First Friday exhibits in Calumet offer Finnish-American-inspired art and activities June 7

Map of Calumet galleries you can visit on First Friday. (Map courtesy Tom Rudd of Galerie Bohème)

CALUMET -- First Friday in Calumet -- TOMORROW, June 7 -- art exhibits and activities will include a Finnish American theme in preparation for the coming FinnFest 2013.

This Tervetuloa (Welcome, in Finnish) sign is a sample of art that participants in the Copper Country Associated Artists June 7 First Friday workshop will be invited to create. (Image courtesy Copper Country Associated Artists)

Copper Country Associated Artists (CCAA) will be hosting a workshop from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, June 7, to make Finnish-style Welcome signs.

CCAA members will provide all of the materials and will be on hand to instruct participants on lettering and embellishment.  It is hoped that these signs will be displayed at homes around the Copper Country to welcome the Finnish guests during FinnFest 2013, scheduled for June 19-23. The workshop will be free and open to the public, but donations are appreciated.

Ziyad and Co. (former Ed Gray Gallery) will celebrate the artwork of four Finnish Americans -- Kenneth Koskela, Edith Marshall-Maki, Frederica (Tiapala-Sibilsky) Taddeucci and Bill Haapala-Wiard -- who have come together to share their creative Finnish works of art this First Friday.

"Thousand Word Picture Poem," by Edith Marshall-Maki. (Photo courtesy Ziyad and Co.)

An open reception, including drumming by the Blue Heron drumming group, will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Ziyad and Co. gallery, located at 109 5th Street, Calumet.

Galerie Bohème will present Drawings and Sculpture by Susanne Kilpela, with a reception from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, June 7, and a Finn Fest reception from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, June 20.

Sculpture by Susanne Kilpela. (Photo courtesy Galerie Bohème)

"This month there should be no snow or ice and we have Susie Kilpela's, unique, innovative and exciting artworks," says Galerie Bohème host Tom Rudd, "so stop by check out the work, have a slice of bread, a glass o' something, a piece of cheese, see and talk to people that you haven't seen since last summer, or last month."

Galerie Bohème is at the north end of Fifth Street. For more information call Tom Rudd at 906-369-4086.

Just up Fifth Street a few steps from Galerie Bohème you may hear live music by the Backroom Boys Jazz Band (trio version)  at the Omphale Gallery and Café. Stop in for a Finnish waltz or tango, taste some of Julie's gourmet treats and check out the exhibit of illustrations and comics by Finnish American artist Pamela Kotila. The exhibit will be featured at the Omphale through June 29.

A scene from artist Pamela Kotila's "Spidersilk" web comic, part of the June exhibit of her comics and illustrations at the Omphale Gallery and Café in Calumet. (Photo courtesy Julie DePaul Johnson)

Kotila, a 2010 graduate of the Finlandia University International School of Art and Design, is originally from Dodgeville, Mich. She currently lives in Japan, where she is employed as an assistant English language teacher. Perhaps best known in the Copper Country for her fashion designs, for the past two years Kotila has been focusing on web comics and illustrations. The Omphale Gallery exhibition will feature new works from her web comic, a fantasy comedy titled "Spidersilk." Though mostly for entertainment, Kotila says her character-driven comics carry themes of tolerance, equality, and diversity.

The exhibit’s curator, artist Joyce Koskenmaki, says Kotila’s show is an opportunity to see an art form that is currently underrepresented in the western Upper Peninsula area.

"Comics are now created for wider audiences, cover diverse topics, and stretch to any genre and use various mediums," Koskenmaki notes.

Kotila recently published a short story in a comic magazine in Japan. She updates "Spidersilk" twice a week on mangamagazine.net. Visit her website at syrism.com.

Update: The Calumet Art Center at 57055 Fifth Street will be open from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.on June 7.  This First Friday’s project will be  CLAY TILE. A  6"x 6" tile will be ready to carve and paint in designs of your choice. The tiles will be fired and ready to pick up in two weeks. Find your inspiration while touring the center and open studio featuring looms of all types; lamp work bead station; library and writing studio; and the clay studio, where the center is gearing up for the Empty Bowls Project. You can also see the recently completed stage expansion in the Performance Hall built by the Calumet High School workshop students.

