Plein Air, Live Music and Murder Mysteries

This is an exciting week for plein air painters and their fans. The Grand Marais Plein Air Competition started last Friday and concludes with an exhibition at the Johnson Heritage Post this Friday. Meanwhile, more than 60 plein air painters have descended on Cook County to paint its beauty, quirkiness, and secret places. We get to see all of it at the opening reception from 5-8 pm at the Heritage Post on Friday.

We also get to see the artists at work during the Birney Quick Paint on Thursday at Artists Point. This is a totally fun event that challenges the painters to make a painting and complete it in an hour-and-a-half somewhere on the Point. The public is invited to watch.

The Quick Paint starts at 3:30 pm, with judging at 5:30 pm in the parking lot of the Coast Guard Station. Free. All invited.

The Plein Air Competition will be on exhibit at the Heritage Post through Oct. 6.

Another event scheduled for this Thursday includes an exhibit of work by the Studio Immersion Cohort, which will be on view at Studio 21 through Saturday.

The Studio Immersion Cohort is a group of established artists and long-time collaborators of the Grand Marais Art Colony. Spread throughout Minnesota and beyond, they have been creating artworks at the Art Colony for a combined 150+ years. Initially working with Hazel Belvo and later establishing their annual group residency after she retired, the artists continue to imbue the North Shore art world and the Grand Marais Art Colony with creativity and excellence in their mediums. This pop-up exhibition offers a glimpse into the craft and dedication of these artists’ most recent works.

The Studio Immersion artists are Carolyn Brunelle, Patricia Devries, Lynn Glenn, Tori Jensen, Joan Malkerson, and Sally Nystrom.

They will also host an Open Studio at the Grand Marais Art Colony‘s Founders Hall from 2-4 pm Friday, and a Meet the Artists reception will be held for them from 2-4 pm Saturday at Studio 21. Free and open to the public.

Also on Thursday, Great Expectations School will hold an Open House from 4-6 pm to offer the public a chance to tour the school’s new building.

The public will also be able to meet the school’s staff and foundation members. Refreshments will be served.

Then, at 5 pm, the Grand Marais Art Colony‘s Ceramics Studio will hold an Open Studio for potters to make bowls for the Empty Bowls fundraiser, which will be held in November.

The free Open Studios for Empty Bowls will be held from 5-8 pm on Thursdays, 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.

Ongoing on Thursdays:

Joy and Company hosts Art Night in the shop from 3:30-5 pm on Thursdays. The event is open to all and is free, with a suggested $5 donation. Topics vary during the year, but this fall, Art Night will be White Box Art Night.

Participants will be given a box with art supplies and be invited to be creative with them. Open to all.

 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 has a great selection of locally grown vegetables this time of year. Also look for baked goods, maple syrup, fresh flowers, and more. SNAP is accepted.

 WTIP’s Trivia will be held at Up Yonder from 6-8 pm Thursday.

This is a bar-type Trivia featuring lots of great questions. Hosts this week are WTIP’s Will Moore and Kirsten Wisniewski.

A Reminder:

The Johnson Heritage Post will hold an Opening Reception & Award Ceremony for the Grand Marais Plein Air Competition from 5-8 pm Friday.

Refreshments will be served. The public is invited.

On Saturday, the Cook County Market opens the day at 10 am in the parking lot of The Hub.

The market features work by local artists and artisans and includes pottery, paintings, jewelry, rock art, Lake Superior stones, hand-dyed scarves and clothing, leatherwork, and more. The market runs from 10 am to 2 pm. The public is invited.

Journalist and author Joe Friedrichs will talk about his books, “Last Entry Point: Stories of Danger and Death in the Boundary Waters” and “Her Island: The Story of Quetico’s Longest Serving Interior Ranger” at Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center at 2 pm Saturday.

His books focus on in-depth storytelling from the canoe-country wilderness. An environmental and outdoor writer, he was recognized with an honorable mention for Journalist of the Year by the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists in 2023. His writing has appeared in Backpacker, the Star Tribune, and Minnesota Outdoor News. In 2024, Friedrichs founded Paddle and Portage, a digital media company focused on the Boundary Waters.

Joe will share information about how he collected the stories that are included in the 2024 book, “Last Entry Point.” He’ll have a slideshow presentation and also have special guests join him for parts of the presentation, including search and rescue volunteers from the Gunflint Trail.

All presentations at Chik-Wauk are family-friendly and free of charge.

On Saturday evening, Drury Lane Books will host a Murder Mystery Panel featuring authors  Jess Lourey, Wendy Webb, and Kristi Belcamino, by the bonfire on the beach, weather permitting. 

Lourey writes about secrets. She’s the two-time Edgar-nominated, Amazon Charts bestselling, International Thriller Award, Anthony Award, and Minnesota Book Award-winning author of crime fiction, nonfiction, children’s books, YA adventure, and magical realism.

Webb got her first writing job with City Pages, an arts and entertainment weekly in Minneapolis. She has been a journalist ever since, writing for national and local magazines and newspapers, including Duluth Superior Magazine, where she was editor-in-chief for almost eight years. She is the bestselling, award-winning author of eight novels of gothic suspense.

Belcamino is a USA Today bestselling crime fiction author, chess fanatic, and coffee addict who also makes tasty biscotti. In her former life as a newspaper crime reporter, she flew over Big Sur with the Blue Angels, raced a Dodge Viper at Laguna Seca raceway, and attended barbecues at the morgue.

The event is free and open to the public.

Also on Saturday night, Claudia Schmidt and Sally Rogers will be in concert at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts. The concert starts at 7 pm.

 Schmidt and Rogers have been weaving their voices, dulcimers, and guitars together for decades, creating an atmosphere of joy that audiences find so irresistible, that they frequently join right in. Their harmonies, double dulcimer work, and the mix of 6- and 12-string guitars compliment a wide array of songs. A concert by these two masters of their craft, combining originals, plus traditional and contemporary songs, is a delightful experience.

Tickets are $20. They can be purchased at the door or online, here.

The Evening Stars will play for a dance at Up Yonder on Saturday night from 9 pm to midnight.

The Evening Stars is a local 7-piece soul band with a horn section, featuring Todd Miller, Drew Heinonen, Barb LaVigne, Jonathan Steckelberg, Erik Hahn, Eric Anderson, and Ted Czaplicki. The band is known for great musical performances, dancing, high energy, and soul and funk dance numbers from the 60’s to today. Free.

On Sunday, Kim Gordon will give a paper batik demonstration at the Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center from 11 am to 2 pm.

On Monday, The World Press Institute will present the International Journalist Forum – Elections Discussion at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts from 7-8:30 pm.

Join the 2024 World Press Institute visiting journalists as they share their experiences covering elections in various political environments. The panel of 10 visiting international journalists will explore the critical role of the media during tense electoral periods. The conversation will delve into how they navigate political pressures and the ethical challenges they encounter while reporting on elections worldwide.  Bring your questions for a facilitated discussion. To find out more about the World Press Institute, click here.

On Tuesday, Sept. 17, Drury Lane Books will host members of the League of Minnesota Poets for a Full Moon Reading.

At least four poets from the League will attend, including Emily August, Loren Niemi, Anastasia Bamford, and Robert Wildwood. They will read from the annual publication “Agates,” and also from their work. After a brief intermission for a book signing and warming up, an Open Mic session will be held where attendees can share their favorite poetry or their writings. The public is invited.

 Exhibits:

Margie Helstrom’s exhibit in the Grand Marais Art Colony‘s Gallery Store continues.

To Helstrom, painting is exercising her spiritual self and that is defined as a place to play, experiment, and take risks. Her inspiration comes from light, shadows, natural arrangement, patterns of nature, and her interpretation of interior and exterior experiences. The exhibit continues through Sept. 28.

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

The Tweed Museum of Art has just mounted a new exhibit entitled “Dreaming Our Futures: Ojibwe and Očhéthi Šakówiņ Artists and Knowledge Keepers.”

“Dreaming Our Futures” features more than 100 works by 29 Indigenous artists. The exhibition premiered at the Katherine E. Nash Gallery at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (Jan. 16 – March 16), and traveled to Rochester Art Center (April 24 – July 21) before coming to the Tweed Museum of Art.

The exhibition was curated by Brenda J. Child (Red Lake Ojibwe), Northrop Professor of American Studies, University of Minnesota, and Howard Oransky, Director of Katherine E. Nash Gallery, with Christopher Pexa (Bdewákaŋtuŋwaŋ Dakota, Spirit Lake Nation), Associate Professor of English, Harvard University.

A fully illustrated exhibition catalog with critical essays by several prominent Native American scholars is distributed worldwide by the University of Minnesota Press and is available for purchase at the museum.

Upcoming:

North House Folk School will hold a Community Open House for its new Welcome Center from 5-7 pm on Thursday, Sept. 19, to kick off the Unplugged weekend.

There will be cake from Crosby Bakery, live music, a special free drawing for a basket of handmade crafts, and more as the Folk School celebrates with friends and neighbors.

Food trucks and local beverage providers will also be on campus with food and drink for sale for an evening on the harbor. Participants are invited to stay for the 7 pm concert under the Big Top, with pay-what-you-want tickets starting at $5. Concert information and tickets at https://northhouse.org/events/unplugged

The Great Lakes Swimmers are the featured band this year, playing on Thursday and Friday nights with local guests, including Barbara Jean Meyers. Here’s a video of the Great Lakes Swimmers.

The Roe Family Singers will play for a family concert on Saturday.

 For a complete schedule of events during Unplugged, click here.

The Art Along the Lake Fall Studio Tour is from Sept. 27-Oct. 6 this year, and features open studios and gallery exhibits throughout the county. Among the artists are Hovland artists, Lee and Dan Ross. They create in clay and stone and are also monoprint artists.

To see the complete lineup of artists on the tour, click here, and stay tuned.

Artists at Work:

Online findings:

Natural Washing Machines: 

Online Music:

Photographs:

Here is a selection of photographs we found this week:

Wildlife:

Potpourri:

Landscapes, Waterscapes & Skyscapes:

Have a great weekend, everyone!

P.S.  I am accepting suggestions for music videos. If you like, send me a YouTube link and I’ll take a listen. Send to joan.farnam@gmail.com.

Note: Please consider becoming a supporter of NorthShore ArtScene. Just click on the button below and help sustain the work that brings you North Shore arts and entertainment news every week.  Thank you!

 Thank you to Jeremy Lopez (Live Music Schedule, tech support), Yvonne Mills (proofreading,)  and Kari Carter (photo captions and research) who made this blog possible. Also thank you to Visit Cook County for its outstanding Calendar of Events.