A wonderful harbor sunrise with a mini rainbow by David Johnson.
Greetings from the North Shore, where we are getting ready for the longest day of the year. We will celebrate the sun at the Summer Solstice Puppet Pageant and the Wooden Boat Festival at North House Folk School this weekend. It’s the iconic Summer Solstice event here in Grand Marais.
The other part of our story here on the North Shore this week is 3-inch rains, flooding, downed trees, and a Boundary Waters emergency, which was successfully resolved, by the way. Meanwhile, here are a few photos that we found this morning.
Flooding on Hwy 61, June 18, by Chuck Olsen.
Waterspout on Lake Superior during the storm. Photographer Connie Kirvida-Lehr, captured from a video.
You know we had a good rain when this happens — the first time the parking lot at the Cook County Co-op flooded this year. The only things missing are the ducks and the kayakers, who usually take advantage of this moment. Photo by Bryan Hansel.
Meanwhile, art happens.
It is White Box Art Night at Joy and Company this Thursday.
It is White Box Art Night at Joy and Company on Thursday.
See what’s inside the box and create with it. It could be anything– paints, pastels, a rock with string — anything goes. Art Night is held from 3:30-5 pm on Thursdays at the shop. Open to all. Free, with a $5 suggested donation.
The Grand Marais Farmers Market opens this week in the parking lot of the Cook County Community Center at 4:30 pm.
“I just love the way these bright radishes shine,” says Rachel Andrus. She and her husband, Ian, of Creaking Tree Farm, will be at the opening of the Grand Marais Farmer’s Market this Thursday. The market runs from 4:30-6 pm.
The Farmer’s Market features fresh produce, baked goods, locally grown flowers, maple syrup and more.
The market is held from 4:30-6 pm every Thursday through mid-October. Everyone is invited to the market, which will feature a variety of fresh, locally grown early vegetables and more.
Also on Thursday, raku potter Maggie Anderson will give a raku demonstration and talk at the Grand Marais Art Colony’s Ceramics Studio at 5 pm.
Maggie Anderson will give a raku demo at the Grand Marais Art Colony Ceramic Studio at 5 pm on Thursday.
She will discuss raku firing techniques and equipment and then fire a pot or two to demonstrate the ancient techniques to create unique and striking surfaces on the pots. The demonstration is open to the public. Registration is required. Tickets are $25, free to current ceramics students. Click here for more info.
A Paint & Sip class will be held at Surfside Ballroom from 5-7 pm on Thursday.
A Paint & Sip class will be held at Surfside on Thursday.
All supplies, including acrylic paints and a complimentary flight of wine tastings (with more available for purchase), are provided, as well as instructions. To register, click here. Cost is $40.
Also, this Thursday, Grand Portage photographer, Travis Novitsky will tell stories about photographing the Aurora Borealis, or Jiibayag Niimi’idiway, at Drury Lane Books from 6-7 pm. A book signing will follow.
Travis Novitsky will give a talk about making his photographs for his book, Spirits Dancing, at Drury Lane Books on Thursday.
Spirits Dancing was the No. 1 bestseller at the bookstore last year. The book touches on the Western perspectives of the Northern Lights but also discusses the understandings and their significance to Indigenous peoples. Authored by Annette S. Lee with notes and stories from Novitsky, this collection is equal parts educational and personal stories along with a great collection of photographs by Novitsky.
The public is invited to hear his inspiring and insightful talk.
And, the North Shore Swing Band will play for Jazz Night at Up Yonder from 7-9 pm on Thursday.
The North Shore Swing Band plays for Jazz Night at Up Yonder on Thursday at 7 pm. Photograph by Carah Thomas.
The band features a 15-20-piece band with amazing players and vocalists. Their music is great for dancing, too. Catch them every third Thursday of the month from 7-9 pm at Up Yonder. Free.
The Summer Solstice and Wooden Boat Festival is Friday and Saturday this year, celebrating the very best of summer on the North Shore of Lake Superior.
