How We Got Started

In December of 2010 several area artists gathered to network and discuss the possibility of forming an art group in Cook, MN. The group would hopefully include the entire area of northern Minnesota, eventually establishing a gallery where artists would be able to sell their work on a permanent basis and hopefully provide events to further the arts in the broader region.

Artists ranging from Orr and Crane Lake to the north, Hibbing and Chisholm to the southwest, Ely, Embarrass, Aurora and Babbitt to the east and southeast and Britt, Virginia, Mt. Iron, Gilbert and Eveleth to the south were all included and invited to join the organization.

Northwoods Friends of the Arts (NWFA) started in 2011 as an arm of the Cook Chamber of Commerce and appreciates the Chamber for all the help and direction they’ve given to the organization during these formative months.

We’re close to the most beautiful lake in Minnesota—Lake Vermilion—and families and fishing enthusiasts from far and wide visit us. This is a great opportunity to expose your art to the public and make contacts for commissions in the future!

Click on the link below to view the video Ten Years After, Art in a Small Town…..by Jim DeVries