Since 2019, the North Shore Artists League has fostered a vibrant community of artists living and creating along the majestic shores of Lake Superior. United by a shared love of place, our members—working in mediums from glass to felt, oils to metal—draw inspiration from the vast skies, boreal forests, and the powerful presence of the inland sea.

In our 2025 exhibition, Echoes of Water, Wilderness, and Wonder, 33 artists reflect on the raw beauty and quiet magic of this extraordinary landscape.

Come experience the North Shore through the eyes—and hands—of its artists.

Light refreshments happily served.

Join the Cook County Historical Society for live blacksmith demonstrations at the Bally Blacksmith Shop in downtown Grand Marais.

Bally Blacksmith Shop was built in 1911 and housed three generations of the Bally family blacksmiths, totaling 98 years of Bally blacksmiths. The metal Forest Service building behind the shop was added to the site in the 1960s. The Bally shop has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1986. The Cook County Historical Society acquired the building in 2013.

Learn more: https://www.cookcountyhistory.org/bally-blacksmith-shop

Join us to celebrate the work of Brock Larson, a Duluth-based artist who was the 2023 grand prize winner of the Grand Marais Plein Air event for best body of work. Larson began drawing at a young age and found his calling at the Atelier Studio Program of Fine Arts in Minneapolis, focusing on realistic paintings and drawings. It was also at the Atelier where he discovered his love of teaching, and would eventually go on to open up The Great Lakes Academy of Fine Art in Duluth with his father, who is also an artist.

Larson’s exhibit will feature a collection of recent and past works that study efforts to capture the light, mood, and nature of northern life.

The gallery exhibit will run from June 21 to July 13, with an opening reception (with refreshments) on June 20 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Click here to see updated hours for JHP.

June 4 Volunteer Tree Planting Event Update:

Due to the forecasted unhealthy air quality through the morning of June 4 and for the safety of our volunteers, staff, and board members, we will be postponing the event.

We are in contact with our event partners and will send an additional update once we have updated information.

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Join the Cook County Historical Society on June 4 at 10:00 a.m. as we plant over 125 native tree species around the Chippewa City Church site. (A backup date of June 5th at 10 a.m. has been scheduled in case of rain.) 

We will provide all the necessary tools and have some gloves, but we encourage volunteers to bring their own if they have them. Sturdy, closed-toe shoes will be required. We will work outside, so plan to bring bug spray, bug nets, hats, sunscreen, layers, water, etc. 

To learn more or sign up, click here.

Photo: CCC men planting trees. Date unknown. Courtesy of the Cook County Historical Society.

The Cook County Historical Society is hosting a new staff welcome and museum open house, and you’re invited. On May 27, from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m., stop by the History Museum to walk around the building, check out the exhibits, learn more about our plans to celebrate our 100th anniversary, and say hi to our newest staff members, Annie and Victoria.

Light refreshments will be served, and Historical Society staff will showcase a favorite artifact or two for a fun feature we’re calling “What’s in our attic?”

We hope to see you there!

Join Neil Sherman, Grand Prize Winner of the 2024 Plein Air Grand Marais Competition, for the unveiling of a special exhibit featuring his recent works. Light refreshments will be served.

This exhibit will run through June 15th.

The Cook County Historical Society is looking for volunteers who are able to help us prep the site surrounding the Chippewa City Church for planting. This work will include picking up trash that has blown off Highway 61 and onto the site. We will provide trash bags and have some gloves, but we encourage volunteers to bring their own if they have them. Sturdy, closed-toe shoes will be required. Volunteers will be working outside, so plan to bring bug spray, bug nets, sunscreen, etc. 

We will also host a tree planting event in mid-to-late May, and we will need volunteers to help us with that endeavor. A specific date and time will be forthcoming. 

To learn more or sign up, click here.

The Cook County Historical Society is excited to announce our summer hours for the Cook County Historical Society History Museum, which begin on Friday, May 23, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

This summer, join us inside the History Museum, originally the Grand Marais lightkeeper's residence, built in 1896 and a National Historic Landmark. We have a variety of exhibits exploring local history, including the Civilian Conservation Corps era, maritime heritage, early homesteading in the North Shore, wartime experiences, and much more.

Admission is free. 

To learn more about the History Museum and other Cook County Historical Society news, visit cookcountyhistory.org. 

About the Cook County Historical Society:

The purpose of the Historical Society shall be the collection, preservation, and dissemination of knowledge about the history of Cook County and to relate it to the history of the State of Minnesota.

Founded on October 29, 1925, the Cook County Historical Society now operates five buildings: the Historical Society Museum (the 1896 Lightkeeper's House); the Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery (JHP Art Gallery); St. Francis Xavier Chippewa City Church; Bally Blacksmith Shop; and a 1930s fish house replica and the 35’ fishing tug, Nee-Gee, built in 1935 in Grand Marais.

Join the artists of the Hovland Arts Guild as they celebrate the opening of their Spring Show at the Johnson Heritage Post Gallery. The show will feature the works of 19 artists, celebrating a cornucopia of styles and mediums. Light refreshments will be served; the show will run through May 18th.

