African Drumming & Dancing, Trash & Treasure Days

by Joan on May 16, 2012

A Morning on South Fowl Lake by Jessica Barr

A couple of very interesting things to do this weekend: learn African dancing  with the Titambe Drum & Dance Ensemble and find all kinds of bargains in Trash & Treasure Days,  a 60-mile garage sale on the Gunflint Trail.

Christian Yao Adeti, founder of the Titambe Drum & Dance Ensemble.

First up is the Titambe Drum and Dance Ensemble, which is coming to Grand Marais this weekend for a concert at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts on Saturday night at 7 p.m.

But while they’re here, they’re going to be holding a West African dance workshop for all ages at the Grand Marais Art Colony from 4-5:30 p.m. on Friday, May 18. Tickets are $15.

Then on Saturday, May 19, they’ll hold a free workshop for children from kindergarten through 8th  grade, also at the Art Colony. That workshop will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will include learning to drum African rhythms as well as African dances.

Founder and artistic director Christian Yao Adeti moved the ensemble from Copenhagen to Minneapolis in 2003 where they tour and run multi-cultural education workshops. The group’s mission is to preserve traditional African drumming and dance heritages, as well as promote cultural understanding. The performers come from Ghana, Liberia, Kenya, Trinidad and the U.S.

The event is brought to us by the North Shore Music Association.

Tickets for the Saturday night concert are $14 adults, $7 18 and under and are sold at the door or through www.tix.com. For more information, call 387-2916 or email music@boreal.org.

For a preview of what you’ll hear at the concert, listen to WTIP’s The Roadhouse on Friday night. It airs from 5-7 p.m.

Trash & Treasure Days is this weekend on the Gunflint Trail.

On Saturday and Sunday, head up the Gunflint Trail for 60 miles of bargains during the 3rd annual Trash and Treasure Days.

The event, organized by Trail Center, runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and will feature everything from boats to lemonade stands. Look for the signs along the Trail and check them out. There will be all kinds of bargains as well as treasures. It’s a perfect outing for a spring day and who knows what you’ll find? (Hint: The malts at Trail Center are fantastic.)

There are some great food & wine events scheduled for this weekend, too.

Lutsen Resort is hosting its Spring Food & Wine Lovers weekend at the resort on Friday and Saturday. Executive Chef Rob Wells will partner with guest Chef Kristin Tyborski from The Dakota Jazz Club and Restaurant in Minneapolis to create a culinary adventure weekend. For reservations and more info, call 800-258-8736 or visit www.lutsenresort.com.

Chez Jude is hosting a Spring Wine Tasting from 6-8 p.m. on Friday. Participants will sample four wines with four plates — a casual event, especially designed for beginners. Reservations required. Call 387-9113.  For more info, click here.

There are some great opportunities to listen to music this weekend, too. The Clearwater Hot Club will be at the Gunflint Tavern on Friday and Saturday nights, Jim Miller will be at the Harbor Light Supper Club on Friday night, and Briand Morrison will be at the Grand Portage Lodge and Casino. also on Friday night.

Bump & Barbara Jean play the Harbor Light on Sunday and the Sivertones are at the Tavern. (See the full music schedule below.)

Weaving by Marie Westerman.

In other art news, Marie Westerman’s spectacular weaving exhibit continues at the Johnson Heritage Post through the end of the month. The Heritage Post is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. The Heritage Post also carries a selection of art crafted by members of the Northwoods Fiber Guild.

May classes at the Grand Marais Art Colony include “Writing Our Stories,” with Mary Ellen Ashcroft (starts tomorrow, May 17); “Creative Genius: Mixed Watermedia & Collage,” with Jeanne Larson, May 26-27; “Torch-Working Glass,” with Dan Neff, May 26-27; “Open Print Studio” with Jerry Raich and Kelly Dupre, May 31; “Play With Clay” with Joan Farnam, starts May 31.

For more information about these classes, click here and/or call the Art Colony at 387-2737 or email arts@boreal.org.

Here’s the new art glass site that Dan Neff has just put up. Click here... gorgeous!

Registration is about over for the 5th annual Woodland Chamber Music Workshop, which will be held at Surfside Resort at the end of June. These workshops are designed for all levels of musicianship and offer a great opportunity to learn new skills and perform with fellow students, said Josh Aerie, who organizes the workshops and plays with the Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra. For more information and to register, click here.

Bronze sculptor Tom Christiansen will be on WDSE’s The Playlist on Thursday night at 9 p.m.

Stephan Hoglund has posted a new video of Bump & Barbara Jean singing “One More Cup of Coffee for the Road.” Listen to it here.

