Early morning sea smoke and ice pancakes in the harbor. Photo courtesy of the Lake Superior Trading Post.
Greetings from the North Shore, where we are celebrating light this weekend–the lack of it in the sky at night and its magical qualities when it streams through glass.
Let’s start with the The Glass Show, which opens at the Johnson Heritage Post with a reception from 5-7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 10. The exhibit features an extraordinary collection of work by nine local artists working in fused glass. The variety in this show is stunning. Everything from ruby-red bowls to large fused-glass landscapes are on display in the gallery, and it’s one of the shows this year at the Heritage Post that should not be missed.
Artists include Mary Bebie, Sharon Frykman, Melissa Grover, Jeri Person, Bob Pranis, Tony Rau, Lee Ross, Nancy Seaton and Veronica Weadock.
The Glass Show opens at the Johnson Heritage Post on Friday with a reception from 5-7 p.m.
Here are a few more examples of what you’ll see at the show:
Birch Tree, fused glass, by Jeri Person.
Fused glass plate by Bob Pranis.
Sunrise, fused glass, by Sharon Frykman.
The exhibit continues through Jan. 2. The Heritage Post is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and from 1-4 p.m. Sunday. Open to all.
On the other side of the coin, darkness will be front and center this weekend during the Dark Sky Festival, Dec. 9-11.
The Dark Sky Festival is this weekend, featuring a number of events and opportunities to look at the stars.
Cook County is known for its dark skies. Every year, explorers, adventurers, artists and photographers from around the world travel to Cook County to experience the northern lights. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) has been named as one of only 15 certified International Dark Sky Sanctuaries in the world. And at over a million acres, it is the largest. The celebrate this and to learn more about what’s up there, the Dark Sky Festival will feature a variety of presentations and events over the weekend. Most presentations are free, but with limited capacity for safety, early sign-up is recommended.
It kicks off with a Dark Skies dinner, a constellation presentation followed by a celestial legends guided night hike at Gunflint Lodge. Reservations are required. Click here to register.
On Friday, Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center naturalist Emma Adams will tell winter constellation stories at Studio 21 at 4:30 p.m. Book your free ticket here.
At 6 p.m., everyone is invited to show up at Harbor Park to see the dark sky over the harbor, and then, from 6:15 to 10 p.m. there will be a Star Party at Voyageur Brewing Co that will include telescope viewing and a livestar/constellation viewing, weather permitting.
On Saturday, at 3 p.m., learn about nocturnal animals and the impacts lights have on them with Superior National Forest interpreter Steve Robertson and Gunflint District Ranger Mike Crotteau at Studio 21. To book your free ticket, click here.
At 4 p.m. on Saturday, “Saving the Dark,” a documentary movie, will be screened at the Johnson Heritage Post. There will also be a Q&A session with members of the International Dark Sky Association, Duluth chapter. Book your free ticket here.
At 6 p.m., Emma Adams will give a presentation about near-earth objects: asteroids, meteors and comets. It will be held at Studio 21. Click here for free tickets.
At 8 p.m., Grand Portage photographer, Travis Novitsky will give a presentation about his adventures and insights taking night photographs. The presentation will be at the Johnson Heritage Post.
And finally, there will be a Night Sky Walk at the Lake Loop Trail at the Rec Park at 9:30 p.m. with Novitsky and Caroline Torkildson, a member of Starry Skies North and a Superior National Forest employee. The walk is weather dependent.
Also on Friday, the North Shore Music Association will present Sone de México Ensemble’s “Beyond the Music: A Musical Geography of Mexico” via Zoom at 7 p.m.. The program is free of charge and is family friendly.
Sones de Mexico Ensemble will present Beyond the Music: A Musical Geography of Mexico at 7 p.m. on Friday via Zoom. Free. To see, click here at 7 p.m. on Friday.
The 60-minute English-language lecture/demo features a slide show, videos, and a lecture by two-time GRAMMY-Award-nominated ethnomusicologist Juan Díes and members of the Sones de México Ensemble. The event is sponsored in part by a grant to Sones de México by the National Endowment for the Arts. Free. Click here at 7 p.m. on Friday to see the show.
Opportunities:
The Grand Marais Art Colony has announced that the 100-day project, an annual opportunity for artists to cultivate a creative habit, will focus on the Solstice Project this year, a weekly commitment starting on the Winter Solstice and ending on the Spring Equinox, Dec. 21 – March 20.
The 100 day Project will be from the Winter Solstice to the Spring Equinox this year.
After years of experimenting with a 100-day structure, this weekly approach invites a more holistic and balanced commitment from participants. Those who want to commit to more than once a week are welcome to do so.
