Look up or down for peak fall colors. Photo by Thomas Spence.
Greetings from the North Shore, where we are pretty happy that the leaf season is spectacular this year. And we got some rain and now warm, sunny days, so yay! There’s a good chance those green tomatoes will ripen.
And we have perfect weather to drive around and sample all the art on display throughout Cook County and there’s lots of it.
The Art Along the Lake Fall Studio Tour is on and continues through Sunday with 30 studios exhibiting work this year. Here’s a video about the tour.
Here are just a few more examples of what you will find:
Woodturner Cooper Ternes is one of the artists in the Fall Studio Tour. He uses milk paint on his bowls.
Stoneware platters by Jason Trebs. His studio is in Schroeder.
Woven rug by Julie Arthur.
Woodcut printmaker Betsy Bowen is in the Fall Studio Tour.
Fused Glass by Nancy Seaton. Her studio is at Hungry Jack Outfitters on the Gunflint Trail.
This is just a small sampling of the variety of art on exhibit during this tour. The studios are open from 10 am to 5 pm daily through Oct. 1. Look for the sign below, which marks the location of a studio. And enjoy!
Look for this sign marking studios on the tour.
Click here for more information, a list of studios, and a map.
The Johnson Heritage Post is fairly bursting with plein-air paintings of Cook County. The opening reception for the Grand Marais Plein Air Competition was held last Friday, and the exhibit continues through Oct. 15. There were a number of different awards given out on Friday. Here’s a sampling of just a few paintings from this wonderful exhibit, 250 paintings in all.
Destination Unknown, oil, Kelly Schamberger.
Night View from Downtown by David Pettibone.
Hovland Dock, pastel, by Lisa Stauffer.
And, finally, Studio 21 is exhibiting a series of 12-inch by 12-inch pieces crafted by artists affiliated with the Art Colony. Lutsen sculptor, Greg Mueller, who is also on the Fall Studio Tour, submitted this piece for the exhibit.
Blue Collar Scholar, cast iron, journal text, by Greg Mueller is currently on view at Studio 21.
The exhibit continues through Oct. 21.
This is a busy weekend, too.
First up is Art Night at Joy and Company. The event is held every week and offers participants the opportunity to work with one of many art mediums available at the shop.
Art Night will be held at Joy and Company from 4-6 pm Thursday.
Art Night is free, with a suggested donation, and is held from 4-6 pm. Open to all.
Also on Thursday, the Grand Marais Farmer’s Market will be held in the parking lot of the Community Center from 4:30-6 pm.
It’s Tomato Month at the Grand Marais Farmer’s Market. which is held from 4:30-6 pm. Pictured is Ian Andrus of Creaking Tree Farm, one of the vendors.
Look for a wide variety of locally grown produce, baked goods, including gluten-free and, perhaps, early apples. SNAP accepted.
WTIP North Shore Community Radio is hosting a series of listening sessions in order to hear directly from the community about what they hope will be the future of WTIP.
WTIP Community Radio is holding a series of listening sessions in Cook County.
If anyone is interested in helping WTIP with this phase of the radio station’s strategic framework, stop by any of the public meetings in the area. This Thursday, a meeting will be held at the Birch Grove Community Center. A meeting will be held at the Cook County Community Center on Monday, Oct. 2. Both meetings are at 5 pm. All invited.
Finally, Trivia Night will be held at Up Yonder starting at 7 pm on Thursday.
The Cook County Historical Society Trivia Night is at Up Yonder from 7-9 pm.
Trivia is sponsored by the Cook County Historical Society and is free. Open to all.
On Friday, Drury Lane Books will host a Full Moon Open Mic Bonfire on the beach beside the shop starting at 6 pm.
Drury Lane Books will host a Full Moon Open Mic Bonfire on Friday from 6-8 pm.
Everyone is invited to participate. Bring a favorite poem, book passage, children’s book, or a piece of music you’ve been working on to share. Feel empowered to share original works, as this is a safe and casual space. Open to all. Free.
Also on Friday, Neil Sherman will give a talk at Studio 21 entitled “18 Years of Plein Air Painting in Cook County.”
