State of the Arts Category Archive: Events
6 ways to kindle some romance
Posted at 4:13 PM on February 9, 2012
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Here are some good bets for showing your affection to a loved one before, during and after Valentine's Day:
Dennis Oglesby, Dennis Spears and Julius Collins perform at the Capri Theater this weekend
Before Valentine's Day
1. Speak Low When You Speak Love
Three handsome men sing of love, so you don't have to find the words. Join Dennis Oglesby, Dennis Spears and Julius Collins at the Capri Theater, accompanied by Sanford Moore on piano. The show features a range of genres and musical moods, from pop to jazz and blues, and perhaps a poem or two. The concerts are at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb 11 and 3 pm Sunday, Feb 12.
2. Valentine's Day Hot Metal Pour
Come witness a Hot Metal Iron Pour at the Park for Valentines day. Bring your love, potential love or meet someone new... Twelve sculptors brave the cold for a short, sweet and HOT affair! Bring a thermos of cocoa and warm your hands over the hot sculpture molds. Sunday ยท February 12th 12 - 5pm
On Valentine's Day
3. The Steeles: Be My Valentine!
Let the fabulous Steele family sing you songs of love as you dine on some seductive fare at the Dakota. Seating available for dinner and "dessert" performances.
Usher in Valentine's Day the old fashioned way by enjoying classic poems of the 19th century in the elegant drawing room of the Hill House. Actors Craig Johnson, Laura Salveson and Ann Daly, wearing 1890s eveningwear, perform a wide range of humorous and stirring poems. Visitors will hear works by Dickinson, Poe, Longfellow, Browning and others dealing with love, romance, temperance, sports, war and even poems about James J. Hill himself. Audience members are invited to bring a short Victorian poem to read aloud. The one-hour program will be followed by light refreshments and tours of the Hill House.
After Valentine's Day
5. Ballad of the Pale Fisherman
A fisherman falls in love with a woman who is a selkie - part human and part seal. She must make a choice between betrayal and self-sacrifice: past or future, heart or home in The Ballad of the Pale Fisherman. Written and directed by local playwright Isabel Nelson, Pale Fisherman is inspired by Irish and Scottish folk tales. At the Illusion Theater through February 25. (Editor's note: this performance actually runs before, during and after Valentine's Day, but for the sake of symmetry I've place it in the post V-day slot)
6. Candlelight Concert: Gothic Grandeur
Enjoy Gothic chant by candlelight accompanied by interpretive projections, as you escape to a time when artists were heroes and composers were paid better than politicians. I know it's in a church, but aren't those lovely voices romantic? In the Twin Cities performances are Saturday at The Basilica of Saint Mary and Sunday at St. Mary's Chapel of The St. Paul Seminary.
Art Hounds: Spring Awakening, VocalPoint, and a gender mash-up in Bloomington
Posted at 7:30 AM on February 9, 2012
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Music, Painting, Theater
Paintings by Nicholas Harper (left) and Tina Blondell (right), part of the "Lace and Gunpowder" exhibition at the Bloomington Art Center
The hounds lead us to the premiere of an alt-musical in Duluth, a charitable community choir in St. Paul, and an exhibition that pairs up male and female artists.
"Spring Awakening succeeds as musical theater, by breaking the rules of musical theater." That's according to Rebecca Katz Harwood, who's heralding the premiere of the broadway sensation Spring Awakening at Renegade Theater in Duluth. Rebecca, who teaches theater and dance at the University of Minnesota Duluth and is a dancer and choreographer, says the musical is about German teenagers in the late 19th century trying to emerge from an oppressive childhood. It's not suitable material for children, though. On stage at Renegade Feb. 9 - 25.
Anne-Marie Wagener paid her first visit to Bloomington Art Center and was wowed by its current exhibition "Lace and Gunpowder." The show puts the work of male and female painters, sculptors and illustrators side by side to demonstrate unlikely contrasts and similarities. Anne-Marie, who directs public relations at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, wasn't drawn so much to the gender divisions as the sheer power and beauty of the art. You can see the show through Feb. 17.
VocalPointhas a dual purpose, to create the most compelling choral music it can while raising money for humanitarian causes. St. Paul choral singer Shahbaz Shah says the choir has one of the most dynamic directors in the Twin Cities in Jennifer Anderson. VocalPoint is singing this weekend (2/11 & 2/12 at 3pm) at its home base of Central Presbyterian Church in St. Paul. Maria Jette is the guest soloist.
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And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
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Art Hounds: Megan Vossler, Brazilian dance, and a Neutral Milk Hotel cover band
Posted at 7:30 AM on February 2, 2012
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Dance, Drawing, Events, Music
Megan Vossler, "South China Sea," 2012. Video stills.
The hounds dig up landscape art that's sensitive to the earth's movements, a new local dance company that moves to Afro-Brazilian rhythms, and a cover band serenading Neutral Milk Hotel fans.
Sarah Moeding wears a lot of hats in the Twin Cities art scene; artist, musician, writer, and producer of the "Literary Death Match." Therefore it shouldn't surprise that Sarah would know about a Neutral Milk Hotel cover band performing the legendary indie rock band's most influential album, "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea," in its entirety. It's happening Friday night at Cause Spirits and Soundbar. The group is the appropriately named CVR BND and its performance is partially aimed at folks who couldn't get tickets to former Neutral Milk Hotel frontman Jeff Mangum's sold out show at the State Theater this Saturday.
The local dance world, which includes dancer and Cowles Center Education Director Jessi Fett, is buzzing over the premiere of a new dance company. Contempo Physical Dance, led by choreographer and dancer Marciano Silva dos Santos, fuses Afro-Brazilian dance, capoeira, and contemporary dance into a potent mix on stage. Contempo Physical Dance makes its debut this weekend at the Ritz Theater in Minneapolis.
Christina Schmid thinks there's a movement of artists trying to take landscape art in more thoughtful, probing, deconstructing directions. Christina, a liberal arts professor at the College of Visual Arts in St. Paul, would put artist (and fellow Art Hound) Megan Vossler at the forefront of that movement. Vossler's new exhibition is called "Overlook: Landscape Studies," and it's at the Macalester Gallery at Macalester College through March 9th. Here's an essay Christina, who's also an editor at Quodlibetica, wrote about Megan's work.
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And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
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Art Hounds: Isa Gagarin, Art Sleds, and a quadruple art opening in Duluth
Posted at 7:30 AM on January 26, 2012
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Museums
Image from Isa Gagarin's artist book accompanying her exhibition, "Occultation"
This week's hounds are totally engrossed in Minnesota's visual art scene and share impressions of an emerging artist's quest for identity in found documents, neighborhood artists who create community on a sledding hill, and a communal art opening at the Duluth Art Institute.
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Milwaukee-based independent media producer Adam Carr's answer to his own wanderlust: travel to Duluth, live there for a month, soak up its culture and pour everything you discover into a website called "January in Duluth." One of the dozens of things Adam has investigated over the last month was last week's quadruple opening at the Duluth Art Institute. He was particularly impressed with the "Membership Exhibition," which features 175 works from amateur and professional artists and is on the walls through February 19.
Winter is fun...if we make it fun. That might as well be Erin Lauderman's mantra. Erin, who's a painter and works in marketing at the Weisman Art Museum, will definitely be somewhere along the gentle slopes of Powderhorn Park in Minneapolis this Saturday, January 28, at 2pm for the 5th Annual Art Sled Rally! Dress up your favorite sled, toboggan, or snowboard and pray for snow, although the event will take place regardless of the level of frozen precipitation.
When an emerging artist with great potential has an important exhibition, peer artists take note. That's how performance and installation artist Josh Stulen regards the work of Isa Gagarin. Isa's new show is called "Occulation," at St. Cloud State University's Kiehle Gallery. Gagarin manipulates found documents such as photos of the Dead Sea, images of the Lunar surface, or National Geographic articles, to give them a new identity.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
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Art Hounds: Ghost, Dirty Girls, Al Church and State
Posted at 7:30 AM on January 19, 2012
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Music, Theater
Photo of Al Church and State by Shinano Katagiri
The hounds have uncovered a devil-worshipping Swedish heavy metal band, a slew of confessional style performers and artists who turn the phrase 'dirty girls' inside out, and an indie rock band which is seriously tongue-in-cheek.
