Arts Events - Regional & Statewide
See below for arts events in our region or state. If you are hosting an arts event that you’d like to share, please reach out to our Promotions Specialist Kristin and let her know.
Woodland Sky Native American Dance Company
Friday, September 18 | 6 PM | Free Hosted by the Warroad Native American Education Program. This will be at Warroad River Place.
Experience the captivating storytelling of the Woodland Sky Native American Dance Company through dance, music, movement, and song. Every step, expression, and rhythm shares stories that honor Native history, culture, and traditions, creating a powerful and immersive visual experience that educates and inspires audiences of all ages.
Middle River Goose Fest Live Music
The Middle River Community Club is excited to announce an incredible lineup of FREE entertainment during Goose Festival weekend. Thanks to the generous support of the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council, you'll enjoy outstanding local and regional talent throughout the weekend.
Friday, September 25
Middle River Sportsmen's Club
Tannis Tyler kicks off the weekend with an evening of great music you won't want to miss!
Saturday, September 26
Morning – Music on the Street
Enjoy the sounds of the "Northland Jazz Band" as they fill downtown Middle River with lively jazz and community spirit.
Afternoon – Music on the Street
An exciting lineup of talented performers takes the stage:
Cathy Erickson – Minnesota Music Hall of Fame inductee
Nathan Bukowski – Our own hometown favorite
Gracie Crocker – A rising new talent bringing excitement to the Goose Festival stage
Keybeat (The Augustines)
Saturday September 26 Evening
Middle River Sportsmen's Club Shed
Back by popular demand... WOODPICKS returns to keep the celebration going with another fantastic evening of music.
Bring your family, invite your friends, stroll through downtown, enjoy the music, and celebrate everything that makes Goose Festival one of northwest Minnesota's favorite traditions.
In Progress Offers Workshops
Cinematics I
Saturday & Sunday, August 1 & 2, 1-4 PM
Family Resource Center
1505 Central Avenue NW
East Grand Forks 56721
Cinematics II
Saturday, August 15 & Sunday, August 16, 1-4 PM
Studio 110
Crookston
Join internationally recognized filmmaker Mickies Kiros and local artist Sana Nur in learning the art of video creation. Write stories, and bring them to life using professional video cameras. Cinematics. explores the craft of videography as a powerful tool for storytelling rooted in culture, identity, and lived experience.
All ages are welcomed to join, make movies and share stories with others that reflects personal truth and the power of visual stories.
Workshop Coordinator - Rena Zapata
Please register below. This activity is intended to build belonging through creativity.
Questions can be directed to info@in-progress.org.
If you would like to find out more about In Progress - their history and the artists’ work, please visit their website at: www.in-progress.org
East Grand Forks Heritage Days Traditional Music Show
August 8 and 9, 2026
Heritage Village, 219 20th St. NE, East Grand Forks
Saturday- August 8
1:00 PM- Jeremy Kingsbury- bagpiper and historian. Jeremy plays several types of small pipes in the Scottish, French and Irish traditions.
2:00 PM Bob and Gail Johnson - Songs and tunes from Ireland and Appalachia, with guitar, harmonica, recorder, harp and more.
3:00 PM -Vidar Skrede- Norwegian folk music - fiddle, hardanger fiddle, guitar and mandolin.
Sunday- August 9
12:00 PM– O'Neil Family Band- French Canadian, Celtic and Appalachian tunes and songs – fiddle, guitar, banjo, concertina and step dance.
1:00 PM- Vidar Skrede- Norwegian fiddle music
2:00 PM- Bob and Gail Johnson- Celtic and Appalachian songs and tunes
3:00 PM Jeremy Kingsbury- Bagpiper
Chuck Gust, accordionist, will entertain for the Sunday noon dinner in the Beier Bldg.
*This activity is made possible in part by a grant provided by the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council through funding from the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the State's general fund.
Other activities on the grounds from 10 AM to 4 PM each day.
The Art of Music
Saturday, July 25 & Sunday, July 26 1-4PM
Family Resource Center
East Grand Forks
Begin your music-making journey by uncovering your unique creative voice. Through playful experimentation and guided exploration, In Progress artist Jeremy Gardner helps participants tap into their curiosities, interests, and talents in the world of digital music. Participants will have the opportunity to learn song creation, beat making and sound engineering, depending on participant interest.
Dates:
Saturday & Sunday, July 25 & 26 / 1-4PM
Location:
Family Resource Center
1505 Central Avenue NW
East Grand Forks MN. 56721
Please register below. This activity is intended to build belonging through creativity.
Questions can be directed to info@in-progress.org.
Please join NWMAC Staff Kristin Eggerling and Trey Everett in a conversation with Photographer Denise Jenson of Badger that took place on Friday, July 31. Denise has work in the current NWMAC Gallery exhibit The Great State of Minnesota. She's also been a regular entrant in our annual and other exhibits. Learn about how Denise became a photographer, composition, and much more! Denise shared this quote by Thomas Merton, “Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” If you missed the live discussion on our Facebook or YouTube page you can watch the recording at https://www.youtube.com/live/Rj6mzeodGCY?si=h8sDOwhSlTsVSfAa.
The 2026 Northwoods Art & Book Festival is in Hackensack on Saturday, August 8, 2026 from 9 AM to 3 PM. There’s a long list of featured authors. Jackpine Writers will be there and Talking Stick books will be available for purchase.
We offer grant writing training sessions two weeks before each grant deadline. This training is Wednesday, July 15 at 2:00 PM. This can be virtual or in person. You must RSVP to attend. Please let us know if you are interested by calling 218-745-8886, ext 1 or email director@nwartscouncil.org. You can take advantage of the opportunity to come into our office and work on your grant in our grant writing space!
Count Down Is On!!!
The Dollipops are coming to Greenbush!
Friday, July 10, 2026
Outdoor Stage at Legion Park – Greenbush, MN
6:00–7:00 p.m.
FREE for all ages
Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, family, and friends for this exciting community event!
This event is made possible through funding from the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council and is hosted by Lil' Chompers Childcare Center.
Artist Reception for
Iron and Feathers: Art of the Northwest
an exhibit featuring paintings by Ross Hier and Beau Bakken
Open Through August 13 — Exhibit will Close after the Reception
at the
Historic Fournet Building, 101 N Broadway
Downtown Crookston
2nd Floor in the Atrium
Artist Reception Thursday, August 13 from 6 to 7:30 PM
Violin Music by Eden Johnson of Lake Bronson
Please join the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council (NWMAC) for an artist reception for Iron and Feathers: Art of the Northwest an exhibit featuring paintings by Ross Hier and Beau Bakken at the Historic Fournet Building downtown Crookston. This exhibit includes 35 original pieces of art in watercolor on paper and acrylic on canvas, most of which are for sale.
The Artist Reception will be on Thursday, August 13 from 6 to 7:30 PM. Refreshments will be served. Live music will be provided by Violinist Eden Johnson of Lake Bronson. Everyone is welcome to attend this FREE event. The exhibit will close after the reception.
Artist Beau Bakken. Beau Bakken of Hallock has been professionally creating art by commission since 2008. Beau has been a consistent entrant into NWMAC’s exhibits and won 1st place in the annual NW Minnesota Art Exhibit in 2011, 2014, and 2022, and given a People’s Choice award in 2025. He won the Artist of the Year in 2016. Beau was the featured artist in the Around the Farm exhibit at our gallery in Thief River Falls. His work consists of large outdoor murals, outdoor business signs, indoor murals, and indoor wall hangings and paintings. About his 8 pieces of work in the exhibit, Beau said, “My paintings in this exhibit are captures of the Red River Valley, painted with the hope that fellow citizens of the valley would find them relatable.”
Artist Ross Hier. Ross H. Hier attended the University of Minnesota earning a BS in Wildlife Management and had a 35-year career with the Section of Wildlife in the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. His time was spent researching mallards, ring-necked ducks, and the Lesser scaup, as well as managing wildlife management areas in Polk and Red Lake Counties. Nature has excited him for as long as he can remember and his creative need to express this love led him to watercolor painting. He shared, “Northwest Minnesota is such a diverse piece of geography … native grasslands, the Aspen Parklands and transition zone between prairie and forest landscapes interspersed with agricultural tracts. The ancient Lake Agassiz beach lines are quite profound on the east side of the Red River Valley and serve as linear maps for migrant birds where substantial grasslands and wetlands serve as stop-over areas for birds moving further north. The diversity of nature in northwest Minnesota is amazing. Nature has always been a force that triggers my creative thought process. I love painting with watercolors for their elusive nature and spontaneity.”
Ross continued, “It’s an honor to exhibit in the town I have long resided in and to share this exhibit with the outstanding artist, Beau Bakken. His work never ceases to amaze me. This exhibit presents the viewers with two different artists who use different painting mediums and rather different styles. I hope the exhibit brings viewers much joy and thankfulness as we celebrate the premier region of Minnesota through art. Thanks to the Northwest Arts Council and especially Exhibit Specialist Trey Everett.” Twenty-seven works in the exhibit were created by Ross.
You can find both Ross and Beau in our most recent Artists of NW Minnesota booklet.
Musician Eden Johnson lives in Lake Bronson with her husband and their three daughters. Depending on the day one might find Eden either accompanying her local Lutheran church, watching musicals with her family, reading, giving violin lessons, or practicing on one of her instruments. While her main focus and passion is the violin, Eden also sings, plays the piano, and is currently learning the harp. The violin Eden plays once belonged to her great grandmother. Eden recently completed the NWMAC Teaching Artist Training and is available for residencies and workshops.
You won't want to miss this exhibit open through August 13 at the Fournet Building, 101 N Broadway, Downtown Crookston. Parking and admission is free. Take the stairs or elevator to the second floor where the gallery is located in the atrium. Open Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 4:30 PM.
Watch this video for a virtual tour of the exhibit at https://youtu.be/emdN39orEZE or find it on our website under the exhibits tab at the top of the homepage.
For more information about this exhibit, visit our website at NWArtsCouncil.org, or if you are an artist interested in exhibiting a body of work with NWMAC, please contact Trey Everett at (218) 280-4917 or email NWArtsCouncil@gmail.com. Please sign up for our e-newsletter on our website home page to see the latest news and grant announcements. Email director@NWArtsCouncil.org or call 218-745-8886 to reach our office during regular business hours.