Potpourri & It Rained, A Little

by Joan Farnam on August 12, 2021

A trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness by Paul Sundberg

Greetings from the North Shore, where everyone is taking advantage of one aspect of a drought — it seldom rains, so outdoor activities are hassle-free. And we did get a little rain this week, so Yay!

Covid is still stalking the land, so masking protocols are being adjusted as needed in businesses and venues here. We’re keeping our masks handy when we go out.

Meanwhile, our summer activities continue.

First up, the live craft demonstrations at North House Folk School, which are held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday all summer, will feature broom maker Marybeth Garmoe this week.

MaryBeth Garmoe will be demonstrating broom making at North House Folk this week. She will be giving live demonstrations on campus from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.

Garmoe makes brooms of all sizes and shapes, and everyone is invited to come see her work and ask questions about her craft.

The Grand Marais Art Colony continues its Artist Instagram Takeover as well. This week, Laura Ahola-Young will post on Thursday and Friday.

Ahola-Young is a painter living in Pocatello, Idaho where she is the assistant professor of art at Idaho State University. Originally from northern Minnesota, she has been influenced by landscapes, winters, ice, and resilience. She is currently developing work that incorporates scientific research, the Pacific Northwest, and personal narrative.

Painter Laura Ahola-Young is the Art Colony’s Instagram Takeover Artist this week. To see her posts on Thursday and Friday, click here.

Painting by Laura Ahola-Young.

She will be teaching two classes at the Grand Marais Art Colony this fall: Process and Play, Oct. 8 – 9, and Botanical Illustration, a weekly class that will meet on three Tuesday evenings, Oct. 5 – 19. For more info, click here.

On Friday, Nashville singer/songwriter Jerry Vandiver will be the guest on WTIP’s The Roadhouse starting at 6 p.m. He will be joined in an extended performance on-air by Jay Gustafson on harmonica. Here’s an amusing video he did about Kevlar canoes.

Also on Friday, the Dark Sky Caravan 2021 will be at North House Folk School from 8-10 p.m., offering the public a chance to look at the skies, weather permitting. And on Saturday, The Caravan will be at Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center in the evening.

The Dark Sky Caravan 2021 will be on the North Shore this weekend. It is both a virtual event and a star party. To find out more, click here.

This is a virtual and in-person event, with presentations about dark skies on Facebook Live Aug. 9-10 at 7 p.m. Check that out here.

On Saturday, the Cook County Market opens in the parking lot of the The Hub, featuring a wide variety of local arts and crafts. The market runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Cook County Market is held in the parking lot of The Hub from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays, featuring a wide variety of arts and crafts and live music. This week, Tom Knutson will play.

There’s live music, too. This week, Tom Knutson will play.

On Sunday, award-winning author Staci Drouillard will give a presentation about her book, “Walking the Old Road: A People’s History of Chippewa City and the Grand Marais Anishinaabe” at the Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center at 2 p.m.

Staci Drouillard will give a presentation about her book at the Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center at 2 p.m. Sunday.

“Walking the Old Road” was awarded the Hamlin Garland Prize for Popular History in 2020, and was the winner of the 2020 NE MN Book Award for non-fiction. It was also selected as a MN Book Award finalist. Masks will be mandatory during the indoor presentation.

And on Tuesday, come to North House Folk School and Dance to the music of the North Shore Community Swing Band starting at 7 p.m. The dance is free. Donations accepted.`

Exhibits:

The Grand Marais Art Colony continues its summer exhibition, But It Was Still There, at Studio 21. The exhibit features work by Moira Bateman, Annie Hejny, Moheb Soliman, and Nick Wroblewski. The artists completed a 7-day residency at the Art Colony in 2019 focused on The Water Cycle. Each of them exploried the nature of water and how it inspires, informs, and challenges their work.

Dawn's Reach, above, and Dusk's Reach, below, multi-block woodcut by Nick Wroblewski is one of the pieces on exhibit at Studio 21.

Dawn’s Reach, above, and Dusk’s Reach, below, multi-block woodcuts by Nick Wroblewski are on exhibit at Studio 21. The exhibit, But It Was Still There, is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.

Studio 21 is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. All invited. Free.

This is the last weekend to see the stunning exhibit of paintings by Hazel Belvo and Marcia Cushmore at the Johnson Heritage Post Gallery.

Amaryllis bu Marcia Cushmore, top, and Hazel Belvo, below. One of the panels that will be in their upcoming show at the Johnson Heritage Post.

