Beauty, Author Talks & Lots of Live Music

Sea smoke on a sunny day by Bryan Hansel.

Greetings from the North Shore where we are quickening to winter, its beauty, and all the opportunities it offers us, outdoors and indoors. And artists are finding their stride in these quiet months.

This week, participants in Art Night at Joy and Company will explore the difference between  Neocolor I and Neocolor II water-soluble wax crayons.

Art Night will be held at Joy & Company from 3:30-5 pm Thursday.

There are lots of options for this art-making technique and instruction and supplies will be provided. The mini-class will be held from 3:30-5 pm on Thursday, Jan. 30. Free, with a suggested $5 donation. 

On Friday, head up the Gunflint Trail to Gunflint Lodge to celebrate its 100th Anniversary and the Grand Opening of the new Northern Lights Lodge.

The Grand Opening of the Northern Lights Lodge at Gunflint Lodge will be on Friday.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony is at 4 pm. Refreshments will be served. Tours of the new building will be available as well as a chance to learn about the lodge’s connection to Justine Kerfoot, a legendary past owner of Gunflint Lodge for over 50 years. Open to all.

The new film-screening series, Films on Friday, will screen “Laura,” a 1944 murder mystery with Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney.

The screening will be at 6 pm at the Cook County Community Center and is free. The public is invited.

On Saturday, the Cook County Winter Market will be held at The Hub from 10 am to 4 pm.

A  Winter Market will be held at The Hub on Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm.

Gina Adams is one of the artists who will be featured in the Winter Market at the Hub. She has paintings, cards, and art tea towels.

Look for paintings, pottery, knitwear, candles, balms and more. The public is invited.

Demo Days continues at the Heritage Center at the Grand Portage National Monument on Saturday.

Demo Days on Saturdays continue at the Grand Portage Heritage Center.

 Demo Days highlights the techniques and skills used by the voyageurs in the early days. This week, Eric and Berit Allison will be presenting Medical Practices and Medicines of the Fur Trade and Early America. The event will be held from 10 am to 3 pm. Open to the public and free.

Also on Saturday, author Tashia Hart will give an Author Talk at Cook County Higher Education from 2-3 pm.

Tashia Hart will give an Author Talk at Cook County Higher Education on Saturday.

She will talk about her debut romance novel “Native Love Jams” and the culinary favorite “The Good Berry Cookbook: Harvesting and Cooking Wild Rice and Other Wild Foods.” The first 15 attendees will receive a free copy of The Good Berry Cookbook, compliments of Library Friends of Cook County, which is sponsoring the event. Free and open to all.

Beyond the Reel 2025 – A Film Fundraiser for the Violence Prevention Center has been postponed due to a winter storm.

It will be rescheduled.

Beyond the Reel, a fundraiser for the Violence Prevention Center is on Feb. 1.

This annual film fundraiser is a way for the Violence Prevention Center to engage with the community and supporters. Every year a film is chosen that speaks to the mission to foster a community that cultivates healthy relationships, empowers systems to serve individuals with equity and compassion, and does not tolerate violence. Stay Tuned/

equity through a feminist lens. The film follows. The event is open to the public and free.

The Unity Request Night Dance Party will be at Up Yonder on Saturday.

The Cook County Winter Fireplace Tour begins this weekend. 

The Winter Fireplace Tour begins February 1. Pictured is the fireplace at White Pine Lodge. For more info about the event and locations, click here.

The public is invited to enjoy the fine art of Hygge at its finest. Through February, you can cozy up by a roaring fire with your nearest and dearest at some of the most spectacular fireplaces in the region. Take the annual Winter Fireplace Tour of Cook County this February and discover the best winter vacations. Click here to learn more.

On Wednesday, Feb. 5, Cary Griffith will give an Author Talk about his book, Gunflint Falling: Blowdown in the Boundary Waters at the Grand Marais Public Library at 6 pm.

Cary Griffith will give an Author Talk at the library on Feb 5.

Gunflint Burning by Cary Griffith.

On July 4, 1999, in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, a bizarre confluence of meteorological events resulted in the most damaging blowdown in the region’s history. Gunflint Falling tells the story of this devastating storm from the perspectives of those who were on the ground before, during, and after the catastrophic event—everyone, from first-time visitors to returning paddlers to Forest Service rangers.

Griffith will also discuss his latest Sam Rivers mystery, Dead Catch, which is set on Lake Vermilion. Griffith is a recipient of the Minnesota Book Award and the Midwest Book Award. Griffith will also be giving away one free book to a participant. The presentation is geared toward 10-year-olds and older. Free.

Singer/Songwriter Mae Simpson is the featured musician at this week’s Songwriter Series at the Lofty Gondola.

On Wednesday evenings, the venue is transformed into a listening room, showcasing some of the Midwest’s top songwriters. The music starts at 8 pm. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. To get tickets, click here.

Exhibits:

The exhibit, 100 Years of Art in Cook County: A Gallery Exhibition continues at the Johnson Heritage Post. The exhibit features a wide selection of work in a number of different media dating back to the 1920s. Allof the pieces are in the Heritage Post’s collection.

A portrait of Anna C Johnson, oil, by John House. It is part of the 100 Years of Art exhibit at the Heritage Post.

An exhibit of Anna Johnson’s ceramic work is on display at the Heritage Post as are her paintings.

The Duluth Art Institute has just opened two new exhibits: Tali Margolin’s multi-media exhibit, Navigating Moments, and Ellen Sandbeck’s papercuts, As Long as the Rivers Shall Run.

Tali Margolin’s Navigating Moments, multi-media, is one of the new exhibits at the Duluth Art Institute.

Ellen Sandbeck’s papercut works are on exhibit at the Duluth Art Institute.

The artists will be present for Art Night Out at the Art Institute on Feb. 28.

Thunder Bay Art Gallery has a number of new exhibits this month including Biting Back: Our Cultural Resilience with work by  Pat Bruderer/Halfmoon Woman, a member of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation.

Pat Bruderer (Halfmoon Woman), Ancestral Heartbeat, hide drum and laser etching. Photo courtesy of the artist.

“Biting Back” celebrates and shares the art form of birch bark biting, passing on traditional knowledge, and reigniting interest and appreciation for the sacred art form. A story about the survival of tradition, resilience and hope. A selection from the original 13 pieces, including illuminated laser-cut drums.

“I feel a great responsibility as a carrier of this traditional art form as well as for the teachings it holds which are many,”  the artist says. “I’m a mother, kookoom to many, and my relationships continue to thrive. Through cultural resilience, I bite back.” To find out more, click here. 

Upcoming:

The North Shore Music Association and WTIP Community Radio will present Fire in the Village: Winter Fire, an evening of music, art, and community featuring Anishinaabe artist and activist Annie Humphrey backed by Sean Carey (Bon Iver) and Jeremy Ylvisaker (Suburbs).

Fire in the Village is a collective of artists and cultural organizers based in the Anishinaabe territory of northern Minnesota.

The event will be held at the Community Center Log Cabin on Friday, Feb. 7.

Annie Humphrey, Sean Carey, and Jeremy  Ylvisaker will perform at the Log Cabin Building on Feb. 7.

The event begins at 6 pm with a social hour and printmaking followed by an Upcycled fashion show and music.

Also on Friday, Feb. 7, North House Folk School will host a First Fridays event on campus. This month will feature square dancing with musicians from Finland and Duluth. The dances will be called by Gabe Strand.

First Fridays Community Square Dance will be held at North House on Feb 7.

The event kicks off at 5:30 pm with Dinner on a Stick. Fires will be lit on the commons and North House will provide s’mores fixings and pointy sticks. Participants are invited to bring anything else they want to roast over the fire.

