The Well-Read Raccoon; a little bookstore with a big heArt
A work by Cedar Lake Workshop. Photo by Anne Newcombe.
Eager to find a new book and visit with Anne Newcombe, I stopped by The Well-Read Raccoon Books and Curiosities in it’s new location. It’s where Framed by Kathy was, 314 Shelden Avenue, Houghton, INSIDE The Market Place. Along with a vast assortment of books and accessories, Anne has had many well known local artists represented in her shop, including Lynn Mazzenoli and Jerome Patryjak. A permanent resident in the shop is Mazzenoli’s painting called “Empowered”, a triptych of Wonder Woman, reflecting the theme of the shop.
The current show is a collection of works by Kirsten Hensley of Cedar Lake Workshop in Houghton. Kirsten has had work at the Eagle Harbor Fair and the Poor Artist Sale. She has ornaments, lamps and cribbage boards for sale,but her most popular product is tiles that fit into a unique wooden frame.Using an array of different woods as her palette, she creates these tiles depicting local scenes. You can purchase a frame that fits a few or several tiles, and then purchase the tiles and play with the arrangement. Kirsten’s work will be at the Well-Read Raccoon through mid- January.
“Kaizen” is a Japanese concept of “going with the flow”, is the vision Anne has for her shop. “When I opened the shop, it was always going to have art….and I wanted that to be local.” Artists can come to Anne if they would like to display their work, and sometimes she has an idea for a specific show. Mid-January, Anne is looking forward to a 3-women show, celebrating Feminism. This year, three women photographers will each be displaying at least one defining piece and smaller ones, as they desire.
Gina Kerr, of Whispering Wild Market Farm, will be one of the photographers. “I’m amazed at the photographs she and other women will put up on Facebook. Melissa Hronkin, art teacher at Houghton Elementary, will also be participating in this show. Her stunning photographs of the Keweenaw landscape in the early morning have been favorites of mine. jd slack is the third artist in this show, and she described her contributions. “I have included several pastel paintings of the Keweenaw. With familiar images, the hills of Hancock and the buildings of Calumet take on something new: colors and shapes otherwise hidden from our normally everyday vision.” Anne told me “These women have a really unique way of experiencing the Keweenaw and it would be really cool to have this lifted up in a show. Particularly one that would be viewed by Tech Alumni during Winter Carnival; to see the natural flow of this community.” There will be an opening reception, but the date is to be determined. For more details you can go to www.wellreadraccoon.com.
Anne sees her shop as a public space for art. Travelers actively seek out bookstores, and having art in the shop exposes tourists to things they might not otherwise seek out, therefore enriching their experience of local culture. She enjoys meeting the artists and also likes that the ambiance in the bookstore is constantly changing. There is also a Bonsai Guild that meets at the shop under the leadership of Heliena Hammond, and Michelle Jarvie Eggart leads a knitting circle. You can join a Second Saturday Six O’clock Sing Along which ends promptly at 7pm so participants can go out for supper together.
The Well-Read Raccoon Books and Curiosities is currently doing a fundraiser. They have partnered with Homestead Graphics in Baraga to create bucket hats which say “Follow me to the Well Read Raccoon. They are on sale for $30 and all proceeds go to the Humane society, and are for sale at the shop. If you wear it while you’re in the shop, you also get a discount.
Kristan Coleman of ArtbyKristAn will be the featured artist in April. Kristan is an Air Force Veteran and retired high school teacher who recently returned to her passion for watercolor. Her paintings and cards are stunning representations of the natural wonders of the UP and her travels.
The new space is smaller than the previous location, so the new books are in the main part of the shop, and the used books are available through the website for pick-up in the shop.
Heikinpäivä 2024 will be celebrated on January 27 with the Tori Market at the Finnish American Heritage Center and the First United Methodist Church. There will be parade and dances on the Quincy Green, plus a Polar Plunge. Classes at the Finnish American Folk School are underway, as well as at So Cranky on Quincy St. in Hancock. “Animal Life, Art from the Kalevala”will open at the Copper Country Community Arts Center, with an opening reception will be from 2:30 -4:30.
CAPE, on the 4th floor in the old school at 417 Quincy in Hancock next to the Superior School of Dance, is hosting a monthly Art for Peace project. On January 20 from 1-2:30 pm, you can create a handmade journal in the Make it Up! Makerspace. All materials are provided. The lesson is free, but donations will be accepted. Children are welcome, but participants under 13 years of age will be required to have a supervising adult.
