April blizzard by Travis Novitsky
This is one of those years where those of us who live close to Lake Superior are grateful for the big water. It is definitely keeping us a lot warmer than those who live on the other side of the hill.
Here, we have ground that’s unfrozen and a little green is showing up in perennial beds. There, they still have feet of unmelted snow. Why? Lake Superior is unfrozen, and is 32+ degrees. Winds off the lake keep us warm this time of year. Over the hill, it’s at least 10 degrees cooler, or more, and their snow this year is not melting at all. It’s discouraging.
Is spring anywhere in sight? Sigh. Photo by Ann Mershon.
But when this snow melts, we will truly have spectacular waterfalls this year. And it should happen soon. They are predicting a high of 45 on Saturday.
Meanwhile, we carry on.
The Grand Marais Art Colony‘s Instagram Takeover Artist this week is painter Todd Mrozinski, The watercolor artist is based in Milwaukee, He is a Milwaukee Artists Resource Network Mentor and teaches etching, drawing, and painting at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design.
Todd Mrozinski is this week’s Instagram Takeover Artist for the Grand Marais Art Colony.
Peter and Nellie Sunset by Todd Mrozinski.
Mrozinsk will post on Instagram all day Thursday. He will teach a Beginning Watercolor class at the Art Colony in June. To see his work and learn more about him, see the Instagram page here.
Friday is a big day in Cook County, with the USPS George Morrison Commemorative Forever Stamps Dedication Ceremony in Grand Portage at 1 p.m., and the Earth Day Fair at the Cook County Community Center at 4:30 p.m. There are a number of components to each event.
F’irst, the George Morrison event. The United States Postal Service will honor Native American Modernist Artist George Morrison (1919-2000) with a First-Day-of-Issue Stamp Dedication Ceremony at 1 p.m. on Friday, April 22, at the Grand Portage Lodge & Casino. The pane of 20 George Morrison Commemorative Forever Stamps shows five of Morrison’s abstract landscapes, painted between 1949 and 1995. They will be available at the event.
The U.S Postal Service will release a series of George Morrison images on stamps in a special ceremony at the Grand Portage Lodge and Casino on Friday.
The event is free and open to the public. Ceremony attendees are encouraged to RSVP at usps.com/georgemorrison.
There are a number of art exhibits scheduled, as well.
- The Artists in the Lobby exhibit at the Grand Portage Lodge and Casino will be on view Friday and Saturday and will feature local Grand Portage artists and artists who have a direct connection to Grand Portage.
Moose, by Sam Zimmerman, is one of the artworks that will be featured.
- The Dedication of “Spirit Little Cedar Tree,” a large, wooden mosaic created by Grand Portage Artist Donovan Dahmen. It is located in the lobby as well.
- Two exhibitions of George Morrison’s work will run in conjunction with the Stamp Dedication Ceremony. The Grand Portage National Monument’s Heritage Center will feature “Connections”, a collection of work curated by the National Park Service which includes their collection and works and artifacts from private collections, The show continues through September.
- The Johnson Heritage Post in Grand Marais will mount a special exhibit of the collection of works of the Cook County Historical Society in the Anna Johnson Room this weekend.
The Earth Day Fair will be held in the Cook County Community Center on Friday from 4:30 -7:30 p.m.
The Earth Day Fair will be held at the Cook County Community Center from 4:30-7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 22.
There will be music, presentations, and more. More information is available on the CCLEP Facebook page or from Kat by phone at 218-264-9318.
Here is the schedule for the Speaker Series at the Earth Day Fair.
Here is a short list of what will be happening at the fair:
- A Speakers Series features presentation of everything from the Grand Marais Climate Action Plan, Energy Efficiecny tips, beekeeping, plant based eating and more.
- Interactive Stations, including an Earth Day photo booth, how to recycle fabric creatively, virus-trap air filters, make your own recyclable snack bag, write poems to Lake Superior, Mug Sanctuary, take a mug, leave a mug, and more.
- Live music with North Shore Swing Band, Fred Anderson and Dan Nelson & friends
- Local Food by the Bad Seed Food Truck
- Artisan Booths and Information Tables
The event is free. All invited.