Cedar strip canoes are one of the highlights of the North House Folk Schools’ Wooden Boat Festival. This year, there will be a Harborside Boat Walk from 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday featuring lots of beautiful wooden boats. (File photo.)
The two-day festival features lots of wooden boats, hands-on experiences, a tools auction, a poetry slam, live music, and contra dancing, the Lake Superior Chowder experience, to name a few of the activities and opportunities over this two-day event.
New this year, there will be a greater focus on the things that make summer on the harbor so special. Discover the stories behind this region’s boats, try your hand at traditional crafts, share a dance and some ice cream with family and friends, or simply soak up the feeling of being by the lake during the longest days of the year.
Highlights include:
- Hands-on craft for all ages
- Paddling and sailing on Lake Superior
- Craft tools and supplies auction
- Live music and contra dancing
- Cookout and ice cream social
- Mini-courses
And not to forget the Summer Solstice Puppet Pageant, which will be held at 8 pm on Saturday in the Commons at North House. The title of the pageant this year is “Eclipse of the Heart,” and it should be wonderful. Volunteers throughout the community have been working hard for more than a month to create the story, make the puppets, practice the music and rehearse. The pageant is a production of the Good Harbor Hill Players.
The Summer Solstice Puppet Pageant is at 8 pm on Saturday, June 22.
Come with a chair and layers, as Lake Superior can throw curve balls. Donations at the end of the performance are always appreciated.
To find a full schedule of the weekend activities, click here.
The weekend is also chockfull of other events.
On Friday, the opening reception for the Karen Nease exhibit, Found Horizons: Imagined Topographies will be held at the Johnson Heritage Post from 5-7 pm. Refreshments will be served.
Found Horizons: Imagined Topographies with work by Karen Nease opens at the Heritage Post on Friday.
Nease’s artwork highlights her devotion to the land and water, with images that bridge the gap between familiar and fantastical. She is a fiscal year 2024 recipient of a Creative Individuals Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. The exhibit continues through July 14.
The public is invited to the opening reception. The Heritage Post is open from 10 am to 4 pm Wednesday through Saturday and from 1-4 pm Sunday. It is closed on Monday and Tuesday. Free.
Also on Friday, a special edition of the Full Moon Reading, with poet and baker Danny Klecko, will be held from 6-8 pm at Drury Lane Books beside the bonfire on the beach. The remaining portion of the evening will be reserved for the monthly open mic reading and book signing.)
Poet and baker, Danny Klecko, will read at Drury Lane Books‘ Full Moon Reading on June 21.
Klecko’s book, “A Bakeable Feast: Bread, Sex, Honor” rises high with rhythmic lines and paces through recollections of a side of life only those in food service get to see. Big in energy, and down-to-earth in reality, this event will be one for the books.
On the rare occasions when Klecko is not in the bakery, you can find him at the Grandview Theatre watching “Oppenheimer,” reading Sinclair Lewis, or at the Owl Bar in Balto having cocktails with his sister.
The event is free and open to the public. Accessibility is limited due to beach rock. Content can vary, and parental discretion is advised.
Saturday is very busy in Grand Marais.
First up, the Community Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser will be held on Saturday from 8-11 am at The Hub.
A Community Breakfast Fundraiser will be held at The Hub from 8 am to 11 am Saturday.
The event is sponsored by the Cook County Council on Aging, staff, and volunteers. Proceeds benefit programs and activities sponsored by The Hub. Open to all.
Starting at 10 am, the Cook County Market will be held in the parking lot of The Hub until 2 pm.
Cook County Market is open from 10 am to 2 pm in the parking lot of The Hub.
This popular market features a great selection of handmade items from local artists and craftspeople, including paintings, pottery, knitwear, jewelry, rock art, hand-dyed scarves and clothing, and more. Open to all.
Also at 10 am, woodcut printmaker Nick Wroblewski will give a free demonstration of woodblock printmaking techniques at the Grand Marais Art Colony’s Studio 21. Wroblewski is known for his incredibly detailed landscape prints.
