Last Week of August–Art, Music & Broom Making

by Joan Farnam on August 24, 2017

"Who's Ready for Fall?" bu Thomas Spence.

“Who’s Ready for Fall?” Photo by Thomas Spence.

Ah, this is the last weekend in August, and we celebrate it on the North Shore with great art shows, History Week, music and plenty of fine weather.

The Arrowhead Sketchers, who have been meeting on Thursday afternoons all summer to sketch and paint, will meet at the Hovland Dock in Hovland this week, to connect with Lake Superior, Chicago Bay and that historic structure. Meet at the dock at five p.m. The session runs until 7 p.m. All invited. Bring sketch books, paints, pencils and/or a camera and join in the fun. Free.

Also on Thursday, broom maker Mary Beth Garmoe will begin her stint as Instructor in Residence at North House Folk School. She will be giving demonstrations of her craft from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.

Marybeth Garmoe is the Instructor-in-Residence at North House Folk School Thursday through Sunday.

Garmoe will teach a mini-course using these skills on Saturday at 10 a.m.. Students will make a cobweb broom. To register for the course, visit www.northhouse.org or call 387-9762. All invited to come watch the beautiful process of making traditional brooms this weekend.

This is History Week in Cook County and lots of events are planned throughout the county, starting out with a Fishcake Dinner at the Cook County Historical Society at five-thirty p.m. on Friday.

This is History Week in Cook County with history talks, demonstrations and festive gatherings at historical locations throughout the county. (Photo courtesy of the Cook County Historical Society.)

There are walking tours, talks, a cruise along the North Shore and more during History Week, ending with a Pie and Ice Cream Social at the Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center on the Gunflint Trail on Sunday, Sept. 3. To see the complete schedule, click here.

As part of History Week, the Cross River Heritage Center will hold John Schroeder Day on Saturday, Aug. 26. There will be a Fireman’s Pancake Breakfast at the Schroeder Town Hall from 8 – 10 a.m., and activities at the Cross River Heritage Center from 10 a.m. – 2 pm., including Skip Lamb’s Walking Tour of Schroeder and Fred Bonin’s Grilled Cedar Planked Salmon Feed. All proceeds go to Schroeder Area Historical Society. There are several great exhibits at the Heritage Center to see as well. All invited.

Saturday events kick-off in Grand Marais at 9 a.m. with the opening of the Cook County Market in the parking lot of the Senior Center. Look for lots of handmade arts and crafts as well as artisan breads, handmade soaps and more. The Market continues through 1 p.m.

Also on Saturday, the Grand Marais Art Colony will hold its weekly Saturdays at the Art Colony demo event. This week, potter Bob Tomanaha will be in the ceramics studio at 1 p.m., throwing pots and talking about the process of making functional ware for your table. All invited. Free.

Then, at 4 p.m., there will be a Bronze Pour at Last Chance Gallery in Lutsen. This is a fun opportunity to see bronze sculptors at work. Free and open to the public.

Rose Arrowsmith DeCoux will be the guest author at a Writer’s Salon at Drury Lane Books from 7-8 p.m. on Saturday.

Storyteller and author Rose Arrowsmith DeCoux will read (and perform) at a Writer’s Salon at Drury Lane Books at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Arrowsmith DeCoux draws on her storytelling and theatre background in a lively performance geared toward elementary and middle school kids, and the young-at-heart. All invited.

And, on Saturday night, the SplinterTones will hold a CD release party at Grandma Ray’s from 8-11 p.m. They will be on WTIP’s The Roadhouse to talk about their music and play a few songs from their CD. The show airs from five to 7 p.m. on Friday.

The SplinterTones will hold a CD release party at Grandma Ray’s at 8 p.m. on Saturday.

The SplinterTones are a high-octane, 6-piece band based in Grand Marais.. The ensemble plays an uppity blend of hep and snappy tunes in a unique and unmistakable style. Very danceable! Everyone invited to celebrate the band’s launching of its second CD.

Exhibits:

David Johnson’s photography exhibit: “Cook County Through My Eyes” continues at the Johnson Heritage Post.

