We’re looking for host and guest artists! If you’d like to participate in the 2021 Lake Superior 20/20 Studio & Art Tour click on the “Call for Artists 2021” at the top of this page. The tour runs on September 24th, 25th, and 26th (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) this year.
Application deadline for new host and guest artists is May 21st. If you know anyone who might be interested, please share this with them. Thank you 😁!
We’ll be looking for pop-up artists a bit later this year. . .
We’re cautiously optimistic that the tour will happen this year! Exciting things are in the works for the 2021 tour, so stay tuned here on and our Facebook pagefor updates.
Lake Superior 20/20 Studio & Art Tour in 2020 is Cancelled
We regret to inform you that we have cancelled the Lake Superior 20/20 Studio & Art Tour in 2020 due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. After careful consideration we determined it was not possible to adequately predict how to best maintain the safety of all of our artists and visitors this fall. This decision was not taken lightly. Our greatest concern is for the well-being of our communities and all of the people who make this tour happen. We will be very excited to see everyone again in 2021!
Because we know that the growing number of cancellations of art shows and tours is greatly impacting each and every artist financially, we will be researching options for presenting online tours, demos, and sales during what would have been the regular tour weekend, September 25, 26 and 27. We will share our revised online tour plans as soon as they are ready! Please check back for updates.
Stay healthy and safe, and keep supporting local artists and small businesses!
Best regards,
Lake Superior 20/20 Studio & Art Tour Coordinators
What can we say, we had a wonderful tour and we’re thrilled we had so many new and returning visitors to see the artists! We hope all of our guests enjoyed their adventure up the north shore of Lake Superior finding all of our studio stops, and we hope you’ll visit us again soon.
We’d also like to extend a huge thank you to our gracious studio hosts, who opened their studios to other artists and to the public to share art with our community. A special thank you to our host artists Sarah Brokke, Corine Buechner, Christian Dalbec, Shelley Getten, Dave Gilsvik, Helen Hartley, EJ Klepinger, Lisa Kosmo, Jen Murphy, Gail Rosenquist and Paul Zoldahn.
Sarah Flicek is a returning guest to this year’s Lake Superior 20/20 Studio & Art Tour, known for her gorgeous jewelry. We asked her a few questions about working as an artist and visiting the North Shore.
What do you like the most about visiting the North Shore?
The North Shore is our playground! I live west of Minneapolis with my three boys. We are an adventurous family and we love our journeys to the North Shore. We like to say the North Shore is our stomping grounds and definitely our favorite place to get away!
Sarah Flicek and her fantastic jewelry!
As an artist in the tour, what are you most excited about?
I was invited to join this tour as a guest artist in 2016 and have been coming back ever since. I love this show for many reasons: I get to meet amazing artists & see their work, seeing others’ creating spaces is always interesting and the settings and vistas are delightful! I love the intimacy of this studio tour on the North Shore.
Silver pendants by Sarah Flicek
What is it that you enjoy about working in your medium?
Creating is my passion. The process of working in metal answers my innate need to be precise and the freedom and creativity of being an artist. I come to the studio with an idea and allow it to transpire as I create into a beautiful design. I am most often inspired by life’s adventures, nature’s beauty and the kindred human spirit.
Sarah can be found at studio stop CB. Click the button below to learn more:
During the Lake Superior 20/20 Studio & Art Tour, hosts open their studios to guest artists. But as a bonus opportunity for our visitors to see more art, they also invite pop-up artists who make small batch work or are just starting out. Sarah Riley is a popular Minneapolis based artist who will be joining us as a pop-up featuring her vibrant paintings. Sarah is well known for her commissioned portrait work as well as fun pop culture references and nature inspired work. We hope you’ll enjoy learning more about Sarah and her work!
What do you like the most about visiting the North Shore?
I lived in the Twin Ports area for around 10 years. I moved there to attend college and grad school, and it is still one of my favorite places to visit. Lake Superior, the surrounding beaches, the waterfalls and hiking areas are extremely beautiful. Also, the local art scene is awesome and growing all the time.
Northern Woman by Sarah Riley
Galactic Monarchs by Sarah Riley
A Bit of Space by Sarah Riley
As a new artist in the tour, what are you looking forward to?
This will be my first time participating in the tour and I’m so excited and honored to be part of it. I’m brand new at pursuing art full time and I am so grateful for the exposure and the experience. The beautiful area inspires the artists to create, and the beautiful art inspires art lovers and adventurers to visit the area; it’s a really wonderful concept all around.
Pollinator Potnia by Sarah Riley
What is it that you enjoy about working in your medium?
My main medium of choice is oil painting; painting with oils is my absolute favorite thing to do. I never get tired of it. It’s so flexible, the possibilities are truly endless; there are always new techniques to explore and I feel like I learn something new with every painting I make. It is extremely captivating and fulfilling. The colors are so vivid and luminescent, and the texture is so thick and buttery. Because oil paint takes so long to dry it allows you to continue to blend and work until you achieve your desired effect. You can premix the colors on a palette, and you can also continue to blend the colors on the canvas. You can create such soft smooth blends, which are perfect for creating realistic flesh tones and textures, but you can also build up the paint thickly for more expressionistic effects. Oil paint has a reputation for being extremely daunting, but really I think it’s one of the most approachable and friendly mediums out there. If you have an inkling to try it, you should absolutely go for it.
