Labor Day Weekend on the North Shore

Greetings from the North Shore, where we are enjoying these last days of summer. Some are braving the heat, crowds, rain, and storms in the Twin Cities to see the 2024 Minnesota State Fair, one way to celebrate the end of summer, for sure.

Labor Day in Cook County is pretty quiet, though. But art-making continues, especially for all the artists getting ready to exhibit their work in their studios during the Art Along the Lake Fall Studio Tour, which starts Sept. 27.

This weekend starts on Thursday with Art Night at Joy and Company. It’s White Box night, and participants can pick up a white box filled with a variety of art supplies and make something beautiful. The event is held from 3:30 to 5 pm at the shop. It is free, with a $5 suggested donation.

Also on Thursday, the Grand Marais Farmer’s Market will be held in the parking lot of the Cook County Community Center from 4:30-6 pm.

The market features everything from fresh flowers, locally grown vegetables, homegrown mushrooms, baked goods, and more. The market will continue through early October.

On Thursday night, Cook County Trivia will be held at Up Yonder from 6-8 pm.

Sponsored by the Cook County Historical Society, the games include some history questions as well as lots of others. It’s a bar-style event and is open to all. Free.

A new antique shop is opening in Grand Marais on Friday at 10 am. Called the Scruffy Dog Vintage Emporium, it is owned by Annette Block-Valdivia and is located in the old RV Building at 1912 W. Hwy. 61.

A soft opening will be held over the Labor Day weekend, starting at 10 am on Friday and continuing through Labor Day. Look for lots of fun antiques and unusual collectibles. The shop is planning to be open from 11 am to 5 pm Wednesday through Sunday during the year. Listen to an interview with WTIP’s Kalli Hawkins here.

On Friday night, backpacker Ozzie Reif will give a presentation at North House Folk School about how he is crossing the wilderness using hand-made gear.

Reif is hiking the Kekekabic and Border Route Trails using gear he made himself from natural materials. He will give his presentation from 7:30-8:30 pm. Free and open to the public.

Saturday opens with the Cook County Market in the parking lot of the Hub at 10 am.

The market features glass, pottery, paintings, jewelry, lotions and balms, leatherwork, knitted items, and more. It is open from 10 am to 2 pm. (Hint: There is often an unofficial dog parade around noon.)

Also on Saturday:

On Sunday, the Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center will hold its annual Old-fashioned Pie and Ice Cream Social, one of the most popular events in its 2024 season.

The North Shore Swing Band will perform on the front porch of Chik-Wauk Lodge from 1-3 pm.

As always, there will be lots of locally homemade pies to choose from. There is a suggested donation of $5 per slice of pie, ice cream, and beverage. (If you would like to donate a pie or enter the pie competition, email info@gunflinthistory.org or call 218-388-9915.

The day also features:

• Annual Chik-Wauk sidewalk sale which offers steep discounts on many gift shop items
• Gunflint Trail Business Pie Competition
• Individual Pie Competition
• Pie-eating Contest
• Silent Auction
• Games

The event is free. Open to all.

On Wednesday, Vahle Fine Art, located in the Birch Alley Building directly behind the Gunflint Tavern will hold a season-ending reception from 5:30-7 pm at the gallery.

Vahle is a plein air artist who opened the gallery in Grand Marais this year. The reception is open to all. Refreshments will be served.

There’s lots of live music at venues across the county this weekend, too. See the Live Music Schedule below for more info.

Exhibits:

The exhibit, Northwoods Quilt Art, with work by Beret Borson Nelson, continues at the Johnson Heritage Post.

The exhibit continues through Sept. 8. The Johnson Heritage Post is open from 10 am to 4 pm Wednesday through Saturday and from 1-4 pm Sunday. Free.

This is the last weekend to see two exhibits at the Grand Marais Art Colony‘s Studio 21 and Gallery Store: Embodying the North Shore, and Natalija Walbridge’s applique exhibit.

Embodying the North Shore features works by well-known North Shore artists donated to the Art Colony by Bonnie and Gene Martz. The works are all for sale. The artists include Betsy Bowen, Jim Brandenburg, David Gilsvik, Keith Havens, Gene Martz, Lee and Dan Ross, Elaine Sivertson, Howard Sivertson, Jan Sivertson and Liz Sivertson. For more information about purchasing the art, call the Art Colony at 218-387-2737.

The exhibit of applique work by Natalija Walbridge is inspired by the beauty of the Northwoods.

Studio 21 and the Gallery Store are open from 10 am to 4 pm Thursday through Saturday. Free.

