It’s a new normal this week, as the North Shore prepares for visitors over Memorial Day Weekend. But note, it’s not The new normal, as things seem to change daily in this pandemic. For updated lists on restaurants. lodging, and grocery stores, see VisitCookCounty.com . WTIP Community Radio, or Exploring the North Shore.

Here on the North Shore, we are celebrating part of that. The lakes are open, the fish are biting and neighborhood loons are settling in. Black bears seem to be really active this spring — there have been lots of sightings. Early wildflowers are blooming, and the wonderful smells of spring scent the air. So paddlers are making plans to explore the Boundary Waters.

On the shore, Lake Superior is preening. She’s been calm for the last few days, glittering like a blue jewel, lapping gently on our rocky beaches, offering peace to anyone who spends a few moments with her. And you can get take-out from a number of restaurants as you enjoy the blue water, and, more retailers are opening carefully, joining essential businesses to purvey goods to us. We’re all invited to stay safe, which we plan to do.

North House Folk School continues its Crafting in Place series, this week featuring a Zoom webinar on basketry around the world. Basketmaker Jo Campbell Amsler, who is an instructor at North House, will host “Baskets Along the Way,” a look at baskets and basketmakers in Scotland, Spain, Italy, Denmark and more.

. The webinar will be at 7 p.m. on Thursday night. To register for free, click here.

Also on Thursday night, Gordon Thorne will be presenting a virtual concert for the North Shore Winery starting at 6 p.m. To enjoy, check out the Winery’s Facebook page here.

On Friday, WTIP Community Radio will hold a live conversation with representatives from Visit Cook County about what is open, what to expect this weekend. The conversation will be aired starting at 11:30 a.m.

Also on Friday, Desperate Electric, an electric funk band from Bozeman, Mont., will be virtual on The Roadhouse to talk about their music and play a few songs. The Roadhouse airs from 5-7 p.m., with musical guests appearing about 6:15 p.m. Here’s an example of the band’s music:

And since we’re living in a virtual world, geography doesn’t play a very big part in entertainment right now. So, you can watch a full-stage Broadway performance of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music,” on The Shows Must Go On YouTube page. The video is available for 48 hours only, starting at 1 p.m. EDT. Check it out here.

 or here:

And for classical music lovers, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra will be live streaming a concert at 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 23.

They will be playing “Violin Concerto” by Ludwig van Beethoven, “Chamber Symphony in F for String and Wind”s by  Dmitri Shostakovich, “The Lark Ascending” by Ralph Vaughan Williams. To see and enjoy click here.

Local Art & Artists

Artists in the community and the region continue to create. Here are some examples of what we’ve found this week.

Jan Attridge has just finished a portrait of Stanley (Pratt).

The Grand Marais Art Colony will be open an exhibit in the windows of its new building, and artists have until May 31 to submit their work, addressing the theme, Changing Habitats. The work should be 4×6 inches in any media and can be mailed to the Grand Marais Art Colony,  PO Box 626 Grand Marais, MN 55604. The deadline is May 31.

Here is one of the pieces watercolorist David Hahn has submitted for the Changing Habitats exhibit.

 Cook County glass artists were making work for an exhibit at the Johnson Heritage Post all winter. That exhibit was set to open May 1, but it had to be cancelled. Here’s an example from the collection by Tony Rau, one of the participating artists.

Rau can be reached at tonyrau531@gmail.com 

David Steckelberg has been working in his studio this winter, too. This large wall sculpture is fastened with hand-forged hooks.

Painter Lynn Steiner has been working on a series of paintings, “Back in Time,” depicting  scenes at the Grand Portage National Monument during Rendezvous.

To see more of Steiner’s work, click here.

Betsy Bowen is continuing her Comfort series. Here’s one from this week:

 Sgp Zimmerman of Grand Portage has created a series of etchings for children about life in the days of social distancing. They were created to bring awareness to serve as a reminder to Indigenous families (and everyone) of both CDC safety protocols as well as the importance of holding onto Ojibwe medicines and healing practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The cultural coloring sheets will be printed by the American Indian Community Housing Organization and distributed to tribes, tribal organizations and families across Minnesota.  The coloring sheets can be viewed and downloaded here.

Art News:

Plein Air Grand Marais will be held this year, but with many changes. The event will be held in September, and artists may participate and compete, even if they can’t or don’t feel comfortable traveling to Grand Marais. The deadline to enter has been extended to June 1. To apply, click here.

According to Outdoor Painters of Minnesota, which organizes the event,  most of the activities can be moved online in some form if necessary. For more information about the process and to keep in contact, click here.

The Thunder Bay Potters Guild announced this week that its June Pottery Fair will be cancelled.

Virtual Selections:

Here’s Amanda Palmer reading Mary Oliver’s poem, “When I Am Among the Trees.”

The National Museum of American History has uploaded a great selection of photographs entitled “Window Views”

To view the whole collection, click here.

Want to watch a movie? Here is a charming film about a family on a camping trip on the Slate Islands in Ontario.

And finally, this tongue-in-cheek ballet danced by the Hong Kong Ballet in honor of its 40th season.

 Photographs:

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

First, wildlife:

 

 

The plant kingdom.

 

Landscapes, skyscapes and lakes capes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 And this:

Poet, adventurer and Hovland writer Tor Torkildson has been writing a series of poems, “Staying at Home,” as he and his community live through the pandemic. One of his poems has recently been published by the DNR’s Trailblazer Magazine. Here it is, accompanied by a photograph by Travis Novitsky.

 

The Spring Fox

It is spring
And I finally saw her
Crossing the snow patched yard…
Then I heard her digging

With determination
her claws flinging the soil
burnt red fur glistening
as she makes her summer den.

Firstly, I stood silent
admiring her beauty
as did my curious dog.

Then she looked my way.
And our eyes met
transfixed
in a pure and honest moment.

What was she thinking?
Not a single thing mattered
Not even the snow and mud
or the coronavirus
sweeping the land.

And we have the trees and ravens
Lake Superior
offering comfort and sunlit hope
in weary moments.

Out here in the wilds
the moments matter
they heal and comfort
when the soul mourns deeply.

~Tor Torkildson

Thank you for reading NorthShore ArtScene this week. Artists: please send photographs of your work. We’d love to show it off. Email to joan.farnam@gmail.com

And, if you’d like, you can donate to NorthShore ArtScene by clicking on the logo below. .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Greetings from the North Shore, where spring happiness is temperatures above freezing, and this week, it looks like we’re going to make the cut.

There’s other good news, too. WTIP Community Radio announced this week that the Boundary Waters Podcast, produced by Joe Frederichs, WTIP news director, and co-host Matthew Baxley, won a regional Edward R. Murrow Award for best podcast in the small market radio category.

The award is for overall series content based on the submission of Episode 18: A Father’s Dream, the story of Erik Dickes from Omaha, Neb., who recorded an audio diary on a trip to the BWCAW in May 2019, to commemorate his late father, and tell the story of a canoe trip they had planned to take together in 2018.