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Photographer and musician Charlie Ward has some advice. Take all your troubles down to the Amsterdam Bar this Friday and let the Minneapolis indie rock band Al Church and State lift them off your shoulders, at least temporarily. The group is fronted by Al Church, who Charlie classifies as a huge goofball. You'll hear songs about such disparate subjects as making up your own dance moves, birthday parties, and intense relationships.
The phrase 'dirty girls' carries a lot of baggage, but actor and playwright Heather Meyer says a performance fest in Minneapolis is trying to present a more nuanced, multi-layered interpretation of what it means, good and bad. "Dirty Girls Come Clean" is a remount of a production of short works--in musical, performance art, spoken word monologue and mini-play form, which attempt to re-define 'dirty girls.' On stage at Nimbus Theatre through January 28.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677. Art Hounds is powered by the Public Insight Network.
Some say satan and heavy metal go hand-in hand, and bands such as Ghost, which St. Paul composer Mike Croswell has been following for the last couple years, are living proof. Mike says devil worship comes up often in the Swedish group's lyrics, but the playing is disciplined and tight. "Ghost" is in the midst of its first American tour, and arrives at Station 4 in downtown St. Paul this Wednesday, Jan. 25.
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Weekend options: icy cold, steamy hot, or just dang funny
Posted at 4:32 PM on January 12, 2012
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
We saw a pretty drastic change in weather this week, from 52 degrees on Tuesday down to 10 degrees this morning. While some folks are thrilled at the more winter-like conditions, others miss the unusually balmy temps.
So this weekend I thought I'd offer you a variety of options that should be fun, no matter where you set your thermostat.
Steaming Hot: Dangerous Liaisons
Sexy, naughty, and bitingly funny, Christoper Hampton's searing adaptation of Pierre de Laclos infamous 1782 novel sizzles with intrigue, romance, and revenge among the aristocracy on the eve to the French revolution. As their servants look on impassively, former lovers the Marquise de Merteuil (Stacia Rice) and the Vicomte de Valmont (John Middleton) set into motion a series of seductions that ultimately threaten their own "dangerous liaison."
Performances run through Feb 4 at the Theater Garage in Minneapolis.
Very Warm: Minneapolis Jewish Humor Festival
Nothing warms you up like a good laugh. The 2012 Minneapolis Jewish Humor Festival combines one-person shows, stand-up routines, improvisational comedy, story-telling, film, and more--all celebrating the Jewish contribution to the world of humor.
Performances run Jan 14 - 28 at Sabes Jewish Community Center in Minneapolis.
Ice Cold: Art Shanty project
Art Shanty Projects is a four-week exhibition that is part sculpture park, part artist residency and part social experiment, inspired by traditional ice fishing houses that dot the state's lakes in winter. Now a biennial, this year's Art Shanty Projects include a "Monsters Under The Bed Shanty" and a "Letterpress Shanty" which will print up a daily newspaper. Definitely a family friendly event, it takes place on Medicine Lake weekends from Jan 14 - Feb 5.
Art Hounds: Theatre Smackdown, Ruben Nusz, and young virtuosos
Posted at 7:00 AM on January 12, 2012
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Music, Painting, Theater
"Paint Stone (3)" and "Untitled (green frame, diamond exceeding the frame)" by Ruben Nusz
This week's hounds are endorsing art that's abstract and illusionary at the same time, classical music that's being performed by some of the region's finest young adult soloists, and a 24 hour theater festival with all the energy of the WWE.
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Scott Pakudaitus will almost always say yes to chaotic, frenetic, seat-of-your-pants theater. Scott, a theater director himself and Bedlam Theatre's board president, says Theatre Unbound's "24:00:00 Xtreme Theatre Smackdown" is right in his wheelhouse. Over 40 playwrights, directors and actors have 24 hours to craft six 10-minute plays that can be about anything they want, provided they meet certain stipulations. The madness culminates with a performance of all six plays on Saturday, January 14 at Hamline University's Anne Simley Theatre at 8pm.
For a glimpse of the next generation of top-shelf professional musicians, flute instructor and musician Tina Persson says get thee down to Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis on Sunday, January 15 from 1-4pm, for the annual Young Artists Competition. It's sponsored by WAMSO, the Minnesota Orchestra Volunteer Association. Tina says the finest young adult classical musicians in the Upper Midwest and parts of Canada are competing for thousands of dollars in prizes and a chance to perform with the Minnesota Orchestra.
MCAD and CVA instructor and artist Pam Valfer raves about fellow Art Hound and painter Ruben Nusz's exhibition at Thomas Barry Fine Arts in Minneapolis entitled "Sticks/Stones." Pam says Ruben takes his ongoing interest in abstract yet illusionary images in a new direction in the show, which is on view by appointment through Feb. 9.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
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4 things to do this week on the cheap
Posted at 11:13 AM on January 5, 2012
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Many of us enter the new year with a full stomache and an empty wallet. So here are a few things to do this week that will get your blood pumping, but are either free, or a steal.
1. The Shostakovich Quartet Cycle
Starting today at noon, and for the following three Thursdays, The Artaria Quartet will perform eight of Shostakovich's string quartets in the intimate space of a room in the Landmark Center in downtown St. Paul. Cost: FREE
As you exit the Landmark Center, let the music move you, and don a pair of ice skates for a refreshing spin around the rink on the Landmark Plaza. The skating is FREE, and you can rent skates for a mere $2.
Mu Performing Arts presents Hmong Tiger Tales at the Walker Art Center
Enjoy free admission to the Walker Art Center this Saturday, and bring the kids. There they can be treated to a retelling of Hmong folk stories about tigers (as presented by Mu Performing Arts) and create their own fairy tale mash-ups with the Children's Theatre Company. Cost: FREE
This is the last weekend you can see an impressive collection of Japanese woodblock prints at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Admission to the exhibit is $8, but the rest of the museum is FREE.
Art Hounds: Shostakovich, Chastity Brown, and "A Dog is a Dog"
Posted at 8:00 AM on January 5, 2012
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Books, Events, Music
Illustration from "A Dog is a Dog" by Stephen Shaskan
This week's hounds pay tribute to a string quartet series at St. Paul's Landmark Center, a folky soul singer from Minneapolis, and an illustrator who's winning national raves for his new kids' book.
Art Hounds January 5 by MPR News
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Songwriter and musician Mayda knows a thing or two about soul music, so we need to pay attention when she speaks of her admiration for Minneapolis singer-songwriter Chastity Brown. Mayda says Brown's probing honesty and acoustic guitar craft can transport the listener to another place. Brown will be joined by visual artist Natalie Gallagher for an unusual performance, "Marrow," at Republic in Minneapolis, Sunday, Jan. 8.
Sometimes your friends and fellow artists surprise you. It happened to Minneapolis visual artist and musician Rich Barlow, whose former bandmate and album art illustrator Stephen Shaskan has released a critically-praised children's book called "A Dog is a Dog," published by Chronicle Books. Rich says kids will be delighted by the clever way the story's main character, a dog, continually changes his identity. Rich was also impressed by Shaskan's ability to professionalize his style as an illustrator.
The great 20th-century Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich wrote a series of string quartets that St. Paul composer Justin Busch describes as a musical documentation of life behind the Iron Curtain. Justin says eight of those 15 quartets will be performed by the acclaimed Twin Cities-based Artaria Quartet every Thursday in January from noon to 1pm at the Landmark Center. According to Justin, the 'courtroom concerts' are not to be missed.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
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2011: The year in review
Posted at 12:23 PM on January 2, 2012
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
2011 was a particularly hard year to look back on. Sure, there was plenty to celebrate, from Ragamala Dance's exceptional year, to the opening of the Cowles Center for Dance, and a grant that gave the city of St. Paul close to $1 million to employ artists.
