Yesterday at Lutsen by Nathan Klok.
Greetings from the North Shore, where we will be basking in beauty this week. The beauty of the land and the changing colors is an event by itself, but add to that the extraordinary creativity of the artists who live here, and you have a week you will not forget easily.
Here in Cook County, Friday marks the opening of two art events: the Art Along the Lake Fall Studio Tour and the opening of the Grand Marais Plein Air Competition exhibition at the Johnson Heritage Post.
Friday also marks the opening of a studio tour in Lake County, too: The Lake Superior 20/20 Studio & Art Tour, featuring artists living and working in rural Two Harbors.
We look forward to all of them, and the stellar fall colors and weather we’ve been having over the last few weeks.
There’s also plenty to see and do this weekend, besides enjoying the 10-day Fall Studio Tour.
First up is the Quick Paint, or, as it is now called, the Birney Quick Paint Competition at Artist Point from 3:30-5 pm on Thursday.
The event is held in honor of Birney Quick, a pillar of Grand Marais’s rich history of community arts and the co-founder, with Byron Bradley, of the Grand Marais Art Colony. He loved plein air painting and spent hours painting the county as well as bringing his art students up here to learn the skill, too.
Birney Quick, left, setting up to paint fish houses, c1957. This year’s Quick Paint, which has been renamed the Birney Quick Paint Competition, will be held on Thursday from 3:30-5 pm at Artist Point. In the competition, the Plein Air painters have an hour and a half to complete a painting. The public is invited to watch.
The quick paint is an exciting spectator sport attracting visitors to watch the timed all-weather event and was featured in an award-winning documentary, Plein Air Brushoff. (Note: There is an introduction before the full video starts.)
At the end of the competition, paintings are displayed on the rocks at East Bay near Artists Point and juried for awards immediately after the 90-minute event ends. The public is invited to watch.
Also on Thursday, Art Night at Joy and Company will be held from 4-6 pm. Art Night is a weekly gathering on Thursdays for people to explore the wide variety of art supplies in the shop. This week is Origami Week, and participants will learn how to fold paper to create a variety of beautiful shapes.
It’s Origami Night at Joy and Company. Origami Flowers by Lily Main.
The event is free, with a suggested donation. Demonstrations and making are part of the evening.
Also this Thursday, the Grand Marais Farmer’s Market will be held in the parking lot of the Community Center from 4:30-6 pm.
Trevor Huggins sells his wood-fired artisan bread at the Grand Marais Farmer’s Market on Thursdays.
Look for all kinds of local produce, including tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, peppers, beets, onions, garlic, and more, as well as artisan bread, bakery goods, and more. SNAP accepted.
On Friday, The Art Along the Lake Fall Studio Tour starts at 10 am. This popular event features 30 open studios up and down the shore with works by local artists. Many of the studios have guest artists as well, so there is much to see and enjoy.
Look for glass, paintings, pottery, sculpture, weaving, woodturning, leatherwork, prints, fiber art and more.
The studios are scattered from one end of the county to the other, primarily just off Hwy 61 to Grand Portage and in Grand Marais, as well as the Gunflint Trail. Many shops and galleries which carry art are part of the tour as well. Look for the sign below.
Look for this sign marking studios on the tour.
It is totally impossible to give examples of all the art you will see on this tour, but here’s a brief sampling. Stay tuned for next week, too, since the tour continues through Oct. 1.
Here are a few examples from the back of the Art Along the Lake brochure, available at all studios and at the Visit Cook County Visitor Center.
Art Along the Lake Fall Studio Tour opens at 10 am on Friday and runs daily from 10 am to 5 pm through Oct 1.
Here are some images sent to us, too:
Stoneware clay boat by Dan and Lee Ross. Their studio is just outside Hovland.
Painting by Jeanne Marie Hedstrom. Her studio will be open during the Art Along the Lake tour.
Sandhill Crane Gifting Me a Feather, fused glass, by Sharon Frykman.
Also on Friday, the exhibit of work by the artists participating in the Grand Marais Plein Air Competition will go on view at the Johnson Heritage Post with an opening reception and award ceremony. The reception is from 5-7 pm.
Painters participating in the Grand Marais Plein Air Competition will exhibit their work at the Johnson Heritage Post on Friday from 5-7 pm.
The event is hosted by Outdoor Painters of Minnesota and Cook County Historical Society’s Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery.
