Marching On

Greetings from the North Shore, where we faced a dilemma of sorts this week. Should we lead with a photo of the landscape or the beings who live in it? Both are beautiful and good, but what should set the tone and mood for this week?

We opted for the land and sky, the universe, if you will. And then for art. That is a painting of the Great Grey, the owl that has made headlines this winter for the number who arrived here and their interaction with the landscape and us, looking for lunch.

Speaking of food, there’s a great food event that will be happening at ISD 166 on Thursday night. EATS, a fundraiser for the ISD 166 Education Foundation featuring a variety of tasty samples from local restaurants and resorts, live music, and an auction, will be held from 5-7 pm.

Tickets sell out quickly for this popular event, but there might be a few left. Contact the ISD Main Office to learn more. Tickets are $25.

Also on Thursday, Art Night, a weekly mini-workshop at Joy and Company will be held from 3:30-5 pm.

Art Night is free, with a suggested $5 donation. The public is invited.

On Friday, the Winter Music Series continues at the North Shore Winery, featuring a variety of local musicians performing from 3:30 to 5:30 pm.

This week, Chuck Corliss, Winery founder and regular accompanying voice for any musician playing in the Barrel Room, will be joined by his old friend Ace.

The event is free, and the public is invited.

North House Folk School will hold a contra dance this Friday.

The evening kicks off at 5:30 pm with Dinner on a Stick. North House will have fires going on the commons and will provide s’mores fixings and pointy sticks. Feel free to bring anything else you want to roast over the fire.

After that, participants will gather in the Blue Building at 6:30 pm for a beginner-friendly contra dance. All dances are taught; no experience or partner is needed. Open to all. Free.

On Saturday, North House Folk School will host Family Drop-In Crafts from 10 am – 4 pm.

The public is invited to come down to the Blue Building to try their hand at felting. Free and open to all.

On Saturday night, an extraordinary group of Mongolian throat singers will perform at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts starting at 7 pm. The North Shore Music Association is hosting the group.

Tuvergen Band is a Chicago-based folk-fusion trio that uses a rich instrumental palette to perform what they call “modern nomadic music,” incorporating bluegrass, blues, rock, and more into their repertoire of Mongolian and Tuvan folk songs and originals.

Hailing from Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia, Tamir and Naizal are both virtuosos on the two-stringed, cello-like morin khuur, also called a horse-head fiddle. Tamir is also an internationally renowned specialist in Mongolian and Tuvan khoomii (throat singing). Roman augments these sounds with a custom hybrid drum kit of twenty global percussion instruments and didgeridoo.

Tuvergen Band uses this rich instrumental palette to reinterpret Mongolian and Tuvan folk songs on subjects as varied as horse culture, nature, and everyday life in the steppes.

Tickets are $10-$30. Get Tickets here.

Wood Week at North House Folk School is March 11 – 17 this year. The event features classes, workshops, presentations, and more.

Wood Week explores the many ways wood can be shaped into useful, beautiful and satisfying objects. Each course offering dives deep into a particular form or tool, but a shared interest in what can be made from trees links everyone who joins in on the fun.

This year’s Featured Guest Instructor is Lara R. Domeneghetti, a highly accomplished woodcarver teaching for the first time in the U.S. Lara hails from an Italian multigenerational family of woodcarvers and gilders but found her artistic home and passion in medieval Norwegian-style carving.

Wood Week highlights include:

• A dozen classes in various kinds of woodcarving.
• Carver’s Conference: a free, day-long conference on March 14 with speakers, demonstrations, and community gatherings.
• Featured Presentation with Lara Domeneghetti: Saturday, March 15 at 7 pm.

For more information, including how to register for classes and more, click here.

On Wednesday, March 12, the First Congregational UCC will launch a 3-part series of panel discussions entitled Spirituality and the Arts featuring local musicians, writers, and visual artists.

Each evening will include a soup supper at 5:30 pm followed by a panel of local artists who will explore how art is tied to spirituality and how spirituality is connected to their art.  The Rev. Enno K. Limvere will serve as the moderator.

Here is the schedule and the participating artists:

• March 12 – Spirituality and Music. Join Ben Nichols, Britt Malec, Bump Blomberg, and Mike DeBevec. Participants will play a song and talk about spirituality and music.
• March 26 – Spirituality and Writers. Join Jennifer Shoals, Ryan Lang, and Stephen Janasie. Participants will read a short passage from their work and discuss spirituality and writing.
• April 9 – Spirituality and the Visual Arts. Join  Betsy Bowen, Greg Mueller, Tom McCann, Joan Farnam, and Donavan Dahmen.. Participants will show one of their works and discuss spirituality and the visual arts. The artists are currently exhibiting their work in the sanctuary.

The sessions begin at 5:30 pm with a soup supper followed by the panel discussions at 6 pm in the church basement. The public is invited. Free.

Exhibits:

 The Winter Plein Air exhibit opened at the Johnson Heritage Post on Friday. The exhibit features paintings by members of the Outdor Painters of Minnesota who spent a week painting at YMCA Camp Menogyn. Those plein air paintings are currently on view at the Heritage Center Gallery.

The exhibit continues through March 23. The Heritage Post is open from 10 am to 4 pm Thursday through Saturday and from 1-4 pm Sunday. Free.

In Duluth, Navigating Moments, works by Tali Margolin, is currently on view at the Duluth Art Institute.

Navigating Moments invites visitors to reflect on the word “home.” For each person, “home” brings up unique memories and feelings. Margolin shares stories of living in Ukraine, Israel, and the United States of America. Layered in yarn, thread, and acrylic paint, Margolin’s work explores the themes of connection, separation, and resilience. Each piece reflects these ideas in different ways, offering the viewer a new perspective of displacement and changes in the home. The exhibit continues through April 18.

 Upcoming:

Quilter Mary Mathews will open an exhibit of her quilts at Duluth Pottery and Tile in the Lincoln Park Arts District in Duluth with a reception from 5-7 pm on Thursday, March 13. The Title of her show is: Connecting Threads: Contemporary Quilts.

Mathews is an abstract quilter based in Duluth. Her quilts explore value, contrast, and repetition and are often inspired by nature, found objects, or media.

The exhibit continues through March.

Cook County Potters will hold a Seconds Sale to benefit Care Partners on Saturday, March 15, at The Hub from 10 am to 2 pm.

This is a totally fun sale featuring a wide variety of seconds from local potters. Look for mugs and bowls, plates and tumblers, casseroles and boxes, candleholders, and more. Donated artwork is also featured.

It’s a “Pay What You Want” sale, Donations Only, and all proceeds will go to help support Care Partners. All are invited to help support this important Cook County organization. Click here to learn more about it.

The doors open at 10 am next Saturday. The public is invited.

 Artists At Work:

Online Findings:

 The DNR  has just completed a northern Minnesota moose study that show the moose are holding their own.

To read the study and find more links, click here.

Online Music:

Photographs:

Here is a selection of photographs we found this week:

Wildlife:

Potpourri:

People:

Landscapes, Icescapes, Snowscapes:

Have a great weekend, everyone!

If you enjoyed ArtScene this week, please consider donating. We put a lot of work and caring into ArtScene every week to keep you up-to-date and informed about the arts on the North Shore.  Thank you.

Thank you to Jeremy Lopez (Live Music schedule, tech advice, music suggestions), Yvonne Mills (proofreading and music suggestions), and Kari Carter (caption corrections). Thank you to Annie Possis and Dennis Chick for music suggestions last week, and a big thank you to Visit Cook County for its outstanding Events Calendar.