Summer in Grand Marais by Bryan Hansel.
Welcome to the heart of summer with its balmy days, swimmable waters and, usually, less mosquitoes and black flies. We are getting mixed reports on the black flies and mosquitoes, but we are seeing groups of kids out on the breakwater jumping into Lake Superior every weekend, so that flag is flying high. To add to the sense of celebration, a section of Hwy. 61 through town is now paved and almost open to the public, and the Gunflint Trail’s Biggest Blueberry Contest starts on Friday. So yay for mid-July!
This week, Jodi Reeb is the Instagram Takeover Artist for the Grand Marais Art Colony on Thursday and Friday. She has taught printmaking, acrylic, and encaustic painting as well as book arts. Her artwork has been shown nationally, received numerous awards and is in many private and corporate collections.
Painter and printmaker Jodi Reeb is the Instagram Takeover Artist for the Grand Marais Art Colony this week.
Encaustic with photo collage overlay by Jodi Reeb.
Reeb will be teaching a workshop at the Art Colony in Sept. 23 entitled “Encaustic with Photo Collage.” To view her Instagram posts, click here.
Also on Thursday, North House Folk School continues its Live Craft Demonstrations with Instructors. This week, Kim Garrett will be demonstrating rosemaling and Angela Robins will be carving green bowls. The demos are held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday on the North House campus.
In Duluth, the Joseph Nease Gallery will hold an artist talk with Joellyn Rock, Alison Aune, Kirsten Aune, Linnéa Ilene Hinkel and other artist-collaborators as they discuss creating the dynamic new-media work known as FISHNETSTOCKINGS.
A still from FISHNETSTOCKINGS, a new interactive exhibit at the Joseph Nease Gallery in Duluth. An artist talk will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday at the gallery.
To view the installation and learn more, click here.
On Friday, the Gunflint Trail Association opens the Biggest Blueberry Contest, which offers cash prizes for the biggest blueberry picked on the Trail through mid-August.
Wild times in the blueberry patch by Karen Sunderman.
Blueberries will be measured by weight, and must be picked fresh and not store bought. Weigh stations will be designated by large road signs at various resorts and locations along the Gunflint Trail. To find out more, click here.
Also on Friday, WTIP’s The Roadhouse will be an all-music show this week featuring the Rich Lewis Band and singer/songwriter Kenna Rose. The show airs on 90.7 FM from 5-7 p.m.
Saturday will be busy.
The Cook County Market, which is held in the parking lot of The Hub (the Senior Center) will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Cook County Market, which is held in the parking lot of The Hub, is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays through Oct. 17.
The market features more than 20 vendors with everything from fused glass windchimes to Lake Superior rocks, pottery, fiber art, authors and more. Open to all.
Also in Grand Marais, this is the weekend for the annual North Shore Water Festival sponsored by Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply.
The North Shore Water Festival is this Saturday on the harbor.
The all-day event features demos, classes, and a chance to try out a kayak and more. For more info, click here.
And the West End Flower Show will be held at the Birch Grove Community Center in Tofte on Saturday from 1-5 p.m. Club members and the public are invited to bring flower arrangements to the Community Center at 9 a.m.
The West End Flower Show will be held from 1-5 p.m. on Saturday at the Birch Grove Community Center in Tofte.
The Flower Show theme this year is “The Music of Flowers and Hues.” Coffee, tea, lemonade, water and bars will be served. This is always a great fresh flower experience. Open to all. Free.
Exhibits:
This is the last weekend to see fiber landscape artist Anna Winette’s show at the Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery. Originally an oil painter, Winette now creates landscape images with wool fibers.
A wood-fiber landscape by Anna Winette, one her pieces currently on view at the Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery. The exhibit is open through Sunday.
The Heritage Post is also featuring a concurrent exhibit, John A Spellman III, Artist and Printmaker, in the west section of the building.
The Johnson A Spellman III exhibit continues at the Johnson Heritage Post featuring prints, watercolors and drawings. It is open through Sept. 5.
The exhibition consists of many prints, drawings, and watercolors spanning Spelman’s life. Several Cook County residents contributed artwork by Spelman to this exhibit to supplement the JHP Art Gallery’s permanent collection. Grand Marais residents Scott Husby and Tracey Cullen both curated the exhibition as well as authored a book of the same name which will be available both at the gallery and in local bookshops.
The Heritage Post is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 1-4 p.m. Sundays. Free.
The Grand Marais Art Colony has two exhibits this summer: The Art of Reciprocity, an installation at Sugarloaf Cove by Sean Connaughty and an all-summer exhibit at its new building on Hwy. 61, Studio 21, entitled But It Was Still There.
The Art of Reciprocity, an installation by artist Sean Connaughty, is on view at Sugarloaf Cove.
The Grand Marais Art Colony‘s summer exhibit, But It Was Still There, features work by four artists in a variety of mediums. The exhibit is at Studio 21, which is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.
Opportunities:
The Duluth Art Institute is offering an exhibiting artist workshop, Heart of the Head Wrap with Chelsea Antoninette, Aug. 5. Participants will learn to sculpt head wraps with exhibiting artist Chesley Antoinette. Each workshop participant receives a scarf to sculpt and embellish, inspired by the collection of headwraps on view in Tignon. As participants incorporate their personal style, they will learn the history of the 1786 Tignon Law and uncover how the headwrap became a symbol of rebellion in Louisiana—subverting intentional oppression by enhancing beauty, intelligence, and adaptability.
The Duluth Art Institute is offering a headwrap workshop led by exhibit artist Chesley Antoinette in August. To learn more, click here.
Artists At Work:
Christian Dalbec has published a book of his photographs. To view and order, click here.