The Calumet Art Center Gallery also features works for sale by artists Ed Gray and Emily Gray Koehler to benefit the center's youth programs. Learn about recent classes, projects and upcoming events including the Summer Youth Art Program. Refreshments will be served. For more information call 906-934-2228.

First Friday in Calumet offers art for Spring April 5

CALUMET -- Calumet galleries and the Calumet Art Center will be open First Friday evening, April 5. You're invited to celebrate Spring with local artists and art lovers!

Butterflies of Maasto Hiihto at Copper Country Associated Artists

Butterfly near Maasto Hiihto trails. (Photo © and courtesy Miriam Pickens)

April showers bring May flowers -- and, when the flowers are out, the butterflies will come. The Copper Country is summer home to many species of butterflies, and some even live here year round. Miriam Pickens of the Copper Country Associated Artists (CCAA) is an avid collector of butterflies. Armed with a camera, she has taken photos of around 35 different types that live in West Hancock near the Maasto Hiihto trails.

From 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on First Friday, April 5, at CCAA, Pickens will present a slide show and will discuss the identification and behavior of these butterflies, plus the techniques she uses to photograph them. The talk will be free and open to the public. Photos, cards and pottery with images of the critters will be available for purchase. The gallery will be open from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The CCAA is located at 205 Fifth Street in Calumet.

Celebrate Superior Spring at Ziyad and Co.

The sun is out, snow is melting and Spring is in the air at Ziyad and Co. art gallery! Spring in the Keweenaw is a beautiful time of year; the Superior Spring show gives artists an opportunity to express their visions of spring.

Painted driftwood by Susan Robinson. (Photo courtesy Ziyad and Co. art gallery)

Join Ziyad and Co. in celebrating Spring and enjoy the photography, water colors, pastels, pottery and wood that express the brilliance of Spring along the shores of our wonderful Lake Superior. An opening reception will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on First Friday, April 5, at Ziyad and Co. art gallery at 109 Fifth St, Calumet. For more information call 906-337-5970 or email at ziyadgallery@gmail.com.

Gallerie Bohème to present "Good-bye Winter; Hello Spring!"

Gallerie Bohème is mounting a show of images that relate to the winter work period, some inspired by the the winter season and some by the longing for spring. Stop by and check these out from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday April 5, have a bread and cheese, a dram of punch, say hi to friends and join the dance for spring!

The exhibit continues through May 2, 2013. Gallery hours are Friday and Saturday 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. The Gallery is at 423 Fifth St. in Calumet. For more information call Tom Rudd at 906-369-4087.

Omphale Gallery and Café to feature work by Randy Wakeham

Just a couple doors up Fifth Street from the Gallerie Bohème, visit the Omphale Gallery and Café on First Friday evening to see "Home Is Where I Want to Be" -- a retrospective of work by Randy Wakeham. The festivities will include art, music, refreshments and an art chat by the artist.

Visit the Omphale Gallery and Café on Facebook for more information.

Ziyad and Co. to exhibit Gallery Favorites, beginning Jan. 4

Owl, by Joyce Koskenmaki. (Photo courtesy Ziyad and Co.)

CALUMET -- Start the New Year off with a visit to Ziyad and Co. to get a glimpse of the gallery's favorite works of art, on display for the month of January. An opening reception will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on First Friday, Jan. 4, 2013, at Ziyad and Co. art gallery at 109 Fifth St, Calumet.

For more information call 906-337-5970 or email at ziyadgallery@gmail.com.

First Friday in Calumet: Galleries feature local artists, unique gifts

CALUMET -- Calumet galleries will be exhibiting hand-made art works for sale this month with First Friday evening, Dec. 7, openings and receptions. Take advantage of this opportunity to find unique holiday gifts for the special people on your list!

