Art Openings, A Dance Recital, Music & More

by Joan Farnam on May 14, 2015

David Johnson took this shot of a fantastic display of northern lights on Tuesday night.

There’s lots going on this weekend in Cook County and at both ends of Hwy. 61 on the North Shore, including art openings, a dance recital, a concert, a Shakespeare acting workshop and a crazy/wonderful Smelt Parade.

First up is a reception for the exhibit, “Indians and Public Art: Changing the Image” which will be held at the Grand Portage Community Center from 3-5 p.m. on Thursday. Works by young artists at the Grand Portage school, Oshki Ogimaag, will be on display. They depict what the 6th graders would like the community to know about them as well as their ideas behind their work. There will also be selections of art from other schools which have been participating in the statewide project. The collection of works, including art from Grand Portage, will then be shown in exhibits throughout the state.

Then on Thursday night, there are two fantastic art openings in Duluth.

“Warmth of a Distant Sun” by Karen Owsley Nease.

The Duluth Art Institute will open three art exhibits with a reception from 5-7 p.m. The Art Institute is located in The Depot in downtown Duluth.

The exhibits include “Port City Supply,” (Photography by Cody Paulson), “Found Horizons” (Paintings by Karen Owsley Nease) and “The Poetics of Evolution.” (Fiber/multimedia by Carolyn Halliday.) The exhibits continue through June 4.

A catalog of the paintings in the exhibit will be available at the opening.

The highly anticipated exhibit, “The Way of Cheng-Khee Chee: Paintings 1974-2014″ opens at the Tweed Museum of Art with a reception from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday night as well.

The exhibit includes 40 originals by the world-famous artist who is known for his masterful watercolors that combine translucent colors with keenly observed details from nature, including his signature carp and other sea creatures. In a post on the Tweed Museum’s Facebook page, the curator wrote: “We have framed 39 original works of art, and they are spectacular … Like many folks, we have seen Chee’s work in limited edition prints, but when you see the originals up close and in person they are AWESOME.  Be sure not to miss this show…” The exhibit runs through Sept. 20. The Tweed Museum is located on the campus of the University of Minnesota, Duluth.

The YMCA Dancers will perform this weekend.

On Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 12:30 p.m., the YMCA Dancers will present “The Y Spring Dance” at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts.

The dance performance celebrates the arrival of spring and spotlights what the dancers have been learning all season. It should be a great show. Tickets are available at the door. For more information, call Michaela Buchheit at 387-3386, ext. 509.

This 8-inch porcelain sculpture by Matthew O’Reilly is the the RetroGraduate Exhibition.

Also on Friday night, the Definitely Superior Art Gallery, 250 Park St., in Thunder Bay opens two new exhibits with a gala reception featuring live music and refreshments from 7-10 p.m.

The exhibits include the RetroGraduate Exhibition, celebrating the cumulative works of Lakehead University art graduates, and the Creators Project 4, a video series profiling two internationally known artists, Phlegm and Yayoi Kusama. Phlegm is a street artist who has gained international recognition for his work. Yayoi Kusama was a contemporary of Andy Warhol in New York and is recognized as an important voice of the avant-garde.

Jake Vaillant and Tina Flank will play and refreshments will be provided by Sushi Bowl & Sweet Escape Cake Cafe and Bakery. All ages welcome. Admission by donation. The exhibit continues through June 6.

The events up and down the shore continue.

Peter Mayer will perform at the ACA on Saturday night.

On Saturday, singer/songwriter Peter Mayer will perform at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m. The concert is sponsored by the North Shore Music Association.

Mayer has been playing the guitar and writing songs since he was in high school. He studied music and theology in college and spent two years in seminary. He subsequently took a part-time job as a church music director, where he worked for eight years while performing in clubs and writing music.
In 1995, be began performing full-time and has recorded nine CDs and sold over 70.000 of them independently. He writes songs for a small planet — songs about interconnectedness and the human journey. Tickets for the concert are $15 adults, $5 youth and can be purchased at the door.

“Run Smelt Run” will be held in Duluth on Sunday.

On Sunday, join the parade and party for the “Run Smelt Run” event in Duluth starting at 2 p.m. at the Maritime Visitors Center in Canal Park where the Smelt Queen in all her silver finery will be introduced. Puppets and participants will then parade down the Lake Walk, accompanied by the Brass Messengers, to the Zeitgeist Arts Cafe, where there will be a Smelt Fry and party at 3:30 p.m.

The public is invited and asked to wear silver on black or blue, if possible.

Jackson Nickolay and Rose Arrowsmith DeCoux will hold a workshop entitled “Performing Shakespeare” from 7-9 p.m. at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts May 20-21. Registration is $45. For more info and to register, email sue@grandmaraisplayhouse.com.

And next Thursday, May 21, the four larger-than-life Ojibwe Heritage Murals painted by David Gilsvik at the Grand Portage Heritage Center at the Grand Portage National Monument will be revealed at an opening reception from 6-8 p.m. The public is invited. Refreshments will be served.

Squirrel earrings by Larissa Loden.

In other art news, Sivertson Gallery has redesigned its front windows for spring. Included are paintings by Liz Sivertson, David Gilsvik and Aaron Kloss as well as lino prints by Sarah Angst.

The gallery is featuring jewelry by a new artist, Larissa Loden. Her work is in brass and includes earrings and necklaces.

Paintings by Douglas Ross.

Kah Nee Tah Gallery in Lutsen is featuring acrylic paintings Douglas Ross.

Ojibwe bead artist Marcie MacIntire and painter Bruce Palmer will be the featured artists at the Cross River Heritage Center when it opens May 22.

Jewelry by Kerri Norman.

Last Chance Gallery in Lutsen has received new jewelry by artists Kerri Norman, including pieces in her Sundew plant series crafted from gold, silver and pears.

Plans are being finalized for the Art Along the Lake gallery tour over the Memorial Day weekend.

Galleries and shops from one end of the county to the other have activities, music, demonstrations and classes planned throughout the entire weekend. It should be a really exciting time. Demonstrations include a bronze pour, plein air painting, bowl turning, pot throwing, silver jewelry making, Ukranian egg painting and more.

There is lots of live music, too, including a dance concert with the SplinterTones and a Spring Fling Jazz Concert with Chris Gillis & Friends, both at What’s Upstairs? above Betsy Bowen’s Studio.

We will give all the details next week, but there are a few events that require registration, including a number of different fiber art classes and workshops at the Grand Marais Art Colony: papermaking, bookbinding, screen printing T-shirts and more. See www.grandmaraisartcolony.org for all the details and class times. Joi Electa is teaching a painting class at Joy & Company (formerly The Garage), too. To see the complete schedule, click here.

Here’s the music schedule for this weekend:

Friday, May 15: