North Shore Arts Scene

We’re in  for it now– Fall has arrived on the North Shore and the woods are beginning their final show of the season.

And with that comes two showy fall events: Grand Marais Plein Air and North House Folk School‘ s Unplugged, both happening this weekend, modified by Covid-19 protections. And then, in two weeks, the 10-day Art Along the Lake Fall Studio Tour begins, again modified for Covid.

The good news?  There will be lots to see, and even do, this year.

Grand Marais Plein Air draws painters from all over the region to spend a week painting what they see around Cook County, culminating in an exhibit at the Johnson Heritage Post. The event has been modified this year, so artists who don’t want to travel can paint in place and still participate in the competition by uploading their completed paintings on www.pleinairgrandmarais.org  It’s a fun site to visit, because it changes every day as competitors upload their pieces.

But, there are still lots of plein air painters out there. They can be spotted on roadsides, on the shore, in neighborhoods …

And this Thursday, those who are in town will carry their painting gear out to Artists Point for the Quick Paint Competition. It starts at 3:30 p.m. and runs through 5 p.m., in which time the work has to be completed. Everyone is invited to watch, with masks and social distancing rules in place. It’s a fun event. WDSE made an award-winning video of the Quick Paint several years ago. They called it The Plein Air Brush Off.

Check out the video here. And wander down to Artists Point to see what’s happening this year.

There will be a virtual opening at the Johnson Heritage Post on Friday, Sept. 18, and the gallery will be open to the public on Saturday, Sept. 19, with Covid protocols in place. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays, and 1-4 p.m. on Fridays.

Here’s the link to the Johnson Heritage Post Facebook page to see the latest submissions and view the opening on Friday at 5 p.m. 

On Saturday, check out the two local artisan markets, the Cook County Market and the Maker’s Market.

The Cook County Market is held in The Hub’s parking lot from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Marker’s Market is held in the alley next to the Beaver House on Thursdays through Sundays.

Also on Saturday, the North Shore Winery continues its Plein Air Art events featuring demonstrations and sales by local artists. This week, Bonnie Gay and Howard Hedstrom will be featured — Howard with his wood turned bowls and Bonnie Gay with her mixed media works, including felting and painting.

This outdoor event is weather-dependent and requires reservations. Covid protocols are in place. To make a reservation, click here or call 218-481-9280.

And, on Saturday night, North House Folk School will present “Unplugged 2020: Bringing It Home Online. To kick off the show, the Plucked Up String Band will play. Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of “Braiding Sweetgrass” is the featured speaker and her presentation will be followed by a live auction and Fund-a-Need opportunities. Then Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Eliza Gilkyson will take to the on-line stage.

To find out more about Unplugged and get tickets, click here. 

Upcoming:

The Art Along the Lake Fall Studio Tour, which runs from Sept. 25-Oct. 4, has a new online component because of  the Covid-19 pandemic.

This year’s tour features 23 art studios and galleries, many of whom will be exhibiting online. The artists have been making lots of new work. If you can’t make the tour in person, visit the artist and gallery websites here. You can also visit the Art Along the Lake page from North Shore Arts League, which features many of the Fall Studio Tour artists. Stay tuned for more next week.

Artist Opportunities:

The North Shore Artists League has put out a call for member artists to participate in the Johnson Heritage Post 2nd Annual Member Show. The exhibit will open Dec. 11. Artists may submit up to three pieces. The opening reception will be a live Facebook event, with the gallery open over the weekends during the show. For more information,

The Grand Marais Art Colony has opened a Virtual Mentor Program, featuring artists from a variety of media who will be available for one-to-one mentoring sessions.

 

Sun Yung Shin, Shannon Gibney, Denise Walser-Kolar, Donna Bruni, and Ernest Miller are the selected mentors for these sessions. For more information, click here.

Artists at Work:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cook County Historical Society has created a number of interesting videos. Here’s one:

 Virtual Music:

 

Live Music:

Thursday, Sept. 17:

• Eric Frost, Date Night at the North Shore Winery, 6 p.m., outdoors, reservations required at https://www.exploretock.com/northshorewinery
  or call at (218) 481-9280.

Saturday, Sept. 19:

• Boyd Bump Blomberg, Cook County Market, 10:30 – 1 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 20:

WineDown with Eric Frost, North Shore Winery, 3 p.m., reservations required. Reservations at https://www.exploretock.com/northshorewinery
or call at (218) 481-9280.

Photographs:

We found some good photographs this week. Let’s start with plants, mushrooms and flowers.

 

 

And here are some wildlife photographs:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here are some landscapes/skyscapes/waterscapes.

 

 

 

 

And a few Peoplescapes:

 

 

Have a great weekend, everyone. And stay safe!

P.S. If you enjoyed reading NorthShore Artscene this week, please consider donating today by clicking on the button below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have arrived at the turning of the seasons up here on the North Shore. Soon the hills will be singing with color, but right now, it’s just, well, sort of cold, as in, get out your wool sweaters and turn on the heat. When we do that, we also remember that every year, the frost comes for a few nights and then the glorious days of Fall begin.

This week, we start with a Live Lunch & Learn at North House Folk School‘s Facebook page on Thursday with basketmaker and North House instructor, Emily Derke. She will show us how to make birch bark tool wraps/sheaths. It’s a great and versatile project that anyone can do, and it is free. Click here to see.

Derke will also be on the North House Folk School‘s campus demonstrating basketry from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Saturday. The public is invited to stop by and watch her work.

Also starting on Thursday, the Grand Marais Art Colony will feature Around the Town president, Ann Mershon, on its Instagram page. Mershon will tour Grand Marais as she gives us a taste of the  public art here. To view, click here.

On Friday, Grand Marais Plein Air officially starts, and expect to see artists painting the landscape all over the county for the next week. The competition, which is a combo of live and virtual events, is organized by the Outdoor Painters of Minnesota which is partnered with the Johnson Heritage Post.

