The Magic of Winter by David Johnson.
Greetings from the North Shore where we are settling into winter. We all do this differently, of course, but for many of us, it’s a time to center, develop new ideas, and begin making for the coming year. It’s also a time for the total joy of being out in the snow, whether skiing, snowshoeing, skating, snowmobiling, ice-fishing or just making angels in the new-fallen snow.
Pulling on your warmest jacket is fun, too.
Cutting a sight-hole in the ice with a little sheep hide action by Cindy Hale.
And not to forget our strange winter so far, Kalli Hawkins caught this moment only last week.
Gales of January? by Kalli Hawkins.
Meanwhile, in town, art activities continue.
First up is Art Night at Joy and Company, a weekly event at the shop offering the public the opportunity to create with different art supplies and techniques. This week, participants will explore the world of Zentangle.
Experiment with Zentangle at Joy and Company this Thursday during Art Night.
Zentangle is a fascinating way to make designs quickly and easily. Supplies and instructions will be available. Art Night is held from 3:30-5 pm at the shop. Open to all. Free, with a suggested $5 donation.
Also on Thursday, Drury Lane Books will hold a Full Moon Reading at the bonfire or in the shop, depending on the weather, from 6-8 pm. Celebrate a local author during the Wolf Moon. At this Full Moon Reading, Carly Puch will be reading from her book of poems, “Back to Me.”
Carly Puch will read her poems at the Full Moon Reading at Drury Lane Books, on Jan. 25.
In the book, Puch focuses on self-empowerment and processing trauma. She guides readers through the highs and lows of the reality of healing to help them realize their truest selves. Snacks and beverages will be provided. The open mic portion to follow. All invited.
The Cook County Historical Society‘s Trivia Night is at Up Yonder on Thursday as well.
Trivia Night at Up Yonder, 6-8 pm.
The event is open to the public and is held from 6-8 pm. There will be a wide variety of trivia questions, including questions about Cook County history. Prizes. Open to all. Free.
On Friday, the Grand Marais Public Library‘s Friday Night Reels film series continues. This week, “Of Gods and Men,” (PG-13; 2010), will be screened.
In this film, eight French Christian monks live in harmony with their Muslim brothers in a monastery perched in the mountains of North Africa in the 1990s. When a crew of foreign workers is massacred by an Islamic fundamentalist group, fear sweeps through the region. The army offers them protection, but the monks refuse. Should they leave? Despite the growing menace in their midst, they slowly realize that they have no choice but to stay… come what may. This film is loosely based on the life of the Cistercian monks of Tibhirine in Algeria, from 1993 until their kidnapping in 1996.
Here’s the trailer:
The film starts at 6 pm. The doors open at 5:30 pm. Refreshments will be available. Free.
On Saturday, head up the Gunflint Trail for the Poplar Lake Scavenger Hunt.
The Poplar Lake Scavenger Hunt will be held on Saturday. Click here for details:
Three lodges are featured: Trail Center, Poplar Haus and White Pine Lodge. Participants will use the plowed trail on Poplar Lake to go between all three lodges while earning points by eating, drinking, and locating scavenger hunt items along the way. The person/team with the most points at the end of the day will earn prizes from all three lodges.
Event details:
– Scavenger hunt sheets must be picked up at Trail Center Lodge between 9 am-5 pm
– Scavenger hunt sheets are due to White Pine Lodge by 5 pm
- Pat Eliasen will be playing live music at White Pine Lodge from 3-5 pm
The winner will be announced at Poplar Haus at 6 pm – must be present to win
– Poplar Haus will have a taco bar in addition to their regular menu
– Skating rinks will be open at all three lodges
– Follow along on social media for additional details, specials, and hints leading up to the event.
Also on Saturdays, the Fiber Circle will be held at Dappled Fern Fibers from 10 am to noon.
Dappled Fern Fibers will hold a Fiber Circle from 10 am to noon on Saturday, a weekly event in the winter.
Crafters are invited to bring a project to the circle. Open to all. Free. Warm drinks are available.
On Saturday night, Historic Cook County will hold a book release party at the Johnson Heritage Post from 5-7 pm.
Historic Cook County will hold a book launch party at the Heritage Post on Saturday from 5-7 pm.
The book, “Chasing the North Wind, A Memoir of One Woman’s Lifelong Love Affair Flying a Vintage 1941 Piper J-3 Cub Aircraft and Growing up in Minnesota’s Famed Arrowhead Region, is by Kathryn Krotz-Finn, with Richard C. Struck, forward by Wolfgang Greiner, and edited by Rose Arrowsmith. The public is invited.
On Sunday, the 100-Day Project starts, offering an opportunity for creatives to practice their craft each day during the 100 days. It is open to all and free. Artists can choose to do anything during the period. Below, see how an artist did doodles for those 100 days.
100 days of doodles by Mel Beach. To get more ideas, click here:
The North Shore Artists League is sponsoring the event, and free registration is available here. The group has also organized a series of Zoom conversations for those who want to share about their project during the event.
Upcoming:
February is Hygge month in Cook County and the event launches with the Cook County Fireplace Tour on Feb. 1. The tour includes lodges with fireplaces throughout the county and is a great way to explore what we have here and show off your socks.
The annual Fireplace Tour in Cook County begins Feb. 1 and runs through Feb. 29. This fireplace is at White Pine Lodge. For more info, click here:
The Hygge Festival itself starts Feb. 3 and continues through Feb.14 with all kinds of activities and events, art exhibits, and more.
For the complete schedule of Hygge Festival events, click here, and stay tuned.
The Johnson Heritage Post will host the opening reception for Hygge: The Warmth of Winter, from 5-7 pm Friday, Feb. 2.
Hygge: The Warmth of Winter opens at the Johnson Heritage Post on Feb. 2.
This exhibit features works by members of the North Shore Artists League. Look for a wide variety of media and work from these talented artists.
Also that Friday, Tettegouche State Park will hold an opening reception for its latest exhibit in the Grear Hall from 7-8:30 pm. Artist Melinda Wolff will be featuring her Oil Paintings on Wood collection throughout the month.
Untitled, oil and wood by Melinda Wolff. She is the February Artist of the Month at Tettegouche State Park.
And just a quick note, singer/songwriters Lehto and Wright will be at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts on Feb. 10, courtesy of the North Shore Music Association.
For tickets and more info, click here.
Exhibits:
“Today I Am,” a series of digital photographs by Annelisa Roseen has opened at the Duluth Art Institute.
The Art Institute explains the exhibit this way:
“On March 26, 2020, Annelisa Roseen transformed her appearance to commemorate the birthday of Gloria Steinem. Referencing photos, videos, and biographies, Roseen unknowingly launched a 365-day journey of self-discovery.
“I needed a distraction from the mounting dread that was COVID-19,” Roseen says. “I transformed and photographed myself into artists, actors, authors, activists, and anarchists—the famous and the infamous—spanning hundreds of years, backgrounds, genders, identities and abilities, pop-culture phenoms and unsung heroes.” From March 26, 2020, to March 26, 2021, Roseen applied her makeup and costume skills to alter her appearance. The resulting 365 photographs line the corridor walls, a documentation of a year of uncertainty, voyeurism, idolization, and embodiment of the other.
Here are two of the images:
Annelisa Roseen as Lucille Ball, digital photograph.
Annelisa Roseen as Liberace.
The exhibit continues through March 12.
FYI:
The After-School Theater Club, hosted by the Grand Marais Playhouse will be held from Feb. 3 through April 18 this year.
The After-School Theatre Club starts Feb. 3.
The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council has opened a series of grants for artists and arts organizations.
Artist and art organization grants are now open through the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council.
Click on each grant to find out more: Individual Artist Project Grant , Arts & Cultural Heritage Grant and Rural & Community Art Project Grant.
Minnesota Citizens for the Arts does Minnesota
Community arts advocates talked about the effect Legacy funds had on arts in the county to representatives from Minnesota Citizens for the Arts last week.
Representatives from the Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, the Minnesota State Arts Board and the McKnight Foundation recently toured Minnesota to learn how Legacy funds have impacted the arts in their communities. Sarah Fossen, director of MCA, said they traveled 1,000 miles around the state to hear stories and recommendations from artists and arts advocates.
In 2008, Minnesota’s voters passed the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment (Legacy Amendment) to the Minnesota Constitution to: protect drinking water sources; to protect, enhance, and restore wetlands, prairies, forests, and fish, game, and wildlife habitat; to preserve arts and cultural heritage; to support parks and trails; and to protect, enhance, and restore lakes, rivers, streams, and groundwater.
The Legacy Amendment increases the state sales tax by three-eighths of one percent beginning on July 1, 2009 and continuing until 2034. The additional sales tax revenue is distributed into four funds as follows: 33 percent to the Clean Water Fund; 33 percent to the Outdoor Heritage Fund; 19.75 percent to the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund; and 14.25 percent to the Parks and Trails Fund.
The MCA meeting was held at North House Folk School last week, attended by local arts advocates, including Maggie Anderson, North Shore Artists League; Linda Jurek, executive director, Visit Cook County; Tom Morse, development director, North House Folk School; Greg Mueller, a member of the Creative Economy Collaborative, (CEC)'; Joan Farnam, NorthShore ArtScene and a representative of the Gunflint Trail Association and Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center.
The wide-ranging conversation detailed the many ways the Legacy amendment has benefited the arts community, including the artists and arts organizations, helping to make Cook County an arts destination. The MCA is expected to publish a report on its state-wide survey. Stay tuned.
Artists At Work:
Brienne Moody showed her new Fogline Triangle Shawl pattern at Dappled Fren Fibers recently.
Some light today, by Mary Beams.
Noojimo Niimi’idiwag (They Heal in Dance), rough sketch of my next painting, gouache, by Robert DesJarlait.
