Jazz, Twinsies, Peregrines & Connections

New-borns cavorting in the woods, sailboats sliding on blue, blue waters and just enjoying the beauty of the North Shore coming into full life after a tough winter is what June is all about. And, since it’s the start of the summer season, there are all kinds of things to see and do.

First up is a fascinating sale of arts and crafts from Asia collected by Karen Flolid when she was a Peace Corps volunteer during the 60s and 70s. She needs to downsize and hopes to find appreciative homes for her prized collection. She will have them on display from 3:30 -5:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 14  at the Cook County Community Center. All invited.

The collection comes primarily from six Southeast Asian countries, notably Borneo, where she worked with headhunting tribes. The wide variety of items includes beaded hats, handpainted leather shadow puppets, a great collection of fabrics including batik, wool, intricately stitched pieces and more. She also has tribal aprons, Hmong patterns and batik, caftans, dresses and vests as well as Burmese lacquer boxes and other “hard goods”, to name a few. Flolid will speak at the opening at 3:30 p.m., but the public is invited to come at any time and see what she has collected.

Also on Thursday, North House Folk School will hold two sessions of Try-It: Wood-fired Baking where students will be introduced to baking bread using a wood-fired oven. Each student will get to bake carta di musica and focaccia while exploring the history and science of bread baking.

The sessions are from 1-3 p.m. and 4:30-6:30 p.m. Cost is $20/person or $30 for an adult/child pair. Call 387-9762 to register.

And, the Local Food Market, featuring produce and baked goods from Cook County residents, will open for the season in the parking lot of the Cook County Community Center on Thursday. The market is held from 5-6 p.m.  every Thursday during the growing season. Early vegetables, fresh eggs, artisan breads and more will be featured this week. Open to all. Free.

On Thursday night, listen to classic jazz and originals from two northern Minnesota legends: Briand Morrison and Sam Miltich. They will play for a house concert at the Art House B&B from 7-9 p.m.

Refreshments will be served, but BYOB. Tickets are $10 cash at the door. All invited.

To hear a preview of the concert, listen to WTIP Community Radio at 4 p.m. on Thursday where Will Moore will interview the musicians about their music and they’ll play a few tunes.

There are some interesting workshops on Friday.

North House will offer a Try-It: Timber Framing session from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, where students will be introduced to the concept of timber framing by exploring timber framing tools, joinery, and history. As a group, students will raise a small timber frame and take it apart.  Call 387-9762 to register. Free.

And the last Paint-A-Tile class in June will be held at the Grand Marais Art Colony‘s ceramics studio from 1-2:30 p.m. on Friday. The next Paint-A-Tile class won’t be held until the end of July.

Students will learn about ancient Majolica glazes and try their hand at it by painting two tiless. The tiles will be fired over the weekend and students can pick them up on Sunday morning. Pre-registration is required. Call the Grand Marais Art Colony at 387-2737 or click here to register online. Cost of the workshop is $25.

On Friday night, WTIP’s the Roadhouse will interview Duluth poet Bart Sutter on his latest book and Soozin Hirschmugl, creator of sPARKit!, who is coming to Cook County next week courtesy of the Grand Marais Public Library, will talk about the project and how residents can participate. The Roadhouse is aired from 5-7 p.m. Friday.

On Saturday, the Cook County Market, featuring arts and crafts by Cook County artists as well as fresh produce from Round River Farm in Finland, opens at the Cook County Senior Center parking lot at 9 a.m. The produce arrives around 10 a.m.

Also on Saturday, artist Andy Ness, who is the new intern at the Grand Marais Art Colony‘s Print Studio, will teach a mini-class on making sculptures with aqua resin, a non-toxic resin.

Ness will demonstrate how to use AquaResin in sculptural projects and students will have a chance to explore the medium. AquaResin is a water based, non-toxic, sculpting resin. Tuition isi $15. To register, click here or call 387-2737.

Also on Saturday, Voyageur Brewing will host “Painting with Artful Palette” from 2-5 p.m. The theme is Superior Love. The artist-led class includes a canvas and paints. Cost is $35. Prepayment is required.

For those who can’t make it up to the North Shore this weekend, consider attending the Midsommar celebration at the Swedish Institute from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. The event features live music, a Pop-up Shop, cow calling and a performance by our very own, SVEA singers.

SVEA is Erika Ternes, Rose Arrowsmith Decoux, Tina Hegg and Yvonne Mills.

Here in Grand Marasi on Tuesday, Bonnie Gay Hedstrom will lead a Dry Felting workshop at Wunderbar from 7-9 p.m. Hedstrom is well-known in the community for her beautiful felted paintings. She will provide materials and instruction. Cost is $20. All invited.

And on Wednesday, potter Guillermo Cuellar and painter David Feinberg will give an Artist Talk at Cook County Higher Education at 7 p.m. The title of the presentation is “Unfiltered: A Conversation about Art and Water.” Both artists will talk about the role of water in their own artistic lives. Free and open to the public. No registration is required. For more info, click here.

Exhibits:

This is the last weekend to see the exhibit, “Northerly Pots: The Long Pleasurable Carry” at the Johnson Heritage Post.

Fritz Lehmberg, owner of Early Snows Pottery near Thunder Bay, has been working in wood-fired pottery for more than 30 years. The exhibit captures the excitement and commitment of this talented potter. The Heritage Post is closed on Tuesdays. It is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and Monday, and from 1-4 p.m. Sunday. Free.

The Prairie Falcon Show at Tettegouche State Park continues this weekend, with a variety of falcon artwork exhibits in the Great Hall

This weekend, wildlife photographer, Ryan Pennesi, will hold a workshop on photographing wild birds at Tettegouche starting at 9 a.m., and the park will host guest speakers to talk about the history and restoration efforts to save the species from 1-3 p.m. Both events are free. Call the park at 218-353-8809 to register for the photography workshop.

In Duluth, theNew-borns cavorting in the woods, sailboats sliding on blue, blue waters and just enjoying the beauty of the North Shore coming into full life after a tough winter is what June is all abou has a number of exhibits including “In Solidarity: Revolutionary Women of Print,” featuring a great collection of  work by women printmakers.

In Thunder Bay, the Definitely Superior Art Gallery is featuring two exhibits, “Fortify This” and the Lakehead University Retrograduate exhibitions.

 Upcoming:

 The Northwoods Fiber Guild Exhibit, “Through Our Hands V: Sun, Moon, Stars” opens at the Johnson Heritage Post with a reception from 5-7 p.m. on Friday, June 22. The exhibit will feature all things fiber, including weaving, felting, paper art, knitting, beadwork and more. The exhibit runs through July 16.

The Wooden Boat Show and Summer Solstice Festival at North House Folk School is next weekend, too.

Look for details next week. Meanwhile, here’s a link to all the events and classes.

Poet Amy Schmidt will give a Full Moon Reading at Drury Lane Books June 28. Stay tuned.

The Hovland Arts Festival is July 7 & 8 at the Hovland Town Hall in Hovland. The festival features everything from prints to pottery, paintings to photographs as well as woodwork, jewelry, handmade soaps and candles and more.

More than 20 local artists are featured in this show, which celebrates its 13th anniversary this year. There is live music and food available all day as well.

The Grand Marais Art Colony will hold a Book Arts Weekend July 5-7 with Sue Bjerke and Jana Pullmen. The class includes a tour of a local bookbindery studio. For more info, click here.

The Grand Marais Arts Festival is July 14-15, with 70 artists scheduled to set up their tents in downtown Grand Marais. The Art Colony has put out a call for submissions for the Clothesline Art Sale, the historic and popular fundraiser held during the festival. Started in 1947, this year’s “Clothesline Art Sale” features 5-inch x 7-inch original works of art hung in the Art Colony festival booth. Each piece will sell for $35. The artwork is actually hung on clotheslines and people can choose their favorites.

Artists are invited to donate one or more pieces of original works in any media that is hang-able (room for a few three-dimensional items). Draw, paint, collage, sketch, print, stitch, stamp – have fun while supporting the Art Colony! The submission deadline is June 29. For more info, click here.

Artist News:

Anna Hamilton’s first book, “Boy” is available locally at Birch Bark Books & Gifts , Joy & Co. and Trail Center Lodge. The book is a “journey of love, friendship and little white lies, discovered while in the fight against the monster Dementia.” It is also available on Amazon.com

Jim Sannerud has a number of his handmade cutting boards at Betsy Bowen Studios & Gallery.

 

Kim Knutson is exhibiting her feltwork at Kah-New-Tah Gallery in Lutsen.

Ron Piercy, owner of Yellow Bird Fine Art, makes jewelry, including this blue opal pendant.

There’s lots of great music this week. Here’s the schedule:

Thursday, June 14:

• Frozen Britches, Cascade Lodge Pub, 6 p.m.
• Eric Frost, Live Music by the Campfire, Lutsen Resort, 6:30 p.m.
• Briand Morrison with Sam Miltich, Art House B&B, 7 p.m.
• Billy Johnson, Wunderbar, 7 p.m.
• Gordon Thorne and Friends, North Shore Winery, 7 p.m.

Friday, June 15:

• Brian Morrison and Sam Miltich, Voyageur Brewing Co., 4 p.m.
• Rich Lewis Band, Gunflint, 8 p.m.
• DJ Real Pure Heart, Wunderbar, 8 p.m.
• Billy Johnson, Grandma Ray’s, 8 p.m.
• Jim & Michele Miller, Bluefin Grille, 9 p.m.

Saturday, June 16:

• Andrew D. Huber, Cascade Lodge Pub, 6 p.m.
• Gordon Thorne, Lutsen Resort, 7 p.m.
• Rich Lewis Band, Gun Flint Tavern, 8 p.m.
• Mysterious Ways, Wunderbar, 8 p.m.
• Brothers in Arms, Grandma Ray’s, 8 p.m.
• Dance Party with DJ Beavstar, Papa Charlie’s, 9:30 p.m.

Sunday, June 17:

• Briand Morrison, Mogul’s Grille, 10 a.m.
• Sky Blue Trio, Wunderbar, 11 a.m.
• Broken Hearted String Band, Skyport Lodge, 4 p.m.
• Open Stage with Joe Paulik, Wunderbar, 6 p.m.
• Rich Lewis Band, Gun Flint Tavern, 8 p.m.

Monday, June 19:

• Briand Morrison, Bluefin Grille, 9 p.m.

Wednesday, June 20:

• Jam Session, Gun Flint Tavern, 6:30 p.m.
• Joe Paulik, Wunderbar, 7 p.m.

As usual, we found lots of great photos this week. Here’s a selection.

Let’s start with wildlife —

First: Moose

 

 

 

 

 

For change of pace, this:

Here are two views of the sacred tree in Grand Portage.

 

And we found some gorgeous skyscapes:

 

 

 

And these beauties:

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, this majestic one:

To finish off… a little pet humor.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

(Here’s a big Thank You! to all the people who have helped support NorthShore ArtScene. Grateful. If you’d also like to make a donation, click on the icon below. And Thanks!)