State of the Arts

State of the Arts: December 3, 2010 Archive

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Weekend outlook: on ice

Posted at 12:37 PM on December 3, 2010 by Marianne Combs (1 Comments)
Filed under: Events

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"I can't help myself ... my neighbors are just too close!" by Therese Krupp, in this year's "Prints on Ice" at Highpoint Center for Printmaking

For a look at all the holiday shows on offer this month, check out "Your Holiday Guide", meanwhile here are some non-Christmas/Hannukah themed events:

Highpoint Center for Printmaking presents "Prints On Ice," the 18th exhibition of prints by members of its studio cooperative. For some, printmaking is an avocation; others create prints professionally and have placed works in public and private collections across the country. Original lithographs, relief prints, intaglio and screenprints will be on view through January 29, with an opening reception tonight.

Opening tonight, Altered Esthetics presents Adverti$ing, a group show of artistic perspectives on consumerism, branding, and advertising.

Parkway Theater presents all six documentaries by local filmmaker Melody Gilbert in what it's calling the Melody Gilbert Movie Marathon. Titles include "Married at the Mall," "Whole," "Disconnected," "A Life Without Pain," "Urban Explorers: Into the Darkness," and "Fritz: The Walter Mondale Story."

Custom toys and toy-inspired posters will fill Gallery 122 in Minneapolis tonight in the annual Toys in the Attic show. It features 50 print-based artists and celebrates both the joy and the darker side of toys and toy culture. It's also a benefit for Toys for Tots. Bring a toy and get in free or contribute five dollars.

Gremlin Theatre stages Lanford Wilson's Burn This, which follows the dangerous path of love when it bonds the lives of two very different people.

This weekend "Take Me Back to Hip Harlem," features local dancer Ida Arbeit, who'll be turning 101 on Saturday, and 91-year-old tenor saxophonist Irv Williams, leading the Kairos Dance Company in an exploration of the movement and music of the Harlem Renaissance. At Intermedia Arts.

So what are you doing this weekend?

(1 Comments)

Ralph Rapson's more intimate work on sale

Posted at 4:11 PM on December 3, 2010 by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Architecture, Design, Drawing

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Ralph Rapson's bent wood rocker

Minnesota architect Ralph Rapson may be best remembered for his buildings, from the original Guthrie Theater to the blighted Cedar-Riverside apartment buildings. But buildings made up just part of his modernist vision; it also included flatware, teapots, lamps, dishes, jewelry, fabrics, clothes, and especially furniture.

Tonight and tomorrow, Rapson's son Toby and Toby's wife Janet Czaia have organized a show that brings together Rapson's playful drawings, and the realized designs of several of his chairs, along with some of Czaia's own artwork.

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Ralph Rapson's "Chair of Tomorrow"

The two-day show and sale features many of Ralph Rapson's original drawings dating from as far back as the 1930s, including renderings of his whimsical "kissing chair" or "chair of tomorrow." Toby Rapson, who now runs Rapson Architects, describes his father's work as casual and almost anthropomorphic:

A wonderful element of my father's drawings was his ability to draw freehand with people using his furniture in amusing positions and behavior; he had an uncanny ability to maintain a correct perspective on his pieces and figures. He spent a great deal of time early in his career studying human anatomy and proportion. Later in life he could simply place these people seemingly effortlessly into his furniture drawings, again adding a playful quality and humanness to his work.

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Ralph Rapson's solid wood rockers

Toby Rapson says he 's been working on expanding the line of his father's furniture designs and going through his collection of design drawings. An opportunity to use an exhibition space was presented that he and his wife felt they couldn't pass up, and so they rushed to get this show ready.

We have also had many inquiries about purchasing Ralph's work so we thought making some of his drawings available on a one time basis would be a good thing. I like the ideas of the drawings being in the hands of people; Don't tell the curators that you might know, but I worry about the thought of his designs being boxed away and being almost inaccessible in an archive - the last scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark comes to mind where the Ark of the Covenant is being carted to the bowels of some warehouse (not that we're talking Ark of the Covenant here).

