A Burst of Joy & Lots of Art

Yes! to the North Shore, where our spectacular fall weather continues. It’s hard to seriously prepare for the coming season when it’s almost shirt-sleeve weather out there. But we know we have to get ready. Meanwhile, joy takes over as we crunch through leaves and lift our faces to the sun.

This time of transition is being honored in a number of ways this fall. Joy and Company, for example, is hitting “Pause” on its Thursday Art Night events for now. “We will reevaluate in January and let you know what form the events will take,” they write. “Watch for Christmas Make and Take events – they will be announced here.”

Thanks for making art so accessible to everyone, Joy and Company.

The Grand Marais Farmer’s Market is in the process of closing down for the season. Last week was the last October market, but there will be a final market on Thursday, Nov. 30. It will probably be held indoors.

The November market will feature late fall produce and baked goods. Stay tuned.

Visit Cook County and the Cook County Chamber will wrap up the 2025 season on Thursday with a Fall Gala at the Grand Portage Lodge and Casino.

This special event brings together community leaders, entrepreneurs, and dedicated hospitality professionals for an evening of networking, recognition, and appreciation. Open to all. To find out more and get tickets, click here.

And, of course, Halloween is just around the corner, and the band, the Watershed Group, will celebrate the event by performing the musical score to the 1911 drama, “Dante’s Inferno” at the Art Colony’s Founders Hall starting at 8 pm on Thursday.

This 71-minute silent film from 1911 was one of the first films ever publicly screened and the first in Italy. With impressive set and costume design, the scenes mirror Gustave Doré’s 1800s engravings for The Divine Comedy, a poem from the 1300s, itself an iconic work of literature, giving vivid imaginings of hell and the afterlife.

Hellish concessions will be available, and film-goers are invited to don hellish costumes if they wish. Free. Donations accepted.

Here’s the trailer  for the movie:

The event is open to all.

Trick or treaters will have an easy time of it this year, with temps predicted to be in the high 40s. No snow:) Also, Bethlehem Lutheran Church will hold a Trunk or Treat in the parking lot of the Cook County Community Center from 5-7 pm.

This is a new Halloween event, organized by Jess Christenson, the children, youth, and family ministry director at Bethlehem Lutheran Church.

Volunteers will decorate their trunks and offer candy to kids who come to trick or treat, she said. It’s a fun way for children who do not live in town to experience trick or treating, as well as a way for community children to celebrate Halloween safely. The ambulance will be there to give tours, she said, and there should be lots of candy. To find out more, donate candy or become part of the event, call Jess at 507-530-2763 or email blcyouth@boreal.org

Next Wednesday, Nov. 5, the Grand Marais Art Colony‘s 6th Biennial Readers and Writers Festival opens with a variety of classes, workshops, presentations, forums, and more, through Nov. 8.

The 6th biennial North Shore Readers and Writers Festival, hosted by the Grand Marais Art Colony, celebrates, locates, and fosters the literary arts and engagement with the written word.

There are a number of public panel discussions, some with a fee, some free.

On Thursday, Nov. 6, Writing the Wild Shore will be held from  7 – 9 pm at Studio 21. Cost is  $15.

Authors Peter Geye, Leif Enger, Marcie R. Rendon, & Erik Anderson will discuss both the history of North Shore writing as well as consider why capturing this geographical area is essential to its evolution and preservation. This panel will be moderated by Crystal Gibbins from Split Rock Review. Open to the public.

On Friday, Nov. 7,  The Grappling Panel - solving the challenges – will be held from 7-8:30 pm at Studio 21. Cost is $15.

This should be a lot of fun and very interesting as 13  authors read from their work. To see the list of authors and what they will be reading from, click here.  

And finally, the pièce de résistance of the festival, Literary Trivia, hosted by Kelly and Kevin Kager.

It will be held at Best Western Superior Suites from 7-9 pm on Saturday. Free, but registration is necessary. Click here to register.

 Exhibits:

This is the last week for the exhibit Days to Remember, which is currently on view at the Johnson Heritage Post. It features a fascinating collection of paintings by Nelia Harper French and Kurt Schulzetenberg.

The exhibit closes on Nov. 2. Next Friday is the opening reception for the Spirit of the Wilderness Community Art Show.

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

Watercolor artist Sandra Maxwell will open an exhibit of her work at Tettegouche State Park on Saturday.

An opening reception will be held for the artist on Nov. 7, part of a collaboration with the Silver Bay Public Library, which will be featuring paintings by local artist Wayne Pruse.

The event, entitled “A Showcase of Art,” will feature a reception at the Silver Bay Public Library from 5:30-7 pm on Nov. 7, followed by a reception at Tettegouche from 7-8:30 pm. Open to all. Stay tuned.

The Tweed Museum of Art has opened an exhibit of faculty work entitled “Faculty Biennial.”

This exhibition features works by Art & Design faculty plus a creative team that includes the faculty, students, staff, and community partners. It continues through Feb. 27. To find out more, click here.

The Duluth Art Institute is exhibiting work from the 65th annual Arrowhead Regional Biennial.

This exhibit features work in a variety of media, with 89 pieces in all. It continues through Dec. 19.

On Saturday, the Plains Art Museum in Fargo, ND,  will open the exhibit “Women Artists: Four Centuries of Creativity.”

Works in this exhibit come from two collections. Thirty-seven pieces on loan from the Reading Public Museum represent four centuries of work on paper—including etchings, engravings, lithographs, drawings, watercolors, woodblock prints, and photographs—by some of the most important women artists.

The curatorial team at Plains Art Museum selected 40 pieces from the museum’s permanent collection to display along with loaned works. This decision was motivated by a recent assessment revealing that only 10.5% of the museum’s collection is by women artists. Of the 40 works chosen, 21 are by nationally and internationally acclaimed artists and 19 by celebrated regional artists. The exhibition runs through March 1.

To learn more, click here.

In Detroit, Mich., the Detroit Institute of Arts has a new exhibition entitled Contemporary Anishinaabe Arts: A Continuation. The exhibit celebrates the enduring cultures and creative achievements of more than 60 artists from across the Great Lakes region, including many from Minnesota.

Minnesota (and Wisconsin) artists include:

Jonathan Thunder, Michelle Defoe, Sam Zimmerman, Delina White, Kent Estsey, Frank Big Bear, Star WallowingBull, Maggie Thompson, Gerald White, Wanesia Misquadace, Andrea Carlson, Jessica Gokey, and posthumously, Jim Denomie, George Morrison, and Patrick Desjarlait.

Here are three images from the exhibit:

These artists represent a continuation of initial creativity, which has been ongoing for centuries, one of the largest presentations of contemporary Native American art in the Midwest, and the first major Native American exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts in 30 years.

Curated with the guidance from an advisory council of Ottawa and Potawatomi artists, the exhibition features a diverse scope of more than 90 works, including basketry, beadwork, birchbark artistry, clothing, film, graphic design, jewelry, painting, pottery, sculpture, and woodwork, and highlights the unique histories and perspectives of the indigenous people.

The exhibit continues through April 2. To see more, click here.

Upcoming:

The North Shore Music Association will present Bizhiki: A Multidisciplinary Performance of Contemporary Ojibwe Music, Storytelling, and Culture at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts at 7 pm Saturday, Nov. 8.

Bizhiki offers audiences an intimate, immersive evening of music, storytelling, and multimedia art centered on contemporary Ojibwe culture and lifeways. The performance brings together the powerful vocals and drumming of Dylan Bizhikiins Jennings (Bad River Ojibwe) and Joe Rainey Sr. (Red Lake Ojibwe) with th are e modern soundscapes of S. Carey—a songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist known for his work with Bon Iver and as a solo artist.

Beyond the concert stage, Bizhiki is committed to education and community connection. The artists will spend Friday, Nov. 7, at  ISD 166, leading workshops and performing for students to deepen understanding and foster dialogue around Indigenous culture and art.

Here’s one of their songs:

The performance starts at 7 pm. Sliding scale tickets from $10-$30. Kids K-12 are free.

 Artists At Work:

Online Findings:

Sparky Stensaas keeps on birding: 

Online Music:

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Photographs:

 Here’s a selection of photographs we found this month:

Wildlife:

Potpourri:

Landscapes, Skyscapes, Waterscapes & Cloudscapes:

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Note: Now is the time for you to show your support for Northshore Artscene by contributing today. We’d love to hear from you. Just click on the icon below, and Thank You!

Your contribution is another way to say Thank You! to Jeremy Lopez (tech guru, Live Music Schedule) and Yvonne Mills (proofreading) for their dedication and support. Thank you to Visit Cook County for their outstanding Events Calendar, too.