A Larger Context

Grandfather by Staci Lola.

Moon over Lake Superior by Mike Wiggins, Jr.

Greetings from the North Shore, where we are happy to see the fruits of summer begin to arrive. This means long walks in the woods, discovering new vistas, new special places, and if we’re lucky, a fawn nestled in leafy ferns.

Fawnly by Paul Sundberg.

We can also mention the fact that we don’t have to layer-up to be outdoors, except, of course, unless you count netting up to keep mosquitos and black flies at bay. The cold weather this month has been a boon in that regard. Onward!

And art-making continues.

There are lots of interesting things to do on Thursday.

First up, learn how to needle felt in two dimensions at Art Night this week at Joy and Company. 

Needle felt in two dimensions to create beauty at Art Night this week. Photo courtesy of Joy and Company.

The Puppet-Making Workshops for the Summer Solstice Festival continue at the Cook County Community Center, too, with sessions on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through June 15.

The Summer Solstice Puppet-making Workshops continue.

At the Puppet -Making workshops, participants learn all kinds of creative and collaborative skills, from imaginative expression and hands-on art-making to planning, problem-solving, and teamwork. It’s a joyful space where kids (and adults) learn to bring big ideas to life together.

Puppet-making is fun for the whole family.

This week is the big push to get everything done before the big performance, which will be held at North House Folk School at 8 pm June 21.

Also on Thursday, North House Folk School will hold a Wood-fire baking class, one of a series of baking classes that will be held throughout the summer.

North House will  hold wood-fired baking workshops this summer. To find out more, click here.

These 2-hour classes are one of Grand Marais’s most unique experiences. Enjoy baking outdoors beside Lake Superior and get simple recipes to make at home! Open to students ages 7 and older. (Youth must register with an adult.)

Register online at northhouse.org, or by calling North House at 218-387-9762. The cost is $30 per person.

Classes will usually be offered on Thursdays from 1-3pm and 4:30-6:30pm, but some weeks this time may shift. To find out more, click here.

Also on Thursday, David Feinberg will give an Artist Talk at Grand Marais Art Colony‘s Studio 21 at 4:30 pm.

David Feinberg will give an Artist Talk at Studio 21 on Thursday.

When viewing a painting, the general public and many artists are satisfied when an artwork is identifiably understandable and is acceptable to their personal taste, Feinberg says.  What is often overlooked is the structure of visual energy that is unavoidably there. Becoming aware of implication allows the viewers (including the artist) to fill in the blanks and become an active participant. Over a century ago, Kandinsky was the first to write about visual forces as vehicles that take one from the materialistic into the spiritual. Two-dimensional art does not move physically in time like music, theater, films, etc., but implied energy in painting via one’s unconscious perceptions, can move actively in time prompting connections to the viewer’s past and possible future. David will share how, over his 50 year career at the University of Minnesota, he taught toward implied energy.

The public is invited to explore these interesting ideas with Feinberg on Thursday. Free.

On Friday, Joy and Company starts Summer Kids Activities at the shop from noon to 2 pm. The activities will be held on Fridays and Saturdays throughout the summer.

Joy and Company to hold Kids activities every Friday and Saturday this summer.

The children will explore a variety of art-making techniques in instructor-led sessions. There is a $5 suggested donation.

Also on Friday, the Grand Marais Art Colony will hold a mini-class with Nan Onkka entitled “Paper Collagraph Printmaking for Kids and Adults.”

A print-making mini-class for kids and adults with Nan Okka will be held in the Art Colony’s Print Studio on Friday.

The class is open to students ages 6 to adult, and is perfect for total beginners or anyone who wants to try a fun printmaking technique. Using paper, scissors, and glue, each student will create a unique image and will have the option to print it by hand or use the press. Students will leave the class with a print (or multiple!) to keep. Youth ages 6-10 should bring an accompanying adult to work with.

The class will be held from 1-4 pm.

