A Celebration of Potpourri

Potpourri is a combination of many elements. Sometimes there are so many you need to come back and sample them again. This week’s ArtScene is an example of that. Lots of research and lots of posts on social media have yielded lots to look at. Enjoy. And be safe, be well.

Cancellations of events and closures of restaurants and bars, shops and galleries has certainly had an impact on the world, the country and the North Shore. (For up-to-date listings for Cook County, click here.)

At the same time. people have rallied, been creative and supported each other as best they can. And artists continue to work, Here are a few examples:

Members of the Northwoods Fiber Guild are sewing masks for medical workers.

 Betsy Bowen has been posting daily “Comfort” drawings on Facebook. Here’s an example.

She also sent in a draft of her new book for final proofreading to the publisher. She illustrated “The Bowser Chronicles” by Glenn N. Sandvik, which  is a narrative poem about Bowser, the renegade cat, a tugboat and Lake Superior in the 20th century.

 

Joy & Co. is closed, but if artists call, owner Jill Terrill will find a way for them to get the supplies they need. Here’s a link to the Facebook page to learn more.

The Grand Marais Art Colony closed this week (until at least April 6), but artists in the glass studio worked until the last minute preparing for an upcoming show at the Johnson Heritage Post May 1. Here’s a piece that Lee Ross made in the last week the glass studio was open:

Some artists have had to set up studios at their home. As one artist put it, “I am no longer calling this shelter in place. I am now an artist in residence.” Others have had their own studios and continue to make pieces for the summer season.

Hovland woodturner Lou Pignolet writes on his Facebook page: “My approach to dealing with the coming Covid-19 invasion is to distance my self from crowds by working in my shop and trying to show the wonderful beauty in wood and to share that with everyone.”

Another Hovland artist, Terry Lee Lewis, continues to work from her studio as well.

Being creative is the name of the game for artists everywhere for sure. We found this great photo of Henri Matisse (1869-1954) drawing from his bed when he had the flu.

Some artists, like art educator and printmaker Nan Onkka, have set up kids art projects to help parents who are now homeschooling their children. Click here to learn more and see the projects.

Social media, especially Facebook, has really come into its own over the last two weeks, as artists post latest pieces,  organize to help out each other and the community, hold virtual concerts, virtual art shows and more.

Painter Christi Belcourt, for example, has been posting examples of recent work.

Here are a few other recent posts by Duluth artists:

First, Adam Swanson.

And here’s a detail from a painting by Martin DeWitt.

The Johnson Heritage Post is closed, but it is posting photographs on its Facebook page of work by Rita Corrigan, who has an exhibit in the space. It also has been posting photos and information about work in its gift shop and giving patrons an opportunity to purchase them.

 

But that’s not all that’s happening on Facebook and the Internet. Artists are really doing some neat things to share their work. Here are some examples.

Music:

Some musicians are putting on free virtual concerts from their homes in order to encourage people to stay at home and stop the spread of the coronavirus. Here’s John Legend  doing a few songs and talking about his life. He is joined by his wife Chrissy Teigen. It’s a one of many #TogetherAtHome concerts to check out.

NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts are always a treat, and there are lots to choose from. Here’s Booker T Jones playing “Green Onions” and other favorites at his Tiny Desk concert.

For classical music lover, here’s a virtual concert of  the finale of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony by members of the Rotterdam Philharmonic.  All the musicians were playing their parts at home.

America cellist Yo-Yo Mas has been regularly posting pieces on his Facebook page for home viewers. Here he is with Kathryn Stott playing a favorite Saint-Saens piece.

Here’s link to the complete archive of folk music for all countries.

Check out the site here.

Watch the 58th Ann Arbor Film Festival online. The film festival was cancelled and the organizers decided to live stream the event. Watch it here.

Here’s a link to a virtual tour of museums around the world.

And finally, check out this link to free Online Courses, Audio Books, eBooks, Movies, Coloring Books & More. Click to see.

Photographs:

We found a wide variety of photographs this week. Some of the photographers were spending the time at home going through their files and posting favorites. Others were taking social distancing time and hiking in the woods or exploring Lake Superior.

Let’s start with wildlife:

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here are some landscapes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here are two more wildlife photos:

 This great shot of a buffalo appeared on a friend’s Facebook page without attribution. We just had to include it.

Stay safe, everyone.

P.S. Email me with ideas/links for next week’s blog– joan.farnam@gmail.com

P.P.S. If you would like to contribute to NorthShore ArtScene, click on the logo below. And thank you!