After that, participants will gather in the Blue Building for a beginner-friendly square dance. All dances are taught, no experience or partner is needed. Open to all. Free.

Many Tiny Lights, a fundraiser for the Cook County Schools ISD 166 Parent Teacher Association (PTA) will be held at Drury Lane Books from 5:30-8 pm on Saturday.

Many Tiny Lights will be held outside Drury Lane Books on Feb. 7.

 FYI:

The Johnson Heritage Post has new hours for the winter.

Kudos To Oddz and Endz:

Oddz & Endz will distribute over $173,000 to 22 Cook County non-profits from 2024 sales.  To read the story, click here.

 Artists at Work:

Lee and Dan Ross are working in the Grand Marais Art Colony‘s Print Studio. Photo courtesy of the Art Colony.

Grandma sends grapefruit by Mary Beams.

Mickey’s Last Road Trip, oil, by Scott Murphy.

Nipigon Brook Trout: Maazhamegosens, acrylic, by Sam Zimmerman.

Today’s coffee and crayon features thumbnail design ideas. The notebook is from UpstateMN and is by Shiki Bun. The pages are super thin sliced wood, called Kyogi in Japan. Photo by Neil Sherman.

It’s easier with a template by Holly Johnson Beaster.

Ice sculptures by Sierra Parsons.

A fisheye view from the new building at North House by Bryan Hansel.

Winter on Lake Superior, oil, by Lee England.

Online Findings:

David Johnson‘s Photo Series: The Otters and the Eagle

A peaceful scene on the ice — three otters and an eagle.

An otter catches a small Northern pike.

The eagle rushes in. One of the otters dives for cover.

The eagle tries to grab the fish but is too late. Better luck next time.

Online Music: 

Photographs:

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

Wildlife:

Gerat Grey Owl hunting by Michael Furtman.

Happy Squirrel Appreciation Day by Roxanne Distad.

A Great Grey visits downtown Grand Marais by Sierra Parsons.

Can you find the snowshoe hare? Photo by Margi Preus.

Red Hornbill in Kenya by Layne Kennedy.

A Thunder Bay coyote by Chris Artist.

What happened here? by Janice Latz.

Bad Light is good light. On a safari in Kenya by Layne Kennedy.

Potpourri:

Christian Nelson accessorized a snowman he built with his girlfriend in New Orleans last week. Photo by Kathleen Flynn for The New York Times.

Surfing Lake Superior in the winter near the Kadunce by Judy Bloom.

Landscapes, Cloudscapes  & Waterscapes:

Finally, a cloud showed up on the Massai Mara. Trees love shade too by Layne Kennedy.

Heading Home by Don Davison.

January 24 by Kim Dayton.

Icy Grin at -20F by David Johnson.

A winter view of Grand Marais by M Baxley.

A day of orange by Mary Beams.

Evanescence peeking through the trees by Don Davison.

Frosty details against lichen covered basalt columns by Bryan Hansel.

Sunrise by Siffy Torkildson.

Johnson Falls by Barb LaVigne.

Sculptures in Ice by Paul Sundberg.

Good morning, photo by Lin Salisbury.

Nice Waves This Morning by Thomas Spence.

Layers by Nancy Dumas.

Lake Superior Storm by Paul Sundberg.

Winter by Gary Arands.

And finally, this happy shot.

Otters In Winter by David Johnson.

Have a great weekend, everyone! And Happy Lunar New Year!

BTW: Contributing to NorthShore ArtScene helps us stay healthy and strong. Please consider donating today. We are always so grateful for your support.  Thank you!

A big shout out to Jeremy Lopez (Live Music schedule, tech advice, music suggestions), Yvonne Mills (proofreading and music suggestions), and Kari Carter(caption corrections.)  And a big thank you to Visit Cook County for its awesome Events Calendar. Thanks for the music suggestions from Phil Oswald (AKA WTIP’s Dr. Oz E) this week. Thanks, Phil!