You can find Sarah at the Larsmont Schoolhouse stop on the tour. For more about Sarah visit artbysarahriley.smugmug.com. For more information about the studio stop where you can find her during the tour, click the button below:
During the Lake Superior 20/20 Studio & Art Tour, hosts open their studios to guest artists. But as a bonus opportunity for our visitors to see more art, they also invite pop-up artists who make small batch work or are just starting out. We are thrilled to welcome a very talented Wisconsin based fiber artist, Denise Hooper to the tour this year! She will be featuring a special small batch display of her whimsical, perfectly crafted felted figures that you have to see in person! Their charm will absolutely delight!Read her interview below.
What do you like the most about visiting the North Shore?
The beauty of the landscape and the power of Lake Superior are two of the things I like the most about living here. This area also seems to attract creative people of all types so it is stimulating and nurturing to be among them.
“Birch Fairy” Felted figure by Denise Hooper
“Sprout” Felted figure by Denise Hooper
As a new artist in the tour, what are you looking forward to?
I am excited to spend time with the visual artists that will be participating in the tour and to share my needle felting with the public.
What is it that you enjoy about working in your medium?
One of the things that I enjoy when I am needle felting, is handling the wool. As a tactile person who loves working with natural materials, I find it to be an amazing fiber to use. It’s really satisfying to sculpt and form a lofty mass of wool into a solid figure with needles. As well, because this kind of felting involves a lot of repeated motions, it helps it to become a meditative process.
Denise is a pop-up artist at Corine Buechner’s studio. Click the button below for more infomation about studio CB!
Michael Kapsos is a jewelry artist living and working in Brimson, MN. He once again joins the the Lake Superior 20/20 Studio & Art Tour as a guest artist at studio GR/PZ. His metal work is known for the dynamic and elegant movements of line and shape. When he is not creating his jewelry he also works as a certified massage therapist!
What do you like the most about living and working near the North Shore?
Living up here gives me creative space for my mind and spirit. It keeps my creative juices flowing being surrounded by nature. I’m also a Tai Chi addict and the ability to walk out my door and exercise being surrounded by nature is a life long adventure and a creative inspiration.
As an artist in the tour, what are you most excited about?
I love sharing my designs with people and it’s great to see their reactions and get feedback. It’s also so different from working in the studio alone trying to create something from nothing. People like to know what goes into creating the designs and it’s fun to share that, it also gives me more ideas for future designs. You know what they say about teachers learning more from their students than the students learn from them. I think it’s the same with artists, we learn a lot from the people who see our work.
Jewelry by Michael Kapsos
What is it that you enjoy about working in your medium?
I started my art life as a printmaker/painter, but when I started making jewelry and realized the endless possibilities of design I was hooked. I also enjoy the complexity of building each design and the never ending challenge. Jewelry is such a personal expression. So when I see people wearing my pieces I feel honored and to know they wear them often is even better.
For more information about guest artist Michael Kapsos and Studio GR/PZ, click the button below:
We are thrilled to introduce our visitors to another newcomer in the Lake Superior 20/20 Studio & Art Tour. This year Duluth artists Rita Morris and Barry Sands, talented duo behind Burdock Ceramics, will be joining us with their gorgeous ceramic work. The work is elegant and functional, featuring delicate nature drawings of plants and animals. We asked them to share a little bit about their work and connections to the North Shore.
What do you like the most about the North Shore?
We love so many things about the North Shore. All the beautiful places to go hiking around here are a constant inspiration. The amazing rocky shores of Lake Superior are the perfect place to sit and reflect. All the amazing artists that live here form such a vibrant community and we love getting to be a part of it.
As an artist in the tour, what are you looking forward to?
We’re excited to connect with people who love the North Shore and all the plants and animals that call it home as much as we do. We’re looking forward to being part of such a fun studio and art tour!
What is it that you enjoy about working in your medium?
The possibilities are endless with clay. We are constantly challenged, humbled and in awe of the many things that clay has to teach us. Also, It’s the perfect canvas for our paintings. It’s so rewarding to attempt to transform a functional everyday object into a thing of wonder and beauty.
Plate by Burdock Ceramics
Burdock Ceramics can be found at studio stop EK with host artist E.J. Klepinger. For more information click the button below:
Maria Brown will be joining the Lake Superior 20/20 Studio & Art Tour again this year as a guest artist at Gail Rosenquist and Paul Zoldahn’s studio. Maria is involved in the community as a teaching artist and art vocational specialist for adults living with disabilities in Duluth, MN. She recently moved from Duluth to Two Harbors where she is working on setting up a new home studio. She was excited to share what it is like to live and work as an artist on the north shore!
What do you like the most about living and working on the North Shore?
I love the constant inspiration that comes from living near the sight and sounds of Lake Superior. It does wonders for creativity to have such a constant source of awe in view. I also have a soft spot for old pines and the many lovely creatures of the northwoods, so it helps me feel invigorated to have it all so near.
As an artist in the tour, what are you most excited about?
I have really enjoyed meeting such a wide variety of people in one place. It’s fun to share a love of art with so many different people, and to find out what moves them to want to bring a piece of art into their lives, or just what they love about it. So many stories!
Maria Brown and pit fired pig
What is it that you enjoy about working in your medium?
Although I do love other mediums, there is something very special about clay. It feels very raw and primal to work with mud! I’ve enjoyed playing in it since I was very little, so why stop now? I like how it can simultaneously teach patience and spontaneity. Such a treat to always feel like your medium has a life of it’s own, and I feel most successful when I try to keep that expressive nature alive in my forms.
Maria will be a guest at studio GR/PZ. For more information click the button below:
Friday and Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 10am-5pm 