State of the Arts

State of the Arts: March 1, 2012 Archive

Art Hounds: Jenga, CLAPS and icy Antarctic paintings

Posted at 7:35 AM on March 1, 2012 by Chris Roberts (1 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Museums, Music, Painting, Theater

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"Grave (South Pole)," 2011 by Chris Willcox

A chaotic stage show which uses a popular game to parody disaster movies, a painter who has captured Antarctica's serene frigidity, and a Minneapolis electronic band that looks to the past and future, all have gotten the hounds' attention this week.



levi.jpgEver play Jenga, the game where you stack blocks and remove them until they collapse? Comedy Suitcase co-founder Levi Weinhagen says the show "Jenga!" at the Brave New Workshop Student Union in Minneapolis though March 3, is equally precarious, more wild and raucous, and definitely more funny. Levi, who also serves as social media manager for Minnesota Playlist, says "Jenga!" by Mainly Me Productions, sends up disaster movies such as "The Towering Inferno," "The Poseidon Adventure," and "Twister."


StuartKlipper.jpgMinneapolis photographer Stuart Klipper has vast experience shooting the polar regions, particularly Antarctica. Stuart says viewing Chris Willcox's paintings of the continent in her exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, is like feeling the ice and breathing the frigid air. Willcox's show is called "90 Degrees South" and it's part of the MIA's Minnesota Artist Exhibition Program. On display through April 1.


dylanguerber.jpgMinneapolis graphic designer and electronic musician Dylan Guerber has his eye on the wave of synth pop sweeping through the local music scene, and according to Dylan, at the forefront of that movement is a Minneapolis band called CLAPS. Dylan says the group makes music that is fresh but also a nod to early 80s new wave. They'll be playing with Condominium at Grumpy's Downtown on March 3.

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Video Break: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

Posted at 10:03 AM on March 1, 2012 by Marianne Combs
Filed under: Animation, Books, Film, Libraries, Video

Most of the Oscar news we read earlier this week was about The Help, or The Artist, or Hugo, so you're forgiven if you didn't notice the winner for short animated film: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.

The film is a charming homage to the joy of reading, your local library and the secret lives of books. It was inspired in part by Buster Keaton, Hurricane Katrina, the Wizard of Oz, and children's books publisher William Morris.

Yet it only takes fifteen minutes to enjoy:

Interestingly enough, while the film obviously praises the physical book, it also has an iPad app, where you can interact with the story. In a story for the LA Times co-creator William Joyce said "There was some trepidation about doing the app -- we didn't want to kill the thing we love -- but at the same time we thought, 'This new technology could very well be a way to help save publishing. But we're not sure. Let's dive in and see.'"

March 2012
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This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment's Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund