The Colors of Fall
Autumn walk in the woods by John Heino.
Honestly, the colors have been phenomenal this year and everyone who could take a photograph has been taking them — lots of them. Phone shots, drone shots, complex close-ups-with-expensive-camera shots, and shoot-from-the-hip-‘ems. It’s been fun. Everyone has been sharing their take on this great fall-color season and we show some of them off this week.
Meanwhile, I am still looking for someone who would love to put this blog out at least twice a month if not every week. I can guarantee you it’s fun to find things and share things. It’s so exciting to be able to let everyone see what artists are doing in Cook County, throughout the region, and sometimes even the world. The process is complex and time-consuming and full of detail, and probably requires some journalistic background, but the exhilaration of being able to create an experience for people that will make them happy, interested, fascinated, and inspired is worth the effort.
The reason I’m telling you this is because it is becoming increasingly difficult for me to put the blog together, given my visual impairment and other health issues. It is time to pass on the baton. Are you interested? Contact me at Joan.farnam@gmail.com
Meanwhile, we have some exciting things coming up this week, including an extraordinary exhibit at the Johnson Heritage Post that opens on Friday.
Entitled “Flotsam and Jetsam: Drawings and Sculpture,” the exhibit features works by John Books, Tom Christiansen, and Greg Mueller. Both Books and Christiansen are known for their bronze sculptures, but they will be presenting works in different media as well. Books will be exhibiting his wood sculptures and Christiansen has created a series of self-portraits which explore his experience of not being able to work in bronze because of his injured hands. Mueller has new work in the show as well.
Pierrot le Fou, elmwood, by John Books.
“Selfie with Injured Hand, ” one of Tom Christiansen’s self-portraits that will be in the show.
Silence of the Trees, re-purposed Hwy 61 elm wood and reclaimed metals by Greg Mueller.
The exhibit opens with a reception from 5-7 pm Friday, Oct.14, at the Heritage Post and continues through Sunday, Nov. 6.
The Heritage Post hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm and Sunday from 1-4 pm. Free and open to the public.
On Sunday, Oct. 16, Angeline Boulley, author of Firekeeper’s Daughter, will give an online presentation and chat from 7-8:30 pm. The event is free and sponsored by Cook County Higher Education.
Firekeeper’s Daughter is the book selected for the Community Read this year and is an engaging story that layers present-day midwestern Native experiences, a reckoning of historical and current injustices, and a powerful celebration of community.
FireKeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley is the book for Community Read this year. The author will give an online presentation on Sunday, Oct. 16 at 7 pm. Free. To register, click here.
In an interview, Boulley said: “There simply are too few stories told by and about Indigenous girls and women, especially from a contemporary viewpoint. We exist and have dynamic experiences to share beyond history books or stories set long ago.”
During her online presentation, Boulley will share her experience of writing Firekeeper’s Daughter as well as give listeners the opportunity to ask her questions. To register for the online presentation, click here.
Exhibits:
The Grand Marais Art Colony‘s exhibit, “Muse: Alumni Exhibition” continues at Studio 21 through Oct. 22. The multi-media show centers on students who participated in five or more years of the Art Colony’s Mentor Series over the past 15 years.
Sitting on the Bottom of the Ocean, acrylic, by Janice Andrews is one of the paintings in the exhibit.
Selected artists in this exhibition include: Janice Andrews, Lynn Brown, Karen Caldwell, Chris Cinque, Rita Beyer Corrigan, Kat Corrigan, Karina Cutler-Lake, Kris Musto, Pat Owen, Sandi Pillsbury, Ann Price, Liz Seaton, Peter Truran .
The Lake Superior Watercolor Society is currently exhibiting work in the Great Hall at Tettegouche State Park.
The Lake Superior Watercolor Society is a Twin Ports-based organization dedicated to the promotion and appreciation of watercolor arts in the area. The group meets monthly to inspire, learn from, and support each other through demonstrations, workshops, guest speakers, and critiques. Highlights of the year are two exhibits held at various venues around the region; most recently at the Johnson Heritage Post.
Enduring, watercolor, by Kristin Nelson.
Water, watercolor, by Kay Bloom.
The theme for the show is “Up North” and features work by 25 member artists depicting scenes from State parks as well as paintings of wild natural areas along the North Shore. The exhibit will run through the end of October. Open to all. Free.
There are a number of exhibits at the Duluth Art Institute, including CURRENTS, an exhibit of large-scale contemporary paintings by Robert Patrick.
CURRENTS is on view now, featuring extra-large meditations on canvas by Robert Patrick.
Patrick’s exhibit is in the Morrison Gallery and continues through Dec. 11.
The Tweed Museum of Art on the UMD campus is also featuring a number of exhibits, including the exhibition entitled: “There Is a Woman in Every Color: Black Women in Art.”
What You’re Thinking by Mickalene Thomas
The exhibit, “There Is a Woman in Every Color: Black Women in Art,” explores the legacy of Black women in the visual arts. Bringing together works made between the late eighteenth- and twenty-first centuries, the exhibition examines their representation in works of art that picture Black women or that were produced by Black women. In doing so, the exhibition offers nuanced and multifaceted perspectives on the experiences of Black women primarily in the United States. The exhibit continues through Dec. 18. To find out more click here.
The Thunder Bay Art Gallery is featuring a number of exhibits as well, especially from younger artists, including works by painter Margaux Williamson. This is her first museum exhibition and she takes her interior views and the interiority of the imagination as its central themes, bringing together more than 30 paintings dating from 2005 to the present.
Fire, acrylic, by Margaux Williamson.
The exhibit was organized by The McMichael Canadian Art Collection. It continues through Dec. 31.
Upcoming:
Moose madness weekend will be Oct. 20-23
The conclusion of the summer season in Cook County is set for next weekend with Moose Madness Weekend. This year’s event includes a wide variety of activities for families, including art projects, hands-on learning, art exhibits, a bonfire and more. Old standbys like the Moose Medallion Hunt is still on, with the individual who finds the medallion to be awarded $100, and Moose Bucks will be offered at many Grand Marais businesses. North House Folk School is offering a number of short classes and experiences for families throughout the weekend, including a Fun Night Out with a bonfire with all the Fixins. And the 4th annual Grand Marais Apple Festival will be held that weekend, too. (See below for more info.)
The Grand Marais Art Colony will hold David Hahn Memorial Art Days Oct. 20-21 at Studio 21 from 10 am to 2 pm both days.
David Hahn was a beloved community member and artist who passed away in 2022. He painted watercolors, taught youth classes at the Art Colony, and worked within the public school, creating portrait cards for the Viking athletic teams, among other things.
David Hahn in his element – drawing portraits of people wherever he went. Here he is set up at the 2019 Grand Marais Art Festival, where he offered people the chance to have their portraits drawn.
Here is one of David Hahn’s portraits of a Vikings football team.
North House Folk School organizes a wide variety of events for families over Moose Madness Weekend.
There are lots of activities planned for the 4th annual Grand Marais Apple Festival.
Grand Marais Red Light District October 3, 2022 by Bryan Hansel.
The Mating Dance by Rachel Klesser.
Sun-kissed, acrylic, by Ron Piercy.
Untitled, acrylic, by Robert DesJarlait.
Pumpkin, Orchid, Last Azalea by Mary Beams.
Johnson Heritage Post artist of the month is Katie Kristine Irving.
The Haunted Ship is open in Duluth for Halloween thrills.
Untitled, oil, by Scott Murphy.
In Costa Rica– Nature’s Design by Layne Kennedy.
Rose Falls, oil, by Neil Sherman.
The yellows of aspen and birch were so bright that they almost hurt my eyes, photo by Bryan Hansel.
Flying into Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean by Greg Lecker.
This Arctic Circle expeditionary residency program invites international artists, scientists, educators and innovators to live and work on-board an Arctic-class Tall Ship while sailing the waters of the international territory of Svalbard, an Arctic archipelago just 10 degrees latitude from the North Pole. To read more and see photos, click here.
Radiolab tackles music
What exactly is music, really? Why does it move us? How does the brain process sound, and why are some people better at it than others? Radiolab tackles this interesting problem in a great episode.
Online Music:
Live Music:
Thursday, Oct. 13:
- John Gruber, Cascade Restaurant & Pub, 6-8 pm
- Date Night, North Shore Winery, 7-9 pm
Friday, Oct. 14:
- Kevin Buck, Bluefin Grille, 7-9 pm
Saturday, Oct. 15:
- The Fish Heads, Cascade Restaurant & Pub, 6-8 pm
- Cole Thomas Professional Deadbeat Tour, Grand Portage Lodge, 8-11 pm
Monday, Oct. 17:
- Timmy Haussner, Bluefin Grille, 7-9 pm
Tuesday, Oct. 18:
- Eric Frost, North Shore Winery, 5-7 pm
Wednesday, Oct. 19:
- Eric Frost, Bluefin Grille, 7-9 pm
Thursday, Oct. 20:
- MornningBird, Cascade Restaurant & Pub, 6-8 pm
- Gordon Thorne, North Shore Winery, 7-9 pm
Friday, Oct. 21:
- Al Oikari, Bluefin Grille, 7-9 pm
Saturday, Oct. 22:
- Joe Paulik, Lutsen Resort Campfire, 6-8 pm
- Pat Eliasen, Cascade Restaurant & Pub, 6-8 pm
Tuesday, Oct. 25:
- Eric Frost, North Shore Winery, 5-7 pm
Photographs:
We found lots of interesting and colorful photos this week. Here’s a selection.
Wildlife:
Yellowstone Bison by Dan and Lee Ross.
Pronghorn Antelope in Wyoming by Matt Herberg.
I saw this albino porcupine tonight by Musa Abdel-Rahman.
Ruffed Grouse by Paul Sundberg.
Spruce Grouse by Paul Sundberg.
Skylarking by Andy Keith.
Oh Happy Day by Rocky Knoll Boarding.
Two Harbors by Christian Dalbec.
Hands down, my birthday is the best day of the year by Kjersti Vick.
The Color Red by Joy & Co.
Trout Lake Reflections by Paul Sundberg.
Fall Beauty by Kathy Vanderwall.
Fall is Frung by Don Davison.
The Hammer Drops by Christian Dalbec.
First Frost by Kjersti Vick.
A Northwoods Lake in Fall by Hannah Palma Laky.
There’s a Woman Involved by Mark Tessier.
Holding it Together by Ilena Hansel.
The Silver Creek tunnel is 30 years old this year. Photo by Matthew Pastick.
The Winifred Sykes arriving in Duluth by Jeffrey Doty.
A Portrait of Fall by Mark Tessier.
A Lupine night by Dustin LaVigne.
Autumn Decisions by Tim Graul.
Bridge Bolt by Matthew Baxley.
Golden by David Brickner.
This week’s contributors include Joan Farnam, editing, collection, placement and collation of art, photographs, and music videos; Jeremy Lopez, live music info and placement, layout uniformity, and technology support; Vicki Biggs Anderson, logo; Maggie Anderson, proofreading; Rae Klesser, grant research and Yvonne Mills, fact checker.
A special thanks to everyone who has reached out to show their support for this blog, either through subscribing or supporting our work financially. Most importantly, thank you to all the creators featured in this week’s blog post.
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