A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
When I moved to Wrenshall after graduate school in New York City I had many friends and colleagues tell me some version of the same thing: “Oh, what a unique thing. Art and farming. How can you possibly pursue art living in the country?”
There is a false divide in our popular culture and a pervasive understanding that urban centers should be hubs that export culture and import food. We celebrate the idea of terroir when it applies to wine or food — the idea that a particular grape can take on the unique flavor of the environment in which it is produced — but there is pervasive pejorative judgment when we discuss rural or regional art.
That is why I was so excited about the Nov. 7 Roundabout: North Carlton County Art Tour. With seven stops featuring a rich variety of voices, our community got to showcase the visual terrior of our region.
Two of the seven stops were in the Wrenshall radius: The Historic Scott House and Dragon Fire Ceramics.
Proprietor Jim Sheetz was excited to showcase some of the artists that he works with regularly at the Scott House, including Sue Brown Chapin who teaches watercolor classes out of the establishment.
“I love being able to celebrate the work that Sue does,” he said. “She is not only an amazing artist but also an amazing teacher and that goes a long way towards building the strength of our region.”
One of Sue’s students, Janet Hill, was also featured at the Scott House. A children’s book author as well as a watercolor artist, Hill published “Where is Smelly Ann Skunk?” The book follows some woodland creatures on some silly escapades and includes artwork by Hill.
A particular highlight at the Scott House is a work that Sheetz commissioned from Kris Nelson, a resident of Big Lake and former Wrenshall High School art teacher. Nelson works specifically with chairs and painted one to feature the history and natural beauty of the historic stagecoach stop.
Her chairs were on display at the Pine Knot News office this year.
Further south on County Road 1 is the ceramic studio, gallery and classroom of Kitty Sabelman. Dragon Fire Ceramics takes its roots from the rich history of clay mining and clay brick construction in the region. The clay from the Nemadji river offered incredibly resilient properties that proved resistant to fire and weather elements.
Sabelman’s vision with Dragon Fire Ceramics is to bring clay arts back to the area. Using nature-made clay, she offers a well-supplied studio that provides a range of experiences for guests in the studio who are willing to get dirty and try their hand at pottery making.
If you have a Wrenshall- specific story you would like to share, you can reach me at [email protected] or 218-310-4703.