On Saturday, the Cook County Market is held in the parking lot of The Hub from 10 am to 2 pm.

Dee Closson makes fine leatherwork and is one of the the vendors at the Cook County Market.

The market features a great selection of work by local artists and artisans. Look for paintings, jewelry, rockwork, pottery, leatherwork, glass, baked goods and more.

The market is held every Saturday through MEA weekend.  Open to all. Free. (Note: It’s not unusual to see a spontaneous dog parade around noon.)

Also on Saturday, Great Expectations School will open its doors for a new art-making event for kids and adults entitled Makerspace.

Great Expectations School to host Makerspace this summer.

The event will focus on an art-making project and is free.  It will be held from 10 am to noon and is open to all.

The 2025 Cook County Pride Parade will be be held on Saturday with lots of activities scheduled throughout the day. The theme of this year’s event is “Love is our resistance.”

The Cook County Pride Celebration will be on Saturday, June 14.

As in past years, events for the regional Pride event will occur throughout the month of June and culminate in a Rally and March in downtown Grand Marais starting at 5:30 pm at Harbor Park.

The day will also include family-friendly activities, wellness and community-oriented gatherings such as yoga, dancing, singing, drag, arts and crafts as well as live music. The full day of festivities will climax in a DJ dance party at Up Yonder at 9 pm. To see the complete schedule, see poster, above.

On Tuesday, the Brodini Magic Comedy Show will be performing at the Grand Marais Public Library from 3:30-4:30 pm.

The Brodini Magic Comedy Show will be held at the Public Library on Tuesday.

The Brodini Magic Comedy Show offers fun and exciting magic tricks that everyone will enjoy. Magician Graylyn Morris will raise spirits and test kids’ powers of concentration as he manipulates ropes, scarves, balls, and other props in a perplexing “now you see it, now you don’t” performance. This free program is 50 minutes long and is a family-friendly program for all ages.

The magic show is always well-attended, so come a little early to get a good seat.

 Exhibits:

The exhibit, “Neil Sherman: Recent Works” continues at the Johnson Heritage Post through Sunday.

Quarry Park, February, oil, by Neil Sherman.

The exhibit features a collection of his Cook County plein air landscapes as well as solar plate prints. Sherman has spent years painting the trails and waters in the county. He won the Grand Marais Plein Air Competition’s Grand Prize last year.

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

The Grand Marais Art Colony‘s summer exhibition continues in Studio 21 featuring work by several artists in a variety of media.

10 Waves, metal installation by Jack Pavlik, is one of the pieces in the exhibition.

The artists were challenged to produce work with the theme, Movement,” and the result if fascinating. The exhibit continues through the end of summer.

Studio 21 is open from 10 am to 4 pm Thursday through Saturday.

Also in Studio 21, the Arrowhead Artists Exhibit opened last week, featuring  painter Kaitlin Kleinert.

In Bloom, acrylic, by Kaitlin Kleinert, is one of the works on exhibit.

Each month this summer, the Art Colony will feature work from different artists who are working in the Arrowhead Region. Kleinert’s exhibit continues through the end of the month.

Studio 21 is free and open to the public.

An exhibit featuring the wood-burning work of Ian Veihman is currently on view in the Great Hall at Tettegouche State Park.

A Moment in Time, pyrography, by Ian Veihman. He is exhibiting at Tettegouche  State Park through the end of  June.

Originally from Georgia, Veihman has always had a creative spark—but it wasn’t until he moved to Minnesota’s North Shore in 2017 that his passion truly ignited. Surrounded by nature’s beauty, he found new inspiration to return to the art of pyrography—wood burning. Today, his work captures the beauty of fishing, wilderness, and life on the North Shore with every stroke of the burner.

The public is invited to view his work. Free.

Aaron Kloss is exhibiting his paintings at the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth.

Gitche Gumee Aurora, acrylic, by Aaron Kloss is one of his works on display at the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth.