 “We started this podcast three years ago to create a platform for sharing stories from this amazing region.” Frederichs said. “To have the series recognized with an Edward R. Murrow Award is among the highest honors I can imagine. This is a tremendous achievement for WTIP listeners and supporters of our Boundary Waters podcast and the paddling community.”

Regional winners automatically move on to the national round of the competition with national winners announced in June. Meanwhile, listen to the podcasts here.

And virtual events continue. This week, Gordon Thorne and and host Chuck Corliss will hold a Virtual Date Night at the North Shore Winery at 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday.

To hear the music, click here. Thorne and Corliss will also be on WTIP’s The Roadhouse on Friday evening around 6:15 p.m. to talk about their music and play a few songs. The Roadhouse airs from 5-7 p.m.

Also on Thursday night, travel to Norway on a virtual tour of folk arts with Harley and Norma Refsal in a special webinar co-hosted by North House Folk School and the Versterheim Norwegian American Museum in Iowa. The Refsals will share some favorite pieces from their personal collection as well as highlight pieces from the Versterheim collection.

Escape to the land of the midnight sun with the Refsals. Register for the webinar here. Free.

Both Jim McGowan and Adam Moe are doing virtual concerts on Facebook Live. You can see Moe on Thursdays at 2 p.m. through May 28, (Click here)  and McGowan on Fridays at 8 p.m. (Click here.)

A little further afield, and back in time, Prince and the Revolution’s live 1985 concert will stream on YouTube for coronoavirus relief Thursday through Saturday, May 14-16 at 7 p.m.

The concert, which was filmed in New York in 1985 during Prince’s iconic Purple Rain Tour, will stream for three days only on Prince’s official YouTube channel starting Thursday. The concert footage includes some of Prince’s greatest hits, including “Purple Rain,” “1999,” “When Doves Cry” and “Let’s Go Crazy.” Click on the link above to see.

And next Wednesday, join author Kate DiCamillo for a statewide virtual discussion on writing and her books. She is the author of “Because of Winn-Dixie,” a delightful story of the dog who changed people’s lives. The book was chosen for One Book/One Minnesota this year, inviting readers of every age around the state to read it. .

The free Zoom event will be held at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, May 20. The virtual event is free, but registration is required. To register, click here.

Upcoming:

Watch world-renouned film festivals, like the Cannes Film Festival and the Sundance Film Festival online this year. In response to the pandemic, 20 major film festivals from around the world are coming together for 10 days of curated films streamed on YouTube for free.

The “We Are One: A Global Film Festival,” will showcase feature films, shorts, documentaries, music, comedy, and panel discussions from May 29 to June 7. All viewers will be able to make donations to the World Health Organization’s Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund. Stay tuned for details.

And North House Folk Schools Wooden Boat Show is going online this year. The event will be held virtually from June 15-21.

There will be a full week of online mini courses, craft presentations, speaker series, and more, culminating on Saturday with our featured presentation by arctic explorer, photographer, and climate educator, David Thoreson. All events will be offered both live (with Q&A!) and recorded, so you can enjoy them however and whenever you like.

The event kicks off at noon on Monday, June 15 on Facebook Live, and will continue all week with the full slate of speakers, demonstrators and more available. If you miss any of the live events, all content will be available on demand on Saturday, June 20. To see details, click here . And stay tuned for updates.

Cancellations:

The Magic Smelt Parade has been cancelled for this year. It’s always held on the Duluth Lakewalk featuring the Brass Messengers, the Smelt Queen and lots of people dressed in silver. Here’s a video of the parade on Duluth’s Lakewalk last year.

And the 91st annual Fisherman’s Picnic in Grand Marais has been cancelled.

Fisherman’s Picnic is always held the first weekend in August, but organizers said that organizing the event takes months, and it was unclear if it would be safe to hold the Picnic at all. Look forward to next year!

  Local Artists at Work:

Local artists have been busy this month. Here are some of the things they have been doing.

Maryl Skinner participated in the Earth Day art project for the Cook County Soil and Water District. The challenge was to go outside and create a collage with objects you found, take a photo of your work and submit to Soil and Water. Here is Skinner’s piece. She called it “Northwoods Forest Fashion for Social Distancing.”

 Art students in Mila Horak’s classes at Cook County High School have been working on photography. Here are a few examples.

 

Lutsen potter Maggie Anderson has been making bread baking dishes in her studio as a fundraiser for the Grand Marais Art Colony and the Cook County Food Shelf.

Anderson is featured on the Art Colony’s Instagram account, showing the process of making the ceramic bread pans. You can see them here. The handmade bread pans come with sourdough starter and a recipe. You can still order one. To place an order, email info@grandmaraisartcolony.org.

The glass artists at the Grand Marais Art Colony planned on exhibiting their work at the Johnson Heritage Post this month, but the exhibit was cancelled because of Covid-19. We’ve been featuring examples of their work, which will be on exhibit next year at the Heritage Post. Here’s a fused glass piece by Jeri Persons.

Amy Freeman has been painting this winter.

Betsy Bowen is continuing her Comfort series.

 

Not art, but for art at Sivertson Gallery.

Knitting:

Printmaking:

 A little further afield … on Long Island… a drive-by art show.

“The other stuff” was on display on the lawns, porches, driveways and garage doors at properties from Hampton Bays to Montauk, some from prominent artists and others by those lesser known. On a windy, blue-skied weekend, most people drove but others came on foot or by bicycle for the show, “Drive-By-Art (Public Art in This Moment of Social Distancing).”

Opportunities:

 Artists still have time to submit work for the Grand Marais Art Colony‘s exhibit, Our Changing Habitats. The Art Colony is asking people to submit 4×6-inch pieces via snail mail to: PO Box 626, Grand Marais, MN 55604, by May 31. Artists are invited to reflect on their changing habitats. The pieces will be displayed in the Art Colony’s new building windows in June. You can see more about that here.  Students at the schools have been invited to participate as well.

Music videos: 

There’s lots out there. Here’s a selection for this week:

Dessa sings “Skeleton Key” with the Minnesota Orchestra in this virtual recording.

 Arctic Funk: recommended by Kate Fitzgerald, artistic director of the North Shore Music Association. The Lake Wobegon Brass Band plays Norwegian composer Torstein Aagaard-Nilsen … cow bells and lots of brass.

We thought a few selections from Playing for Change, featuring musicians from around the world, might be appropriate now.

A take on the Grateful Dead’s “Ripple.”

“The Weight” featuring Robbie Robertson and Ringo Starr.

 And finally, this crazy, wonderful Happy Birthday video from French composer/jazz musician Alexandre Cellier to Pascal Auberson.

 Photographs:

We had lots to choose from this week. Here’s a selection.

First, wildlife:

 

 

 

 

Off-topic:

We found some beautiful landscapes, too. First, this great walnut tree:

 

A few full moon photographs:

 

 

And a few landscapes:

 

  And finally, photographer Dustin Lavigne calls this image, the Almost-Full Moon, but we want to title it “Peek-a-Boo Moon.”

Peace to all.

P.S. If you have art work that you’ve been doing this month, email an image to me at joan.farnam@gmail.com.

And, if you’d like to help support NorthShore ArtScene, you can donate below. Thank you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Greetings from the North Shore, where spring has really come, and with it, early flowers, warmer temps and a slow awakening in our communities. Granted, Gov. Walz’ Stay-at-Home order still applies,  but some businesses on the North Shore have re-opened, with new rules in place, with more to come.

VisitCookCounty puts it this way:

For more information about which lodging facilities have opened, the new procedures in place, events,  event cancellations and more,  click here.

And lots of virtual events are scheduled, as well.

Polar explorer Lonnie Dupre will present ta live Zoom Webinar through North House Folk School about his adventures in Greenland 7 p.m. Thursday. The presentation is entitled “Greenland: Now and Then.”

Dupre will tell stories and share photographs about his 6,500 mile circumnavigation of Greenland  by dog team and kayak 20 years ago, and the expedition he is preparing for 2021-22. Dupre, who has literally sheltered-in-place for weeks in a snow cave on the side of a mountain in the winter (no Netflix to binge on there!), will also reflect on this peculiar global moment and share his perspective on staying mentally resilient during these challenging times.

The Webinar is free. To register, click here.

One of the highlights for pottery lovers every Mother’s Day Weekend is the annual St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour featuring an incredible number of potters and pots exhibiting their work at potteries around the valley. This year, the pottery tour has gone online..

The online tour features thousands of handmade pots crafted by 64 potters from around the country. The Online Tour offers web sales in artists’ individual web shops as well as virtual shopping appointments with potters on the tour dates, May 8-10. The Web shops go live Friday, May 8 at 10 a.m. CDT. To see all the pots and visit with the artists virtually, click here..

Jim McGowan will be be virtual on WTIP’s The Roadhouse this Friday, talking about his music and playing a few songs from his music studio in St. Paul. The Roadhouse airs from 5-7 p.m.

Cook County Higher Education has organized a wide variety of free webinars this month.

To check the schedule and register, click here.  Free registration is required.

And the Grand Marais Public Library will be starting a book pickup window on Wednesday, May 13. Book can be ordered online and then picked up at a window at the library.

Patrons can peruse the online catalog and make their selections. To find out more, click here.

Art:

Photographer Bryan Hansel has developed a Photo Shoot Planning Form to help photographers get ready for a planned shoot. 

To read and download the form, click here.

Glass artists worked hard this winter to prepare for an exhibit at the Johnson Heritage Post. The exhibit was scheduled to open in May, but had to be cancelled. It has been rescheduled for next year. Meanwhile, the artists do have work to show. Here’s a piece by Veronica Weadock. You reach her at vweadock@yahoo.com

Hovland bowl turner, Lou Pignolet, will have a bowl giveaway this month.

To win this bowl, send Pignolet an email with your guess of a number between 1 and 500 no later than midnight, May 15, CDT. The closest guess to the number Pignolet’s wife,  Inger, has selected and written down will get this bowl with free shipping within the USA, and $25 to any where else in the world. To enter the contest, click here.  To see more images of this bowl, click here.

Betsy Bowen continues her Comfort series. Here are two images.

For Cook County Artists:

The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council is doing one more round of relief grants for Cook County artists. Generous private donors are offering $1,200 to artists to help keep the art flowing during the Coronavirus crisis. The deadline for Round 2 is Monday, May 11 at 4:30 p.m. The application process is easy. To apply, click here.

Virtual:

Here are a few virtual events we found this week:

This is a black and white video of a Georgian Dance in slow motion:

Here’s an interesting piece on the evolution of the piano.

And here’s the Mongolian throat singing group, Wu, performing Wolf Totem.

For Fun & Food:

Diane Booth will hold a Zoom class on Beginning Gardening from noon to 2 p.m. on Monday, May 11.

To register for this free class, email Diane Booth, Cook County Extension Agent at Diane.Booth@co.cook.mn.us and she will email you the Zoom information.

Photographs:

We found some fun photographs this week. Take a look:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And with spring, come these favorites:

We found lots of sunsets and sunrises this week:

 

 

 

And then this:

And finally, this:

Have a good weekend, everyone! And Happy Mother’s Day!

Note: Artists! Send me photos of what you’ve been working on over the past few months! Email me at Joan.farnam@gmail.com

 

Shortly after you read this, you will probably know what the partial opening of the state of Minnesota actually means. The announcement hadn’t been made at the time this blog was published, and so we can only say, it’s anyone’s guess.

Meanwhile, our new normal continues.

First —  spring is upon us.

Some are not quite willing to let winter go, however.

Others wish warmer weather would come sooner.

In any case, people are still being careful about social distancing, and some are finding ways to be in the community at the same time.

And although Cook County has not yet recorded a case of Covid-19, it is getting ready. As of April 29, the Cook County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) announced it has received 1,017 hand-sewn cloth face coverings for the COVID-19 preparatory effort. That’s a lot of masks for a county with a population of 5,000 to produce in a few weeks. Kudos to the sewers amongst us! To learn more about what has been donated as well as what’s still needed, click here.

The Art World, like everyone else, is coming up with some ingenious solutions to get people together without crowding them into a big room.

North House Folk School, for example, has created the Crafting in Place series, which offers live instruction and/or videos crafted by its instructors.

On Thursday, April 30, a video: “From Tree to Table: Building an End Table with Randy Schnobrich“ will be featured on on Facebook and YouTube starting at 10 a.m.

And on Thursday evening, join Jarrod Dahl as he presents “Japan: In Search of Modern Wood Culture” at 7 p.m.

Read the complete description here and register for the webinar.  Free. Videos of many of the other Crafting in Place presentations are still available for viewing on the North House Facebook page.

The Grand Marais Art Colony has launched a “TakeOver” series, featuring an artist working in their studios on its Instagram page. This week, potter Jason Trebs will be glazing his pots, loading and firing his kiln in this three-day “TakeOver.”

To watch Trebs at work, click here Thursday through Saturday.

Also on Thursday, a regional virtual Minnesota Arts Town Hall via Zoom will be held from 4-5:30 p.m. to discuss the next phase of recovery and stability for the Minnesota arts community. A session focused on arts organizations was held on Wednesday, The one on Thursday invites all individual artists to participate, either through comments and/or observing the event.

Artists, including musicians, dancers, actors and visual artists have seen their world upended during the pandemic due to closures and cancellations.  The arts forum, developed by Arts Midwest, the Forum of Regional Arts Councils of Minnesota, Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, Minnesota Presenters Network, Minnesota State Arts Board, Minnesota Theater Alliance, City of Minneapolis Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, and Springboard for the Arts, invite all artists to join them in this discussion. What do they need? What can arts organizations do to help?

Speakers wil be allotted 2 minutes. Participants can also ask questions or comment in the Chat section. To participate and/or just listen in, register here. Free.

And on Friday, the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council will hold a free virtual workshop for artists on how to put their art online.  Dan Stocke, CEO and founder of Buzz Frenzy marketing automation software and producer of award winning podcast Take It With You, will be the presenter. The workshop will be from 2-3 p.m. on Friday via Zoom. To register and get the sign-in info, send an email to info@aracouncil.org  Free.

And to listen to an interview with Kate DiCamillo, author of “Because of Winn-Dixie,” a statewide MN Book Read book, tune into WTIP’s The Roadhouse on Friday night. Musician Rich Mattson will also be on the show to talk about his music and play a few songs from him and studios in Sparta. The Roadhouse airs from 5-7 p.m.

Our local and real artists continue to produce work. Here are some examples.

Kiln-worked glass artist Sharon Frykman is one of the artists who was slated to be in an glass exhibit at the Johnson Heritage Post in May. That show has been rescheduled to 2021. However, she, and the other artists in the show, have created work for it. Here’s one of Frykma’s pieces:

You can see more of her work at frykmanart.com .

Jo Wood has been working on new bead paintings.

Betsy Bowen has continued her Comfort series. Here are a few:

 

Minnesota Book Award finalist Staci Drouillard’s cousin, Sgp Zimmerman, said she was so inspiredby reading Drouillard’s book, “Walking the Old Road,” and learning more about her great grandmother, Josie Drouillard Zimmeran, that she created this in honor of her. “Her rose bushes / oginiiwaatigoon can still be found in Grand Marais if you know where to look,” Sgp writes. ” The piece has a total of 136 stars, as she would be 136 years old this year. Within the bear (makwa) there are 11 zhingwaakwag (pine trees) to represent all of her children. The piece is titled, “Oginiiwaatig Makwa under the Iskigamizige-giizis” (Rosebush Bear under the maple sap evaporating moon) to honor her.”

Kari Vick’s latest book, Flutter Bye, which she illustrated, has just been published. The author is Krista Pedersen Betcher. Vick was interviewed on MPR news by Angela Davis about the book. Stay tuned for details.

Virtual art exhibits and events continue to blossom. Here’s a brief selection.

The St. Louis River Alliance has created a virtual art exhibit with a great selection of paintings and photographs of the St. Louis River. To see the exhibit on YouTube, click here.

The Tweed Museum of Art has been posting virtual exhibits of senior art students, who normally have shows in the museum at this time of year. One student, Kyler Swanson, has created a series of fascinating, short animations entitled “Battle.”  Swanson writes: “While viewing each piece, I want the audience to remember that battle doesn’t just refer to physical action.” You can watch the series here.

The Russians have been busy, too. A wildly popular Russian Facebook group has invited people to recreate famous paintings while in isolation and they’ve been having fun doing it.

To see more, click here.

Words:

This is just such a great post. It features 38 wonderful words with no English equivalent, although, you will recognize the actions, even though we don’t have a specific word for them in English. It’s a great study of how humans are the same every where. For example, you know that old trick where you tap someone lightly on the opposite shoulder from behind to fool them? The Indonesians have a word for it: Mencolek.

 To see them, click here.

Stevie Ann Plummer has had a piece about her journey through Patagonia published in “Sidetracked.: Entitled, “Tranqui,” it is written by Emily Hopclan from Plummer’s recollections with spectacular photos by Plummer.

To see the publication with its spectacular photos, click here.

Mother’s Day:

The very popular St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour is going online this year. Traditionally held at pottery studios dotted throughout the St. Croix Valley over Mother’s Day weekend, the tour will still exhibit and sell a great selection of work by local, regional, national and international potters–but online.

The virtual shops will go live at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 8, but patrons can begin making virtual shopping appointments with potters. Click here to see who is participating, examples of their work, their Web shops and how to make appointments with them . You can also get updates and more info on their Instagram site, here.

Blogger’s Choice:

Here’s a true potpourri.

Can’t find yeast at the store? Make chapatis, the tasty, chewy unleavened bread from India.

Click here to learn how:

And here’s the funniest video of the week. This is from a Canadian television station, CTV.ca, and features a young music teacher who sings about her feelings during the pandemic. That’s funny? Wait for it.

 Here is the link. 

 

 Music: 

 Here’s an eclectic selection of music for this week:

Josh Peterson “Uncertain Certainties.”

Miley Cyrus “Wish You Were Here.”

“Drive Slow,” Chastity Brown.

 Quinn Christopherson: NPR Music Tiny Desk Contest Winner 2019.

The Carpenter Ants: He Saved My Soul

 Photographers:

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

First, early spring flowers:

 

 

Here are some of the wildlife shots we found:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are is a peoplescape:

Landscapes, seascapes and skycapes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have a good weekend, everyone. And stay safe!

P.S. Please email me photos of the work you’ve been doing in your studio. Email Joan.farnam@gmail.com

And, if you’d like to donate to NorthShore ArtScene, you can do so through the link below. Thank you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spring on the North Shore:

Greetings from the North Shore, where spring is slowly making its way through snowdrifts and icefalls, creating fascinating contrasts in the landscape. Here are two photographic examples, taken by Maryl Skinner on the same day.

First, yoga on a frozen lake:

And second, the photograph below was taken in Skinner’s garden on the same day. Her garden is on the lake side of the hilly divide between Lake Superior and the Gunflint Trail.

Welcome to spring in the Northwoods!

Cook County Update:

First, though, let’s give an update on Cook County. Business hours, cancellations and other pertinent information is available in a number of places, and the lists are updated frequently. Check Exploring the Shore, Visitcookcounty, and WTIP Community Radio for the latest information.

And, just to be obnoxious, this is a reminder to fill out your 2020 census form. If you’re a Cook County resident and receive your mail through a PO box, you will not receive a census form through the mail.  The 2020 Census forms are not mailed out to Post Office boxes, so you can either fill it out online (takes five minutes, tops), or wait until it is safe for a census worker to knock on your door and hand you one. To fill out the form, click here. (Note: Currently, Cook County has the worst census response rate in the state.)

And finally, a new $1,200 grant for Cook County artists is now available through the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council. The grant will pay personal or artistic expenses for artists who live in Cook County. The first round opened on Tuesday, April 21, and continues through Monday, April 27. A second round will be held if funding is available.

This fund has been created with a gift from a generous funding partner to provide critical relief for artists within Cook County struggling from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the purpose of this program, artist is defined as writers, performers, musicians, visual artists, and crafts people who live in the county, including Grand Portage. Program partners include the Cook County/Grand Marais EDA, the Cook County Creative Economy Collaborative, and the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council.

To apply for the grant, click here. It is simple to fill out.  

ARAC has other grants to help artists and organizations during the Covid-19 crisis. Click here to learn more. Other resources for artists include Springboard for the Arts, Minnesota Disaster Recovery Fund,  Americans for the Arts. And get on Pat Campanero’s email list. She is the Small Business Development Center representative for Cook County and is posting all the latest information on loans and grants. You can email her at pcampanaro@gmail.com and get on the list.