But 2011 was also a year marked by loss. Not just institutions we loved - like the Southern Theater - but people. Some left us at a ripe old age, after leading full lives - John Davis and Leonard Parker - but others left us way too soon. I'm thinking about playwright Tom Poole, poet Roy McBride and jazz singer Christine Rosholt. Here at MPR, we lost both Arthur Hoehn and Tom Keith.
So as we start 2012, let's give thanks to those who helped us get here, but weren't able to make the journey themselves.
Here are just some of the highlights of what happened in the arts world this past year:
January:
Garrison Keillor introduces guest hosts to A Prairie Home Companion
February:
Frank Sonntag appointed director of The Cowles Center
March:
Epp and Serrand launch new theater company
Ragamala Dance earns rave review from the New York Times
Garrison Keillor announces retirement... we think.
Hall of Fame broadcaster Arthur Hoehn dies after fight with lung cancer
Vestiges of Merce Cunningham's dance find home at Walker
Sally Awards: And the winners are...
Rising river threatens theater, artist studios
SCSU art students seek tuition increase
April:
Northeast Public Library re-opens
"Gather" replaces 20.21 restaurant at the Walker Art Center
89.3 The Current debuts "Local Current Music Stream"
MN Book Awards: and the winners are...
Native American shirt returns home after 300 years
The Southern Theater hosts a fundraiser in an attempt to keep its doors open.
May:
Southern Theater lays off five, cuts hours of remaining staff
Cloquet community theater headed to national festival
Mankato theater students earn national accolades
Isaac Becker wins James Beard Award for his restaurant, 112 Eatery
Julie Andrews visits Perpich Center for the Arts
Ranee Ramaswamy named 2011 McKnight Distinguished Artist
June:
It's the inaugural year of "Northern Spark"
The Southern Theater is reduced to a rental facility, with a staff of one.
Two Minnesota teens head to Broadway
John Waters floods the Walker with art
Play by Play Theatre Bookstore closes
Playwright Tom Poole hit by car, dies a week later
MN teen wins national musical theater award
Bill Kling, founder of MPR, steps down
July:
The state of the arts in a state shutdown
John B. Davis, savior of schools and arts organizations, dies
Architect Leonard Parker dies at age 90
Duluth mural becomes source of controversy
Poet Roy McBride dies at the age of 67
August:
Minnesota Historical Society launches online encyclopedia
Joyce Sutphen named Minnesota Poet Laureate
September:
St. Paul gets close to $1 million to employ artists in "Irrigate" project
The St. John's Bible is completed
Twin Cities actor Warren C. Bowles suffers cardiac arrest on stage
October:
Newly expanded Weisman Art Museum reopens
Architects, preservationists raise concerns over Peavey Plaza's future
Tom Keith, A Prairie Home Companion's sound effects man, dies
November:
Cowles Center Executive Director Frank Sonntag resigns
December:
Poet Bao Phi gets rave New York Times review
National media light shines on Penumbra Theatre
Twin Cities jazz fans shocked at passing of Christine Rosholt
What news defined the year for you? Share your memories of 2011 in the comments section.
New Year's Eve: lowbrow, highbrow, or something inbetween?
Posted at 1:40 PM on December 30, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Every year, a bevvy of venues make their best effort to get you to join them for New Year's Eve. Most offer a steep cover charge, but with the promise of unlimited alcohol once you get in. To my mind, that seems like a sure bet you'll wake up with a mighty hangover and few memories to go along with it - not much of a start to the new year.
So why not make New Year's eve a memorable event?
Here are three options that offer everything from comedy to rock to fine cuisine. The great entertainment comes with the ticket - you'll have to buy the hangover a la carte.
Laugh in the New Year with critically acclaimed comedians The Scrimshaw Brothers and their special guests Eric Webster, Shanan Custer & Tim Uren! An irreverent mix of smart sketch, stand-up and improv comedy! Plus more broken resolutions than you can shake a Scrimshaw at! The late show goes all the way to 2012! (FYI: Josh Scrimshaw really enjoys being on stage in his underwear - that's a warning, but not a promise)
2. Mark Mallman's New Year's Eve in 3D
The hardest working musician in the Twin Cities is back again, with what promises to be a wild evening of piano-driven rock that borders on performance art. (Mallman is the same guy who played for 78 hours non-stop in 2010.)
3. Wow your date with fine music AND fine food:
The Dakota Jazz Club presents the lovely Davina and the Vagabonds, along with a tasty menu that features ahi tuna, duck confit, bay scallops, ribeye and chocolate baked Alaska for dessert. A vegetarian tasting menu is also available.
Whatever you do - have fun, and be safe!
See you in 2012...
Big Quarters, Nicolas Carter, And a yuletide dance party
Posted at 7:00 AM on December 15, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Music
Follow the hounds as they dig up a brotherly hip hop duo that raps about everyday life, a Nordic Yuletide celebration featuring authentic Scandanavian music and sounds of the season courtesy of a Minneapolis musician and his Paraguayan harp.
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Minneapolis visual artist Jan Elftmann is drawn to the music of her Northern European heritage, which will be in abundance at Jultide Celebration: a Nordic Roots Dance Party at Tapestry Folkdance Center in Minneapolis on Sunday, Dec. 18, from 6-8pm. Jan, who organizes art car-related events throughout Minnesota, reports the event will be hosted by Nordic roots artist and Art Hound Kari Tauring, with help from Nordic dancer Carol Sersland and Minneapolis world music musician Drew Miller.
Eric Utne's favorite holiday music is plucked by Minneapolis musician Nicolas Carter. Carter's specialty is the national instrument of Paraguay, the harp. Eric, who started the "Utne Reader" and is a writer and publisher in Minneapolis, says Carter brings a distinctive South American flavor to holiday classics. Carter will be joined in concert by the Son Del Sur Folk Ensemble at First Christian Church in Minneapolis on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 7:30pm and for a family concert at City of Lakes Waldorf School on Sunday afternoon.
If you're looking for local rap that's rooted in the community, Minneapolis hip hop aficionado and writer Ali Elabbady can't say enough good things about Big Quarters. The duo consists of brothers Brandon Allday and Medium Zach. Ali says Big Quarters rhymes are often about the rigors and beauty of daily existence, which makes them unique. Big Quarters celebrates its new CD, "Party Like a Young Commie," with a release party at the Triple Rock Social Club on Friday, December 16th.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
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Art Hounds: House tour, Spiked Too, and nerds conquer Duluth
Posted at 7:00 AM on December 8, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Architecture, Art Hounds, Events, Theater
This week's hounds say you can't ignore a chance to tour a stunning 1915 'Prairie School' home in Minneapolis, a variety show guaranteed to fill you with mirth and merriment, and a special evening for show and tell-oriented nerds of the Duluthian variety.
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Interested in seeing how the holidays were celebrated in Minneapolis circa 1915? Hopkins Center for the Arts Director Amanda Birnstengel heartily recommends visiting the Purcell-Cutts House. Tours of this immaculately maintained Prairie School gem, which is owned by the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, are conducted by docents dressed in period garb and focus on the holiday decorations, gift giving, and social traditions of the period. The tours take place every Saturday and Sunday through the holiday season.
Holiday-themed entertainment often triggered a gag reflex in improvisor Tane Danger, until he went to see "Spiked Too!" by Table Salt Productions at the Lowry Lab Theater in downtown St. Paul. Tane, founder of the "Theater of Public Policy," says the early '70s style variety show is stocked with talented musicians and funny performers who will help you give in to the spirit of the season. On stage through December 17.
Nerds, and Duluth theater artist and playright Jean Sramek counts herself among that crowd, have their own semi-regular special evening at Teatro Zuccone in Duluth. Jean says "Nerd Nite" turns the stage over to local nerds who want to share their vast knowledge of obscure subjects with other nerds and imbibe together. The next Nerd Nite is Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 7:30pm.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
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Raise the Curtain returns to St. Paul
Posted at 12:17 PM on December 5, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Arts management, Events, Funding
Looking for a unique gift at a reasonable price?
Tomorrow may be your "black Tuesday."
The Arts and Culture Partnership of St. Paul presents "Raise the Curtain," a one day deal where you can buy half-price tickets to a number of shows and concerts taking place in St. Paul in the coming weeks... and months.
