North Shore Arts Scene

Hello from here, where our balmy summer continues to everyone’s delight, and people are offering to give away their basil to anyone who will take it. Well, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but gardens sure are flourishing this summer. Ian Andrus of Creaking Tree Farm jokingly announces that fact in the photo.

Andrus now offers an online shop where customers can buy his produce and pick up in designated spots in Grand Marais and Lutsen. The shop is “open” from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays, with pickup on Thursdays. To find out more, click here.

In other food news, the Gunflint Trail’s Biggest Blueberry Contest continues.  Participants can bring their biggest blueberry to a number of places on the Trail where they will be weighed. Cash prizes will be awarded.

To find out more about the contest and where to bring your blueberry, click here.

In normal years, this is the weekend would have been the 91st year that Fisherman’s Picnic was held in Grand Marais, but it was cancelled earlier this year due to Covid-19. However, small parts remain. The Grand Marais Lions Club will hold a Mini Fisherman’s Picnic this weekend. Members will be selling raffle tickets this weekend from a booth at Harbor Park. The drawing will be held at 5 p.m. Sunday.

And, if we’re lucky, the Lion’s Club will set up a fishburger stand on Friday and Saturday in Harbor Park.

For more information about the Fishburger Stand, contact Bob Spry at 370-0445 or email the Lions Club at gmlionsclub@gmail.com , or, just wander down to the harbor and see.

Next weekend is traditionally the weekend for the Grand Portage Rendezvous Days and Celebration Pow-Wow, but it, too, was cancelled due to the pandemic.

Changes continue to happen in the community.  To find information about businesses, lodging, dining opportunities and protocols, as well as the latest news about Covid-19 in Cook County, click here. 

Social distancing and wearing masks are in play for everyone, and VisitCookCounty is offering free masks at the Information Center.

And online and virtual events continue in the county.

On Thursday, North House Folk School instructor Cheryl Larson will present a Lunch and Learn on stitchery and fabric collage on North House Folk School‘s Facebook page from noon to 1 p.m. You can check it out here. 

Larson will also be demonstrating on campus from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Saturday.

Thursday, July 20, is the last day to submit work to the Grand Marais Art Colony‘s exhibit, “Upcycled,” which will be on display in the windows of its new building Aug. 3. Submissions may be dropped off at the Art Colony from 1-3 p.m. If this isn’t convenient or for more information, email  info@grandmaraisartcolony.org

NorthShore ArtScene has received a few examples of work that has been submitted for the “Upcycled” exhibit so far. (Note: Artists were invited to take apart the Art Colony’s summer catalog and turn it into art.  Because of Covid-19, summer workshops and classes were cancelled, making the catalog largely obsolete.) So here are a few examples of how artists tackled this challenge.

Nina Simonowicz will submit this piece, which also has been crafted from pages of the Art Colony’s catalog.

The exhibit opens in the windows at 17 W. Hwy 61 on Monday, Aug. 3 and runs through Aug. 31.

On Saturday, the Cook County Market opens in The Hub’s parking lot at 9 a.m. and runs through 1 p.m., and features a variety of work by Cook County residents.

The Maker’s Market, which is held in the alley next to the Beaver House, is open Thursdays through Sundays. It also features work by local artisans as well as a food stand.

Galleries in Town:

 The Johnson Heritage Post is open for the season, with cover protocols in place. Check it out. The exhibits include works by artists George Morrison and Marcia Cushmore, including archival and poster prints.

The Gallery is open Fridays from 1 – 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Free.

Betsy Bowen’s Gallery, 301 1st Ave. W. in Grand Marais is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Masks are required in the gallery and curbside pickup is available by calling 387-1992.  A selection of cards crafted fromBowen’s Comfort Series are available, as well as great selection of her books and prints as well as work by regional artists. Here’s one of her latest from her Comfort Series.

 Sivertson Gallery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The gallery has just received new work by painter David Gilsvik.

Galleries Not In Town: 

The Karlyn Yellowbird Gallery in Washburn, Wis.,  curated by Ron Piercy, is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m, featuring a wide range of art from local and regional artists.

Painter Adam Swanson opened an exhibit of his paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium this week.  The exhibit, “The Mirrors” features paintings of the federally-listed threatened and endangered animals of Minnesota.

What makes this exhibit unique for the Aquarium is that this is its first art exhibit to feature audio descriptions of paintings, making them accessible to people with vision loss. The exhibit run through Aug. 31.

The Groveland Art Gallery’s Summer Invitational exhibit features the work of 37 Groveland artists, including Lee Ross.

The virtual catalog for the show is online, and can be seen here. The gallery also is open for in-person viewing by appointment Call (612) 377-7800 or info@grovelandgallery.com  The exhibit continues through Sept. 5.

Opportunities:

The Grand Marais Playhouse will present two youth August Summer Camps:

• Grades 3-5: Students will perform and create the world of  “The Sneetches” by Dr. Seuss.The play will be filmed. The camp will be from 1-4 p.m., Aug. 3-7,
• Grades 6-8: Campers will write, design, perform an original piece created collaboratively and filmed. The Camp will be held Aug. 10-14 from 1-4 p.m.The cost of the camps is $100 with scholarships available. For more information go to grandmaraisplayhouse.com

The Violence Prevention Center has put out a call to artists to participate in  its second The Art of Healing exhibit which will be held at the Johnson Heritage Post January 2021. Those who have used art as a means to respond, explore, express or heal from their experiences of domestic or sexual violence are invited to share their work at the exhibit. The deadline  is Dec. 29. For more information, all 218-387-1262 or email hope4u@boreal.org

Springboard for the Arts has re-opened and is offering a variety of online events for artists, including professional development workshops. See the calendar events here.

Online Entertainment/Learning:

 Check out the Grand Marais Art Colony’s Instagram account for videos of artist “takeovers” of its page. Last week, potter Ernest Miller was the featured artist and showed how he makes his signature pieces in his studio.

 

Other artists who have had takeovers of the Art Colony’s Instagram page include painter Bonnie Cutts, Lutsen sculptor Greg Mueller, Hovland fabric sculptor Corrie Steckelberg, David and Kara Andree and Lutsen potter Maggie Anderson.

Cook County Higher Education is offering a wide variety of free webinars on a variety of topics. Check them out here.

Cook County Soil and Water is sponsoring a series of free noon webinars on the environment, entitled “Ask An Expert.”

Learn more about the environment, what we can do to protect our water resources, how rain gardens work, algae, lake formation and tips on septic systems in this series. Click here to learn more and see the schedule.

 Artists at Work:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 And finally, a young South Korean potter that we follow on Facebook.

Virtual Music:

 

 Live Music:

Thursday, July 30:

• Joe Paulik, Music on the Beach, Lutsen Resort, 7 p.m.
• Date Night at the Winery with Gordon Thorne & Friends. Make reservations at https://www.exploretock.com/northshorewinery or call at (218) 481-9280

Sunday, Aug. 2

• Weekend Wine Down with Adam Moe, 3 p.m., North Shore Winery, Make reservations at https://www.exploretock.com/northshorewinery or call at (218) 481-9280

Monday, Aug. 3:

• Jim McGowan, Voyageur Brewing, 5 p.m.

Photographs:

Here is a selection of photographs we found this week:

First, wildlife:

And here are some beauteous landscapes, skyscapces, ponds capes and lakescapes:

And here are some nightcaps:

 

And finally, this: We’re calling them the Lake Superior dolphins. Ann Ward and Alisa Berns swim in Lake Superior all year long. Here they are diving into the Big Lake from a rocky island.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Note: If you enjoyed reading NorthShore ArtScene this week and learned a few things, consider making a donation today by clicking on the link below. Thank you!

Greetings from the North Shore, where a summer for growing perfect basil continues, and rain graced the forest.

Lake Superior has been showing off her serenity, too, this week … a healing balm, for sure.

Not that everything has been uneventful. We’ve had a few lightning storms, both in Grand Marais and the Boundary Waters, striking a balance between scary and not scary at all.

 

Our second confirmed Covid-19 case in a resident was diagnosed this week, too, and contact tracing has begun. Everyone is advised to be vigilant and comply with masking, social distancing and hand washing. Here is a link for more information about what you should do,  the community’s response to the pandemic, shopping, retail establishments and more. Also, check VisitCookCounty,  WTIP Community Radio and Exploring the Shore. FYI: VisitCookCounty is providing free masks to the public.

What’s great is that there are lots of places to wear those masks. (Insert a smiley face here.) Many of the shops, galleries and restaurants in downtown Grand Marais are open for business.

North House Folk School is doing a phased re-opening, with demonstrations and a few classes planned. This week, it is hosting jewelry maker Karen Keenan as instructor-in-residence. On Thursday at noon, Keenan will present a demonstration of Swedish traditional hair work jewelry at a Lunch and Learn live craft demonstration on the Folk School’s Facebook page.  Click here to watch. And she will be demonstrating on campus from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Free and open to the public.

Also, the good ship Hjordis is sailing the blue waters again, and is open to household groups. For more information and to sign up, call 387-9762 or online here. And North House is offering sessions of Intro to Wood-fired Baking on Thursday and Friday. Check out the class and other offerings, here.

On Saturday, the Cook County Market is open at The Hub parking lot from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., featuring local artists and artisans. Singer/songwriter Boyd “Bump” Blomberg will play from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

And the Maker’s Market, located next to the Beaver House, is open from Thursday through Sunday, also featuring local artisans as well as a food tent.

And not to forget–the Gunflint Trail’s Biggest Blueberry Contest is on and continues through early August.

To find out more about the contest and where to take that biggest blueberry in for weighing, click here.

 Galleries:

 The Johnson Heritage Post has opened for the season, too, with Covid-19 protocols in place, including a mask requirement. The art gallery is featuring archival and poster prints by George Morrison and Marcia Casey Cushmore. Thunder Bay watercolor painter Evelyn Konrad is the featured Artist of the Month, so there’s lots to see.

The Heritage Post is open on Fridays from 1-4 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Masks required. Free.

 Sivertson Gallery is featuring Liz Sivertson’s new paintings of musicians in Cook County.

In Duluth, the Joseph Nease Gallery is opening a new exhibit Friday, featuring the work of  James Woodfill. Woodfill’s exhibition, entitled “CODE PRACTICE: Certain Objects and Certain Systems,” will be mostly virtual, with the exception of exhibiting a kinetic piece and a projection of the artist’s brand new digital animations at the gallery.

 To find out more about the exhibit and connect virtually, click here.

The Duluth Art Institute in the Depot in Duluth opened July 1, with Covid-19 protocols in place. The Institute has three exhibits on view: Kari Halker-Saathoff’s “Odysseus & Penelope: the Long Journey,” Emily Stokes “Reveal” and Sue Rauschenfels: Sisterhood.

 Artist Opportunities:

 Cook County Public Health is looking for a local artist to design a T-shirt for our community volunteers that have worked through the MN Responds system during the pandemic.  The unique design will signify the value of the volunteers during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Contact Andrea Orest for more information at 218-877-8262 or andrea@sawtoothmountainclinic.org

The Grand Marais Art Colony has put out a call to artists of all ages to take apart their new catalog and make it into new art. The beautiful catalog, which is mostly obsolete because classes and workshops had to be cancelled because of Covid-19, can be “Upcycled” into an art piece by being taken apart and put together again.

The catalogs can be found at the Grand Marais Art Colony on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and at the Lake Superior Trading Post. In Duluth, at DLH Clothing, and, in the Twin Cities, at Dogwood Coffee Northeast.

There are some rules of what can and cannot be done to make the piece. Click here to learn more.

Nancy Haarmeyer has responded to the challenge of  “Upcycled” and will submit this piece.

The deadline to submit a finished piece is July 30. The exhibit will be in the window at the Art Colony’s new building at 17 W. Hwy. 61. from Aug. 3-31.  For more info, click here.

 Of Community Interest:

The Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department has produced a parody “Hunky Firefighters” 2021 calendar as a fundraiser to make up for the fact it had to cancel its two main fundraising events this summer due to the pandemic.  The volunteer fire department is facing a $25,000 or more budget shortfall.  To start to make up for it, the fundraising committee put together a parody calendar featuring the firefighters and EMTs  in various “hunky” poses. Dennis Chick was the photographer and Teresa Marrone did the layout.

The calendar will be available at local shops and can also be purchased at Etsy. Click here to learn more.

Yes, the Minnesota State Fair has been cancelled this year, but the food must go on, so Fair officials have organized a “Food Parade” that will run through the fairgrounds next month, allowing visitors to buy beloved foods while staying socially distanced in their cars.

 Sixteen vendors will be featured in the parade. These include Sweet Martha’s Cookie Jar, Mouth Trap Cheese Curds, Tom Thumb Donuts, and other favorites. (Click here for a full list of vendors, menus and prices).

The parade is scheduled to run in three multiday stretches, starting Aug. 20. The exact dates are Aug. 20-23, Aug. 27-30, and Sept. 3-7. Tickets must be purchased online. They run $20 per vehicle and are limited. Tickets go on sale July 31. Along with the fair foods, the 1.5-mile parade route will also feature entertainment, trivia contests and activities. Parade-goers should expect a “multi-hour experience.”

Minnesota Reads: The Grand Marais Public Library calls on Cook County to join a statewide community read and book discussion of “A Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota.” In the book, 16 writers explore what it is like to live as a Native person or person of color in Minnesota.

Virtual book discussions are in the works for August and September, but now is the time to start reading. Both downloadable and physical copies of the book are available through the library. Everyone is welcome to participate. Click here for more information.

Artists at Work:

Our local artists and artisans continue to work. Here are some great examples.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Virtual music:

 

 

 Live Music:

 Thursday, July 23:

• Joe Paulik, Music on the beach, Lutsen Resort, 7 p.m.
• Gordon Thorne & Friends, Date Night at the Winery, North Shore Winery, 7 p.m. Reservations at https://www.exploretock.com/northshorewinery or call (218) 481-9280.

 Saturday, July 25:

• Bump Blomberg, Cook County Market, The Hub parking lot, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Jim McGowan, Music on the Beach, Lutsen Resort, 7 p.m.

Sunday, July 26:

• Boyd “Bump” Blomberg, Weekend Wine Down, North Shore Winery, 3-6 p.m., Free, Reservations, click here or call (218) 481-9280.

Photographs:

Thank you! to all the photographers who are posting their work on Facebook. We couldn’t be sharing these great photographs without that effort.

