North Shore Arts Scene

Greetings from the NorthShore as winter days continue and we’re enjoying owls perched everywhere, especially the Great Gray.

The Great Gray is the largest owl in the world by length, according to Wikipedia. Here are more images of this spectacular owl captured by Paul Sundberg.

And, as with all owls, it can turn its head almost completely around.

The irruption of owls on the North Shore has been spectacular this year, and our local photographers have captured many images, including Sundberg. Here are a few.

Another owl dearly loved by birders is the Boreal Owl, which has also appeared this winter. Here are a few photos we found.

Tracey Cullen sent in this photo. The Boreal had caught a squirrel in her yard and after eating half of it, was so full that it didn’t move when she approached to take this photo. You can see how tiny it is compared to the snow shovel.

See below for more images of owls and other wildlife that we found this week.

Meanwhile, art-making continues.

This week, participants at Art Night at Joy and Company will paint a bookmark.

Art Night is a weekly event at Joy and Company and is held from 3:30-5 pm. Each week, participants make art with a selection of art supplies available at the shop. This week, they will paint bookmarks with Deco Arts paint. Instruction is provided. Free, with a suggested $5 donation.

Surfside in Tofte will hold a Paint and Sip event from 5-7 pm Thursday.

Participants will paint a North Shore landscape with the help of an instructor as they sip a selection of wine. The cost is $40 per person. To sign up, click here.

On Thursday evening, the North Shore Swing Band will play for Jazz Night at Up Yonder from 7-9 pm.

The event is free and open to all. It’s a great opportunity to listen to an outstanding band. Dancing is a fun part of the evening, too. Free.

On Friday afternoon, Hillary Freeman and Tom McCann will lead a Zoom discussion on Shakespeare’s play, “The Tempest.”

This event is open to all, not just those participating in other Shakespeare Readers & Theater events, so feel free to invite others. The discussion should be a fantastic lead-up to the performance of “The Tempest” at UMD in February.

The discussion will be held from 3-4:30 pm via Zoom. The event is sponsored by Cook County Higher Education.  To sign up and get the link, click here.

On Friday night, Lynden Blomberg, Abby Zak, and the Watershed Group will perform at the Log Cabin at the  Community Center from 7-10 pm.

AZ LeGare plays at 7 pm, Lynden Graham at 8 pm, and Watershed Group, with Adam Kirsch (clarinet), Will Moore (bass), and Cory Quirk (drums) will finish the night.

The event is free with a suggested $5-$10 donation. All invited.

On Saturday, Jan. 18, Trail Center Lodge, Poplar Haus, and White Pine Lodge are hosting the 2nd Annual Poplar Lake Scavenger Hunt

Participants will go between all three lodges while earning points by eating, drinking, and locating scavenger hunt items along the way.  The person/team with the most points at the end of the day will earn prizes from all three lodges.

Event details:

• Scavenger hunt sheets must be picked up at Trail Center Lodge between 9 am – 5 pm.
• Scavenger hunt sheets are due to White Pine Lodge by 5 pm
• Pat Eliasen will be playing live music at White Pine Lodge from 3 pm – 5 pm.
• The winner will be announced at Poplar Haus at 6 pm – must be present to win.
• Poplar Haus will have their regular dinner menu.

On Saturday night, the Grand Marais Film Society will screen its January film at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts at 6 pm.

This is a 2024 family, animated film based on the best-selling novel. The movie features a shipwrecked robot, an orphaned gosling, and a wooded island. Tickets are $5.

More details, including the name of the film, are available here or email GMFilmSociety@gmail.com. This film is sponsored by Drury Lane Books.

On Saturday in Duluth, the North Shore Artists League Duluth/Two Harbors/Silver Bay artists extend an invitation to all members to attend an Artist Meet & Greet at Dovetail Cafe and Marketplace.

Join us from 10 am to noon on Saturday, Jan. 18, at 1917 W Superior Street.  This in-person event will welcome new artists who have recently joined the league and allow artists to get to know each other. Feel free to bring a small sample of your art form to the gathering.

On Sunday, a Zoom discussion of the Community Read book,” Native Love Jams,” the debut contemporary romance by Tashia Hart, will be held from 6-7 pm on Sunday, Jan. 19.  Staci Drouillard, author of “Walking the Old Road: A People’s History of Chippewa City and the Grand Marais Anishinaabe,” “Seven Aunts,” and “A Family Tree,” will be the facilitator. 

