Ice pillows by Heather Moe.
Greetings from the North Shore, where a beauteous winter unfolds before us, despite the virus, despite the wind and cold. The snow is almost thigh deep in places in the woods, the trails are groomed, the sun shines (s0metimes) and New Year’s has come and gone. Welcome to 2022!
It is pretty quiet in Grand Marais, as it usually is in January, but it’s really busy at the Johnson Heritage Post this week, as the art gallery prepares for a new exhibit that opens on Friday.
Entitled “Dropping Anchor,” the show features a curated exhibit of art, artifacts and books celebrating the rich history of commercial fishing in Cook County.
Dropping Anchor, a new exhibit at the Johnson Heritage Post, opens with a reception from 5-7 p;m. on Friday, Jan. 7.
Expect to see great paintings, illustrations and prints depicting the North Shore and the fisherman’s life, including works by Howard Sivertson, as well as artifacts and books in the collections of the Heritage Post and the Cook County Historical Society.
The deep history of commercial fishing on the North Shore will be celebrated at the opening reception at the Heritage Post from 5-7 p.m. on Friday with readings from memoirs and first person accounts. The public is invited. The exhibit continues through Jan. 30.
The Heritage Post is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday as well as Monday, and from 1-4 p.m. Sunday. It is closed Tuesday and Wednesday.
On Saturday, the Gunflint Mail Run Sled Dog Races will be held, featuring 23 local and regional mushers competing in two different races: a 12-dog, 100-mile race and an 8-dog, 65-mile race. Trail Center is the hub of events.
The Gunflint Mail Run Sled Dog Race will be held on Saturday at Trail Center. File photo by Nace Hagemann.
It’s a great time for dog lovers and and mushers alike. Here’s a short video about the race from 2012.
For lots more information about the race, the mushers and how to watch it, click here.
Also on Saturday, The Big Lake will hold a Pop-up Shop at the North Shore Winery in Lutsen from 12:30-5 p.m, featuring artworks, pottery, clothing, prints and more. The Big Lake will hold a Pop-up Shop every Saturday at the Winery through January.
In Duluth, papercut artist Ellen Sandbeck will open an exhibit at the Robert Powless Cultural Center, 212 W. 2nd St., in Duluth with a reception from 5-7 p.m. on Saturday. The Cultural Center is part of the American Indian Community House Organization (AICHO).
A papercut by Ellen Sandbeck from her exhibit, As Long as the Rivers Shall Run” that opens at the Robert Powless Cultural Center in Duluth on Saturday.
“As Long as the Rivers Shall Run,” the latest series of multicolored, multi-layered, papercuts by Sandbeck, is an exploration of major rivers, beginning with the Mississippi. The series will feature endemic species, including endangered, recently extinct, and invasive ones, found in each of the featured rivers.
The text for this series will include the scientific name, conservation status, and a snippet of natural history for each of the featured species, as well as brief comments about the environmental challenges faced by each river. The Mississippi will be represented by five large-scale papercuts (39” x 27”): “Mississippi River Headwaters,” “Upper Mississippi River,” “Middle Mississippi River,” “Lower Mississippi River,” and “Mississippi River Delta.”
Registration is required for the reception. For more information and to register, click here.
The American Indian Community House Organization (AICHO) was recently recognized as a Regional Cultural Treasure by the McKnight Foundation as one of 10 organizations in the state that have made a significant impact on the cultural landscape over decades. AICHO was awarded a grant of more than $500,000 to be distributed over the next five years or more.
In case you missed it, or if you want to see it again, here’s a video of the Good Harbor Hill Players Winter Solstice Shadow Puppet Show that was performed on the Solstice at North House Folk School. The show was entitled “Be Thankful for What You Got.” The video is by Bear Witness Media. The half-hour show includes a great story illustrated with shadow puppets and live music.
Opportunities:
The Coho Cafe in Tofte has an opening for a 2-dimensional art display beginning in late January.
Watercolor by Doug Westby, courtesy of Bluefin Bay.
To learn more about this opportunity, email katiek@bluefinbay.com .
The Grand Marais Playhouse will hold a play selection/audition for a one-act play at 7 p.m., Monday, Jan. 7 at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts. Actors in grade 8 to adult are welcome. No experience necessary. There is a $100 participation fee. Scholarships are available. Plays that will be considered include: Hands Across the Sea by Noel Coward, Teeth by Tina Howe, Trifles by Susan Gaspel, The Devil and Daniel Webster by Stephan Vincent Benet, The Happy Journey by Thorton Wilder.
For more information, email sue@grandmaraisplayhouse.com
The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council is offering a number of new grants this year for artists in the Arrowhead region, including the Artist Access program, which provides up to $1,000 to artists who have never received a grant from the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council.
The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council is offering a number of different grants this year. To learn more, click here.
