The Minnesota flower by Paul Sundberg.
Greetings from the North Shore, where we are so honored to live in this beautiful place. This week, we celebrate the good rains, a live music festival, an outstanding art exhibition, or two, and local markets — one featuring locally grown produce, the other locally grown art. Enjoy.
Bird watching fits in there too. Sugarloaf Cove continues its bird banding sessions this Thursday, giving the public a chance to celebrate and learn more about our local birds, as well as help in the process.
Bird banding at Sugar Loaf Cove Nature Center on Thursday is open to the public.
The birdbanding sessions are from 7 am to 11 am on Thursday. At 10 am, a special program about bird banding and the birds of Sugarloaf Cove will be presented. Free and open to all.
Art Night at Joy and Company this week will feature painting watercolor paper with high-flow acrylics.
Experiment with high flow acrylics at Art Night this week.
Art Night is always a great time to experiment with different art techniques. The event, which is held at the shop from 3:30-5 pm, is free, with a suggested $5 donation. Supplies and some instruction included. Open to all.
Also on Thursday, artists Amanda Hamilton and Adam Swanson will give an Artists Talk at Studio 17 at 4:30 pm.
Adam Swanson and Amanda Hamilton to give Artist’s Talk on Thursday, Studio 21 at 4:30 pm.
The title of the presentation is Climate Grief and the Contemporary Landscape. They will discuss how they engage and grapple with the contemporary landscape, major environmental changes, and climate grief.
The program is free and open to the public. To learn more about Amanda Hamilton, click here. To learn more about Adam Swanson, click here.
Also at 4:30, the Grand Marais Farmer’s Market opens in the parking lot of the Cook County Community Center. It is open until 6 pm.
A few of the vegetables that can be found at the Grand Marais Farmer’s Market this week. Photo courtesy of Creaking Tree Farm.
Look for a wonderful variety of locally grown vegetables, maple syrup, fresh flowers, baked goods, and artisan beads. SNAP is accepted. Open to all.
The Grand Marais Playhouse Summer Repertory Theater continues, with performances of two plays in rotation at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts: the comedy “The Foolish Fishgirls and the Pearl,” and the musical “Spitfire Grill.” Show times are at 7 pm Thursday through Saturday and at 2 pm Sunday, except during Fisherman’s Picnic, when the play starts at 3 pm.
“The Foolish Fishgirls and the Pearl” will be performed at the ACA at 7 pm Thursday and 7 pm Saturday. To see the complete schedule of performances, click here.
Tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for youth. They can be purchased at the door or online here.
On Friday, Joy and Company will host Summer Kids’ Activities from noon to 2 pm at the shop. The event is also held at the same time on Saturday.
Joy and Company to hold kids activities every Friday and Saturday this summer from noon to 2 pm.
The event is free and open to all. Art supplies will be provided. A free will donation is welcome.
The Cook County Market, featuring a great selection of work by local artists and artisans, opens in the parking lot of The Hub at 10 am on Saturday. It is open until 2 pm.
Dee Closson creates fine leatherwork and is one of the vendors at the Cook County Market.
Look for leatherwork, woodwork, fused glass, pottery, paintings, jewelry, hand-dyed scarves and clothing, and more. Open to all.
Great Expectations School opens its doors to artists of every age to “make” every other Saturday during the summer. Makerspace is held from 10 am to noon this Saturday.
Great Expectations School to host Makerspace on Saturday.
The event is free and art supplies will be provided. Open to all ages.
The Stars of the North Music Festival will be held in Harbor Park starting at 11 am on Saturday and Sunday.
Stars of the North Music Festival is this weekend.
This annual fundraising concert supports the Grand Marais Music Collaborative’s Youth Music Program, providing free music lessons for youth from established local musicians. The two-day festival will feature many cornerstone local musicians as well as special guests.
Michael Monroe, Keith Secola, and The Splints will play, as will other popular local and regional groups. And, of course, the Evening Stars, who will close out the festival on Sunday. For details, see the Live Music schedule below.
The event is free and open to all.
On Saturday afternoon, the Grand Marais Garden Club will hold its annual Flower Show at the Cook County Community Center from 2-4 pm.
Grand Marais Garden Club’s annual Flower Show is on Saturday from 2-4 pm. It will be held at the Community Center.
Entitled Tooling Around the Garden, the show will feature a great selection of beautiful arrangements as well as refreshments. Free and open to all.
On Sunday, Lee Frelich will give a presentation on 400 years of Fire and wWnd in the BWCA at Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center at 2 pm.