Participating organizations include The Rose Ensemble, the Science Museum of Minnesota, Saint Paul City Ballet, Ballet Minnesota, Steppingstone Theatre, the Fitzgerald Theater, and the Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company.
Art Hounds: Patrick Harison, Michon Weeks, and a theatrical manual on infidelity
Posted at 7:00 AM on December 1, 2011
by Chris Roberts
(3 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Music, Public Art, Theater
If you're hankering for a virtuoso accordion player, a painter and printmaker with her eye on the landmarks of Lyon County, and a play that lays out the anatomy of adultery, this week's Art Hounds were made to order.
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Marshall graphic designer Marcy Olson became an Art Hound to celebrate the work of painter and printmaker Michon Weeks. Marcy is drawn to Michon's skewed vision, which is subtly evident in her installation "Poetry of the Road," at the brand new Marshall-Lyon County Library. It's a series of glass etchings of local county landmarks, hung in the windows of the library. There'll be an opening reception at the library on Thursday, Dec. 1, from 5-7pm.
Shazore Shah was eating lunch the other day in Minneapolis when button accordionist extraordinaire Patrick Harison transported him to five different cultures over the course of his meal. Shazore, a tenor with the male vocal group Cantus, says he was amazed by Patrick's proficiency and comfort level in so many different genres. Patrick belongs to a number of groups, but his main gig is frontman for Patty and the Buttons. Patty and the Buttons plays on Monday, Dec. 5 at the Red Stag Supper Club in Minneapolis. The band also has a standing engagement at the Aster Cafรฉ every Sunday afternoon.
Lily Troia is founder of the Minneapolis-based Invisible Button, an artist and event management company. Lily wasn't in the Twin Cities when "How to Cheat" became one of the hits of the 2006 Minnesota Fringe Festival. But she's read the new and augmented script by Minneapolis playwright Alan Berks and predicts the two person play about marital infidelity will pack even more of a sexy wallop. It's on stage at the Gremlin Theater in St. Paul through Dec. 10.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
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Art Hounds: Dear Data, St. Cloud aesthetic, and Rebel Pleasure
Posted at 7:00 AM on November 23, 2011
by Molly Bloom
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Music, Painting, Printmaking
This week, three Scotts and a Carol show us what it means to be a St. Cloud artist, introduce to us a new band with a warm sound perfect for winter, and a performance series that pushes all sorts of boundaries.
Scott Stulen may be the Project Director for mnartists.org as well as a visual artist, but his true love is DJing, which he does under the name Black Lacquer. He's always on the hunt for new music and he can't get enough of the newly-formed Dear Data. The Minneapolis band, made up of members of I, Colussus and Al Church and State, pairs a warm electro-pop sound with soulful vocals. If you want to catch this band before they hit it big, you can see them Monday, Nov. 28 at Red Stag Supperclub and Wednesday, Nov. 30 at Cause Spirits and Soundbar.
Carol Weiler is a photographer and designer in St. Cloud. She wants you to head to the 912 Art Gallery to see the work of a man who helped shape the aesthetic of the St. Cloud art scene. Bill Ellingson's watercolors and prints particularly struck a chord in the '70s and '80s, especially his work featuring images of protests from the era of the Vietnam War. The show will be up through Nov. 30 and there will also be a discussion at the gallery on Monday, Nov. 28 about the collective memory of the St. Cloud arts culture.
Scotty Reynolds and Scotty Hall share a name, artistic endeavors (Picnic Operetta and Interact Center) and a love for the queer performance series Pleasure Rebel. Wednesday, Nov. 30 at the Bryant Lake Bowl you can see artists pushing themselves and the boundaries of what queer performance can be. They're particularly excited to the see the intimate performance of Melissa Birch and the visceral work of Tim Carroll, who goes beyond normal human limits.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
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Ancient Yuletide Carols
Posted at 10:14 AM on November 25, 2011
by Luke Taylor
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Filed under: Events, Music
He lives in New York, but Geoffrey Williams, countertenor with the four-piece male vocal ensemble New York Polyphony, is no stranger to Minnesota's choral traditions. "[It's] the land of all these great, cool, choir programs at St. Olaf and Luther and Concordia," he effuses.
Williams and the rest of New York Polyphony made their Minnesota debut in September 2010, conducting workshops and performing a concert at St. Olaf College in Northfield. A video of that entire concert can be viewed using this link to St. Olaf's website or by clicking the image below.
Screen grab of New York Polyphony's concert at St. Olaf College (thanks to David Gonnerman at St. Olaf for providing the link).
Cathy Rodland, an artist-in-residence and lecturer in St. Olaf's music department, organized NYP's 2010 visit to the campus. "They really are fantastic singers," she says. "Plus, they are such great, nice guys and good conversationalists in front of an audience -- and they have to be, because their music is not heard a lot, so they are really good at bringing the audience into it."
Perhaps the reason NYP's music is not heard often is because much of it is outside living memory; the ensemble's repertoire is rooted in medieval and Renaissance music.
On Dec. 9, New York Polyphony will make its Twin Cities premiere at Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church in Minneapolis (full disclosure: the concert is presented by Classical MPR). Although this debut concert will have a Christmas theme -- coincidentally, the ensemble formed over Christmas music -- the mainstream concept of Christmas music is not on the bill.
According to Williams, New York Polyphony will sing selections from its 2007 debut album I Sing the Birth and from its 2010 release Tudor City. Bearing in mind the sophistication of Minnesota's choral audiences, Williams is also planning some surprises. "We'll have some things that generally we might not do," he says, "some choral repertoire we're choosing to give a chamber flavor to."
Vocal ensemble New York Polyphony (photo by Joanne Bouknight).
Williams describes New York Polyphony's sound as a "vocal string quartet," but concedes the space in which the group sings acts as a fifth instrument. Notably, I Sing the Birth was recorded inside New York's St. George's Church; Tudor City was recorded in New York's Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine. The effect of those spaces is palpable in the recordings; one can almost picture the music wafting up through the vaulted transept of a Gothic cathedral, resounding off stone walls and arches.
"You're not going to be hearing a lot of 'Silent Night' or 'Frosty the Snowman' in any of our shows," Williams says, "but we think this music is a very beautiful expression of the season. In fact, for me, a lot of these medieval carols evoke just as warm, fuzzy memories of Christmas as anything. That's the music that speaks to me, and hopefully we're able to express that in our performance."
Music for Assassins
Posted at 10:00 PM on November 18, 2011
by Euan Kerr
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Filed under: Events, People
A startlingly diverse crowd packed the UBS Forum tonight for the live recording of Top Score podcast presenter Emily Reese's conversation with Assassin's Creed composer Jesper Kyd.
Hipsters, gamers, and classical buffs came to learn a few of the secrets behind the immensely popular video game franchise, which released its fourth title Assassin's Creed:Revelations on Tuesday.
Kyd (right) is a Dane who is unusual among video game music composers in that he didn't begin his career in film. He began composing what he laughingly called bleep music on what was then his cutting edge Commodore 64. He moved on to an Amiga with its whopping four channels and joined the European Demoscene where he and his friends composed music like maniacs. He said he tried to do a tune a day.
"Don't take it that seriously," he said of learning how to write music. "That's important. I didn't really care. I wrote a lot of music that really sucked, but I had a good time."
He said he also got to know a lot of other people in the scene too, composers and graphic artists all drawn together by the maverick spirit, and it was an almost natural progression that they put their skills together to create a game. It was so good Sega bought it, and he moved to the US.
Kyd has done the scores for all four of the Assassin's games so far, and he told Emily Reese the music provides an interesting challenge. While much of the action in the first game occurs during the Crusades, and in the second in 15th century Italy, with the third being a combination of both, the storyline is actually set in 2012. It's really a science fiction travel adventure, with strong historical elements.
Kyd says he works hard to keep that science fiction element in the scores, while also conjuring the feel of those historical times. Part of his secret is his use of electronic music, and his delight in manipulation and sampling. He always uses a live choir for recording the music, but will digitally alter the sound to get the effect he is after.
He has little time for those who claim orchestral music is superior to electronic material. Instead of having many players he says, an electronic musician creates a framework alone, and then builds around it.
