Sugar Maples, Saints and an Eclipse

Greetings from the North Shore, where the maple groves are noisy this month as syrup-making begins in earnest. The shouts of children playing, the crunch of snow as people walk from tree to tree, checking sap flow, vats of golden liquid steaming over an open fire, and the quiet murmurs of adults working together fill the air. The result of all this activity is tasty, sweet, and an integral and honored part of the Northwoods tradition.

We had a lot of fun putting ArtScene together this week. Enjoy!

Participants in this week’s Art Night at Joy and Company will give a nod to St. Patrick’s Day as they explore “Mixing Vivid Greens.”

The mini-workshop includes instruction and materials and is free, with a suggested $5 donation. Art Night is held from 3:30-5 pm in the shop. Open to all.

On Thursday evening, the Cook County Chamber of Commerce will hold an event at the Lofty Gondola at Lutsen Mountains.

Chamber Connects are social networking events sponsored by Chamber businesses throughout Cook County. These events are free to all Chamber members, businesses, non-profits, and community members and are designed to allow attendees to connect, network, and promote their businesses in a relaxed setting. The event will be held from 5 to 6:30 pm.

Also on Thursday, WTIP Community Radio will host Trivia Night at Up Yonder from 6-8 pm.

This is bar-style trivia hosted by WTIP staff, and it is always a challenge and fun. Free. Open to the public.

Much later, a full moon eclipse is set for Thursday night through early Friday morning, weather permitting.

Lunar eclipses happen when the moon, Earth, and sun align just so. The Earth casts a shadow that can partially or totally blot out the moon. The so-called blood moon will be visible for about an hour starting at 1:26 a.m. CDT  on Friday. Peak viewing will be close to 2 a.m. CDT.

To see it, venture outside and look up — no need for eclipse glasses or any special equipment.

This is Wood Week at North House Folk School, featuring a great selection of classes and workshops. On Friday, March 14, the Folk School will host the Carver’s Conference, a day full of demonstrations, workshops, skill shares, and community gatherings.

The public is invited.  To find out more and see the schedule, click here.

There are lots of other events happening this Friday, too.

The Winter Music Series continues at the North Shore Winery. This week,  the Watershed Group will perform.

The Watershed Group is the experimental group of local musicians Will Moore, Adam Kirsch, and Cory Quirk. Together, they craft sound mosaics of jazz improvisation, drone noises, and melodic compositions between bass, clarinet, drums, and synthesized sounds. It’s something different for the winery. The music starts at 3:30 pm in the Barrel Room. The public is invited. Free.

Here’s a clip from a concert that they played at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis. According to a member of the group, Adam Kirsch, it’s more “droney” and subdued than they usually play.

The Grand Marais Playhouse will host an Italian Dinner and Improv Show Fundraiser at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts from 6 – 9 pm on Friday.

The ACA lobby will be transformed into an Italian Bistro and will feature great food, a silent auction, games, a photo booth, and more. Josh Hinke and his band of improv players will perform in the theater at 7 pm.

This is a great opportunity to support the Playhouse and enjoy improv theater at the same time. Tickets are $30. Get them here.

Also on Friday night, the old-time movie series, Films on Fridays, will screen “Algiers, “ a dramatic film produced in 1938, starring Hedy Lamarr, Charles Boyer, and Sigrid Gurie. The screening is at 6 pm at the Cook County Community Center. Free. Here’s the trailer:

The public is invited.

Also on Friday, a Full Moon Poetry Reading will be held at Drury Lane Books from 6-8 pm.

Everyone is invited to participate in this monthly open mic-style reading. While the focus is on poetry, the broader goal is human connection. Participants meet at the fire circle on the beach behind Drury Lane Books. Expect to be indoors when the weather is uncomfortable. Open to all. Free.

The Ides of March, a date dramatized by Shakespeare in his play, “Julius Caesar,” is this weekend, and here on the North Shore, two Irish saints will be celebrated to mark the day: Saint Patrick and Saint Urho. Saint Patrick is celebrated all over the world. Saint Urho, a fictional character, is celebrated in Finland, MN.

For St. Patrick’s Day, look to Cascade Restaurant and Pub, which will feature special Irish menus and drinks as well as music throughout the weekend.

The public is invited to sample the fare and listen to Irish music to celebrate this important Irish saint.

The residents of Finland have a different take on the day, celebrating St. Urho, who, according to imaginary legend, rescued the grape crop from marauding grasshoppers in days gone by. The colors of St. Urho are purple and green, and they’re everywhere, especially in St. Urho’s Parade on Saturday. Here’s a poster of all the planned events:

If you are in the neighborhood, especially for the parade on Saturday, stop by.

