The concept of Sivertson Gallery was set into motion in 1980 as the joint effort of its current owner, Jan Sivertson, and her father, artist and author Howard Sivertson. The first gallery site was a small retail space in the basement of Howard’s home, where Howard and Jan divided their time between gallery duty and creating art. A few artist friends were invited to show their work as well, and Sivertson Gallery became a reality.

LOCATION: 14 West Wisconsin Street, Grand Marais, MN 55604
| ((218) 387-2491 | Website • 0.4 Miles From Hotel

Howard quickly realized how much he truly wanted to “just paint.” The gallery business was a distraction for him and, fortunately, a passion for Jan. In 1982, Jan took the business downtown, leaving Howard free to pursue his painting – capturing in oil and watercolor the scenes and history of the North Shore of Lake Superior, Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Isle Royale.

The downtown Grand Marais gallery was first located in a small white house a stone’s throw from the lake. The business steadily grew, gathering talented regional artists, dedicated staff, and location changes along the way. In 1995, Sivertson Gallery expanded to a second location in Canal Park, Duluth, an active area for tourism year round.

Today, Sivertson Gallery is a destination for art on the North Shore of Lake Superior, exhibiting the work of over 60 regional artists in addition to Canadian Inuit and Alaskan native art, Canadian First Nation and Native American art. Exhibiting artwork that reflects the character of Lake Superior remains the gallery’s dominant focus. This includes depicting the lake’s beauty and depth, its surrounding environment and its history and people. Including art from the more remote northern regions of Alaska and Arctic Canada brings an adventurous and independent flavor to the gallery.

Tags: Sivertson Gallery, Grand Marais Art, Grand Marais Art Gallery, Grand Marais Local Guide, North Shore Lake Superior Local Guide, North Shore Art, North Shore Art Gallery

North Shore MN Arts and Culture Guide

Within walking distance, or a short hop in your car, you will find almost every type of Grand Marais Minnesota dining experience convenient to Superior Inn. Dining out is one of the main adventures of traveling. From elegant dinners with a view of magnificint Lake Superior and white linen to eating a crab on the beach, the North Shore region has everything you can imagine. If you want seafood you’ve definitely come to the right place! Our Grand Marais Dining Guide will help you find the best bowl of clam chowder, grilled salmon or fish tacos. Grand Marais bakeries are also excellent when it comes to their home made breads, cookies and other local favorites.

Grand Marais restaurants offer a variety of cuisines in fun and casual environments. Whether your goal is a fun meal with the family, romantic dining for two, or a large group gathering, there are plenty of options to choose from.

View North Shore MN Arts and Culture guide.

North House Folk School is a small educational non-profit on the shore of Lake Superior in Grand Marais, Minnesota. They foster a non-competitive learning environment devoted to teaching traditional northern craft. Offering over 350 courses year round in everything from timber framing to woodworking to boatbuilding to fibers.

LOCATION: On the Harbor 500 W Hwy 61, Grand Marais, MN 55604
| (218) 387-9762 | Website • 0.4 mi From Hotel

What is a Folk School

Folk schools emphasize learning for the sake of learning. There are no exams, no credits, and no term papers. As much as our courses teach a particular skill (timberframing, basketmaking), they also encourage lifelong learning. This type of learning environment is inspired by Scandinavian folkehøjskolers (folk high schools).

Mission of North House Folk School

Our mission is to enrich lives and build community by teaching traditional northern crafts in a student-centered learning environment that inspires the hands, the heart and the mind.

Experience North House Folk School First-Hand

North House Folk School brings instructors from around the world to teach traditional northern crafts on the shore of Lake Superior. The best way to learn more about their mission is to experience it first-hand—take a course, attend an event, or visit the campus to see craft in action. North House Folk School is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit, and depends on the generous support of donors at many levels.