Some painters have opted to stay in place for the event, but they’ve been painting nevertheless, and their work has been posted to a new Website. Click here to see what has been submitted so far. It is updated daily. Some work will be exhibited at the Heritage Post from Sept. 19-Oct. 11.

One of the most popular features of the Plein Air competition is the Quick Paint, where artists converge on Artist’s Point and have an hour or so to complete a painting. The Quick Paint, which will be held from 3:30-5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 17, is open to the public, with Covid protocols in place, including masks and social distancing. There will be a live Opening Reception on the Johnson Heritage Post’s Facebook page on Sept. 18, Stay tuned for details.

Saturday is busy, too.

There are two markets in downtown Grand Marais that feature art by local artisans and artists: The Cook County Craft Market and the Maker’s Market.

The Maker’s Market is held in the alley beside the Beaver House and is open Thursday through Saturday.

The Cook County Market is held in The Hub’s parking lot from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays.

And plan on keeping your radio tuned to WTIP Community Radio all day on Saturday to listen to all the music during the virtual Radio Waves Music Festival.  The one-day, on-air, live music event features lots great music.

This marks the 13th year of this annual festival, and thirteen Minnesota musical acts will play full musical sets to be broadcast live on WTIP Radio throughout the day.

The “13 in 13” lineup will include performances by local and regional artists and includes Sky Blue with Horns, Eric Frost, One Less Guest, Jim McGowan, Aho Family, Colleen Myhre, Kilborn Quartet, Red Lips, Portage, Lady Spruce, Chris Gillis with the Grand Marais Music Collaborative, Bump Blomberg, Rich Mattson and the Northstars and other surprises throughout the day.

Radio Waves is always a fun event. Check out this video produced a few years ago.

 The full schedule for this year’s festival can be found here.

In other art news, the Grand Marais Playhouse is seeking actors for the production of “The Remarkable Susan” by Tim Kelly. There are roles for 10 women and 6 men ( or all women), some roles may be double cast for smaller company. No experience necessary. The play is a short one-act and will be live-streamed Oct. 26-27..The Grand Marais Playhouse operates with the safety of all participants in mind. Masks, physical distancing, sanitizer, regular cleaning are all part of the Playhouse safety plan.

The audition day will be Monday, Sept. 14,  with several alternatives: a live Zoom or Fcebook audition or in-person. Please contact Playhouse to schedule a time on Monday Sept. 14.. No drop in auditions allowed. For more info, contact Sue Hennessy at (218) 370-0224.

On Wednesday, Sept. 16, consider attending the Duluth Art Institute‘s Virtual Gala, a fundraiser for the Institute and an art experience. It is virtual, so you can attend for free, or participate as a donor.

One of the features is a presentation about headwraps and how they define women in the  Black community by artist Chesley Antoinette. Check out this video to learn more.

The event also features an online auction, a cooking opportunity and more. Click here for more information and register. 

Upcoming:

The Grand Marais Art Colony just added a new virtual class called “Armchair Plein Air with Tara Sweeney” to its website. The weekly class starts on Sept. 17 and meets on Thursday mornings.

For more information and to register, click here.

Also next week, look forward to North House Folk School‘s  Unplugged 2020: Bringing it Home — An Online Fundraising Event and Concert. The virtual event will be held on Saturday, Sept. 19.

The evening will feature Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of “Braiding Sweetgrass,” Eliza Gilkyson, singer songwriter, and Grand Marais’s own Plucked Up String Band.

 

People can select a streaming-only ticket or upgrade to a package that includes an online cooking class with Chef Beth Dooley and a variety of North Shore treats. The weekend also features the online Points North Auction.  Check it out here.

 The Grand Marais Public Library will host a local, virtual book discussion of A Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota. David Lawrence Grant, a contributor to the book, will be facilitating and host the Zoom discussion at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24. Participation is limited to 25. To register, visit grandmaraislibrary.org or call 218-387-1140 to reserve your virtual seat.

The Art Along the Lake Fall Studio Tour is Sept. 25-Oct. 4 this year, with a combination of online, virtual exhibits and in-person/in-situ ones.

For more information about the tour, click here. And stay tuned for details next week.

Note: Art Along the Lake Fall Studio Tour artists: Send images of your work to joan.farnam@gmail.com and we’ll try to post them. Thank you!

Extra News

And here’s some great news: The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness was officially certified as the 13th International Dark Sky Sanctuary in the world.  It is the first federally designated Wilderness site certified and largest site at 1,098,000 acres. The International Dark Sky Association promotes reducing light pollution and protecting night skies for the present and into the future.

 To find out more, click here.

Artists at Work

Virtual Music:

Here is a potpourri of music videos we found this week:

At the Edges of Wilderness: A Genesis+Art Exhibition from Chuck Hoffman on Vimeo.

 Live Music:

Thursday, Sept. 10:

• Gordon Thorne & Friends, Date Night at the Winery, 6-8 p.m., reservations at https://www.exploretock.com/northshorewinery
  or call at (218) 481-9280.

Saturday, Sept. 12:

• Radio Waves Music Festival, live on WTIP. Listen at 90.7 FM or stream at  WTIP.org from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Boyd “Bump” Blomberg, live, Cook County Market, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., weather permitting

Sunday, Sept. 13:

• Weekend Wine Down with Eric Frost, North Shore Winery, 3-6 p.m.,

 Photographs:

We are lucky to report that we found some great photographs this week. Let’s start with wildlife:

 

 

 

Here are a few “plant-scapes:”

 

And some landscapes, skyscapes and waterscapes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, a new category this week: Peoplescapes

Peoplescapes:

And this sweetheart:

Have a good week, everyone. And stay safe!

Note: If you enjoyed NorthShore ArtScene this week, consider making a donation to this volunteer effort by donating through PayPal. Just click on the icon below.  And thank you! 

