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Proof That Winter Has Arrived

by Joan Farnam on January 14, 2016

Yesterday, right before sunset, North Shore photographer Paul Sundberg was driving by Split Rock and got this great photograph of the American Integrity sailing by the lighthouse in the sea smoke. The temperature was one below at the time

On Tuesday, right before sunset, North Shore photographer Paul Sundberg was driving by Split Rock Light House and got this great photograph of the American Integrity sailing by in the sea smoke. The temperature was -1F at the time.

Playing in snow, ships gliding through sea smoke, artists hunkering down for quiet, creative times — this is January on the North Shore.

And, more often than not, it’s punctuated with lots of live music. This year is no exception.

The Roe Family Singers hail from Kirkwood Hollow, Minn. and headline the Grand Marais Ole Oprey this year.

This weekend, look forward to the North Shore Music Association’s 3rd annual Grand Marais Ole Opry at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts on Saturday night. This is a classic country, bluegrass & old-time showcase featuring local and regional musicians playing tunes made famous by artists such as Hank Williams Sr., Patsy Cline, Emmylou Harris, and the Louvin Brothers.

Emceed by WTIP’s Classic Country show host Carl Solander, the evening’s lineup includes: The Roe Family Singers, Jim & Michele Miller Band (Bill Hansen, Joe Peterson, and Pat Flack), Portage Band, and The Pinemartians (Tom van Cleve, Kate Fitzgerald, Russ Viton, Will Moore, Andy Schmidt, and Amy Schmidt). Tickets are available at the door: $20 adults, $5 youth 18 and under. The show starts at 7:30 p.m.

There’s great music at all the venues in Cook County this weekend, too (see schedule below) as well as classical offerings at the Bluefin Grille at 6 p.m. Sunday. This week, Alana Henkel Laufman (oboe, English horn) joins pianist Sam Black for an evening of classical music. All invited.

Upcoming

There are lots of events in the next two weeks. Here’s a selection:

• Duluth Art Institute Membership Show, opening reception, The Depot, Duluth, Thursday, Jan. 21, 5:20-8 p.m.

• For Better or Worse: The Comic Art of Lynn Johnston, opening reception, Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Thunder Bay, Jan. 21, 7:30 p.m., Meet Lynn Johnston, Jan. 22, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

• The Grand Marais Playhouse will celebrate its 45th Anniversary with a bow to the past. It will re-create the first performances it held to launch a new community theater in 1971. The performances were held at the First Congregational Church on a cold January evening. On Saturday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m., Playhouse actors will return to the church and reprise the scenes from “Death of a Salesman,” “Arsenic & Old Lace” and “The Wizard of Oz” that were performed 45 years ago. The evening will conclude with a reception. Stay tuned for details.

• Family Dance with the SplinterTones, Log Building, Community Center, Jan. 23, 7-10 p.m.

• Derelicte 8: A Fashion Odyssey, developed by the Definitely Superior Art Gallery, Thunder Bay. Wearable art, 34 acts on a multi-act stage, Black Pirates Pub, Thunder Bay, Jan. 23, 8 p.m. (EST)

• Pop-up Art Exhibit at the Grand Marais Art Colony by plein air painters and photographers participating in the Winter Arts Festival, Jan. 29, 3-5 p.m.

A little sketch to get the new year started, by David Gilsvik. He posted this photo on his Facebook page this week.

“A little sketch to get the new year started” David Gilsvik wrote on his Facebook page this week, as he took a photo of his painting and the woods that inspired it.

In other art news, Two Harbors plein air painter, David Gilsvik, is out painting the Northwoods in winter this month. His work can be seen at Sivertson Gallery.

The Baggage Building Arts Centre at Prince Arthur’s Landing in Thunder Bay opens the Quilt and Pottery exhibit this week. It runs through Feb. 27.

Painter Monica McGarry has new work at Kah-Nee-Tah Gallery in Lutsen.

Applications for the Grand Marais Arts Festival and Plein Air Grand Marais 2016 are now open. Registration information is at www.grandmaraisartcolony.org. The deadline to apply for the Arts Festival is March 13, Plein Air, April 8. For more info, call 387-2737.

Artists who are developing work for the The Spirit of the Wilderness Episcopal Church’s themed show this year: Sense of Wonder: Expressing This Place, must submit their work by March 1. For more information, contact Bonnie Gay Hedstrom at 387-2538 or Ellen Stubbs at 663-7298.

Cook County is seeking artists to display their work quarterly at the County Courthouse. Artists are invited to submit proposals for an exhibition in the public spaces of the main floor. Exhibits may be solo or group, but each proposed exhibition must have a strong, unifying, and creative premise.
For more info, call county administrator Jeff Caldwell at 218-387-3687 or email jeff.cadwell@co.cook.mn.us. The deadline is Feb. 26.

Here’s the music schedule for this weekend.
Thursday, Jan. 14: