Grand Marais painter Howard Sivertson celebrates his 80th birthday with a special reception at Sivertson Gallery on May 28 from 5-7 p.m. The public is invited to this special celebration. Pictured above is one of Sivertson’s latest watercolors: Greenstone Beach.

The Scandinavian Art Show opening May 28th kicks off the Memorial Day celebrations in Cook County. There are all kinds of activities planned, from hikes on the mountain trails to sailing on the Hjordis, from great art opportunities to a chance to listen to lots of live music. Sivertson Gallery, for example, will have live music from 5-7 p.m. Friday; on Saturday Last Chance Gallery in Lutsen has a special event with live jazz with Chris Gillis from 1-5 p.m. and demonstrations with Nancy Daley, Anna Hess and Tom Christianson.

On the West End, the Cross River Heritage Center will open its exhibit of Arnold Friberg’s paintings of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on loan from the Tweed Museum of Art on Friday, May 28. The official reception is at 6:30 p.m. June 4. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Sundays from noon-4 p.m. It will be open on Memorial Day.

Scandinavian Art Show

The official 2010 summer season starts this weekend and, to celebrate this and the Old World heritage on the North Shore, the Scandinavian Art Show opens at the Johnson Heritage Post on Friday night. The exhibit features a great collection of photographs of Norway by Sara Rottunda as well as Scandinavian wood carvings by Gayle Harvey and Linda Blaine Ottis.

It is the first art exhibit for all three of these artists, and they’re excited about the opportunity of being able to share their work with others.

“I feel incredibly honored and very humbled,” Rottunda, who lives in the Twin Cities, said in a phone interview.

Rottunda’s photographs of Norway that she took on a trip last year got the show on the road, so to speak. Johnson Heritage Post director, Jo Ann Krause, was shown the photos by a friend and thought they would make a great exhibit at the JHP gallery. To round out the Scandinavian-themed show, she put a call out for wood carvers. Linda Blaine Ottis and Gayle Harvey responded, submitted examples of their work, and the board gave them the nod.

It should be a very interesting exhibit—Norwegian landscapes and seascapes and compelling woodcarvings inspired by the work of internationally renowned woodcarver Harley Ressal. Both Blaine Ottis and Harvey have taken classes with Ressal, including workshops at North House Folk School. The opening reception is from 5-7 on Friday, May 28.

Stephan Hoglund will have a Grand Opening of his new photography studio, Boreal Light Images, starting at 6 p.m. Friday, May 28 and continuing on Sunday. Raku artist Kristi Downing will be in her studio at Hut Point all weekend, too, with firings scheduled for 2 p.m. Her studio is 13 miles east of Grand Marais. The Sunday Arts Tour begins at 11 a.m. May 30 and features new exhibits, music and refreshments at galleries and studios all over the county, including The Blue Moose Gallery and Nursery and Kah Nee Tah Gallery.

The Betsy Bowen Studio Gallery will open a new show that Sunday featuring prints by master Ugandan printmaker, Hassan Mukiibi from 3-5 p.m. with music by Jef Cierniak and Chris Gillis. The gallery has also launched a fundraiser for Ugandan artist Ruth Nakaleme whose house in Uganda was destroyed by a flood earlier this year. She makes paper necklaces and the campaign “100 Necklaces Can Build a House” will pay for a new one.

The Grand Marais Art Colony will hold a family friendly art event from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, as well, with a chance to participate in a raku firing and/or decorate handmade cards. For poetry lovers, Drury Lane Books will hold a Salon with Margot Fortunato Galt and Suzanna Swanson of the Laurel Poetry collection on Saturday, May 29 at 5 p.m.

Also that weekend, the Cook County Farm & Craft Market will be open on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Senior Center parking lot, and there will be live music on the 8 Broadway Stage near Harbor Center starting at noon. In other art news, the 1910 Rock Shop has a great selection of rock lamps and jewelry crafted from local stones. A new jewelry line is being featured at the Attic Gift Shop. Dancing Elk jewelry is crafted from elk shed antler, sterling silver and porcupine quills.The Blue Moose has a large selection of garden art this year with everything from glass stakes to copper mushrooms and hand-blown glass hummingbird feeders.

Great Gifts in Lutsen is featuring sterling silver and pewter charm bracelets as well as new hemp and organic cotton clothing designs. Birchbark Books has copies of Duluth author Brian Freeman’s latest mystery, “In the Dark,” as well as Nace Hagemann’s self-published book of photographs and writings on the Gunflint Trail entitled “You Gotta Get Out of the Woods.”

This is the month for the Wooden Boat Show and Summer Solstice Fest at North House Folk School. It is June 18-20. Check this edition for the complete schedule. One highlight, local songwriter Rick Skoog and co-writer Dave Warhane’s music is used in an award-winning film that will be screened that week, “This is Canoeing,” produced by Justine Curgenben.

The Summer Solstice Pageant is Saturday, June 19 at 8 p.m. The public is invited to help make puppets and props for the show. Workshops are Fridays from 6-8 p.m. Saturdays 10 a.m. to noon and 2-4 p.m. Call 387-1992 for more info.

There are also lots of great bands scheduled for the GunFlint Tavern and the Eight Broadway Stage this month. Highlights at the Tavern include Rod N Real, June 5, Timmy Haus with Jef Cierniak June 11-12, Bicycle Army, June 25-26 and the Portage Band, June 27. The Chicago Bay Marketplace in Hovland hosts an acoustic jam for musicians and songwriters the first Monday of every month. The next one is June 7. Each month, a varied group of musicans share their favorite tunes from blues to bluegrass. Visitors are welcome.