Lee Frelich will talk about 400 years of fire and wind in the BWCA on Sunday.
Frelich is the director of the University of Minnesota Center for Forest Ecology.
He received a Ph.D. in Forest Ecology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1986. He has authored 234 publications with 360 coauthors from 26 countries, including major works for Cambridge University Press and Oxford University Press. He is listed among the top 1percent of all scientists in the world in the Ecology and Environment category by the Web of Science. His research has been featured in the news media 600 times, including such venues as The New York Times, Newsweek, and Washington Post.
Current research interests include large-scale fire and wind, earthworm invasion, and climate change in temperate and boreal forests.
The presentation is free and open to all.
On Monday, Ecstatic Dance will be held in the Log Building at the Community Center starting at 7 pm.
Ecstatic Dance will be held at the Log Building on July 28.
Ecstatic Dance is an intentional, judgement-free space for free-form movement without words. It is an invitation to embodiment, fun, healing, flow, and play. Free and open to the public.
On Tuesday, a presentation, Monarchs and More with Katie-Lyn, will be held at Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center at 2 pm.
A presentation on monarch butterflies will be held at Chik-Wauk on Tuesday. Photo by Kenneth Dwain Harrelson.
Participants will discover the amazing world of monarch butterflies in this fun, family-friendly program! Learn all about their life cycle, from a tiny egg to a beautiful butterfly.
She will also talk about how we can all help protect monarchs by planting flowers they love and taking care of their habitats. Kids and grown-ups alike will enjoy hands-on activities like looking at butterfly wings under a microscope, making wildflower seed balls or packets to take home, and creating your very own monarch-themed button. Free. The public is invited.
Next Thursday, July 31, the 96th annual Fisherman’s Picnic will be held in Grand Marais.
Fisherman’s Picnic is July 31 to Aug 3. Click here to learn more and see the schedule.
This is always a fun event for the whole community with contests, competitions, kids’ activities, craft markets, live music, a parade, and the famous Fisherman’s Picnic fishburgers. Sponsored by the Lions Club, the event draws people from all over the region to enjoy friendship, camaraderie, and tradition.
To learn more and see the schedule of events, click here and stay tuned.
Exhibits:
The North Shore Artists League opened its 6th annual Member Show at the Johnson Heritage Post on Friday with a standing-room only crowd at the opening reception. It was quite an event. With 33 artists exhibiting three pieces each, there was plenty of wonderful work to look at.
The title of the exhibit is Echoes of Wilderness, Water and Wonder.
Since 2019, the North Shore Artists League has fostered a vibrant community of artists living and creating along the shores of Lake Superior. United by a shared love of place, members—working in mediums from glass to fiber, oils to metal or clay—draw inspiration from the vast skies, boreal forests, and the powerful presence of the inland sea.
Here are a few photos of the exhibit, taken by James Ellis, chair of the Artists League.
The North Shore Artists League (NSAL) opened a member show at the Heritage post on Friday.
NSAL show 2.
NSAL show 3.
NSAL Show 4.
NSAL show 5.
The exhibit continues through Aug. 10.
The Heritage Post is open from 10 am to 4 pm Wednesday through Saturday and from 1-4 pm Sunday. Free.
This is the last week to see an exhibit created by kindergarten to 2nd grade students in the Cube Gallery at Studio 21.
The bioluminescence exhibit continues through this week. The works are in the Cube Gallery at Studio 21 and were created during an art project for kindergarten through 2nd grade students. Photo by Ruth Pzwaro.
The young artists explore the mysteries of bioluminescence in this exhibit, which is free.
Also, pastel artist Alberta Marana’s exhibit of her works concludes this weekend in Studio 17.
Alberta Marana’s exhibit at Studio 17 concludes this weekend.
Marana is one of four Arrowhead Artists who are exhibiting in this space this summer.
The Grand Marais Art Colony‘s Studio 21 is also exhibiting its summer exhibition “Movement” featuring works by seven artists in a variety off media.
“Movement,” the Grand Marais Art Colony‘s summer exhibition, continues through the end of August.
Studio 21 and Studio 17 are open from 10 am to 4 pm Thursday through Saturday. Free.
Kudos
Staci Drouillard will be one of the featured authors at the Minnesota State Fair with her book, A Family Tree.
“Once in a Lifetime,” a photograph by Hayes Scriven, has been accepted for display at the Minnesota State Fair.
Artists at Work:
WTIP’s Chuck Olsen recently interviewed Grand Portage artist, Donovan Dahmen, about his work and career.
Donovan Dahmen in his outdoor studio. Photo by Chuck Olsen.
