Fishing season begins. Photo courtesy of Fisherman’s Daughter.
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It’s up! by Janice Latz.
The Melt by Kristofer Bowman.
A Spring encounter by Heidi Pinkerton.
Greetings from the North Shore, where words aren’t even needed this time of year. We can just open all our senses when we’re outdoors and breathe in the world. Thankful.
And art-making continues.
This week, Art Night will feature an opportunity to learn to make accordion books.
Make an accordion book at Art Night this week.
The event is held at Joy and Company on Thursday, from 3:30-5 pm. All supplies to make a beautiful book will be available as well instruction. Open to all. Free, with a suggested $5 donation.
Also on Thursday, The Whole Foods Co-op in Grand Marais will hold a Town Hall Zoom meeting about a new mural that is planned for the outside of the building.
The Cook County Co-op will hold a Zoom Town Hall meeting about a new mural to be painted this summer on the building from 5-6 pm. Click here to learn more.
Artists Sam Zimmerman and Adam Swanson will work together to create this project. The public is invited to attend the Zoom. Click here to learn more.
Also on Thursday night, WTIP Community Radio will host Trivia Night at Up Yonder.
It’s Trivia Night at Up Yonder on Thursday from 6-8 pm.
This is a bar-type Trivia with lots of great questions. Prizes. Free. It will be held from 6-8 pm.
The Member Show at the Duluth Art Institute opens on Thursday.
The Duluth Art Institute‘s Member Show opens on Thursday with a reception from 5-8 pm.
The Member Show features a wide selection of work in every media from artists throughout the region. It runs through mid-June. The Art Institute galleries are located in the US Bank Building, 130 W. Superior St. The public is invited.
On Friday, May 9, the first of two ceremonies to present the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council Artist Awards will be held at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College in Cloquet. The second will be held at the Johnson Heritage Post on May 30.
The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council will host two award ceremonies this year. The first will be held this Friday, May 9, at the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College in Cloquet. The second will be held at the Johnson Heritage Post on Friday, May 30.
On May 9 at the Tribal College, Karen Savage-Blue will receive the George Morrison Artist Award for significant contributions to art in the 7-county ARAC region, and Giizh (Sarah) Agaton Howes will receive the Award for Transformational Art.
Leggings beadwork in progress by Karen Savage-Blue.
The public is invited.
Also on Friday, the 33rd annual St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour begins. It runs through Sunday, May 11. This is an outstanding opportunity to see work from 70 artists from throughout the US and England.
70 potters will be exhibiting work this year in the St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour. Photo furnished.
Refreshments served at all locations, and there will lots of beautiful pots to see. Open to all. Free.
On Sunday, Kung Fu master Zhong Xue Chao, (Master Bing) is returning to Grand Marais to teach a workshop on the elegant movements and bright spirit of The Crane. All levels of experience and ability welcome.
Preparing for summer with Master Bing.
Zhong Xue Chao (Master Bing), is a 15th generation Wudang Sanfeng Kung Fu master and teaches workshops around the world.
Early registration is $36. Tickets are $50 at the door. Click here to purchase tickets.
On Monday, there will be a Full Moon Reading at Drury Lane Books with local poet Shelley Getten. She will read from her newest collection of poetry, “Of Cows and Crows.” The event is held on the beach by a bonfire next to the bookstore from 6-8 pm. It is held indoors in inclement weather.
There will be a Full Moon Poetry Reading at Drury Lane Books on Monday from 6-8 pm.
Once the author reading is wrapped up, the floor will open to the event’s standard open mic format. During this time all are welcome to read their personal poetry, pieces from favorite poets, share stories or essays- whatever has been living in your mind that needs to be shared. The evening will finish up with book signing and purchases, and attendees can chat and get to know the poet. Open to all.
Also on Monday, the LGBTQ+ and Friends Country Western Dance Night will be held at the Cook County Community Center 4-H Log Cabin from 7 – 9 pm.
The Pride Country Western Dance will be held at the Log Cabin on Monday from 7-9 pm.
The event is free and open to all.
Exhibits:
The Hovland Arts Guild Spring Show continues at the Johnson Heritage Post featuring work by a wide selection of Hovland artists and media. Here are a few examples from the exhibit.
The Waterfall, stitched, by Kim Knutson.
