beauteous colors of fall that start popping out all over. We are already getting reports of Moose Maples turning red and some maple trees have already started declaring that fall is here.

Meanwhile, we get to enjoy a lot of art and music. This month, look for the WTIP’s Radio Waves Music Festival this weekend and North House Folk School‘s “Unplugged” next weekend. Also, the Grand Marais Plein Air Competition and Exhibit starts on Friday as artists get their canvases and set out to paint the county for a week. Their work will be on exhibit at the Yellow Bird Fine Art Gallery next Wednesday and at the Johnson Heritage Post on Friday. At the end of the month, the Fall Studio Tour opens, with art events up and down Cook County through Oct. 7.

Here are some details:

First up is the on-going instructor-in-residence program at North House Folk School, where instructors give demonstrations of their work on Thursday through Sunday and offer a mini-class on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. This week, Jess Hirsch will talk about and demonstrate natural dying of wood.

The public is invited to come watch her work. To register for the min-class, call North House at 387-9762 or drop by. All welcome.

This is the weekend for WTIP’s 11th annual Radio Waves Music Festival, which draws hundreds of people to Sweetheart’s Bluff in the Grand Marais Recreation Park to listen to an incredible variety of music for three days.

Radio Waves  kicks off at 4 p.m. on Friday  with the Cook County Community Swing Band. More than 30 acts are scheduled to perform during the 3-day festival.

This music festival is a great opportunity for the community to get together and celebrate. There is children’s tent, food vendors and campsites available for those who want to spend the entire weekend enjoying the music.

Local bands are always well represented at this music festival and this year is no exception. There are also bands from around the region and the Carpenter Ants, which are coming from West Virginia to play the Saturday night show and the Gospel Hour on Sunday morning.

Here is the complete schedule of music for the weekend, courtesy of WTIP Community Radio.

Friday, Sept. 7:

4:00 – 5:00 pm	North Shore Community Swing Band
5:10 – 5:50 pm	SVEA
6:00 – 6:40 pm	Dlutkowskis
6:50 – 7:40 pm	Brothers in Arms
7:50 – 8:40  pm	Pete K
8:50 – 10:00 pm	Rich Mattson & the Northstars

 Saturday, Sept. 8:

11:00-11:40 am	Jim McGowan
11:50- 12:30 pm	Mysterious Ways
12:40-1:20 pm	Gene and Amy
1:30 – 2:10	Portage
2:20 – 3:00  pm	Aho Family
3:10 – 3:50 pm	Maria Nickolay
4:00-4:40 pm	Axtell
4:50-5:40 pm	Plucked Up String Band
5:50-6:30 pm	Common Ground
6:40-7:30pm	Cook County’s Most Wanted
7:40-8:20 pm	Lake Effect
8:30 pm-10:00pm	Carpenter Ants

 

Sunday, Sept. 9: 

10 to 11:30	Gospel Show with Carpenter Ants
11:40 to 12:20	Jim & Michele Miller
12:30 to 1:10	Casey Aro
1:20 to 2:00	Cherry Dirt
2:10 to 3:00	Sam Miltich and Briand Morrison
3:10 to 3:50	Gillis & Stamps
4:00 to 5:30	SplinterTones

Tickets are $10 per day, $20 for the entire weekend and can be purchased at the door. See you there!

Also this weekend, Grand Marais Plein Air begins. This year, the event is a collaboration between Outdoor Painters of Minnesota and the Johnson Heritage Post. More than  75 plain air painters have registered for the event, and they will be painting throughout the county for the next week. Their work will be exhibited in two galleries this year: Yellow Bird Fine Art Gallery will hold an opening reception from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 12, for the plain air painters registered for the Open Class. A gala reception and award event will be held at the Johnson Heritage Post from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 14, featuring up to 300 plain air paintings by artists juried into the show. Jeffrey T. Larson is the juror this year.

This year’s Plein Air festival will have a number of new features, including demonstrations, art events for kids, daily paint-outs at locations around the county, and 13 mini workshops taught by well-known plein air artists throughout the region. David Gilsvik starts out the workshop series on Saturday. Other well-known presenters include Neil Sherman, Lisa Stauffer, Michele Combs, Tom McGregor, Kami Mendlik, Matt Kania and more. The cost of a workshop is $50. To find out more, see www.outdoorpaintersofminnesota.org.

There will be a Quick Paint on Artist’s Point again this year. It will be held from 3-5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 13, and is open to the public. For more information and to see the complete schedule, click here.

Also this weekend, visit the Cook County Market in the Senior Center parking lot from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. The market features a wide variety of arts and crafts by local residents.

And on Wednesday author and environmentalist Grant Merritt will be at the Grand Marais Public Library at noon to discuss his recently published book, “Iron & Water.”

Exhibits:

The exhibit, “Fragments of the North: Oil Paintings by Reid Thorpe” continues at the Johnson Heritage Post gallery through Sunday.

The Heritage Post id closed on Tuesdays. It is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays through Saturdays, and from 1-4 p.m. Sundays.

An abstract painting exhibit is currently on view in the studio gallery at Yellow Bird Fine Art.

It’s one of those “by chance,” exhibits… It will be up until Sept. 12, and then up again after Sept. 15 through Sept. 28. Worth checking out.

Betsy Bowen will be exhibiting her work at The Edge Center for the Arts in Big Fork, with a reception set for Friday, Sept. 9 from 5-7 p.m. The exhibit continues through Sept. 29.

 

In Thunder Bay, Christi Belcourt’s exhibit, “Uprising: The Power of Mother Earth” continues at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery. Here are two of her paintings included in the exhibit.

Upcoming:

 Tickets are still available for both North House Folk School‘s music weekend, “Unplugged,”  Sept. 14-15.

There are all kinds of events and courses being held that weekend, too, including the Birch Bark Bash, featuring Rhythm & Slöjd, a one-of-a-kind live craft and music experience by Swedish guest instructor Jögge Sundqvist.  Also included are a multi-course dinner by chef Scott Graden of New Scenic Cafe, beverages by Fulton Beer, North Shore Winery, and Voyageur Brewing, and a live auction of unique craft items and “fund-a-need” opportunities supporting North House’s programming.

On Saturday, Sept. 15, storyteller Kevin Kling, Marc Anderson, Dan Chouinard,  Bradley Greenwald, Prudence Johnson, Simone Perrin, Claudia Schmidt and Dane Stauffer come to the Unplugged stage for a show featuring stories, music, and more.

The Unplugged weekend also includes mini-courses, a speaker series, and the Folk Artisan Marketplace. For more info, click here.

Kudos:

 

Here’s the music schedule in venues in Cook County this week:

Thursday, Sept. 6:

• Jim & Michele Miller, Cascade Lodge Restaurant, 6 p.m.
• Billy Johnson, Gun Flint Tavern, 7 p.m.
• Gordon Thorne & the Wildcats, North Shore Winery, 7 p.m.
• Plucked Up String Band, Wunderbar, 7 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 7:

• Tim Fast, Voyageur Brewing, 4 p.m.
• 11th Annual Radio Waves Music Festival, Sweetheart’s Bluff, Rec Park, Grand Marais, starts at 4 p.m. and runs through Sunday.
• Al & Rod, Bluefin Grile, 8 p.m.
• The Dead Pigeons, Wudnderbar, 8 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 8:

• Radio Waves Music Festival, Sweetheart’s Bluff, Rec Park, Grand Marais
•  Sonofmel, Cascade Lodge Restaurant, 6 p.m.
• The Dead Pigeons, Gun Flint Tavern, 8 p.m.
• The Cruisers, Wunderbar, 8 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 9:

• Radio Waves Music Festival, Sweetheart’s Bluff, Rec Park, Grand Marais
• Billy Johnson, North Shore Winery, 2 p.m.
• Cookie, Skyport Lodge, 4 p.m.
• Open Stage with Joe Paulik, Wunderbar, 6 p.m.
• Tony Petersen & Jill Zimmerman, Gun Flint Tavern, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 12:

• Eric Frost, Bluefin Bay, 9 p.m.

We found some interesting photos this week.

Let’s start with a wildlife shot:

Flowers and mushrooms:

 

 

 

Light shows:

 

Landscapes and skycapes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And last, but not least:

Have a great weekend, everyone!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the weekend to just kick back and enjoy the official last days of summer on the North Shore, although, as anyone who lives here or visits well knows, there are lots of beautiful days and weeks ahead.

One of the things that artists and everyone else love about the end of August is that tomatoes are definitely ready to be picked in gardens around the county. So are lots of other fresh vegetables.

Take advantage of this and check out the Local Food Market, which is held in the parking lot at the Cook County Community Center on Thursdays from 5-6 p.m., and Saturday, at the Cook County Market in the Senior Center parking lot from 10 a.m. to noon. There’s lots of great variety the year!

And this is Basket Week at North House Folk School. There are lots of classes, demonstrations and talks as well as a Basket Marketplace, where handmade baskets will be for sale.  All events are open to the public.

The Basket Marketplace will be held tonight, Thursday, Aug. 8, in the Blue Building at North House from 6-8 p.m.

 Browse a wide selection of handmade, one-of-a-kind items in this pop-up shop and meet the artisans behind the work.

On Friday, there will a series of presentations about baskets and basketmaking from 9 a.m. to noon at North House. Judy Zugish will talk about the cedar bark baskets at 9 a.m., Tina Fung Holder and John Zasada will give a presentation about baskets of the world at 10 a.m. and Lee Zieke and Lindsay Lee will talk about willow baskets.

In the afternoon, basketmakers will give demonstrations from 1-4 p.m. on the Commons at North House. Basketmakers include Julie Kean: Birch Bark; Paula Sundet Wolf: Wattle Fences; Karen Tembruell: Cordage; Cathryn Peters: Antler Basketry; Dennis Chilcote: Folded Birch Bark Basketry and April Stone: Black Ash Basketry.

And on Saturday, instructor Paul Linden will offer tips and instructions on sharpening simple tools from knives to clippers. It’s a skill-share, and all are invited.

Also at North House, Angela Robins will be demonstrating wood carving from Thursday through Sunday. She will hold a workshop on Saturday at 10 a.m. entitled “Carving a miniature wooden stool.” Call 387-9762 for more info, or just drop by.

The Grand Marais Art Colony will hold two short workshops this weekend: Paint-A-Tile on Friday, Aug. 31 and Making Glass Window Ornaments on Saturday, Sept. 1.

Space is limited in both classes. Call the Art Colony at 387-2737 to register.

On Saturday, the Cook County Market will be held in the parking lot of the Senior Center from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. featuring a great selection of work by local artisans. All invited.

On Saturday night, Monroe Crossing will be in concert at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m.

The world-class bluegrass entertainers play a blend of classic bluegrass, bluegrass gospel, and heartfelt originals. Tickets are available at the door. To learn more about them and hear their music, click on the link below. Also, listen to the Scenic Route on WTIP on Friday to hear more.

In Duluth, this is the weekend for the monthly Downtown Duluth Arts Walk, a creation of  the Downtown Duluth Arts Collective (DDAC). Together, they represent more than 25 arts businesses/groups, individual artist studios and cultural centers that will be participating in art exhibits, gallery talks, art demonstrations, musical performances and more.

The monthly Arts Walk will be from 5 to 8 p.m. and go on into the late-night downtown scene. All invited. Free.

Marcy Podas, a resident of the Cook County Care Center, has commissioned five paintings by Jeff Niesen to be installed at the newly renovated Cook County Hospital/Care Center. Niesen, a resident of Grand Marais, is Podas’ grandson.

On Tuesday, Sept. 4, a reception to view the paintings and meet the artist will be held at the Cook County Hospital/Care Center from 6:30-8:30 p.m. All invited.

Exhibits:

“Fragments of the North: Oil Paintings” by Reid Thorpe, continues at the Johnson Heritage Post through Sept. 9.

This is a fascinating exhibit. Thorpe’s ability to paint water is truly amazing. The Heritage Post is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and Monday, and from 1-4 p.m. Sunday, It is closed on Tuesdays.

And this is the last weekend to see North Shore photographs by William Gillis on exhibit in the Great Hall at Tettegouche State Park. He will take them down on Friday.

In Duluth, the Tweed Museum of Art, on the campus of the University of Minnesota-Duluth, continues its exhibit, “Quiet Simplicity,” with a great selection of paintings from its collection.

In Thunder Bay, the Thunder Bay Art Gallery continues its exhibit, “Uprising: The Power of Mother Earth–Christi Belcourt – A Retrospective with Isaac Murdoch.

The Belcourt exhibit continues at the gallery through Nov. 25.

Upcoming:

The 11th annual Radio Waves Music Festival is next weekend, Sept. 7-9 at Sweetheart’s Bluff in the Grand Marais Rec Park. This highly anticipated fall event brings the community together for three days to enjoy music and more. More than 30 bands will perform, and there will be food, a children’s tent and lots of opportunities to dance.

New bands performing this year include the Kilborn Quartet, the Aho Family, Jim McGowan, Casey Aro, Cherry Dirt and Gillis & Stamps. And, the West Virginia Gospel group, the Carpenter Ants, return, with shows on Saturday night and the Gospel Hour on Sunday morning. Tickets are $10 per day or $20 for the weekend.

Here’s a short video to whet your appetite:

Plein Air Grand Marais begins Sept. 7, with artists from throughout the region converging on Cook County to paint what they see. It’s a really fun time for everyone, and the event culminates with an impressive exhibit at the Johnson Heritage Post.

In past years, the Grand Marais Art Colony has organized the event, but this year, the Outdoor Painters of Minnesota will collaborate with the Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery to continue the event and expand its scope with workshops, demos and daily activities to engage painters, visitors, and community members . Stay tuned for details and click here for more.

Also, the Yellow Bird Fine Art Gallery will host a separate, open exhibit for up to 35 non-Competition painters, during the Plein Air event. An opening reception will be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 12. Stay tuned.

 Opportunities:

North House Folk School has announced that there are openings for the 2019-2020 Artisan Development Program through the Folk School. It is a two-year residency and professional development program for emerging craft artisans working in traditional crafts. For more info about this great opportunity, click here.

Also, there are openings for the 2019 Craft Education Internship program at North House as well. The Craft Education Internship opens the door to the world of traditional craft. Interns experience all the facets of a small non-profit organization in addition to taking coursework in traditional craft, developing their teaching skills, and exploring the role of the folk school in today’s world. Click here to learn more.

And finally, the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council  is currently accepting applications for the Career Development and Technology/Equipment Grants. The deadline for these grants is Sept. 28. Click here for more info about the Career Development Grant.  Click here for info about the Technology/Equipment Grant.

 Music:

Here’s the music for this week:

Thursday, Aug. 30:

• North Country Fair, Wunderbar, 6 p.m.
• Joe Paulik, Music by the Campfire, Lutsen Resort, 6:30 p.m.
• Gordon Thorne & the Wildcats, North Shore Winery, 7 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 31:

• Maria Nickolay, Voyageur Brewing, 4 p.m.
• Eric Frost, Music by the Campfire, Eagle Ridge Resort, 7 p.m.
• The Federales, Gun Flint Tavern, 8 p.m.
• Alamode, Wunderbar, 8 p.m.
• Cook County’s Most Wanted, Grandma Ray’s, 8 p.m.
• Joe Paulik, Bluefin Grille, 9 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 1:

• Cook County’s Most Wanted, Birch Terrace, 3 p.m.
• Eric Frost, Cascade Lodge Restaurant, 6 p.m.
• Joe Paulik, Music on the Deck, Papa Charlie’s, 6 p.m.
• Michael Monroe, Log Cabin Concert, rural Grand Marais, 7 p.m., www.michaelmonroemusic.com
• Briand Morrison, Lutsen Resort, 7 p.m.
• Monroe Crossing, Arrowhead Center for the Arts, 7:30 p.m.
• Mysterious Ways, Grandma Ray’s, 8 p.m.
• The Federales, Gun Flint Tavern, 8 p.m.
• J Squared and the Makers, Papa Charlie’s, 8 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 1:

• Briand Morrison, Mogul’s Grille, 10 a.m.
• Cook County Swing Band, Chic-Wauk, Ice Cream Social, 12:30 p.m.
• Woodblind, Music by the Lake, Skyport Lodge, 4 p.m.
• Open Stage with Joe Paulik, Wunderbar, 6 p.m.
• The Federales, Gun Flint Tavern, 7 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 2

• The Red Dog Band, Gun Flint Tavern, 8 p.m.
• Pete Kavanaugh, Bluefin Bay, 9 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 3:

• Gordon Thorne, Bluefin Bay, 9 p.m.

Here are some of the photos we found this week.

First, wildlife:

 

 

Not wildlife, but wild food:

 

And here’s a geat shot of huge raindrops on a spider web.

The northern lights made an appearance this week. It was a little foggy on the North Shore, but our photographers still managed to capture some images.

Here’s another great skyscape:

And a moonscape:

Sunsets and sunrises:

 

 

The beauties of solitude:

And finally, the beauties of fall.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

(P.S. If NorthShore ArtScene has become a mainstay for you, click here to make a donation. And thank you!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lots happening on the North Shore this weekend, including a blues/rock band from Chicago, two writer’s events and a great watercolor demonstration by Tara Sweeney, not to mention exhibits and lots of great music.

First up is a live craft demonstration at North House Folk School by Beth Dow, instructor in residence this week. Dow, who is an artist and teacher who lives in Minneapolis, is interested in contemporary applications for traditional crafts. She will be on campus demonstrating leathercraft from Thursday through Sunday and will teach a mini-course ” Sew a Leather Wallet” at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

For more info, and to register for the class, contact North House at 387-9762.

And on Thursday night, the North Shore Music Association will hold a fundraiser at the Wunderbar featuring The Lucky Dutch, one of Chicago’s best blues/rock bands.

The band began as an indie band that performed extensively around Chicago’s bar and festival scene. Since then, the band has toured the country and released two LPs: “Bury the Night” in 2014, and “Cadillac Coffin” in 2016. Lucky Dutch Guitarist Nathan Graham has performed as a guitarist on the Chicago blues scene since age 15, working and touring with musicians such as Buddy Guy, BB King, and Koko Taylor. Other band members include Claire Corriveau (vocals), David Padula (bass) and Ben Dacoba (percussion.)

This should be a fun event. (Note: The Wunderbar has a great dance floor.) Admission is free but donations appreciated. Here’s a video of one of their songs. Just in, they’ll be on WTIP at 4 p.m. today.

On Friday, check out all the live music opportunities in venues in the county. Bands include Easy Riders, Portage, Gene Lafond and Amy Grillo, The Lark and the Loon, Sarah Morris & the Sometimes Guys, Northeast Timberland Band and Shoot from the Hipsters. See the music schedule below for times and places.

Saturday kicks off with the Cook County Market, which is held in the parking lot of the Cook County Senior Center from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The market features a wide variety of local artists and artisans as well as local vegetables, which arrive at the market at 10 a.m.

