The Week Before the Light

Social distancing doesn’t necessarily mean we can’t have human contact or human interaction. Truth be told, we usually find a way to express ourselves and our relationships with others and our worlds all the time. Kudos go to Cathy Quinn this week, though, for filling plastic gloves with colored water, freezing them, then arranging them against some snowy rocks in her front yard and taking a photo of them so we can all enjoy. Good Morning, Cathy Quinn.  And thank you.

In other relationship news, the planets Jupiter and Saturn are dancing together in the sky right now, and, next Thursday, Dec. 21, the Winter Solstice, and the longest night of the year, they will appear to be one, big, beautiful star in the southwest at sunset.

No words. We are hoping, however, that it isn’t cloudy.

Betsy Bowen expressed it this way:

If it weren’t for Covid,  Bowen and other members of the Good Harbor Hill Players would be behind a screen in the Blue Building at North House Folk School on the Winter Solstice, performing a shadow puppet play to an outdoors audience all bundled up for the sub-freezing temps. Here’s a video of the play from last year, entitled “Vexed by Beavers.”

Note: For those who don’t live here–the 20-minute musical shadow puppet play is a take-off on our wildlife friends who continue to fell any tree they can reach. Also, please note the unique sound of mittened-hands clapping.

Another holiday must-see, the annual Christmas Concert with the Borealis Chorale & Orchestra, was cancelled this year due to the pandemic, but members of the group have put together an inspiring and beautiful virtual performance entitled “The Gift of Darkness: An Advent Celebration.”

The North Shore Music Association sponsored the event, along with Bethlehem Lutheran Church. According to the NSMA’s website, here is how the program developed:

“Feeling the loss of this tradition, longtime BCO member and choral assistant Karina Roth writes, ‘This autumn, as it became clear there would be no Borealis this year, I started to think about what was possible with the limitations of Covid… As a community, we are rich with many talented musical ensembles that perhaps could be recorded individually.’

Looking for readings that celebrate the darkness and speak to why we should cherish times of darkness as well as times of light, Roth discovered Jan Richardson’s book, “Night Visions.” She approached Rose Arrowsmith DeCoux, the Rev. Kris Garey, and the Rev. Anne Swallow Gillis to read. All of the readings in The Gift of Darkness program are excerpts from this book.

Roth then reached out to small musical ensembles who could choose their own music, rehearse, and record. Seven ensembles participated, ranging from solos to quartets. While being recorded by Sue Hennessy at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, the musicians wore masks (except when singing or playing wind instruments) and were socially distanced. The windows of the church were open (brrrr!!!), and an hour was allowed between groups to clear the air. After the literary and musical recordings were finished, Roth selected the order and Hennessy did the technical editing, producing the finished product that is “The Gift of Darkness: An Advent Celebration.”

Here it is. The video will be available on YouTube through Dec. 31. It will also be broadcast on WTIP Community Radio on Dec. 24. Time to be announced.

Exhibits:

Also online through December: The 2nd Annual North Shore Artists League Member Show continues at the Johnson Heritage Post with more than 20 artists represented. Here you can find mono prints, fused glass, paintings, sculpture, pottery, weaving, felting pieces and more.  Here’s a small sampling of what you can see in this online exhibit:

 

 

 

To view all the works in this exhibit, click here. 

Some galleries and shops are still open to the public.

The Holiday Art Underground Show at Betsy Bowen’s Studio continues, with more than 30 local and regional artists in the show, which continues through Christmas Eve.

Potters Mike Smieja, Kari Carter and Natalie Sobanja will hold a pop-up sale outside Betsy Bowen’s Gallery,  from 10 a.m .to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 20.

The Big Lake  is open and features a wide variety of local and regional artwork and more.

Sivertson Gallery is also open, and this season is again featuring small giclee prints on canvas by selected artists, including work by David Gilsvik.

 Artists at Work:

Plein air painter Neil Sherman has recently set up a winter painting studio at the Grand Marais Art Colony.

In another note,  Sherman has currently has work in the Coors Western Art Show, which is online this year. He recently participated in a webinar with two other artists about the work they have in the show.

 To see the webinar, click here.

 

 

 

Authors/Reading:

Joe Frederichs will be interviewed about his newly published book, “Her Island: The Story of Quetico’s Longest Serving Interior Ranger” on WTIP’s The Roadhouse this week. The biography of Janice Matichuk is already a best seller in Ontario.

The Roadhouse airs from 5-7 p.m. open Fridays. Musician Kenna Rose will also be on the show to play a few songs and talk about her music.

More Good Reading: Lin Salisbury does regular author interviews and books on WTIP Community Radio. Here is her choices for best books of 2020.

Salisbury’s comments about her selections:

“Here’s my Superior Reads 2020 Booklist. Not all these recommended reads came out in 2020, but I read them this year. For instance, “Nickel Boys” was released in 2019 but won the Pulitzer Prize this year. There were so many good books to choose from. On this list, you’ll find my favorite regional titles, nonfiction, and bestsellers. If you’re looking for a book to gift with a regional flavor, you can’t go wrong with “The Night Watchman,” “Northernmost,” “The Land,” “American Gospel,” “Fishing!,” “Little Faith,” or “Walking the Old Road.”

“My favorite fiction title of 2020 was “The Dutch House,” but “Deacon King Kong” came nipping at its heels. “The Promised Land,” Obama’s memoir (Vol. I) is inspiring, “Caste” was revelatory, and “Woman of No Importance” was fascinating.”

Salisbury’s reviews can be found here.

Virtual Art:

South Asian Indian Art is highlighted in an article that features more than 100 paintings, sculptures, photographs, and archival sources which trace the rise of a vibrant modern art movement from India’s colonial period through its independence.

To read the article and see the work, click here.

An Italian painter paints aging:

A fascinating video on blowing glass:

 Dance:

The Minnesota Ballet’s, “The Nutcracker,” has a new twist this year. Besides being an online performance, this year’s Nutcracker is a Northland-focused production filmed at Glensheen Mansion and the Train Museum and in the Great Hall at the Depot.

Entitled “Nutcracker Suite: A Duluth Tale” and choreographed and directed by artistic director, Karl von Rabenau, the story centers on the young heroine, Clara, who dreams that her beloved wooden nutcracker comes to life. On a holiday trip she encounters fairies, princes, lumberjacks, sweets-makers, and more. It can be viewed on Dec. 18 and through the holiday season. Click here to get tickets and download the performance.

Another online dance experience comes from the Ballet Co.Laboratory in St.Paul with Zoé Emilie Henrot’s interpretation of “The Snow Queen.”

 The online performances will be Dec. 19 & 20. For more info and tickets, click here.

Video Potpourri:

 

This is a beautiful long concert. To hear an incredible tabula solo by Behnam Masoumi, go to 38:15.

An ode to music: About the North Shore Music Association, produced by Patrick Knight.

 Photographs:

We found some great photographs this week, so let’s start with Peoplescapes.

Our favorite of the week: Jay Andersen, former WTIP news editor, News-Herald editor, director of the Grand Marais Art Colony and his wife, painter Tamera Andersen, wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season.

And here are some of the wildlife shots we found this week.

Landscapes, Skyscapes, Moonscapes & Waterscapes:

Have a great weekend, everyone! And stay safe.

Please consider donating to NorthShore ArtScene this week. It’s easy. Just click on the button below. And Thank You!

P.S. Is anybody having trouble downloading the blog? Please let me know at Joan.farnam@gmail.com