Amaryllis bu Marcia Cushmore, top, and Hazel Belvo, below is one of the panels in their show at the Johnson Heritage Post. The exhibit closes Aug. 15.

The exhibit, entitled “Two Artists;Two Stories: Juxtaposition During a Covid Conversation” developed as a result of living in isolation during the Covid quarantine. Both artists had different responses to this experience. Marcia could not paint and Hazel had to paint to maintain sanity. So Marcia read constantly and Hazel designed a different challenge in painting – one of intense observation and classical still life (which she had never pursued) of oil painting on 20’ x 16” rectangle canvases. This developed into a conversation between the two artists and the post-modern concept of Juxtaposition became the subject. Marcia, a colorist and abstract painter, started responding to Hazel’s classical works using the same c color palette and deconstructing the imagery. It’s really an interesting exhibit not be be missed. The Heritage Post is closed on Tuesdays. It is one from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and Monday and from 1-4 p.m. Sunday. Free.

Also at the Heritage Post is an ongoing retrospective of work by painter and printmaker John A. Spelman III.

Erickson Fishhouse, print, by John A. Spelman III, is one of the pieces on exhibit at the Johnson Heritage Post.

The exhibit, John A Spelman III – Artist and Printmaker: From Appalachia to Minnesota’s North Shore, features original prints, drawings, and watercolors by Spelman and will also be accompanied by a book authored by Tracey Cullen and Scott Husby, who also curated the show. It continues through Sept. 5.

Upcoming:

The Grand Marais Art Colony will hold a workshop, Blackware Drum Firing with Coreena Affleck outdoors from 4-9 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 20. Affleck will fire pots using a method developed in the Southwest, which creates beautiful, shiny black surfaces with the skillful use of fire and triple drums.

Blackware basket by Coreena Affleck. The potter will hold a community Slackware firing at the Art Colony Aug. 20. To learn more, click here.

The public is invited to come watch and/or participate in the firing. Affleck will have a number of pre-made pieces for purchase ranging from $35 – $65 that will be fired at the time. Each participant should bring one bundle of wood to the firing (small, the size you can pick up at a gas station).

If anyone wishes to bring a piece of their own, a raku clay body is recommended, burnished with at least 3 coats of terra sigillata. There is a $10 suggested donation for anyone bringing their own piece. For more information about this fun experience click here.

The Cook County Whole Foods Co-op is hosting is hosting a Garden Party at the Community Gardens behind the Cook County Community Center from 4:30-6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 20. The Community Gardens have grown and expanded into a thing of beauty, local food production, and a source of joy for people of all ages.

On Saturday, Aug. 21, the Schroeder Area Historical Society will hold its annual John Schroeder Day celebration. The day begins with the Schroeder Fire Department’s Pancake Breakfast from 8-10 a.m., at the Schroeder Town Hall, tours of the Cross River Heritage Center and a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Historical Society at the Town Hall from 5-8 p.m. Note: The Artist’s Gallery at the Heritage Center features photographs by Travis Novitsky. All invited.

Also of note:

Twin Cities blues singer Annie Mack will be in concert at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts on Sept. 4.

Annie Mack will be at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts Sept. 4, sponsored by the North Shore Music Association. For tickets and ore information, click here.

The Radio Waves Music Fest is Sept. 10-11 and is a virtual, online event this year. It will feature 18 local and regional acts. To find out more, click here.

And North House Folk School’s Unplugged XX is Sept. 17-18 and is an in-person and virtual event. Here’s the official invitation from North House’s executive director, Greg Wright.

Artists at Work:

‘Last Stand,” by Kathy Fox Weinberg. She writes: Painted in honor of all trees Burt especially the white pine, threatened by global warming.”

A new painting by Scott Murphy.

Aaaaand paint! by plein air painter Neil Sherman.

A Lyle Saethre mural, one of many in Grand Marais. Art ‘Round Town is working to raise funds to restore these historical landmarks.

Finished a few bowls on a rainy day by Layne Kennedy.

Plein air at Sugar Cove Beach by Deborah Birkeland.

Betsy Bowen’s children’s book, “Antler, Bear, Canoe” will be 30 years old next month.

Sea Smoke No. 2, oil and cold wax on panel by Ron Piercy.

Other finds:

Quilt by Denise Labadie. Labadie handpaints most all her own fabric, and uses varying combinations of reverse applique, turned edge applique, raw edge applique, inserting, free-form strip piecing, couching, and “thread shadowing” (a variation on thread painting) to achieve her trademark style.

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