Plein Air painting by Neil Sherman. He will give a talk at Studio 21 on Friday at 5:30 pm.
Sherman will present a slide show featuring the Plein Air paintings he has done over the last 18 years in Cook County. He said he is going to try to frame it within the context of his artistic background, where he is now, and where he is going. The presentation is open to the public. Free.
Saturday opens with the Cook County Market, which is held in the parking lot of The Hub from 10 am to 2 pm.
Potter Sarah Reller will be exhibiting her work at the Cook County Market on Saturday.
The Market features a variety of work by local artists and artisans as well as live music. The public is invited.
Thomas Spence will be at Split Rock Lighthouse from 10 am to 2 pm on Saturday. He is exhibiting his photographs in the ongoing series, Art at the Rock.
Split Rock Lighthouse by Thomas Spence.
He also has copies of his 2024 calendars. His exhibit continues through the end of the month.
Pete Kero will give an Author Talk at Drury Lane Books at 6 pm on Saturday. He will be discussing his book, “Minescapes: Reclaiming Minnesota’s Mined Lands.”
Pete Kero will give an Author Talk at Drury Lane Books on Saturday.
In the book, Kero, who is an environmental engineer, explores the record that is written on Minnesota’s mined lands—and the value systems of each generation that created, touched, and lived among these landscapes. His narratives reveal ways in which the mining industry and Iron Range residents coexist and support each other today, just as they have for more than a century. Open to the public. Free.
Also on Saturday, photographer Craig Blacklock will give a presentation at the Johnson Heritage Post about his latest book: “Light Waves – Abstract Photographs of Reflections from Lake Superior.” The talk begins at 7 pm.
Craig Blacklock will give an Author Talk at the Johnson Heritage Post on Saturday at 7 pm.
For 47 years Blacklock’s artistic practice has been intrinsically linked to the interface of land and water in wilderness areas—most often Lake Superior. Over that time his artwork has evolved from color landscapes depicting what these places looked like to increasingly non-representational imagery untethered from context. His most recent body of work, Light Waves, is a series of images isolating the complex mirror of Lake Superior’s surface, producing a purely abstract representation of the palette and textures lying outside of the frame.
Blacklock will show his traditional landscapes from Lake Superior providing both historical and artistic context for his Light Waves images, present the Light Waves images within the context of other abstract artists, including Grand Portage’s George Morrison, and show segments of his otherworldly, and mesmerizing Light Waves video. Free and open to the public.
And just a reminder: Sunday is the final day of the Fall studio Tour.
Art Along the Lake Fall Studio Tour runs from 10 am to 5 pm daily through Oct 1.
Note: Two studios on the tour are closed this weekend: Paula Gustafson’s and Mary Beebie’s.
On Monday, North House Folk School will launch a new week-long event: Hide Week, featuring a variety of classes teaching the craft.
North House Folk School will hold Hide Week starting Oct 2. Pictured are bark-tanned sheep hides.
Next Friday, Oct. 6, North House will hold a Gathering Day, which is free and open to the public. A number of speakers are scheduled and there will be demonstrations as well as a Wood-fired pizza potluck at the end of the day. For more info, click here.
Exhibits:
This is the last weekend to see Alexa Carson’s exhibit at Tettegouche State Park. The painter does a variety of work, including wildlife, landscapes, and portraits.
The Queen, print, by Alexa Carson.
The Lake Superior Watercolor Society continues its show at the Cedar Coffee Company in Two Harbors.
Birch Tree Love, watercolor, by Sue Rauschenfels, is one of the paintings on view at the Cedar Coffee Company in Two Harbors.
The exhibit features work by 13 member artists and continues through October.
The Duluth Art Institute has opened several fall exhibits, including Blankouts, an installation by Rachelle Wunderink.
Blankouts, an installation by Rachelle Wunderink, is currently on view at the Duluth Art Institute.
The multi-disciplinary artist creates an immersive installation: pages of text flood the gallery walls, lining the corridor with a black-and-white ombre of documents. Each page holds Wunderink’s personal accounts of assault and harassment—reviewed and altered by one of 25 female-identifying participants instructed to redact or edit the text in any manner they chose. Blankouts examines ways in which society suppresses women’s accounts of assault as the viewer is tasked with deciphering the differences between each page, choosing whether to understand the whole story. It continues through Jan. 8.
