The Quickening

Greetings from the North Shore, where the season begins. This week, look for The HAGS Spring Art show, Charlie Parr, a Carl Gawboy talk, and a free day at all state parks and recreational areas.

Meanwhile, it’s sunny here and almost warm — we couldn’t ask for more.

This week is busy.

First up is the Lutsongs Songwriters Retreat, which will be held this weekend at Cascade Lodge and Restaurant.

Learn how to write great songs.  The featured Instructors are Steve Seskin and Mary Bragg.

Seskin is a successful songwriter who has written seven No. 1 songs, including Grammy-nominated “Grown Men Don’t Cry,” as recorded by Tim McGraw, and “Don’t Laugh at Me,” winner of NSAI Song of the Year and Music Row Magazine Song of the Year as recorded by Mark Wills.

This year’s Songwriters Retreat is sold out. Stay tuned for next year’s event.

Thursday night is Art Night at Joy and Company, a miniclass offering participants the chance to create in different media. This week, the topic is water-soluable oil paints.

Water-soluble oil paint, also called water-miscible or water-mixable, is oil paint that has either been engineered or an emulsifier has been added. This allows it to be thinned and cleaned up with water. The paint dries in two stages: firstly, any water you may have added to it yourself evaporates, and then the oil slowly oxidizes and cures just like conventional oil paint. Different brands will vary in terms of how they handle. The public is invited to come and experiment with painting on Thursday. Art Night is held from 3:30-5 pm at the shop and is free, with a suggested $5 donation.

Third Thursday at the Grand Marais Art Colony‘s Clay Studio will feature Aleka Tomlinson, who will talk about and demonstrate her techniques decorating clay surfaces.

Tomlinson is a resident in the Clay Studio and is excited to share her take on layered stenciling, free-form brush work, and finding pattern inspiration in unexpected places. She will talk about materials and imagery, followed by an opportunity for participants to get their hands dirty exploring how they can apply the methods to their own work. Potters are welcome to bring a few leather-hard pieces, but that is not necessary.

The event starts at 5 pm. Free.

On Friday, the Hovland Arts Guild, or HAGS, opens an exhibit at the Johnson Heritage Post with a reception from 5-7 pm.

This should be a fun exhibit with works from every medium crafted by 16 Hovland artists. Look for paintings, glass, fiber art, photography, pottery, jewelry, leatherwork, collage, balms, and more. Artists who are exhibiting include: Becky Heller, Jo Wood, Rachel Klesser, Bob Tamanaha, Robin Penner, Dee Clossen, Terry Lewis, Neil Sherman, Jill Terrill, Helle Brockovich, Katy Attleson, Kim Knutson, Maxine Linehan, Shannon CrossBear, Meadow Carr, and Gina Adams. 

The exhibit continues through May 18.

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

 Saturday is busy.

Drury Lane Books launches the day by celebrating Independent Bookstore Day with an Author Meet and Greet, giveaways, goodies, and more from 10 am to 5 pm.

From 12:30 – 2 pm, the bookstore will be hosting debut kid-author Kiki Garcia, 9,  with her book, Fishing by Torchlight. Ningaabi Giizhigukwe, Delores Kiki Garcia, is a member of Mashkiiziibii, the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe on the south shore of Gichigami. She is a member of the Migizi (Bald Eagle) Clan and enjoys the responsibility of teaching others about Ojibwe history, culture, and language. She loves her friends and especially her dog Ogichidaa and cat Snowy. Kiki and her dad have a great time traveling to super cool places that are in her books.

The event is free and open to the public, and mobility aid accessible. Note: Crosby Bakery cookies will be available.

Also on Saturday, the Grand Marais Art Colony will hold a pop-up exhibition with Printmaker Catherine Meier at Studio 21 from 10 am to 3 pm.

Meier will show her work throughout the week of April 22 – 26 at Studio 21 as part of the Art Colony’s  Earth Day programming.

Meier, who holds an MFA from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and is currently working on a University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment grant, creates drawings, animation, and large-scale installations. She will be showing a series of her newest drawings.

She will be at the Pop-up on Saturday, and the public is invited to see her work and learn about her artistic process.

At 1 pm on Saturday, Carl Gawboy, a nationally recognized artist and member of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa and also of Finnish descent, will hold a knowledge-sharing session at the Grand Portage Heritage Center.

Gawboy has been painting the history of his people for the last 50 years and has had his work exhibited nationwide. He’s also a great storyteller and knowledge keeper. See a great interview with him here.

The event is free and open to all. Highly recommended.

On Saturday night, Singer/songwriter Charlie Parr and drummer JT Bates will perform at Up Yonder, courtesy of the North Shore Music Association.

Parr’s raw, poetic folk-blues, shaped by influences like Lead Belly and Woody Guthrie, have earned him a devoted following and a catalog of 19 albums, including his latest, Little Sun (2024). Bates, a sought-after drummer known for his work with Bon Iver, The National, and Taylor Swift, brings deep rhythmic intuition to the mix.

Here is Charlie playing the title song from his latest album, Little Sun.

This extraordinary concert is sold out, BUT,there will be a few tickets available at the door, first come, first served. Tickets are $20. The concert starts at 8 pm.

And, for those who want to get out and enjoy early spring, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will host a Free Park Day on Saturday, waiving entrance fees at all 73 Minnesota state parks and recreational areas. The DNR has Free Park Days four times a year – once in each of the four seasons.

To find out more, click here.

On Sunday, the Doubles Cribbage Tournament, the 4th Annual Fundraiser for the Bob Pratt Skills, Trades, and Technology Scholarship Fund, will be held at the Birch Terrace Supper Club starting at 1 pm.

Check-in at is at 12:30 pm.

The cost is $40 per team, limited to 32 teams. Prizes will be awarded.  For more info and to register, click here.

(Please note that online registration lists the event admission fee as $20 per person, but will require you to have two attendees; at final checkout, your total will be $40.)

Questions about the tournament? Call Julie at 218-370-8068.  Questions about online registration? Call Adrea at 218-387-3411 ext 4.

On Monday, Ecstatic Dance, which takes place on the last Monday of each month, will be held at the Log Building starting at 7 pm.

What is Ecstatic Dance?

• An intentional, judgment-free space for free-form movement without words.
• An invitation to embodiment, fun, healing, flow, and play.
• Participants move to a selection of different music.
• Free and open to all.

For more information, click here.

Also Monday, the online charity auction for artworks by Joan Stadler opens. See it here.

The artwork was donated by Stadler’s family as a way to support the Grand Marais Art Colony. Bidding starts on Monday.

On May 1, raffle tickets for the quilt crafted by Carol Morgen and Nancy Backlund as a fundraiser for Care Partners become available.

Tickets will be available at Drury Lane Books, Care Partners offices, the Johnson Heritage Post, and other area locations. The quilt will go on display May 20, with the raffle drawing Aug. 24. Stay tuned.

Exhibits:

 Photographer Hayes Scriven’s exhibit at Tettegounche State Park continues.

Scriven is the Keeper at Split Rock Lighthouse and a regionally recognized photographer. His images capture the magic of the North Shore.

The Annual Member Show 2025 opens at the Duluth Art Institute on May 5.

This is always an exciting show featuring works in every medium. The opening reception is on May 28. Stay tuned.

Embodiment, a group show that centers on the narratives of the human form, opens at Lizzard’s Art Gallery and Framing in Duluth on Friday.

New figurative works by Sara Brokke, Patricia Canelake, Alexa Carson, Adu Gindy, Melanie Lieb, Scott Murphy, Wendy Rouse, Natalie Salminen-Rude, and a special painting by the late Lee Englund. The opening reception is from 4-7 pm on Friday. The public is invited to see this extraordinary show.

 The Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona is currently exhibiting “Shelly Mosman: Currents,” on view through April 27.

Mosman is a Minneapolis-based photographer whose bold, imaginative portraits blur the lines between classical art and contemporary culture. Whether staged in the studio or amidst nature, Mosman’s work is a striking fusion of European art history and modern pop flair.

Quirky props. Unique costumes. Arresting gazes. This is portraiture like you’ve never seen before.

Click here to see more.

Upcoming:

The band, Summoning Circle, will perform at the Hovland Town Hall on Saturday, May 3 at 8 pm.

Stay tuned for details.

Mother’s Day weekend is coming up, and with it the St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour and Sale. Here’s what to expect to see this year in seven different studios, exhibiting work by more than 40 potters.

 The Pottery Tour is an annual gathering of exceptional potters and pottery enthusiasts in the beautiful St. Croix River Valley.  The seven studios are a short drive from each other, allowing some or all to be visited in a single day, and within an hour of the Twin Cities. Admission is free and open to everyone.

To read more and see where the potters will be, click here.

Opportunities:

Registration opens for the North Shore Readers & Writers Festival 2025 this month.

Members of the Grand Marais Art Colony, which sponsors the event, can register now. Nonmembers can register on April 29. This is a very popular event, and workshop spaces go quickly. To find out more, click here.

Artists At Work: 

 About this staircase mosaic project, Tony writes:

“Last autumn I spent a couple hours with my friend Levi Libra in Grand Portage. He told some wonderful stories along the Spirit Tree site. Decided to use that image in our family garage apartment. This became my winter project starting in November, and installed it by end of February. My family, including my wife Julia helped in the project. There are 18 mosaic risers. The project is dedicated to Julia as it was her idea.”

See a detail below.

Online Findings:

 Secrets of the Forest, a Nova documentary on forest restoration in Costa Rica

Video of the falls on the Baptism River

Online Music:

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Photographs:

Here is a selection of photographs we found this week:

Birdscapes

Potpourri:

Landscapes, Skyscapes, Waterscapes:

 

Have a great weekend, everyone!

P.S. Ha! The stock market has been up for the last two days. Time to contribute! Just click on the icon below to make your donation to NorthShore ArtScene. And Thank You!

 Also, thank you to Jeremy Lopez (Live Music schedule, tech advice, music suggestions), Yvonne Mills (proofreading and music suggestions), and Kari Carter (caption corrections) for helping put ArtScene together. And a big thank you to Visit Cook County for its outstanding Events Calendar.

 

Correction:The quote attributed to Sigurd Olson in the photo below should have been credited to Omond

 Solant. See the correction in the photo below.

Thank you, Rick Margl, for pointing this out.