In other news, fundraising continues for the three downtown businesses in Grand Marais that were destroyed in a fire last week: The Crooked Spoon, Picnic & Pine and White Pine North. The Grand Marais State Bank is accepting donations by check. The online Gofundme Grand Marais Fire Relief Fund has raised $51,00o so far. Halfway to its goal. You can find it here.

And Odyssey Resorts East Bay Suites is hosting a live, virtual performance and benefit concert for the family owned businesses that were destroyed by the fire. Timmy Haus will perform. The concert is from 7-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 23.

To view the concert and participate in the fundraiser, visit the Odyssey Resorts Facebook page, here.

And, believe it or not, we found two other local, but virtual, musical performances that will be held this week.

Boyd “Bump” Blomberg will be on WTIP’s The Roadhouse on Friday night. He will be performing from his home. People can listen on-air or stream the program and/or watch the video on WTIP’s Facebook page.

The Roadhouse airs from 5-7 p.m.

And Michael Monroe will host his second virtual Log Cabin Concert on Saturday night from 7-8:30 p.m.

Tickets are by donation. The concert will be streamed through his Facebook page. Check it out here .

There are other fun local opportunities this week, too. North House Folk School continues its Crafting in Place series, offering free tutorials and information sessions in a variety of crafts. First up this week: Mending Sweaters and Socks with Yarn with Tasha Miller Griffith.

The video will go live at 10 a.m. on Thursday, April 23 on the Folk School’s Facebook and YouTube pages.

Then, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Angela Robbins, an instructor at the Folk School, will be live on Instagram with “Wild Stools with Just A Few Tools.”  She will demonstrate how to make a simple 3-legged stool with a chunk of wood and branches. If folks don’t have access to logs and branches, scrap boards and dowels also work. This makes a great project for youth, and these techniques can be applied to make miniature furniture too.

Art & Artists:

 Our local artists continue to make work during this stay-at-home time. Here is what we gathered this week.

Mary Bebie is one of the glass artists who was scheduled to exhibit at the Johnson Heritage Post May 1. That show has been cancelled (rescheduled for next year), but all the glass artists had been working hard this winter to get ready for it. Here’s one of Mary’s pieces. She can be reached by emailing marybebie@hotmail.com

 Keith Morris has been doing some drawing this winter. Here are two of his pieces. One is called “Good Hare Day,”‘ and one is called “Bad Hair Day.”

Tim Young was among the artists and community members who turned out for a chalk art social-distancing event in Harbor Park. Here’s what he created:

 Paula Sundet Wolf has been painting.

Betsy Bowen is continuing her” Comfort” series. She posts an image a few times a week, at least, on her Facebook page. Here’s her illustration in honor of all those making face masks.

Kim Knutson will set up a little stand in the entry way to Oddz & Ends. Under her brand name, TF Goodness, she is donating “organic, locally grown and made balms, butters and solid lotions to anyone who lives in Cook County; especially to those people who have to wash their hands continually…….you all know who you are.  So if you have dry, itchy, cracked skin come get some, your skin will love you for it.”

 

The donations are available Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. “If you and your hands need comforting in these interesting times,” she writes, “Stop in and pick something up. It’s free, but if you really want to, we’ll accept donations.”

The Crooked Spoon had a lot of local art on the walls, including a great collection of Heidi Sobanja’s work, which was all lost. Another painter, Jan Attridge, lost this painting she did of the restaurant’s scrumptious French onion soup.

 Virtual

OK.  This is Potpourri V … onward!

Bryan Hansel produced a video for North House Folk School on how to photograph work with natural light at home.

Check Hansel’s video out here.

Here’s a video from the Vimeo Video School about how to create a video with your phone.

Layne Kennedy was recently featured on Almanac on how to be creative with your time.

Here’s an amazing PBS series about the unsung women who changed America. It’s titled “Unladylike 2020.” The series covers Arctic explorers, sculptors, fashion icons, botanists …

Here’s the link to see the episode on Louis Arner Boyd and the rest of the episodes in the series.

Here’s another PBS piece.. The Quarantine Art Challenge. People were challenged to re-create their favorite piece of art with what they could find at home. It’s pretty funny.

The Daily Art Magazine published “The Long Wait” collection, paintings that best depict waiting. Here’s one.

 To see the whole collection of paintings, click here.

Here’s a short dance video, entitled “The Six Sides of Merce Cunningham.” it documents the dancer’s life and his impact on the world.

And here’s a wonderful twist on a poetry reading. In this production, we see the poet, and then the poem itself and can read along as he/she reads their work. It’s production of the Poetry Foundation.

 Music:

There are lots of music videos out there. So here’s just a quick selection.

Lizzo in a Tiny Desk Concert.

 Grand Marais’ Marco Good sings “Spanish Pipedream” from the back 40.

Nina Simone singing “Feelin’ Good.”

And a very sweet, virtual stay-at-home concert:

Hope you enjoyed those. Next …

Photographs:

Let’s start with a photo by Duluth abstract photographer Michael Dahmen that first appeared on Stephen Colbert’s Twitter feed. Dahmen said he was asked for a photograph of the soap you used to wash your hands. So he produced this. He reports that more than 35,000 saw it.

Next: Wildlife

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Landscapes, snowscapes and waterscapes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have a good weekend, everyone! Stay Safe!

Artists, please send images of what you’ve been working on this month to me at Joan.farnam@gmail.com

Also, if you’ve often considered donating to NorthShore ArtScene, now might be a good time, if you’re able to do it. And, thank you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How newsy is NorthShore ArtScene? That’s a question we’ve been asking this week, as we face reporting on a devastating fire that destroyed three family businesses in downtown Grand Marais on Monday, April 13. White Pine North, owned by Jessica & Tyler Dean, The Crooked Spoon owned by Sara & Nathan Hingos and Picnic and Pine, owned by Kelsey Kennedy & Peter Klinker were destroyed in the fire. The cause of the fire is not known at this time. No one was injured.

Whipped by winds gusting over 20 mph, volunteer firemen from four different volunteer fire departments, Grand Marais, Maple Hill, Colvill and Lutsen, battled the blaze. The three businesses could not be saved. Sven & Ole’s, which is across the alley, was saved and suffered only minor damage.

The horror, heartbreak and sadness at first overwhelmed this small community, already reeling from the closures of local businesses due to Corvid-19.  But, like the strong community that it is, Grand Marais has rallied to help in any way it can.

A GoFundMe Fire Relief Fund, launched by Abby Tofte and Tina Hegg Raway, has been set up to accept online donations to help the businesses get back on their feet. As of this morning, it had raised more than $25,000 from donations across the region and the country.  Click here to donate and find out more about the fundraiser. Grand Marais’ mayor, Jay Arrowsmith DeCoux, set up three accounts at the Grand Marais State Bank for relief donations as well. Checks can be sent to Grand Marais State Bank, PO Box 100, Grand Marais, MN 55604.

There is more to report, unfortunately.