“On a warm summer afternoon in June,” Olsen writes, “Grand Portage artist Donovan Dahmen is shaping more than just wood. His hands move with practiced precision, coaxing movement from timber as he works on his latest piece—a representation of “biidaaban“, an Ojibwe word describing the time just before dawn, when night and day are equally balanced.
“I want the wood to have movement,” Dahmen explains, stepping back to examine his work. “I don’t want the wood to necessarily be stationary, if that’s possible.”
Dahmen is an artist deeply embedded in his Anishinaabe roots. He works in drawing, painting, and printmaking–but is perhaps best known for his large wood works.
“When I’m working with wood, I really seem to be in my element,” he says. “I just kind of let the wood speak to me.”
Two of Dahmen’s pieces are currently on view at the Grand Portage Lodge and Casino, below:
Giinew, The Protector 2016, by Donovan Dahmen.
Little Spirit Tree, 2024, detail, by Donovan Dahmen.
More Art:
Sparkly treasures from Ryan Murray just arrived at Betsy Bowen’s Studio Gallery.
Summer camp art by Danna MacKenzie. Materials: willow bark, blue flag iris leaves, rhubarb, mason jar came with the cabin.
Untitled, watercolor, by Marica Roepke, is one of the pieces at NSAL show.
The Co-op mural is coming along, with painters Sam Zimmerman and Adam Swanson.
New jewelry from Stephan Hoglund.
Lilies by John Heino.
The Last Days of the Aquarium, oil, by Scott Murphy.
Sue Hennessy, Theater Matriarch, acrylic, by Jan Attridge.
Path to Bear Bliss, acrylic, by E.J. Klepinger.
Bountiful, oil on panel, by Tim Vahle. On display at his gallery,Vahle Fine Art at 9 W. First St, Suite 2.
Online Findings:
Ballerina Gillian Murphy’s final performance at the American Ballet. Read the story and see more photographs here.
Natural indigo in the making. Click here to see the process.
Online Music:
Live Music:
Thursday, July 24
- Bump Blomberg, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 5-8 pm
- Pete Kavanaugh, Cascade Lodge Restaurant & Pub, 6-8 pm
- Gordon Thorne, North Shore Winery, 6:30-8:30 pm
- Silent Disco Dance Party, Caribou Highlands Courtyard, 7-10 pm
Friday, July 25:
- Ryan Zwanziger, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 3-6 pm
- Barbara Jean and Mike Lewis, North Shore Winery, 4:30-6:30 pm
- Medicine River, Birch Terrace Supper Club & Lounge, 5-8 pm
- Timmy Haus, Moguls Grille and Tap Room, 7-9 pm
- Billy Manzik, Bluefin Grille, 8-10 pm
- Landscapes, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 8-11 pm
- ERICKAOKE (Karaoke hosted by Erick Stee), Up Yonder, 9-11:59 pm
Saturday, July 26:
- Pat Eliason, Cook County Market at the Hub, 10-2 pm
- Stars of the North, Harbor Park/Bear Tree Park, Grand Marais, starting at 11 am
- In No Particular Order
- Michael Monroe
- Emma Tweten
- Fred Anderson Band
- Dre
- Zulu Link
- Keith Secola
- Rich Mattson and the Northstars
- Ryan Zwanziger, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 3-6 pm
- Sky Blue Jazz Ensemble, Birch Terrace Supper Club & Lounge, 5-7 pm
- Jim Miller, Moguls Grille and Tap Room, 7-9 pm
- Landscapes, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 8-11 pm
- DJ UNITY and DJ Anthony Casper, Up Yonder, 9-11:59 pm
- Adam Moe, Bluefin Grille overlooking Lake Superior, 6-9 pm
Sunday, July 27:
- Stars of the North,Harbor Park/Bear Tree Park, Grand Marais, starting at 11 am
- In No Particular Order
- The Splints
- The Evening Stars
- Ryan Zwanziger, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 3-6 pm
- Teague Alexy and the Common Thread, North Shore Winery, 3:30-6 pm
- Timmy Haus, Moguls Grille and Tap Room, 5-7 pm
- Medicine River Jam, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 6-8:30 pm
- Scott Schuler (Campfire Guitar Pull), Caribou Highlands Lodge Courtyard, 7:30 pm
Monday, July 28:
- Pete Kavanaugh, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 7-10 pm
- Joe Paulik, Bluefin Grille, 8-10 pm
Tuesday, July 29:
- Eric Frost, North Shore Winery, 5-7 pm