This piece is one of many original acrylics Kloss is exhibiting there this summer.

The Duluth Art Institute‘s exhibition space is currently closed as it mounts a new exhibit.

The St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour will host an exhibition, A Culture of Pots 2025, at White Bear Center for the Arts with an opening reception on June 12. The exhibition will run through July 25.

“A Culture of Pots” opens at the White Bear Center for the Arts on Thursday.

The exhibit features 69 potters involved in this year’s St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour who have submitted selected work for display and sale. The White Bear Center for the Arts has created a gallery setting inspired by the ambience of the annual event.

The reception begins at 6 pm on Thursday, June 12. At 7 pm  there will be a panel discussion with the hosts, moderated by Diane A. Mullin, senior curator at the Weisman Art Museum.

The Thunder Bay Art Gallery has opened a new exhibit of a work by Kris Goold entitled “On a Silver Platter.”

Human, 2015, detail, synthetic skull, deer, human and porcelain teeth, silver platter, glass, mixed metals, deer antlers, bone by Kris Goold.

“On A Silver Platter” is a not only a feast for the eyes but also a call to question whether we value the animal world and if we truly understand our place as within it. From Mouse through Moose, Kenora-based artist Kris Goold has custom-fitted each skull with a medieval-like metal helm. These helms are created for protection and defence. There are however a few helms that are more offensive in nature. In protecting the skull, the animal is untouchable, even in death.

Goold is a true original. Her style is born from her mother’s Scandinavian culture and classic aesthetic paired with her father’s love of history and natural sciences. She grew up surrounded by beautifully handcrafted works in wood and metal along with all manner of interesting and odd specimens – dried, stuffed and preserved. Because of this, she understands and values the cycle of life and death, and the interconnectedness of all living things: plant, insect, animal and human.

The piece is on exhibit through Sept. 14.

Upcoming:

“Gather”, an exhibit of work by North House Folk School’s Outgoing Resident Artisans will be held June 19 -25 in the Loft Classroom in the Welcome Building on campus.

The artisans, Tara Austin, Mary Tripoli, Caroline Feyling, and Liz O’Brien will be exhibiting a wide variety of work reflecting projects they have done during their residency.

Tara Austin is one of the artisans who will be in the North House Artisan Development Program’s final exhibit, “Gather,” which opens with a reception at 5:30 on June 19 in the Loft Classroom in the Welcome Center.

The opening reception is at 5:30 pm June 19. The public is invited. Refreshments will be served.

Also next Thursday, Open Mic Poetry Night will be held at the Gunflint Tavern’s Raven Room.

Open Mic Poetry Night at the Raven is June 19.

 The event will be held from 7-9 pm. Open to all.

 Next Friday, the Summer Solstice and Wooden Boat Festival begins at North House Folk School featuring the Summer Solstice Pageant, beautiful wooden boats, a boat-to-tool auction, live music, classes, workshops and more.

The Summer Solstice Wooden Boat Show Festival is June 20-21. Click here for more info.

The Summer Solstice Pageant is June 21 at North House Folk School. It starts at 8 pm in the Commons.

And, on the first weekend in July, the Hovland Arts Festival, featuring local artists and artisans, will be held in Hovland.

The Hovland Arts Festival is July 5-6 this year at the Hovland Town Hall. Stay tuned.

Opportunities: 

The Care Partner Raffle Quilt is on view at Drury Lane Books. It was made by Carol Andersen Morgen and Nancy Backlund. Tickets are available at the bookstore, the Johnson Heritage Post and Lockport Marketplace.

The Northwoods Fiber Guild is in search of acrylic or wool yarn for the two days of free pom pom making for the Summer Solstice Wooden Boat Festival. Small leftover amounts welcome as well.  

The Northwoods Fiber Guild Needs yarn to make pom poms at the Summer Solstice Wooden Boat Festival. 