Split Rock Lighthouse, print, by Marissa Saurer.
Space, by Corbin Adams, 11.
And Then There Were Two, bead painting by Jo Wood.
Terrarium by Halle Bockovich.
The exhibit continues through May 18.
The Heritage Post is open from 10 am to 4 pm Wednesday through Sunday. Free.
Wild Birds and Berries by fiber artist Natalija Walbridge is currently on view at the Whole Foods Co-op in Duluth.
Wild Birds & Berries, fabric collage art by Natalija Walbridge, is on view at the Whole Foods Co-op in Duluth at 4426 Grand Ave.
The fiber art collage series blends realism with abstraction, encouraging viewers to pause, look closer, and reconnect with the rhythms of the natural world. Bonus: Scan the QR code in the gallery for recipes inspired by the wild berries featured in the artwork. The exhibit continues through the end of the month.
The Gender Joy Art Show at the Zeitgeist Arts Cafe in Duluth opens with a reception from 5-7 pm on May 9.
Gender Joy Art Show opens at the Zeitgeist May 9.
This is the 2nd Annual Gender Joy Art Show at Zeitgeist developed by YWCA Duluth. Amy Varsek is curating the show, and a student-led community art project will kick off the opening. The public is invited.
Ways of Knowing, a multi-artist exhibit at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, continues.
Ways of Knowing is on view at the Walker Art Center.
Featuring panning drawing, photography, film, and installation, Ways of Knowing charts some of the most profound ways that today’s artists engage with information and research. Most works are being shown in the United States for the first time. Together, they invite us to reconsider the complexities of knowledge, identity, and culture.
The exhibition artists include Iosu Aramburu, Sammy Baloji, Anna Boghiguian, Cabello/Carceller, Chang Yuchen, Petrit Halilaj, Sky Hopinka, Christine Howard Sandoval, Eduardo Navarro, Gala Porras-Kim, and Rose Salane.
To find out more about the exhibit, click here.
In Thunder Bay, the Definitely Superior Art Gallery (Def Sup) is hosting a student art exhibit.
A student exhibit at Def Sup opened last weekend. Painter unknown.
The gallery is located at 15 Cumberland St. N., in Thunder Bay.
Kudos
Grand Marais Woodturner Cooper Ternes recently was awarded a grant from the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council.
Turned bowl by Cooper Ternes.
The grant funding will support the artist’s attendance to the 2025 American Association of Woodturners Symposium.
To find out more about ARAC’s other grant winners, click here.
At the risk of bragging: Here’s a story that ran on Boreal.org this week.
Artist Joan Farnam is celebrated as Johnson Heritage Post Local Artist of the Month and is the recipient of ARAC Maddie Simons Arts Advocate Award.
Moose rattle bowl by Joan Farnam is on view at the Johnson Heritage Post. The ARAC award ceremony is at the Heritage Post on May 30.
To read the story, click here.
Upcoming:
The North Shore Music Association will present the annual Grand Marais Ole Opry VIII, on Friday, May 16, at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts.
The Grand Marais Ole Opry VIII will be held at the ACA May 16.
The Opry returns with an unforgettable evening of timeless country, Americana, and roots music, headlined by none other than The Cactus Blossoms. Known for their spellbinding harmonies and vintage-inspired songwriting, brothers Jack Torrey and Page Burkum create music that feels both classic and fresh. Their latest release, Every Time I Think About You, explores themes of love, loss, and moving on, all wrapped in their signature sound—a seamless blend of heartfelt storytelling and mesmerizing vocal chemistry.
Supporting them will be Clare Doyle and her band, bringing a modern edge to soulful country and roots rock. With raw, unapologetic songwriting and a voice that carries both grit and grace, Doyle was named one of First Avenue’s Best New Bands of 2023 and The Current’s Best New Artists of 2024. Her songs pull from a life of adventure, heartache, and resilience, making for an electrifying and deeply moving performance.
Kicking off the night is local talent Lynden Blomberg, setting the stage with an authentic North Shore sound.
Expect stunning harmonies, compelling storytelling, and music that bridges past and present—this is a show you won’t want to miss!
Artists at Work:
Bowl, carved stoneware, reduction fired by David Voorhees.
This painting by Carolyn Sue Olson will be installed in the community room at the Whole Foods Co-op in Duluth on Grand Avenue.