This week, let’s start with

Flowerscapes:

 

 

 

 

Cometscapes:

 

 

 

Landscapes, skyscapes and waterscapes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have a great weekend, everyone! Be safe! And consider making an online donation to NorthShore ArtScene today. Thank you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello from the North Shore, where we are experiencing a delicious summer. The weather has just about been perfect for days on end, including a few pauses for badly needed rain.

And yes, Covid still stalks the land, causing stress for everybody, but we seem to be adapting pretty well up here. Caution: Thoughtfulness is always good.

Changes continue to happen in the community, though. To find information about businesses, lodging, dining opportunities and protocols, as well as the latest news about Covid-19 in Cook County, click here. 

Social distancing and wearing masks are still advised for everyone, and VisitCookCounty is offering free masks at the Information Center.

Thursday kicks off with a virtual Lunch and Learn on North House Folk School‘s Facebook page featuring this week’s artist-in-residence, Todd Hawkinson.

To view the live Lunch and Learn at noon on Thursday, click here. He will be demonstrating lost wax casting and jewelry making at this session, and on campus from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.

On Thursday night, North House instructor, Ken Koscik will present a free webinar on cedar-strip canoe building.

Koscik will talk about and demonstrate the process, as well as discuss how he got started making these beautiful things. Registration is required. To register, click here.

Also on Thursday, Bill Hansen will give a guest lecture on the History and Stories of Sawbill via a life Zoom Webinar through Cook County Higher Education.

The presentation is from 7-8:30 p.m. Register here or here. Free.

Also in North House news, the good ship The Hjordis is sailing again following Minnesota DNR guidelines. Each sail is limited to a single group or household.

 To find out more and book, click here.

On Friday, the Gunflint Trail Biggest Blueberry contest begins! Everyone is invited to come up the Trail to their favorite blueberry patch to see what they can find.  (And definitely eat a few.)

 The contest continues through Aug. 9. Cash prizes.  Click here to find out more and where to have your blueberry weighed.

Also, the North Shore Water Festival, featuring demonstrations and activities will be held on the harbor all day Friday.

And here’s some good news! The Johnson Heritage Post is re-opening this week with an exhibition of work by George Morrison and Marcia Cushmore. 

The show features archival prints and posters from both artists. The Gallery is open  from 1-4 p.m Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Covid-19 protocols are in place: Visitors are required to wear a mask, use the provided hand sanitizer upon entry and social distancing while in the Gallery.

On Saturday, look for local craft markets in downtown Grand Marais, including the Cook County Market, held in the Hub’s parking lot from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the Maker’s Market, which is held in the alley next to the Beaver House, and also features a food truck. The Maker’s Market is open Thursday through Sunday.

And on Sunday, Duluth’s Charlie Parr will perform at the North Shore Winery from 3:30 – 5:30 p.m.

Here’s what the press release said about this popular musician:

“An easily confused and very shy individual, Charlie Parr has been traveling around singing his songs ever since leaving Austin Minnesota in the 1980’s in search of Spider John Koerner, whom he found about 100 miles north at the Viking Bar one Sunday night. The experience changed his life, made him more or less unemployable, and brings us to now: 13 recordings, 250 shows a year or more, 200,000 miles on a well broke in Kia, and a nasty fear of heights. Resonator fueled folk songs from Duluth Minnesota.”

Make reservations here or call  (218) 481-9280.

Art News:

 The City of Grand Marais has announced the artists selected to complete the City’s public art project to design and apply original artwork on additional trash receptacles in the downtown corridor, They are Sam Zimmerman and Ole Sorenson.

Zimmerman is a Duluth-based Ojibwe (Grand Portage Band) painter.

Ole Sorenson is a Grand Marais-based abstract artist who recently graduated from Perpich Arts High School.

 And the flower boxes in front of the Hungry Hippie Tacos  and the Grand Marais Art Colony‘s Building 17, have been painted by kids from the YMCA’s summer camp. The designs are by Tim Young.

Artists At Work:

 Cook County artists continue to work through these unusual times. Here are some examples:

Potter Maggie Anderson has been in her studio.

Nan Onkka has been making new prints.

Bob Tamanaha has been doing the 100-day Project.

Jeff Morgan has been working in his studio.

Mary McDonald has been weaving.

We just had to include this.

Hana Crosby of Crosby Bakery has been doing extraordinary cakes. Check this one out — it is a cake for a wedding in Lutsen.

Betsy Bowen continues her Comfort series.

Christi Belcourt posted this on Facebook this week:

The Grand Marais Art Colony has opened its studios for artists.

Lee and Dan Ross are preparing work for the Summer Invitational Show at the Groveland Gallery in Minneapolis July 25- Sept. 5. The show will be online or by appointment. Lee has made a series of reconstruction collages for the exhibit with the titles Anya, Counterbalance, Undercurrents and Precarious. The prints are “my take on the precarious nature of life at this moment in time,” Lee writes. Here’s “Undercurrents.”

 Art Potpourri:

 Here’s an article to read:

Artists helped lift America out of the Great Depression. Could that happen again? As unemployment soars, the WPA’s emphasis on artists shows a path toward recovery. Read it here.

Here’s a great little film about Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman meeting and talking to Swedes in America. It was produced in 1943.

And here’s a great interview by Will Moore on WTIP’s The Roadhouse with Mary Bue, who has just come out with a new album, The World is Your Lover.

You can listen to it here.

 Live Music:

Thursday, July 16:

• Eric Frost, North Shore Winery, 7-9 p.m., click here for reservations or call (218) 481-9280

Saturday, July 18:

• Music on the Beach with Gordon Thorne, Lutsen Resort, 7 p.m

Sunday, July 19:

• Weekend Wine Down with Charlie Parr, North Shore Winery, 3:30-5:30  p.m. For reservations, click here or call (218) 481-9280.
• The McCullough Brothers, Skyport Lodge, Devil Track Lake, 4-7 p.m. Outdoor seating, free. no reservations required. Food available.

Photographs:

Here’s what we found this week:

Wildlife:

 

 

 

 

A flower:

Landscapes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May your week go well. Stay safe!

(If you’ve enjoyed NorthShore ArtScene this week, consider making a donation today. It’s easy. Just click on the link below.And artists! Send us images of your work.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Greetings from the North Shore, where a beauteous summer continues its magic march through the season, and we continue to take care in our small communities.

Even though the basil is growing like crazy, Covid-19 is still out there. To find information about businesses, lodging, dining opportunities and protocols, as well as the latest news about Covid-19 in in Cook County, click here. 

Note: Things are changing. For example, the Gun Flint Tavern is serving, with Covid protocols in place and Voyageur Brewing is now taking reservations at the door. Phone-in reservations are no longer available. So check the list out to see what’s what.

Social distancing and wearing masks are still advised for everyone, and VisitCookCounty is offering free masks at the Information Center.

Here’s a great article about why it is a good idea to wear a mask here by Melissa Bilé Dressley of the North Shore Explorer. Click here to read.

Meanwhile, things are opening up. North House Folk School announced this week that it will be hold classes starting July 15 where social distancing is possible. To read what is happening on campus, click here. And the great ship The Hjordis is sailing again, open for families who want to enjoy Lake Superior in her kinder moods.

For information and to make a reservation, click here. 

The Crafting in Place series continues with blacksmithing demonstrations by Elizabeth Belz. She is on-site at North House demonstrating from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. AND she will be featured on a Lunch and Learn on Facebook at noon on Thursday demonstrating her craft. She is currently working on a loon.  To watch, click here.