- Briand Morrison, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 5-8 pm
- Open Stage hosted by Pete K, Up Yonder, 6-8 pm
- Joe Paulik, Bluefin Grille overlooking Lake Superior, 6-9 pm
- Community Singing, Lighthouse on the Harbor, 7-8:30 pm
- Joe Paulik, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 5-8 pm
- John Gruber, Bluefin Grille, 8-10 pm
Thursday, July 31:
- Bump Blomberg, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 5-8 pm
- Briand Morrison and Roxann Berglund, Cascade Lodge Restaurant & Pub, 6-8 pm
- Gordon Thorne, North Shore Winery, 6:30-8:30 pm
- Silent Disco Dance Party!, Caribou Highlands Courtyard, 7-10 pm
Friday, August 1:
- Frequency Rising, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 3-6 pm
- Medicine River, Birch Terrace Supper Club & Lounge, 4-8 pm
- Barbara Jean and Mike Lewis, North Shore Winery, 4:30-6:30 pm
- Pat Eliasen, Moguls Grille and Tap Room, 7-9 pm
- Slow Gin, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 9-11:55 pm
- Barefoot Bluegrass, Up Yonder, 9-11:59 pm
Saturday, August 2:
- Frozen Britches (Tom VanCleve & Erik Hahn), Cook County Market at the Hub, 10-2 pm
- Pat Eliasen, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 2-5 pm
- Southpaws, Birch Terrace Supper Club & Lounge, 4-8 pm
- Bump Blomberg, Moguls Grille and Tap Room, 7-9 pm
- Slow Gin, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 9-11:55 pm
- Barefoot Bluegrass, Up Yonder, 9-11:59 pm
Sunday, August 3:
- The Brothers Burn Mountain, North Shore Winery, 3:30-5:30 pm
- John Gruber, Moguls Grille and Tap Room, 5-7 pm
- Medicine River Jam, Gunflint Tavern Rooftop, 5:30-8:30 pm
- Scott Schuler (Campfire Guitar Pull), Caribou Highlands Lodge Courtyard, 7:30 pm
Photographs:
Here’s a selection of what we found this week:
Wildlife:
Emily Butterfly, raised by Maryl Skinner and Denny Fitzpatrick, pauses a moment on Emily Harman’s hand before flying away to her new life. Photo by Denny Fitzpatrick.
Australian Tawny Frog-Mouth Click to learn more about it.
Nestled in bloom by Heidi Pinkerton.
Monarch butterfly caterpillar working milkweed by David Johnson.
Canada lynx on the prowl by David Johnson.
A Day in Summer by Chris Artist.
Searching for a snack by Roxanne Distad.
The next generation by Roxanne Distad.
The woodchuck nobody wants to see in their gardens by Roxanne Distad.
Potpourri:
Ruins of an Alaska Inuit sod-whale bone house. Photographer unknown.
Beautiful blooms by Jim Boyd.
Jumped the garden fence by Beth Drost.
A happy traveler by Staci Drouillard.
Breaking formation in Grand Marais by Layne Kennedy,
Fireweed blooms by Janice Latz.
Porch bottles by Layne Kennedy.
Bellflower by Roxanne Distad.
Tug Jimmy L and poppies in Duluth by Schauer Photo Images.
Part of an old boat washed up on shore at Misery Bay by Michelle Lutke.
Yellow Lady slippers by Paul Sundberg.
Landscapes, Waterscapes, Cloudscapes & Lighthousescapes:
Summer Sentinel by Ryan Tischer.
A summer’s day on the East Bay. photographer unknown. Photo courtesy of the Grand Marais Art Colony.
Big Sky, Big Cliff, Big Lake by Hayes Scriven.
Always a beautiful spot by Sandra Updyke.
The High Falls at Grand Portage by Gary Arands.
Exploring Lake Superior by Andy Keith.
Gunflint Lake by Annie Possis.
Iron Lake by Chuck Olsen.
The Belt of Venus from Artists Point by Bryan Hansel.
Water is life by Bryan Hansel.
And these contrasts:
Peace by Chris Artist.
Summer excitement, Gunflint Trail Canoe Races. Photo by Chuck Olsen.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Ffor your consideration: Have some fun with a simple click on the button below and help out NorthShore ArtScene, especially if it’s your go-to every week. We’d love to hear from you.
Thank you!
NorthShore ArtScene is produced by me, Joan Farnam, with help from Jeremy Lopez (Live Music schedule, technical advice), Yvonne Mills (proofreading), and Kari Carter (caption corrections.) I also want to thank Visit Cook County for its great Events Calendar.
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