On Saturday night, author Brenda Child and artist Jonathan Thunder will be featured in a Writer’s Salon at Drury Lane Books at 7 p.m. Child and Thunder have collaborated on a children’s book, “Bowwow Powwow,” and includes a companion retelling in Ojibwe by Gordon Jourdain. Thunder’s vibrant dreamscapes illustrate the work.

At the Writer’s Salon, Child and Thunder will read from the book and discuss the making of the story and the Ojibwe translation process. All invited, Free.

Drury Lane Books continues its focus on children’s books on Sunday with a Full Moon Reading outside by the bonfire. Local authors will read from their own work and/or the work of others starting at 7:30 p.m. All invited.

And on Wednesday, Aug. 29, watercolor artist, Tara Sweeney, will give a watercolor demonstration at the Grand Marais Art Colony at 7 p.m.

Sweeney will demonstrate her award-winning approach to watercolor. Regardless of subject matter or location, she follows watercolor’s strong lead with a split-primary, limited palette and a three-layer, four-value (hold-the-whites!) approach to embrace the aqueous blends and vibrant brushwork of this lively medium. This event is free and open to all; no pre-registration is required.

 Exhibits:

 The Johnson Heritage Post is exhibiting a spectacular exhibit of oil paintings by Reid Thorpe. Entitled “Fragments of the North,” the exhibit features Thorpe’s journey through the beauties of the Northwoods.

Thorpe has exhibited at the Johnson Heritage Post before. He was one of the artists featured in an exhibit of work by graduates of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design that was held at the Heritage Post last year. Thorpe’s exhibit continues through Sept. 9. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and Monday, and from 1-4 p.m. Sunday. It is closed on Tuesdays. By the way, the Johnson Heritage Post has a new web site. Check it out here.

Photographer William Gillis is the featured artist at Tettegouche State Park this month. His work is on display in the Great Hall.

In Duluth, the Tweed Museum of Art continues its exhibit: “In Solidarity: Revolutionary Women of Print.”

The exhibit continues through Sept. 9. The Tweed is located on the campus of the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

Jonathan Thunder’s exhibit continues at the Duluth Art Institute through Aug. 30, when he will give an artist talk about the exhibit at 7 p.m.

In Thunder Bay, Christi Belcourt’s retrospective, “Uprising: The Power of Mother Earth” with Isaac Murdoch, continues at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery. A retrospective exhibition reaches back across an artist’s career to gather work reflective of changing interests and techniques. Below is a relatively early canvas of hers, and comes to the gallery from a private collection.

The Definitely Superior Art Gallery in Thunder Bay is closed through Sept. 10, but the public is invited to walk down Cooke Street in the Waterfront District to view the new art murals by the Die Active Art Collective.

 Upcoming:

 North House Folk School will hold a Basket Marketplace on Thursday, Aug. 30 from 6-8 p.m. The event is part of Basket Week at North House.

Basketmakers who will be exhibiting include: Julie Kean, Paula Sundet Wolf, Karen Tembruell, Cathryn Peters, Dennis Chilcote, April Stone, Tina Fung Holder, Lindsay Lee, Lee Zieke, Jackson Sneve and Judy Zugish. The baskets are crafted in a wide variety of materials, including cedar, birch, black ash and willow. For more info, click here.

A Paint-A-Tile workshop will be held at the Grand Marais Art Colony from 1-2:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 31. Participants will learn about ancient Majolica glazes and paint two tiles, which will fired and available for pick-up on Sunday, Sept. 2.

For more information and to register, call the Grand Marais Art Colony at 387-2737.

Duluth will hold the Downtown Arts Walk from 5-8 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 31. The Arts Walk is a creation of the Downtown Duluth Arts Collective and includes art exhibits, gallery talks, demonstrations, performances and more. Stay tuned for details.

The 11th annual Radio Waves Music Festival is set for Sept. 7-9 at Sweetheart’s Bluff in the Grand Marais Rec Park. More than 25 acts are included in this great event, include two performances by the West Virginia gospel group, the Carpenter Ants. The festival also features a Kid’s Tent, and and food vendors.

For more information about the line-up and volunteer opportunities, click here.

Here’s the music schedule for this week:

Thursday, Aug. 23:

• Easy Riders, Wunderbar, 5 p.m.
• Frozen Britches, Cascade Lodge Restaurant, 6 p.m.
• Joe Paulik, Music by the Campfire, Lutsen Resort, 6:30 p.m.
• Lucky Dutch, benefit for the NorthShore Music Association, Wunderbar, 7 p.m.
• Gordon Thorne, Date Night at the North Shore Winery, 7 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 24:

• Easy Riders, Voyageur Brewing, 4 p.m.
• Portage, Grandma Ray’s, 6 p.m.
• Gene Lafond and Amy Grillo, Eagle Ridge Resort, 7 p.m.
• The Lark and the Loon, Gun Flint Tavern, 8 p.m.
• Sarah Morris & the Sometimes Guys, Wunderbar, 8 p.m.
• Northeast Timberland Band, Bluefin Grille, 9 p.m.
• Shoot from the Hipsters, Grandma Ray’s, 9 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 25:

• Cook County’s Most Wanted, Birch Terrace, 3 p.m.
• North Country Fair, Cascade Lodge Restaurant, 6 p.m.
• J Squared and the Makers, Papa Charlie’s, 6 p.m.
• Common Ground, Lutsen Resort, 7 p.m.
• Easy Riders, Gun Flint Tavern, 8 p.m.
• BlueTones, Grandma Ray’s, 8 p.m.
• Timmy Haus, Papa Charlie’s, 9:30 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 26:

• Briand Morrison, Mogul’s Grille, 10 a.m.
• Bill & Kates Isles, Wunderbar, 11 a.m.
• Plucked Up String Band, Music by the Lake, Skyport Lodge, 4 p.m.

 Monday, Aug. 27:

• Joshua Schmidt – Monday Songwriter Series, Papa Charlie’s. 8:30 p.m.
• Eric Frost, Bluefin Bay, 9 p.m.

Tuesday, Aug. 28:

• Joe Paulik, Gun Flint Tavern, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 29:

• Joe Paulik, Wunderbar, 11 a.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 29:

• Briand Morrison, Bluefin Bay, 9 p.m.

Here are some of the photos we found this week:

First, a potpourri …

 

 

 

Landscapes …

 

 

 

Sunrises …

 

A beautiful nightscape …

And finally, a lucky visit …

Have a great weekend, everyone!

To help support NorthShore ArtScene, click the link below. And thank you!

 

 

 

 

 

It’s the heart of summer in Grand Marais right now. It’s a perfect temperature, the skies are bluer than blue, Lake Superior is (almost) swimmable, and there’s plenty to do outdoors and in. Here are some ideas.

First up is an opportunity to learn something about bushcraft at North House Folk School with Lindy Lind, the instructor-in-residence this week.

Lind can walk a path in the woods and find all kinds of useful stuff. And, he can make clever things with what he finds as well. He will be doing demonstrations from Thursday to Sunday on the North House campus and will be teaching a short mini-class on Saturday morning. For more info and to register for the class, call 387-9762.

Anybody who writes anything (from novels to emails) are invited to a meeting  of the Grand Marais Writer’s Guild at the Grand Marais Public Library tonight, Thursday, Aug. 16,  from 6-7 p.m.. Led by Grand Marais published writer Rose Arrowsmith-DeCoux, the meeting features discussions about writing, writing prompts and more. Free.

Friday is a good day for art in Grand Marais.

First up is a Paint-A-Tile workshop that will be held in the ceramics studio at the  Grand Marais Art Colony from 1-2:30 p.m. Participants are invited to explore the colorful world of Majolica glazes and try their hand at it.

Each student will be able to pick out and then paint two tiles with their own unique designs. The tiles will be glaze-fired and available for pickup on Sunday, Aug.19. The workshop is open to ages 12 and older. For more info and to register, call the Art Colony at 387-2737. The next Paint-A-Tile workshop is Aug. 31.

Then, on Friday, night, the Johnson Heritage Post will hold an opening reception for “Fragments of the North,” an exhibition of oil paintings by Reid Thorpe.

Reid Thorpe has a studio/gallery in Chaska, and  exhibited with the Minneapolis College of Art & Design Alumni group at the Johnson Heritage Post last year. The opening reception is from 5-7 p.m. on Friday. Refreshments will be served. The exhibit continues through Sept. 9. The Heritage Post is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and Monday, and from 1-4 p.m. Sunday. It is closed on Tuesdays.

For live music, check the schedule below. Also, tune into WTIP’s The Roadhouse on Friday night from 5-7 for a whole program of music. Singer songwriter Peter Mayer will be on the show to talk about his music and play a few songs as will singer/songwriter Jerry Vandiver and fiddle player Lacie Carpenter. Vandiver is playing a number of different venues in the county this weekend. Mayer will be in concert at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts on Saturday night. (For details, see below.)

Saturday begins with the Cook County Market, which features a variety of artists and artisans displaying their work in the Senior Center parking lot.

The Market is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is held every Saturday through mid-October.

Lynn Speaker is teaching a fascinating workshop at the Grand Marais Art Colony this weekend, too. Entitled “Looking at Landscape,” the class will examine a number of concepts of landscape art.

How are landscapes perceived and experienced? What role do artists play at the intersection of nature and culture? Speaker will guide students through an investigation of landscape art by looking at a variety of scientific, historical, and cultural perspectives, and students will participate in art-making exercises to illustrate their own experiences with landscape. For more info and to sign up for the class, call 387-2737 or click here.

On Saturday night, the North Shore Music Association brings Peter Mayer to the Arrowhead Center for the Arts for a concert at 7:30 p.m.

Mayer writes songs for a small planet–songs about interconnectedness and the human journey, about the beauty and the mystery of the world. Here’s an example:

Tickets are available at the door or online at www.tix.com.

 Exhibits:

 There are some interesting exhibits in galleries up and down the North Shore. Here’s a selection.

Photographer William Gillis is exhibiting his work in the Great Hall at Tettegouche State Park this month.

An new exhibit has just opened at the Dr. Robert Powless Cultural Center at the American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO). Entitled “Endangered,” the exhibit features exquisite papercuts of endangered species in the world by Ellen Sandbeck and paintings by  illustrating the history of wild rising and how it is threatened.

 

The “Endangered” exhibit continues at AICHO through the end of August. AICHO is located at 202 W. 2nd St. in Duluth.

The Duluth Art Institute is featuring three exhibits this month, including paintings by Chholing Taha.

CreeFirst Nations artist based in Anoka, who uses Native imagery to express both contemporary issues and indigenous stories. The exhibit continues through Sept. 2.

At the Tweed Museum of Art, the Quiet Simplicity exhibit continues.

The Definitely Superior Art Gallery in Thunder Bay is closed for summer vacation through early September, but the gallery invites the public to check out the beautiful new art murals on Cooke Street created by the Die Active Art Collective.

Christi Belcourt’s exhibit, “Uprising: The Power of Mother Earth, A Retrospective with Isaac Murdoch” continues at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery this month.

Upcoming:

The North Shore Music Association will hold a fundraiser at the Wunderbar with Lucky Dutch on Thursday, Aug. 23, at 7 p.m. Lucky Dutch is an American rock band from Illinois, formed in 2008 by guitarist Nathan Graham and singer Claire Corriveau. Graham has performed as a guitarist on the Chicago blues scene since age 15, working and touring with musicians such as Buddy Guy, BB King, and Koko Taylor. Listen to one of their songs by clicking on the link below.

 

 Kudos:

Congratulations to Hovland artist Corrie Steckelberg, who has been selected to be one of the Artists-in-Residence at the Grand Marais Art Colony in March. She joins Dana De Ano and Christine Fomi to work at the Art Colony that month.

Opportunities:

WTIP Community Radio has put out a call for volunteers to help out at the Radio Waves Music Festival at Sweetheart’s Bluff in the Rec Park Sept. 7-9.

Volunteers will get a free ticket for the day they volunteer. Postitions available in the Kid’s Tent, the membership booth and tickets and the information and prizes booth. For more info, call WTIP at 387-1070 or click here.

Window Shopping

And finally, on a personal note: I went to the Twin Cities this week to see this Emmy Award-winning band from Mali. Here’s a YouTube of one of the songs they sang. (Scroll down to read the translation.)

Here’s the music schedule for the week:

Thursday, Aug. 16:

• Pete K, Cascade Lodge Pub, 6 p.m.
• Joe Paulik, Grandma Ray’s, 6 p.m.
• Eric Frost, Music by the Campfire, Lutsen Resort, 6:30 p.m.
• Maria Nickolay, North Shore Winery, 7 p.m.
• Jerry Vandiver, Wunderbar, 7 p.m.
• Gordon Thorne & the Wildcats, Gun Flint Tavern, 8 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 17:

• Jerry Vandiver and Lacie Carpenter, Voyageur Brwing, 4 p.m.
• North Shore Community Swing Band, Grandma Ray’s, 7 p.m.
• Pete Kavanaugh, Music by the Campfire, Eagle Ridge Resort, 7 p.m.
• Space Monkey Mafia, Gun Flint Tavern, 8 p.m.
• Jim’s Country Laundry, Wunderbar, 8 p.m.
• Cook County’s Most Wanted, Grandma Ray’s, 9 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 18:

• Gene Lafond and Amy, Grillo, Cascade Lodge Pub, 6 p.m.
• Eric Frost, Papa Charlie’s deck, 6 p.m.
• Michael Monroe, Log Cabin Concert, rural Grand Marais, 7 p.m., reservations at www.michaelmonroemusic.com
• Gordon Thorne, Lutsen Resort, 7 p.m.
• Peter Mayer, Arrowhead Center for the Arts, 7:30 p.m.
• Doug Ott and the Getaways, Wunderbar, 8 p.m.
• Jerry Vandiver and Lacie Carpenter, Grandma Ray’s, 8 p.m.
• Space Monkey Mafia, Gun Flint Tavern, 8 p.m.
• Timmy Haus,Papa Charlie’s,,, 9:30 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 19:

• Briand Morrison, Mogul’s Grille, 10 a.m.
• Sky Blue Jazz Trio, Wunderbar, 11 a.m.
• Cook County’s Most Wanted, Skyport Lodge, 4 p.m.
• Open Stage with Joe Paulik, Wunderbar, 6 p.m.
• Gordon Thorne, Lutsen Resort, 7 p.m.
• Jim & Michele Miller, Gun Flint Tavern, 7 p.m.

Monday, Aug. 20:

• Mary Bue, Monday Night Songwriter Series, Papa Charlie’s, 8:30 p.m.
• Joe Paulik, Bluefin Grille, 9 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 22:

• Jam Session, Gun Flint Tavern,6:30 p.m.
• North Shore Community Band, Wunderbar, 7 p.m.

We found some great photos this week. First, wildlife:

 

 

And we found some neat plant photos.

 

 

And some skyscapes:

 

 

A cityscape:

 

A North Shore landscape:

 

And a beauty scape:

Enjoy the weekend, everyone!

 

If you’d like to support NorthShore ArtScene, make a donation today. And thanks!

 

This is the second big summer weekend in Cook County as the Grand Portage Rendezvous Days & Celebration Pow Wow gets underway. The annual event, which has been held in Grand Portage for more than 80 years, is the community’s biggest and most grand celebration, as re-enactors from across the country and Canada come to participate in its rich heritage.

The Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa hold a grand pow-wow in conjunction with the event, drawing in hundreds of dancers and drums from throughout the region. Grand Entry at the pow-wow is at 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 7 p.m. Saturday.

Visitors can expect a weekend packed with cultural events from the 1800s to 1900s, including as well as chances to try blacksmithing, arts and crafts, Native American cuisine, and recreational activities. This year’s event focuses on what it was like growing up in the fur trade era, so there are special events for children, including games and activities, workshops and music.

On Friday, there will be a special opening ceremony feauturing the Grand Portage Drum, The Stone Bridge Singers, which will take place at the historic stone bridge on the reservation, which has been recently restored. The ceremony is at 10 a.m. Check out the Stonebridge Singers here.

Everyone is invited to Grand Portage this weekend to reconnect with its historic past and the people who make up its community.

There’s lots happening in Grand Marais this weekend, too.

First up are live craft demonstrations at North House Folk School with two  instructors: Cody Myers and Kerry Lambertson Thursday through Sunday. Myers is a blacksmith and will demonstrate that craft all weekend, as well as teach a mini-course at 10 a.m. Saturday.  Lambertson will give demonstrations on violin-making and will teach a mini-class on carving a spatula on Saturday.

The public is invited to the North House campus this weekend to watch these instructors-in-residence at work. To register for the classes on Saturday, drop by or call 387-9762.

And on Thursday at 4 p.m., local author and researcher Staci Drouillard will give a presentation on “Stories of Work & Play in Chippewa City” at the Chippewa City Church, just east of Grand Marais on Hwy. 61.

Drouillard is a Grand Portage descendant with Chippewa City roots. She has an M.L.S. from the University of Minnesota Duluth and is the author of “Walking the Old Road: Stories of Chippewa City and the Grand Marais Chippewa,” a book manuscript scheduled for publication by the University of Minnesota Press in the Spring of 2019. She lives, works and writes just outside of Grand Marais, on the North Shore of Lake Superior. The presentation is open to the public. Free.

Also on Thursday, Cary Griffith, author of “Gunflint Burning” will be at Voyageur Brewing Company for a book signing at 6 p.m.

“Gunflint Burning’ tells the story of the Ham Lake fire, at the time the most destructive wildfire in modern Minnesota history.

For theater lovers, “Mom’s Gift,” an award-winning comedy, will be performed at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts at 7 p.m. Thursday. The play is one of the plays being performed for the Grand Marais Playhouse Summer Theater Festival. The next and final performance of “Mom’s Gift” is at 7 p.m. Saturday.

On Friday, Rendezvous Days & the Celebration Pow-Wow begins in Grand Portage.

In Grand Marais, there will be an informal poetry reading and time for sharing stories in honor of poet Joanne Hart from 5-7 p.m. at the Johnson Heritage Post. Hart wrote lived and wrote for many years in Grand Portage.

Family members and friends will be reading from Hart’s work, with time for stories, mingling, refreshments, and enjoying artwork by Hazel Belvo and Marcia Casey Cushmore. The event is free and open to the public. All invited.

For music lovers, the Thunderheads Trio will be guests on WTIP Community Radio’s The Roadhouse on Friday. They will talk about their music and play a few songs. The Roadhouse airs from 5-7 p.m.

And, the Grand Marais Playhouse Summer Theater Festival continues, will the performance of “Shrek The Musical” at 7 p.m. Friday. The final performance of this popular musical will be at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Saturday in Grand Marais opens with the Cook County Market at 9 a.m., featuring a wide variety of work by local artisans. The Market is held in the parking lot of the Senior Center. Fresh produce from Round River Farm in Finland is available at 10 a.m. The Market held until 1 p.m.

Also on Saturday, celebrated Minnesota author Faith Sullivan will be featured at a Writer’s Salon at Drury Lane Books at 7 p.m.

Sullivan is the author of several novels set in the fictional Minnesota small town of Harvester, including “The Cape Ann,” “Gardenias,” and “Good Night, Mr. Wodehouse.” She will read from her forthcoming Harvester novel (out in fall 2019) and take questions from the audience. All invited.

On Sunday, Aug. 12, the 6th annual August Afternoon of Classical and Jazz Music will be held at the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department Hall #1 (Poplar Lake) at 5 p.m. This is always a great concert, featuring talented musicians from the throughout the community and the region playing great music. Musicians include: Philis Anderson (oboe); Kathy Bolstad, (clarinet); Sue Anderson (violin); Fred Anderson (guitar); Hugh and Nancy Magill (vocal & piano); Michael Ferguson (piano); SVEA: Rose Arrowsmith DeCoux, Erika Ternes, and Yvonne Mills); the Borealis Brass Quartet: Eric Anderson (euphonium), Don Grant (trumpet), Dave Coleman (trombone), and Robert Reed (trumpet) and the Sky Blue Jazz Ensemble: Mike DeBevec (piano), Mike Roth (string bass), Erik Hahn (sax), Thomas Stamps (percussion and vocal), and Karina Roth (vocals).

The event is a fundraiser for the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department. To reserve tickets, contact Patsy Coleman, 313-673-6202 or at PColeman@chem.wayne.edu Checks and credit cards accepted.

And for star watchers, next week, the Dark Sky Caravan from the University of Minnesota-Duluth will be in Cook County, with a portable planetarium and telescopes to give presentations about the sky and offer opportunities, weather permitting, to see planets and galaxies close-up and personal. Free.

They will give presentations at Birch Grove Community Center on Monday, Voyageur Brewing on Tuesday, Grand Portage on Wednesday and Chik-Wauk on Thursday and Friday. The presentations take half and hour and begin at 5 p.m.

On Tuesday of next week, the dynamic Americana duo, Moors & McCumber, will perform at the Seagull Lake Community Center which is in Fire Hall # 3, near the end of the Trail  at 7 p.m.

This event is also a fundraiser for the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department. An anonymous donor will contribute $10 to the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department for each person who attends, up to $500. To learn more about the musicians, click here.

On Wednesday, Glen Everhart’s Heebie Jeebies Family Comedy Music Show will be at the Grand Marais Public Library at 3:30 p.m. All invited. Free.

An finally, the Grand Marais Art Colony will hold at Artist Talk  at 7 p.m. Wednesday with artist Kristen Lowe. Her presentation, “Drawing–Timeless and Versatile” will talk about why the drawing process has remained central to her artistic practice for more than 25 years.

Lowe will explore how beauty awakens our senses, empowers us, stuns us, how it weaves itself through our artistic process and keeps us coming back for more. This event is free. All invited.

Exhibits:

This is the final weekend to see the exhibit, “Belvo/Cushmore: Paintings & Drawings 2018″ at the Johnson Heritage Post.

This exhibit has received rave reviews. The Heritage Post is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and Monday and 1-4 p.m. Sunday. It is closed on Tuesdays.

In Duluth, the Duluth Art Institute is exhibiting three shows this month: Chholing Taha: Every Spirit Tells A Story,  Payton MacDonald: Sonic Divide: Art Meets Endurance and  Jonathan Thunder: Suspension of Disbelief.

The exhibits continue through Sept. 2.

At the Tweed Museum of Art, check out the exhibit, “In Solidarity: Revolutionary Women of Print.”

The exhibit closes this weekend.

In Thunder Bay, the 30th Anniversary Members Show at the Definitely Superior Art Gallery continues through Sunday.

And finally in Thunder Bay, the Baggage Building Arts Center is featuring an exhibit of work by the Group of Stephen through the end of the month.

Upcoming:

Singer/songwriter Peter Mayer will be in concert at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts on Aug. 18.

 

The concert is sponsored by the North Shore Music Association. Stay tuned for details.

The 11th annual Radio Waves Music Festival (Sept. 7-9) will feature 26 acts this year, and the West Virginia band, the Carpenter Ants, will be one of the featured acts. They’ll do the Saturday night show and Gospel Hour on Sunday morning. It should be a great music festival, which is held at Sweetheart’s Bluff at the Rec Park under the Big Tent. To see the complete schedule, click here.

Here’s a video of the Carpenter Ants:

 

Kudos:

Ann Possis was named to the 2018 “50 Over 50” list, which celebrates and recognizes Minnesotans over the age of 50 who have made significant contributions and achievements in their communities.

Possis was named in the nonprofit category. Individuals will be recognized at a special event in October. To find out more, click here.

Window Shopping:

 

 

Music Video

Here’s an interview with Grand Marais’ Tim Styles.

Tim grew up here and is now a professional singer/songwriter based in Bakersfield, Calif.

Here’s the music schedule for the week:

Thursday, Aug. 9:

• Jim & Michele Miller, Cascade Lodge, 6 p.m.
• Joe Paulik, Lutsen Resort, 6:30 p.m.
• Plucked Up String Band, Gun Flint Tavern 7 p.m.
• Kilborn Quartet, Wunderbar, 7 p.m.
• Gordon Thorne and the Wildcats, North Shore Winery, 7 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 10:

• Eric Frost, Eagle Ridge Resort, 7 p.m.
• Timmy Haus, Voyageur BrewingCol, 4 p.m.
• Portage, Grandma Ray’s, 6 p.m.
• Common Ground, Wunderbar, 8 p.m.
• Thunderheads, Gun Flint Tavern, 8:30 p.m.
• The Millers, Bluefin Grille, 9 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 11:

• Over the Waterfall, Grand Portage Monument, 3 p.m.
• Eric Frost, Cascade Lodge Restaurant, 6:30 p.m.
• J Squared & the Makers, Papa Charlies, 6 p.m.
• Plucked Up String Band, Lutsen Resort, 7 p.m.
• David Huckfelt of The Pines and Frankie Lee, Wunderbar, 8 p.m.
• Brothers in Arms, Grandma RAy’s, 8 p.m.
• Thunderheads, Gun Flint Tavern, 8:30 p.m.
• Timmy Haus, Papa Charlie’s, 9:30 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 12:

• Briand Morrison, Mobuls Grille, 10 a.m.
• Gene LaFond & Amy Grillo, Wunderbar, 11 a.m.
• Plucked Up String Band, North Shore Winery, 3 p.m.
• Jacob Mahon and brother John, Skyport Lodge, 4 p.m.
• Gunflint Woods, Winds, Strings … and a Little Jazz, Gunflint Trail Fire Department #1 (Poplar Lake), 5 p.m.
• Open Stage with Joe Paulik, Wunderbar, 6 p.m.
• Adam Huber, Gun Flint Tavern, 7 p.m.

Monday Aug. 13:

• Open Mic at Grandma Ray’s, 6 p.m.
• Moors & McCumber, Singer/Songwriter Series, Papa Charlie’s, 8:30 p.m.
• Pete Kavanaugh, Bluefin Bay, 9 p.m.

Tuesday, Aug. 14:

• Bug Dope, Gun Flint Tavern, 7 p.m.
• Moors & McCumber, Music on the Gunflint, Firehall #3, Seagull Community Center, 7-9 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 15:

• Heebee Jeebies, Grand Marais Public Library, 3:30 p.m.
• Pete Kavanaugh,Wunderbar, 7 p.m.
• Al & Rod, Bluefin Bay, 9 p.m.

Here’s some live

 

We found some great photos this week. Here’s a selection:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 And finally, this beauty.

Have a good weekend, everyone!

 

I happily create NorthShore ArtScene every week to help support the Arts Community on the North Shore. If you’d like to join the effort, click here. And Thanks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grand Marais and the North Shore celebrate history and their connections to Lake Superior this weekend during the 89th annual Fisherman’s Picnic. This iconic celebration, which includes everyone in the community as well as visitors from throughout the region, is a 4-day event featuring everything from trail runs to a cutest puppy contest, craft shows to candy corn and, of course, the famous fish burger.

Fish Pic starts on Thursday and runs through Sunday in downtown Grand Marais as well as throughout the county. There is lots to do for all ages. Besides all the contests and events in town, there is live music on the Harbor Park stage, three nights of street dancing, as well as a tennis tournament, a softball tournament, a log rolling tournament and the Big Fish contest. There are three different craft markets open this weekend, too, and lots of kids’ activities and daily contests. And not to forget–there’s a fireworks show on Saturday night and the Fisherman’s Picnic Parade at 1 p.m.

In short, the Fish Pic schedule is crowded with lots of things to do all weekend.

Download the schedule  here. And come on down and be entertained this weekend!

There are lots of other things to do in the community this weekend, too. Here are a few of them:

North House Folk School will hold two sessions of  “Try It: Wood-fired Baking” classes on Thursday, Aug. 2. The sessions are from 1-3 p.m. and from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Participants will have a chance to try their hands at baking bread in North House’s wood-fired oven.

Also, the Folk School’s artisan-instructor of the week is broom-maker Marybeth Garmoe. Garmoe will be demonstrating her craft all weekend at North House and will teach a mini-class at 10 a.m. on Saturday. For more info and to register, call 387-9762.

Also on Thursday, the 40th annual Friends of the Library Used Book Sale begins at the Cook County Community Center. The first session, from 5-7 p.m. Thursday night is open to members, but memberships will be on sale one hour prior to the sale. The book sale continues from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday and from 8 .m. to noon on Saturday. Saturday is the bag sale… fill a bag up with books for a small fee. All are invited to come up and check out this sale, which features hundreds of books on every subject.