The competition class has invitational and juried painters. An Open Class of painters exhibit their work and compete in the Quick Paint event on Artist’s Point. Throughout the week you will find painters in every corner of Cook County painting the scenery. The exhibit at the Heritage Post is through Oct. 15. The opening reception on Friday is open to all.
The Lake Superior 20/20 Studio and Art Tour is this weekend only, featuring more than 15 studios located in rural Two Harbors.
The Lake Superior 20/20 Studio Tour is this weekend. To find out more, click here.
The tour showcases work from potters, photographers, weavers, sculptors, painters and more. To find out about the participating artists, see maps and directions, click here.
On Saturday, The Cook County Market opens at 10 am in the parking lot of The Hub with a variety of artwork by local artists and artisans.
Dee Closson creates with leather. Photo by Jennifer Shoals.
At the market look for paintings and jewelry, pottery and weaving, glass art and more. There is live music. A massage and a Tarot card reading are also offered. The market runs through 2 pm. Everyone invited.
Jewelers Bill and Barry will be working outside in the back lot of Joy and Company from 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday.
Jewelers Billy and Barry will be in the back lot of Joy and Company on Saturday and Sunday,
They will be giving demonstrations and jewelry can be made to order as well. Open to all.
The Maple Fall Harvest Festival will be held from 10 am to 5 pm at Caribou Cream on the Caribou Trail on Saturday.
The Maple Fall Harvest Festival will be held at Caribou Cream on the Caribou Trail on Saturday.
The festival will feature lots of maple goodies for sale along with wood crafts, handmade jewelry, maple cotton candy, hand-harvested wild rice, goat milk lotion and soaps, baked goods and more.
Caribou Cream is located 2 miles up the Caribou Trail from Hwy 61 at 558 Caribou Trail, Lutsen. All welcome.
Also, blacksmith demonstrations will be held at the Bally Blacksmith Shop on Saturday from 1-4 pm.
There will be demonstrations at the Bally Blacksmith shop from 1-4 pm Saturday.
The Bally Blacksmith Shop was built in 1911 and housed three generations of the Bally family blacksmiths, totaling 98 years of Bally blacksmiths. The metal Forest Service building behind the shop was added to the site in the 1960s. The Bally shop has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1986. The Cook County Historical Society acquired the building in 2013. The demonstrations are open to all.
And, on Saturday night, internationally renowned Saraswathi Veena player, Nirmala Rajasekar, will perform at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts at 7 pm.
Nirmala Rajasekar performs Sept. 23 at the ACA. Photo by Cindy Moy. WTIP’s Will Moore interviewed her about her music this week. Listen to it here.
Rajasekar is one of the premier Saraswathi Veena players in the world today. A dynamic and vibrant musician, she has performed in many leading venues around the world, including Carnegie Hall and the United Nations. An established vocalist and well-known composer, Nirmala is seen internationally as a “Carnatic Ambassador” and leader in forging new paths on the Saraswati Veena. Nirmala’s Grand Marais performance will be accompanied by her daughter, Carnatic vocalist Shruthi Rajasekar, and percussionist Marcus Wise on the tabla drum from North India. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online here.
WTIP’s Will Moore did a great interview with Nirmala Rajaseka this week. Listen to it here.
Sunday is movie night at Up Yonder. The film stars at 8 pm and is free. Here’s a trailer for this week’s movie:
On Wednesday, the Grand Marais Public Library will host Reading Is Magic, a magic show that encourages youths toward a lifelong love of reading performed by Chaz Misenheimer. This free public event will be held at the library on Wednesday, Sept. 27 at 5:30 pm.
Reading is Magic, a presentation by Chaz Misenheimer, will be at the library on Wednesday at 5:30 pm.
Misenheimer, a Cook County resident and a substitute teacher at Sawtooth Mountain Elementary School, has appeared at festivals, playhouses, zoos, and public and private schools across the country. His shows spark the natural curiosity and sense of wonder of his audiences, who experience a broad variety of sleight-of-hand tricks, mind-reading feats, and small-scale illusions. Free and open to all.
Exhibits:
The Grand Marais Art Colony will open the “MUSE 12 x 12 Exhibition” in Studio 21 on Sept. 22.
Autumn and Whirling Wind, oil, two 12×12 pieces by Brenda Hurley.
MUSE is a celebration of the Art Colony’s diverse arts community. Participants have submitted up to two 12×12-inch works. It’s an interesting show. The exhibit continues through Oct. 21.
Now That Summer Has Ended: An Exhibit About Winter Activities at Grand Portage During the Fur Trade Era continues at the Grand Portage Heritage Center through Oct. 31.
Now That Summer Has Ended, an exhibit about winter activities at Grand Portage during the Fur Trade Era, continues at the Heritage Center. It closes Oct. 31.
The exhibit offers the public an opportunity to learn about the ways people spent their winter at the time of the fur trade – work, survival, and even some leisure activities, during the harsh, dark, northern season. Free and open to the public.
Painter Alexa Carson is the featured artist at Tettegouche State Park this month.
Artwork by Alexa Carson is currently on exhibit at Tettegouche State Park.
The exhibit includes wildlife, landscapes and portraits. The exhibit continues through the end of September. Open to all. Free.
The Lake Superior Watercolor Society is currently exhibiting work at the Cedar Coffee Company in Two Harbors.
Vignette at Glensheen, by Sandra Maxwell, is one of the watercolors at the Cedar Coffee Company.
The exhibit features a great collection of work by 13 Watercolor Society members. It continues through October.
Naomi Hart has opened a new exhibit at the Duluth Art Institute featuring her encaustic work.
I counted the number of steps it took to find your memory: A Matter of Perspective, encaustic mixed media by Naomi Hart.
The exhibit continues through Nov. 9.
“Night Drive”, New Paintings by Scott Murphy, opens at the Kruk Gallery in Superior on Thursday, Sept. 21, with a reception from 5-8 pm.
One of the oil paintings in Scott Murphy’s new exhibit at the Kruk Gallery in his “Night Drive” series.
The Kruk Gallery is located at 1805 Catlin Ave., Superior, Wis.
FYI:
North House Folk School has released architectural renderings of the Welcome Center, which will be built in place of the little Yellow House at the entrance to campus. (Note: The Yellow House was moved to a site in Grand Marais where it will be used as living space.)
Architectural rendering of the new Welcome Center at North House that will take the place of the little Yellow House.
To read more about this project, click here.
The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council has put out a call for nominations for the George Morrison Artist Award, the Maddie Simons Arts Advocate Award, and the Award for Transformational Art.
The George Morrison Artist Award recognizes an individual artist whose body of work has made a significant contribution to the arts over an extended period of time. The George Morrison Artist award comes with a $2,000 prize.
The Maddie Simons Arts Advocate Award recognizes an arts administrator, arts educator, volunteer for a nonprofit arts organization, or artist whose involvement in a project or program has substantially contributed to the arts in the Arrowhead Region. The Maddie Simons Arts Advocate award comes with a $1,000 prize.
The Award for Transformational Art was created to recognize the efforts of artists to transform their communities through their work. The Award for Transformational Art comes with a $1,000 prize.
For more information and to fill out a nomination form, click here.
Upcoming:
The Hovland Winter Arts Festival is Nov 25. Painting by Rae Klesser.
Artists at Work:
Ryegrass by Kim Dayton.
The Blue Rightly Named, woodcut, by Nick Wroblewski.
Frogs sing loudly in Spring, acrylic, by Christi Belcourt.
A ski mural in Chelsea by Annie Possis.