Woodcut artist Nick Wroblewski will give a demo and talk about printmaking at Studio 21 at 10 am Saturday, June 22.
There are many different ways to make a relief print. In this demonstration, the artist will show some of the techniques used to create multiple-color woodblock prints. He will talk about his approach and the tools he uses to express a vision within the general parameters of printmaking. He may or may not talk about efficiency being overrated.
This activity is sponsored in part by Joy and Company.
The weekly Children’s Story Hour at Drury Lane Books is from 11 am to noon on Saturdays.
Children’s Story Hour with Kevin Kager is at Drury Lane Books on Saturday at 11 am.
Kevin Kager is featured in this popular children’s event, reading stories with drama and humor. Open to all. Free.
Historic Cook County offers two tours this weekend: A tour of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, known locally as the “Chippewa City Church” is held every summer weekend, Friday through Sunday, from noon to 2 pm, and a Harbor History Walking Tour, which is held on Saturdays from 1-2 pm.
The Harbor History Walking Tour is held on Saturdays at 1 pm.
Participants in the Walking Tour gather outside the Historical Society’s Museum on Broadway at 1 pm to start the tour. All events are free and open to all.
Also on Saturday and Sunday, participants in the Grand Marais Playhouse Summer Theater Camp will present two performances of the musical Finding Nemo Kids from 1-1:30 pm.
The Grand Marais Playhouse Summer Theater Camp will present Finding Nemo Kids at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts at 1 pm Saturday and Sunday.
Dive into the big blue world of Disney and Pixar’s Finding Nemo KIDS! This new stage musical is a 30-minute adaptation of the beloved 2003 Pixar movie Finding Nemo, with new music by award-winning songwriting team Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.
Finding Nemo KIDS brings a vibrant underwater world to life on stage in a story full of family, friendship, and adventure. Admission is by donation. The public is invited.
At Voyageur Brewing Co., the Cook County Invasives Team will give a presentation about Purple Loosestrife from 2 – 4 pm. This is the Brewery’s 2nd annual Invasive Species event.
An Invasive Species Brewery event will be held from 2-4 pm at Voyageur Brewing Co.
What to Expect:
- Family Friendly Activities
- Limited-Release Purple Loosestrife Themed Beer
- Cook County Nature Trivia, starting at 2:30 pm
- Invasive Species Education & Awareness Booth
The public is invited. Free.
On Sunday, forest ecologist, Lee E. Frelich, will give a free presentation at Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center on “The Future of the Boreal Forest.”
The future of the boreal forests will be featured in a talk at Chik-Wauk on Sunday. Photo courtesy of Visit Cook County.
Frelich is the director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Forest Ecology. His research has been featured in The New York Times, Newsweek, and The Washington Post. He has also provided consulting services on forest management for the U.S. Army, Air Force, National Forest Service, and National Park Service. Current research interests include large-scale fire and wind, earthworm invasion, and climate change in temperate and boreal forests.
Chik-Wauk Museum & Nature Center is located 55 miles up the Gunflint Trail National Scenic Byway (Cook County Highway 12), 1/4 mile off of Cty Rd 81 on beautiful Saganaga Lake.
On Tuesday, the Duluth Art Institute will hold an opening reception for its annual Member Show in its new space. The gallery space is located on the 4th floor of the First Bank Building in downtown Duluth.
The Duluth Art Institute‘s Member Show opens in its new space with an opening reception from 4-8 pm on June 25. In the photo above, submissions to the Member Show line the gallery space, ready for hanging.
The opening reception is from 4-8 pm. This is also an opportunity to see the new gallery space for the Art Institute. The public is invited.
And on Wednesday, June 26, The Splints will hold a CD Release Party at Up Yonder from 7-10 pm. The Splints are known for their energetic multi-genre music that is great for dancing as well as their creative arrangements and exciting improv solos.
The Splints will have a CD release party at UP Yonder next Wednesday starting at 7 pm.
Band members include Leah Thomas, accordion, fiddlers Max Bichel and Ben Obinger, Rick Brandenburg, drums, Jeff DeShaw, bass, Liz Sivertson, saxophone. The new album is called Sparta Sessions.
The songs in the Splints new CD, Sparta Sessions, are on Band Camp. Listen here:
WTIP’s Will Moore recently interviewed the band. Listen to this great interview here.
Ongoing:
The US Forest Service hosts a summer series of Naturalist Programs at different resorts, campgrounds, and nature sites around Cook County. The programs have been presented for 20 years. On Saturdays, for example. there will be a wildflower walk, a presentation on Minnesota bats, a walk on Artists Point, and a talk on wildlife in Minnesota. Each will be held at different times and places.
The Forest Service will hold a wide variety of naturalist programs this summer. To see the complete schedule click here:
All programs are free and open to the public. To find out more, click here.
Exhibits:
The Grand Marais Art Colony has two exhibits at Studio 21.
Embodying the North Shore features works by notable North Shore artists collected by Gene and Bonnie Martz over many years. The works were donated by their estate to the Art Colony. Look for work by Betsy Bowen, Jim Brandenburg, Dave Gilsvik, Keith Havens, Gene Martz, Dan & Lee Ross, Elaine Sivertson, Howard Sivertson, Jan Sivertson, and Liz Sivertson.
The Grand Marais Art Colony‘s Summer Exhibition is at Studio 21. The Loon sculpture is by Lee and Dan Ross.
The exhibit continues through Aug. 31.
The Gallery Store features a different North Shore artist each month. This month, Duluth painter Sarah Sedielman is exhibiting her work.
Never Forget all the good things you have done, acrylic, by Sarah Seidelmann.
These joyful pieces light up the Gallery Store. The store also has work by several local and regional artists.
The downtown studio/gallery complex is open from 10 am to 4 pm Thursday through Saturday. Free and open to the public.
The exhibit, The Company of Trees, is currently on view at the Tweed Museum of Art.
One of the pieces in the Tweed Museum of Art’s exhibit: The Company of Trees.
The exhibit features work by a selection of artists in the Tweed’s Permanent Collection.
Lizzard’s Gallery in Duluth features new work by Sue Rauschenfels and Adam McCauley.
Lizzard’s Gallery in Duluth.
The exhibit continues through the end of the month.
There are several exhibits at the Minneapolis Institute of Art including Bizen: Contemporary Expressions of an Ancient Japanese Pottery.
Flower vessel, 2015, by Isezaki Jun, Japanese born, 1936.
Bizen ware, characterized by its rich reddish-brown clay with natural ash glaze, is one of Japan’s six pottery traditions. Originating from today’s Okayama prefecture on the Seto Inland Sea, its history reaches back to the 14th century. It peaked during the late 16th century when the tea masters in and around Kyoto, the center of culture in Japan, found it most appealing. With the modernization of Japan in the mid-19th century, Bizen almost disappeared, but the tradition was revived in the 1930s, and many artists since have explored its potential. While some have stayed closer to conventional forms, others have surprised with new shapes while staying true to the core of Bizen. This exhibition showcases the journey in Bizen from the 16th century to the 21st.
The exhibition continues through Feb. 16, 2025. Free.
The new exhibit at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Keep Yourself Alive, is the debut exhibition by Jim Oskineegish, a second-generation Woodland artist from Eabametoong First Nation (Fort Hope). Curated by Caitlyn Bird, Jim’s paintings fuse personal stories with Woodland, Surrealism, and Pop Art. This exhibition of 13 portraits is a love letter to his heroes.
Keep Yourself Alive is a new exhibit at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery.