The Art Colony will host a virtual meet-up once a month to connect with others who are participating in the project. Click here to register your project and learn more about it. Click here to receive a virtual meeting link from the Art Colony.
Also this winter, the Art Colony is hosting a series of virtual mini classes and demonstrations designed to whet your artistic appetite. Each virtual session is 2 hours long, and they each cost $65.
The Grand Marais Art Colony is offering a series of Artistic Appetizers this winter. Click here to learn more.
This is the perfect opportunity to get a taste for something you might like to incorporate into your artistic practice. The menu of virtual artistic appetizers include options in Illustration, Clay, and Mixed Media. Click here to see the schedule and learn more.
Artists at Work:
Bryan Hansel has published his favorite images from 2021 in his latest newsletter.
One of Bryan Hansel‘s favorite images from 2021. This one was photographed in March.
To see more images and read about his process, click here.
The North Shore Artists League has a well-stocked online Holiday Shop featuring local and regional artists working in a variety of media. To see, click here.
The North Shore Artists League Holiday Shop Online is a great option for fine art from local artists. Click here to see.
We just had to include this illustration from Fedco Seeds’ latest catalog, which, if you haven’t seen it, is loaded with great illustrations, both new and old.
Illustration for radicchio seeds from the latest Fedco catalog. Fedco represenatatives are the featured guests on this month’s Northern Gardening, which airs on WTIP at 7 p.m. Thursday night.
We don’t know the name of the artist who did this, but we could find out on Thursday night when Fedco representatives will be the featured guests on WTIP’s Northern Gardening. Tune in here to find out more at 7 p.m. Thursday night.
The Holiday Art Underground Show at Betsy Bowen’s Studio, featuring a variety of work by local and regional artists continues through December.
Twin Cities potter, Mary Burwinkel, has work in the Holiday Art Underground Show at Betsy Bowen’s Studio.
The Walker Art Museum is offering a chance to see the British ads that won the prestigious Arrow Awards.
The Walker Art Center is offering a chance to see ads that won the British Arrow Awards. To learn more, click here.
And for those who would like to learn more about Sacred Art, an online Old Masters Sacred Art Tour is being offered this month by Street Art Museum Tours.
The Annunciation by Far Carnevale, is one of the works that will be discussed in the Old Masters Sacred Art Tour. To find out more and get tickets, click here.
The two-hour tour through museums of the world is not a sermon, but a focus on art inspired by the Bible. To find out more, click here.
And finally, here’s a sweet story, told by Jess Koski in his series on WTIP, Notes from Reservation River. This edition is titled, “The Highways of Longing.” Listen here.
Jess Koski tells stories in his series on WTIP, Notes from Reservation River. Listen here.
Online Music:
Here’s a potpourri:
Live Music:
Thursday, Dec. 9:
- Gordon Thorne, Date Night at the Winery, 6 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 10:
- Fred Anderson, The Roadhouse, WTIP Community Radio, 6:15 pm.
Photographs:
We found a mixture of photographs this week: pre-snow and after-snow. Enjoy.
Wildlife:
Note: We found a fair number of wildlife photos from out of the region this week.
An injured black vulture is rescued. Photograph courtesy of Thunderbird Bird Rescue.
The cutest. American Marten by Paul Sundberg.
All puffed up by Nancy Seaton.
Polar waiting at a seal hole in Svalbard. Photo by Marcus Westberg.
This man released a swan from a net and it wrapped its head around his neck and he carried it to safety. Photo by Cavaggio Bolo.
Oops. Photo by Alex Walker.
Plants, Trees, Landscapes & More
Something new by Meadow Adams.
Winter by Mike Wiggins, Jr.
Off-shore winds by Lin Salisbury.
After the storm by Mark Tessier.
Sun ‘n Woods by Kristofer Bowman.
The snowstorm by Kan Harmon.
Icicles and Lake Superior by Jeffrey Doty.
Welcome to Winter. Thunder Bay, Ontario by Jason Forbes.
Spring/summer projects reward with warm benefits. Photo courtesy of Flute Reed Ovens.
Breakwater at sunset by Hayes Scriven.
Brrrr by Lin Salisbury.
A stormy North Shore by Tucker Olson.
At Split Rock by Scott Youmans.
The Arthur M Anderson under the bridge near the Bentleyville Village in Duluth. Photographer unknown.
Dec. 3 by Robert Johnson.
The moon plays with Venus by Mike Wiggins.Jr.
View from this morning’s kitchen tabby Nancy Seaton.
Looks like winter has started by David Steckelberg.
The North Shore by Jake Naslund.
Masking by Staci Lola Drouillard.
Have a good weekend, everyone! And stay safe!
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