Yarn may be left by the Fiber Guild library case at the Hub in Grand Marais. Questions? contact Nan H. at chancenance@yahoo.com.

The public is invited to come join the pom pom-making fun on Friday and Saturday during the Festival.

 Artists at Work:

A collage retelling of Rapunzel created by facilitator, Aurora Webster.

Edge of Autumn, oil pastel on scratchboard, by Marti Mullen.

Painting in the woods by Sue Rauschenfels.

A sweet grass agate bowl by Paula Sundet. She has a booth at the Cook County Market on Saturdays.

New table runners from Rebecca Speakes from Truth or Consequences, NM, are now at Betsy Bowen Studio Gallery.

A Book, acrylic on cradled panel, commissioned painting by Adam Swanson.

The Rooster, acrylic, by John Franz.

Online Findings:

Superior Reads with Lin Salisbury — an interview with Susanna Kwan.

  Click here to listen.

 The Tall Ships are coming to Duluth on July 10.

See a short video here.   Read about all the ships that will be in the festival here.

Online Music:

Music in the Weeds is a new video series from M Baxley and Will Moore showcasing northern Minnesota artists performing original music at scenic and meaningful locations around Cook County.

This edition features the band Watershed Group, a local experimental jazz group specializing in improvised jams that can turn both ambient and psychedelic. Featuring Adam Kirsch on clarinet, Cory Quirk on drums, and producer Will Moore on bass, they perform an original piece on a cliff side high above the town of Grand Marais.

More Music:

Spokanki Acapella Band. To listen, click here.

Photographs:

Here is a selection of photographs we found this week:

Wildlife:

Triplets! by David Johnson.

Loon in the sun by Michelle Lutke.

Right on time by Maryl Skinner.

This bull stuck his tongue out when he saw me by David Johnson.

Wingspan! by Phil Hartley.

Redstart bringing more materials to the nest by Thomas Spence.

This might be a pet goose, but I am not sure, by Thomas Spence.

Great Horned Owlets by Heidi Pinkerton.

Blackburnian Warbler by Michael Furtman.

Amber snail speeding across moss by Bryan Hansel.

Male Red-bellied Woodpecker by Bill Marchel.

Sandhill Crane by John Davies.

Baby foxes on the Gunflint by Nicholas Narog.

The last of winter white by Chuck Olsen.

Potpourri:

First lupines of the season by Roxanne Distad.

The day’s find by Jesse Furo Pearson.

Gunflint Clean Up find by Annie Possis.

The America sank in Lake Superior in 1928. Photo posted by Bryan Hansel.

Oh, how I love summer by Kristofer Bowman.

Not many places in the world where you get a cruise ship and an ore boat in the same photo by Matthew Pastick.

Landscapes, Skyscapes & Waterscapes:

Boundary Waters. It’s all in the details by Chuck Olsen.

Grand Marais Harbor and Lighthouse by Kalli Hawkins. 

The Cascade by Cascade Lodge and Restaurant.

Fog and spider webs by Matthew Pastick.

Elliott Falls under the glow of the Aurora by Shelbydiamondstar.

Storm clouds over Fish Lake by Sam Cook.

Smoky sunrise by David Johnson.

Au Train Beach overlooking Lake Superior by Kevin Dunham

A Boundary Waters visit by Chuck Olsen.

The Night is Dark and Full of Wonder by Hayes Scriven.

Fireball Sunrise by Ken Harmon.

Sunset in Grand Marais by Lenna Stever-Sobanja.

A moment in the Boundary Waters by Wil Bublitz.

Have a good weekend, everyone!

PS: Sometimes it’s good to think about supporting the work that goes into crafting NorthShore ArtScene every week. And, for sure, to give a big bow to the artists who share their work with us. A donation to ArtScene does all of these things. Just click on the link below to show your support. And Thank You!

And a special 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 thank you to Visit Cook County for its outstanding Events Calendar.