“There was good attendance at all the events and there were outstanding performances,” said Mike Raymond, one of the organizers of the jazz festival. The festival, which featured big names in jazz, many from the East Coast, included a jazz brunch at Naniboujou Lodge and Bluefin Resort on Sunday.

“Naniboujou was packed, and there was good attendance at the West End as well,” Raymond said.

One of the goals of the jazz festival is to bring visitors to the North Shore in the shoulder season and this goal was met, he said. “I saw very few familiar faces. 80 percent were from out of town — that was good.”

There was live music at art galleries and the GunFlint Tavern over the weekend, too, rounding out the musical experience for the community and visitors.

One of the highlights of the weekend was the opening of the Spring Art Underground Show at Betsy Bowen’s Studio Gallery and the start of summer hours at Last Chance Gallery in Lutsen where Gordon Thorne played Sunday afternoon.

Jazz pianist Chris Gillis played at the Art Underground Opening, at Sivertson Gallery and at the Pie Place. He and fiddler/violinist Max Bichel played at Bowen’s and at the Pie Place. Gillis played with the Si!vertones at Sivertson Gallery on Friday.

Here’s a very short clip of Gillis playing at Sivertson Gallery.

Here’s one where he plays with Max Bichel at Betsy Bowen’s Studio.

And last, but not least, Gillis with the Si!vertones.

There was lots of  new work at Betsy Bowen’s gallery  where artists from around the region are featured in the spring show.

 
Betsy is in the process of completing a woodcut print she started when she was in Uganda working with a woodcut printmaker there. Here is her  print key block for “Peace.”

This is a print of the key block for "Peace."

 
  To find out more about her trip to Uganda and her art, visit her Web site.

There is new work at  Last Chance Gallery, including painted canvas rugs and tote bags by Fran Rubinstein of Milwaukee.

A taste of the Si!vertones

Grand Marais painter, Howard Sivertson, below, was the keynote speaker and gave a slide show and presentation at the Welcome Picnic.

Kelly Dupre, below, talks about “Becoming a Boundary Waters Family: Woods Wisdom Share by the Outfitters of the Gunflint Trail.” Dupre illustrated and developed activities for the book. Sue Ahrendt edited it. Copies are available at local bookstores and the Gunflint District Ranger offices. Dupre was one of the exhibitors at the Green Living Fair which was held on Friday afternoon.

On Saturday, more than 300 people will go to designated spots in the Ham Lake burn area on the Gunflint Trail, pick up packets of pine seedlings and plant them. A Thank You Dinner  is that evening and Trail’s End Band will play for a dance. The Ham Lake Run/Walk and other activities are set for Sunday.

There's lots of stuff happening at the Grand Marais Jazz Festival.

The Grand Marais Jazz Festival is on Memorial Day weekend this year, May 22-24. For the complete schedule of concerts and more, visit www.grandmaraisjazzfest.com. There are lots of other activities planned for galleries and other venues during the event, too, including live music.  Sivertson Gallery kicks off the festival with the Si!vertones on Friday night. The Spring Underground Show featuring work by more than 40 local artists opens at Betsy Bowen’s Studio Saturday, May 23 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jazzman Chris Gillis will play. And the Last Chance Gallery in Lutsen will feature Gordon Thorne on Sunday afternoon from 2-5 p.m. The gallery will have hand-painted canvas rugs and hand-painted canvas place mats by Fran Rubinstein of Milwaukee and hand-dyed and assembled clothing by Deborah Murphy of California as well as new work by gallery artists.

The Clearwater Hot Club will play at the Gunflint Tavern May 22-23, and Michael Monroe will hold a Log Cabin Concert May 23. For info, e-mail mm@michaelmonroe.info.

This pyrographic (fire-writing) piece by Mary Jo Flack entitled "Hidden Strength" will be exhibited at a show of Hovland artists at the Johnson Heritage Post. The opening reception is from 5-7 p.m. May 8.

Also this month, 13 Hovland artists will have a show at the Johnson Heritage Post Gallery with oil and watercolor paintings, photography, pottery, baskets, woodcrafts, jewelry and more. Participating artists include Dan and Lee Ross, Mary Jo Flack, Virginia Danfelt, David Hahn, Julie Kean, Joel Lewis, Terry Lewis, Maxine Linehan, Lou Pignolet, Sandy Updyke, Bruce Updyke and Barb Wiltz. The show opens Friday, May 8 with a reception from 5-7 p.m. The Grand Marais Playhouse will hold auditions for two plays this month: “The Final Twist,” May 12 at 6:30, and “Some Enchanted Evening,” a collection of songs from Rogers and Hammerstein, May 14 at 6:30. Scripts are available at the office, which is open 9-4 weekdays. Call 387-1284 for more information.