For more information about the Artist Access Grant, click here.
The Grand Marais Art Colony is offering a great selection of virtual classes starting in February including drawing, illustration, ceramics, printmaking and more.
Dstsh Sen Nelson will teach a virtual workshop entitled
Illustration with Pen & Marker: Endangered Species” through the Grand Marais Art Colony. For more information on this and the other virtual workshops, click here.
For more information and to register, click here.
Artists at Work:
Bryan Hansel‘s latest newsletter is entitled “Hey, You Faked That Photo” this month. In it, he discusses a variety of topics around how photographs seem to be “faked” but are not.
Bryan Hansel took this photo of two ships in the Duluth shipping canal with the Bentleyville Christmas lights in the foreground. Every time he publishes the photo, people often claim it is faked, he says, It is not. To read more, click here.
Maryl Skinner created this composite of photographs of the rainbow eucalyptus tree and a sunset in Grand Marais. Rainbow eucalyptus trees have beautifully colored trunks and can be found in the Philippines and Indonesia. The Grand Marais sunset photo is in the middle and has been turned to be vertical shot.
Rainbow eucalyptus trees, at right and left, turned Grand Maris Sunset, middle. Composite by Maryl Skinner.
To read about Rainbow Eucalyptus Trees, click here.
New work by Kim Dayton, inspired by ice and -2F temperatures.
Light Fantastic: Satellite, one of Andy Ness’ paintings that will be exhibit at the Julia Marin Gallery in Nashville. The exhibit is his Nashville debut.
Graham, a 7th grader at ISD 166, created this drawing as a practice piece for a self-portrait. Mila Horak is the art instructor at the school.
New work, mixed media on paper by Marti Mullen.
Playing with abstracts, acrylic on paper by Paula Gustafson.
Miskwaadesi Mookise, Painted Turtle by Sam Zimmerman.
Of Possible Interest:
The Atlantic has published an article entitled “A Journey Into the Animal Mind: What science can tell us about how other creatures experience the world” by Ross Andersen. Read the article here. Image by Getty Images.
For People Who Like To Think About Math:
Here is an article about the the Golden Ratio, the most irrational number. Read it here. Image by Getty Plus Images.
Online Music:
Here is a video from Low’s latest album, “Hey, What,” which was recently nominated for a Grammy Award in the category “Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical” for the work by mastering engineer BJ Burton. Low is based in Duluth. The 2022 Grammy Awards show is Jan. 31 on the CBS network, KBJR channel 6.2 in Duluth.
Live music:
Thursday, Jan. 6:
- Gordon Thorne, North Shore Winery, 6 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 8:
- Jim McGowan, Lutsen Resort Lobby, 6:30 p.m.
Photographs:
Happily, our local and regional photographers have been busy this week.
Wildlife:
Prowlin’ into the New Year by Thomas Spence.
From my window by Lin Salisbury.
Bohemian waxwing by Bill Marchel.
Tonight, we kiss at 12 by Chris Artist.
Black Squirrel by Sandra Updyke.
The masked bandit by Bill Marchel.
Moose licking salt from the Gunflint Trail … a reminder that we need to slow own by David Johnson.
Wild turkeys, Smoke Morph by Sparky Stensaas.
The hunter by Paul Sundberg.
Winter on the Gunflint Trail by Erica Schroeder.
Potpourri:
Gateway by Maryl Skinner.
Happy New Year by Roxanne Distad.
For the Isabella Christmas Bird Count by Michael Furtman.
Th.e last of my tomatoes for 2021 by Tom Kasper
Instructions for 2022 by Helen Muth.
The Paul R Tregurtha departing Duluth. It was the last to arrive in 2021 and the first to leave in 2022 by Paul Scinocca.
Breaking ice in Duluth by Paul Scinocca.
A beautiful morning watching the sunrise by Christian Dalbec.
Landscapes, Skeyscapes, Waterscapes & Treescapes:
Winter trees by Alisa Bernes.
Winter on the Big Lake by Gavin Sims.
Sawblades played in symphony by Kristofer Bowman.
The High Falls at Tettegouche by the Northshoreexplorer.
Sunset, Lake Superior by John Heino
Skiing at Bally Creek by Bryan Hansel.
Jan. 1, 2022 by Patrick Mayotte.
Sea smoke, ice and the Lift Bridge by AJ Miller.
Hollow Rock by Paul Sundberg.
A favorite place, courtesy of the Tischer Gallery.
Happy New Year by David Johnson.
The Road by Cathy Quinn.
Good morning from Lutsen by Fred Anderson.
There was a deep stillness in the woods today by Nancy Seaton.
Winter recipe for happiness by Layne Kennedy.
Welcome, 2022 by Bryan Hansel.
May 2022 be a good year. Thank you, everyone. Stay safe.
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