Perking up the paint on this tall Egret for Art Along the Lake by Betsy Bowen
Online Findings:
On the Japanese concept of MA and Negative Space
Online Music:
Live Music:
Thursday, Sept 21:
- Andrew Huber, Cascade Restaurant and Pub, 6-8 pm
- North Shore Swing Band, Up Yonder, 7-9 pm
- Gordon Thorne, North Shore Winery, 7-9 pm
Friday, Sept 22:
- Pat Eliasen, Mogul’s Grille & Tap Room, 7:30-9 pm
- Rafe Carlson (from Hovland), Grand Portage Lodge & Casino’s Antlers Lounge, 8-11 pm
Saturday, Sept 23:
- Zahir Orest, Senior Center Parking Lot, 10 am
- Amy and Gene, Cascade Restaurant and Pub, 6-8 pm
- Nirmala Rajasekar, Arrowhead Center for the Arts, 7pm
- DJ Birthday Gurl!, Up Yonder, 10 pm
Sunday, Sept 24:
- Briand Morrison, Mogul’s Grille & Tap Room, 10-12 pm
- Joe Paulik, Raven’s Nest at Gunflint Tavern, 1-4 pm
- Billy Johnson, North Shore Winery, 3:30-5:30 pm
- Timmy Haus, Mogul’s Grille & Tap Room, 5-7 pm
- Open Mic Hosted by Pete K, Up Yonder, 5-8 pm
Tuesday, Sept 26:
- Eric Frost, North Shore Winery, 5:30-7:30 pm
Wednesday, Sept 27:
- Bump Blomberg, Mogul’s Grille & Tap Room, 4-6 pm
Thursday, Sept 28:
- Gordon Thorne, North Shore Winery, 7-9 pm
- Al Oikari and Friends, Cascade Restaurant & Pub, 6-8 pm
Friday, Sept 29
- Full Moon Open Mic Bonfire, Drury Lane Books, 6-8 pm
- Timmy Haus, Mogul’s Grille & Tap Room, 7:30-9 pm
- Fred Anderson and Ben Obinger, Bluefin Grill, 8-10 pm
- Sun Wave Mountain Cave, Up Yonder, 9-11:55 pm
Saturday, Sept 30:
- Zahir Orest, Senior Center Parking Lot, 10 am
- The Honest Heart Collective, Up Yonder, 8-11 pm
Sunday, Oct 1:
- Briand Morrison, Mogul’s Grille & Tap Room, 10-12 pm
- Joe Paulik, Raven’s Nest at Gunflint Tavern, 1-4 pm
- Caitlin Nicol-Thomas, North Shore Winery, 3-5:30 pm
- Timmy Haus, Mogul’s Grille & Tap Room, 5-7 pm
- Open Mic Hosted by Pete K, Up Yonder, 5-8 pm
Photographs:
Here is a selection of what we found this week:
Wildlife:
Well, Hello! by David Johnson.
White tail deer by Jeff Grotte.
Late season visitors by Tom Kasper.
Just before the trip south by Trish Francis
American Kestrel by @Bringbird.
Beaver Pond by Paul Sundberg.
Osprey with Tilapia by Mark Smith.
A favorite seagull hangout on Minnesota Point. The lighthouse on Wisconsin Point is in the background. Photo by Siffy and Tor Torkildson.
Calling in a bull by Paul Sundberg.
Nomura’s Jellyfish by Ryo Minemizu.
Potpourri:
Summer blooms by Kristin Elisabeth.
When you don’t clean your shed and your neighbor has a black walnut tree, by Sharon Frykman.
Pitcher Plants in early fall by Dave and Amy Freeman.
John Ellison (82) at Up Yonder with the Carpenter Ants before the Radio Waves Music Festival weekend by Tom Healy.
Welcome autumn! by Kristin Elisabeth.
Aurorascapes:
The lights danced tonight by Jamie Rex.
Oh, this place, by Dappled Fern Fibers.
Harvest Time by Christian Dalbec.
The aurora rocked up a storm on Monday night by David Johnson.
Hayden Valley by Heidi Pinkerton.
Grazing with Aurora by Christian Dalbec.
Landscapes, Skyscapes, Waterscapes
The beautiful “Thin Mints” of Lake Superior, the Apostle Islands, by Layne Kennedy.
Summer is over by Tom Duevel.
Mashkiziibii Shoreline Report by Mike Wiggins, Jr.
Colors are looking good by David Johnson.
Years after the Ham Lake Fire by Layne Kennedy.
Happy Sunday by Bryan Hansel.
Mystery Island by Jim Brandenburg.
The chill of autumn is in the air by Ken Harmon.
Wilderness. A way of regaining serenity and equilibrium by Ken Harmon.
Morning Mist on Clearwater by Griswold Bonnie.
Tofte, Minnesota by Chuck Olsen.
Morning blues over Lake Superior by Bryan Hansel.
Sunset, sunrise by Dave and Amy Freeman.
Lutsen, Minnesota by Kjersti Vick.
Whew!! There was a lot of stuff this week!
The arts community here is obviously healthy and well. If you’d like to support the arts on the North Shore, consider donating to ArtScene today. We try to bring you important art news every week as our way to support the arts and artists here.
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Have a great weekend, everyone!!
Here’s a shout-out to the people who help make this blog possible: Jeremy Lopez, Live Music Schedule, proofreading and technical advice; Yvonne Mills, stellar proofreading and Kari Carter, photo captions and research.
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