Set in the picturesque community of Rainy Bay, “Native Love Jams” follows Winnow, a forager and cook hired to help launch the town’s first Indigenous Food Days. As she navigates her role, she faces both conflict and chemistry with her host, Niigaanii. Their story unfolds in a landscape of wild foods, simmering tensions, and blossoming connections. Can love grow amidst berry patches and tangled pasts?

The Zoom discussion is free. To register and get the link, click here.

Songwriter Nicolas David will perform at the Lofty Gondola at Lutsen Mountains from 8-9:30 pm on Wednesday, Jan,  23, as part of the Songwriter Series.

During this time, the Lofty Gondola is transformed into a listening room showcasing some of the Midwest’s top songwriters.

To create a safe and intimate environment, and to allow audience members to immerse themselves in the stories and craft of the song, guests in the main room are asked to limit conversation during the performance. The event is free.

Exhibits:

The exhibit, 100 Years of Art: Permanent Collection Feature continues at the Johnson Heritage Post.

The curated exhibition features artwork created in the 1920s through the present, highlighting the extraordinary breadth of talent that expresses the wonders of Cook County.

The exhibit runs through Feb. 23 alongside the Anna C. Johnson permanent collection and gift shop.

The Heritage Post’s winter hours are from 10 am to 4 pm Thursdays through Saturdays and Mondays, and from 1-4 pm Sundays. It is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Free and open to the public.

Two new exhibits will open at the Duluth Art Institute  on Jan. 22.

Stay tuned for details.

Gaganoonidiwag: They Talk To Each Other, a collaboration between Joel Richardson and Nyle Miigizi Johnston has opened at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery.

Richardson and Johnston have been talking with each other for well over a decade. Their conversation began on a log over a stream in Toronto’s High Park.

Johnston is an Anishinaabe visual storyteller and cultural director of Finding Our Power Together, a youth organization. His art incorporates teachings based on traditional knowledge.

Richardson is a multidisciplinary artist and co-founder of the Metipso Portal, an experimental media lab in the highlands of central Kenya.

The exhibit is the most recent iteration of a decade’s long project. It continues through April 13.

The Russian Museum of Art has several new exhibits, including “A Thousand Nesting Dolls.”

The origin of the Russian nesting doll, also known as Matryoshka, is a matter of legends. Allegedly invented by a professional artist, the dolls became an instant success with collectors when they were displayed at the 1900 World’s Fair in Paris.  A thriving industry in its early, pre-revolutionary years, nesting doll production was brought under state control during the Soviet period. Made at state-run facilities across the vast country, Soviet Matryoshka dolls preserved the local character unique to every regional center of production. The 1990s became the Golden Age for the art and craft of Russian nesting dolls. In the turbulent times of the Soviet state collapse, humble wooden toys became a venue for the search for national and personal identity.

The exhibit continues through March.

Kudos:

Catherine Magi is the new executive director of Historic Cook County.

She started her professional career as a lawyer in Washington D.C. before changing her trajectory towards her passions, writing and history.

Catherine says: “I am humbled to be joining Historic Cook County during its centennial year. I look forward to working with our staff, board, volunteers, and community partners to craft special experiences that spark interest in our past and hope for our future.”

Bryan Hansel is featured on the cover of the Minnesota Monthly.

Artists at Work:

Online Findings:

WTIP interviews multi-media artist Dave Woerheide:

Listen to the interview here and see more photos.

The Parade of Planets

There are lots of articles about this. Start here.

Online Music:

Photographs:

 Here is a selection of what we found this week:

Wildlife:

Potpourri:

Landscapes, Icescapes & Sunscapes:

Answer:  Humphrey writes: “It’s ice that formed on the metal retaining wall on the East side of the harbor, on the way to the coast guard station, and then fell off. The long base must have been on top of the wood that caps the metal wall.”  It sure is interesting and mysterious.

 

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Note: It was fun putting this week’s blog together and being able to share it with you! All those owl photos! And the music and art, and the info on the Planet Parade… If you enjoyed reading the blog this week, looking at the photographs, and listening to the music, please consider donating to support this effort. It will make a big difference. And Thank You!

 A big shout out to Jeremy Lopez (Live Music schedule, tech advice, music suggestions), Yvonne Mills (proofreading and music suggestions), and Kari Carter (caption corrections.)  And a big thank you to Visit Cook County for its awesome Events Calendar.