"You have to create that awesomeness of your own," he said. He researches a great deal as he composes, but bluntly says most people today find the music of the Crusades primitive. He says the trick is not to be accurate, but working on creating the music so people feel it is accurate.
He also talked about the difference between composing for a game and writing music for a film. A film is finite, and a composer knows what is going to happen. For a game however a lot depends on how a gamer is playing.
"A lot of it is to try to work out what would be cool (to hear) when you are playing," he said.
There is also a lot of opportunity to explore musical themes and variations. He said for Assassin's Creed II he delivered three hours of finished music.
Jesper Kyd signs copies of Assassin's Creed games after appearing on Top Score
"Assassin's Creed: Revelations" is so new Kyd admits he hasn't actually played it. In fact he's not entirely sure how his music is used in the game.
When asked if he is working on the next game in the series he smiled and said "I can't really talk about that. I'd get into trouble." He paused for a moment and continued, "But there is more music on the way."
After talking and taking questions for an hour the final piece of business was a drawing for two collector's editions of the new game.
When Reese asked him if he wanted to draw the XBox or the PS3 entries, he smiled and said "That's a loaded question," making the gamers in the audience roar with laughter.
He went with the XBox.
Art Hounds: Supernatural Wife, Matt Ryan, and a re-telling of a Greek tragedy
Posted at 7:00 AM on November 17, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Dance, Events, Music, Theater, Writing
Image of "Supernatural Wife" by photographer Mike Van Sleen
The week's installment has an ancient Greek flavor...the hounds are trailing a movement theater piece based on a Euripedes translation and a drama inspired by Aeschylus. Oh, and they're talking up Minnesota writer Matt Ryan's new book.
Robbinsdale poet Matt Rasmussen favors the comedic literary stylings of Minnesota writer Matt Ryan. Matt thinks Matt's new book, "Read This or You're Dead to Me," which Mr. Ryan describes as a collection of prose poems and flash fiction, is wildly inventive, brash, and hilarious. The Minneapolis publication "Paper Darts" is throwing a launch party for 'Read This' tonight at Moto-i in Minneapolis from 7 - 10pm. Matt Ryan will be reading, along with writerly guests Matt Mauch and Leah Drillias and there will be musical entertainment by Bethany Larson and the Bees Knees.
Budding director and dramaturge Molly Budke says Savage Umbrella's "The Ravagers" is memorable on a number of levels. They include the manner in which the company has updated Aeschylus's tragedy, "The Supplicants," and the way it uses the decaying environs of the Hollywood Theater in Nordeast Minneapolis. It's the final weekend of "The Ravagers," on stage at the Hollywood through Nov. 19.
The New York-based Big Dance Theatre's multi-media circus of movement combined with New Yorker Anne Carson's poetry is an irresistible combination to Minneapolis writer and poet Juliet Patterson. "Supernatural Wife" is Big Dance Theatre's interpretation of Carson's translation of Euripides' "Alkestis." You can see it Friday and Saturday, Nov. 18 - 19, at the Walker's McGuire Theater.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
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Give to the Max day is underway
Posted at 9:44 AM on November 16, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(2 Comments)
Filed under: Events, Funding
I logged on to my computer this morning only to find an inbox crammed full of requests asking me to "Give to the Max" to various and sundry non-profits.
That's right, the annual self-proclaimed "Great Minnesota Give Together" is underway, and as of 9:40am it reports 11,670 donors have contributed $3,433,080 to 2,540 Minnesota nonprofits.
For reference, last year 42,596 donors participated in the event, and Minnesota non-profits received a total of $10,041,021 in donations, matching grants and prize money.
I'll be tracking the numbers throughout the day, and I'll give a final report as soon as midnight rolls around. In the meantime I'd love to hear from you about your experience.
Here's what I'm going to be looking for:
Now that it's in its third year, have non-profits figured out the best way to communicate the "give" message to their constituents? And have Minnesotans re-scheduled their giving to take advantage of the various matches and prizes offered on Give to the Max day? An increase in giving this year over last would certainly point in that direction, but I'll want to hear from both non-profits and individual donors to see how they've adjusted.
Are the same big institutions going to benefit the most from this event each year? Or will their be cross-over, with people giving to organizations that they only learned about through GiveMN?
Also, if you're not participating - either as a non-profit or as a donor - why not?
Improv Everywhere: teaching adults to play
Posted at 8:00 AM on November 14, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Comedy, Events, Video
Charlie Todd gets people to ride the subway in their boxers, and dance in public with strangers, all in the name of good fun.
As kids we're taught to play and we're never given a reason why we should play - it's just acceptable that play is a good thing. I think that's the point of Improv Everywhere. It's that there is no point, there doesn't have to be a point. We don't need a reason as long as it's fun... and I think as adults we need to learn that there is no right or wrong way to play.
In this TED Talk, Todd reviews some of his more successful improv projects. My favorite? When he gets 80 people to put on blue polo shirts and khaki pants and walk into a Best Buy.
3 ways to improve your weekend
Posted at 5:17 PM on November 11, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Looking to make your cultural life just a little richer? These events promise to leave an impression in your mind, but not your wallet.
After Miss Julie
An August Strindberg novel gets a re-vamping in the real-life setting of the James J. Hill House kitchen. On the eve of Labour's 1945 historic victory over Churchill and the Conservatives, Miss Julie descends into the servants' kitchen of her father's country mansion in search of the chauffeur John. Over one long midsummer's night, Miss Julie's world is turned head over heels. Performances run through November 20. Tickets are $20, or half your age if you're under 30.
The Center of the Margins
Mixed Blood Theatre presents a trio of plays that explore the world of disability. Whether deaf, or autistic, or caring for a child with cerebral palsy, these characters examine what it means to be different and yet whole. Tickets are free, on a first come, first served basis.
Katha Dance Theatre presents EKAM - The Supreme Oneness, set to the gospel songs of Robert Robinson and his company of musicians. Performances run tonight and tomorrow at the Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts. Tickets run $15 - $25.
Art Hounds: Real-Phonic, Breadcrumbs, and the myth of the mad trapper
Posted at 7:00 AM on November 10, 2011
by Chris Roberts
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Books, Events, Music, Theater
An illustration by Erin McGuire from Anne Ursu's "Breadcrumbs"
The hounds delight in a celebrated new children's book from a Minnesota author, a play set in the wilds of Canada about mythmaking and madness, and a new, rootsy, musical variety show.
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Brandy Dutoit has a really good feeling about the "Real-Phonic Radio Hour." Brandy, creator of the Minnesota music blog "365 Music Project," says local musician and songwriter Eric Koskinen and folk rocker Molly Maher and her Disbelievers came up with 'Real-Phonic,' an organic, monthly variety show performed live at the James J. Hill Library in St. Paul . Its debut is tonight at 8pm. Iowa guitarist and songwriter Bo Ramsey and soul singer Ashleigh Still will be special guests.
Sandbox Theatre's latest production, "The Mad Trapper of Rat River," has crept into the imagination of Carin Bratlie and stayed there. Carin, Artistic Director of Theatre Pro Rata in Minneapolis, says the story and myth of the insane trapper, who actually stalked the woods of northwest Canada in the 30s, perfectly suits the Sandbox aesthetic. On stage through Nov. 19 at Nimbus Theatre in Northeast Minneapolis.
All the superlatives critics are using to describe Minneapolis author and Minnesota Book Award winner Anne Ursu's new children's novel "Breadcrumbs," are well deserved. That's according to visual artist and Macalester College Drawing Instructor Megan Vossler. Megan says the story was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," and is set in a snow-blanketed Minneapolis in midwinter. In fact, Megan says the state's longest season is so beautifully rendered in "Breadcrumbs" it made her have a new appreciation for it. You can hear Anne read from her book at the Loft Literary Center this Sunday at 2pm.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
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St. Olaf concert to be broadcast live in movie theaters
Posted at 12:57 PM on November 8, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Education, Events, Film, Music
One of Minnesota's musical traditions for the holidays is going national.
