Falling into Fall: Art Shows, Festivals & Plein Air

September is a glorious month on the North Shore. Fall colors aren’t quite here yet, but the weather is perfect.

The month is also full of great art activities and festivals, as we celebrate the arrival of fall. It’s windup time for some activities, too, as summer comes to an end.

The Arrowhead Sketchers, for example, which have been meeting every Thursday this summer at various locations in the county, will hold their last sketch-out of the season at Voyageur Brewing Co. The artists will meet at 5:30 p.m. at the Brewery and sketch in and around the spot until 7 p.m., then gather to share their sketches.

Last week, they met at the turnout for Cascade State Park on Hwy. 61.

Everyone is invited to gather up their sketching gear and meet at the Brewery on Thursday.

BTW: There’s a going-away party for Carolyn Fritz, the Events Coordinator at the Grand Marais Art Colony, at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Brewery.

Everyone is invited to celebrate Carolyn’s years of wonderful service to the Art Colony on the deck at the Brewery. Then stay awhile, and watch the Sketchers at work.

Also on Thursday, the bluegrass band, Monroe Crossing, will be in concert at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m.

Monroe Crossing plays classic bluegrass, bluegrass gospel, and heartfelt originals and has performed throughout the U.S. and Canada as well as in Europe. Alyce’s will be catering the event. Tickets are $25.  For tickets, click here.

Also this weekend, Mike and Julie Bateson return to the ACA in the roles of Ole & Lena. After last years sold-out run, the Playhouse will bring back the duo in another hilarious production.

“Ole & Lena’s 50th Anniversary and Vow Renewal” will be performed at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the ACA.  Tickets are $15 adults, $5 under 18. Tickets can be purchased here.

This Friday is First Fridays in Grand Marais, where participating shops and galleries will be open until 7 p.m. Refreshments will be served.

Also on Friday, the Grand Marais Art Colony will host glass artist Donna Rice, who will give an Artist Talk at the Founders Hall at the Art Colony from 5-6:30 p.m.

Rice will discuss “Career in Glass: Pivotal Moments and Inspiration.” She is a 2016 recipient of an Artist Initiative grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. She also received a 2016 Central Minnesota Arts Board Career Development grant and a 2015 Central Minnesota Arts Board Emerging Artist award. The Artist Talk is open to the public. Free.

Saturday is launched with the Cook County Farm & Craft Market, which is held in the Senior Center parking lot. The market features a wide variety of arts & crafts, as well as homemade pickles, jams and baked goods. The market is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

At 1 p.m. on Saturday, Lutsen potter Maggie Anderson will be giving a throwing demo in the ceramics studio at the Grand Marais Art Colony. Free. All invited.

In Tofte, the North Shore Commercial Fishing Museum celebrates its 20th year with a reception from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday.

At 1 p.m., there will be a memorial tribute to the fishermen who have died, at 1:30 p.m., Dale Tormondsen will tell stories about his father and grandfather, who were commercial fishermen on Lake Superior, and at 2 p.m.,  Arna Rennen sing traditional Norwegian folk songs and fishing songs. All invited.

And there will be a Bronze Pour at Four at Last Chance Gallery on Saturday at 4 p.m. Open to the public.

There are some great art shows this weekend, too.

The “Gene Ritchie Monahan: Retrospective” exhibit continues at the Johnson Heritage Post through Sept. 11. It is, as one critic put it, a “really solid” show. The gallery is loaded with masterful portraits by Monahan, as well as her landscapes, seascapes and other works, 70 paintings in all.

According to an article in the Duluth News-Tribune, Monahan was born in Duluth. She has had her work exhibited at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Walker Art Center and in private collections around the world. She was part of the Greenwich Village art scene in the 1950s, and attended and taught at the National Academy School of Fine Arts. The show was curated by Sonya Davis, former director and chief curator at the Pensacola Museum of Art in Florida.

The Heritage Post is closed on Tuesdays. It is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and Monday,  and 1-4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free.

A new gallery has opened in Grand Marais. Art Works Underground Gallery, 311 W. 4th Ave., is hosted by Jeff Niesen and opened with the “True Blue” show, featuring contemporary works by more than 20 artists. A few of the artists include Neil Sherman, Corrie Steckelberg, Maeri Hedstrom, Jill Levene, Timothy Young, Maryl Skinner, Mila Horak, Tim Pearson, Jim Sannerud and Andrew Beavers.

Niesen plans another exhibit to open Sept. 30 entitled “Blazing Orange.” “What sets you ablaze?” he asks artists to contemplate as they develop their works. Click here to learn more.

And in Thunder Bay, this is the last weekend for “The Teaching is in the Making: RE(Store)ied) Memories of Anishinabeg” at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery. The exhibit closes Sept. 4.

To learn more about the exhibit, see this article by Konnie LeMay in Indian Country Today.

Upcoming

 Radio Waves Music Festival, Sept. 9-11, Sweetheart Bluffs in the Grand Marais Rec Park. A great line-up of local and regional musicians play all weekend under a big tent in all genres including rock, folk, jazz, swing and country.

Children’s activities, on-site food and camping. Tickets are $10 per day, $20 for the weekend, free to children 12 and under. Click here for more line-up and schedule.

Grand Marais Art Colony‘s Plein Air 2016, Sept. 9-16: A great event that brings 60 artists from throughout the region to paint the landscapes of the North Shore.

This year, 60 artists will be participating, with lots of activities open to the public. The competition culminates with an exhibition and sale at the Johnson Heritage Post on Friday, Sept. 16. Click here for details.

Unplugged XV, Sept. 15-18, North House Folk School. Two-nights of musical performances by nine nationally recognized musicians, a folk artisan marketplace with hands-on mini courses, a private Backstage Bash Fundraising gala, and the Points North Online Auction that is open to the public is featured this year.

For more info about Unplugged, see www.northhouse.org.

The Empty Bowls Dinner & Silent Auction, a fundraiser to alleviate local hunger needs, will be held Thursday, Nov. 10 this year.

To help make bowls to donate to this event while learning the basics of pottery and fused glass, attend one of the public Make-A-Bowl sessions at the Art Colony. They are open to all levels and ages.  Kids 6 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Register early!
Here is the schedule:
Make-a-Bowl: Clay
Sept, 17 – 18 & Oct. 15 – 16 | one-hour sessions
Saturday: 9 a.m. – 2:30 pm; Sunday: 11 a.m. – 3 pm
Tuition: $5 | Pre-registration required

Make-a-Bowl: Glass
Oct. 25 & 26 | 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Tuition: $5

Paint-a-Bowl
Oct, 29 | 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Tuition: $5

In Other Art News:

Painter Dan Wiemer is the juror for the the Art Colony’s Plein Air 2016 this year. He has work at Sivertson Gallery.

Wiemer will present a Fireside Chat at Sivertson Gallery on Sept. 17. He will also be teaching a class at the Art Colony. For more info and to register for the class, see www.grandmaraisartcolony.org or email programs@grandmaraisartcolony.org.

Mike Jansen has completed the murals on the front of the Beaver House which were installed by Yarrow Korf.

 Betsy Bowen will be at the Alphabet House at the Minnesota State Fair on Saturday where she will be making alphabet-themed bookmarks. Plein air painter Neil Sherman will be in the Fine Arts Building at the Fair on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The Outdoor Painters of Minnesota will be at Tettegouche State Park, painting from Thursday through Sunday. They will hang their paintings on Sunday. An opening reception will be held from 7-8 p.m. The public is invited.

“Manitou Canyon,” William Kent Krueger’s latest, will be on sale at Drury Lane Books Sept. 6.

Kah-Nee-Tah Gallery has handcarved sauna scoops by Mark Reschke of Mound.

Hana Senty has handmade soaps at Great Gifts in Lutsen.

Last Chance Gallery is featuring handmade zipper bags by Suzy Janse-Vreeling. The bags are lined as well, and include iPad bags.

Here’s the music schedule for this week::

Thursday, Sept. 1:

• Joe Paulik, Music by the Campfire, Lutsen Resort, 6 p.m.
• Monroe Crossing, Arrowhead Center for the Arts, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 2:

• Plucked Up String Band, Voyageur Brewing Co., 4 p.m.
• Joe Paulik, Music by the Campfire, Eagle Ridge Resort, 7:30 p.m.
• Bughouse, Gun Flint Tavern, 8 p.m.
• Brothers in Arms, Grandma Ray’s, 9 p.m.
• Michael Monroe, Bluefin Grille, 9 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 3:

• Eric Frost, Voyageur Brewing Co., 4 p.m.
• J Squared and the Makers, Papa Charlie’s, 6 p.m.
• Gordon Thorne, Lutsen Resort Lobby, 7 p.m.
• Michael Monroe, Log Cabin Concert, 7 p.m., reservations at www.michaelmonroemusic.com
• Jim & Michele Miller, 7:30 p.m.
• Bughouse! Gun Flint Tavern, 8 p.m.
• DJ Beavstar, Papa Charlie’s, 9:30 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 5:

• Scott Fraser, Bluefin Grille, 9 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 7:

• Timmy Haus, Moguls Grille, 6 p.m.
• Gordon Thorne & Bob Bingham, Bluefin Grille, 9 p.m.

We found all kinds of great photos this week. Here’s a selection:

First, Cedar Roots by Paul Sundberg.

David Johnson caught this amazing sun photo.

He got this northern lights shot  on Wednesday night.

Here’s a fascinating rock formation by Joseph (Joey) Carlson.

 

Here’s another take on rocks.

Here are a few more sunrise shots.

 

 

Nace Hagemann caught this moose in the woods the other day.

Thomas Spence caught this quiet moment.

Here’s a Gunflint Trail beauty.

And beauteous Lake Superior.

And here’s Lake Superior in a more active state.

The Arrowhead was hit by storms over the weekend. Here is the beginning:

And here is the end:

First, the big strike: (Note: David was out there capturing this)

And then this beautiful shot, again by Johnson. He said later that it was his favorite shot of the storm.

 

 

Have a great weekend, everyone!