Located on 5th and 6th st. in Calumet’s historic downtown, the Calumet Arts District is home to a wonderful mix of fine art galleries. On the first Friday of each month, Calumet Arts District Galleries offer an open house from 6 to 9 p.m. to showcase new installations along with classes, refreshments, and entertainment. There are over twelve locations in the Calumet area that offer art in a wide variety of mediums.

Our Featured Art District Member is Cross Country Sports.

Cross Country Sports, 507 Oak Street in Calumet.

For the month of March, Cross Country Sports will feature a collection of woodburnings by local artist Joanna Walitalo celebrating nature scenes, outdoor pursuits and wildlife art. Joanna specializes in pen and ink, wood burnings, and wildlife illustration.

Joanna began taking art classes in high school and continued her art training while pursuing her Bachelor’s of Science in biology and environmental studies from Central Michigan University. She moved to the Keweenaw in 2010 to pursue a Masters of forestry at Michigan Tech, and returned to Michigan Tech in 2015 to pursue her PhD. She is currently a PhD candidate in forest science.

In the past three years, Joanna has incorporated her education and family into the process through the media of pyrography (woodburning). A strong background in forestry has given Joanna an in-depth knowledge of wood properties and the ability to create works of art that include the aspects of nature and concepts of conservation, recycling, and education into both the media and the subject matter of the artwork. Her husband, James, makes it a team effort by going out daily to obtain reference photos of local wildlife, preparing the wood for pyrography, and finishing the art pieces. Their team effort is recognized in the name of their operation, J. Walitalo Woodburning.

Join us on Friday, March 6 from 6 to 9 p.m. for an open house and refreshments. For more information, call 337-4520 or check our Facebook page.