Sunset at East Bearskin Lake, oil, by Dan Olson.
Handcrafted mug, by Sarah Reller.
A Lee Englund self portrait. The Duluth artist died earlier this year. Some of his work can be seen at Lizzard’s Gallery in Duluth.
Here’s the draft of the Northern Minnesota Gravel Ride Guide by Bryan Hansel. Stay tuned.
Field Retreat, oil, by Scott Murphy.
A beautiful day in the neighborhood by Tom Healy.
Currents, quilt, pieced appliqué, cotton, by Mary Matthews. She is currently exhibiting her quilts at Duluth Pottery and Tile in the Craft District in Lincoln Park.
Lake Superior on a winter day. This photograph by Mary Matthews was the inspiration for her quilt, above.
Change in the Hare, acrylic on canvas, by Eric Klepinger, part of the Voyageur Artists’ “Art on Tap: Transitions” group show at Castle Danger Brewery.
The Fishing Opener this weekend. Artist James Vannet currently has a fish sculpture exhibit at the Heritage Post Art Gallery.
Online Findings:
For Sparky Stensaas fans:
Online Music:
Thanks to Phil Oswald for these music suggestions:
Live Music:
- Gordon Thorne, North Shore Winery, 6-8 pm
Saturday, May 10:
- Barbara Jean and Mike Lewis, North Shore Winery, 3:30-5:30 pm
- Tommy Horricks: Neil Diamond Tribute, Grand Portage Lodge and Casino, 8-11 pm
- Eric Frost, North Shore Winery, 4:30-6:30 pm
- Open Stage hosted by Pete K, Up Yonder, 6-8 pm
- Community Singing, North House Folk School, 6:30-8 pm
Thursday, May 15:
- Gordon Thorne, North Shore Winery, 6-8 pm
- North Shore Swing Band, Up Yonder, 7-9 pm
Friday, May 16:
- Grand Marais Ole Opry, Arrowhead Center for the Arts, 7 pm
- Lynden Blomberg
- Clare Doyle
- The Cactus Blossoms
Saturday, May 17:
- Barbara Jean and Mike Lewis, North Shore Winery, 3:30-5:30 pm
- DJ Unity, Up Yonder, 9-11:59 pm
Photographs:
Here’s a selection of photographs we found this week:
Wildlife:
Here’s a series of photos of a group of breeding Canada Geese by Paul Sundberg taken at Arrowhead Lake Campground in Illinois.
Preparing the nest by Paul Sundberg.
Don’t get any closer. Photo by Paul Sundberg.
Mama’s protection by Paul Sundberg.
A sunset walk by Paul Sundberg.
A tender moment by Paul Sundberg.
More wildlife photos:
Baltimore Oriole by Bill Marchel.
Bison in the Lakes Recreation Area National Forest in Kentucky by Paul Sundberg.
Male Wood Duck prepares for a landing by Bill Marchel.
Great Grey Owl by Thomas Spence.
Loon in the rain on Lake Superior by Thomas Spence.
Comfortable in any tree by Thomas Spence.
Sandhill Crane by Thomas Spence.
Morning moose by Thomas Spence.
Potpourri:
Launching Charlie for the season by Matt Nesheim.
We made it. It’s been a year. Jeez I’m pale by Cathy Quinn.
Trailing Arbutus, the first blooms of spring have a faint lilac fragrance. Photo by Lee Ross.
Old Central Clock Tower and Hillside in Fog, Duluth by Ken Harmon.
Ice encased on the way to the High Falls by Paul Sundberg.
Landscapes, Waterscapes, Skyscapes:
At the base of the fish ladder at the Current River Dam by Don Malcolm
Spring fog has arrived by Gary Arands.
The Algoma Buffalo departing Duluth by Douglas Kilen.
Beaver River by Roxanne Distad.
The High Falls in Grand Portage by Christal Stone Kelahan.
Rainbow at the High Falls by Kristina Mattson.
Namekagon River at night by Paul Ostrum.
Have a great weekend, everyone! And Happy Mother’s Day!
PS: Mother’s Day would be a great excuse to contribute to ArtScene. We would be glad for your support.
To donate, just click on the icon below, and 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) for helping put ArtScene together. And a big thank you to Visit Cook County for its outstanding Events Calendar.
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