Grand Marais Arts Festival Weekend

Greetings from the North Shore, where summer is finally here. We’ve had really cool weather so far this year, and it is just now turning a corner, with our gardens beginning to take off. Yay! And this weekend, we have one of the best art festivals in the region, set up by the harbor, a return to its roots, for sure.

This year, there are more than 70 artists participating in the festival. Look for works in all media, including paintings, prints, pottery, copper art, fiber art, photographs, glass, turned wood, and more. There’s live music throughout the day and beautiful views over Lake Superior. And, one of the things about having a big event in town is that all kinds of other events are organized as well, giving residents and visitors lots of things to do and see. Fun times!

First up on Thursday is the start of bird banding sessions at Sugarloaf Cove Nature Center. They will continue through the end of the summer. The public is invited to participate and learn about native birds on the North Shore.

The sessions run from 7 am to 11 am on Thursdays and are free and open to the public.

Note: The bird banding sessions are weather-dependent. Rain or excessive wind may cause the banding session to be cancelled. Call the Cove at 218-663-7679 to check. (Please note: staff may not be able to answer the phone immediately, as they may be out banding birds.

The Lutsong Music Festival is July 9-12 this year at Caribou Highlands and the North Shore Winery.

The Great Lawn at Caribou Highlands will host artisans, musicians, and music lovers all weekend with two stages, a vendor village, food, drink, and fun during the day.

Then head down the hill to the North Shore Winery main stage each night for the headliner act. After those headliner shows, participants can take the shuttle back to Caribou Highlands for the Caribou Campfire Guitar Pull.

The festival is family-friendly. Children under 12 are free. For more info, click here.

The Sawmill Tours at Hedstrom Lumber will run from June through August. There will be 2 tours on Thursdays at 10 am and 1 pm, every week from June 18 through Aug. 27.

Tours are led by Steve Robertson, a recently retired interpreter for the US Forest Service. Learn about the history of our hundred-year-old sawmill, timber harvesting, sawmill processing, lumber products, and byproducts as you take a tour of the largest hands-on sawmill in Minnesota, watching lumber being processed, seeing employees in action, and getting an eyeful of the complex (and some vintage) machinery. Free.

Thursday is also Art Project Day at Joy and Company. The weekly event offers the public an opportunity to make art for free in the shop. Instruction is provided as well as supplies, and a $5 freewill donation is suggested.

Joy and Company also encourages other art-making, including chalk drawing on its concrete floor, as well as kids’ activities in the back lot behind the store. Open to all.

Thursday is also the day for the Grand Marais Farmer’s Market at the Cook County Community  Center. It is held in the parking lot from 4:30 to 6 pm and features locally grown produce, maple syrup, baked goods, artisan breads, and more.

The public is invited to come out and support Cook County’s producers and get fresh, locally-grown produce at the same time. Open to all.

On Friday, book illustrator Jordan Sundberg will be at Drury Lane Books for a Meet and Greet from 11 am to 1 pm.

She illustrated Mary Cassanova’s Northwoods Butterfly with a series of collage illustrations. The public is invited.

Also on Friday, Jeri Persons will teach a fused glass workshop at Joy and Company from 1-4 pm.

Students will design and create their own colorful glass sun-catcher or hanging glass spinner. The finished pieces will be fired in a kiln that night and can be picked up after noon the following day.  Shipping is also available for a small fee.

The class costs $20. No registration is required.

On Friday evening, the Harbor History Walking Tour will be held from 7-8:30 pm. Meet at the Cook County Historical Society Museum on Broadway.

The Grand Marais Harbor has a rich history, with many small artifacts left over that one can easily walk right on by without realizing what they are. For instance, did you know that when walking along the breakwall out to the lighthouse, you can see the foundations of a fire tower? Or that you can see what’s left of a dock and anchor where large ships used to dock in the harbor? These are just two of many examples of things you can see and learn on the tour. Free.

The Grand Marais Arts Festival opens at 9 am on Saturday and runs through 5 pm. It re-opens at 10 am on Sunday and closes at 4 pm.

Besides a wide selection of art, the festival also features art activities for all ages, including printmaking. Check out all the details here, including the juried artists who will be participating.

Also on Saturday, the Cook County Market, featuring arts and crafts from local vendors, opens in the parking lot of The Hub at 10 am and runs through 2 pm.

Look for paintings, cards, jewelry, rock art, baskets, fused glass, pottery,hand-dyed scarves and clothing, Tarot readings, and more. Open to all.

Sugarloaf Cove Nature Center will hold a Grand Re-Opening Celebration from 1-4 pm on Saturday. The event will feature the unveiling of new exhibits at the center and new arts experiences for visitors. Free.

The event will feature the unveiling of new exhibits at the center and new arts experiences for visitors. Free.

On Saturday evening, author Staci Drouillard and artist Tashia Hart will give an Author Talk at Drury Lane Books at 6 pm. They will discuss the making of the book, George Morrison: Modern Artist.

Staci Drouillard is a direct descendant of the Grand Portage Band of Ojibwe. She lives and works in her hometown of Kitchibitobig–Grand Marais, on Minnesota’s North Shore of Lake Superior. Her first book, Walking the Old Road, won the Hamlin Garland Prize in Popular History, the Northeastern Minnesota Book Award for nonfiction, and was a finalist for a Minnesota Book Award. Her second book Seven Aunts, won the 2023 Minnesota Book Award for Memoir and the NE Minnesota Book Award and was a “Minnesota Reads” selection at the Library of Congress National Book Festival.