In 2010, after a major surgery and a long recovery, Jim experienced painful memories from his childhood, specifically the abuse and trauma he endured as a 60s Scoop survivor. In his My Hero Series, he portrays his childhood heroes, including 1980s rock stars like Jimi Hendrix and Freddie Mercury and movie stars such as Bruce Lee and Chief Dan George. His portraits also pay homage to family and friends, like his late brother, Robert Kowalow. For Jim, these heroes have qualities of strength and bravery and provide comfort and inspiration for keeping yourself alive.
An opening reception will be held at the gallery on June 22. The exhibit continues through Sept. 15.
Opportunities:
The Grand Marais Art Colony will hold a Youth Character Creation Camp at Studio 21 June 24-27 from 8 am to noon each day, The camp will be led by author and illustrator Nancy Carlson, who has published more than 67 books.
A Youth Character Creation Camp will be held at Studio 21 June 24-27.
Students will invent a character or characters and use artwork and the written word to bring them to life. Along the way they will learn about character development, storyboarding, and sequential art as it works in picture books. They will also discuss ways to help their imaginations grow by reading, daydreaming, and turning off all electronics once in a while.
All supplies and materials are provided. Youth scholarships are available based on financial need. Additionally, all Cook County youth are eligible to receive a one-time $50 scholarship through the Eric Thomas Fund.
Campers will share what they’ve learned and created on the final day, June 27, from 12 – 12:30 pm. All parents, caregivers, and the community are invited.
To find out more and register, click here.
Artists At Work:
Given Days, a book of poems by Amy Woschek Schmidt is now available for pre-order. Cover illustration by Gary Kelley. Click here for more info and to pre-order.
Betsy Bowen’s 2025 calendar, Birches, has arrived in her gallery.
Earrings by Tashia Hart.
Print from Woman on Water by Patricia Canelake. It is currently on view at Duluth Pottery & Tile in Duluth’s Lincoln Park.
Wrapped rock by Jill Terrill.
Mug, Jonathan Walburg, Lake Superior Pottery.
Ink and watercolor sketch by Bryan Hansel.
Headwaters Mississippi River, papercut, by Ellen Sandbeck. She is exhibiting her work at the MacRrostie Art Center in Grand Rapids.
Tettegouche, oil by Dan Olson is currently on view at Joy and Company.
Online Findings:
When the hospital ward is an art gallery: MinnPost
Mayo Clinic entrance. Photograph by Sheila Regan.
Above the front doors of the main entrance to the Mayo Clinic, rainbow colors flow diagonally across the half circle. The earth and sky meet at a jagged horizon line, but it’s also a piece that abstracts nature. Continue reading the MinnPost article here.
GES collects nearly 10,000 plastic bottle caps for the bottle cap mural project: WTIP Community Radio
Bear cub and fawn crafted from bottle caps by GES students. Read the story, see more photos and, and listen to it here.
For the past eight months, the students at Great Expectations School have helped design, create, and build three murals, primarily out of plastic bottle caps. The mural project, spearheaded by kindergarten teacher Anne Mundell, aims to raise awareness of recycling and the amount of plastic waste in Cook County.