Some 500 St. Olaf College students sing in five choirs and play in the orchestra during the annual St. Olaf Christmas Festival
The St. Olaf Christmas Festival will present "Rejoice, Give Thanks, and Sing" live in movie theaters across the country, as part of its 100th anniversary celebration.
The concert will be broadcast on Sunday, December 4 at 2:30pm CT from Skoglund Center Auditorium on the campus of St. Olaf College in Northfield, as per usual. But now people will be able to hear - and see - the concert in such widespread locations as Anchorage, Alaska and Honolulu, Hawaii.
The two-hour program of hymns, carols, choral works and orchestral selections will be performed by St. Olaf Choir, the Viking Chorus and Chapel Choir, the Cantorei, and Manitou Singers, along with the St. Olaf Orchestra.T the event will begin with a special half-hour retrospective focusing on the 100-year history of the Christmas Festival.
You can see the complete list of participating venues here.
Four ways to warm up your weekend
Posted at 4:45 PM on November 3, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Events, Theater
Ah there's a chill in the air, and while I love summer as much as the next person, I can't help but smile. Why? Because this is the time when weather encourages Minnesotans to huddle together and find warmth in places like theaters and galleries. And in the process, we are transported to other worlds. This weekend there are ample opportunities to find warmth and inspiration - read on...
Frank Theatre presents Ajax in Iraq at The Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis
Are we repeating tragedies of old on the battlefield? Frank Theatre presents "Ajax in Iraq," a mash-up of Sophocles' classic play AJAX and stories from today's newspaper. Parallel narratives follow Ajaz, a Greek warrior, and A.J., a contemporary female soldier on duty in Iraq, both of whom are undone by the betrayal of a commanding officer. Performances run through November 27 at the Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis.
Tradition and culture meets contemporary innovation in Mni Sota: Reflections of Time and Place. The show features the work of Native American artists from the region - some embedded in the more traditional practices of their culture, others embracing new media. The opening reception is Friday night at All My Relations gallery; the show runs through December 16 before it goes on tour around the state.
For those of us who find Art-A-Whirl a bit overwhelming, there's Art Attack. The weekend long art festival confines itself to the Northrup King building in Northeast Minneapolis, with "just" 200 artists working in painting and drawing, sculpture, photography, architecture, custom furniture, fiber arts, metal, ceramics, glass, hand-crafted and custom jewelry, mixed media, mosaics, textiles, and more.
Being a professional dancer is like being a professional athlete - your careers tend to be shorter than other folks because your body eventually gives out. Local choreographer Myron Johnson presents "Songs for a Swan," a one man performance that takes advantage of Johnson's years of experience before his years get the best of him.
So what are you doing this weekend?
Art Hounds: Gabriel Figueroa, Learning Fairy, and improv for policy wonks
Posted at 7:00 AM on November 3, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Comedy, Events, Film, Photography, Theater
Max Specktor, Zoe Sommers Haas and Noah Sommers Haas in "The Learning Fairy" at Open Eye Figure Theatre. (Photo credit: Lary Lamb)
This week's hounds are into Mexico's master cinematographer, a strange fairy who knows how to push the laugh button and theater that turns public policy into improv comedy.
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As far as actor, teacher and improv artist Jen Scott is concerned, anything can be the source of improv comedy. Even, or maybe especially, public policy. Jen says "The Theater of Public Policy," on stage at Huge Theater in Minneapolis every Thursday through Nov. 17, serves up useful info along with its humor. It features a conversation with a policy expert, followed by an interpretation by a team of improv artists.
Twin Cities photographer Manuel Castillo calls Gabriel Figueroa the best cinematographer Mexico ever produced. Figueroa is well known for his 'film noir' aesthetic and his work on such notable movies as "Night of the Iguana" and "The Fugitive," directed by John Ford. Figueroa's son, Gabriel Figueroa Flores, will discuss 20 original still photographs from his father's classic films, Friday, Nov. 4, at the Minneapolis Photo Center.
Tim Carroll, Minneapolis performance and installation artist, was having a bad day when he went to see "The Learning Fairy" at Open Eye Figure Theatre in Minneapolis. Tim says once the show started, he was laughing so hysterically he forgot all about it. Who is the Learning Fairy? Tim's still not sure, but she's here from another world to help change ours. All ages welcome....through November 12.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
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The rules of cosplay
Posted at 6:14 PM on October 27, 2011
by Euan Kerr
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Animation, Culture, Events, Fashion, People, Video
An announcement about the forthcoming "Animinneapolis" event arrived via Twitter today. The big event will be held in Bloomington June 29 - July 1, 2012.
Aimed at fans of Japanese animation it will feature screenings of classic anime and the latest offerings, chances to meet the top voice-over specialists who lend their talents to dubbing stories fresh from Asia, and of course there is the chance to dress up as a favorite character.
"Cosplay" is a time-honored tradition at sci-fi conventions, and in particular those focused on anime. Animinneapolis offers chances both to socialize and compete in costume.
Of course there are rules, and the Animinneapolis folks have already posted them. Frankly they kind of make you think. And wonder...
A sampling:
Please behave responsibly while at the convention. Remember you are representing the convention, the entire Minneapolis anime community, and every other attendee. Be considerate of all guests, attendees, and AniMinneapolis staff.
Any violation of rules can result in the suspension of membership privileges to the convention. You may be asked to leave, and in extreme cases you may be asked to never return. In addition, any attendee found breaking state or federal law will be reported and suspended from the convention. We reserve the right to determine what is and is not acceptable, and we may revise the code of conduct at anytime without notice.
"You break it, you buy it." If you damaged, deface, or otherwise break any equipment you are to pay for a replacement out of your own pockets.
If you win any prizes but are not present during the allotted time limit, the prize may be handed down to your follow up. Please consider checking your cellphone and in Con Ops regularly, and be aware of when the prizes will be handed out.
Masquerade department staff members may be allowed to participate in one cosplay event during the whole convention. Staff members may be pulled out if help is needed elsewhere, however. Staff can not win any awards during the Cosplay Masquerade.
Anyone found willfully damaging another individual's costume or harassing another cosplayer, will be ejected from the convention and likely prosecuted.
I may be spending my weekend working on a Mighty Mouse or Gigantor costume.
(Image courtesy Wikipedia, Photo taken by: Alton Thompson, 2009)
Art Hounds: Myron Johnson, Joan of Arc, and an exquisite French jazz pianist
Posted at 7:00 AM on October 27, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Dance, Events, Music, Theater
The hounds show their enthusiasm for the final solo performance of the founder of "Ballet of the Dolls," a virtuoso piano improviser from France and an intimate musical theater piece featuring one of the Twin Cities' finest vocalists.
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Dancer, actor and scenic artist Kathleen Sullivan calls Myron Johnson the "godfather of Minneapolis dance." The "Ballet of the Dolls" founder, former Childrens Theatre Company performer and veteran choreographer will dance solo for a final time for the next two weekends at the Ritz Theater in Minneapolis (Oct. 27 - Nov. 6). The concert is called "Songs for a Swan." Among other things, Johnson will be exploring his 50-plus years on stage as well as the challenges of staying relevant as an aging performer.
As board chair for the Minneapolis theater group "The Moving Company," Randy Nordquist has a refined appreciation for good musical theater. Randy says in "Joan of Arc," Nautilus Music Theatre in St. Paul has reduced a full length production down to its most intimate elements, which allows lead vocalist and stunning soprano Jennifer Baldwin Peden to shine. On stage Oct. 27 - Nov. 6.
Arts-based psychotherapist Nancy Ruppenthanl has good news for fans of the now defunct Franco/Minnesota jazz festival Minnesota Sur Seine. Avant pianist Benoit Delbecq, who made an impression on local jazz enthusiasts in previous festivals, is making a stop at the Black Dog Cafรฉ in St. Paul on Friday, Oct. 28.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
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Three ways to challenge yourself this weekend
Posted at 11:33 AM on October 20, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Events
Jan Elftmann's "White Horse" is made from objects most people would throw in the trash can without thinking twice.
Sometimes seeing great art requires getting out of your comfort zone. That's where surprises can happen, where you can see the world in a new light, and maybe even learn a little something about yourself in the process.