Ziyad and Company: Glorious Gifting

Ornament by Jack Oyler, one of the artists whose work is featured at Ziyad and Co., Calumet. (Photo courtesy Ziyad and Co.)

The art work of local and Michigan artists will be featured for this season of giving. The Ziyad and Co. gallery will be filled with wonderful one-of-a-kind handmade unique gifts. Don't miss their December Glorious Gifting show! Choose from over 75 different artists and find the perfect Holiday gift.

An open reception will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on First Friday, Dec. 7, 2012, at Ziyad and Co. art gallery at 109 Fifth St, Calumet. For information call 906-337-5970 or email ziyadgallery@gmail.com. Happy Holidays from Ziyad and Co. art gallery!

Copper Country Associated Artists: Gifts and Door Prizes

Winter pillow by Jeanne Rosemurgy. (Photo courtesy Copper Country Associated Artists)

The Copper Country Associated Artists (CCAA) will be celebrating the Christmas Season with a Holiday Open House on the evening of Dec. 7, the last First Friday of 2012. The Gallery will be filled to the brim with creations made by over 25 artists who call the Copper Country their home. From watercolor leaves by Ginny Douglas to colorful quilts by Millie Little, there will be a broad selection of gifts available for purchase. Every half hour a door prize will be called. Thanks to the CCAA Artists, you'll have a chance to win one of the following prizes:

*    a Matted Print donated by Photographer Mark Upton,
*    a Fused Glass piece by Nancy McCabe,
*    a Ceramic Pot by Miriam Pickens,
*    a Wire Wrapped Pendant by Pam Hecht,
*    a Print by Ellen Torola,
*    a Collage by Fredi Taddeucci,
*    a Necklace by Kathleen DeLisle,
*    a Basket by Dolly Luoma.

The event will run from 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m, and refreshments will be served.
  
The CCAA Gallery will be open for special events and First Fridays during the months of January through April. The artists will be spending those months working on projects rather than keeping the gallery open for regular hours. Some classes for the general public may be offered during those months, and you can check their web page at www.ccaartists.org for more information.

Calumet Art Center: A Tradition on the Keweenaw

This First Friday in Calumet, stop in at the Calumet Art Center between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. and see the Gallery as it moves into a wonderful space and new artists are added. The Center has for sale many new works that have been made to benefit their youth programs.

The Calumet Art Center is at 57055 Fifth Street, Calumet.

Gallerie Bohème: December exhibit

The December exhibit at Gallerie Bohème will include the outstanding lifelike carved Birds and Feathers from Stuart Baird, exquisite small still life oil paintings by Margo McCafferty, and a few new fish from the Lake Superior indigenous series by Tom Rudd. A reception will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on First Friday, Dec. 7, with refreshments and good company.

Gallerie Bohème will be open on a limited schedule throughout the winter. They will be open for the first Friday events and on each Friday and Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.  through April 2013. So if you can't make it Friday night stop by on Saturday, (there might a few leftovers from the Friday party).

The other option is that Tom and Margo are always close-by or in the gallery, and a call to 369-4087 will open the door and turn on the lights; heat takes a minute or two longer.

First First Friday in Calumet: Gallery openings, art activity, lively jazz and swing to enjoy Nov. 2

CALUMET -- First Friday in Calumet will be the scene of art gallery openings, art activity and music by the Backroom Boys Jazz Band on Nov. 2.

Ziyad and Co. to feature fiber art

"Sun" by Bill and Linda Sumner. (Photo courtesy Ziyad and Co.)

The art work of fiber artists from across Michigan and the country will be featured in the November show, "Fiber on Fifth," at Ziyad and Co. art gallery in Calumet. Each artist puts a unique, personal spin on the natural elements of fiber to create pieces of art that express the artist's passions.

An opening reception will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on First Friday, Nov. 2, at Ziyad and Co. art gallery at 109 Fifth St, Calumet. For more information call 906-337-5970 or email at ziyadgallery@gmail.com.

Call for Entry: Glorious Gifting Christmas Show

The Christmas Holiday will soon be here. So it is time to start thinking about the Christmas show at the gallery. Ziyad and Co. (formerly known as the Ed Gray Gallery) in Calumet is accepting submissions for the Christmas show, "Glorious Gifting." The show will be on display from Dec. 7 to Jan. 4. There will be an open reception where all artists are welcome on Dec. 7.

This will be a juried show open to all artists. The art work should reflect the holiday and have a winter theme. This is the perfect venue to display your special items for the holidays. Up to three pieces may be submitted and must be the artist's own artwork. Any artists that are interested in participating are welcome to call for information at 906-337-5970 or email ziyadgallery@gmail.com. Photos of art work may be emailed or may be brought to the gallery. All artwork should be submitted by Nov. 20, 2012.

Copper Country Associated Artists to host Matchbox Ornament Workshop

For First Friday, Nov. 2, the artists at the Copper Country Associated Artists (CCAA) along with local fabric artist Karena Schmidt will be leading a Matchbox Ornament Workshop from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Matchbox ornaments for the holiday season. (Photo courtesy Copper Country Associated Artists)

Little matchboxes have been a source of inspiration for art for a very long time. They are fun to decorate for all occasions, but the Christmas matchbox advent calendar is a classic: twenty-four boxes decorated in holiday colors, each filled with a special treat and stacked like blocks or used as ornaments hanging from a tree.

Each participant will use paper, fabric, sequins and beads to create about four handmade ornaments fashioned out of matchboxes. Inside the matchbox there is often a message. These are fun to think up ahead of time. All materials will be provided, but participants may want to bring treasures from home like tiny photos and keepsakes to incorporate into this project. Participants can drop in any time during the workshop, but supplies are limited.

CCAA members have been making very special Christmas Angel ornaments for the 2012 season, and these are available at the Gallery, which is located at 205 Fifth Avenue in Calumet and is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Please call 337-1252 for more information.

New art by Randy Wakeham at Vertin Gallery

"Falling Forward," painting by Randy Wakeham. (Photo courtesy Vertin Gallery)

Please join the Vertin Gallery in welcoming local artist Randy Wakeham and his new body of work. A reception for the artist will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2, at the Vertin Gallery, 220 Sixth Street in Calumet.

The show will remain on display at Vertin through the month of November. For more information call (906)337-2200.

Backroom Boys Jazz Band to entertain at Café Rosetta Nov. 2

The Backroom Boys will play jazz and swing on First Friday, Nov. 2, at Café Rosetta in Calumet. Pictured here, from left, standing, are musicians Oren Tikkanen, John Munson, Bob Norden and, seated, Randy Seppala. (Photo courtesy Backroom Boys)

While the galleries are open for First Friday in Calumet, the Backroom Boys Jazz Band will be playing traditional jazz and swing from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Café Rosetta. If there's room, they may have a pre-election second-line march, so bring your red, blue, or purple umbrellas.

Café Rosetta is at 104 5th St, Calumet.

Calumet galleries present new art openings for First Friday, Oct. 5

CALUMET -- First Friday in Calumet, Oct. 5, will offer exhibits of new art in the local galleries.

"Maple and Birch," by Margo McCafferty and Tom Rudd. (Photo courtesy Gallerie Bohème)

Gallerie Bohème, 426 Fifth Street, "Autumn Prints," Collaborative Works by Tom Rudd and Margo McCafferty, will open with a reception from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday.

Ziyad and Co. (formerly the Ed Gray Gallery) will exhibit "Visions of Nature," art by Ginnie Cappaert, during October.

 Art by Ginnie Cappaert. (Photo courtesy Ziyad and Co.)

Ginnie Cappaert combines colors and textures in a playful and intuitive working style creating depth and spatial relationships derived from nature as well as incorporating abstracted landscape imagery. Layers of oil paint and cold wax on wood panels create visual and emotional connections with the land and tell a story and complexity of various life experiences.

A reception for the artist will be held  from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 5, 2012, at Ziyad and Co., 109 Fifth St. Calumet.  Please call 906-337-5066 for more information.