On Friday, the Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center will open with Covic-19 protocols in place, including social distancing and a face mask requirement. To find out more, click here.

Here’s a wonderful video about the development of the Nature Center, produced to celebrate its (virtual) 10th anniversary.

Also on Friday, Jeremy Messersmith will be the virtual musical guest on WTIP’s The Roadhouse, which airs from 5-7 p.m.

On Saturday, look for two markets featuring local craftspeople: The Cook County Market is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is held in the Senior Center parking lot, and the Maker’s Market is held in the alley beside the Beaver House all day.

Usually this second weekend in July is a weekend to celebrate all things art during the Grand Marais Art Colony‘s Grand Marais Arts Festival. Hundreds of people come to town, walking the tent corridors and experiencing what our local and regional artists have to offer.

The Arts Festival has been cancelled this year, but you can still browse the tents virtually. This year, 70 different artists, ranging from potters, jewelers, painters, fiber artists and more, were juried into the show. Many of them have websites. Check out their work here, and have a great virtual Arts Festival.

Next week, there’s a “real” event: The annual Gunflint Trail’s Biggest Blueberry Contest begins on Friday, July 17 and runs through Aug. 9. The blueberries are ripening right now, and everyone is encouraged to head up the Gunflint Trail to their favorite spot and find the biggest and best.

The blueberries will be weighed at participating resorts and venues. Cash prizes awarded to the three biggest berries: $100 to the first place winner, $50 to the second place winner, and $25 to the third place winner. For more info and where the weigh your beauties, click here.

Also next weekend, the West End Garden Club will hold its annual flower show, but this year, it is a virtual event. The West End Garden Club Virtual Flower Show will be held on the Garden Club’s Facebook page and a link to a YouTube video of submissions on Saturday, July 18.

This year’s theme is Books and Blooms and all club members and community members are invited to take pictures of their gardens or arrangements, whether they are floral, vegetable/herb, flower box, or wild flower arrangements and share with the North Shore garden community via the WEGC Virtual Flower Show. Judi Barsness and Flavia Andrea Alvarez Maldonado are the 2020 Flower Show Co- Chairs and will put together the virtual show from submitted photographs. The deadline to submit photographs is Friday, July 10. To submit, email to Judi Barsness at  chezjude@boreal.org

 Artists at Work:

Members of the North Shore Artists’ League have been creating this winter. The Artists’ League meets monthly. The next Zoom meeting is set for 11 a.m. on Tuesday, July 14. To find out more and get a link to the meeting, email Kathy Weinberg at klweinberg@gmail.com.

Here’s a painting Weinberg has completed this year:

Here are a few examples of work by other members of the Artist’s League.

Lutsen raku artist Maggie Anderson:

Lutsen sculptor Greg Mueller was one of two artists selected for the National Integrity Arts and Culture Grant recently. He has recently installed a new work, Portal Paraboloid, as part of downtown Mankato’s National Juried City Art sculpture tour, a one-year outdoor exhibition featuring 24 artists from across the United States.

To view the tour, click here. 

Beadpainter Jo Wood has new work to show.

Jo Wood writes: “I needle felted, then wet felted the wool background. The beads came next, hand-stitched to the background. It sat for a while before the eagle appeared out of the fog.” She can be reached at  jo@jowoodbeads.com

Potter Kathleen Reeves has work at Yellow Bird Fine Art in Grand Marais.

Linda Ricklefs Baudry has been painting this winter.

Other North Shore artists have been working as well.

Weaver Pat Zankman has been weaving sets of towels.

Painter Andy Ness has been working, too. His pieces can be seen at Upstate MN.

 Hovland woodturner Lou Pignolet has taken advantage of the stay-at-home recommendations … his studio is a few steps from his front door.

Charlotte Durie, who lives in Wales, but has family connections here and visits frequently, is making new work.

Weaver Julie Arthur has been dyeing with indigo.To see her completed work, click here.

Sculptor John Books, along with Cook County sculptors Tom Christiansen and Greg Mueller, has been preparing for an exhibit at the Johnson Heritage Post, which was cancelled due to Covid-19.  Books has decided to exhibit his work, entitled “The Covid Show,”  outdoors this summer. Stay tuned for details. Meanwhile, here’s a sculpture that will be exhibited.

 Other Art News:

Erik Simula starred in “Sails Over Ice and Seas,” a re-enactment of Arctic exploration that was filmed in Ely. Here’s the trailer:

 Virtual Music:

 I have to admit, I’m a “Colder by the Lake” fan. Colder by the Lake was/is a Duluth-based comedy troupe that performed funny, musical pieces in that city for many years. Here’s a video of the song, “Colder by the Lake” written by Rick Shefchik and Eric Eskola. Other musicians include: Lori Hatten, vocals; Mark Shefchik, drums, Johnny Hagen, electric guitar; Huck Bovee, bass; Eugene Huddleston, piano.

Here’s a song by The Dancing Devils of Djibouti, the first musical group to produce an album from that country.

Here’s the new song that will be played on WTIP’s Northern Gardening, which is airing tonight at 7 p.m.

By the way, WTIP’s summer membership drive is this week, but it’s virtual. It still features lots of great programs, joking around and general fun. Check it out here.

And yum! to this Tiny Desk Concert. The popular NPR series are now recorded from the musician’s home/studio.

Live Music:

Thursday, July 9:

• Music on the Beach with Joe Paulik, Lutsen Resort, 7-9 p.m.
• Gordon Thorne & Friends, North Shore Winery,  7-9 p.m.,  Reservations at  (218) 481-9280 or click here,

Saturday, July 11:

• Billy Johnson, North Shore Winery, Aprés l’Adventure, 3-6 p.m. Make reservations here
• Music on the Beach with Rob and Jill, Lutsen Resort, 7- 9 p.m.

Sunday, July 12:

• Black River Revue, North Shore Winery, 3 p.m. Make reservations at https://www.exploretock.com/northshorewinery
  or call at (218) 481-9280.
• Bug Dope, Music by the Lake, Skyport Lodge, 4-7 p.m.

Thursday, July 16:

• Kevin Buck, Music on the Beach, Lutsen Resort, 7-9 p.m.
• Eric Frost, North Shore Winery, 7 p.m. Reservations at Make reservations at https://www.exploretock.com/northshorewinery
  or call at (218) 481-9280.

Photographs:

There were flower images this week … and insects. Here is a selection:

 

And a few wildlife shots:

 

And landscapes and seascapes:

 

 

 

And storm-scapes:

 

July 4 in Grand Marais:

And to end the week on a positive note with a bow to our sweet tooth, this week’s Comfort series  from Betsy Bowen:

Enjoy your weekend, everyone. And stay safe!

Note: If you have enjoyed NorthShore ArtScene today, please consider supporting this volunteer effort to keep the art news flowing on the North Shore. You can donate at the link below. And thank you!

The 4th of July is this weekend! Yes, it will be busy, and yes, there are still a lot of Covid-19 protocols in place, but everyone is hoping that people will stay safe and still have a good time. We do too.  Wear a mask. Practice social distancing. Simple. Effective.