So, for your consideration, I present you with three opportunities to challenge yourself and try something new.
Challenge yourself to find beauty in your trash can:
Material Memory: The Art of Recycling
Jan Elftmann and Alan Wadzinski breathe new life into sculptural objects by working with the detritus of a consumer culture instead of adding to the global scrap heap. Check out their show at the Gordon Parks Gallery on the Metro State campus, and maybe you'll look at your own waste with new eyes.
Challenge yourself to see theater in an unusual location:
Written by a poet and performed by some great dancer-actors, "The Picnic" tells the story of a dog and a bird who meet in a city park and fall in love. It's a family friendly production... and it takes place in a garage.
Now the idea of hanging out in a garage in late October to see a play is likely to make many a Minnesota shake their head, but take your kids to see "The Picnic" and they may just start putting on their own plays in your garage, and how cool is that?
Challenge yourself to see beyond sexual stereotypes:
Betty is a transgender woman who has only two wishes in life: to become physically and emotionally female, and to fly a rocket into space. She befriends Ron, a goofy single father who breaks faces professionally, and Trish, a surgeon struggling to conquer her loneliness. Together they build doghouses, bake cakes, make Play Dough creatures and spaceships, and explore the depths of love and friendship in a play that mixes poetic realism with a touch of the fantastical.
The 20% Theatre Company Twin Cities aims to produce new and progressive work by female, transgender, and gender-queer theatre artists, while also supporting the same gender minorities artistically behind-the-scenes.
Art Hounds: James Sewell, Michael Pisaro, and women in graphic design
Posted at 7:00 AM on October 20, 2011
by Chris Roberts
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Dance, Design, Events, Music
James Sewell Ballet dancers Nicolas Lincoln and Emily Tyra (Photographer: Erik Saulitis)
The hounds' curiosity leads them to experimental music from a composer who values silence, a signature Minneapolis ballet company performing in the theater it helped refurbish, and an exhibition about the unsung women in Minnesota graphic design.
James Sewell Ballet presents its inaugural performance at the Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts Oct. 21-30, and dancer and dance historian Judith Brin Ingber plans not to miss it. Judith has long appreciated the playful unpredictability in JSB's dances. This concert will feature an older piece performed to a live rendition of the Mendolssohn Trio, as well as a different twist on Tchaikovsky's Black Swan pas de deux, and the world premiere of a new work. Judith says the Sewell family deserves huge amounts of credit for helping make the Cowles Center a reality.
When St. Paul musical theater performer Sabrina Crews felt a need to expand her comfort zone and knowledge beyond vocal music, she turned to challenging yet innovative experimental musician and composer Michael Pisaro. Pisaro's "Concentric Rings in Magnetic Levitation" is being performed by the Chicago-based group, Haptic on Sunday, October 23 at Studio Z in Lowertown, St. Paul. Sabrina says the piece is inspired by Saturn's rings.
St. Paul writer Ellen Shaffer says a new exhibition at the CVA Gallery in St. Paul about Minnesota graphic designers who happen to be women is generating a lot of buzz in the local design community. "WOMN: Women in Minnesota Design" is another installment of the gallery's "Leaders of Design Series." The show opens on Thursday, Oct. 27. On Wed., Oct. 26, there will be a panel discussion featuring exhibition participants Kelly Munson, Sue Crolick, Cynthia Knox, and moderator Gail Rosenblum of the Star Tribune.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
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Art Hounds: Dan Israel, Spelling Bee, and Lake Superior in photographs
Posted at 9:23 AM on October 13, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Music, Photography, Theater
"The Watcher" by Shawn Thompson
The hounds are following a St. Louis Park songwriter who sings from the heart, a photographic portrait of the biggest Great Lake, and a spelling bee re-imagined as musical theater.
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St. Paul photographer Julie Caruso was charmed and moved by a recent trip up to the North Shore where she saw "One Special Place" at the Waterfront Gallery in Two Harbors. It's an exhibition of Lake Superior photographs from artists around the upper midwest and Canada. The photographers each chose one image of their favorite lake location. Through Nov. 5th.
Spelling bees have become the stuff of award winning documentaries and now musicals, which is okay with Bloomington Theatre and Art Center Education Director Paul Coate. Paul says "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," presented by Theater Latte Da at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, has everything you want from a musical...humor, illuminating characters, and songs which become implanted in your brain. The show runs through Oct. 30.
St. Louis Park singer songwriter Dan Israel's new album "Crosstown Traveler" hasn't left fellow singer songwriter Gretchen Seichrist's stereo for days. Gretchen has great appreciation for Israel's authenticity as an artist, as well as the unsentimental manner with which he tackles sentimental subjects. Israel performs next on Friday, October 14 at Republic at Seven Corners.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
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5 ways to make your weekend more worthwhile
Posted at 4:15 PM on October 13, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Events
I can forgive you if you spent last weekend outdoors from sunrise to sunset, ignoring the plethora of concerts and exhibitions on offer. It was beautiful, it was warm, and the trees were gorgeous.
But this weekend? No excuses.
Renata Friedman in "The K of D" at the Illusion Theater
Photo by Chris Bennion
Here are my five best bets for your free time. If you don't like what you see here, check out what the art hounds recommend.
Are you a book-lover? Then get yourself over to Minneapolis Community and Technical College on Saturday for a literary free-for-all. Authors will be on hand to sign books, others will give talks, and local publishers will have discounted (and even FREE) wares to offer you.
2. Hunter Gatherers at Red Eye Theater
Have we evolved beyond the primal instincts of our ancestors or does the heart of something savage still lurk below the surface? Two couples gather to celebrate their shared wedding anniversary. The hosts have gone all out to make a special feast for the occasion, but the party rapidly disintegrates to reveal the surprising secrets, rivalries and desires that form the true bonds of their relationships.
Warning: This play contains wrestling, sex, violence & 1980's music
Runs tomorrow through October 30.
3. 1968 at the Minnesota History Center.
The Vietnam War, protests and assassinations were on the news. Peace signs, love-ins and psychedelic rock were on the scene. From the darkest hours to the incredible highs, the year 1968 comes alive in this new exhibit. On view Friday, October 14, 2011 - Monday, February 20, 2012
4. The K of D at Illusion Theater
Truth: Before Charlotte's brother died, she kissed him. Legend: Everything she kissed from then on also died.
Actress Renata Friedman brings an entire town to life in this urban legend of a lonely girl who must face her demons by becoming them. Slipping between the psychological and the supernatural, The K of D (a.k.a. The Kiss of Death) explores the transformative power of grief, set amid the summer fields of rural Ohio.
5. Soap Box Players presents 30 Neo-Futurist Plays from "Too Much Light makes the Baby go Blind."
Thinking of driving to Red Wing this weekend while enjoying the fall colors? While you're there, stop by the Stoney End Music Barn for 30 plays in 60 minutes, or, the theatrical equivalent of speed-dating.
Here's the deal: the audience chooses the plays from off the cards hanging on a clothes line. A visible on-stage timer equiped with a buzzer will time each show and signal when the time is up and the acting will have to stop. Nifty, eh?
Whatever you're doing this weekend, have a great one.
Art Hounds: Neighbors, Winona photography, and two King Crimson alums
Posted at 7:44 AM on October 6, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Music, Photography, Theater
"Lake Winona" by Drake Hokanson
The hounds are all about a challenging, incendiary play about race, two Winona photogs whose black and white imagery reflects a time and place in America, and two prog rock magicians who are re-uniting at the Cedar.
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Actor, singer and dancer Anna Esposito was so bowled over by Mixed Blood Theatre's production of "Neighbors," she's seen it three times, bringing new audience members with her on every occasion. It's about an affluent, educated inter-racial family whose world is turned upside down when an African-American family of minstrel performers moves in next door. As Anna will tell you, it's not an easy play to watch, but incredibly rewarding in terms of what it reveals about the state of American race relations. The show runs through Oct. 9. You can also get into the show for free through Mixed Blood's new "Radical Hospitality" program, which offers free tickets on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Stuart Klipper calls the Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona a jewel in the state's cultural crown. And Stuart, a Minneapolis photographer, was transfixed by the museum's latest exhibition, "Portrait and Place." It features photographer James Bowey's sharp, up-close black and white portraits of Winona-area residents alongside photographer Drake Hokanson's softer, black and white depictions of the local landscape. It's on the walls of the MMAM through December 4th.