Fresh potato art by Nina Simonowicz.
Nightlight by Adam Swanson.
Daisies by Aaron Kloss.
Lake Superior by Deborah Birkeland.
Cedars by the River. First in the new tree series. Print. By Betsy Bowen.
Upcoming:
Hazel Belvo and Marcia Cushmore will open an exhibit at the Johnson Heritage Post next Friday, July 23,with an opening reception from 5-7 p.m. The exhibit inion is entitled “Two Stories: Juxtaposition During a Covid Conversation” and features panels of the artists’ artwork on a specific topic or theme.
White Amaryllis by Marcia Cushmore, top, and Hazel Belvo, below. One of the panels that will be in their upcoming show at the Johnson Heritage Post.
A Few Finds:
Staci Drouillard and the Grand Portage Band made Indian CountryToday headlines with their quest to preserve the Chippewa City Beach. The Chippewa City story was featured on a recent Indian County Today broadcast. The story starts about 1:40 minutes in. View it below.
Northern Wilds has launched a Trophy Trash Contest. Pick up some trash. Take a picture with your “trophy” and send it to Northern Wilds. You may win a prize.
Northern Wilds has launched a Trophy Trash photo contest. Take a photo of trash you’ve picked up and send to Northern Wilds for a prize.
The Trophy Trash initiative was inspired by Ryan Murray of Grand Marais. Here’s the story from Northern Wilds about how the Trophy Trash initiative evolved:
“Ryan Murray of Grand Marais has a dog with a special gift. It’s especially adept at finding trash when they are out for walks. But it’s a gift that frustrates Murray for obvious reasons. He decided to do something about it. He began picking up the garbage others leave behind.
That led to his creation of the Facebook page Ryan’s Restoration Project, where he posts his efforts to clean up the community and encourages others to do the same. The Cook County Home Center donated some buckets to his cause, as well. As for finding trash, Murray has some observations.
“The side of the road is the worst,” he says. “I find a lot of masks, really a lot of masks.”
He also finds trash accumulates in consistent places.
“When I go downtown, I can get a couple of buckets in 40 minutes,” he says. “It tends to be bad in places where it’s blown into a fence or the corners of buildings.”
We want to give Ryan Murray the credit he is due as we launch a new Northern Wilds initiative called Trophy Trash. Like most everyone, we want to see the area kept clean and we are asking your help in making it that way.
Every month, we will publish a photo of our readers showing off their trash trophies. If we select your photo, you’ll win a prize!
To enter, email your photos to: events@northernwilds.com
And here’s a fun video about Tiramisu and the Bad Seed GM Food Truck:
Online Music:
Live Music:
Thursday, July 15:
- John Gruber, Cascade Restaurant & Pub, 6 p.m.
- Gordon Thorne, North Shore Winery, 7 pm., Make reservations to sit indoors here or call at (218) 481-9280.
Friday, July 16:
- Jim McGowan, Birch Terrace Deck, 5 p.m.
- Rich Lewis Band and Kenna Rose, WTIP Community Radio, 5-7 p.m.
- Rich Lewis Band, Gunflint Tavern, 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 17:
- Tom Knutson, Cook County Market, 10:30 a.m.
- 4 Shore, Birch Terrace Deck, 4 p.m.
- Chris Gillis, Cascade Restaurant & Pub, 6 p.m.
- Michael Monroe, Log Cabin Concert, rural Grand Marais, 6:30 p.m. Socially distanced/Covid considerations: In-person 6:30pm arrival, concert 7pm. Call for details: 6 1 2 . 7 8 9 . 2 2 5 5 Streaming facebook.com/michaelmonroemusic, 7 p.m.
- Rich Lewis Band, Gunflint Tavern, 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 18:
- Billy Johnson, Weekend Wine Down, North Shore Winery, 3 p.m.
- BugDope, Music by the Lake, Skyport Lodge, 4 p.m.
Tuesday, July 20:
- North Shore Swing Band, Dance, North Shore Folk School, 7 p.m., Free. Donations accepted.
- Gordon Thorne & Friends, Gunflint Tavern, 8 p.m.
Wednesday, July 21:
- Jim McGowan, Music by the Campfire, Lutsen Resort, 6:30 p.m.
Photographs:
We are so grateful to be able to find and post these photographs. Here’s a selection of what we found this week:
Wildlife:
Woodland caribou visits our camp in the Slate Islands by Layne Kennedy.
Milkweed patch doing its thing by David Johnson.
Learning to hunt… starting with a butterfly by Thomas Spence.
Damsel fly by David Johnson.
Baby Spruce Grouse by Thomas Spence.
A portrait of Timothy Shortbread by Kristofer Bowman.
Mother and daughter. by Bonnie Affolter.
Peoplescapes:
WTIP’s Jeff Nimitz and Jana Kokemiller Berka broadcasting at the Grand Marais Arts Festival.
Jenny Carter Lamb on Isle Royale. Photo by Kjersti Vick.
Two big smiles. Photographer unknown.
A pair of “laughing” snapping turtles held by Whalen Alston. Photo taken in Montana.
Robert catching that wave by Christian Dalbec.
Flowerscapes:
Showy Lady Slipper by Paul Sundberg.
Cross Bay Lake by Molly Hicken.
Landscapes, Watercapes & Skyscapes:
Lake Superior by Mark Tessier.
The Milky Way from the Mid-Trail area by Theresa Marrone
Sunrise o er Lake Superior by Jared Wahl.
Favorite summer view: Temperance River by Thomas Spence ce.
At the Gunflint Trail by Kristofer Bowman.
Gratitude by Ilena Hansel.
The sky this evening by Kathy Vanderwall.
Last night’s Northern Lights nay Bryan Hansel.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
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