CONGRATS TO OUR PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS!

Hello NWFA Members and Friends!

March is going to be a great month at the gallery! Class schedules are almost ready to publish, and we have some exciting new exhibits coming up.

Daylight Savings Time is this Sunday, March 8. Please remember to set your clocks ahead by one hour before you go to bed on Saturday, March 7.

New! March Exhibit
“Sudden Surprises: Nature-Inspired Watercolors” by Tanya Beyer

Thursday, March 5 until Saturday March 28.

Tanya Beyer, who grew up exploring Indiana’s fields and woods as well as the North Shore of Lake Superior, honed her watercolor skills through many years of painting outdoors in Minnesota and Northern Ontario. Her art and writing are inspired by the prairies and lake lands of the upper Midwest, honoring their diverse, interconnected species and landscapes. In addition to scenes of nature, her collection also features botanical art, birds, and small animal paintings.

Artist Reception: Friday, March 13 from 5pm to 7pm, where you can meet Tanya and learn more about her work.

Submissions due March 16 for our Promote the Arts design contest 

We are looking for a screen-print friendly design that will be featured on t-shirts and canvas tote bags, available for purchase at the Gallery. All proceeds from the sales will support NWFA programs, classes, and events.

Contest Guidelines:

• All entries must be received by Monday, March 16, 2026

• Designs must be original and sized at 8” x 10” & suitable for one-color screen printing

• Please avoid fine lines; designs may be simplified for printing purposes

• The winning design will be selected, and the artist will receive a $50 prize.

Send your submission via email to nwfamn.org@gmail.com or deliver in person at the gallery. More information is available on our website homepage www.nwfamn.org  Sponsored by the Cook Public Library

Carving Your Clan with Jeffrey Tibbetts

Tuesday, March 24 from 1pm - 4 pm

Cook Community Center

The Free workshop is limited to 20 participants and meant for those age 10 and up. Adult supervision will be required for younger attendees as sharp objects will be used to carve. 

Please contact the Cook Public Library if you would like to be put on the participant list.

218-256-4401 (temporary phone)

Looking ahead to April… 

Jim DeVries ExhibitAfter a forty-year break from painting, Jim returned to the canvas with renewed passion. This exhibition highlights ten years of creative rediscovery, featuring acrylics, watercolors, and penandink pieces inspired by the beauty of the Northwoods. Each work carries its own story, born from Jim’s deep love of nature. Beyond his art, Jim serves as Vice President of the NWFA Board of Directors and is a dedicated volunteer at the gallery. His enthusiasm, commitment, and creative spirit shine through in every piece he creates.

Piatigorsky Concert
The Piatigorsky Foundation is close to confirming the date for a concert again this year between April 15 and 21.at Trinity Lutheran Church. NWFA is proud to be able to sponsor the concert again this year with community supported funding for a concert at North Woods School.

Earth Fest
Earth Fest is scheduled for April 18 from 9am – 3pm, at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center in Virginia. This year’s theme is “No Place but Home”. We will have a craft table again this year with an engaging children’s activity. Volunteers are always welcome.  Please respond to our email or call the gallery if you would like to join us. 

New Saturday Hours: The gallery will reopen on Wednesdays starting in April and Saturday hours will resume from 9 am – 1 pm. 

Our current hours are Thursdays and Fridays from 10am to 4pm and Saturdays from 10am to 2pm. 

Please check our website nwfamn.org for updates throughout the month.

If you have news to share with our members, please send to nwfamn.org@gmail.com and we will add to future newsletters.

Each Monday artists are invited to "do art" with others at NWFA gallery from 6 to 8 p.m. No registration required. Hope to see you there!

The popular Wings Mural in Cook City Park by the Library and gazebo, has been duplicated and set back in place! The original was made up of feathers painted by children during NWFA Summer classes . Thanks to Lyn Reed and Lauren Nelson. The mural is up now, go check it out!

MN Public Radio Art Hounds…2025

From July 17 2025 Art Hounds interview MPR:

Live music by the lake

"Jeanne O’Melia, who lives on Lake Vermilion, makes her way to Cook, Minn., every Wednesday evening — often by boat — to enjoy the free live music at the gazebo downtown. Attendees are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets. In the event of rain, concerts move indoors to the VFW.

The music runs from 6–8 p.m. on Wednesdays throughout the summer. Next week, central Minnesota cover band JustUs takes the stage. On July 30, Native American Music Awards Hall of Fame inductee Keith Secola performs.,,,,mprnews.org/podcasts"

https://www.mprnews.org/episode/2025/07/17/art-hounds-shakespeare-music-and-pottery-all-outdoors

ListenMPR News“On fabric, dragons and freedom”

Listen to this broadcast here.  If you select “Cecilia Rolando” online within the article you will see Rolando artwork.

Jan. 16 2025 Art Hounds on MPR News

A stitch in time

Lyn Reed is a former art teacher and a ceramic artist living in Orr, but she made the trip to the Northwoods Friends of the Arts in Cook, Minn., to take in the joyful colors and compositions of fabric artist Cecilia Rolando of Ely.

Entitled “Piecing it Together,” the exhibit runs through Jan. 31. Several small quilts designed and sewn by NWFA’s Round Robin Quilt Group are also on display. 

Lyn Reed offers this look around the gallery, where the colors and textures provide a welcome burst of inspiration in January.

Lyn says: She calls it fabric collage, and that’s exactly what it is. She must have just an incredible resource of fabrics because I notice fabric from Southeast Asia … Japan … she’s used doilies, antique lace, gingham …There’s a piece I really like that’s red and white spiral.

She cuts different pieces of different sizes, and she’s collaged those together. You can see that she’s layered them. She’s using all different types of stitching, and the lines actually look as if they’re in a drawing. The compositions are really beautiful. 

It’s like a cornucopia of all different types of fabrics from around the world. If you love fabrics, you will enjoy Cecilia’s work.

— Lyn Reed

Thank you to artist and NWFA member, Lyn Reed, for volunteering to be interviewed by MPR News “Art Hounds”.