Exhibits:
Before the Light, an exhibit of work by 34 member artists of the North Shore Artists League continues at the Johnson Heritage Post through Sunday. Look for a wide variety of work including paintings, sculptures, glass, pottery, weaving and more.
Water and Ice, stoneware, by Natalie Sobanja.
Felted piece by Kim Knutson.
Stars all the way up, beadwork, by Jo Wood.
Joy and Company opened the Mother Earth Day Art Gala / 2nd Annual Celebration of the Tenacious Woman this week.
Bringing a New Light, acrylic, by Michelle Flynn.
The exhibit is the annual kick-off to the summer season and celebrates the most tenacious woman … Mother Earth. This event invites artists to submit and exhibit their art inspired by the grandeur, beauty and fragility of Mother Earth. The opening reception is from 4-6 p.m. on Friday. All invited. The exhibit continues through Sunday.
Artists at Work:
Painter Sandi Pillsbury Gredzens is painting in her “happy place” in Founders Hall at the Grand Marais Art Colony this week.
“Brother,” acylic, by Andy Ness.
Waiting for Easter by Mary Beams.
Candleholder, porcelain, by Adrea Beres.
Online Findings:
Beyond the Canoe:
In case you missed it:
The historic Scott Fish House is on the campus of North House Folk School. Its future is uncertain. Recently, North House hosted a webinar about the fish house, its history, and future possibilities. . Click on the video link below the photograph to see.
The historic Scott Fish House is located on the North House Folk School campus.
In the video, below, look for the outstanding stories of commercial fishing on the North Shore by Brian Tofte of the Cook County Historical Society.
For questions about the project, each Tuesday at 9 a.m. and Thursday at 7 p.m., community members are invited to meet in the Folk School’s Green Building at 501 West Highway 61. For more information, North House can be reached at 218-387-9762.
“I got saved by the beauty of the world.” Mary Oliver:
An interview with Krista Tippett
Poet Mary Oliver is interviewed by Krista Tippett. Click here to read and/or listen.
Meet The Ukrainian Family Keeping A Century-Old Weaving
Tradition Alive
This documentary was filmed in Ukraine two days before the Russian invasion to see how this Hutsul minority is keeping a century-old traditional weaving craft alive. (Business Insider.)
Dance
Sand Dance choreographed by Julio Panno. Click here to see
A Conversation Between Boats and Tugs
Here’s a video with recordings of communications between the first Saltie (ocean-going ship) and the tug boats as the ship enters the Duluth harbor. Click here to see.
Online Music:
Live Music:
Thursday, April; 21:
- Gordon Thorne, North Shore Winery, 6 p.m.
Photographs:
We found some great photographs this week. Here’s a selection:
Wildlife:
Burrowing owl mama and youngster, Taken in Florida.
Robins in the crab apples on a snowy day by Bill Marchel.
Wild turkey in the UP by Sandra Updyke.
Three in a tree by Roxanne Distad.
A visitor leaves its mark by Joan Farnam.
Brrrr. Great Blue Heron caught by the blizzard. Photo by Jim Schnortz.
Big snow flakes by Sarah Hamilton.
Landscapes, Skyscapes, Waterscapes & Snowscapes
Waterfall on the Cascade River by Ilena Hansel.
Here’s a great video of waterfalls so far this year.
Beautiful snowflakes by Donna Lunke.
Waves in the storm by John Keefover.
Free hugs by Bryan Hansel.
Artist Point by Mark Tessier.
Aurora from an airplane by Sankelp Merchant.
He loves collecting rocks by Luigi Lineri.
The perfect food preserver by Richard Getting.
A little green in the woods by Meadow Adams.
A beautiful day. Courtesy of Dappled Fern Fibers.
Respect is recommended by Mary American.
A creek near Two Harbors by Donald Jay Olson.
Daffodils despite the weather by Betsy Bowen.
In Duluth, MN by Nathan Klok.
Fall River by Sierra Parsons.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
I would like to thank all my donors for giving me the chance to explore the arts in Cook County and around the world on your behalf! I am so grateful. Thank you. If you haven’t donated yet, join NorthShore ArtScene’s underwriters by clicking on the button below.
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