This from Joyce Yamamoto, who is teaching the Artist to Entrepreneur class at the Art Colony.

“Grand Marais Art Colony artists re-thinking large scale in the Artist to Entrepreneur class. Artusts who shake up their notions about art & business and the business of art are valuable community resources! ”

These aren’t exactly art items, but they might be of interest to you. The highly anticipated Great Expectations School Plant Sale is this Saturday starting at 8 a.m. There will be all kinds of plants at this sale, which have been grown in classrooms and the school’s greenhouses under the direction of Karina Roth. A must-go-to for local gardeners. It is a fundraiser for the school.

Blue Moose has opened for the season, too, and has all kinds of annuals, perennials and vegetable starts to choose from. There’s lots of garden art, too. And Buck’s Hardware is expecting the first delivery of its plants this Friday.

Also, there’s an electronic waste recycling day at the Cook County Recycling Center on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. We spoke to Johns Twin Ports Recycling this morning and they said they will accept most anything that plugs in except for air conditioners and other items which have liquids.

Otherwise, it looks like it’s a also weekend to regroup and get ready for a very busy summer. Memorial Day is next weekend, remember.

Here’s the music schedule.

Wednesday, May 16

  • Eric Frost, Birch Terrace Lounge, 7 p.m.
  • Brett Berka & Friends, Harbor Light Supper Club & Bar, 7 p.m.

Friday, May 18

  • Jim Miller, Harbor Light Supper Club & Bar, 6 p.m.
  • Clearwater Hot Club, Gunflint Tavern, 9 p.m.
  • Briand Morrison, Grand Portage Lodge & Casino, 9 p.m.

Saturday, May 19

  • Titambe West African Drum & Dance Ensemble, Arrowhead Center for the Arts, 7 p.m.
  • Clearwater Hot Club, Gunflint Tavern, 9 p.m.

Sunday, May 19

  • Bump & Barbara Jean, Harbor Light Supper Club & Bar, 5 p.m.
  • The Sivertones, Gunflint Tavern, 6:30 p.m.
We found some beautiful photos and some funny ones this week. Take a look:
Here’s a Don Davison.

Spring birches by Don Davison.

Stephan Hoglund had his camera ready for this great shot, thank goodness.

Luna Moth by Stephan Hoglund.

Here’s a dramatic cloud shot by Nace Hagemann.

Clouds by Nace Hagemann.

Tim Young took this iconic harbor shot a few years ago.

Harbor sunset by Tim Young.

Here’s a recent (May 15) sunset over Devil Track Lake by Don Davision.

Sunset by Don Davison

And now, for a little humor. Nace Hagemann put this up on his Facebook page today… when your roof  looks like this, it’s probably time to get a new one, he said.

Long Past Due by Nace Hagemann.

And here’s an amazing poster that we found on local bulletin boards this week.

Poster on bulletin boards around town.

And last, but not least, this gorgeous morning sunrise by Bryan Hansel.

Morning Sunrise by Bryan Hansel.

Have a great weekend!

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Mother’s Day, Fishing Opener & Birds in Art

by Joan on May 9, 2012

Bryan Hansel's "Dreamy Forest."

Mother’s Day and the Fishing Opener officially launch the 2012 season with gallery openings and a full complement of restaurant choices as well as live music and more.

First up is a Wine, Cheese & Chocolate fundraiser for the Whole Foods Co-op expansion at North House Folk School tonight, Wednesday, from 7-9 p.m. Ernie Ashcroft will guide participants through a wide range of wines paired with delicious organic cheeses and fair trade chocolates. Tickets are $45 if purchased at the store (it’s open until 7 p.m.) or $55 if purchased at the door. Call 387-2503 for more info.

Betsy Bowen opens her gallery in the basement of the  Old Playhouse on Thursday, May 10, featuring four prints that she completed over the winter: Whooping Crane, Brown Pelican, Barn Owl and Great Horned Owl, as well as a variety of work by consignment artists including paintings by John Peyton and handmade paper beads by Ruth Nakalembe of Uganda.

The gallery is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a special show set to open Memorial Day weekend. Stay tuned.

Blue Moose Gallery opens for the season at 9 a.m. on Saturday. They’re featuring wooden watches by Tense, a Canadian company. The men’s and women’s bracelet style watches have wooden faces crafted from a variety of different woods. The gallery also has lots of new garden art items made from glass, mosaics and rusty iron as well as a great selection of bird baths, colorful pots and mosiac gazing balls. Their greenhouses are also full of garden plants. Blue Moose will be open from  9 a.m. to 6p.m.Mondays through Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

Chez Jude continues its special offering of pastries and artisan breads by Lola’s Sweet Life Bakery and  Toni Mason on Saturday and Sunday mornings. The restaurant is open at 8 a.m. over the weekend. The baked goods can be purchased to take out or combined with a great breakfast.

Great Gifts of Lutsen has a wonderful selection of cards, jewelry and chocolate — everything you need for Mother’s Day.

Attic Gallery of American Crafts has just received a new shipment of Tessoro birchbark jewelry including earrings, pins and necklaces. They are crafted by Deb Buchinski of Minneapolis.

Jeanne Knight is a new artist at Kah Nee Tah Gallery in Lutsen. She paints  watercolors as well as makes fused glass jewelry and fanciful ceramics.

Last Chance Gallery in Lutsen is featuring the work of two new painters, Rebecca Koponen and Mark Daehlin. Also, Duluth bead artist Jo Wood has new beaded scene pieces at the gallery. There’s a great selection of new jewelry there as well. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. Summer hours start the Thursday before Memorial Day, when the gallery will be open Thursday-Saturday.

"Hooded Merganser," woodcut print by Michael Anderson.

Michael Anderson is a new artist at Sivertson Gallery. He is exhibiting a variety of woodblock prints at the gallery, framed and unframed. Anderson lives on the Wisconsin River and focuses on wildlife and natural world images.

Here’s a heads-up about two school events coming up. The High School Prom is this weekend and the Grand March, which is open to the public, is at 4:30 p.m. Saturday in the High School gym.

Then on Monday, May 14, the Class of 2012 will hold its Senior Show in the lobby of the Arrowhead Center for the Arts starting at 6 p.m.. The students each exhibit books that they have crafted and written themselves, detailing their lives, hopes and dreams. The public is invited to both events.

Birchbark Books & Gifts is open for the season and new books are just pouring into the shop. Recommended this week:  “The Preacher,” by Swedish author Camilla Lackberg. This is her second book (the first was entitled “The Ice Princess”), and has just been released as a paperback. Also, the book store has a number of excellent children’s books that have been published this year including “The Winter Visitors” by Karel Hayes, author and illustrator, and “Who’s Been Here? A Tale in Tracks” by Fran Hodgkins with illustrations by Karel Hayes.

Yahoo! Travel just released its list of the 10 Best All-American Road Trips, and North Shore Highway 61, from Duluth to Grand Portage, is at the top of the list. Great news.

Barbara Jean Johnson recently received an honorable mention in the Telluride Bluegrass Songwriting Contest. She is playing the Big Top Chautauqua in Washburn, Wis., this summer, opening for Meg Hutchinson on Aug. 23. Last summer Johnson won The Big Top’s Songwriting Contest and they are bringing her back to play. The Big Top also included a song from her performance in an episode of their program, Tent Show Radio.

To read more Barbara Jean news and listen to her music, check out her new Web site here. Stephan Hoglund took the lead photo on the page.

Speaking of new Web sites, Anishnaabe poet Al Hunter has just put up a new Web site. Check it out here.  (If I’m not mistaken, Hoglund took the main photo on that page, too.)

In other art news, the North Shore Music Association has changed the venue of the Zhumba dance classes that will be held in conjunction with the Titambe West African Drum & Dance Ensemble’s concert at the ACA on Saturday, May 19. The dance class (May 18) and the K-8 drum & dance workshop (May 19) will be held at the Grand Marais Art Colony. For more information and to register for these fun classes, call 387-1284 or email music@boreal.org.

In other Art Colony news,  The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council will hold a grant information session at the Grand Marais Art Colony from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Monday, May 14. All invited. The workshop is free and will be conducted by Sam Black, ARAC assistant director. To find out more about ARAC, click here.

Neil Sherman will be manning a table for the Grand Marais Art Colony at the Art-A-Whirl event in Northeast Minneapolis May 18-20 in the Grain Belt Bottling Building.

Weaving by Marie Westerman.

And, to complete our bird-art theme for this week, here’s an image from Marie Westerman’s weaving exhibit at the Johnson Heritage Post, which opened last week. The exhibit continues through May. The Johnson Heritage Post is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, and 1-4 p.m. Sundays. Free. The public is invited.

There’s lots of live music this week, too.

Here’s the schedule:

Wednesday, May 9:

Pete Kavanaugh, Birch Terrace Lounge, 7 p.m.

Brett Berka & Friends, Harbor Light Supper Club & Bar, 7 p.m.

Friday, May 11:

Eric Frost, Harbor Light Supper Club & Bar, 6 p.m.

Community Music Circle, What’s Upstairs above Betsy Bowen’s Studio, 7 p.m.

Crazy Neighbors, Gunflint Tavern, 9 p.m.

Saturday, May 12

Charlie Roth, Harbor Light Supper Club, 7:30 p.m.

Crazy Neighbors, Gunflint Tavern, 9 p.m.

Thunder Bay Legends, Grand Portage Lodge & Casino, Grand Portage, 9 p.m.

Sunday, May 13

Maxi Childs Trio, Harbor Light Supper Club & Bar, 6 p.m.

Max Bichel & Briand Morrison, Gunflint Tavern, 1  p.m. Mother’s Day

We have quite a selection of photographs this week. Since spring has really come, we thought we’d include photos of the first fruits — specifically young fox kits that were photographed by Paul Sundberg. These two look more like pine martens at first glance, but they are fox kits. Sundberg said they are probably cross fox, a darker phase of the red fox. They are such cuties.  To see the entire series of Paul’s photos, click here.

Red fox kits by Paul Sundberg.

Duluth photonaturalist Sparky Stensaas caught these beautiful round-lobe hepatica, a spring ephemeral blooming somewhere in Carleton county. All the spring ephemerals are blooming now, so get out on your favorite hiking trail and see what you can find.

Round-lobed hepatica by Sparky Stensaas.

Stensaas has had a video clip he made of big waves crashing on the shoreline at Tettegouche State Park in a March gale last year included in a video by DiscoverAmerica, an organization promoting tourism to the U.S. in Europe, Asia and around the World.  Check it out here.

And since we’re doing spring, here’s another spring-themed photo — a water-droplet spider web.

Spider Web by Nace Hagemann.

Remember those spectacular northern lights we had recently? Dan Baumann of Golden Eagle Lodge just posted his image from that night.

Northern Lights by Dan Baumann, Golden Eagle Lodge.

And here’s a beautiful Don Davison sunset.

Sunset on Devil Track.

And for a gorgeous, completely different color theme, check this sunset out.

Two Island Sunset by Bryan Hansel.

Have a great weekend!

 

 

 

 

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Sustainable Living, Weaving & Storytelling

May 2, 2012

There are lots of fun things to do this weekend to keep you busy, entertained and learning lots of new stuff. First up is fiber artist Marie Westerman’s exhibit at the Johnson Heritage Post.  It opens with a reception from 5-7 p.m. on Friday, May 4. Westerman is a nationally recognized weaver and teacher and exhibits throughout [...]

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Northern Lights, ‘Little Women,’ A Swing Dance

April 25, 2012

There were some great sightings of the northern lights on Monday night. Everybody was talking about them on Tuesday. One of Travis Novitsky’s northern lights photos was the lead photo on www.spaceweather.com on Tuesday, too. Here’s a video I found that was taken near Fergus Falls after 1 a.m.on Monday night. Enjoy this one. It’s [...]

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Two Plays, Danceable Music & More

April 18, 2012

Two plays, a chance to dance and an art lecture are on the docket this weekend, and if you plan your time well, you can probably go to all of them. (No teleporting required.) First up is the Grand Marais Playhouse production of “Little Women” which opens at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts at [...]

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‘Grease,’ ‘Local Musician’s Showcase,’ Guitar Masters

April 11, 2012

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Easter, Art & Music

April 4, 2012

  The next two weeks will be chock full of great music opportunities. This week, Papa Charlie’s hosts the Sweetwater Shakedown Music Festival with Charlie Parr and the Emmitt-Nershi Band on Thursday and the Absynth Quartet on Friday.  On Saturday, Enchanted Ape, Unnamed Stream, Nathan Miller & the Unstoppable Company play outdoors in the afternoon and the Travelin’ McCourys and [...]

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Spring Melt, Music & Art

March 27, 2012

Spring arrived, then left briefly this week and supposedly is returning again soon. Meanwhile, the ice is out on the rivers and some of the lakes up here, and paddling and bicycling are on. There are still runs open at Lutsen Mountains, too. Indoors, there are art shows and lots of opportunities for live music, [...]

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Spring Has Sprung, Lots of Live Music & Art

March 21, 2012

Spring wandered in on soggy feet Tuesday night while everyone slept. It was presaged by a month of unusually warm temps and the first lightning storm of the season in Grand Portage. No one can say whether it is here to stay, but reports keep coming in of people planting radishes and spinach in unfrozen [...]

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Inuit Premiere & St. Patrick’s Day

March 14, 2012

This is a big weekend in Cook County. It’s St. Patrick’s Day, with all the celebrations that  it entails, and it’s also the weekend of the 12th annual Inuit Premiere at Sivertson Gallery, a must-g0-to for art lovers and Arctic lovers alike. The premiere features the popular throat singers Nina Segalowitz and Lydia Etok. They will perform [...]

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