Hand-felted runner by Mary Sannerud.
The Trapper’s Daughter Takes the Otter Slide by Kenspeckle Letterpress. To find out more, click here:
The Broody Chicken at Nimkii Aazhibikong, print, by Christi Belcourt.
Joy In Repetition, acrylic, by Adam Swanson.
Winter Returns, acrylic, by Dave Gilsvik is at Sivertson Gallery.
Online Findings:
Making pots from scratch. Click to see.
Here’s a documentary about the Mali desert blues band, Tinariwen
And here is one of the songs from the album:
Online Music:
Live Music:
Thursday, Jan 25:
- Billy Johnson, Moguls Grille & Taproom, 4-6 pm
- Gordon Thorne, North Shore Winery, 6-8 pm
Friday, Jan 26:
- Billy Johnson, Moguls Grille & Taproom, 4-6 pm
Saturday, Jan 27:
- Pat Eliasen, White Pine Lodge, 3-5 pm
- Chippewa Trail Band, Up Yonder, 7-11 pm
Sunday, Jan 28:
- Briand Morrison, Moguls Grille & Taproom, 10 – noon
Tuesday, Jan 30:
- Eric Frost, North Shore Winery, 4:30-6:30 pm
- Open Stage, Up Yonder, 6-9 pm
Thursday, Feb 1:
- Pete Kavanaugh, Moguls Grille & Taproom, 4-6 pm
- Gordon Thorne, North Shore Winery, 6-8 pm
Friday, Feb 2:
- Bump Blomberg, Moguls Grille & Taproom, 4-6 pm
- Emma Tweten, Cascade Lodge Restaurant & Pub, 6-8 pm
Saturday, Feb 3:
- Sky Blue Jazz, Cascade Lodge Restaurant & Pub, 6-8 pm
- The Honest Heart Collective, Up Yonder, 8-11:55 pm
Sunday, Feb 4:
- Fred Anderson, Moguls Grille & Taproom, 10 – noon
Monday, Feb 5:
- Southpaws Duo (Al Oikari and Steve Johnson), Bluefin Grille 8-10 pm
Photographs:
We found some interesting photographs this week. Here’s a selection:
Wildlife:
Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus) feeding and American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) reflected; Salt Creek Beach, Salton Sea, CA. Winner of the Wildlife Photography Magazine award.
Bohemian high wire act by Sparky Stensaas.
Spruce grouse stare-down this morning by Thomas Spence.
Bent-ear cow and her little one by David Johnson.
Pine Marten Cleaning its toes by Sparky Stensaas.
A favorite Feathered Friend by Thomas Spence.
In the snow by Judy Gray.
The Busy Neighborhood by Sandra Updyke.
Ice feeding table by Mary Lou Williams.
Good morning! Photo courtesy of Hungry Jack Outfitters.
Yellow Bittern finds a precarious fishing perch by KT Wong, Singapore.
Boreal Owl settles in above the chicken coop, but not for long by Stacy Morgan.
Lunch! by Jamie Rabold.
The Downy woodpecker was attacked by a Blue Jay and flew into a window. I rescued it, warmed it up and it went on its way by Sandra Updyke.
Potpourri:
A lovely orchid from Jamaica by Roberta Ann Sorenson.
Door from India that traversed to South Florida. I thought it was incredibly sacred and imagined all those who passed through that portal. Photo by Gigi Risberg Stafne.
Showing off your socks. Photo courtesy of Visit Cook County.
A Coptic church on Tana Lake, Ethiopia, the source of the Blue Nile by Tor Tokildson.
Sid and Terry Backlund. Sven & Ole’s ca. 1992. Photo courtesy of Dan Helmerson.
Prickly hoar frost by David Johnson.
Blast from the Past. A Giant Iceberg passes Ft Amherst, Newfoundland in 1996. Photo by Brian Arscott.
Stoney Point, 2014 by Frank Sander. Little Knife Sanctuary.
Icescapes, Waterscapes, Landscapes & Shipscapes:
Winter Art by Kathy Vanderwall.
Aurora Spirit by David Johnson.
No words needed by Sierra Parsons.
Brrrr by Andy Keith.
A Night in Winter by Greg Fangel.
Waves today on Lake Superior by Kim Nelson.
The stories this ship could tell by Nicholas Narog.
Two Harbors by Hayes Scriven.
Icy splashes by Sierra Parsons.
Split Rock Lighthouse. Sea Smoke on fire by Jeffrey Doty.
Freezing up by Mathias Mullin.
A Technicolor sunset by Ken Harmon.
In for the season by Nathan Klok.
I love Lake Superior in Winter by Bryan Hansel.
A UP sunset by Sandra Updyke.
This morning’s color show by Alan Netland.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
And here’s hoping you enjoyed NorthShore ArtScene this week. We always appreciate your support. You can donate directly by clicking on the icon below. Thank You!
We are so grateful to those 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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