Also on Thursday, the Grand Marais Theater Festival continues with “Shrek The Musical,” which will be performed at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts at 7 p.m. Thursday and 7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are available at the door. “Mom’s Gift,” a comedy which is also part of the festival, will be performed on Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m., after the Fisherman’s Picnic Parade.

On Friday, Drury Lane Books will hold a Writer’s Salon at 7 p.m. with Kelly Barnhill, author of the Newbery Medal-winning novel, “The Girl Who Drank the Moon.”

Barnhill will read from her latest work,“Dreadful Young Ladies,”  a collection of short stories for adults. She will also discuss writing and take questions from the audience. All invited. Free.

On Saturday, the Lake Superior International Yacht Race, one of the oldest annual races on Lake Superior, will start in the Grand Marais Harbor at 11 a.m. The boats will race to Thunder Bay.

The race is hosted by the Thunder Bay Yacht Club.

And there are lots of mini-classes and events at the Grand Marais Art Colony on Saturday. Andy Ness will teach a free, drop-in mask-making class from 1-4 p.m. on Saturday. Lissa Grover will teach a class in making glass window ornaments from 9-11 a.m. and from 1-3 p.m. in the glass studio. To register, call 387-2737. And Twin Cities potter Mark Lusardi will be teaching a raku class at the Grand Marais Art Colony on Saturday and Sunday. (There is still time to register for the class.)

Also on Saturday from 5-7 p.m., Lusardi will also hold a drop-in raku firing event for the public. Small pots will be available for purchase, and participants can glaze it and watch as Lusardi fires it in his raku kiln. For more info, call 387-2737.

And not to forget, street dances will be held in Harbor Park starting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Fireworks will go off around 9:45 p.m. And on  On Sunday, the Fisherman’s Picnic Parade will begin at 1 p.m. It’s a great parade.

In Hovland, artists and artisans will hold the Third Annual Art Sale at the Chicago Bay Marketplace from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Chicago Bay Market’s parking lot. Expect to find pottery, photography and crafts, as well as yummy treats at the Market.

On Wednesday, a fundraiser for the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department will be held at Fire Hall No. 1 at Mid-Trail from noon to 4 p.m.

It features a flea market and boutique, and a live auction at 1:30 p.m. under the big tent. Raffle tickets to win a handcrafted quilt donated by the Mid-Trail Quilters will be sold as well.

Exhibits:

 Hazel Belvo and Marcia Cushmore are exhibiting new work at the Johnson Heritage Post this month, including paintings, drawings and prints.

The exhibit continues through Aug. 12. The Heritage Post is closed on Tuesdays. It is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and Monday and from 1-4 p.m. Sunday.

In Duluth, the Zeitgeist Arts Cafe will hold an opening reception for an exhibit of photographs by Kerry Gauthier.

The opening reception for Gauthier is from 5-7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 6.

Also in Duluth, the Tweed Museum of Art continues its exhibit, “Treasures from Home.”

“Treasures from Home” features favorite works of local collectors. The exhibit concludes at the end of this month.

In Thunder Bay, Christi Belcourt’s retrospective with Isaac Murdock, “Uprising: The Power of Mother Earth”continues at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery.

The Art of the Elements Gallery in rural Grand Marais at the Frykman Art Studio is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays throughout the summer. The gallery will be participating in the Fall Studio Tour Sept. 28-Oct. 7.

The Art of the Elements Gallery is located at 306 County Rd. 44. Call 387-1949 for more info.

Two Harbors painter David Gilsvik has new work at Sivertson Gallery.

And new work by regional artists as well as prints by Betsy Bowen are being exhibited at Betsy Bowen’s Studio & Galleries.

Kristin Blomberg is exhibiting her work at the North Shore Winery.

Upcoming:

 A picnic operetta is coming to the Finland Historical Society in Finland on Aug 17. “Falstaff and the Working Wives of Lake County,” a production of the Twin Cities opera group, Mixed Precipitation, is an edible opera adventure that is touring Minnesota this summer. The operetta, an adaptation of Otto Nicolai’s German opera, “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” includes a bit of Minnesota history and the music of Bruce Springsteen.

“Falstaff and the Working Wives of Lake County” will be performed at 2 p.m. Aug. 17. Stay tuned for details.

The Carpenter Ants are one of the bands scheduled to perform for this year’s Radio Waves Music Festival sponsored by WTIP Community Radio. The festival will be held at Sweetheart’s Bluff in the Grand Marais Rec Park Sept. 7-9 under the Big Tent. In all, 25 acts will take the stage at this year’s festival. To see the complete line-up and for more info, click here.

Art News:

In other WTIP news, the radio station was recently featured in a story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

The headline for the story is “WTIP in Grand Marais: A Deep Woods Dose of Radio Charm.” To read the story, click here.

Members of the Northwoods Fiber Guild recently spent a day at North House Folk School colorful book bags for the Grand Marais Public Library. The idea to make cloth book bags for the library came from Jo Wood, as part of project to encourage choosing a reusable cloth bag over a plastic or paper bag.

The book bags come in two types: a traditional cloth bag with handles and a T-shirt bag, with the collar and sleeves cut out to make a great book bag. All the bags will be at the library and available for anyone to use, free of charge. The Fiber Guild has already scheduled another sewing session at North House to make more of them.

And singer/songwriter Maria Nickolay has some news:

Music:

Here’s the music schedule for this week:

Thursday, Aug. 2

Fisherman’s Picnic Harbor Park Stage:

• Joe Paulik, 11 a.m.
• Maria Nickolay, 1 p.m.
• Clearwater Hot Club, 3 p.m.
• Common Ground, 7 p.m. (Street Dance)

Other Venues:

• Cooper and Muska, Grandma Ray’s, 6 p.m.
• Cook County’s Most Wanted, Grandma Ray’s, 9 p.m.
• Maria Nickolay, Cascade Lodge Restaurant, 6 p.m.
• Eric Frost, Lutsen Resort, 6:30 p.m.
• Plucked Up String Band with The Cuckoo Bees, Wunderbar, 7 p.m.
• Billy Johnson, Gun Flint Tavern, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 3

Fisherman’s Picnic Harbor Park Stage:

• Joe Paulik, 11 a.m.
• Michael Monroe, 1 p.m.
• Bug Dope, 3 p.m.
• Plucked Up String Band, 7 p.m., (Street Dance)

Other venues:

• Cooper and Muska, Voyageur Brewing, 4 p.m.
• 4-Shore, Grandma Ray’s, 6 p.m.
• The Cruisers, outside, Grandma Ray’s, 7:30 p.m.
• Kutdown, Grandma Ray’s, 9 p.m.
• True Grass Trio, The Wunderbar, 6 p.m.
• Ben Cook-Felz, Wunderbar, 8 p.m.
• Gene & Amy Grillo, Eagle Ridge Resort, 7 p.m.
• Common Ground, Voyageur Brewing, outside in the tent, 7 p.m.
• Floydian Slip, Gun Flint Tavern, 8 p.m.
• Pete Kavanaugh, Bluefin Bay, 9 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 4:

Fisherman’s Picnic Harbor Park Stage:

• Community Swing Band, 11 a.m.
• Michael Monroe, 1 p.m.
• 71 Trio, 3 p.m.
• SplinterTones, 7 p.m. (Street Dance)

Other venues:

• Cook County’s Most Wanted, Birch terrace, 3 p.m.
• Billy Johnson, North Shore Winery, 3 p.m.
• Joe Paulik, Cascade Lodge Restaurant, 6 p.m.
• 4-Shore, Grandma Ray’s, 6 p.m.
• J Squared & the Makers, Papa Charlie’s, 6:30 p.m.
• Michael Monroe, Log Cabin Concert, 7 p.m. www.michaelmonroemusic.com
• Floydian Slip, Gun Flint Tavern, 8 p.m.
• Kutdown, Grandma Ray’s, 9 p.m
• DJBeavstar, Papa Charlie’s, 9:30 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 5:

• Briand Morrison, Mogul’s Grille, 10 a.m.
• Fish Heads, Skyport Lodge, 4 p.m.

Monday, Aug. 5:

• Jack Klatt, Monday Songwriter Series, Papa Charlie’s, 8:30 p.m.
• Eric Frost, Bluefin Bay, 9 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 8:

• Eric Frost, Wunderbar, 7 p.m.

We found some great photographs this week. Here’s a selection:

First, some wildlife photos …

 

 

 

 

And here are some moonscapes:

 

 

And here are some landscapes:

 

 

 

 

:

And finally, this shot of a peaceful summer day in the Northwoods:

Have a great weekend, everyone!

(BTW: If you’d like to support NorthShore ArtScene, you can donate at the button below. And thanks!)

 

 

 

 

 

The beauteous summer continues, with balmy days and blue skies, and just enough wind to ruffle the water and, perhaps, give the good ship the Hjordis, just enough air to fill her sails and glide away.

On land, there’s plenty to do, too.

Thursday is a busy day. First up are woodcarving demonstrations by Mike Loeffler, who is the instructor-in-residence at North House Folk School this week. Loeffler will be demonstrating all weekend and will teach a mini-class, Carving a Songbird, at 10 a.m. Saturday. To register for the class and for more info, call 387-9762. The public is invited to campus and to see him work.

The Johnson Heritage Post will host a panel discussion about the historic rescue attempt of local legend Carl Hammer by Helmer Aakvik in 1958. The young fisherman was lost in a nasty Lake Superior storm.

The Cook County Historical Society’s presentation will include a panel discussion by David Hammer, Ray Nagy and Gene Hagen recalling the events of that day. The presentation is free and will be at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. All invited.