Photo by David Johnson. He has a solo exhibit at the Johnson Heritage Post through Sept. 10.

Tettegouche State Park is featuring “Inklings,” drawings, prints and cards of the natural world by Jill Levene this month.

“Skully,” by Jill Levene.

The exhibit is in the Great Hall at the State Park. The exhibit will continue through the end of August.

In Duluth, the Tweed Museum of Art, on the campus of the University of Minnesota-Duluth, continues its summer exhibits: “Sinew: Female Native Artists of the Twin Cities” and “A Thousand Words: Photographs from the Tweed Collection.”

Photograph by Gordon Parks is part of the exhibit “A Thousand Words” at the Tweed Museum of Art.

In Duluth, the exhibits “Play” and “Peripheral Vignettes” (Jonathan Thunder) continues in the Duluth Art Institute‘s galleries at the Depot.

Works from the Duluth Art Institute's plein air competition are on view at

Paintings from the Duluth Art Institute‘s plein air competition are on view at Blacklist Artisan Ales in Duluth.

Also, the exhibit Plein Air Duluth: Paint du Nord is open through Aug. 27 at Blacklist Artisan Ales, 120 E Superior St. in Duluth.

In Thunder Bay, the Thunder Bay Art Gallery continues its exhibit “The Perspective From Here” through Sept. 24.

“Wiigwaas Transformation” by Cree Stevens, mixed media, is in The Perspectives From Here” exhibit at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery.

The Definitely Superior Art Gallery in Thunder Bay is closed through Sept. 11, but the gallery is invited everyone to take a tour of the spectacular graffiti art crafted by members of the Die Active Collective over the past few years on buildings in Thunder Bay.

Graffiti art on a wall in Thunder Bay is spectacular under night lighting.

The gallery has crafted maps that can be downloaded to smart phones for tours of the graffiti art. To see and download, click here.

Upcoming

The Grand Marais Playhouse is planning a grand event on Thursday, Aug. 31 — dinner and a show! Alyce’s Catering will provide a delicious dinner, intermission and post show treats. The show? Monroe Crossing, a Twin Cities band that dazzles audiences with an electrifying blend of classic bluegrass, bluegrass gospel, and heartfelt originals. The dinner is at 6:30 p.m., the music starts at 7:30 p.m. Advance tickets advised. For tickets and more info, click here.

Mark your calendars for Plein Air Grand Marais. Come watch 60 artists paint the beautiful, rugged 3,340 square miles of Cook County Sept.8 – 14, then attend the exhibit showcasing over 200 paintings of the North Shore Sept. 15 – Oct. 29 at the Johnson Heritage Post.

Lisa Stauffer’s pastels used in her plein air work. She is one of the artists participating in the Grand Marais Art Colony’s Plein Air competition and sale.

The opening reception is from five to 7 p.m. Sept. 15. The 2017 Awards Juror is Kami Mendlik.

WTIP’s 10th annual Radio Waves Music Festival is Sept. 8-10 at Sweetheart’s Bluff in the Recreation Park in Grand Marais. Stay tuned for details.

The Art Along the Lake: Fall StudioTour is Sept. 29-Oct. 10, featuring 14 stops and 40 artists in galleries and studios throughout Cook County.

Art Along the Lake: Fall Studio Tour is Sept. 29-Oct. 10.

More info in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, check out all the artists and stops planned for this great event here.

Window Shopping:

Painter Paula Gustafson has new work at the gallery at Ron’s World Rocks.

Howard Hedstrom has turned wood bowls at Kah-Nee-Tah Gallery in Lutsen.

Liz Sivertson’s “Hoofin’ and Sloggin'” is at Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais.

In Other Art News:

Matt Kania’s painting “Forming Loaves” is in the Minnesota State Fair Fine Art Exhibit. It received an honorable mention. Kania got First Place for framing. His work can be seen at Ron’s World Rocks.

Marty Harris’ “Frontyard,” screen print and digital, is also in the State Fair Fine Art Show. It received a First in the Prints category. Harris was an Artist-in-Residence at the Grand Marais Art Colony a few years ago.