VIEW NORTH HOUSE CLASS SCHEDULE

Tags: North House Folk School, Grand Marais Arts, Grand Marais Culture, Grand Marais Craft Courses, Cook County Arts, Cook County Culture, Cook County Craft Courses

North Shore MN Arts and Culture Guide

Within walking distance, or a short hop in your car, you will find almost every type of Grand Marais Minnesota dining experience convenient to Superior Inn. Dining out is one of the main adventures of traveling. From elegant dinners with a view of magnificint Lake Superior and white linen to eating a crab on the beach, the North Shore region has everything you can imagine. If you want seafood you’ve definitely come to the right place! Our Grand Marais Dining Guide will help you find the best bowl of clam chowder, grilled salmon or fish tacos. Grand Marais bakeries are also excellent when it comes to their home made breads, cookies and other local favorites.

Grand Marais restaurants offer a variety of cuisines in fun and casual environments. Whether your goal is a fun meal with the family, romantic dining for two, or a large group gathering, there are plenty of options to choose from.

View North Shore MN Arts and Culture guide.

The Grand Marais Playhouse is a non-profit community theater founded in 1971 and is dedicated to providing high quality theater and educational opportunities with and for Cook County residents and visitors.

LOCATION: 51 W 5th Sreett, Grand Marais, MN 55604
| ((218) 387-1284 | Website • 0.4 Miles From Hotel

The Grand Marais Playhouse started in 1971. As we prepare to celebrate our 50th Season in 2021, we are gathering our stories around us, sifting through pictures, letters, news articles, programs, and even costumes and props that have held so much emotional value over the years.

In October 2018, director Sue Hennessy gave a presentation about the Playhouse at a conference of the Minnesota Theater Alliance. We are posting it below with related videos to begin the conversation and to trigger some happy memories of the Playhouse past.

If you have a Grand Marais Playhouse story to share please send it along, either as a video or a letter. We would love to hear your tales!within and outside the walls of the theater, are cultivated, encouraged, and supported.

Performances & Tickets
You can purchase tickets for events at the Box Office or online. Online tickets are recommended as our Box Office is not open regular hours. Performance dates vary through out the year.
Buy Tickets Online | Current Season Performances

Tags: Grand Marais Playhouse, Grand Marais Theatre, Grand Marais Performing Arts, Grand Marais Local Guide, North Shore Lake Superior Local Guide

North Shore MN Arts and Culture Guide

Within walking distance, or a short hop in your car, you will find almost every type of Grand Marais Minnesota dining experience convenient to Superior Inn. Dining out is one of the main adventures of traveling. From elegant dinners with a view of magnificint Lake Superior and white linen to eating a crab on the beach, the North Shore region has everything you can imagine. If you want seafood you’ve definitely come to the right place! Our Grand Marais Dining Guide will help you find the best bowl of clam chowder, grilled salmon or fish tacos. Grand Marais bakeries are also excellent when it comes to their home made breads, cookies and other local favorites.

Grand Marais restaurants offer a variety of cuisines in fun and casual environments. Whether your goal is a fun meal with the family, romantic dining for two, or a large group gathering, there are plenty of options to choose from.

View North Shore MN Arts and Culture guide.

The Grand Marais Art Colony is a nonprofit, member-supported art center dedicated to nurturing creativity since 1947. In addition to organizing the annual Grand Marais Arts Festival, the Grand Marais Arts Colony hosts over 200 classes per year, in a variety of mediums, catering to all skill levels. The Art Colony also offers professional studio access and organizes other exhibits and events throughout the year. The Art Colony hosts a number of signature events and exhibitions as well as collaborates with community-wide events to showcase and celebrate this vibrant artistic community. Signature events include ths Grand Marais Arts Festival (July), Book Arts Weekend (August), and the North Shore Readers and Writers Festival (November).

LOCATION: 120 West 3rd Avenue, Grand Marais, MN 55604
| (218) 387-1265 | Website • 0.4 Miles From Hotel
Hours: open daily, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

History of The Grand Marais Art Colony
The Grand Marais Art Colony is the longest-lived art colony in the state of Minnesota, opening in 1947 as a summer refuge for artists seeking to study in an inspiring natural setting. Birney Quick, one of the region’s acclaimed artists and a faculty member from the Minneapolis School of Art (MSA, now known as the Minneapolis College of Art and Design), came to this remote town of Grand Marais, to create the Outdoor School of Painting as a summer program of MSA. In 1954 Byron Bradley started teaching at the Art Colony. Byron Bradley was also an artist and professor at MSA as well as owner and operator of KB Art Gallery (one of the first galleries in Minnesota) and then of KB Art Materials (the best art supply resource in Minnesota).