 Azania Means Freedom Project, a captivating multi-media exhibit featuring paper collage earrings by Azania Tripp, is currently on view at the Duluth Art Institute‘s Downtown Galleries.

Tripp’s collage earrings serve as both accessories and conduits of storytelling. Each piece is meticulously crafted to depict themes of Afrofuturism, Eurasian culture, the power of joy, and the enduring impact of historical trauma. From bold images of people adorned with flowers and birds to surreal scenes of figures sitting atop giant fruits, Tripp’s work is a testament to celebration. The exhibit continues through Oct. 11.

The Art Institute galleries are located on the 4th floor of the US Bank Building in downtown Duluth, 130 w. Superior St. The hours are from noon to 5 pm Monday through Friday.

Lizzard’s Gallery in Duluth features Musings, a collaborative exhibit with artists Adam McCauley and Sue Rauschenfels.

The exhibit is an interconnection of ideas, colors, and shapes. The gallery is also exhibiting works by several other regional artists.

The Fine Art Exhibition at the Minnesota State Fair continues through this weekend.

Rejected! or Art That Didn’t Make the State Fair is currently on view at the Burl Community Art Gallery in Lowertown, St Paul. 

Of the thousands of artworks submitted to the Juried Fine Arts Competition, only 300 or so were picked to go on view. Enter the Burl Community Art Gallery in Lowertown, St. Paul. For the past few years, the gallery has hosted “Rejected!”, an exhibit in the spirit of Salon des Refusés in Paris in 1863, which showed artworks rejected by a government-sponsored exhibit, Paris Salon, one of the largest art shows in the world at the time.

This year, the gallery is featuring the works of 70 Minnesota artists whose works didn’t make it in the competition.

Opportunities:

The Grand Marais Art Colony is offering potters the opportunity to make bowls for the Empty Bowls Fundraiser in its ceramics studio this fall.

The free Open Studios for Empty Bowls will be held from 5-8 pm on Thursday, Sept. 10 & 26 and Oct. 10 & 24. Anyone who can make bowls (on the wheel or hand-building) without assistance is welcome. No instruction will be provided. The bowl-makers are also invited to help trim and glaze them in preparation for the Empty Bowls fundraiser, which will be held on Nov. 21 at Up Yonder this year.

To sign up, click here.

Last year, Empty Bowls raised more than $87,000 to help feed the hungry in Cook County. Here’s the breakdown:

The Art Colony is also looking for volunteers to help with Paint-A-Bowl sessions at Studio 21 Oct. 17 & 18 during the David Hahn Memorial Art Days youth event. For more information, contact Brett at ceramics@grandmaraisartcolony.org

Upcoming:

Watercolor artist Margie Helstrom will exhibit her work in the Art Colony’s Gallery Store starting Sept. 5.

The title of her exhibition is “Scapes.”

Grand Marais Plein Air Week is Sep. 6-13 this year, as plein air artists from all over the region descend on Cook County to paint what they see.

There are several public events during the week, so stay tuned.

Next weekend is WTIP’s Radio Waves Music Festival at Sweetheart’s Bluff in the Grand Marais Rec Park.

This popular annual festival organized by WTIP Community Radio brings together diverse musical acts spanning many genres, a balance of new artists and local favorites,  an audience of area residents and seasonal visitors, community service partners and local food makers, and a welcoming and family-friendly atmosphere. Truth be told, it’s a lot of fun, too.  The music is great and there’s lots of room for dancing. Click here to find out more and see the lineup.

Claudia Schmidt and Sally Rogers will be in concert at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts on Sept. 14, hosted by the North Shore Music Association.

The duo’s strong harmonies and vast repertoire will make this an unforgettable concert.

For tickets, click here, and stay tuned.

And three weeks from now, Sept. 19-21, North House Folk School will host Unplugged, one of its biggest parties of the year with concerts, a banquet, workshops, demonstrations, and a ribbon cutting at its new Welcome Center.

Artists at Work:

Online Findings:

Online Music:

Photographs:

Here’s a selection of photographs we found this week:

Wildlife:

Flowerscapes:

Potpourri:

Waterscapes, Cloudscapes & Landscapes:

Have a great weekend, everyone!

BTW: We’d be happy to hear from you this week. The support you give to NorthShore ArtScene makes a big difference. It keeps the blog financially secure and lets us know that you enjoy it. So donate this week! and Thank you!

Also, a big Thank You to Jeremy Lopez, Live Music schedule, tech advice;  Yvonne Mills, proofreading; and Kari Carter, photo captions, for their support in putting out this week’s issue. And thank you to Visit Cook County for its outstanding Events Calendar.