Searching for Winter (File photo taken last year) by Christian Dalbec.
Greetings from the North Shore, where we see photos like the one Christian Dalbec took at this time last year, above, and we wonder, where has winter gone? Granted, there is some snow over the hill, but just a dusting on the shore, which, frankly, we treasure. We’d take some more, though. Salut to winter, you are welcome to come here for a long stay anytime.
Meanwhile, with Christmas just around the corner, Art Night at Joy and Company this week will feature the opportunity to make and decorate holiday ornaments.
Decorate ornaments for Art Night this Thursday at Joy and Company from 3:30-5 pm.
This is a great opportunity to put a personal touch on your holiday decorations. Art Night is held at the shop and is open to all. There are new winter hours this year… 3:30-5 pm. Open to all. Free, with a suggested donation.
Thursday is also the Winter Solstice and the Good Harbor Hill Players have been rehearsing all month to present its latest shadow puppet show, Chick-a-dee-Show-Show-Show.
The Winter Solstice Shadow Puppet Show starts at North House Folk School at 6 pm Thursday, Dec. 21.
This is always a great celebration honoring the longest night of the year and the return of the sun. Creative shadow puppets telling quirky and amusing stories, great live music, and lots of laughter are features of this event, which is held behind the Blue Building at North House Folk School. The show is followed by a Bonfire, where participants can toss in their Gloomies, and then a Community Potluck in the Red Building. But, not to worry– it won’t be -40F, but you will still be able to experience the wonderful sound of mittened hands clapping. Everyone is invited.
The evening finishes off with music by the North Shore Swing Band at Up Yonder.
Third Thursday Jazz Night with the North Shore Swing Band is at Up Yonder from 7-9 pm this week.
The band plays a great repertoire of jazz and dance music at Up Yonder every Third Thursday. The music starts at 7 pm. Free.
There are lots of last-minute gift-buying opportunities in Cook County this week, too.
And for knitters and crafters who have a project to finish before Christmas, and/or who just want some quiet time to work, with others, the Fiber Circle at Dappled Fern Fibers is open from 10 am to noon on Saturday.
Dappled Fern Fibers will hold a Fiber Circle from 10 am to noon on Saturday, a weekly event in the winter.
The circle is open to all and free. No instruction is provided, but hot beverages will be available.
Many restaurants are serving over the holidays including on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day.
Visit Cook County has compiled lists of all these events. Here are links:
After Christmas, on Wednesday, Dec. 27, Drury Lane Books will hold a Full Moon Reading by the bonfire starting at 6 pm.
Drury Lane Books will hold a Full Moon Reading by the bonfire starting at 6 pm on Wednesday, Dec. 27.
This is the Cold Moon Literary Open Mic and readers and writers are encouraged to share a favorite piece of prose or literature, or their own works of writing, or songs and music. Open to all. Hot Cider, Tea, and Cocoa will be available in the shop to warm up chilly hands. The event is from 6-8 pm.
Also on Dec. 27, singer/songwriter Maria Nickolay will offer the community a special treat– a CD Launch Concert of her newest album “Wolves.”
Maria Nickolay will have a CD release concert at the Hovland Town Hall Dec. 27.
Raised here on the North Shore, Nickolay is “back for the holidays” from her new home in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Nickolay will be singing and performing her songs from her newest album, “Wolves” on Dec. 27 at 7 pm at the Hovland Town Hall. Local musicians will also join her for some holiday favorites as well.
Coffee, cookies, and cocoa will be provided. CDs will be available for sale at the door. Don’t miss this one!
Exhibits:
A new exhibit has opened at the Johnson Heritage Post. Entitled “Spirit of Place,” it features wide-ranging paintings by Cook County artist, Jayne Richards.
Four Movements, acrylic, by Jayne Richards is on view at the Johnson Heritage Post.
In this exhibit, Richards explores the land, waters, and forests of her home with a nod to a variety of painting traditions. The exhibit continues through Jan. 7 and is highly recommended. The Heritage Post is open from 10 am to 4 pm Wednesdays through Sundays. Free and open to all.
There are several exhibits at the Duluth Art Institute this month including digital photographs by the late John Steffl, an artist and a former executive director of the Art Institute. The title of the exhibit is “Steffl in Steffl.”
Sophia’s Peony, digital photograph, 2010, by John Steffl. The exhibit at the Duluth Art Institute continues through Jan. 17.
Steffl’s breadth of support for the local art community ran as deep and wide as his scope as an artist. He served and advocated for artists as an educator, an administrator, and a curator. He created work steeped in beauty, yet aimed with a purpose, from political commentary to subtle humor to, perhaps most importantly, his relationships with art itself and the Great Unknown. Steffl in Steffl showcases work pivotal in John’s career, including large-scale paintings, rarely-seen ceramics, and his celebrated peony photographs.
The 64th annual Arrowhead Regional Biennial continues at the Tweed Museum of Art through Feb. 3.
The 64th Arrowhead Biennial is currently on view at the Tweed Museum of Art.
The juried exhibit features a wide variety of work and media from artists in the Arrowhead region.
At the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, the exhibit “Multiple Realities: Experimental Art in the Eastern Bloc, 1960s–1980s” continues.
The exhibit Multiple Realities: Experimental Art in the Eastern Bloc, 1960s–1980s is on view at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.
Drawing on visual art, performance, music, and material culture, Multiple Realities: Experimental Art in the Eastern Bloc, 1960s–1980s brings together works by nearly 100 artists from East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Yugoslavia. While it presents select canonical figures from the region, the exhibition foregrounds lesser-known practitioners, particularly women artists, artist collectives, and those exploring embodiment through an LGBTQIA+ lens.