The Hovland Arts Festival, scheduled for the July 4th weekend, has been cancelled. “We waited as long as we could to make this difficult decision.” the Hovland Arts Festival Committee wrote to its neighbors. “It’s based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat. Just having one person get sick if we proceed is too many. Please join us next year on the 4th of July weekend!”

North House Folk School has cancelled all courses through June 19. They write: “We are extending our course cancellation period through June 19 to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and protect our students, instructors, staff, and neighbors. If you are registered for a course during this time frame, you should have received an email regarding your refund options. If you didn’t, please email us at info@northhouse.org or call us at 218-387-9762.”

The Grand Marais Art Colony has cancelled all programming through Aug. 31, “including all on-site classes and activities, and our annual Arts Festival, in order to protect the health and safety of your community. We are exploring ways to pivot our programming to an online platform. Look for GMAC on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to find information and ways to engage.”

And the Cook County Market, featuring work by a variety of local artists and artisans, will postpone its opening at least through July. The Market, which is held in the Senior Center parking lot, usually opens over Memorial Day Weekend.

For all updates on cancellations, new hours of operations for local businesses, check visitcookcounty.com , WTIP Community Radio, and Exploring the North Shore. You can also check these sites for re-openings and new events.

We are hopeful, here on the North Shore — the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness will open Tuesday, May 5 and the Fishing Opener is Saturday, May 9.

And, since we are still in stay-at-home mode, here is this week’s potpourri to watch and enjoy this week:

Virtual:

North House Folk School has developed a series of online videos entitled “Crafting in Place.” This week’s offerings:

Watch Beth Dooley make a quick and easy Spiced Lentil Stew on Facebook and YouTube starting at 10 a.m. on Thursday, April 16.

Click on the links to see:

• Live at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 16: Life Aboard a Sailboat with the Gordon Family Zoom Webinar
• April 17, 10 a.m., Seed Starting with Ian Andrus of Creaking Tree Farm video on Facebook and YouTube.

The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council is holding a Virtual Town Hall for the Arts on Thursday April 16 at 4 p.m. ARAC will talk about two new emergency grant programs they have developed as well as other ways it can help artists and arts organizations and give a preview of what to expect from the state funding system in the next six months. It’s a town hall, so they’re asking artists to weigh in. What are your challenges? How are you helping each other? It’s Zoom meeting, so everyone is invited. To sign up, just send an email to info@aracouncil.org and we’ll send you the virtual sign-in information.

The American Craft Council is holding a Zoom conference/forum at 2 p.m. on Friday, April 17, on education disruptions and opportunities.

To register, click here. 

The Duluth Art Institute is hosting a free,  in-depth seminar entitled  “Visual Arts on Camera with Philip Gilpin Jr from Catalyst Stories.” It will include practical details on the steps of development, writing, physical production, post-production, and distribution of your videos. Click here to register. Free.

Watch a movie:

Watch an Artist’s Talk by Nan Onkka, as she describes the pieces she was scheduled to show at the Johnson Heritage Post Gallery this month. When the gallery closed, she rescheduled her show to 2021, and decided to to a virtual opening this month, too.

Here’s a music/dance video filmed in Iceland that might be of interest:

 How about watching Shakespeare at the Globe Theater in London? They’re streaming The Bard’s greatest plays on YouTube.

 Or, watch the “Les Miserables” cast, in concert (and in costume) on this video.

 Artists:

Artists continue to work, too. Here’s a look at what some of them are doing.

Lee Ross has completed a series of works in glass for a glass exhibit that was scheduled for May at the Johnson Heritage Post. That show has been rescheduled, but the artists involved had already made lots of work for it. Here’s one of her pieces.

Dave Steckelberg has been working in his studio.

Jo Wood has been working as well

Duluth painter Adam Swanson‘s latest:

Also in Duluth, Carolyn Olson has been documenting the times:

Potter Jason Trebs is getting ready for the St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour, which is online this year over Mother’s Day weekend. Click here to learn more.

Marty Harris is still printing beautiful work in his Minneapolis studio.

And thank you! to Betsy Bowen for regularly posting inspiring work in her Comfort series on her Facebook page.

And here’s an image from a long time ago. The Tweed Museum of Art, which is also closed, has been posting images of works from its collection. This is one:

There are grants and opportunities to help artists during this difficult time. Click  and scroll down here to find resources.

Music:

Here are just a few music videos for you to enjoy. Again, a potpourri.

Bochelli in Milan:

 Trampled by Turtles:

Blues: Taj Mahal and Keb Moe, filmed in the French Quarter:

 Sami singer, Mari Boine:

 Photographs:

We found lots of great work this week. Here’s a selection:

Let’s start with this photograph we found on space weather.com. It’s a sun halo. The photographer was stunned to see this on Easter morning.

And here are some favorite wildlife shots.

Landscapes and lakescapes:

And finally, a little levity for you:

May your week go well. Be Safe.

P.S. Send me images of what you’ve been doing in your studio! Email me at Joan.farnam@gmail.com

Also, if you’d like to help support NorthShore ArtScene, click on the icon below to donate. And thank you!

So we’re allowed to get quirky in these changing times.

In this case, quirky means posts from all over the place: music videos, artists’ stuff, grand scenes from the Northwoods, tender garden pop-ups, the last commercial sailing vessel to round the Cape, online learning opportunities, lists of the shops, stores and restaurants doing curbside and when,  highway poetry, sketches for comfort, opera concerts in Europe and, of course, wildlife and landscape photographs. So, yep, lots of interesting stuff is popping up on social media this week. Here’s a taste:

Let’s start with updated information about area business hours and cancellations in the county, compiled by WTIP Community Radio. Click here to learn more.

Visitcookcounty.com has also included a lot of information, too. Click here to see.

That being said, a fair number of events/activities are going virtual, and the offerings are increasing. North House Folk School, for example, has set up a series of lunch and learn programs that can be watched on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube. This is an on-going, to-be-announced series entitled “Crafting in Place,” and features demonstrations and tutorials with instructors online.

On Thursday, April 9, check out the video: Scandinavian Folk Art Style Primer: Rosemaling and Dalmalning with Kim Garrett on Facebook and YouTube.

At 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jim Sannerud will Turn a Bowl from a Log on Instagram,

And on Friday, April 10, Marybeth Garmoe will give a studio tour of her broom making.

The video can be seen Facebook and YouTube .

The North Shore Winery is planning to hold Virtual Date Nights with Gordon Thorne on Thursday nights on its Facebook page.

This week Chuck Corliss joins Gordon for the evening of music at 6 p.m. To listen, click here.

There are lots of other virtual live concerts on social media these days, too.  Here’s a link to some of the choices.

And Andrew Lloyd Webber is streaming his musicals for free on YouTube. The series is entitled “The Shows Must Go On.” This Friday, April 10, the 2012 production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” with Tim Minchin, Melanie C and Chris Moyles will be streamed starting at 7 p.m.

It will be available for 48 hours. To see it and read more about the series, click here.

And, on Easter Sunday, Andrea Bocelli will perform a virtual concert in Milan, “Music for Hope” beginning at 1 p.m. ET.

