In the spring male ruffed grouse “drum” to attract females. The drum sounds like someone repeatedly trying to pull start an outboard motor. The effect is caused by the grouse beating its wings against the air. While the sound is distinctive, it can be hard to pinpoint the bird which blends in with pre-spring forest.

North House was founded in 1997 by a small handful of inspired locals passionate about traditional craft and cooperative learning.

May Courses

4+ :: Seeing the Forest and the Trees, online 4 Tuesdays
6 :: Olive Oil Soap Making online
6 – 8 :: Turning the Wooden Bowl
7 :: Introduction to Skinnfeller online
7-9 :: Lost Wax Casting – Sterling Silver Rings
7-9 :: Rag Rug Weaving: Table Runner and Placemats
8:: Crocheted Lightweight Wrap online
13-16 :: Color Theory Through Weaving
14-16 :: Lathe Turning: The Wooden Bowl
14 & 21 :: Three-Dimensional Felting , Bowls & Berets online
17 :: Rosemaling
19-23 :: Building Thoreau’s Cabin: basic Building Skills Workshop
20-22 :: Tool-Making for Woodworkers and Others
20-23 :: Handwoven Wool Tote Bag
22 :: Spring Birding on the North Shore
23:: Tool-Making for Woodworkers and Others
24 :: Flycasting Workshop
28 :: Reinventing Rhubarb online
28 – 30 :: Hand-Sewn Leather Tote Bag
28 – 30 :: Fly Fishing Intensive
28 – 30 :: Perching Stools
29 :: Small Breads online

At the Grand Marais Art Colony, we exist to support the enduring human need for creative expression and inspiration. Artists and creative seekers of all levels come from across the country to learn from renowned instructors, create art, and engage together in artistic inquiry.

May Courses

3 – 6 :: Oil Painting Plein Air
10 -14 :: Quick & Easy Terra Sigillata
12 – 13 :: Making Waves in Watercolor
13-27 [3 Thu] :: Virtual:Quick & Easy Terra Sigillata
21 :: Summer Exhibition Opening Reception
29 :: Mini-class: Drawing on Point
31 – June 4 :: Approaches to Observational Drawing
31 – June 4 :: Writing in Place
31 – June 4 :: Mentor Series: Abstraction from Nature

Bald eagles migrate back up the North shore in March, lay 1-3 eggs in April and incubate them for about five weeks. Chicks hatch mid-May. After three months, eaglets can fly, and after another month they leave the nest for good. Parents will return to the same nest for multiple years, so it is important for humans to not disturb the nests.

This art gala event is a celebration and tribute to all women and is open to the public. Participation is open to all ages and all genders, is free and open to all art mediums including written and performance art. Registration is encouraged.  The gala will be both indoors and outdoors at Joy & Co. with a large tent in the backyard.

Joy & Co. will work with participants to display art entries and schedule any performances. The culminating art installations, events, performances and celebration will take place on Sunday, May 9 from 10:00-5:00 p.m.

registration form and details

Mother’s Day on the North Shore! All Minnesota moms can fish without a license courtesy of the MN DNR. Mothers can only fish for species with open seasons. For possession limits and other details consult the fishing regulations.

New moon nights – night when the moon is absent from the sky – make for great stargazing.

Here’s a great way to start – look due north after the sun has set and find the Big Dipper constellation [see photo] with its telltale 3-star handle and 4-star dipper.

This is how the Big Dipper looks in the north sky in the spring.

We are open late on Thursdays, so grab your date and come down to the Winery for music from 5-7 p.m., music by Gordon Thorne.
Gordon Thorne picked up a guitar 30 years ago and hasn’t put it down since. He spent years mining early American blues and jazz, blending them with his own style, and serves up what he calls, “the modern sounds of yesterday – today”. Known as the meanest fingerpicker in Northern Minnesota, it is where he spends his time working, raising kids, and playing a little guitar.

Walleye fishing season opens!

Gangly, tawny moose calves are born about nine months after the autumn rut [mating season]. Born at 25-35 pounds, the average adult moose weighs close to 1,000 pounds and stand six feet tall. Calves can walk and swim at one week of age and remain with their mother for 12-18 months. If you’re lucky, you will see a cow with her twins, which are somewhat common.

More Mammal Babies
Bear cubs are actually born in January while their mother is hibernating. The youngsters leave the den and stay with their mother about a year and a half, hibernating with her their first year. Black bears made in late spring/early summer but the eggs don’t implant until November. Adults weigh 150 -500+ pounds, with males being bigger and heavier.

Gestation for white-tailed deer is seven months, with fawns typically born around Memorial Day. The young, born at about 8 pounds, sport white spots that disappear by early autumn. Find will stay with their mother one to two years and adults weigh in from 85-300 pounds, with males being bigger and heavier.

The Superior 12.5KM (7.75MI), 25KM (15.5MI) and 50KM (31MI) Trail Races are extremely hilly, rugged and technical trail-races which traverse the Sawtooth Mountain Range via the Superior Hiking Trail in the far reaches of Northern Minnesota. The 25K and 50K race courses are slated to be the same as normal – the 12.5K will be a modified out and back course and not quite as interesting as the point to point course of years past, this in order to eliminate busing. The course parallels Lake Superior, the greatest freshwater lake in the world, climbs to near 2000′ peaks with breath-taking vistas of the lake and inland forests and crosses whitewater rivers and serene streams while meandering through boreal forests.

COVID modifications in place

We are open late on Thursdays, so grab your date and come down to the Winery for music from 5-7 p.m., music by Gordon Thorne.
Gordon Thorne picked up a guitar 30 years ago and hasn’t put it down since. He spent years mining early American blues and jazz, blending them with his own style, and serves up what he calls, “the modern sounds of yesterday – today”. Known as the meanest fingerpicker in Northern Minnesota, it is where he spends his time working, raising kids, and playing a little guitar.

Moira Bateman, Annie Hejny, Moheb Soliman, and Nick Wroblewski completed a 7-day residency at the Art Colony in 2019 focused on “The Water Cycle.” Each of them exploring the nature of water and how it inspires, informs, and challenges their work. They are back to show work that was begun during that time, and found its completion in their home studios. Join us at Studio 21 for the opening reception of this exhibit on May 21, 5 – 7 pm.

This exhibit will take place at our new building, Studio 21, and will remain up through August 31st.