NorthShore ArtScene

 

It’s warming up — in more than one way, as we charge through May towards a very busy Memorial Day weekend in 10 days.

This week, temps actually reached  79 degrees by Lake Superior, thanks to an offshore breeze, and everyone and everything perked up.

Drum-roll for that, and for a very  cool percussionist who will be in Grand Marais this week to teach children and perform for us as well.

Mark Powers, who has performed and studied drumming throughout the U.S., China, Thailand and West Africa, shares his passion for music through private lessons and workshops for schools, businesses, correctional institutions and community events. He has also written and published many solo/ensemble compositions and is the co-holder of the Guinness World Record for the longest drum roll by a group. He’s performed with a wide range of bands including Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick), Devon Evans (Bob Marley and the Wailers), Afrodisiac and Tim Rie (saxophonist for The Rolling Stones.)

He is brought to Cook County by the North Shore Music Association to work with students at Great Expectations School in “Junk Jam” workshops  on Friday and then performing a Junk Jam concert at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts on Saturday night. The 7:30 p.m. performance is free. The students will play and Powers will also do a solo performance.. All invited.

For a preview, tune in to The Roadhouse on WTIP Radio on Friday night from 5-7 p.m. where Powers will be interviewed and play a drum roll or two.

This is also the weekend for the spring Superior Trail 25K and 50K races.Organizers promise wet, muddy trails, but do-able. The races start at Caribou Highlands. For more info, click here.

Also, Joe Paulik plays at the Cascade Lodge Pub on Saturday night and Briand Morrison plays at The Pie Place.

Also on Saturday, in celebration of spring and the quickening to summer, there will be a Cook County Tennis Block Party on the tennis courts from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m with music, fun, food and prizes for all ages. There are free group tennis lessons and activities in the morning, followed by a free lunch, a summer program information session and drawing for door prizes.

Next weekend, there are all kinds of activities planned, including the season opener at the Betsy Bowen Studio on Thursday featuring new prints by Noah Prinsen, a selection of local pottery and a sneak peak at new work by Betsy Bowen.

On Saturday night, May 24,  the Joe Paulik Band will be in concert at What’s Upstairs, above Bowen’s Studio, and Lola’s Sweet Life Bakery will  sell slices of wood-fired pizza before the concert and during the intermission.

In other noteworthy events, the Cook County Farm & Craft Market opens for the season in the Senior Center Parking lot on Saturday and Sunday, featuring new vendors (including a breadbaker and a glassblower), lots of arts and crafts and seedlings, perennials and tomato plants.

The Cross River Heritage Center opens on Friday, May 24, with a special fiber exhibit by North Shore artists as well as the exhibit “Up from the Ashes: Forest Fires on the North Shore.”

The Grand Marais Art Colony will host a clay demonstration on Friday, May 24 ,and a Community Ink Day in the Print Studio the next day where participants can print their own T-shirts.

Stay tuned for more events and details next week and/or check out the Memorial Day Weekend activity schedule, including music and more here.

In other art news, the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council has announced the winners of the 15th annual Arts and Cultural Heritage Arrowhead Arts Awards. A festive celebration will take place in The Underground, the newest venue of the Duluth Playhouse, located on the lower level of the Depot in Duluth from 2-4 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 9. The event will recognize two individuals who have made significant contributions to the arts in the Arrowhead Region: Sculptor Gareth Andrews and Choral Director/Music Advocate Stanley Wold. Stay tuned for details.

Art-A-Whirl takes place in Minneapolis this weekend, sponsored by the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association, and features lots of art in a variety of venues as well as music.  It is billed as the largest open studio tour in the country. For all the info, click here.

For a local art whirl, check out Aaron Kloss’ latest work at Sivertson Gallery.

The Grand Marais Playhouse will hold auditions on Tuesday, May 21, for “Fit to Kill” by Victor Cahn. The play will be directed by Jackson Nickolay. There are roles for two women and a man. The auditions will be held at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts at 6:30 p.m.

Nelda Westerlind will present “A History of Mineral Center” at the Johnson Heritage Post at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 18, as part of the Small Talk series of the Cook County Historical Society. All invited. Free.

The Waterfront Gallery in Two Harbors is exhibiting “To Tree or Not To Tree,” a mixed-media art exhibit presented by the North Shore-based Voyageur Art Club.  WDSE’s The Playlist visited the exhibit recently and interviewed the artists. To view, click here.

And last, but not least, the panel discussion “More than Pretty: The Economics of Cook County’s Arts and Crafts” with Greg Wright, North House Folk School; Amy Demmer, Grand Marais Art Colony; Jay Andersen, WTIP Radio and Jan Sivertson, Sivertson Gallery was held at Cook County Higher Ed last week and was a resounding suceess. The standing-room only crowd had lots of great suggestions about how to grow the arts economy in Cook County. Contact Jim Boyd at Higher Ed for more details and how you can be involved at 387-1134.

A video of the session was produced by Boreal TV. Here’s the link.

Here’s the music line-up for this weekend.

Thursday, May 16:

Rich Mattson & Germaine Gemberling, Gunflint Tavern, 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 18:

Briand Morrison, Pie Place Cafe, 6 p.m.

Junk Jam with Mark Powers, Arrowhead Center for the Arts, 7:30 p.m., free.

Joe Paulik, Cascade Lodge Pub, 7 p.m.

Sunday, May 19:

Joe Paulik, Gunflint Tavern, 8 p.m.

Luckily, there were lots of interesting photos this week.

The first photo, “It’s a Wave!” was taken by Jeremy Church on Lake Michigan.

A little closer to home, check out this awesome portrait of the High Falls on the Pigeon River by Linda Otis.

Bryan Hansel  (www.bryanhansel.com) captured this fantastic image of a sunset on Two Island Lake.

David R. Johnson (davidrjohnson.zenfolio.com) shot this rushing river earlier this week as well.

With the end of winter, comes rock hunting. Thomas J. Spence found these agate beauties on a North Shore beach.

And there’s lots of wildlife to photograph.

Here’s one that could win the cutest-ever prize for sure. It’s by Paul Sundberg. (www.paulsundberg.com)

Did you know white pelicans can yawn? Sure looks like it in this Sparky Stensaas shot. (www.thephotonaturalist.com)

And for pure elegance, check out this photo by Travis Novitsky. (www.travisnovitsky.com)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

 

We did find some intriguing wildlife photos, too.

Here’s a moose by Nace Hagemann. (http://www.nacehagemannphotography.smugmug.com)

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