Northern Lights, free-motion machine embroidery, by Rachel Wright. Image courtesy of John Cannell.
Happy New Year from the North Shore! May 2026 be a good year for you and all of us.
We’re settling into the quiet season here, with a focus on live music, art-making, and outdoor adventures. Here is what we’ve found so far:
The Johnson Heritage Post opens a new exhibit on Friday entitled “Scenes of the North Shore.”
Scenes of the North Shore opens at the Johnson Heritage Post on Friday with a reception from 5-7 pm.
This exhibit offers a glimpse into the last 100 years of life on the North Shore, bridging the gap between art and history by pairing historic and contemporary local works from the permanent collection with physical artifacts from the Cook County Historical Society’s archives, as well as those from the artists themselves.
The exhibit will run through Jan. 25.
At the same time, the Anna C. Johnson Permanent Collection Rotation this year will feature a fresh selection of works.
Anna C. Johnson, oil, by John House, is part of the 100 Years of Art exhibit at the Heritage Post.
This year’s rotation focuses specifically on the life of Anna and the Johnson family in Grand Marais. Along with artwork and family artifacts offering a personal glimpse into the heritage of the family and the artist.
Additionally, the Heritage Post has decided to extend its current December Artist of the Month exhibit through the end of January.
The Alchemist, oil, 1958, by Birney Quick, was donated by Jane Burley to the Johnson Heritage Post. It is currently on view at the gallery.
This special exhibit is dedicated to honoring the lives and artistic contributions of two community members who have passed, Jane Burley and Tom Haas. The exhibit includes a painting by Birney Quick, which was donated to the gallery by Burley’s family.
The Heritage Post is open from 10 am to 4 pm Thursday through Saturday and from 1-4 pm Sunday. Free. (Note: It will be closed on New Year’s Day.
The First Friday series begins at North House Folk School this weekend. The series is held on the first Friday night of each month through May and invites the community to campus for activities, speakers, dancing, games, and more.
First Fridays Community Night at North House starts on Friday.
This month, it’s dinner on a stick (bring your own, sticks provided), and cook it over a bonfire. Afterwards, it’s Game Night with Jake Fee. Free. It starts at 5:30 pm.
On Saturday, North House will hold Drop-in Crafts day from 10 am to 4 pm. Free.
The community is invited to stop by the Blue Building anytime to try your hand at a craft. Bring a family member or friend and enjoy a cup of coffee, tea, or hot cocoa while you create a craft to take home. This week, Jake Fee will teach how to make your own games.
The schedule for the Drop-in Craft events is as follows:
- Sat, Jan. 3 – Handmade Games with Jake Fee, 10 am – 4 pm in the Blue Building
- Sat, Feb. 7 – Winter Printmaking with Nan Onkka, 10 am – 4 pm in the Blue Building
- Sat, April 4 – Drop-in Family Craft, Susan Ferguson, 10 am – 4 pm in the Blue Building
- Sat, May 2 – Paper Flowers with Britt Malec, 10 am – 4 pm in the Blue Building
The full moon this month will be celebrated with poetry and skiing this year. Drury Lane Books will hold its monthly Full Moon Poetry reading at 6 pm beside the bonfire, and the Pincushion Ski and Run Club will hold a Full Moon Ski at 6:30 pm on Saturday and Sunday.
Here is inspiration for both events emailed to me by Craig Hunter.
Here are the details:
Everyone is invited to participate in the open mic-style poetry reading at Drury Lane Books on Saturday at 6 pm.
There will be a Full Moon poetry reading at Drury Lane Books on Saturday at 6 pm.
While the focus is on poetry, the broader goal is human connection, so participants are also welcome to read something they have written or a favorite passage from a book. Open to all. In inclement weather, the event will be held indoors. Bookseller Kestral is the facilitator.
On Saturday and Sunday, join friends and neighbors for a fun nighttime ski during the full moon on the Pincushion Ski Trails.
A Full Moon Ski will be held on Saturday and Sunday on the Pincushion ski trails starting at 6:30 pm.
Participants should wear headlamps and meet in front of the Pincushion Chalet at 6:30 pm. There will be bonfires and hot cocoa available, as well as a social ski around the lighted West Overlook. To find out more, click here.
Exhibits:
The Voyageur Art Club, based in Two Harbors, is exhibiting work at Tettegouche State Park.
The exhibit at Tettegouche features a wide variety of media.
Look for paintings, drawings, photographs, prints, and more.
The Voyageur Art Club is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting art expertise, education, workshops, and shared camaraderie with persons of all ages and abilities, and to instill creative appreciation for the arts in the community.
The Thunder Bay Art Gallery has several exhibits on view, including “Fragile” by Gayle Church.