P.S. Fall Studio Tour artists: Send images to me at joan.farnam@gmail.com. Would love to use them for the next few weeks!

Greetings from the North Shore, where the harvest has begun. Already, garlic and onions are out of the ground, and peas and beans are picked. Soon, if not already, the potatoes will be lifted from the soil, and, of course, there are always carrots, and beets and tomatoes, and soon, apples, winter squash and pumpkins.

This fall will be a little different for art and artists, though, as virtual, or some variant of it, will replace many in-person gatherings, but creativity is the name of the game here, so read on.

First up is North House Folk School, which continues its weekly Crafting in Place series. This week, boatbuilder and resident artisan Josh Tolkan is on campus, working on a difficult plywood canoe project. He will be demonstrating from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Thursday through Saturday on campus.

Tolkan will also talk about his project at a Lunch & Learn on Thursday, Sept. 3, at noon. It’s Facebook Live, so it’s a great opportunity to bring any boatbuilding or maritime carpentry questions to this master. Click here to view the Lunch & Learn.

North House is combining both virtual and social-distanced, in-person classes this fall.  To find out more, click here.

The Hjordis will be sailing through September.

For more information and to book a cruise, click here.

The Grand Marais Art Colony is beginning to be active as well this fall, with a combo of virtual and in-person classes and events. One feature, its Instagram Takeover, has been on-going this summer, featuring artists demonstrating and creating work on the social media outlet on Thursdays and Fridays.

This week, painter Kathie Wheeler is featured on the Instagram Takeover. She is a representational oil painter whose work is inspired by the people and places in her life.

She will be teaching The Poetry of Plein Air at the Art Colony later this month and is the juror for Plein Air Grand Marais this year.

On Friday, WTIP’s The Roadhouse continues its creative use of virtual/live and will feature Joey Shaheen of the Wrong Omar as guest musician. He will talk about his music and play some songs from the back deck at the radio station, live, on the radio, 90.7 FM.

Here are some examples of the Wrong Omar’s music:

This is Labor Day Weekend in Grand Marais, and downtown will be busy. There are two markets featuring local artists and artisans that will be open– the Cook County Market and the Maker’s Market.

The Cook County Market is held in the parking lot of The Hub from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. Covid protocols and social distancing  are in place. The Maker’s Market is held next to the Beaver House and is open daily Thursday through Sunday.

Also on Saturday, plein air painter Greg Lecker will give a plein air painting demo at the North Shore Winery from 3-6 p.m.

Lecker is working on “Watersheds,” portraits of Minnesota’s three watersheds while engaging viewers in conversation and painting demonstrations.

For more information about Lecker’s work, visit his website at www.greglecker.com. Make a reservation to attend Saturday’s demonstration at https://www.exploretock.com/northshorewinery or call North Shore Winery at (218) 481-9280.

This event is weather dependent – if it’s raining, the event will be cancelled.  Click here for updates   Also, Lecker will be interviewed about his project on WTIP on Friday at 8:40 a.m.

And on Monday, the Grand Marais Art Colony will hold an Open House at its new space at 21 W. Hwy 61 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Exhibits:

The exhibit “George Morrison and Marcia Cushmore” continues at the Johnson Heritage Post, featuring archival prints and posters by both artists.

The gallery is open from 1-4 p.m. Fridays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.

In other gallery news, Plein Air Grand Marais, sponsored and organized by the Outdoor Painters of Minnesota, is both virtual and in-person this year. Participating artists have been invited to paint-in-place, or come up to the North Shore and paint here.

The Plein Air competition runs from Sept. 11-18, but a new Plein Air Grand Marais website is live now, with artists posting their paintings on it as they’re completed. An exhibit will open at the Johnson Heritage ge Post Sept. 19. Stay tuned.

Upcoming:

Music lovers look forward to September for two outstanding music festivals: WTIP’s Radio Waves Music Festival and North House Folk School’s Unplugged. Both will be virtual this year, with their individual twists.

Radio Waves will be free and will feature 13 acts in 13 hours broadcast on WTIP, 90.7 FM, and streamed through the website at www.wtip.org. This is the 13th anniversary of the popular music festival.

The jazz band, Sky Blue with Horns, kicks it off at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12 with a live online and broadcast performance from the deck at WTIP.

Highlights include virtual performances by Red Lips from Hovland, Jim McGowan from St. Paul, and Lady Spruce from Minneapolis, as well as on-the-back-deck performances by One Less Guest, The Aho Family,  the Kilborn Quartet and Chris Gillis with the Grand Marais Music Collaborative. It’s free,  online and on the radio.

North House Folk School‘s “Unplugged” will be live-streamed this year, with music, craft and food.

To kick off the live-streamed show on Sept. 19,  Grand Marais-based Plucked Up String Band  will play and Chef Beth Dooley will show how to mix a signature cocktail for the evening. Later  Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass, will give the featured presentation, which will be followed by a live auction and Fund-a-Need opportunities. Then Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Eliza Gilkyson will take the stage.

 

Tickets can be purchased online here.

 Artists at Work

A ground-breaking book about Hazel Belvo, her life and her art,  will be published this fall. Entitled, “A Matriarch of Art: An Illustrated art biography of one of Minnesota’s best-known feminist artists,”  art historian Julie L’Enfant reviews Belvo’s focus on nature, spirituality, mythology, and eroticism during more than 40 years of making and teaching art in Minnesota.

More great trash barrels for Grand Marais will appear on the streets soon, crafted by Sam Zimmerman featuring paintings of clan animals of the Ojibwe and their Anishinaabe names.

Jeweler Steve Hahn has been busy.

Knitter Katie Viren‘s latest:

BetsyA Bowen’s latest project is drawing for the Apostle Islands’ Alphabet Project. Her letter: W.

Flower artist Monica Anderson has been growing flowers and making beautiful arrangements this summer. She can be reached at 218-370-8479.