The interesting part is watching how things are opening up around the county. North House Folk School, for example, will have live craft demonstrations on campus starting this week and musicians are beginning to perform in outdoor venues. There’s even a drive-in movie option. (See below)

Meanwhile, for details about what’s open, hours, etc., check out these links:  visitcookcounty.com and exploringnorthshore.com . Also, WTIP Community Radio has lots of updates and the latest news from the region as well.

First up this week, is the live craft demonstration at North House Folk School. Former North House intern and instructor, Elizabeth Belz, will demonstrate blacksmithing and metal work on campus from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.

The demonstrations will be in North House’s Blacksmith Shop. Belz will also be demonstrating her craft next week, July 8-11. Free.

On Friday, singer/songwriter Jeremy Messersmith, will perform (virtually) on WTIP’s The Roadhouse. The Roadhouse airs from 5-7 p.m..

Also on Friday, a drive-in movie in Grand Marais! Cook County YMCA will screen a Disney video of the  Broadway musical “Hamilton” in its parking lot starting at 9:15 p.m. The screening is open to the community and is free. You can watch from your vehicle and tune into 105.3 FM for the audio. Pizza can be delivered to your car from Sven and Ole’s, too. Check out this clip from the Broadway production:

It should be a fun event.

On Saturday, the Cook County Market opens for the first time this season in the Senior Center parking lot at 9 a.m. The Market runs through 1 p.m.

Boyd Bump Blomberg will be there for the music. The Market, which features arts and crafts by Cook County residents, is a little smaller than it has been in past years, due to the pandemic, but more vendors are expected as the season moves on. Covid-19 protocols will be in place, including a mask requirement and social distancing. All invited.

The Maker’s Market, which is next to the Beaver House, is open as well, also featuring arts and crafts from the area.

The Tofte Trek and the grand July 4th Celebration in downtown Tofte have been cancelled for this year, but Grand Marais will hold its fireworks display starting at 10 p.m. on Saturday night.

And, there is some music this weekend. Check out the music schedule below for details.

Artist Opportunities:

 The City of Grand Marais is installing eight additional trash receptacles downtown and, through the Creative Economy Collaborative, inviting artists to apply for an opportunity to design original artwork for their exteriors. The budget is $1,000 total or $125 per trash can, thanks to the Great Place Project and the Cook County Chamber. Should an artist want to incorporate youth participation into the project, there is an additional $500 stipend available thanks to the Grand Marais Art Colony. For more info, contact the Grand Marais Art Colony at programs@grandmaraisartcolony.org

Also, the Art Colony is organizing a new exhibit for the windows in its new building at 21 W. Hwy 61. Called “Upcycled,” it’s a creative idea of what to do with their summer catalogs, which were designed way before the pandemic hit the U.S. and are obsolete, because classes had to be cancelled. The Art Colony is suggesting artists of every age make lemonade from lemons, however, and are inviting artists to turn the catalogs into art using the pages from them in projects.. The deadline to submit a piece is July 30.

Check out Art Colony’s website for ideas about how to do the Upcycled journal project. If you’d rather follow directions and create a specific piece,  Cook County book artist, Karen Smaby has created instructions for the page. Free copies of the catalog can be found at the Art Colony and the Lake Superior Trading Post in Grand Marais and DLH Clothing in Duluth. For more info, email Ruth Pzwaro,  artistic director, here.

And, other good news! The Minnesota State Fine Arts Competition is still on, even though the State Fair has been cancelled. Participation is open to all living residents of Minnesota, and each may submit one work for consideration. The deadline to submit is July 27.

The exhibit will run from Aug. 27 through Sept. 7 in the Fine Arts Center. For more information, click here.

There are still a variety of grants and info seminars out there for artists. Check Springboard for the Arts for information.

Also, this summer, Artist Relief will continue offering $5,000 grants for U.S. artists in need. The application is open to architects, poets, writers, journalists, dancers, choreographers, filmmakers, playwrights, photographers, actors, textile artists, performance artists, ceramicists, sculptors, composers, and musicians. For more info, visit artistrelief.org

Artists At Work:

Shawn Perich has written an article about arts on the North Shore entitled “Creative Inspiration: Why the North Shore Attracts Artists” for the latest issue of Northern Wilds.

To read the article, click here.

Betsy Bowen has made cards from her Comfort series, a series of outstanding images she has been creating during the pandemic. They are available at Drury Lane Books and at her gallery in Grand Marais.

Lutsen raku potter Maggie Anderson has been busy this winter and recently new work to Sivertson Gallery.

Kristin Blomberg has been creating new work during this time as well. She is exhibiting at Joy & Co.

 

Youth in the Cook County YMCA’s Summer Camp program are painting the illustrations on wooden flower boxes in front of the Hungry Hippie and Studio 21, the Grand Marais Art Colony‘s new building. Tim Young created the illustrations.

And here’s one: The Art of Fishing.

The North Superior Fishery supplies fresh fish to the Fisherman’s Daughter at Dockside Fish Market as well as the Angry Trout and local grocery stores.

Painter Liz Sivertson, who is also a sax player, has been busy painting some of her favorite bands and musicians during this period inspired by photographs taken during earlier performances. Here they are:

The painting below is the Plucked Up String Band. Bill Hansen, a member of the group, writes: “This is from our TV appearance on “The Playlist,” WDSE, the PBS station in Duluth. We filmed it in the rain on the roof of the Owls Club.” To see the program, click here.  https://youtu.be/ga5Z0jgj3o4

, 

 

 

Regional artists have been busy as well:

Adam Swanson has done a series of paintings about endangered animals that are currently on view at the Lake Superior Aquarium in Duluth.

Click here to see more work and an audio description.

 

And finally, the Duluth Art Institute put a call out to artists to submit work online about their artistic response to the pandemic. Here’s Jonathan Thunder’s take on it.

To see other submissions to this great online exhibit, click here.

On-line Music:

A-WA, three Israeli sisters from Yemen perform for NPR’s Tiny Desk concerts:

 

Two guys hear Dolly Parton sing Jolene for the first time:

The Chicks sing their new song: March, March

     Live Music:

Thursday, July 2:

• Josh Schmidt, Music on the Beach, Lutsen Resort,  7-9 p.m.

Saturday, July 4:

• Bump Blomberg, Cook County Market, 10 a.m.
• Josh Schmidt, Music on the Beach, Lutsen Resort, 7 p.m.

Sunday, July 5:

• Pushing Chain, Music by the Lake, Skyport Lodge, 4-7 p.m.

Monday, July 5:

• Jim McGowan, Voyageur’s Brewing, 5-8 p.m.

Photographs:

We found some interesting photographs this week:

It’s flowering season:

 

 

 

 

And a few wildlife shots:

 

 

 

And a not-so-wild:

And some landscapes and skyscapes:

 

 

 

 

 

Have a good weekend, everyone. Stay safe!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Greetings from the North Shore, where summer is making the transition from lock-down to phased Covid-19 openings a lot easier with lots of sun, a shimmering Lake Superior and flowers blooming everywhere. It’s not “back-to-normal” by any means, but businesses, campgrounds, outfitting, restaurants and lodging have definitely changed from a few weeks ago. The only advice we can give here is “Bring a Mask” with you when you leave your house.

For details, check out these links:  visitcookcounty.com and exploringnorthshore.com . Also, WTIP Community Radio has lots updates and latest news from the region as well.