Find Your Space, 2018, glass, by Gayle Church. The photo is courtesy of the artist.
“Fragile” is the debut solo exhibition by Thunder Bay artist Gayle Church. Using the pâte de verre technique (French for “glass paste”), Church creates a menagerie of life-sized glass animals inspired by nature and wildlife. Innovating with material and representation, her glass sculptures are mesmerizing forms with “melting” edges, layered textures, and delicate fissures. While foxes leap and butterflies swarm, Gayle Church’s sculptural glass works inhabit a blurred reality of wild and domestic.
Duluth Pottery Tile & Gallery has just received new work by potter Jim Grittner.
Vases, clay, by Jim Grittner, are on view at Duuth Pottery Tile & Gallery in Duluth.
Grittner taught for years at the University of Wisconsin, Superior. Here’s a brief video clip about him with Karin Kraemer, owner of Duluth Pottery.
The gallery is located at 1924 W. Superior St. in Lincoln Park, Duluth.
The Duluth Art Institute is currently closed for winter break and will re-open with an exhibit by Carl Gawboy, “Fur Trade Nation,” on Jan. 12.
Slipping Away into the West, ca 1990s. acrylic, by Carl Gawboy.
Stay tuned.
Upcoming:
Friday Night Reels at the Grand Marais Public Library is back.
Friday Night Reels, a film series, starts at the Library on Jan 9.
This free film series for adult audiences will feature a new movie every other week. Originally started by Carl Solander and Mary Beams, Friday Night Reels invites the public to explore great films in the company of neighbors and fellow cinephiles.
Here’s this year’s line-up:
- Jan. 9: Sinners (2025), 2h 17m.
- Jan. 23: A Radiant Girl (2021), 1hr 38m.
- Feb. 6: Grave of the Fireflies (1988), 1h 28m.
- Feb. 20: A Complete Unknown (2024), 2h 21m.
- March 6: Ace in the Hole (1951), 1h 51m.
- March 20: Chinatown (1974), 2h 10m.
The films start at 6 pm in the library and are free. Refreshments will be available.
Artists At Work:
Solstice Light by Mary Beams.
An experiment by Marti Mullin.
The experiment with light behind it by Marti Mullin.
Minnesota winter day by Mike DeWitt.
Nightscape, oil, by Tim Vahle.
The Seven Sisters ~ Pleiades star cluster, acrylic on canvas, by Anthony J. Walker.
Juliet and I, written by Connie Wanek, is illustrated by Patricia Canelake.
Bowls by Terry Lord Lewis.
In progress. oil, by Scott Murphy.
Branches lll, quilt, 2024, by Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry.
Stoneware Vase by Charles Counts.
Ma’iingan (Wolf) by Sam Zimmerman.
Happy New Year, acrylic, by Eric Klepinger.
James Ellis at work.
Winter meander by Olga Kvasha.
Runner Ducks take a skating break on a frozen pond. Illustration from a Jacquie Lawson eCard, courtesy of Lee Ross.
Online Findings:
How to start a fire with a battery and a stick of gum
Start a fire with a battery and a piece of gum. Click here to see.
Online Music:
Live Music:
Thursday, January 1:
- Timmy Haus, Moguls Grille & Taproom, 4-6 pm
- Gordon Thorne, North Shore Winery, 6-8 pm
- Jim Miller, Charlie’s Alpine Bistro, 6:30-9 pm
Friday, January 2:
- DJ Jesse Jaze, Lofty Gondola at Lutsen Mountains, 3:30-6 pm
- Jim Miller, Moguls Grille & Taproom, 4-6 pm
- Boyd Bump Blomberg, North Shore Winery, 4-6 pm
- Gene LaFond and Amy Grillo, Cascade Lodge Restaurant & Pub, 6-8 pm
- Briand Morrison, Charlie’s Alpine Bistro, 6:30-9 pm
- Pete Kavanaugh, Bluefin Grille, 7-9 pm
- Timmy Haus, Lofty Gondola at Lutsen Mountains, 8:30-11 pm
Saturday, January 3:
- DJ Jesse Jaze, Lofty Gondola at Lutsen Mountains, 3:30-6 pm
- Mike Lewis and Barbara Jean, North Shore Winery, 4-6 pm
- Pete Kavanaugh, Cascade Lodge Restaurant & Pub, 6-8 pm
- Joe Paulik, Charlie’s Alpine Bistro, 6:30-9 pm
- Brothers Burn Mountain, Up Yonder, 7-10 pm
- Timmy Haus, Lofty Gondola at Lutsen Mountains, 8:30-11 pm
Monday, January 5:
- Timmy Haus, Voyageur Brewing Company, 5-7 pm