Actor opportunities: The Grand Marais Playhouse is holding auditions for the upcoming live stream production of “The Remarkable Susan” by Tim Kelly. Contact the Playhouse for more information.

The Practice: Anishinaabe cultural practitioner Greg Johnson is teaching winter birch bark basketry on campus at North House September 26-28.

 

To find out more, click here.

More artwork completed this summer:

 

 

Videos:

We found two train videos for you to watch: a historic video about the Flying Train in Germany crafted in 1902 and discoveries on an old railroad grade in Nipigon,

 

And a little music:

 

Live Music: 

Thursday, Sept. 3:

• Gordon Thorne & Friends, North Shore Winery, 6 p.m. Make reservations at https://www.exploretock.com/northshorewinery
  or call  (218) 481-9280.

Saturday, Sept. 5:

• Boyd Bump Blomberg, Cook County Market, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m

Sunday, Sept. 6

• Chris Gillis & Gordon Thorne, North Shore Winery, Sunday Wine Down, 3 p.m., Make reservations at https://www.exploretock.com/northshorewinery
  or call  (218) 481-9280.

Photographs:

We found some unusual as well as beautiful photographs this week.

Here are some unusual shots:

Other wildlife photographs:

A few great shots of people that we couldn’t pass up.

Just a foot …

It was the Full Corn Moon:

And here are some beautiful landscapes/seascapes:

And I just couldn’t resist this one: I found it on Facebook and couldn’t trace it back to the photographer, but decided it is worth a run.

Have a good weekend everyone. And stay safe!

And if you’ve enjoyed NorthShore ArtScene this week, you can make a donation to help support this local effort. Click on the icon below.

This weekend — yep — this weekend, the last one in August, we tread lightly, for the end of summer is nigh. Not that it’s going to start snowing tomorrow, but, we’re a little wary about when the warm weather will change. Meanwhile, time to enjoy…

This is also the weekend of the Minnesota State Fair, and although it won’t be a huge get-together, there are things to do on the fairgrounds as well as a few virtual events. One of the most anticipated events, the Food Parade, which has been organized as a drive-through to sample favorite foods, is sold out. However, art can still be enjoyed. The Fine Arts Exhibition is open and can be viewed by reservation, video and a free virtual catalog.

To view more info, see the State Fair’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube pages.

Here on the North Shore, it continues to be wonder-weather, with lots of sun and warm breezes from the Big Lake. Covid-19 is still around, though, and protocols are in place in our businesses. Social distancing is recommended, as are masks. Click here to read the latest Cook County news.

North House Folk School continues its Crafting in Place Series, featuring an instructor/artisan demonstrating on-campus Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., as well as a Lunch & Learn session on Thursdays at noon.

This week, MaryBeth Garmoe is the featured artist and she will be demonstrating broom-making.

To see MaryBeth Garmoe at the Lunch & Learn on Thursday, click here. The video will be posted to North House’s Facebook page and can be viewed at any time.

We can’t go to Thunder Bay right now, but this news needs to be shared. The Definitely Superior Art Gallery in Thunder Bay had to move from it’s rented building in the fall, but has found a new home and will hold a grand opening this weekend in the new space at 115 Cumberland St. N. in downtown Thunder Bay. The event will showcase the gallery’s incredible new space as well as work by 40 regional and national visual artists.

We always enjoyed visiting this gallery when we were permitted across the border, and when the border opens again, it will definitely be worth a visit. Here’s a short sneak-peak video of the new space.

Defsup Sneak Peek from Definitely Superior Art Gallery on Vimeo.

And in more Thunder Bay news, the Magnus Theatre will hold outdoor performances of  “A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline” in the park next to the theater from Sept. 3-13. Covid-19 protocols will be in place. Click here to learn more.

Back to our side of the border — Saturday features two local arts and craft markets in downtown Grand Marais: The Cook County Market and the Maker’s Market.

The Cook County Market is held in the parking lot of The Hub from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. The Maker’s Market is held in the alley next to the Beaver House and is open Thursday through Sunday. Both feature work by local artists and artisans.

Exhibits:

 This the last weekend to see the latest exhibit at the Johnson Heritage Post: framed archival prints and posters by George Morrison and Marcia Cushmore. Evelyn Konrad, a watercolor artist from Thunder Bay, Ontario is the artist of the month.

The Heritage Post is open from Fridays from 1-4 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Covid protocols are in place.

Yellowbird Fine Art is open and features a wide variety of artists and artwork, including new work by Jeanne Hedstrom.

This is the last weekend to see the “Upscale” exhibit in the window at the Grand Marais Art Colony‘s new building at 17 W. Hwy 61.

And here’s something to look forward to at the Tweed Museum of Art. It continues to be closed, but virtual access is possible. It is planning to mount a great retrospective of the paintings of Carl Gawboy. Entitled “A Life Well-Painted: The Art of Carl Gawboy.” The exhibit covers work by the artist who is a Bois Forte Anishinaabe tribal member and Finnish.

Here are two examples of Gawboy’s work.

Much further down the road: The Minneapolis Institute of Art is currently open and features a variety of exhibits. Free ticketed admission.

Reservations for the free tickets are required. To find out more, click here.

Upcoming:

 The two big fall music events in Cook County will be virtual this year: WTIP’s Radio Waves Music Festival and North House Folk School‘s Unplugged.

Radio Waves will feature a day-long program of on-line and broadcast music on Saturday, Sept. 12.  It’s a great line-up of musicians. To see, click here.

North House Folk School‘s Unplugged will be Sept. 19 featuring Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of “Braiding Sweetgrass,” as the featured speaker, a live concert with two-time Grammy-nominated musician Eliza Gilkyson, as well as the annual Fund-a-Need Auction. Tickets for the streaming event are available here.

Artist Opportunities:

Check out the Arrowhead Regional Art Council’s Web site for information about grant opportunity here.