We thought it might be fun to highlight some of the businesses that have opened for the season. All have various protocols in place. But, in downtown Grand Marais:

Drury Lane Books is now open for in-store browsing:

Upstate MN opened this week with proprietor Kristofer Bowman masked and ready to give visitors a virtual hug.

Sivertson Gallery has been open for in-store shopping for a few weeks now.

The Big Lake is open for curbside pick-up.  Check here for more info and to shop online.

Joy and Co. is open for in-store browsing. This week, the store received a wide selection of silk fabric dyes.

 Also, the Makers Cooperative, an outdoor market located in the alley next to the Beaver House, has opened, and vendors are there from Thursday through Sunday. A new food stand, The Bad Seed by Rebel Girls, is featured this year.

The Cook County Market, which celebrates its 24th season this year, will open in the Senior Center’s parking lot on Saturday, July 4. The Market has featured all local artists “through rain, or snow or Covid,” says Jennifer Shoals, president of the organization.

 The Grand Marais Art Colony is slowly re-opening, with artists now using some of its studios (strict Covid-19 protocols in place.) Three outdoor classes have been organized for this summer. as well: Youth: Outdoor Sketching and Painting with David Hahn, which begins July 9; Out and About Sketchbook with Nan Onkka, beginning Aug. 5 and Plein Air Oil Painting with Neil Sherman, Aug. 22. To find out more and register, click here.

Meanwhile, check out an on-going art project in front to the Art Colony’s new space at 17 W. Hwy 61, next to the the Hungry Hippie. The collaborative project between North House Folk School, the Hungry Hippie and the Art Colony has created a series of flower boxes on the sidewalk. Timothy Young has drawn designs on the boxes, with will be painted-by-number by youth in the Y’s summer program. Stay tuned.

 All this aside, we are still living in a virtual world. The Summer Solstice Pageant by the Good Harbor Hill Players, which has been held at North House Folk School, was cancelled this year, but Naomi Tracy-Hegg and Olya Wright decided to produce a Crankie Box replacement for the beloved event. Check it out:

And Lutsen-based metals master and sculptor Greg Mueller will be featured in an Instagram takeover on the Grand Marais Art Colony’s Instagram account June 25-26.

 To view, click here.

Also, for virtual entertainment. check out North House Folk School’s Crafting in Place pages, where many of the virtual events during last week’s Wooden Boat Show can be seen, as well as a great video of Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe tribal member Biskakone Greg Johnson giving a quick teaching about harvesting cedar bark for mat-making. (Note: There are LOTS of mosquitoes in cedar swamps in the summer.)

Also, Staci Drouillard gave a great presentation about her book, “Walking the Old Road” entitled “Indian Maidens and Plastic Tomahawks: How to Make a Living” during the Wooden Boat Show, with lots of the historic photographs she used in her book. You can watch it below.

A Movie on the Lake

Cook County YMCA is pleased to present the Broadway musical “Hamilton” at 9:15 p.m. on Friday, July 3 for part of its “Movie by the Lake” series at Devil’s Track Lodge. This is for the entire community, All are welcome. Bring blankets, chairs, or watch from your vehicles. Pizza can be ordered from Devil’s Track, or bring your own snacks! No registration required.

Artists at Work:

 Glass artist Nancy Seaton has been busy in her studio this winter.  Here is one of her latest glass pieces:

Steve Hahn, the Jeweler of the North Shore, has been busy this winter, too, working with copper and sterling silver in this piece. His shop is located at 5339 W. Hwy. 61 in Lutsen.

Duluth painter and musician Arna Rennan is painting again. Here’s one of her latest.

And Betsy Bowen is continuing her Comfort series. Here is one of her latest.

Paula Sundet Wolf is making baskets, twig furniture and paintings in her studio, and the public is invited to stop by. Look for the sign at 503 Caribou Trail in Lutsen. 

 Artist Covid-19 Relief Funds

Emergency relief grants continue to be offered to artists in Minnesota. Springboard for the Arts, for example, has allocated have allocated $1,050,000 to support 2,131 artists, creative workers, and culture bearers in Minnesota. The organization is currently putting the program on hold, but there are lots of other resources out there. To find out more, click here.

Another Virtual Presentation: 

History of Burned buildings in Grand Marais: Picnic & Pine, the Crooked Spoon and White Pine North, produced by the Cook County Historical Museum.

Music:

Here’s a collection of a few of the videos we found this week:

 

This one is way out of my comfort zone, but this group is popular with teenagers around the world. Highly produced, for sure. It’s by K-Pop, and is called “Stray Kids.”

And one of our own, Tina Hegg Raway, singing “There is a Balm in Gilead,” her personal memorial for Black Lives.

Bob Dylan has a new album out, “Rough and Rowdy Ways.” Here’s a cut from it: “I made up my mind to give myself to you.”

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Photographs:

Lots of lively photographs this week. Here’s a selection.

Let’s start with flowers, which are blooming like crazy in gardens and in the woods.

And a few shots of trees:

And rocks:

And a moose for the week:

We found some beautiful landscapes/skyscapes/waterscapes, too.

Have a good weekend, everyone. And stay safe!

Note: Artists, please send images of your latest work to joan.farnam@gmail.com

And, if you enjoyed NorthShore ArtScene this week, this might be a good time to donate. Just click on the button below. And Thank You!

It’s Summer Solstice week in Cook County, and summer has definitely arrived with shirt-sleeve weather and a gradual re-emergence from the isolation of the pandemic. Safety first, of course, but it’s great to be outdoors again with friends, even if we’re wearing masks.

As in past weeks, there are lots of changes in the community: Here are some links to help you navigate them:

For the latest news from the county, click here.

For a comprehensive and excellent list of openings, hours, Covid-19 protocols, etc., see VisitCookCounty.com.

Our virtual life continues as well.

Today, at noon, the Grand Marais Art Colony will feature the Facebook premiere of the video, “Getting Centered” with potter and ceramics studio facilitator Natalie Sobanja and one of her students, Elsa Sorenson.

You can watch the video here.

And to forget to check out the Art Colony’s window exhibition at its new building at 17 W. Hwy 61, next to the Hungry Hippie. Artists responded with works to the theme, “Our Changing Habitat.”

The exhibit continues through the end of June.

Also, North House Folk School‘s Wooden Boat Show, the Online Edition, continues this week.

The online event includes a great variety of webinars, Lunch and Learns, and craft demonstrations, as well as online courses. There are other goodies to watch, too, including video boat tours, Hjordis Slow TV, as well as videos of past Summer Solstice  Pageants. Everything is free, but online registration is required to get links to the virtual events. Click here to learn more.

One of the features of the Wooden Boat Show is the Online Auction, a fundraiser for North House Folks School’s endowment fund. Work by Folk School instructors is highlighted in this live auction.

To see what is being offered this year, click here. Bidding is live through June 21.

Also on Thursday at 7 p.m., join Jaye White for her presentation:  “Notorious North Shore Gangsters, Gamblers, and Ghost Stories,” a Zoom webinar sponsored by Cook County Higher Education.

White was raised on the North Shore of Lake Superior and spent part of her 20’s being a Camp Director. She knows all the in and outs of the shore and what she doesn’t know she is eager to research and to discover. She is a passionate storyteller around the campfire, on social media, through her podcasts, or on her website, www.exploringthenorthshore.com

The webinar is free, but donations welcome.  Registration required. To register, click here.