Saturday is busy in Cook County, too.

First up is the Who Needs Perfect? The Cook County Potters Seconds Sale at the Hub from 10 am to 2 pm on Saturday.

Look for lots of treasures that might not be “perfect” but are wonderful to have anyway.

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 2nd annual Poplar Plunge, a fundraiser for the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department, will be held at two locations on Poplar Lake on Saturday from noon to 2 pm. Freewill donations accepted.

Participants are invited to take a refreshing (and icy!) dip into beautiful Poplar Lake, located on the Gunflint Trail. Following the plunge, participants will be treated to a rejuvenating sauna session at the Poplar Haus or White Pine Lodge, the perfect way to warm up and relax.

Participants who plunge at both locations will earn a free drink and a prize. In addition to the plunge festivities, there will be food and drink specials at both locations throughout the day.

More than just a dip, the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department will be supervising each hole and accepting donations. These dedicated individuals are the backbone of safety on the Gunflint Trail, and the proceeds from the Poplar Plunge will help them continue to provide essential services to the community.

The Grand Portage Heritage Center will host “Winter Storytelling” on Saturday.

The event will be held from 1-2:30 pm. Open to all. Free.

Also, Cook County Pride will hold its Winter Potluck in the Log Building at the Community Center starting at 4:30 pm on Saturday.

A social hour and potluck start at 4:30 pm, followed by a Pride Committee presentation at 6 pm and dancing starting at 7 pm.  The public is invited.

Also at 7 pm, North House Folk School’s featured guest instructor for Wood Week,  Lara R. Domeneghetti, a highly accomplished woodcarver teaching for the first time in the U.S, will give a presentation.

Lara hails from an Italian multigenerational family of woodcarvers and gilders but found her artistic home and passion in medieval Norwegian-style carving. The presentation is free and open to the public.

The After School Art Club will hold two Pop-Up exhibits next week in Studio 17.

• Ages 6-9 | Tuesday, March 18,  from 4:30-5:15 pm.
• Ages 10-13 | Wednesday, March 19, from 4:30-5:15 pm.

The young artists of the After School Art Club have been working with a lot of different mediums like printmaking, paper-weaving, dot painting, wax-resist, and more. The public is invited to see the work of the next generation of North Shore artists. Free.

On Wednesday, the Songwriter Series continues at the Lofty Gondola with a performance by Alpha Consumer. The band is an innovative indie rock group based in Minnesota, known for its eclectic sound that blends elements of rock, electronic, and experimental music. Formed in the Twin Cities, the band has built a reputation for its genre-defying music, rich instrumentation, and thought-provoking lyrics.

Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Click here for tickets.

Exhibits:

The Winter Plein Air exhibit continues at the Johnson Heritage Post.

The exhibit features paintings by members of Minnesota Outdoor Painters, who spent a week painting at YMCA Camp Menogyn.

 The exhibit continues through March 23.

Travis Novitsky is the Artist of the Month at the Heritage Post.

Sculptor Rick Love is exhibiting his work in the Great Hall at Tettegouche State Park.

Love, a St. Paul artist, has exhibited nationally and internationally. He works across a wide range of mediums and materials, but for this exhibition at the Tettegouche Visitor Center, he focuses on wood as a means of celebrating trees, woodlands, and forests “not just as sources of beauty and inspiration, but as powerful models of sustainability.” The title of the show, “The Tree,”  serves as both a description of the show and an expression of its essence.

The exhibit continues through April 1.

Artists at Work:

Online Findings:

Ever heard of the Vegetable Orchestra? It just won a Guinness Book of Records award for the number of performances they have had using only raw vegetables.

What does the Vegetable Orchestra sound like?

Here’s a video of them shopping at a vegetable market and preparing for a concert.

Online Music:

Virg Rust’s suggestion:

Three from Annie Possis:

ArtScene findings:

Barb LaVigne’s suggestion:

Photographs:

 Here is a selection of photographs we found this week:

Wildlife:

Potpourri:

Landscapes, Skyscapes, Icescapes & Cloudscapes:

Have a great weekend!

Note: I would like to thank everyone for their continued support of NorthShore  ArtScene. Your donations make a big difference in making sure this blog is viable and available in the future. Now, more than ever, we need to step up and support the arts. If you would like to contribute, click on the icon below. 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). And a big thank you to Visit Cook County for its outstanding Events Calendar.