The North Shore Winery has put out a Call to Artists to demonstrate outdoors on weekends from Sept. 5 through Oct. 17. Electricity and water are available. For more information and how to apply, contact Kim Corliss at kim@northshorewinery.us/

 Artists at Work:

Here are some examples of artists’ work we found this week:

This video, “Fevered Spring,” was created when John Gruber posted a photo of a log of ash he split because he was so inspired by its beauty, despite the onset of Covid-19. Maryl Skinner was also inspired by the photo and shared some of her thoughts about living in the pandemic.  These thoughts became lyrics for the song, “Fevered Spring,” which Gruber had written a few years ago. In this recording, Russ Viton plays lead guitar, Gruber plays guitars and sings and John Koscielak plays keyboard.

Other artwork that caught our attention this week:

And here is a wonderful piece penned by local author Staci Lola Drouillard and posted on her Facebook page this week about living in rural Minnesota during the pandemic and wildlife she sees. She is the author of the award-winning book: “Walking the Old Road: A People’s History of Chippewa City and the Grand Marais Anishinaabe.” And yes, she is working on a new book.

Here’s what Staci sees:

“We’ve got a young bear who passes through, sometimes closer than we’d like. We’ve got a skunk who digs divots in the lawn, looking for grubs to eat. We’ve got hummingbirds buzzing around in pairs and Bard owls asking “who-cooks-for-you?” at night. Waxwings are here eating chokecherries and I woke up to find bees sleeping inside delicate, pink hollyhock flowers.

Yesterday I watched a kestrel bomb in from the trees after a hummingbird. The little birds scattered and the kestrel missed its target. The hummingbirds made themselves scarce for a long time, and there were no bird sounds at all for about 30 minutes. Then, with their wings beating 70 times per second, they resumed their own hunt for nectar.

The Broadwing hawks are migrating and before the young birds flew south, a pair of them would perch on our backyard fence and feed on the abundance of frogs we have in the yard.

Earlier this summer we watched a mother Downy woodpecker teach its baby how to peck for bugs on a dead stalk of Queen Anne’s Lace. I wonder if we would have experienced any of this if things were “normal” and we were at the office and not work.”

Live Music:

Thursday, Aug. 27:

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

Sunday, Aug. 30:

• Cook County’s Most Wanted, Skyport Lodge, 4 p.m.

Photographs:

Here are some of the photographs we found this week:

 

 

And a few wildlife shots:

 

 

 

 

 

And here are some landscapes:

 

 

 

And last, but not least, we thought we should share this song by Eliza Gilkyson, “Peace in Our Hearts.”  She is the featured artist on North House Folk School‘s on-line Unplugged concert this year.

Peace to you. And be safe.

Note: I am accepting donations to keep this blog a vital part of your North Shore art news source. Click below to make a donation to support this volunteer effort.

 

 

 

Hmmmm…this is hard to admit, but fall is in the air. For the past two mornings, dew has covered everything, as temps hovered in the low 50s, if that. The days have continued to be glorious, though, and it seems like summer will never end. The town of Grand Marais is buzzing with visitors, grateful to bask in the unending expanse of blues, as Lake Superior continues to show off. And, as we have been mentioning every week this month, basil is still plentiful. So are newly hatched monarch butterflies:

Meanwhile, Covid-19 is still a presence here, and masking and social distancing are important. Here’s the latest  information about the pandemic in this small community.  

We are still virtual but live as well.

This week, weaver Christine Novotny is the instructor-in-residence at North House Folk School, where she will be demonstrating her craft from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday on campus.

She will also present a Lunch & Learn session on North House’s Facebook page at noon on Thursday, Aug. 20. It’s free, and live, so it’s possible to ask her questions, as well as watch her presentation. Check it out here.

BTW:Tickets are now on sale for the virtual Unplugged Concert at North House. Reservations for a cruise on the good ship The Hjordis are also available. And some classes are being held. For more info, visit www.northhouse.org

Singer/songwriter Joe Paulik plays music on the beach at Lutsen Resort starting at 7 p.m. and Eric Frost is the guest musician at North Shore Winery’s Date Night, which also starts at 7 p.m.. Reservations are required at the Winery. See below for details.

Friday is quiet, as far as organized events go, but on Saturday, look for local artists and artisans in downtown Grand Marais. They set up in two locations.

The Cook County Market is held in the parking lot of The Hub from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays, featuring work by local artists, authors and crafters. Local musician Bump Blomberg plays from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Covid protocols are in place, including a mask requirement and social distancing.

The Maker’s Market is held in the alley beside the Beaver House and also features artists and artisans. It is open Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 or so.

Galleries:

Prints and posters by Marcia Cushmore and George Morrison are on view at the Johnson Heritage Post this month, as well as a selection of paintings by Thunder Bay painter Evelyn Konrad.

The Heritage Post is open from 1-4 p.m. on Fridays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Covid protocols are in place. Click here to learn more.

Sivertson Gallery has a wonderful variety of art by local, regional and Inuit artists, including prints by Duluth printmaker Rick Allen.

Joy & Co. features a broad selection of works by local artists and artisans, including pottery by Tara Block.

The Duluth Art Institute, located in The Depot in Duluth, is open to visitors with Covid-19 protocols in place. There are several exhibits, including  “Odysseus & Penelope: the Long Journey” by Kari Halker-Saathoff in the George Morrison Gallery.

The DAI is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free.

And further down the road, the Minneapolis Institute of Art is now open to the public with Covid-19 protocols in place. Visitors are admitted free of charge.

For more information about the new rules and exhibits on display, click here.

And across the Big Lake, in Herbster, Wis., local artists recently held a virtual art tour, featuring woodworking, prints, multi-media works and more.

To find out more and see examples of their work, click here.

Opportunities:

Springboard for the Arts has a great website detailing the wide variety of grants available to artists. Check it out here

Arts Midwest just announced it has new funds available through the United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund. For more info, click here.

And the Minnesota State Arts Board has developed a new program for artists and art institutions located outside of the seven-county metro area of Minneapolis as one of three priority groups to benefit from the Creative Support grants.