For music, bluesman Pete Kavanaugh will present a virtual live concert on WTIP’s The Roadhouse. The program airs from 5-7 p.m. on Friday night. Author Sue Leaf will also be on the program, talking about her book, “Minnesota’s Geologist.” And there is live music on the deck of Voyageur’s Brewing during the day.

In other local news, The Fisherman’s Daughter at Dockside Fish Market opened for the first time this week for curbside service, from Dock to Table, with Lake Superior fish and chips and other delectables that can be enjoyed curbside. Hungry Hippie Tacos has also set up tables outside the restaurant for outside dining. See VisitCookCounty for all the restaurant openings and hours and protocols here.

For book lovers, Drury Lane Books has opened its doors for in-store shopping. (Bring your mask!) This week, the bookstore is highlighting “The Wolf’s Trail: An Ojibwe Story Told by Wolves,” a new novel by Thomas Peacock.

Other shops in downtown Grand Marais, including Siverston Gallery, The Big Lake and Joy & Company have also opened, with Covid-19 protocols in place.

The Wunderbar Eatery and Glampground, which has been setting out free meals prepared by its chef, Chris Callender for the community throughout the pandemic, announced this week that it will not re-open.

But it will hold a farewell celebration this weekend, June 20-21, on-site, with a cook-out, live music, games and more.

Betsy Bowen’s Gallery and Studios has set up an open-air gallery outside the gallery at 301 1st Ave. W. The gallery, featuring a variety of Bowen’s work, is open Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Come to the door and ring the mini-dinner bell.

Art News:

The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council announced this week that Duluth painter Alison Aune has won the George Morrison Artist Award.

The George Morrison Artist Award is named after internationally acclaimed visual artist, George Morrison, a member of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Morrison was an important member of the second generation of American abstract expressionist artists. The annual award is given to an artist who has made significant contributions to art in Minnesota.

Aune is a painter and professor of art education at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Her mixed media paintings are inspired by Scandinavian and indigenous Sami patterns and motifs. Her art has touched thousands of people in galleries, classrooms, and conversations, not just in Minnesota, but across the world. She has exhibited her paintings throughout the United States and internationally in solo and group exhibitions.

ARAC also announced that Wendy Savage, a member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and a powerful arts advocate, has been named the winner of Maddie Simons Arts Advocate Award.

Savage has been a key initiator and promoter of Native American Art since the 1970s and, as an arts advocate, has been taking down structural barriers to opportunity for Native American artists in the Minnesota and Dakotas and offering Native artists places to show and sell their work.

ARAC also announced a new award: the Transformative Art Award. Terresa Moses and Jordon Moses, the founders of Blackbird Revolt,  are the inspiration for and winners of the award. Blackbird Revolt is a social justice-based creative studio specializing in graphic design, branding, campaigns, illustration, typographic layout, videography, and events. They won the new award for making a positive, transformative change in the arts culture of the region.

They are recognized for work they have done for the Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial, Inc, in Duluth, for the NAACP, the Umbra project, as well as the many projects of Blackbird Revolt. This new award was created because of the significance of what they have done and the importance of work like it in the arts.

And finally, this piece, part of the PBS series on the arts, “Canvas.” Entitled “Connecting Through Art When A Pandemic Keeps Us Apart.” It features work by a variety of artists, including Duluth painter Carolyn Olson.

Watch the video here.

Local Artists at Work:

Vicki Biggs-Anderson created a large slow-stitched piece depicting the farm where she lives.

She says: “Slow stitching means setting aside time to find myself somewhere in the thread and spread myself out on a piece of fabric.”

Duluth artist, Adam Swanson, has just completed a large, new mural for the Grand Rapids Area Library.

Hovland bead painter Jo Wood has been working, too.

Here is plein air painter Neil Sherman at work.

And finally, another piece from Betsy Bowen’s Comfort Series.

And a little music for you:

Lizzo, covering Sam Cooke’s, “A Change is Gonna Come.”

Photographs:

It was a good week for photographs. Here’s a selection:

First, wildlife:

This is the season of flowers …

And the forest is green …

This is the season for beautiful skyscapes and seascapes, too.

 On a final note:

This will be a tough year for fans of the Good Harbor Hill Player’s Summer Solstice Pageant, traditionally held on the campus of North House Folk School during the Wooden Boat Show. Everyone enjoys the quirky, funny show with great music and community puppet players and then cheers at the end when the Sun King comes out on his incredible stilts and dances in celebration of light and hope.

The pageant is cancelled this year, but you can get into the mood and watch past performances here. And Betsy Bowen, one of the founders of the Players offers this:

“We are all fiercely missing each other and the energy that this brings. Let’s all envision the Sun King shedding the dark heavy cloak of illness, fear and injustice and burst out, brightly and high in the sky, to exhuberant drums and dancing all around!” Bowen said these words were inspired by Kimberly Soenen, who now lives in Chicago.

Happy Solstice, everyone!

Note: Please consider making a donation to NorthShore ArtScene today. Just click on the logo below. And thank you!

Like an early summer rainbow, Grand Marais and the North Shore is slowly, carefully, opening its doors to everyone. We all hope it’s not as fleeting as those colors in the sky, but, instead, holds promise for the future.

Meanwhile, shops, restaurants, lodges and grocery stores have adopted a wide range of protocols to keep everyone safe. And kudos to VisitCookCounty, which has worked hard to compile all the information in one place. See it here. It’s still advisable to call ahead though, since hours  and protocols are still changing.

Another site for the latest in Cook County is the Coronavirus Response Hub. Look here for  posts and news.  Also, check out WTIP.org for local  news and more.

Our online lives continue.

North House Folk School‘s series, Crafting in Place, is fueled up again this week, offering two live videos: “Picking Pebbles for Jewelry” with Beth Carter Gautch  that will be posted on Thursday, June 11, after 10 a.m. and” Sourdough 101″ with Caleb Mattison that will be posted on Friday, June 12, after 10 a.m.

Both videos can be viewed on North House’s Facebook and YouTube pages. All the previous Crafting in Place episodes are available on these sites as well.

Also on Thursday and Friday, Hovland artist Corrie Steckelberg will be featured as the Grand Marais Art Colony‘s Instagram Takeover Artist.

Steckelberg will talk about her wolf project, which she did during her residency at the Art Colony, which concluded with a public dismantling of her work. The Grand Marais Art Colony‘s Instagram account, @gmartcolony, can be found here.

Also on Thursday, Gordon Thorne & Friends will perform at the North Shore Winery from 7-9 p.m.

Reservations for the event can be made here.

On Friday, tune in to WTIP’s The Roadhouse to hear Jerry Vandiver and Caitlin Evanson play their music from Nashville, Tenn. in a virtual broadcast. To give you a taste of what’s to come, here’s Vandiver singing “Too Many Boats.”

The Roadhouse airs from 5-7 p.m. on Fridays.

Some of the shops and galleries in downtown Grand Marais have opened, with protocols in place, including Sivertson Gallery, which is featuring a new print by Rick Allen, “The Trapper’s Daughter and the Safe Passage.”

And for a walkabout, check out the window exhibit in the Grand Marais Art Colony‘s new building at 17 W.Hwy 61, next to the Hungry Hippie. Artists were invited to submit small works in response to Our Changing Habitat, and they are on display in the windows.

The small works are done in a wide variety of media. It’s a fun window show.