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A rendering of Ralph Rapson's lounge chair

The Furniture Design of Ralph Rapson: Two Day Exhibition and Sale runs from 5-11pm tonight and from 10am to 8pm tomorrow at 520 Selby Ave in St. Paul. A percentage of the sales will be donated to the Ralph Rapson Traveling Study Fellowship at the Minnesota Architectural Foundation

Friday news and reviews

Posted at 10:46 AM on December 3, 2010 by Marianne Combs
Filed under: News and reviews

Here's a round-up of the arts stories making headlines...

Art

Altered Esthetics makes art, not ads for 'Adverti$ing'
- Coco Mault, City Pages
During a month in which many of us consume more than usual, especially when it comes to eating scrumptious food or buying the perfect gift, Altered Esthetics has created an exhibition that uses ironic imagery to point out the deluge of advertising we are subjected to, and often succumb to.

Of Pastries and Paintings
- Maggie Ryan Sandford, mnartists.org
Maggie Ryan Sandford continues her ongoing artists' guide to coffee house galleries and alternative art exhibition venues in Minnesota with this tour of notable hotspots in the arts-rich neighborhood of Northeast Minneapolis.

Mother Russia's fine china
- Mary Abbe, Star Tribune
History and beauty are both served in an exhibition of tsarist porcelain at the Museum of Russian Art.

Dance

Dance without reservation
- Lightsey Darst, mnartists.org
Lightsey Darst saw Zenon's ambitious fall season performance recently, and she came away wowed - by the dancers' passionate performances, by the moving choreography, and by the company's sheer voltage on stage.

Movies

When bad scripts happen to good actresses
- Chris Hewitt, Pioneer Press
Kristin Scott Thomas' 2008 French film "I've Loved You So Long" showed what she can do with a great script. "Leaving," her new French film, shows what she can do with a not-great one.

Two locally shot films earning recognition
- Colin Covert, Star Tribune
"The Convincer" and "Ana's Playground" are both getting attention.

Twin Citians have an excellent selection of small films from which to choose
- Chris Hewitt, Pioneer Press
This week, movie fans are probably wondering, "Hey, where are all the movies starring people I've heard of doing stuff that's awesome?" Those fans will have to wait until next week.

Reviewed in brief: "Dogtooth," "Leaving," and "Marwencol"
- Colin Covert, Star Tribune

Review: 'Dogtooth' is going to leave you with a lot to chew on
- Chris Hewitt, Pioneer Press
I love that Greece submitted "Dogtooth" in the foreign-language Oscar race, even though it has no chance of winning or even being nominated.


Music

Gospel choir's sister act
- Chris Riemenschneider, Star Tribune
Sandy Robinson took the reins of the Twin Cities Community Gospel Choir from her brother in time for its 20th anniversary.

Now's a good time to be chasin' Mason
By Ross Raihala
Singer/songwriter Mason Jennings has yet to release an official follow-up to his last studio album, "Blood of Man," but that doesn't mean he has been slacking.

Local music notes: Dead Man Winter lives
- Chris Riemenschneider, Star Tribune
Also, a preview of the New Standards' holiday shows, and Roster McCabe's new fan-funded CD.

Mozart, Miami, Carnegie Hall and 'Common Chords' Minnesota Orchestra has all this plus opera superstars and January with Brahms before Orchestra Hall closes for renovation
- Rob Hubbard, Pioneer Press
Carnegie Hall and Miami ... Grand Rapids and Willmar. A January with Brahms and some studio time with Sibelius and Mozart. And concerts that feature an opera superstar and some of classical music's top violinists and pianists. Those are some of the highlights of the Minnesota Orchestra's next season, its final at Minneapolis' Orchestra Hall before the building closes for renovation and expansion.

Grammy nod (vicariously) goes to Low
- Chris Riemenschneider
Robert Plant's cover version of "Silver Rider" -- one of two he recorded off the Duluth trio's 2005 album "The Great Destroyer" -- has been nominated for best solo rock performance.

Jazz Grammy nominations, and this week's jazz picks
- Pamela Espeland, MinnPost.com
Best jazz bets for the weekend and into the week.

Television

TV's not-so-secret Santas
- Neal Justin, Star Tribune
It's the most wonderful time of the year for very special episodes.

British ad awards back in town
- Colin Covert, Star Tribune
Even in a down economy, they're are less hard-sell than in the United States.

Under-the-radar movies get their own fest
- Colin Covert, Star Tribune
Low-fi, low-budget, high-concept and alternative filmmakers screen their work at MCAD this weekend.


Theater

Popular shows enjoying extended runs on stages of the Twin Cities
- Chris Hewitt, Pioneer Press
Live theater in the Twin Cities must be suffering in this economy, right? Wrong. Don't cry for Theater Latte Da, which just had its biggest hit with "Evita." Or for the Guthrie's "The 39 Steps," which just announced its second extension. And there's no need to break out the hankies for at least two other recent smashes.

A Christmas sampler
- Graydon Royce, Star Tribune
The holiday season gets up to speed with three more options for small-theater aficionados seeking something slightly different.

Santaland Diaries delivers a new perspective on yuletide traditions
- Michelle Alimoradi, Examiner.com
When you're wee little tike, going to see the mall Santa can be a number of things, mysterious, curious, or even horrifying. But as you get closer to those delightful pre-teen years, it can become very enlightening.

MN Original: Highpoint Center for Printmaking and Dosh

Posted at 9:24 AM on December 3, 2010 by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Television

Last night's edition of MN Original was a re-airing of an earlier episode; I'm thankful, because I missed this one the first time 'round. Here's what's included:

Highpoint Center for Printmaking
Master printer and artistic director Cole Rogers spells out the complicated process of printing visiting artist Todd Norsten's work, "Ceaseless Timeless Boundless Endless Joy," which at first glance appears to be just blue painters tape. Not so. Rogers utilizes several layers to give the work a unique texture and sheen worth a second or third look.

Martin Dosh
The song Dosh creates in this segment is called Simple Exercises, yet watching him record loops and push peddles is anything but. These elements, like legos, are the building blocks of his songs. Watch and be amazed.

Central Touring Theater
St. Paul Central High School students rehearse a piece that deals with racial stereotypes and education. Jan Mandell encourages them to find their own voice and not tip-toe around the issues they face.

Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra
Musical Director Joseph Schlefke makes sure that Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra concerts aren't stuffy events. This community orchestra is dedicated to showcasing music by women, GLBT, and minority composers in addition to the lesser known works of greats like Mozart.

Give yourself a half-hour to revel in our state's creative talent, and press 'play.'

Arts funding after a regime change

Posted at 2:26 PM on December 3, 2010 by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Funding

In light of recent elections, and the upcoming session to deal with the state's $6.2 billion deficit, I wondered how all of this could impact the arts. To get some context, I asked Sheila Smith with Minnesota Citizens for the Arts for her thoughts. Here's what she had to say:

1. How do you think the recent shift in power at the state capitol will effect funding for the arts?

There are a lot of changes at the Capitol this year, with the GOP taking over both the House and Senate, and although the recount is still ongoing, it looks like DFL'r Mark Dayton will probably take over the Governor's office. We've had divided government for the past many years, and with these changes we will still have divided government. However, it's still too early to know how these changes will affect the arts.

The bigger issue is that the state has a gruesome $5-6 billion deficit (the exact number will be known this afternoon) which will be the driving issue throughout the next session. How the new leadership on both sides deals with this issue will affect everything the state does, with the arts being just one of the many issues affected.

We're still not sure which committee will oversee arts funding, we'll hopefully know in a few weeks, so it will be easier to assess then the environment we'll be in.

The arts have always been a non-partisan issue, and we have friends on both sides of the aisle. Many of those friends remain at the Capitol. It will be up to the arts community to continue to communicate with their elected officials about the importance of the arts and about the voter's intention in passing the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment.

2. Keeping the $6 billion dollar deficit in mind, how do you plan to argue for continued support of the arts (especially now that the Legacy Amendment provides a dedicated source of funding)?

The arts are a proven economic development tool that provide over 30,000 jobs in Minnesota. With the chief concern of all policy makers being job growth and economic impact, we can make a very strong case that the arts need to be a part of the picture that helps solve Minnesota's economic problems. Minnesota's arts community is a strong beacon that draws visitors to Minnesota's restaurants and hotels. We are part of the picture of Minnesota's future economic vitality.

3. Why is it that the arts tends to be viewed as "optional" when it comes to funding?

In 2008, 56% of Minnesotans voted to put the arts into our state's constitution. Minnesotans do not view the arts as optional.

So what do you think of the current political climate, the deficit, and how it may or may not affect funding for the arts? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

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