Kudos:
The Crosby Bakery’s new building is in the process of being installed in downtown Grand Marais, next to the Sivertson Gallery.
The Crosby Bakery building is taking shape in downtown Grand Marais. Photo courtesy of Hana Crosby.
Residents are looking forward to the opening which will probably be in late spring or early summer. Stay tuned.
Upcoming:
Artists at Work:
Christmas cookies this year by Gail Murton.
Sam Zimmerman’s studio this week courtesy of the artist.
The Harvesters, 1565, by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Brussels, Oil on wood.
Garden flags weathering the winter by Jill Levene.
Just a little too hot to unload from the wood-fired kiln by Broc Allen, Foxboro, Wis.
Eating pears in Santa Fe, No. 3, by Betsy Bowen.
Apollo’s take on Bentleyville, Duluth. Photo courtesy of Ilena Hansel.
Christmas Cheer, fused glass holiday trees by Nancy Seaton are at Betsy Bowen’s Gallery
Online Findings:
A Prince exhibition created by teens who don’t particularly like Prince.
A dozen students from four Newark schools curated the show and served as docents. They admitted that they would have chosen a different pop star if it had been entirely up to them. Photo by Sara Naomi Lewkowicz for The New York Times. See the article here.
Meme of the week courtesy of Terry Backlund’s FB page.
Here is a pretty good rendition of Jingle Bells:
To listen, turn on your sound and enable the speaker icon on the post. Click here.
Online Music:
And here are a few Christmas songs, some classic, some newer.
Live Music:
Thursday, Dec 21:
- John Gruber, Moguls Grille & Taproom, 4-6 pm
- Gordon Thorne, North Shore Winery, 6-8 pm
- North Shore Swing Band, Up Yonder, 7-9 pm
Friday, Dec 22:
- Pat Eliasen, Moguls Grille & Taproom, 4-6 pm
Saturday, Dec 23:
- Medicine River, Up Yonder, 8-11 pm
Sunday, Dec 24:
- Briand Morrison, Moguls Grille & Taproom, 10 – noon
Tuesday, Dec 26:
- Eric Frost, North Shore Winery, 4:30-6:30 pm
- Open Mic Hosted by Pete K, Up Yonder, 6-9 pm
Wednesday, Dec 27:
- Bump Blomberg, North Shore Winery, 4:30-6:30 pm
- Maria Nickolay, Hovland Town Hall, 7 pm
Thursday, Dec 28:
- Timmy Haus, Moguls Grille & Taproom, 4-6 pm
- Gordon Thorne, North Shore Winery, 6-8 pm
Friday, Dec 29:
- Bump Blomberg, Moguls Grille & Taproom, 4-6 pm
- Joe Paulik, Bluefin Grille, 8-10 pm
Sunday, Dec 31:
- Briand Morrison, Moguls Grille & Taproom, 10 – noon
- Joe Paulik and Pat Flack, Cascade Lodge Restaurant & Pub, 6-8 pm
- Donny Buck & the Rock-A-Billy Revue, Grand Portage Lodge and Casino, 8:30 – 12:30 am
- Katieoke (Katie/Karaoke) with Katie Slanga, Up Yonder, 9:30-12:30 am
- Pete Kavanaugh, Bluefin Grille, 10-11:59 pm
Photographs:
Here’s a selection of photographs we found this week:
Wildlife:
Foxy Friday by Roxanne Distad.
Black Swan with Chick, courtesy of Birds World.
Bald Eagle family courtesy of Planet’s Aroma.
An Oriental Honey Buzzard finds a beehive. Photographer unknown.
Portrait of a Pine Marten by Paul Sundberg.
Northern Neighbor by Andy Keith.
A grouse in my crab apple tree by Lisa Rich.
Lynx track by Michael Furtman.
Potpourri:
Good Morning! by Cathy Quinn. (File photo)
Counting raindrops instead of snowflakes by Maryl Skinner.
The absolute best goose lamp ever. Someone created it. Kudos! Photo by Annie Possis.
The snow just came for a short visit, and it is pretty by Ilena Hansel.
Landscapes, Waterscapes, & Sunscapes:
Hollow Rock and the Solstice by Hayes Scriven.
Kadunce Creek by Don Davison.
Layers and layers by Thomas Spence.
Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park by Bryan Hansel.
Off the beaten path by Roxanne Distad.
Silver moonset over the Big Lake by Chuck Olsen.
Happy Holidays by David Johnson.
Some tasty waves and the Sawtooth Mountains in the background from Grand Marais by Thomas Spence.
Crazy beautiful by Michele Miller.
A little taste of black ice magic by Sarah Reller.
A Lake Superior sunset by Kjersti Vick.
Yesterday on the Big Lake by Matthew Baxley, Bear Witness Media.
In a normal year, I would be photographing ice-laced ships and sea smoke by David Schauer.
A meteor in the sky by Jamey Penney-Ritter.
Holiday cheer by John Bragstad.
Happy Holidays, everyone! Best wishes to all.
There’s still time to make a holiday donation to NorthShore ArtScene. We so appreciate and rely on your support. Just click on the icon below to contribute. Thank You!
Here are the people who helped make this blog possible: Jeremy Lopez, Live Music Schedule, proofreading and technical advice; Yvonne Mills, proofreading and Kari Carter, photo captions and research. Thank you!
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