Detailed program information can be found in the Creative Support for Individuals program guidelines: http://www.arts.state.mn.us/pubs/pubs/fy2021-csi-overview-instructions.pdf

There is a short video presentation available here as well: https://vimeo.com/444666292

Local Artists at Work:

Fiber artists continue to add creatures to The Felted Forest, located in the wooded lot in front of Sawtooth Elementary School.

The Grand Marais Playhouse held a youth theatre camp where the participants performed “The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss.”

To donate to the Grand Marais Playhouse, click here.

Tom McCann is working on his postcard series. Here’s a latest watercolor.

The YMCA Camp kids made signs of hope and love and then had a parade at the Care Center this week.

And here’s a pretty incredible painting by Ari, one of the YMCA kids camp participants. He is 7-years-old.

And here’s another inspiring painting by Ari.

And, thankfully, Betsy Bowen continues her Comfort series, which she started during our “Stay in Place” period in Minnesota.

Upcoming:

The Art Along the Lake: Fall Studio Tour will be Sept. 25-Oct. 4 this year, with lots of artists and galleries participating in Cook County. However, due to the pandemic, many will be showing their work online.

The pandemic continues to be a fluid situation in Minnesota and around the country, so it will be important to check the Fall Studio Tour online to see who is exhibiting live in their studios and who is exhibiting online. There will be links to each artist here.

Virtual Music:

 

 Live Music:

Thursday, Aug. 20:

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

Saturday, Aug. 22:

• Bump Blomberg, Cook County Market in The Hub’s parking lot, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

 Sunday, Aug. 23

• Teague Alexy, Weekend Wine Down, North Shore Winery, 3 p.m., Make reservations at https://www.exploretock.com/northshorewinery
  or call at (218) 481-9280.
• Jacob Mahn and the Salty Dogs, Music by the Lake at Skyport Lodge, 4 p.m.

Photographs: 

 There was a good selection this week. First, monarchs:

 

And a great eagle shot.

 

 

 

And here are some beautiful landscapes, waterscapes, skyscapes and lighthouse-scapes.

 

 

Here’s a beautiful series by Mark Tessier on the Kadonce River, sometimes spelled Kadunce.

 

 

 Lightning!

 

 

Here’s a calmer sunset:

And another view of the harbor.

And this, a greeting for the day.

Have a good weekend, everyone! And stay safe!

Note: I am accepting donations to keep this blog a vital part of your North Shore art news source. Click below to make a donation to support this volunteer effort.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carryin’ On  — it’s what’s happening in Grand Marais right now.

Grand Marais artist Tom McCann, for example, is painting a series of postcards about his favorite place, Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario, just north of the border, a place he can’t visit right now. Felter Elise Kyllo is giving felting demonstrations this week at North House Folk School, Maggie Anderson is firing her raku pots in her back yard, John Books is going to have a pop-up sculpture exhibit this weekend, weather permitting, and vegetable garden veterans and vegetable garden newbies are figuring out ways to save their gardens’ abundance for those  cold winter days.

These are just a few of the examples of people in Cook County who are doing their best to do their best.

Covid continues to stalk the land. Cook County now has 5 confirmed cases of the disease. And rules and regulations continue to change and evolve. For the latest news and information, click here.

Meanwhile, we prevail. Here is what’s happening this week:

First up is Felter Elise Kyllo, Artisan-in-Development resident at North House Folk School and an instructor there, will be demonstrating her craft this week via a Facebook Lunch and Learn video at noon on Thursday, and on campus from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Kyllo makes delightful felted animals and other wonders.

To watch and participate in the Lunch and Learn session, click here. Note; These sessions are recorded and can be viewed at any time. For example, basketmaker Emily Derke’s presentation last week is online, as are the other noon events.

Also, the good ship The Hjordis is sailing out of North House this month as well, offering 1-hour family tours.

Painter and printmaker Andy Ness is the Instagram Takeover Artist for the Grand Marais Art Colony on Thursday and Friday. He is an Art Colony instructor and a regular in the Print Studio. He has a BFA from Pratt Institute and his MFA from Rhode Island School of Design. His work has been shown both nationally and internationally and he has been a guest artist and teacher at many schools across the country. He currently splits his time between Minneapolis and Grand Marais.

 

These are very fluid presentations and include live videos and still shots. You can watch it here. Also, previous Instagram Takeover Artists can be viewed here as well.

The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council has put out a call for artists from the region to participate in Zoom Forums to plan for and suggest ideas for ARAC grant development and offerings for the next year. The forums will be held Thursday, Aug. 13 at 4 p.m. and Monday, Aug. 17 at 5 p.m.

ARAC writes: “The Coronavirus pandemic has been devastating for the artistic community. At ARAC, we understood and shifted to create four new funding programs to help individual artists and arts organizations get through the early parts of the shutdown and pandemic. We were able to make 117 grants for just a little over $146,000. Most of those grants we responded to in days or weeks rather than the usual timeline of about two to three months.

We also kept almost all of our existing programs and funded 130 grants for $455,959 in non-COVID related grants in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2020.” Now, however, ARAC is in a holding pattern. It is unclear at this time what exactly the funding will be this year. It’s expected that there could be at least a 15 percent (perhaps more) cut in funding, and the money will be transferred at a slower rate than a typical year.

ARAC would like artists to consider these questions for the Zoom forums::

• “Would you like us to continue those “Emergency Working Artist Grants” for $2,000 for this year, or would you like us to return to our normal Individual Artist Project Grants that we normally offer twice a year? (Those grants are for up to $4,000.) Or should we do a round of the smaller grants this fall and return to “normal” in the spring?”

For organizations:

• Since so many projects have had to be delayed for a year, possibly more, should we shift some of our organizational funding to our Operating Support program and increase the size of grants there or keep that at about the same size and get back to offering project grants, even if that money may not be able to be spent for six-to-12 months?