Continue reading the article, see more photos, and listen to the interview by Kalli Hawkins here,
Online Music:
Live Music:
Thursday, June 20:
- Tommy Wotruba, Raven Rock Grill at Skyport Lodge, 6-8 pm
- Bump Blomberg, Gunflint Tavern’s Rooftop Bar, 6-9 pm
- Gordon Thorne, North Shore Winery, 6:30-8:30 pm
- North Shore Swing Band, Up Yonder, 7-9 pm
Friday, June 21:
- Rod Dockan and Friends, Birch Terrace Supper Club, 4:30-7:30 pm
- Timmy Haus, Moguls Grille and Tap Room, 7-9 pm
- Landscapes, Gunflint Tavern’s Rooftop Bar, 7-10 pm
- Joe Paulik, Bluefin Grille, 8-10 pm
Saturday, June 22:
- Tom van Cleve & Erik Hahn, Cook County Saturday Market (Senior Center Parking Lot), 10 am
- Kenna Rose, Gunflint Tavern Raven’s Nest, 2-4 pm
- Adam Moe, Bluefin Bay behind Bluefin Grille campfire on the beach, 6-9 pm
- Landscapes, Gunflint Tavern’s Rooftop Bar, 7-10 pm
- Bump Blomberg, Moguls Grille and Tap Room, 7-9 pm
Sunday, June 23:
- Vlad Messing, North Shore Winery, 3:30-5:30 pm
- Timmy Haus, Moguls Grille and Tap Room, 5-7 pm
- Joe Paulik, Gunflint Tavern Raven’s Nest, 3-6 pm
Monday, June 24:
- Timmy Haus, Bluefin Grille, 8-10 pm
Tuesday, June 25:
- Eric Frost, North Shore Winery, 5-7 pm
- Joe Paulik, Bluefin Bay behind Bluefin Grille campfire on the beach, 6-9 pm
- Open Stage, Up Yonder, 6-9 pm
Wednesday, June 26:
- Splints (CD Release Party), Up Yonder, 7-10 pm
- Pete Kavanaugh, Bluefin Grille, 8-10 pm
Thursday, June 27:
- Bump Blomberg, Gunflint Tavern’s Rooftop Bar, 4-7 pm
- Gordon Thorne, North Shore Winery, 6:30-8:30 pm
- Mark Joseph and Al Oikari, Gunflint Tavern’s Rooftop Bar, 8-11 pm
Friday, June 28:
- MYsterious WAYs, Birch Terrace Supper Club, 5-8 pm
- Lost Marbles Society, Gunflint Tavern Raven’s Nest, 8-11:59 pm
- Jim Miller, Moguls Grille and Tap Room, 7-9 pm
- DJ Unity, Up Yonder, 8-11:59 pm
Saturday, June 29:
- Pat Eliasen, Cook County Saturday Market (Senior Center Parking Lot), 10 am
- Kenna Rose, Birch Terrace Supper Club, 5-8 pm
- Medicine River, Gunflint Tavern’s Rooftop Bar, 7-10 pm
- Lost Marbles Society, Up Yonder, 8:30-10:30 pm
Sunday, June 30:
- Sarah Morris, North Shore Winery, 3:30-5:30 pm
- Timmy Haus, Moguls Grille and Tap Room, 5-7 pm
- Joe Paulik, Gunflint Tavern Raven’s Nest, 3-6 pm
Photographs:
Here’s a selection of photos we found this week:
Wildlife:
A snapper, by Ilena Hansel.
Ruffed Grouse chick by David Johnson.
Loon Family by Paul Sundberg.
Common Merganser hen and brood by Michael Furtman. Taken in 2015.
Flowers:
After the rains by Roxanne Distad.
Lupines and daisies by David Johnson.
Old-fashioned lilac bush. Photo by Joan Farnam.
Lady Slippers on the Moccasin Trail by Paul Sundberg.
Potpourri:
New growth this year. Photo by Joan Farnam.
View from the Chik-Wauk Cabin by Paul Sundberg.
One sweet drop on a vine leaf. Photo by Chuck Olsen.
Cloudscapes, Waterscapes & Landscapes:
Boundary Waters Weekend by Bryan Hansel.
Post Storm Clouds by Chuck Olsen.
We get to live here by James Joerke.
The night sky over Lake Superior by Bryan Hansel.
Cloud Times by Mike Wiggins, Jr.
Sunset in Grand Marais by Bryan Hansel.
Clouds from our deck at sunset by Kim Nelson.
The Cascade rushes into Lake Superior after the rains. Photo by Bryan Hansel.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Note: If you enjoyed NorthShore ArtScene this week, please consider contributing today. Just click on the icon below. And Thank You!
Also, a contribution today says Thank You to the people who help me do this every week: Jeremy Lopez (the Live Music Schedule, tech support, and music suggestions), Yvonne Mills (proofreading), and Kari Carter (caption editing and research.) Ann Ward and Jeremy Lopez provided the music videos this week. Thank you all!
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