The members of the Copper Country Associated Artists Gallery in Calumet are shifting into autumn mode in many ways. Handfuls of "fallen leaf" pins created by artist Fredi Tadeucci were brought into the gallery recently. The group is painting a new batch of silk scarves, and a 2013 Copper Country Calendar by photographer Mark Upton is for sale.  Watch for a display of autumn scenes produced by the WorldWidePhotoWalk, taking place mid-month with local participants in Copper Harbor.

Copper Country Associated Artists will host a wire pendant workshop for First Friday, Oct. 5. (Photo courtesy CCAA)

The CCAA will be hosting a wire pendant workshop for the First Friday activity Oct. 5. Participants will take round reed and form it into a circle, then weave copper wire and small beads into the center to form a small pendant that can hang as a necklace or pin to a shirt -- a perfect accessory for your fall attire. The project is suitable for teenagers and adults, and there will be two classes -- one at 6:30 p.m. and one at 7:30 p.m. The activity is free and open to the public, and donations will be accepted.

Clyde Mikkola, long time member of the CCAA, has works on display this month at the Omphale Gallery and Café.

The CCAA Gallery is located at 205 Fifth Street in Calumet  Call for more information at 337-1252.

 "Built on a Rock," pastel by jd slack. (Photo courtesy Vertin Gallery)

Artist jd slack will be exhibiting new work in pastel from October 5-31, 2012, at the Vertin Gallery in Calumet. "The Places we Dwell" is a collection of works exploring the house and home, both literal and conceptual.

"We dwell, not just in buildings, but in the fourfold coming together of the material world, living creatures, meaning, and felt sense of place," slack writes in her artist's statement. "We build, not just structures, but the structures of that coming together."

jd slack’s pastel images of dwellings bring into being versions of that structure: relations among earth, sky,  matter, suggestions of the presence or absence of living creatures, and, always, a sense of occupying that particular place. Never simple, these paintings depict what is complex in as simple and direct a way as possible.

A reception for the artist will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5, at the Vertin.

Ziyad and Co. art gallery to exhibit new work by Jack Oyler

CALUMET -- All new work from Jack Oyler will be featured in the August show at the Ziyad and Co. art gallery, formerly the Ed  Gray Gallery, in Calumet. An artist's reception will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on First Friday, Aug. 3, at 109 Fifth Street, Calumet.

"Heiresses," by Jack Oyler. (Photo courtesy Ziyad and Co.)

Jack is a local favorite whose work touches the whimsy in all of us.  He has drawn his inspiration for this show from poetry, from images in his own life, from birdwatching, and from music. Jack's work is autobiographical and comes from his quirky interpretation of life. This interpretation is what makes his work both imaginative and endearing.

Paul Grant watercolor exhibit to open July 6 at Ziyad and Co. (formerly Ed Gray Gallery)

CALUMET --  Ziyad and Co., formerly the Ed Gray Gallery, is proud to feature the work of Marquette artist Paul Grant during the month of July. Grant has been a resident of Northern Michigan since 1965 and has enjoyed wide acclaim for his artistry and versatility in both watercolor and oil.

Watercolor by Marquette artist Paul Grant. (Image courtesy Ziyad and Co.)

Paul Grant's show opens with an artist reception from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, July 6, at the gallery, 109 Fifth St., Calumet.

Primarily a portrait artist by conviction, Grant is equally capable in landscape and wildlife art. His watercolors and oils cover a wide variety of subjects and techniques, allowing the subject to dictate the technique. Paul studied art at the Kendall School of Design in Grand Rapids, Mich., and apprenticed with Robert Sailors, Weaving Designer. A signature member of the Transparent Watercolor Society of America, Grant has garnered numerous prizes in regional and national shows. His versatility has allowed him to illustrate several books and magazines, including stories for Reader's Digest Condensed Books, Gray's Sporting Journal and others. Grant was a friend and fishing buddy of the late John Voelker -- sharing flies, stories and bourbon for over twenty years.