For artists and/or organizations

• We’ve also received a grant to do technical assistance for artists. What kind of help do you need as an artist now, either as individuals or as organizations?

To. participate in the Zoom meetings, send a request to info@aracouncil.org and tell us which session you’d like to attend. You can also email your thoughts to Drew Digby, ARAC executive director at digby@aracouncil.org

On Saturday, there are two outdoor markets scheduled for downtown Grand Marais, weather permitting: 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 beside the Beaver House Thursdays through Sundays.

On Sunday,  the Woods, Winds, Strings & A Little Jazz concert, which is an annual  fundraiser for the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department, will be held virtually this year. This year’s concert will be a short, happy performance at 4 p.m. on Aug, 16, preceding the kayak and quilt raffle drawings.

Many of the concert’s favorite local and regional performers, new and returning, will be involved. A GoFundMe page has been set up for donations.  To find details about about the concert and making donations to the GTFD click here.   The goal is to raise $3,000.  Here is the Zoom connection.

Galleries:

The Johnson Heritage Post continues its exhibit of poster and prints by George Morrison and Marcia Cushmore. The featured artist this month is Thunder Bay watercolorist, Evelyn Konrad.

The Heritage Post also features a large gift shop with works by local artists. It is open from 1-4 p.m. Fridays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.  Covid protocols are in place, including a mask requirement, hand sanitizing stations and social distancing. All welcome. Free.

The Grand Marais Art Colony is featuring “Upscale,” an exhibit composed of pieces created from its (mostly) obsolete summer catalog. The exhibit is in the windows of its new building at 17 W. Highway 61.

Sivertson Gallery has new work by Duluth painter Adam Swanson.

John Books will have a sculpture exhibit in the Leng’s backyard, weather permitting. this weekend. The Leng’s house is located right across the street from the Grand Marais Art Colony.

The outdoor pop-up exhibit includes bronze and wood sculptures and is entitled “The Wreck of Time.” The exhibit will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m .Saturday and Sunday. Masks and social distancing required. All welcome. Free.

The Plein Air Grand Marais competition and exhibit, which will largely be a virtual show this year, has developed a web page to display works by artists who are painting in place. The online shop, which is updated daily, and will be through the start of the show in September, features what artists have painted so far.  Here’s a painting by Mary Ann Davis called Clouds of Summer.

To see the paintings currently in the shop and to check often, click here.

In a related post, Kathie Wheeler, who is the juror for the Grand Marais Plein Air this year, is offering a class entitled “The Poetry of Plein Air” through the Grand Marais Art Colony Sept. 18-19.

To find out more and to register, click here.

 Upcoming:

WTIP’s annual Radio Waves Music Festival will be virtual this year.  It will be a one-day, on-air, live music event from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12. There’s quite a line-up of great music. To find out more, click here.

North House Folk School‘s “Unplugged 2020″ will also be virtual this year as well. The concert will be held starting at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19.

Starting at 6 p.m.Grand Marais-based Plucked Up String Band will play, followed at 6:30 with Beth Dooley showing how to mix a signature cocktail for the evening. Later,  Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass, will be the featured presentation, which will be followed by a live auction and fund-a-need opportunities. Then, at 7:15  p.m. Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Eliza Gilkyson will take the stage for our featured concert.

For more information and ticket packages, click here.

Artists at Work:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fun Stuff To Listen To, Read or Watch:

First, opera. Here are scenes from productions of the Lyric Opera of the North. This was originally streamed on Facebook, but you can still watch it. It’s great. Enjoy!

Here’s a fascinating article about Lawren Harris, the ringleader of Canada’s Group of Seven. The article was written by Jason McBride and is entitled “The Mystic.”

 

 Here’s the link to the article:

Virtual Music:

:

  Live Music:

Thursday, Aug. 13:

• Joe Paulik, Music on the Beach, Lutsen Resort, 7 p.m.
• Gordon Thorne & Friends, North Shore Winery, reservations here or call 218-481-9280.

Saturday, Aug. 15:

• Bump Blomberg, Cook County Market, 1o:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Gordon Thorne, Music on the Beach, Lutsen Resort, 7 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 16:

• Billy Johnson, Weekend Wine Down, North Shore Winery,3-6 p.m.  Reservations here or call 218-481-9280.
• Bug Dope with Rod Dockan and Al Oikari, Music by the Lake, Skyport Lodge on Devil Track Lake, 4-7 p.m.
• Gunflint Woods, Winds, Strings & a Little Jazz Virtual Concert, 4 p.m. via Zoom. For details, click here. 

Photographs:

We found some great shots this week. Here is a selection:

Just hanging out in an old woodpecker hole by Mike Ettore

 

 

 

Here is a series of photos Paul Sundberg took about raising a brood of Cedar Waxwings.

 

 

 

 

A few flowers:

 

 

Beauty: Landscapes, waterscapes, skyscapes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carryin’ On:

Have a great weekend, everyone!

BTW: I am accepting donations to keep this blog a vital part of your North Shore art news source. Click below to make a donation to support this volunteer effort. And Thank You!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Greetings from the North Shore where pristine waters beckon and a balmy summer continues. We are all grateful for that.

Changes continue to happen in the community, though, as the coronavirus plays out on the landscape.  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. Free hand sanitizer is also available there. VisitCounty County has also designed a T-shirt with the logo, One Moose Apart, as a fundraiser for the Cook County Coronavirus Relief Fund. 

To order a T-shirt, click here.

In general community news, here’s a heads-up: This is the last weekend to participate in the Gunflint Trail’s Biggest Blueberry Contest. Participants are invited to bring their biggest blueberry to be weighed at a number of different venues on the Trail. Cash prizes, including $100 for First Place, will be awarded. And yes, the blueberries aren’t exactly prolific this year, but they can be found. Check out what Nancy Seaton picked the other day.

