In the spirit of “Earth Day,” which is this Monday (April 22), the Fort Frances Museum is kicking off a search for art that reflects the “Life on the Lake” theme it is promoting all summer.
“Earth Day is the perfect time to reflect on how our natural heritage has affected our community,” museum curator Pam Hawley said Thursday.
“So, we’re are inviting schools and anyone who is interested to submit a poster, poem, or essay on living by Rainy Lake.”
While some works by local artists already are on exhibit at the museum, just in time for the World Health Organization’s conference here next month, Hawley said she’d like to see as many people as possible involved.
“I invited all the schools to participate a couple of months ago, and then again recently to remind them,” noted Hawley, adding she knows that at least a couple of them definitely will be doing so.
She said the eight suggested aspects of the theme to be emphasized include conservation, ecology, history, industry, nature, preservation, recreation, and tourism.
The deadline for schools to submit students’ work to the museum is May 15. The deadline for submissions by local artists is May 31.
Hawley said any submitted work will be kept over the summer. If enough submissions come in, the exhibit will spill over into the library and possibly some local businesses.
“Hopefully, it will grow throughout the summer,” she said. “There’s not much of a recorded history of Rainy Lake. Hopefully, we can better identify it with this.”
The profile of the area is certain to grow even larger later this summer when an exhibit featuring the Rainy Lake mermaid is slated to run Aug. 8-15 in conjunction with the 70th anniversary of the local landmark.
For more information, call Hawley at 274-7891.