 To watch and/or find out more, click here.

And finally, for those who are spending a lot of time in meetings on Zoom, Skype or other platforms, Visitcookcounty has created some custom virtual backgrounds for you, including photographs of waterfalls, the northern lights, the Boundary Waters and more. There are also videos of Cook County to download.

They have even included instructions on how to use these backgrounds on Zoom.  Click here to make your choices and find out more.

Artists:

Homebound artists are often studio-bound artists, and many have taken the opportunity to continue to work. Here are a few examples.

Musician Martha Marnocha, who plays with a variety of bands in the county, said she has connected with new friends in Sussex, England and is playing with them via an online live-practice program.

Potter Natalie Sobanja has set up a studio at her home and is making some cool pieces.

 Nancy Seaton is working in her new glass studio at her home at Hungry Jack Outfitters.

Ron Piercy has been really busy in Washburn, Wis., setting up an art center which includes five working artist studios, teaching studios for ceramics, silver and goldsmithing, a classroom with live streaming audio and video, a large art gallery and … a craft beer bar.

The complex includes an art supply store. Check out it out here.

Paula Sundet Wolf has been working as well.

And Betsy Bowen has continued her Comfort series of paintings which she posts frequently on Facebook. Here is one.

Painter Jan Attridge completed this.

And for those who just feel like coloring something this week, check out the North Shore Coloring Book by Mark Klein.

It’s available at Drury Lane Books, which delivers in town.

Here’s an interesting challenge. The Grand Marais Art Colony has a call for artists to create a piece addressing the idea of Habitat, the Art Colony’s theme this year.

In its explanation for the call, the Art Colony writes:

HABITAT: the places we live and those we share it with

We had no idea that when we set this theme that all of our habitats would necessarily be altered so drastically. What changes have been made to yours? What new patterns, rhythms, or routines are surfacing? What is aggravating you? What is sustaining you?

An invitation: use these questions to create a unique, 4 x 6-inch painting, mixed-media piece, poem, photo, etc, etc. and send it in by May 31. Include your name and the medium on the back of the piece. Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope if you want your piece returned. We will exhibit them in the windows of our new building. Send to: P.O. Box 626, Grand Marais, MN 55604. (Please refer to USPS for guidelines on how to safely send things in the mail.) For more information, email programs@grandmaraisartcolony.org

It is a rocky time for artists and arts organizations, for sure. Cancellations of exhibits, art festivals, music festivals, plays, dance performances, concerts. and gigs at bars and other venues is definitely a challenge for everybody. But there is help out there. Federal and state programs are available for self-employed artists and arts organizations. Pat Companero has a handle on all of this and is eager to help. You can email her at pcompanero@gmail.com

The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council and Springboard for the Arts are great resources, too, and both have developed special grants for artists and arts organizations during this time. Also, check out the Artist Relief Fund, which is offering $5,000 grants to artists.

And, being human, we can’t help noticing that spring is coming anyway, and we still laugh at each other’s jokes, even if they’re virtual or on the phone, wave when we see friends on our walks, stand in wonder as the pink moon floats overhead …

And so, just for some levity and silliness: “This Too Shall Pass Rube Goldberg Machine.”

And since this is Easter weekend, let’s give a bow to the Easter bunny, here captured in this photo of the bunny collection of Duluth raku artists Richard Gruchalla and Carrie Rosetti.

And here’s a bow to sadness and greatness, as we find out that legendary American folksinger John Prine died of complications from Covid-19 this week. He was 73.  To read about him, details of his life and a few interviews, click here.

Betsy Bowen put it this way:

Another great way to pay homage to John Prine is to listen to his music. Here’s his Tiny Desk Concert, recorded in 2018 in the NPR studios.

In this Tiny Desk concert he plays four songs, including “All The Best.” And for your pleasure, click around on the site and listen to more, if you wish. What a gift he was to us.

Photographs:

Our photographers have been out and about, or staying at home, sifting through past work. We get to enjoy both. First, wildlife:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spring:

 

 

 

And here are a few fun photos we found:

 

 

 

The Full Pink Moon:

 

 

Landscapes and Waterscapes:

 

 

 

 

 

And finally, we found this:

Have a good weekend, everyone. Be safe. Be smart. Be well.

P.S. Email me with ideas/links for next week’s blog– joan.farnam@gmail.com

P.P.S. If you would like to contribute to NorthShore ArtScene, click on the logo below. And thank you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Greetings from the North Shore, where all is quiet on the Western Front, so to speak. Absolutely. People are taking the Stay-At-Home to heart here. In fact, some are joking that if this keeps up, they’ll forget to look both ways when crossing Hwy. 61. Not good news for all the small businesses and artists up here, though. But, resiliency is the name of the game, and people are going virtual, curbside and practicing vigorous social distancing.

Businesses are being really creative, too, as is the county and city administrations, so things are changing by the week, and it’s good to keep up on the latest. For example, Hungry Hippie Tacos, which was closed for awhile, is now going to offer a special menu curbside Thursday through Saturday, and the Grand Marais Liquor Store opened on Wednesday, also offering curbside service.

For that info and more, check out Exploring North Shore by clicking here. The site will include information, phone numbers and emails to contact the businesses and arrange for pick-up.

Cook County has set up a Coronavirus Response Hub at the Cook County Community Center, which is closed to the public, BUT it has launched a web site that provides all kinds of information: latest updates on the virus and the community, how to find food and other necessities, community information, health information, including health care providers, videos and much more. It’s a very flexible site and changes daily. Check it out here.

And WTIP Community Radio at 90.7 FM  always has lots of  great information and interviews during the day.

Facebook and Instagram have also been really important in communicating information, ideas, projects and more over the last few weeks. Add to that — Zoom meetings are being held everywhere.

And since everybody is staying at home, artists are doing some interesting work. Here are a few examples.

Julie Arthur has been dyeing yarn.

Mona Abdel-Rahman made some new dishrags.

Potter Jason Trebs has been busy.

 Tim Young continues to paint.

ISD 166 student Hazel Oberholtzer said she has really appreciated being able to do more art at home. Here’s a piece she did for an assignment by her teacher Mila Horak.

Paula Gustafson has been painting.

Authors have a local champion. too–Gwen Danfelt at Drury Lane Books.

And Betsy Bowen has been uploading “Comfort” drawings to her Facebook page frequently. Here are a few:

 

 

 

Virtual events have also blossomed.

North House Folk School  is organizing “Crafting in Place,” a series of  live videos featuring crafters doing their work or teaching a technique on Facebook or Instagram. That schedule is being constantly updated. So far this week:

• April 2: Live at 7 p.m.: At the Forge with Elizabeth Belz – Instagram
• April 3: How to Sew a Button on with Tasha Miller Griffith – Facebook

The Grand Marais Writer’s Guild has gone virtual too, through Zoom. Writing sessions will be held every Sunday and Tuesday at 2 p.m. via Zoom.