With the decline of student registration on the GI Bill, MCAD shifted their focus to on-campus activities. So in 1959, Birney and Byron took over the leadership of the Art Colony, firmly establishing themselves and the Art Colony in Grand Marais. They operated the Art Colony independently as a private business with the same collegiate criteria for creative excellence.

In 1963 the Art Colony acquired the historic St. John’s Catholic Church (built in 1916) and has been located in the heart of Grand Marais ever since.

In 1966 Birney and Byron asked Harvey Turner (past participant) to join them as a youth instructor, and Harvey taught the Saturday morning youth art classes for many years. Until the 1980s, this trio, along with Keith Havens, made up the Art Colony’s artistic leadership.

During Birney and Bryon’s tenure, many of Minnesota’s most influential artists and performers came to this remote artistic enclave to teach, perform, and create artwork, including George Morrison, Howard Sivertson, Frank Gillis, Doc Evans, the Minnesota Ballet, among many others. These artists also nurtured many college students who made their home on the North Shore and continue the legacy of the Art Colony today such as Betsy Bowen, Sharon Frykman, Dave Gilsvik, and so many more. Many fondly recall the Monday Night Fish Fries where Birney and Bryon grilled up freshly caught fish served with homemade sides and desserts paired with painting demonstrations, lectures, concerts, and dances long into the night.

Birney passed in 1981 but not before inviting Hazel Belvo to teach in the summer of 1981. Without knowing it, he ushered in the next era of the Art Colony’s artistic leadership. Hazel is an acclaimed painter, feminist art advocate, co-founder of the Women’s Art Registry of Minnesota (WARM), and mentor. In addition to teaching over three decades at the Art Colony, Hazel has taught at Rhode Island School of Design, St. Paul Academy, and was the Dean of Fine Arts at MCAD.

After Birney’s death, Byron maintained the Art Colony until the Cook County Regional Development Commission and members from the community established it as a community-supported, 501(c) 3 arts organization, legally called Grand Marais Arts, Inc.

In the 1990s, the Art Colony installed a furnace, enabling the school to offer year-round art classes. Also in the 90s, the Art Colony partnered with the Grand Marais Playhouse, the North Shore Music Association, and the Independent School District # 166 to establish the Arrowhead Center for the Arts, a $3.5 million auditorium expansion at the school.

In 2005, GMAC doubled its existing studio space through the construction of a Studio Building that is connected by walkway to the original structure. The Studio Building provides studios for glass, pottery, and printmaking, as well as a Gallery Store and administrative space. The Historic Building houses the multi-discipline/painting studio, and an art library. In 2016-2017 a major renovation was conducted on the Historic Building to repair structural issues and address energy efficiencies.

2017 marks GMAC’s 70th anniversary and the legacy of sustaining an artistic home on the North Shore continues. Currently GMAC serves over 25,000 people and whether you are a novice, an art appreciator, or a professional artist, we invite you to find your place with us. Read an article about the Art Colony by the Minnesota Historical Society here or listen to a radio program about our historic facilities here.

Tags: Grand Marais Art Colony, Grand Marais Arts & Culture, Minnesota Art Colony, Minnesota Art Colony

North Shore MN Arts and Culture Guide

Within walking distance, or a short hop in your car, you will find almost every type of Grand Marais Minnesota dining experience convenient to Superior Inn. Dining out is one of the main adventures of traveling. From elegant dinners with a view of magnificint Lake Superior and white linen to eating a crab on the beach, the North Shore region has everything you can imagine. If you want seafood you’ve definitely come to the right place! Our Grand Marais Dining Guide will help you find the best bowl of clam chowder, grilled salmon or fish tacos. Grand Marais bakeries are also excellent when it comes to their home made breads, cookies and other local favorites.

Grand Marais restaurants offer a variety of cuisines in fun and casual environments. Whether your goal is a fun meal with the family, romantic dining for two, or a large group gathering, there are plenty of options to choose from.

View North Shore MN Arts and Culture guide.