Also on Thursday, the North Shore Winery in Lutsen will open a new exhibition of artwork by Grand Marais artist Kristin Blomberg with a reception from 6-9 p.m.

The Grand Marais Playhouse‘s Summer Theater Festival continues this week with the comedy “Mom’s Gift” and “Shrek the Musical” performed in repertory at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts from Thursday through Sunday.

Performances are at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. “Mom’s Gift” will be performed on Thursday and Saturday, “Shrek the Musical” will be performed Friday and Sunday this week. Tickets are available online or at the door. Click here for tickets and more info.

Also, at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Briand Morrison and Roxann Berglund will play Full Moon Music by the bonfire at Drury Lane Books.

Morrison and Berglund share bossas, ballads, summer songs and more around the fire to celebrate the full moon rising over the East Bay of Lake Superior. All invited. Free.

On Friday, look for the Stars of the North Music Festival, which opens at the main stage in Harbor Park on Friday afternoon and continues through Sunday. The event, organized by the Grand Marais Music Collaborative, is free, and will feature a beer and wine bar and a food truck.

The event is a fundraiser for the Collaborative’s Youth Music Lesson program. Raffle tickets and T-shirts will be sold to raise funds for the program. All are invited to come listen to great music and help support youth musicians at the same time. See Music Schedule, below, for details of who will be playing when. Briand Morrison kicks off the festival at 3 p.m. Friday and the Plucked Up String Band concludes Friday’s music from 8-10 p.m. Other bands include Mysterious Ways, the SplinterTones, the Sky Blue Quartet, Joe Paulik, Michael Monroe, Katy Vernon, DJ Beavstar, Common Ground, Chris Gillis and Gordon Thorne & Friends. There will also be student performances. It should be a great time.

Breaking News: Rumor has it that Angel Hair Rasta, a local al dente rasta band, will play at Grandma Ray’s after 10 p.m. on Friday night. The band includes Michael Monroe, Chris Gillis, Thomas Stamps, Jonathan Steckleburg and Todd Miller.

Also on Friday, singer/songwriter Mary Bue will be on WTIP’s The Roadhouse to talk about her music and play a few songs. The program will also feature interviews with photographer Layne Kennedy and musicians Todd Miller and Chris Gillis, who will talk about the Stars of the North Music Festival. The program airs from 5-7 p.m.

Saturday kicks off with the Cook County Market, which is held in the Senior Center parking lot from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Market features a wide variety of artisans exhibiting their work, as well as produce from Round River Farm in Finland. (The produce arrives at 10 a.m.)

Drury Lane Books will host children’s author Yvonne Pearson from 11 a.m. to noon on Saturday.

Pearson will read from her latest book, “Sadie Braves the Wilderness” and will discuss the writing process with the audience. All invited. Free.

And starting at noon on Saturday, the Grand Marais Garden Club will hold its annual Flower Show at the Cook County Community Center from noon to 5 p.m.

The public is invited to enjoy the beauty of local flowers and enjoy a snack at the same time. Master Gardeners will have a “Ask a Question” booth, and there will be a plant exchange/sale as well. All invited. Free.

And finally, on Wednesday, Aug. 1, Hazel Belvo will give an Artist Talk at Cook County Higher Education at 7 p.m.

Her topic will be “Creativity: Intuition and Intellect.” All invited. Free.

Exhibits:

 The exhibit, “Belvo/Cushmore: Paintings & Drawings 2018″ continues at the Johnson Heritage Post. This is a fascinating exhibit and well-worth lots of walk-throughs.

The Duluth Art Institute is featuring three exhibits in the Depot this month including  “Jonathan Thunder: Suspension of Disbelief,” “Chholing Taha: Every Spirit Tells a Story” and “Payton MacDonald: Sonic Divide: Art Meets Endurance.”

Thunder’s exhibit features sound and what he calls “animated canvases,” a hybrid of hand-painting and animation.

The exhibit at the Art Institute serves as an area for the artist to experiment with a variety of media and modes of installation in working towards a large-scale exhibition. There will be an artist talk at the close of the exhibition. And, Thunder and Brenda Child will be at Drury Lane Books on Aug. 25 to talk about their new book, “Bowwow Powwow,” an Ojibwe/English bilingual children’s book translated by Gordan Jourdain.

At the Thunder Bay Art Gallery in Thunder Bay, Christi Belcourt’s exhibition “Uprising: The Power of Mother Earth–A Retrospective with Isaac Murdoch” continues.

The exhibit features a wide selection of her work and is a must-see for art lovers.

Opportunities:

 The Grand Marais Art Colony has extended its search for its next executive director.  The Executive Director role at the Art Colony is that of a vocal and visible advocate and leader of the arts, both locally and regionally. Applications are due Friday, Aug. 10. Follow the link below for more info about the position and how to apply: https://grandmaraisartcolony.org/internships-and-employment/

Upcoming:

 Fisherman’s Picnic starts next week in Grand Marais and will be held Aug. 2-5.

This historic festival celebrates its 88th anniversary this year, and features Crazy Days sales, craft shows, daily contests and prizes, a wide variety of live music, kids activities, food, including the fish burgers, and much more. There are fireworks Saturday night and the best parade of the year on Sunday. Other events include Buck’s Hardware Big Fish Contest, a trail run, tennis and softball tournaments and a log rolling tournament. For the complete event schedule, click here.

Author Kelly Barnhill will be at Writer’s Salon at Drury Lane Books at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 3.  Barnhill,a Minnesota native and author of the Newbery Medal–winning novel,”The Girl Who Drank the Moon.” She will read from her new collection of short stories for adults, discuss writing, and take questions from the audience.

Artist News:

The Grace Notes played at the final stop of the Cross River Heritage Center’s Lundie Tour last week.

They were included in a piece about the tour by WDIO-TV. Click here to see the segment.

A new band, the North Country Fair, will play the the Wunderbar at 7 p.m. Thursday night.

The band includes: Brenda Benson (pedal steel guitar), Maria Nickolay (vocals, guitar, mandolin) Georgene Daubanton (vocals, percussion), Michele Miller (vocals,guitar, mandolin, fiddle)

 Music Schedule:

 Here’s the music schedule for the week:

Thursday, July 26:

• Common Ground, Cascade Restaurant, 6 p.m.
• North Country Fair, Wunderbar, 7 p.m.
• Ian Alexy, Gun Flint Tavern, 7 p.m.
• Joe Paulik, Lutsen Resort, 7 p.m.
• Gordon Thorne & the Wildcats, North Shore Winery, 7 p.m.
• Briand Morrision & Roxann Berglund, Drury Lane Books, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, July 27:

• Briand Morrison,  Stars of the North Music Festival, Harbor Park, 3 p.m.
• Matt & Laurel, Voyageur Brewing Co., 4 p.m.
• Mysterious Ways, Stars of the North Music Festival, Harbor Park, 4:30 p.m.
• Portage, Grandma Ray’s, 6 p.m.
• SplinterTones, Stars of the North Music Festival, Harbor Park, 6:30 p.m.,
• Crazy Chester, Gun Flint Tavern, 8 p.m.
• Plucked Up String Band, Stars of the North Music Festival, 8 p.m.
• Matt and Laurel, Voyageur Brewing, 8 p.m.
• Mary Bue and Lowray, Wunderbar, 8 p.m.
• Briand Morrison, Bluefin Grille, 9 p.m.

Saturday, July 28:

• Sky Blue Quartet, Stars of the North Music Festival, Harbor Park, 10 a.m.
• Joe Paulik, Stars of the North Music Festival, Harbor Park, 11 a.m.
• Michael Monroe, Stars of the North Music Festival, Harbor Park, 12:30 p.m.
• Katy Vernon, Stars of the North Music Festival, Harbor Park, 2 p.m.
• Amy Grillo and Gene LaFond, Stars of the North Music Festival, Harbor Park, 4:30 p.m.
• Bug Dope, Papa Charlie’s, 6 p.m.
• Common Ground, Stars of the North Music Festival, Harbor Park, 6:30 p.m.
• North Shore Community Swing Band, Clearwater Historic Lodge, 7 p.m.
• Eric Frost, Eagle Ridge Resort, 7 p.m.
• JohnRuss, Lutsen Resort, 7 p.m.
• Michael Monroe, Log Cabin Concert, rural Grand Marais, www.michaelmonroemusic.com
• North Country Fair, Cascade Lodge Pub, 8 p.m.
• The Gentleman’s Anti-Temperance League, Wunderbar, 8 p.m.
• Crazy Chester, Gun Flint Tavern, 8 p.m.
• Timmy Haus, Papa Charlie’s, 9:30 p.m.

Sunday, July 29:

• Briand Morrison, Mogul’s, 10 a.m.
• Chris Gillis with Gordon Thorne & Friends, Stars of the North Music Festival, Harbor Park, 10 a.m.
• Plucked Up String Band, North Shore Winery, 3 p.m.
• Cook County’s Most Wanted, Skyport Lodge, 4 p.m.

Monday, July 30:

• Coral Creek, Gun Flint Tavern, 7 p.m.
• The Sea The Sea, Monday Songwriter’s Series, Papa Charlie’s, 8:30 p.m.
• Joe Paulik, Bluefin Bay, 9 p.m.

Tuesday, July 31:

• Coral Creek, Gun Flint Tavern, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 1:

• Brothers in Arms, Grandma Ray’s, 4 p.m.
• Jam Session, Gun Flint Tavern, 6:30 p.m.
• Maria Nickolay, Wunderbar, 7 p.m.
• Gordon Thorne, Bluefin Bay, 9 p.m.