Ever wonder what to expect on a trail and if it is able to accommodate your physical needs? Gentle Hikes of Minnesota's North Shore is a "Know-Before-You-Go" guidebook that informs of the number of steps, handrail presence, steepness and length of inclines, and trail surface/width on selected scenic trails under 3 miles roundtrip from Duluth to the Canadian Border. In this presentation, author-artist duo Ladona Tornabene, Ph.D., MCHES, and Lisa Vogelsang, Ph.D., will delve into their creative process as well as their highly detailed research of North Shore trails.

Tornabene’s photography from the book, Gentle Hikes of Minnesota’s North Shore, is on display at the Johnson Heritage Post Gallery from March 28th through April 20th.

NEW DATE: The book talk was originally scheduled for March 29th. It has been postponed to April 5th. The photography exhibit will still run March 28th through April 20th.

The photography of Ladona Tornabene, Ph.D., MCHES, celebrates the beauty of hiking trails on the North Shore. During the opening reception, Tornabene will discuss her work focusing on the inseparability of arts and health. Light refreshments will be served at the reception.

This exhibit is supported by The Imagine Fund, University of Minnesota.

NEW DATE: The reception was originally scheduled for March 28th. It has been postponed to April 4th. The exhibit will still run March 28th through April 20th.

Winter Plein Air is an annual painting retreat hosted by the Outdoor Painters of Minnesota. Unlike the annual September Plein Air event, the winter retreat is not a competition. Instead, it is a painting expedition to YMCA Camp Menogyn, where artists can spend five days painting the beauty of the BWCAW and enjoying the camaraderie of other painters.

After the retreat, painters will head to Grand Marais, where they can display their work at the gallery! We will be hosting a public reception on Friday, February 28, 2025, from 5:00-7:00pm at JHP. The Winter Plein Air Exhibit will run from February 28 – March 23, 2025.

To learn more about the retreat, visit the Outdoor Painters of Minnesota website here.

To learn more about the Winter Plein Air Retreat, watch this short video from our friends at WTIP Community Radio.

Photo: Outdoor Painters of Minnesota

We kick off celebration of the Cook County Historical Society’s 100th year with our Permanent Collection Feature, 100 Years of Art in Cook County! We’ve curated an exhibition featuring artwork created in the 1920’s through today, highlighting the extraordinary breadth of talent that appreciates the wonders of Cook County.

Opening Reception is Friday January 10, 5-7pm. Complimentary refreshments will be happily offered.

Join us for the Opening Reception of our annual Dark Skies Exhibit, celebrating the dark skies of the BWCA, which has been named as one of only 17 certified International Dark Sky Sanctuaries in the world.

This year we feature Celestial Navigation from artist Kim Dayton. Dayton applies a variety of mediums to celebrate celestial objects, presenting a dreamy journey through the night skies.

Opening Reception is Friday December 6, 5-7pm. Complimentary refreshments will be happily offered.

Join us as we celebrate the opening of Love Your Neighbor a community exhibition presented by Spirit of the Wilderness Episcopal Church. Love Your Neighbor features a collection of talented community artists working in a variety of mediums.

Opening Reception is Friday November 8, 5-7pm. Complimentary refreshments will be happily offered. Artist’s Panel to begin at 6pm.

Join the Cook County Historical Society for an afternoon of cookies, cocoa, and coziness during our 2024 Annual Meeting. 

The meeting will be held on October 12, 2024, from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm at the Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery. While you enjoy a sweet treat from our hot cocoa bar and selection of cookies, we’ll highlight HCC’s newly configured strategic plan, share information about what Supporters can expect as we enter our 100th year, and read a few excerpts from our newly published book At the End of the Caribou Trail: Tait Lake and the Life of Cap & Billie Peterson.

Learn more and register here.

Join us for the Opening Reception of our latest exhibit, Splendor of the North Shore: By Land and Sea, featuring artist Tom Dimock. 

Displaying skill in both Plein Air and studio work, Dimock’s oil paintings transport you to the time and place to enjoy the incredible wonders of the North Shore. From the inland ‘sea’ of Lake Superior to the deep glens of the Boreal Forest, this exhibition promises to delight

Opening Reception will be celebrated Friday October 11th  5-7pm at JHP. Complimentary refreshments happily offered.

 Historic Cook County is excited to announce a date for its Public Art Project Unveiling and corresponding Artist Talk with Maeve Gathje.  Join us on Saturday, September 28th at 4 pm at the Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery (115 W Wisconsin St, Grand Marais, MN) to be among the first to see this incredible work of art. The Public Art, titled Biota Borealis, consists of three sand-blasted Minnesota granite stones displaying scenes of Northern Minnesota beauty.

The Celebration will begin with an Artist’s Talk, where Gathje will share photos and stories about her process of designing and working with the stones. Following a brief Q&A session, we will transition outside for the Grand Unveiling. 

This project was made possible through the generous support from the Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation. 

Learn more about the project here.

Join us as we celebrate the opening reception for Plein Air Grand Marais 2023, a gallery exhibition featuring 60 artists competing for a variety of awards. Plein Air Grand Marais is a 20 year tradition bringing outdoor painters to the North Shore of Lake Superior for a week of painting, learning, competition, and camaraderie. From oils to watercolor to pastels and more, come view over 200 paintings, all painted in plein air!

Opening Reception is Friday, September 13, 5-8pm. Award Ceremony begins at 6pm. Complimentary refreshments happily offered.