Several local artists have handmade jewelry at the Lake Superior Trading Post including Val MacFarlane, Jan Johnson, Katherine Hellner and Maryanne Cordes. Copies of “Becoming a Boundary Waters Family:Woods Wisdom Shared by the Outfitters of the Gunflint Trail,” published by the Gunflint Trail Association with illustrations and activities by Kelly Dupre, graphic design by Kathy Hellner and edited by Sue Ahrendt, are available at the store as well as Tim Cochrane’s latest, “Minong – The Good Place; Isle Royale.” The forward is by Norman Deschampe, chairman of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

Drury Lane Books opens for the season May 1. Story Hour with the Muffin Man will be held Saturdays at 1 p.m. The first Full Moon Reading will be from 5-6 p.m. May 9, outside around the fire. On Saturday, May 23 at 5 p.m., author Mary Ellen Ashcroft will launch the season’s Salon, reading from her book “Dogspell” and discussing reading and writing. The Salon continues on May 30 with Bonnie Bhallbetter and Arvid Lloyd Williams reading from their book series, Sophie’s Hawk and Hawk’s Quest.

"Cascade Cedars" by Mark Tessier. Tessier shows his work at Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais.

Stepan Hoglund will be exhibiting photographs of Oaxaca, Mexico at the GunFlint Tavern this month.

Kah Nee Tah Gallery in Lutsen has new work by three regional potters: Donna Best of Webster, Wis., Kerry Brooks of Minneapolis and Bridget Donahue of Excelsior. Potter Bryan Johnson of Bayfield, Wis., is new to the gallery this year.

Raku potter Kristi Downing has just returned from a workshop on naked raku and alternative firings in Arizona. She will be holding a number of raku workshops at North House Folk School this summer.

Pleine air painter Neil Sherman was one of the artists featured in the St. Paul Art Crawl this year.

Duluth potter Karin Kraemer will teach a 2-day workshop on painting tiles with colorful majolica glazes at the Grand Marais Art Colony May 16-17. She will also hold a Paint-A-Tile fun night at the Art Colony on Friday, May 15. Cost is $10. The public is invited. For workshop information, call the Art Colony at 387-2737.

Three new workshops will be held at the Grand Marais Art Colony in May. Duluth potter Karin Kraemer will teach a workshop on making colorful tiles May 16-17, award-winning watercolorist Howard Sivertson will give a week-long painting workshop May 25-29 and Minnesota potter Bob Briscoe will spend a weekend throwing pots and talking about them May 29-30 (He has asked for 250 pounds of clay to throw). A public reception is set for May 28 from 5-7 p.m. For more information, see www.grandmaraisartcolony.org or call 218-387-2737. The Attic has received new handmade journals, handmade walking sticks by Roger Williams of Missouri and hand-blown glass decorative vases.

A new multimedia exhibit, “Poverty in Thunder Bay: This Is Realty” opened at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery in Thunder Bay, Ontario and continues through May 17. Other exhibits at the gallery include “Cascade,” a multimedia installation by Roly Martin, ”Immortal — Recent Meditations by Atikokan’s Joseph Fredrick, through June 14; and selections from the art gallery’s permanent collection.

The reggae band Rock Steady Saturday May 2,from 7:30 pm to 10:30 pm. on the main stage at the Fort William Gardens as part of the Thunder Bay Multicultural Centre's Folklore Festival. They will play two sets heavy on danceable Jamiacan reggae grooves

Also in Thunder Bay, the Thunder Bay Multicultural Association’s Folklore Festival 2009 featuring great music, food, exhibits, children’s activities and more will be held at Fort William Gardens May 2-3 starting at noon May 2. One of the bands which will be playing Rock Steady, which plays reggae in the style of Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. Band members include Clay Breiland on guitar and lead vocals,Rory Bohler on bass, Dave Campbell on drums and vocals and Gord Ellis on guitar and vocals. For more info, see http://www.folklorefestival.ca/.