We found lots of photos this week, including a great selection of wild (and not so wild) animal shots. Here’s a selection:

First. a photo of birds to come:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also found some great landscapes/seascapes/skyscapes.

 

 

 

Christian Dalbec was diving in the Grand Marais harbor over the weekend.

And finally, the 2nd annual Biggest Blueberry Contest has started. The blueberries are fantastic on the Gunflint Trail this year. It should be interesting to see who finds the biggest. Meanwhile, there’s lots to pick.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

(BTW: If you’d like to support NorthShore ArtScene, consider giving a donation today. And Thank You!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Greetings from Grand Marais where glorious summer days have arrived, bringing beauty and warmth and new hatchlings cheeping from nests. This week, look for the opening of the Summer Theater Festival, a new Hazel Belvo/Marcia Cushmore art exhibit, the North Shore Water Festival and the first summer flower show of the season. It’s also the weekend of WTIP Community Radio’s summer membership drive with lots of live music scheduled outdoors as well as in the studios.

First up is a chance to learn about knot work at North House Folk School. Knotmaster Ben Byron is the summer resident at North House Folk School this week and will be demonstrating the craft from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. He will also teach a mini-course on Saturday at 10 a.m. where participants can learn how to make a nautical key chain.

For more information about the class, call North House at 387-9762. Click here for complete info about the mini-courses this summer at North House.

Also on Thursday, the Grand Marais Writer’s Guild will meet at the Grand Marais Public Library at 6 p.m. Each month local writers get together to chat about what they’re working on and do a few writing prompts. Participants are asked to bring a notebook. The event is facilitated by Rose Arrowsmith DeCoux. Free.

The big event of the week is the opening of this season’s Summer Theater Festival at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts. This year, the Grand Marais Playhouse will present “Shrek The Musical” and a comedy, “Mom’s Gift.” They will be performed in repertory Thursday through Sunday from July 19-Aug. 12.

“Shrek the Musical” opens tonight at the ACA at 7 p.m. and features a stellar cast performing the Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation film.

“Mom’s Gift,” an award-winning comedy, opens on Friday, July 20, at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts and will be performed in repertory with Shrek through Aug. 12.

All performances are at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $25 adults, $15 under 18 and can be purchased at www.grandmaraisplayhouse.com or at the door. For the schedule of the performances, click here.  Tickets can also be purchased through the Playhouse’s Facebook page.

On Friday, the North Shore Water Festival kicks off in Harbor Park and runs through the weekend.

Experts will be on-hand offering fishing, touring kayak and canoe demonstrations, stand-up paddle board (SUP) demo activities in the harbor, including SUP yoga. Most activities are free and only require a waiver and/or registering in advance for SUP board yoga. The event continues through Sunday.

The pièce de résistance this weekend is the exhibit “Belvo/Cushmore: Paintings & Drawings 2018.” which opens at the Johnson Heritage Post with a reception from 5-7:30 p.m. on Friday.

This promises to be a fascinating exhibit, featuring the work of these famed artists. Cushmore will give an Artist Talk about the exhibit at 2 p.m. on Saturday. All invited. The exhibit continues through Aug. 12. The Heritage Post is closed on Tuesdays. It is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and Monday and from 1-4 p.m. Sunday.

On Saturday, the Cook County Market continues in the Senior Center parking lot with lots of arts and crafts from local artisans. Fresh produce and homebaked goods are also featured. The Market is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Also on Saturday, Andy Ness will give an artist talk at the Grand Marais Art Colony from noon to 1 p.m. entitled “Blurring the Lines Between Fine Art and Fashion.”

Ness will discuss the works of Hussein Chalayan, Leigh Bowery and Yayoi Kusama, artists who often integrate an array of artistic media and influences into their clothing. The presentation is free. All invited.

Also on Saturday, the West End Garden Club will host its annual summer flower show at the Birch Grove Community Center in Tofte entitled “Birds, Bees and Flowers” from 1-4 p.m.

Two Master Gardeners from Cook County Extension will be on hand to answer questions. The show features unique floral displays created by garden club members using the best of what’s locally in bloom. Many different varieties of garden and wildflowers will be on display. Refreshments will be served. All invited. Free.

On Sunday, Chik-Wauk Nature Center on the Gunflint Trail will host David Battistel, who will talk about John Paulson and the Paulson Mine, at 2 p.m. The Paulson Mine is located in western Cook County.

Touted as one of the great mining projects of the era, the failure of the Paulson Mine in the early 1890s had a devastating impact on local economies, spanning both sides of the border. The man behind this venture, John Paulson, was until recently an almost mythological figure. His life story however, from Norwegian immigrant, to Civil War veteran, to entrepreneur and finally to widowed farmer, is one of triumph and tragedy that exemplifies the North American experience in the 19th Century.

Dave Battistel is a history teacher and instructional leader at St. Patrick High School in Thunder Bay. Since 1994 he has been actively researching and writing about the history of the Port Arthur, Duluth and Western Railway, as well as its associated ventures (silver and iron mining and logging). He is currently writing a book on the Gunflint & Lake Superior Railroad.

All presentations are family friendly and free to the public and are held inside Chik-Wauk Nature Center.

And on Monday, the Grand Marais Art Colony will host a demo on Troubleshooting Intaglio Techniques at noon in the Print Studio and on Wednesday, Andy Ness will teach a mini-class on paper making. For more info, call the Art Colony at 387-2737 or visit www.grandmaraisartcolony.org.

Window Shopping:

 

 

Breaking News:

Canadian governments gives $11.5 million to Thunder Bay Art Gallery relocation project.

The vision to relocate the Thunder Bay Art Gallery to a prominent location along the city’s waterfront is now in crystal clear focus. The art gallery received word this week that it will receive $11.5 million from Ottawa through the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund, the largest allocation to be spent from that envelope to date across the country.

Sharon Godwin, the director of the Thunder Bay Art Gallery , said the federal dollars means that 80 per cent of the required $33 million in capital funding has been secured.

“This is a day we know the gallery will be built. This is a reality now,” Godwin said after the funding announcement, which was made on the site of the planned new waterfront gallery at Tugboat Basin immediately south of the Pearl Street entrance to Prince Arthur’s Landing. Stay tuned for details.

Artist News:

Singh-Ray Filters just released a filter that Bryan Hansel dreamed up and prototyped over the last year. You can learn about it here.

 

And here’s a little music to enjoy. Axtell will be be playing at the Wunderbar next Wednesday.

 

Click here to listen to one of Axtell’s songs.

 

Here’s the music schedule for this weekend:

Thursday, July 19:

• Live Music on WTIP:  SVEA, 1 p.m.;  Briand Morrison & Roxann Berglund, 4 p.m.; Andrew Norcross Band, 8 p.m.
• Pete K, Cascade Lodge Pub, 6 p.m.
• Eric Frost, Live Music by the Campfire, Lutsen Resort, 6:30 p.m.
• Maria Nickolay, North Shore Winery, 7 p.m.
• Common Ground, Wunderbar, 7 p.m.
• Gordon Thorne & the Wildcats, Gun Flint Tavern, 8 p.m.

Friday, July 20:

• Live Music on WTIP, Fred Anderson, 1 p.m.; Gene Lafond and Amy Grillo, 4 p.m.;  Mysterious Ways, 6 p.m.
• Emily Haavik and the 35s, Voyageur Brewing, 4 p.m.
• North Shore Community Swing Band,  Grandma Ray’s, 6 p.m.
• The Cruisers, Grandma Ray’s, 9 p.m.
• Brothers in Arms, Wunderbar, 8 p.m.
• Northland Timberland Band, Bluefin Grille, 9 p.m.

Saturday, July 21:

• Live on WTIP: Plucked Up String Band, 2 p.m.; Saints of Circumstance, 4 p.m.; The Cruisers, 5 p.m.
• Cook County’s Most Wanted, Birch Terrace, 3 p.m.
• Pete K, Papa Charlie’s, 6 p.m.
• Maria Nickolay, Cascade Lodge Pub, 8 p.m.
• Saints of Circumstance, Gunflint Tavern, 8 p.m.
• The Cruisers, Wunderbar, 8 p.m.
• Gordon Thorne, Lutsen Resort, 8 p.m.
• Michael Monroe, Log Cabin Concert, rural Grand Marais, 7 p.m., reservations at www.michaelmonroemusic.com
• New Legacy Project, Zoar Lutheran Church, 8 p.m.
• Timmy Haus, Papa Charlie’s. 9:30 p.m.

Sunday, July 22:

• Briand Morrison, Moguls Grille, 10 a.m.
• Mark Milner, Wunderbar, 11 a.m.
• Spruce Roots play for Bluegrass Sunday at the North Shore Winery, 3 p.m.
• Plucked Up String Band, Skyport Lodge, 4 p.m.
• Open Stage with Joe Paulik, Wunderbar, 6 p.m.
• Joshua Schmidt Duo, Gun Flint Tavern, 7 p.m.

Monday, July 23:

• Live Music on WTIP: Chris Gillis, 1 p.m.,
• Open Mic Night, Grandma Ray’s, 7 p.m.
• Joshua Schmidt Duo, Gun Flint Tavern, 7 p.m.
• Pete Kavanaugh, Bluefin Grille, 9 p.m.

Tuesday, July 24:

• Joe Paulik Band, Gun Flint Tavern, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, July 25:

• Jam Session, Gun Flint Tavern, 6:30 p.m.
• Axtell, Wunderbar, 8 p.m.
• Maria Nickolay, Bluefin Grille, 9 p.m.

Here are some of the photos we found this week:

First, a beauteous water lily.

Some wildlife shots:

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

And, finally, this salute to summer.

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!