Tashia Hart is a writer and artist from the Red Lake Nation of Anishinnabe in northern Minnesota. Her literary works include fiction and nonfiction for adults and children. In addition to her illustrative work, she is a jewelry maker working in beads and birchbark, and some metal work. She lives in Duluth with her husband, son, and a turtle.

Also on Saturday, as well as Sunday, fused glass artist Nancy Seaton will be at St. Croix Vineyards in Stillwater for the Wine Meets Art.

She will be exhibiting her fused glass pieces. The event runs from 11 am to 5 pm each day. The public is invited.

On Sunday, Artist-in-Residence Scott Krohn will be at the Schaap Community Center on the Gunflint Trail from 11 am to 1 pm to give an Artist Talk.

Twin Cities artist Scott Krohn joins the Gunflint Trail Historical Society’s Artist-in-Residence Program for a 10-day residency from July 7–16. Known for his award-winning work in colored pencil, scratchboard, and charcoal,  His work reflects a lifelong fascination with nature and careful observation, celebrating the textures, light, and subtle details that often go unnoticed.

The event is free, but a $10 donation would be appreciated.

Also on Sunday, Naturalist Chel Anderson will give a presentation on Northwoods orchids at the Chik-Wuak Museum and Nature Center at 2 pm.

Cook County is home to 32 species of orchids. Some are flashy, well-known “celebrities”, others are diminutive, cryptic, and unknown to most of us. At home in a wide variety of habitats and plant communities, orchids live in complex and surprising relationships with other life there. Chel’s presentation will delve into this captivating family of plants and their fascinating lives.

Anderson has lived, worked, and strenuously exercised her curiosity in Cook County since 1974. Before retiring to the rest of her life in 2019, she spent the last 21 years of her career as a lead plant ecologist and botanist with the Minnesota Biological Survey. Chel is coauthor with Adelheid Fischer of North Shore: A Natural History of Minnesota’s Superior Coast, published by the University of Minnesota Press in 2015.

The presentation is free.

On Monday, Chik-Wauk will hold its weekly Porch Talks at 1 pm.

This week’s topic will be loons. Free and open to all.

On Wednesday, the annual Gunflint Trail Canoe Races will be held at Gunflint Lodge shoreline starting at 4 pm

This is always a great time, with a variety of canoe races, highly motivated canoeists, and an enthusiastic audience.

The Gunflint Trail Canoe Races have been making waves every third Wednesday in July since 1979. It’s pure Northern Minnesota magic! Join the races, cheer on the racers, enjoy a delicious meal, try your luck in the raffle for a chance to win a top-notch canoe, and bid on some fantastic auction items. All proceeds support the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department. Come for the races, buy a shirt, enter the raffle, bid in the auction, have dinner, and enjoy the day. The public is invited.

Upcoming:

The Grand Marais Playhouse will present As You Like It, a musical adaptation of the Shakespeare play, adapted by Shaina Taub and Laurie Woolery, music and lyrics by Shaina Taub.

The play opens at 7 pm Thursday, July 16 at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts.

Stay tuned for details and/or click here.

On Friday, July 17, the highly anticipated exhibit, Borderlands, opens with a reception at the Johnson Heritage Post from 5-7 pm.

The collaborative exhibition features prominent regional artists Betsy Bowen, Jeanne Hedstrom, Stephan Hoglund, and Heidi Sobanja.

The exhibition is built around a lifestyle common to all four artists: seasonal migration. Over the years, each has spent significant time traveling and working near the edges of both the North and the Southwest, dividing their time between Northern Minnesota, Canada, New Mexico, and Mexico. We’re all looking forward to seeing it.

Next month, the North Shore Music Association, North House Folk School, and WTIP North Shore Community Radio will host the inaugural Dockside Sessions, a new series of free outdoor concerts on the North House Folk School Commons overlooking the Grand Marais harbor.

Performers include Chastity Brown, Molly Dean, and Bad, Bad Hats. Stay tuned for more, or click here.

Opportunities: 

Registration is now open for the 2nd annual North Shore Artists League Conference, which will be held at Bluefin Waves of Superior Ballroom in Tofte. Jan Sivertson will be the keynote speaker.

You do not need to be a League member to attend. If you are an artist, maker, or arts advocate living or working in the region, this is the perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in our thriving community, gain new tools, and connect with peers. For more info, click here.

 Artists at Work:

Online Findings:

Online Music:

Photographs:

Here is a selection of what we found today. My Internet was out at a critical juncture this week, so this will be a short and sweet selection. Enjoy!

Wildlife:

Potpourri:

Landscapes, Skyscapes, Fireworkscapes:

Have a great weekend, everyone!

If you enjoyed NorthShore ArtScene this week, please consider contributing. Your donation makes all the difference, that’s for sure. And thank you!

 

Thank you! Jeremy Lopez (Live Music Schedule, tech advice) and Yvonne Mills (proofreading) for your continued support. Thanks also to Visit Cook County for its outstanding Events Calendar.