The Kruk Gallery, which is on the campus of the University of Wisconsin, Superior is exhibiting new work by Duluth painter Scott Murphy.
Bedtime by Scott Murphy.
The exhibit continues through the fall.
The Lyrical Artwork of Jim Denomie, an exhibit of a selection of Denomie’s paintings, is on view at the Minneapolis Institute of Art through March 2024.
Standing Rock 2016, by Jim Denomie, is one of his works currently on view at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
This exhibition surveys the artist’s singular vision and signature style over the second half of the artist’s career, from 2007 to 2022. Denomie (Ojibwe, Lac Courte Oreilles Band, 1955–2022) drew inspiration from lived experiences, pop culture, Anishinaabe traditions, and American histories to tell compelling narratives that depict his experiences of being Native in America. Despite the emotional weight of his subject matter, the artist’s dry wit opened space for necessary conversations about the legacies of colonization and the nature of humanity.
To read more about his work and see paintings, click here. And here’s an interview:
Upcoming:
The 2nd annual Lumberjack Bash, a fundraiser for the Cook County Historical Society, will be held at the Cook County Community Center on, Friday, Oct. 6.
The Lumberjack Bash, a fundraiser for the Cook County Historical Society will be held Oct 6.
Guests will be able to taste authentic logging camp cuisine and dance to the tunes of the swing band! The evening will feature a presentation by local logger Marco Good, logging camp displays, dancing, games, and prizes.
For more details and to purchase tickets or to donate, click here.
Beyond the Light: Storytelling with Layne Kennedy will be held on Saturday, Oct. 7, at the Seagull Lake Community Center.
Storytelling with Layne Kennedy will be held at the Seagull Lake Community Center Oct. 7.
Kennedy will use his outstanding photographs in the presentation, which is sponsored by the Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center. It starts at 2 pm. Free and open to all.
Artists at Work:
A sensible Sunday morning bouquet by Kristofer Bowman.
A tool. Photo by Mark Tessier.
Happy First Day of Fall, thumbnails from Georgia O’Keeffe paintings. Collage by Cheryl Palmer Karo.
From the series, Birds on a Cup, acrylic, by Gina Adams. She is one of the artists in the Fall Studio Tour.
A trip to Wild Country for our maple supply by Mary Beams.
Crabapple by Ruth Pszwaro is one of the pieces on view at the Andy Ness Studio during the Fall Studio Tour.
Grand Marais Sunrise by Tom Healy.
Untitled, acrylic, by Andy Ness. He is a stop on the Studio Tour.
Online Findings:
Nibi Chronicles: The art of Ojibwe linoleum
One of the Cedar Bark mats made by Tchi-Ki-Wis Linklater is currently stored at the Grand Portage National Monument, on loan from Isle Royale National Park. This photo by Travis Novitsky was published in Tim Cochrane’s book: Making the Carry: The Lives of John and Tchi-Ki-Wis Linklater.
Staci Drouillard’s latest column for GreatLakesNow is about the woven birchbark mats made by Tchi-Ki-Wis. Read the column here.
Here’s a double tap–an interview with the Plucked Up String Band and some of their music:
Online Music:
Live Music:
Thursday, Sept 28:
- Gordon Thorne, North Shore Winery, 7-9 pm
- Al Oikari and Friends, Cascade Restaurant & Pub, 6-8 pm
Friday, Sept 29
- Full Moon Open Mic Bonfire, Drury Lane Books, 6-8 pm
- Timmy Haus, Mogul’s Grille & Tap Room, 7:30-9 pm
- Fred Anderson and Ben Obinger, Bluefin Grill, 8-10 pm
- Sun Wave Mountain Cave, Up Yonder, 9-11:55 pm
Saturday, Sept 30:
- Zahir Orest, Senior Center Parking Lot, 10 am
- DJ Birthday Gurl!, Mogul’s Grille & Tap Room, 7-10 pm
- The Honest Heart Collective, Up Yonder, 8-11 pm
Sunday, Oct 1:
- Briand Morrison, Mogul’s Grille & Tap Room, 10-12 pm
- Joe Paulik, Raven’s Nest at Gunflint Tavern, 1-4 pm
- Caitlin Nicol-Thomas, North Shore Winery, 3-5:30 pm
- Timmy Haus, Mogul’s Grille & Tap Room, 5-7 pm
- Open Mic Hosted by Pete K, Up Yonder, 5-8 pm
Tuesday, Oct 3:
- Eric Frost, North Shore Winery, 5:30-7:30 pm
Wednesday, Oct 4:
- Jim Miller, Mogul’s Grille & Tap Room, 4-6 pm
Thursday, Oct 5:
- Gordon Thorne, North Shore Winery, 7-9 pm
Friday, Oct 6:
- TBD, Mogul’s Grille & Tap Room, 7:30-9 pm
- North Shore Swing Band, Cook County Historical Society’s “Woodchoppers Ball/Lumberjack Bash”, Community Center, 6 pm
Saturday, Oct 7:
- Fred Anderson, Senior Center Parking Lot, 10 am
- Sky Blue Jazz, Cascade Restaurant and Pub, 6-8 pm
- Davina and the Vagabonds, Arrowhead Center for the Arts, 7 pm
Sunday, Oct 8:
- Boyd “Bump” Blomberg, North Shore Winery, 3:30-5:30 pm
- Timmy Haus, Mogul’s Grille & Tap Room, 5-7 pm
- Open Mic Hosted by Pete K, Up Yonder, 5-8 pm
Photographs:
We lucked out again this week finding photographs. Here’s a selection:
Wildlife:
Cross Fox by Chuck Olsen.
Being meticulous by Nate Arnold.
Lunch for a White Pelican by Mark Smith.
A Peregrine Falcon chases after Skimmers, who group together to make a harder target. Photo by Steffen Foerster.
Male (Rooster) Ring-necked Pheasant in flight. Photographer, unknown.
Nature knows how to co-exist. Photo on David Attenborough’s Facebook page.
A Moose Adieu by Betty Hemstad.
Potpourri:
A few final blooms of fall by Chuck Olsen.
Multiple lightning bolts, Kuala Lumpur by Fendy Gan. Taken over a 40-minute period.
Northern Lights:
Northern Lights over the Twin Cities by David Jon.
Aurora by Grand Marais by David Johnson.
Landscapes, Skyscapes & Treescapes:
After a rain in Hovland by Sandra Updyke.
Border Route Trail by Andy Keith.
After the Rain by Sandra Updyke.
Copper Falls, Bad River Upper Watershed by Mike Wiggins, Jr.
A lovely sunrise by Roxanne Distad.
Rose Lake, off-course by Andy Keith.
It is shaping up to be a good year for maple colors, by Travis Novitsky.
Pretty amazing by Sierra Parsons.
The maples are so good this year by Travis Novitsky.
Back road, east of the Gunflint Trail by Don Davison.
Maple ridgelines on a foggy autumn morning, by Jim Schnortz.
Over/underwater at Sugarloaf Cove by Roxanne Distad.
Autumn on Amity by Mary Amerman.
We get to live here by Terry Backlund.
Oberg Mountain by Terry Backlund.
Fall in the UP by Sandra Updyke.
One of my favorite fall shots by Chuck Olsen.
Indian Head, Pictured Rocks by Marie Zhuikov.
Love and light and joy, basic goodness, exist free for the taking if you just have your antennas up. Photo by Judy Gray.
Night sky, from the Cat Island sand pit, Apostle Islands by Michael DeWitt.
French River Wayside Sunrise by Jane Herrick.
North Shore Fall Colors by Paul Sundberg.
The Show-Offs by LeAnn Johnson.
Afternoon Reflections by Roxanne Distad.
Have a great weekend, everyone! And don’t forget… you can make a contribution to NorthShore ArtScene by clicking on the icon below. We do need your support. Thank you!
And here’s a shout-out to the people who helped make this blog possible: Jeremy Lopez, Live Music Schedule, proofreading and technical advice; Yvonne Mills, stellar proofreading and Kari Carter, photo captions and research.