Plein Air Exhibit, Stomper’s Retreat & Resonance

September is the month to celebrate art on the North Shore. First up, the Grand Marais Plein Air exhibit. Next, Art Along the Lake’s Fall Studio Tour. Add in lots of live music and fall colors and it’s easy to see why this is one of the most popular seasons of all.

Grand Marais Plein Air registered 75 artists in this year’s event, and they painted up a storm in Cook County for a week. They held paint-outs at various locations throughout the county, set up at night for a Night Paint, and participated in a Quick Paint at Artist’s Point to cap off the week. All of this work was on display at the Johnson Heritage Post on Friday. The exhibit continues through Oct. 7.

Here are images of the Main Category winners in Grand Marais Plein Air 2018.  Jeffrey T. Larson was the juror.

There were a number of different categories in this year’s show, which was co-sponsored by the Johnson Heritage Post and Outdoor Painters of Minnesota, including the Night Paint and the Quick Paint competitions. Hannah Heyer won the Night Paint category with “Light Keeper’s Place,” and Dan Mondloch won the Quick Paint competition with “Crisp and Clean.”

Check out the Johnson Heritage Post web page for all the details, photographs,  winners and more.

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. on Sundays. Everyone is invited to come see this great show celebrating the beauties of the North Shore.

Last weekend, music was the headliner as musicians from around the region as well as West Virginia converged on the Grand Marais Rec Park for three days of music at the Radio Waves Music Festival.

There’s another 3-day music event this weekend at Wunderbar Campground and Eatery. Entitled  the Stomper’s Retreat, it features a great selection of local and regional musicians playing the three-day event, Thursday through Saturday on indoor and outdoor stages.

Musicians include Gabe Douglas and 4onthefloor, Tabah, Superior Siren, Plucked Up String Band, Sarah Krueger, RLGDPPL and the Whiskey Rock ‘n Roll Club. For tickets, click here.

Also on Thursday, North House Folk School will hold “Try-it: Baking in a Wood-Fired Oven.” There are two sessions: 1-3 p.m. and 4:30-6:30 p.m. Cost is $20 per person or $30 for adult/child. To register, call 398-9762.

And if you’re in Duluth, consider attending the opening reception of Resonance: A Celebration of the Art of John Steffl at the North Shore Bank of Commerce, 131 W Superior St., in Duluth. The reception will be from 5-7 p.m. Thursday.

The work of late Duluth arts icon John Steffl spans mediums, ideas and time. His exhibit will include paintings, pottery, photography and more. Steffl was the executive director of the Duluth Art Institute for years and his impact on artists and art in the region reverberates across individuals and institutions. “Resonance” is an exhibition in celebration of the lasting beauty he leaves for the community. All invited. Free and open to the public.

On Friday, North House hosts “Try-it: Timber Framing” from 10 a.m. to noon. 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.

On Saturday, look for the Cook County Market in the Senior Center parking lot from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. featuring a great variety of local artists and artisans.

Drury Lane Books will host award-winning Canadian author Jean Pendziwol at a Writer’s Salon from 7-8 p.m. on Saturday. At the Salon, Pendziwol will explores the influence of place on her work through an examination of the setting of her bestselling debut novel “The Lightkeeper’s Daughters.” The novel is set on Porphyry Island on Lake Superior.

Pendziwol is the author of nine books for children. She was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Children’s Literature and the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award for her picture book, “Once Upon a Northern Night,” illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault. She lives in Ontario, in the shadow of the Nor’Wester Mountains. “The Lightkeeper’s Daughters” is her first novel. All invited.

Also on Saturday night, Pura Fé will be in concert at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m. A member of the Tuscarora Indian Nation, Pura Fé is co-founder of the Native women’s a capella trio Ulali and is recognized for bringing Native contemporary music to the forefront of the mainstream music industry.

 

Pura Fé  is a multi-talented artist  and studied and performed with the American Ballet Theatre Company and appeared in Broadway musicals. And she has shared bills with artists including Buffy Sainte-Marie, Miriam Makeba, John Trudell, Richie Havens, Neil Young, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and the Neville Brothers. The concert is sponsored by the North Shore Music Association. Tickets are general admission: www.tix.com, 218-370-1272, or at the door night of show.

On Monday, Drury Lane Books will host a Full Moon Reading by the bonfire with Rachel Andres. Each full moon the community gathers outside around the fire to hear local writers read their own work or the work of others. Everyone is invited. to enjoy the spoken word and the moon rising over the lake. The reading starts at 6:30 p.m.

And next Tuesday, Sept. 25, Anna Hamilton will read from her first novel, “Boy” at Cook County Higher Education at 7 p.m.

“Boy” is a story about a few weeks in the lives of Hugh and Betty Roberts, an elderly couple living alone on a family farm in Iowa. They are buried deep in grief over the loss of their only child and struggling to hang onto the only life they have ever known when Dementia sneaks in. But an unusual visitor brings a welcome distraction and reprieve just before Thanksgiving. All invited. Free.

Exhibits:

The Duluth Art Institute just opened three new exhibits: Nik Newborn: Nik Nerburn is a Camera, Aaron Sqaudroni: Mesabi Land Portraits and Amanda Breitbach: Land/People.

In the Twin Cities, Alison Aune and Kirsten Aune are exhibiting their work at the American Swedish Institute with an opening Sept. 22. The title of their exhibit is “Colors from the North.”

The Aune sisters explore the intersection of craft, art and heritage in this exhibit with a combination of textiles, prints and paintings. In their work, each artist honors their family and cultural roots and pays tribute to women’s artistic and domestic contributions. The exhibit continues through Oct. 28.

Upcoming:

 Next weekend is the tour de force for the art scene on the North Shore. The Art Along the Lake: Fall Studio Tour should be pretty incredible this year, with more than 50 artists exhibiting in studios and galleries up and down Hwy. 61. Potters, painters, fiber artists, printmakers, sculptors, weavers, woodturners, bead painters, glass artists and more are represented in this outstanding Cook County event.

The Fall Studio Tour, which is sponsored by Visit Cook County, features exhibits as well as artist talks, art openings, receptions, demonstrations, films, raku firings, wine and campfire chats and more for the entire length of the event, which runs from Sept. 28 through Oct. 7. Studios are open from 10 a.m. to 4-6 p.m. daily, with artists in residence and refreshments for all.

At the Grand Marais Art Colony, potters as well as glass artists will be represented and an opening reception will be held from 5-7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 28.

And there will be opportunities for hands-on activities at various sites.

Tim Young will be the artist in residence at Kah-Nee-Tah Gallery in Lutsen, for example, where he will be painting as well as reading stories about the Adventures of Mr. Pumpkinhead. Pumpkin carving is on that menu.

It is pretty impossible to document all the artwork that will be on display during the Fall Studio Tour, but here’s a map of all the studios and galleries that will be open:

And here’s a link to the scheduled activities. And here’s a link to the brochure. Put this event on your calendar…P.S. fall colors are a perk during this event. Stay tuned for more images and info next week.

Here’s something new that’s coming up at the Grand Marais Art Colony in November: The North Shore Illustrators Gathering. The event will be held at the Art Colony Nov. 1-3 and will feature workshops by published illustrators,  authors, and book professionals who will share their knowledge and expertise about the illustrative process.

Featured presenters include Betsy Bowen, Mary Casanova, Chris Monroe, Jonathan Thunder, Kari Vick, Rose Arrowsmith DeCoux and  Nick Wrobleweski, to name a few. Click here for more info.

Music:

Here’s the music for this week:

Thursday, Sept. 20:

• Stomper’s Retreat, Wunderbar, 5 p.m.,  4onthefloor, Silverback Colony, Sarah Krueger, Tabah
• Kilbron Quartet, Date Night, North Shore Winery, 6 p.m.
• Gordon Thorne & the Wildcats with Randy Sabien, Gun Flint Tavern, 7 p.m.
• John Russ, Cascade Lodge Restaurant, 8 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 21:

• Jim McGowan, Voyageur Brewing Co, 4 p.m.
• Stomper’s Retreat, Wunderbar, many bands, 5 p.m.
• Space Monkey Mafia, Gun Flint Tavern, 8 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 22:

• Stomper’s Retreat, Wunderbar, many bands, 5 p.m.
• Maria Nickolay, Cascade Lodge, 6 p.m.
• Michael Monroe, Log Cabin Concert, 7 p.m. rural Grand Marais, www.michaelmonroemusic.com
• Space Monkey Mafia, Gun Flint Tavern, 8 p.m.
• Dance Party with DJ Beavstar, Papa Charlie’s, 9:30 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 23:

• Briand Morrison, Mogul’s Grille, 10 a.m.
• Maria Nickolay, Acoustic Sunday at North Shore Winery, 2 p.m.
• Stomper’s Retreat, Wunderbar, 4 p.m.
• Open Stage, Wunderbar, 6 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 24:

• Erik Koskinen, Singer/Songwriter Series, Papa Charlie’s, 8:30 p.m.
• Eric Frost, Bluefin Bay, 9 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 26:

• Pete Kavanaugh, Bluefin Bay, 9 p.m.

Photographs:

Here are some of the photos we found this week:

First: Wildlife…

 

 

 

And, evidence of wildlife activity…

Plants and trees:

 

Lighthouses:

 

Skyscapes:

 

 

Water:

 

 

 

And last, but not least, Fall begins.

Have a great weekend, everyone!