North Shore Arts Scene

Greetings from the North Shore, where we are trying to figure out what we’re all going to do this Christmas. There is a lot to do in Grand Marais.

We are fast approaching the longest night of the year, marking a perfect time to hold the Dark Sky Festival in the county. This is a multi-pronged event, with outdoor activities, presentations, and lots of opportunities to learn more about and experience the night sky. The festival is from Dec 11-13.

Cook County is home to some of the darkest skies in the world. Every year, explorers, adventurers, artists and photographers from around the world travel to the county to experience the northern lights and night sky. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has been named as one of only 17 certified International Dark Sky Sanctuaries in the world! And at over a million acres, it is the largest.

Look for night sky walks and telescope viewing, presentations, including representatives from NASA, documentary screenings, an author event, education opportunities, and more. To see the complete schedule of events, click here.

Care Partners will host Light Up a Life at the Johnson Heritage Post at 5:30 pm on Thursday.

Care Partner’s annual “Light Up a Life” offers community members the opportunity to celebrate the lives of loved ones during the holiday season. Each donation helps light a tree of remembrance located in front of Johnson Heritage Post (JHP). All are invited to the Tree-Lighting Ceremony on Thursday, Dec. 11 at 5:30 pm. Care Partners staff members and Pastor Tom Murray will lead participants in a time of reflection and connection, with the opportunity to share brief stories and memories of loved ones who have died. Special music will be provided by Fred Anderson, and light refreshments will be served.

Donations to Light Up a Life help Care Partners support Cook County community members on the journey of aging and end-of-life. Donation forms are available at area businesses, in the November and December issues of Northern Wilds and on the Care Partners website, www.carepartnersofcookcounty.org.

For more information, contact Care Partners at 387-3788 or email info@carepartnersofcookcounty.org.

On Thursday night, WTIP Community Radio will host Trivia Night at Up Yonder from 6-8 p.m.

This is a bar-style game, and prizes will be awarded. The public is invited.

There are only two more sessions left for the Drop-in Practice event at the Covill Town Hall at 7:30 pm.

This is an open class, inviting dancers of every age and experience. There is a suggested donation of $15.

On Friday and Saturday, the Borealis Chorale & Orchestra will present its annual Christmas Concert at Bethlehem Lutheran Church starting at 7 pm each evening.

Now in its 65th year, the Borealis Chorale and Orchestra is one of Cook County’s longest-running community arts traditions. Founded in the late 1950s by pianist and educator Ora Wilcox, the ensemble has evolved through generations of local directors, musicians, and singers, remaining a beloved place where youth and adults perform side by side.

This year’s program, themed “Angels,” features works by several acclaimed local composers, including Bill Beckstrand, Abbie Betinis, and Linda Kachelmeier. Under the direction of Karina Roth, the ensemble blends the voices and talents of longtime community members with those of new and younger participants, creating a rich musical experience that resonates across ages.

Roth, a pianist, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist, is passionate about fostering intergenerational music-making. Many performers return year after year, including musicians with decades of experience as well as students who are discovering choral and orchestral performance for the first time.

Admission is free to the public, with a suggested donation of $10–$20 to support the Chorale’s continued work in the community.

There will be a showing in the Films On Fridays series this Friday, Dec. 12, at the Cook County Community Center. The film is: The Day the Earth Stood Still. Black and white, science fiction, released in 1951. It’s ostensibly a science fiction movie, but one that also brings a message to people of the world that they’re playing a dangerous game when they develop nuclear power. Released during the Cold War, the message was relevant for the time but also relates to our lives now.

This is the last weekend to see the Grand Marais Playhouse production of “The Witch’s Princess” at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts. 

For the cast list, click here.

On Saturday, a Holiday Art & Craft Market will be held at The Hub from 10 am to 4 pm.

Look for paintings, pottery, knitwear, candles, and more.  The public is invited.

In partnership and celebration of Cook County’s annual Dark Sky Festival, we warmly welcome Minnesota artist and author Kelsey Oseid to the Drury Lane bookshop! Come down anytime during this special two-hour event to meet the author and have your book signed.

Kelsey Oseid is an illustrator, painter, artist, and amateur naturalist. She has illustrated a variety of children’s books and runs an online shop where she sells prints and original pieces of her nature-themed work. Her work has been featured on Design*Sponge, Oh So Beautiful Paper, Everglow Handmade, and in magazines like Organic Life, Anthology, and Good Housekeeping. She is the author of What We See in the Stars.

Exhibits:

Photographer David Johnson has opened an exhibit at the Johnson Heritage Post on Friday.  The title of the show is “Wonders of the North Shore & More,” and features a great selection of his photographs of the northern lights,  wildlife and landscapes. Here are a few photographs you will see.

The exhibit continues through Dec. 28. The Heritage Post is open from 10 am to 4 pm Thursday through Saturday and from 1-4 pm Sunday.

Betsy Bowen’s Studio Gallery is exhibiting a number of local and regional artists. this month.

 Upcoming:

The North Shore Swing Band to perform a Christmas Show at Up Yonder on Dec. 18.

The North Shore Swing Band is a 15-20 piece big band featuring local players and vocalists. You can catch this great band live at Up Yonder in Grand Marais every third Thursday of the month. Free.

Artists At Work:

Online Findings: 

A Krampus Parade:

Films from the Winterer’s Gathering Arctic Film Festival are available for free online, North House Folk School reports.

Here’s the list:

One With the Whale – via PBS Passport
The Electric Indian – free on Twin Cities PBS (TPT)
Homecoming – Máhccan – Vimeo on demand
The Last Observers – free on Vimeo
Making Tracks – Alaska on Skis – free on YouTube
Frø: Nordic Seed Heroes – free on YouTube

Ice fishing on a northern lake. (Facebook reel.)

Online Music:

 Music Selections this week by WTIP’s Dr. Oz E (Phil Oswald).

Photographs: 

Here is a selection of what we found this week:

Wildlife: 

 

Potpourri:

Icecapes,  Skyscapes & Landscapes:

Have a good weekend, everyone!

PS: I am so glad you could join us this week! ‘Tis the season to donate to NorthShore ArtScene to keep us healthy and strong! Thank you!

 

Thank you to Jeremy Lopez and Yvonne Mills for their invaluable help every week. I’m so grateful to them.

And Thank You! to Visit Cook County for its outstanding Calendar of Events.