Here’s a link to where you can have your biggest blueberry weighed and more info about the contest.

And not to be obnoxious or anything, but here’s a reminder: Aug. 11 is Primary Day in Minnesota.

Meanwhile, there are some interesting things going on this weekend. some virtual, some live.

First, North House Folk School. Master basketmaker Emily Derke is the Instructor in Residence at North House Folk School this week. Derke, who makes beautiful baskets, is a a Resident Artisan at North House. She will present a Lunch & Learn about willow basketry at noon on Thursday, Aug. 6, on the North House Facebook page.

And the Grand Marais Art Colony will feature mixed-media artist Bevie LaBrie as the takeover artist on its Instagram page Thursday and Friday. Bevie taught at the Art Colony for several years. She explores the intersection of nature and human experience through an intuitive process that uses reclaimed materials and mixed media.

Also on Thursday at 7 p.m., Bill Hansen will give a presentation about being a Peace Corps volunteer in Uganda before he was evacuated due to the Coronavirus pandemic. He has great stories to tell  and photographs to share about his experiences in the East African country.

Cook County Higher Education is sponsoring the online event. Registration is required to listen to his presentation, “Uganda: My Peace Corps Story.” Click here to register or call 218-387-3411. Email: office@mycche.org

WTIP’s The Roadhouse is setting up the back deck as a mobile music studio these days, and inviting musicians to play “live” for the program, which is aired from 5-7 p.m. on Fridays.

Last week, Nashville singer/songwriter Jerry Vandiver & Friends (including Caitlin Evanson and Jay Gustafson) played a few sets and talked about their music on The Roadhouse.

 You can listen to their performance here. (Note: Vandiver makes a point of canoeing in the Boundary Waters every year, and he came again for his adventure this year.)

This week, tune into The Roadhouse from 5-7 p.m. Kenna Rose will be playing on the back deck.

Live Art:

There’s a great selection of new painted trash barrels around town this week, thanks to a grant from the Cook County Chamber of Commerce’s Great Place Project and a collaboration between the City of Grand Marais, the Creative Economy Collaborative and the Grand Marais Art Colony.

Earlier this year, the City of Grand Marais, in response to requests by downtown business owners, decided to increase the number of trash barrels to account for more people gathering outdoors this summer.

The Creative Economy Collaborative, as the arts advisory council to the City of Grand Marais, put out a Call for Artists for applications. Artists were invited to propose original artwork for the 8 new trash barrels donated to the city by Sawtooth Mountain Maple Syrup Company in Lutsen.

The two artists chosen were Sam Zimmerman, a Duluth-based painter and muralist who is a member of the Grand Portage Band, and Ole Sorensen, a Grand Marais-based abstract artist who just recently graduated from Perpich Arts High School. Zimmerman painted six barrels, Sorenson, two.

A new exhibit has gone up in the windows of the Grand Marais Art Colony‘s new building at 17 W. Highway 61. Entitled “Upcycled,” the exhibit features collages by artists crafted from the Art Colony’s summer catalog, which was rendered largely obsolete by the pandemic.

Here’s another piece in the exhibit:

The window exhibition continues through Aug. 31.

The Johnson Heritage Post is open for the season and is featuring an exhibit of works by George Morrison and Marcia Cushmore. The framed and archival and poster prints are available for purchase.

The Heritage Post is open from 1-4 p.m. Fridays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. Covid protocols are in place.

In a few days, head up to the children’s playground at the Cook County Community Center to see the large mural crafted by youngsters in the Y Camp this week. Artist Sam Zimmerman designed the mural and then showed the children how to paint it, instructing them in a number of Ojibwe values and concepts as well.

The mural was a collaborative effort between the YMCA, the Grand Marais Art Colony and the Cook County Community Center.

Virtual Art:

Grand Marais has a grand tradition of plein air painting, started by Birney Quick and his art students from the Minneapolis Institute of Art, who trekked up here every summer to paint what they saw. Eventually, it led to the creation of the Grand Marais Art Colony, which is the oldest Art Colony in the state.

That plein air tradition has continued and grown through the years, eventually developing into a Plein Air Competition, drawing artists from all over the region to paint what they see in Cook County for a week, culminating in a great show at the Johnson Heritage Post. This year, though, Grand Marais Plein Air 202o is going virtual, and instead of fanning out all over the county in early September, participating artists are encouraged to “Paint in Place” in their home communities from June 1 – Sept. 18. This means the artwork is coming in early, and a new website has been developed to highlight all of the new work. The site includes an online store which opens Friday, bios and examples of work by the artists, a history of Plein Air in Grand Marais and much more. The Online Store opens at 1 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7. Check out the new website and the store here.

Local Artists At Work:

Tom McCann has been in the Quetico.

Layne Kennedy was in town recently. Here are a few images he captured.

 

 Fran Koscielak is knitting socks.

 Jan Attridge has been painting portraits. This one: a deeply loved member of our community who passed away recently: Bob Pratt.

Ron Piercy is painting.

Felter Elise Kyllo is still in love with lichen.

 Betsy Bowen has a new set of Comfort Cards.

Lee Ross is exhibiting her reconstructed collages at the Groveland Gallery in Minneapolis.

Opporuntities:

The Minnesota State Arts Board is now accepting applications for FY 2021 Creative Support grant programs for individuals and organizations. To find out more, click here.

Live Music:

Thursday, Aug. 6:

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

Saturday, Aug. 8:

• Tim Fast, Music on the Beach, Lutsen Resort, 7 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 9:

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

 Virtual Music:

This is really a potpourri.

 

 

 

 Photographs: 

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

First, wildlife:

 

 

 

 

Flowers and plants:

 

 

 

 

Landscapes, waterscapes and skyscapes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And finally, this beauty:

Have a great weekend, everyone! Stay safe.

If you’ve enjoyed reading NorthShore ArtScene this week, please consider donating to this volunteer effort. Just click on the link below. And thank you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.