- Gordon Thorne, Charlie’s Alpine Bistro, 6:30-9 pm
- Jim Miller, Bluefin Grille, 7-9 pm
Tuesday, January 6:
- Eric Frost, North Shore Winery, 4:30-6:30 pm
- Open Stage hosted by Pete K, Up Yonder, 6-8 pm
- Pat Eliasen, Charlie’s Alpine Bistro, 6:30-9 pm
- Community Singing, Log Cabin at the Grand Marais Community Center, 7 pm
- Bump Blomberg, Charlie’s Alpine Bistro, 6:30-9 pm
Thursday, January 8:
- Gordon Thorne, North Shore Winery, 6-8 pm
- Jim Miller, Charlie’s Alpine Bistro, 6:30-9 pm
Friday, January 9:
- Gregg Hall, Lofty Gondola at Lutsen Mountains, 3:30-6 pm
- Ginger Bones, Cascade Lodge Restaurant & Pub, 6-8 pm
- Briand Morrison, Charlie’s Alpine Bistro, 6:30-9 pm
- Jim Elverhoy & John Cron, Bluefin Grille, 7-9 pm
Saturday, January 10:
- Gregg Hall, Lofty Gondola at Lutsen Mountains, 3:30-6 p
- Emma Tweten, Cascade Lodge Restaurant & Pub, 6-8 pm
- Joe Paulik, Charlie’s Alpine Bistro, 6:30-9 pm
- Between Howls & Cig Picnic, Up Yonder, 8-11 pm
Online Music:
Photographs:
Here’s a selection of photographs we found this week:
Cook County Historical Winterscapes:
Photos courtesy of the Cook County Historical Society
Ice skaters in Tofte, 1920.
Early ice cutting in the Grand Marais Harbor, year unknown.
Dog team on the lake (from Louis Friedheim collection).
Broomball in Grand Marais, c1950, where City Hall is now located.
Louis Engelson and George Mayhew with a boat on the ice, year unknown.
Greenwood Lake Trout Derby, 1961.
Mary Jane Lundquist is curling. Cook County Curling Club started in 1963 and continues strong today.
Wildlife:
Rare snowy turkey by Sparky Stensaas.
Male Red-bellied Woodpecker by Bill Marchel.
Pine Marten, Loon Lake Lodge.
Northern Hawk Owl and its catch by Chris Artist.
Good morning from Hokkaido, Japan. The Red-crowned Crane and Shimaenaga by Mumeh Marie.
Elegance and beauty in one package by Bill Marchel.
On the second day of Christmas by Paul Ostrum.
Barred Owl by Tina Shaff.
Look who’s back by Maryl Skinner.
Into a snowy night by Chris Artist.
Blue Jays love almonds by Suzanne von Schroeder.
Festive Winter Landscape by Paul Pluskwik.
A Robin enjoys a feast in central Minnesota by Bill Marchel.
Eye to Eye by Chris Artist. No telephoto used. Taken on Dec. 20.
Not So Wild:
Getting in black panther mode by Chris Artist.
Linus wants in by Richard Ketring.
Potpourri:
Know your ice. Photo courtesy of Richard Ketring.
Ice Dancer by Joni Mitchell.
A skate trail in Brainerd. Photo courtesy of KFGO 790 AM.
The Duluth Experience – Outdoor dining at Pier B Resort by Gregory Israelson.
WTIP Community Radio in winter. Photo by M Baxley.
Landscapes, Skyscapes, Waterscapes & Icescapes:
A lucky step outside with the camera at the ready by Paul Ostrum.
The Keweenaw by Monika Kross.
Light at the Coast Guard Station, but no one’s home by Staci Drouillard.
The Wrath of Lake Superior by Matthew Pastick.
My favorite from January 2025 by Bryan Hansel.
Winter’s touch by Matthew Pastick.
Winter scatterings by Becky Lynch.
Waves crashing into the ice at sunset by Jeremy Church.
Favorite landscape from 2025 by Hayes Scriven.
Nine years ago, by Don Davison.
Snow! by Keith Christensen.
A favorite from Tettegouche by Eljay Gary.
Piccie by Eddie Durie.
Surf’s up on Lake Superior as the Presque Isle passes by. Photo by Nathan Klok.
Here’s to the season, the dawn of a new year, by Matthew Pastick.
Best Wishes, everyone! I hope you have a safe and happy New Year!
BTW: Now is the time for your start-of-the-year donation! 
You can contribute to NorthShore ArtScene by clicking on the icon below. We so appreciate your support. It really makes a difference. Thank You!
A big Thank You! to Jeremy Lopez, tech support, the Live Music Schedule, and Yvonne Mills, proofreading, for their contributions to this issue. And a big Thank You to Visit Cook County for its great Events Calendar.
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