The guild is open to everyone who writes anything. One of the writer’s prompts that will be used in these sessions: “Pick a book, open at random, close your eyes and touch the page, then  open your eyes and use the part of the sentence you touched to start writing.” To connect with this writing opportunity, click on the Zoom link at 2 p.m. on Sunday and Tuesday, and then enter the Meeting ID: 266 766 226 and the Password: 976225.

Printmaker Nan Onkka was scheduled to open an exhibit of her work at the Johnson Heritage Post this month, but that is not possible. So instead, she re-scheduled her exhibit for next year and will hold a virtual exhibit on April 10 on Etsy, Instagram and Facebook.

Stay tuned for details.

And abstract painter Tara Austin, who recently exhibited work at the Johnson Heritage Post, is exhibiting new work at the Joseph Nease Gallery in Duluth. The exhibit is virtual on the gallery’s web page.

The title of the show is “Boreal Ornament III.” Click here to see the exhibit.

We invite you to check out your favorite gallery’s Web sites. Many of them are incorporating virtual tours and interviews with artists. And the Downtown Duluth Arts Walk Facebook page has great virtual tours of a number of exhibits in the city. Check it out here.

For those wanting to just paint something, here’s a free coloring page with art by Christi Belcourt, thanks to the Thunder Bay Art Gallery. Click on the image and you can download it to your printer. Make copies for everyone for a fun family project. If you can’t print it, try saving it as a digital file and using a “paint” app or program to paint it digitally. Enjoy! Here it is. It is from Belcourt’s painting “Joy” and was turned into a colouring page by Mariah Meawasige.

Music:

And here are a few (virtual) music selections for the week:

Playing for Change: “Higher Ground”

Here is “Helplessly Hoping,” a song by Crosby, Stills & Nash, performed by Italian students from their homes.

Here’s Cat Stevens performing “Peace Train.”

 

Check out this video of two Mayo Clinic doctors, Elvis Francois and William Robinson, performing John Lennon’s “Imagine. 

 

And for some Blues, here’s Duane Allman and Boz Scaggs, “Loan Me a Dime.”

 Photographs:

 Thomas Spence has posted a compilation of photographs he calls “Stay Connected to the North Shore from Afar.” You can look at them here.

Wildlife shots.

 

 

 

 

Spring has arrived on the North Shore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And finally, this song by John Prine, who has been hospitalized with coronavirus but is in stable condition at last report.

May the week go well for you and your loved ones. Stay safe!

P.S. Email me with ideas/links for next week’s blog– joan.farnam@gmail.com

P.P.S. If you would like to contribute to NorthShore ArtScene, click on the logo below. And thank you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Potpourri is a combination of many elements. Sometimes there are so many you need to come back and sample them again. This week’s ArtScene is an example of that. Lots of research and lots of posts on social media have yielded lots to look at. Enjoy. And be safe, be well.

Cancellations of events and closures of restaurants and bars, shops and galleries has certainly had an impact on the world, the country and the North Shore. (For up-to-date listings for Cook County, click here.)

At the same time. people have rallied, been creative and supported each other as best they can. And artists continue to work, Here are a few examples:

Members of the Northwoods Fiber Guild are sewing masks for medical workers.

 Betsy Bowen has been posting daily “Comfort” drawings on Facebook. Here’s an example.

She also sent in a draft of her new book for final proofreading to the publisher. She illustrated “The Bowser Chronicles” by Glenn N. Sandvik, which  is a narrative poem about Bowser, the renegade cat, a tugboat and Lake Superior in the 20th century.

 

Joy & Co. is closed, but if artists call, owner Jill Terrill will find a way for them to get the supplies they need. Here’s a link to the Facebook page to learn more.

The Grand Marais Art Colony closed this week (until at least April 6), but artists in the glass studio worked until the last minute preparing for an upcoming show at the Johnson Heritage Post May 1. Here’s a piece that Lee Ross made in the last week the glass studio was open:

Some artists have had to set up studios at their home. As one artist put it, “I am no longer calling this shelter in place. I am now an artist in residence.” Others have had their own studios and continue to make pieces for the summer season.

Hovland woodturner Lou Pignolet writes on his Facebook page: “My approach to dealing with the coming Covid-19 invasion is to distance my self from crowds by working in my shop and trying to show the wonderful beauty in wood and to share that with everyone.”

Another Hovland artist, Terry Lee Lewis, continues to work from her studio as well.

Being creative is the name of the game for artists everywhere for sure. We found this great photo of Henri Matisse (1869-1954) drawing from his bed when he had the flu.

Some artists, like art educator and printmaker Nan Onkka, have set up kids art projects to help parents who are now homeschooling their children. Click here to learn more and see the projects.

Social media, especially Facebook, has really come into its own over the last two weeks, as artists post latest pieces,  organize to help out each other and the community, hold virtual concerts, virtual art shows and more.

Painter Christi Belcourt, for example, has been posting examples of recent work.

Here are a few other recent posts by Duluth artists:

First, Adam Swanson.

And here’s a detail from a painting by Martin DeWitt.

The Johnson Heritage Post is closed, but it is posting photographs on its Facebook page of work by Rita Corrigan, who has an exhibit in the space. It also has been posting photos and information about work in its gift shop and giving patrons an opportunity to purchase them.

 

But that’s not all that’s happening on Facebook and the Internet. Artists are really doing some neat things to share their work. Here are some examples.

Music:

Some musicians are putting on free virtual concerts from their homes in order to encourage people to stay at home and stop the spread of the coronavirus. Here’s John Legend  doing a few songs and talking about his life. He is joined by his wife Chrissy Teigen. It’s a one of many #TogetherAtHome concerts to check out.

NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts are always a treat, and there are lots to choose from. Here’s Booker T Jones playing “Green Onions” and other favorites at his Tiny Desk concert.

For classical music lover, here’s a virtual concert of  the finale of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony by members of the Rotterdam Philharmonic.  All the musicians were playing their parts at home.

America cellist Yo-Yo Mas has been regularly posting pieces on his Facebook page for home viewers. Here he is with Kathryn Stott playing a favorite Saint-Saens piece.

Here’s link to the complete archive of folk music for all countries.

Check out the site here.

Watch the 58th Ann Arbor Film Festival online. The film festival was cancelled and the organizers decided to live stream the event. Watch it here.

Here’s a link to a virtual tour of museums around the world.

And finally, check out this link to free Online Courses, Audio Books, eBooks, Movies, Coloring Books & More. Click to see.

Photographs:

We found a wide variety of photographs this week. Some of the photographers were spending the time at home going through their files and posting favorites. Others were taking social distancing time and hiking in the woods or exploring Lake Superior.

Let’s start with wildlife:

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here are some landscapes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here are two more wildlife photos:

 This great shot of a buffalo appeared on a friend’s Facebook page without attribution. We just had to include it.

Stay safe, everyone.

P.S. Email me with ideas/links for next week’s blog– joan.farnam@gmail.com

P.P.S. If you would like to contribute to NorthShore ArtScene, click on the logo below. And thank you!