And in front of the building, the Art Colony has been working in collaboration with North House Folk School and the Hungry Hippie to create a fun space on the sidewalk. It includes two flower boxes, which will be painted by kids from the YMCA’s summer camps. The a paint-by-number design will be developed by Tim Young. Also, the Hungry Hippie has put a number of tables and benches in the area for outdoor seating.

On your walkabout, don’t forget to check out The Big Lake, which has a wide variety of art as well as gifts.

Upcoming 

North House Folk School‘s Wooden Boat Show is online this and is offering an incredible array of classes, videos, webinars and demonstrations next week, June 15-21. They’re all online and they’re free. To see the complete schedule and how to register for each event, click here.

Among the offerings:

Daily webinars, with topics including boats, exploration, Anishinaabe history on the North Shore, and a live concert. One webinar will feature Hovland’s Tor Torkildson, He will talk about sailing a traditional wooden viking boat around Africa’s Cape of Storms in a traditional Viking boat.

To register and see the presentation (you can also ask questions), click here.

Also, David Thoreson, who is the featured speaker this year at the Wooden Boat Show Online Edition will give an online presentation “On the Horizon: Sailing and Exploring the Polar Regions of a Changing Planet.”

To preregister, click here.

And there will be daily craft demonstrations at noon. These are live Facebook events, free and questions can be asked. They will be held at noon, Monday through Friday, June 15-21. To see, click here.

Artists at Work:

Paula Sundet Wolf has been busy in her studio, creating with stone, tile and willow.

 Betsy Bowen is continuing her popular Comfort series. She also has set up an outdoor shopping area outside her gallery at 301 1st Ave. W., which is open on Saturdays. It can be included in your walkabout.

Poet Kay Grindland has been writing during this time, too.

Here is her poem, “Making Our Way.”

My eyes hard-focus on the screen,
on everything. I feel blinded in a blizzard, upended in an avalanche, grasping
for air, for gravity—anything to hold.

The windows of the world are wide open. Papers scatter and fly away with the facts. Our longing runs wild. We cling
to the casings, to what we had.

All night I swim in uncertainty
and wake to birdsong lifting the sun.
As I breathe deep, my feet sink into earth. I plant one seed, smiling a blessing.

The soil needs more water now. Sun shines in hidden places. The body can navigate this
so much better than the mind.

All we know falls in pieces around us—
a blessing of confetti as we slowly make our way. We find ourselves inside a larger prayer,
noble and strong in our unknowing.

Some artists have been finding gems in their archives.

Here’s a painting by Neil Sherman that took on new meaning this year.

Duluth artist, Martin DeWitt, created this popular painting years ago, and now has prints at Lizzard’s Gallery in Duluth.

And here’s a totally fun read. The New Yorker has just published a new story by Ernest Hemingway.

Here’s the link to read the story.

And finally, a little music: Nina Simone sings “I wish I knew what it would feel like to be free.”

 Photographs:

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

First, wildlife:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Here are some images of our vegetative friends:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Strawberry Full Moon:

 

 

Landscapes, skyscapes and seascapes:

 

 

 

 

And finally, this beauty:

Stay safe, everyone!

Note: Donating to NorthShore ArtScene is easy. Just click on the icon below. Much appreciated, too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Greetings from the North Shore, where we, like many in the country and around the world, have been shocked, outraged and saddened by the death of George Floyd. It has challenged us and the world in uncomfortable ways. As Dawn Drouillard, a former Grand Marais resident who now operates a catering business in Minneapolis said in a recent WTIP interview: “Nothing will change until there is justice and reform.”

Here is what VisitCookCounty posted on their Facebook page this week:

“Forget him not. It was just one week ago when George Floyd took his last breath. The problem isn’t something new, but it has reawakened something that is easy for many people to overlook. But that must stop. We must strive for change.
Have tough conversations.
Be a good listener.
Acknowledge privilege.
And lead with a kind and open heart. As a nation, we can and must do better. It’s time for injustice to stop.
Talk to your neighbor, friends, and family members because silence doesn’t propel us forward.”

A sense of community can help. Whole neighborhoods in Minneapolis have mobilized to help each other, and we are hearing new voices across the nation speaking out about how privilege, racism and discrimination impacts their daily lives. A door is opening. We can only hope that we step through it, or as Betsy Bowen says: “Comfort. Cooperation. All the colors together.”

Here in Cook County, the second phase of the Stay Safe Minnesota campaign has kicked in, with changes for retail stores, grocery stores and lodging facilities. For details, click here. 

Also, a new Facebook page, Cook County Community Eats, just got started with menus, photographs and more, updating customers on what is available. To see it, click here.

The Grand Marais Art Colony has opened an exhibit, “Changing Habitats” in the windows of its new building at 17 Hwy. 61. The exhibit includes works by Art Colony members and instructors in a variety of media.

The exhibit continues through June 20.

North House Folk School paused its Crafting in Place series for this week, but registration continues for the 2020 Wooden Boat Show Online Edition, which will run from June 15-19.

The online edition includes everything from virtual boat tours and presentations, including the keynote speaker, David Thoreson‘s presentation on Sailing and Exploring the Polar Regions of a Changing Planet. Thoreson is an explorer, photographer, sailor and climate educator. His presentation/webinar is set for 7 p.m. on Friday, June 19.  A number of online classes will also be held. Materials for online classes will be mailed to participants. Deadline to register is June 5.

The Wooden Boat Show Online Edition 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 the complete schedule, click here.

Artists at Work:

Melissa Grover is one of the glass artists who planned to participate in a glass exhibit at the Johnson Heritage Post that was scheduled to open last month. The exhibit was cancelled and but has been rescheduled for next year. Here is an example of a piece that she planned to display.

Melissa can be reached at lissa5310@gmail.com

Marcie McIntire has been crafting mini-doilies this month.

 Jennifer Shoals has just published her second book, “Traveling Light.”

Jennifer can be reached through her web site at www.jennifershoals.com

In other art news, Canadian Geographic has published a series of photographs of paintings by the Group of Seven to celebrate the group’s 100th anniversary.

To read the article and see the paintings, click here.

Here’s something for fiber art lovers: In celebration of a partnership between London’s Heathrow Airport and Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, fiber artist Vanessa Barragão (previously) was commissioned to create a massive botanical tapestry. Using a range of techniques including latch hooking, felt needling, carving, crochet, Barragão mapped out and built up a textural surface that emulates a map of the world.

To read about the project and see details of the work, click here.

And, for those of you who had planned trips to see the world, here’s a great movie to satisfy some of those travel urges. It’s called “In the Footsteps of Marco Polo” and chronicles the journey of two ordinary guys – Belliveau, at the time a wedding photographer, and O’Donnell, an artist and former Marine – as they set out to follow Polo’s historic route.

Here’s the link to watch it.

Photographs:

It was pretty quiet on the photo front this week, but we still found some interesting work.

We can start with wildlife:

 

 

 

Pet photos seem be creeping into this blog. Here are two interestingones I found this week.

 

And a true sign of early summer in the plant kingdom.

 

The sun is starting to get active again.

We found some beautiful landscapes/seascapes/cloud scapes, too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peace to you this week.

Note: We are still accepting photographs of artists’ work to publish on the blog.

And, if you’d like, you may help support NorthShore ArtScene by donating today. It’s easy. Just click on the icon below. And Thank You!

 

 

 

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