Sunday, October 9th can't come quickly enough for Edmonton Symphony Orchestra Music Director William Eddins. Bill, a Twin Cities resident and former associate conductor for the Minnesota Orchestra, has been anxiously awaiting guitarist Adrian Belew and Chapman Stick player and bassist Tony Levin's visit to the Cedar in Minneapolis. The two former members of seminal prog rockers' "King Crimson" will play separate sets with their respective trios, then combine their trios and perform some choice selections from the King Crimson catalog.
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Art Hounds: Pinocchio, Seamus Heaney, and an architectural jewel re-opens
Posted at 7:00 AM on September 29, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Museums, Poetry, Theater
This week's hounds sing the praises of puppet portrayals of "Pinocchio" in Plainview, a Nobel Prize winning Irish poet who's visiting Minnesota, and a newly expanded architectural gem that was Frank Gehry's first foray into museum design.
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Minneapolis puppeteer Soozin Hirschmugl has a real appreciation for performers who can breathe life, emotion and humanity into inanimate characters such as puppets. Soozin says that skill is on full display in Jon Hassler Theatre's production of "Pinocchio" in Plainview, so much so that it gave an old children's classic a new dimension. It's on stage through Oct. 16.
Tim Nolan once shared a smoke with Irish poet Seamus Heaney at a party in New York City, which was a thrill because Tim, a Minneapolis attorney and poet himself, views Heaney as the greatest living poet in the English language. Heaney is making two stops in Minnesota in the coming days. He'll be at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph on Sunday, Oct. 2 at 2pm. Heaney will also be in conversation with Joe Dowling at the Guthrie Theater on Monday, Oct. 3 at 7:30pm.
Walker Art Center Executive Director Olga Viso took a tour of the University of Minnesota's newly expanded Weisman Art Museum recently, and she was thrilled with what she saw. Olga says the expansion of the Frank Gehry-designed museum transforms its exhibiting capacity and connects it physically and programmatically in a much more meaningful way to the rest of the campus. The Weisman celebrates its re-opening at WAMdemonium on Sunday, Oct. 2, 1-6pm.
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Art Hounds: Congolese dance, "Tommy," and "Habibi"
Posted at 7:00 AM on September 22, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Books, Dance, Events, Music
This week the hounds have the Walker's mini-fest of Congolese music and dance, a more than 500-page graphic novel and the granddaddy of all rock operas on their minds.
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Minneapolis/St. Paul magazine senior writer Steve Marsh just got back from a trip to Gabon, so Central African culture is still swirling in his head. He'll get a heavy dose at the Walker this weekend when choreographer Faustin Linyekula and the Studios Kabako dance troupe perform. The Congolese music ensemble Benda Bilili was also scheduled to play, but its concert was cancelled because of visa issues.
Twin Cities sculptor Josh Wilichowski went to school with writer Craig Thompson in central Wisconsin and is proud of Thompson's literary achievements. Josh heartily recommends Thompson's second, newly published, more than 500-page graphic novel entitled "Habibi." It's about a harem girl and slave boy who come together amidst hardship and strife in an unnamed modern country in the Middle East. Thompson will be in town this Monday for a reading at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design as part of the Rain Taxi Reading Series.
For photographer and Bedlam Theatre board chair Scott Pakudaitis, rock operas don't get much better than the forerunner of all rock operas, The Who's "Tommy." Mainly because it's the music of The Who. Scott will be road tripping to St. Cloud's Pioneer Place Theatre for its production of "Tommy," and he's particularly excited that the show will have the inimitable style of director Zach Curtis and music director Jake Endres.
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Theater professionals take their bows at the Iveys
Posted at 9:00 PM on September 19, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events, Theater
Tonight's the night when actors. directors and other theater professionals all get to dress up and put on a show... for themselves. I'm not talking about the Tony Awards; I'm talking about the Ivey Awards.
Actress Regina Williams in a dress made of scripts, a promotional image for this year's Ivey Awards.
Photo: William Clark
The Ivey Awards recognize talent in Twin Cities theater, as well as stand-out productions from the past year. Tonight, the awards went to:
Bain Boehlke, Artistic Director of the Jungle Theater, in the category of Lifetime Achievement.
FYI, Boehlke was also the recipient of the McKnight Distinguished Artist award a few years ago, and I did a pretty thorough interview with him about his career.
Anna Sundberg, actress, in the category of Emerging Artist.
Sundberg was recently listed in Minnesota Monthly under "Artists We Love." Equally at home in drama and comedy, in the past year you might have seen her in Street Scene, Holocaust Witness: The Legacy of Anne Frank (directed by Bain Boehlke), or Sexy Librarian: File Under Rock Musical.
In addition, the following were awarded for there excellent work in a particular performance:
Craig Johnson, Director, Street Scene (Girl Friday Productions)
Peter Christian Hansen, Acting, Burn This (Gremlin Theatre)
Dennis Spears, Acting, I Wish You Love (Penumbra Theatre Company)
Ben Bakken, Acting, Jesus Christ Superstar (Chanhassen Dinner Theatres)
Gary Rue, Music, Buddy-The Buddy Holly Story (History Theatre)
David Bolger, Choreographer, H.M.S. Pinafore (Guthrie Theater)
Finally, two productions were cited for their exceptional nature: Doubt, staged by Ten Thousand Things and The 7-Shot Symphony , staged by Live Action Set.
Ivey Awards are given out based on evaluations completed by the general public and more than 150 volunteer theater evaluators who saw more than 1,000 performances in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area from September 2010 through August 2011.
Congratulations to the winners!
Art Hounds: Guitars, German satire and Prince proteges reunite
Posted at 7:00 AM on September 15, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Arts around the state, Events, Music, Theater
Dovetail Theatre's "Leonce and Lena." (Photo by Bill Cameron)
This week the hounds help us re-capture that Minneapolis sound, discover a new theater company tackling an ambitious first production and find a gathering of master guitar players in greater Minnesota.
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When Andrea Satter was coming of age in the mid-'80s Minneapolis was the epicenter of music, or at least that's what it felt like. So Satter, development manager of Coffee House Press, is very excited to recapture some of that feeling and Minneapolis sound this Friday at the Loring Theater. She'll be at the fDeluxe concert, which is a reincarnation of The Family, a short-lived Prince protรฉgรฉ band.
Kara Davidson and David Darrow were so entranced with the Twin Cities theater scene that they moved here from Nebraska to start a theater company - and they're starting out with a bang. Actor and producer Christopher Kehoe admires that their inaugural production is the most obscure work by a relatively obscure German playwright. "Leonce and Lena" is a lively satire on class and nobility written in the 19th century during a period of major social and political upheaval. You can see it this weekend at the Walker Community United Methodist Church in Minneapolis.
This weekend, Fergus Falls is hosting a who's who of Minnesota's acoustic music scene as part of the Midwest International Guitar Summit. Tim Litt produces the local television show "The Week in the Arts," and is excited to not only hear great performers like Tim Sparks, Ann Reed and Dakota Dave Hull (among others), but there are also workshops where you can work on your guitar playing and songwriting chops. The Summit is taking place this weekend at A Center for the Arts in downtown Fergus Falls.
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Four ways to mark 9/11/11
Posted at 12:00 PM on September 8, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Dance, Events, Theater
Let's face it - the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 9/11 is inspiring a whole range of emotions and reactions. For some it's sorrow, for others frustration, and for others, it feels like it's time to move on.
In honor of that, I've chosen an array of events this weekend that suit at least a few different mindsets.
1. You are still mourning 9/11/01
Frozen Tears: In this event, which starts at 9:11pm this Sunday night, people will gather at the River Flats behind Coffman Union at the University of Minnesota and release "frozen tears" (basically small ice boats with lit candles in them) into the Mississippi River.
2. You are horrified by how the U.S. responded to the attacks, our ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the vilification of muslims.
Zafira the Olive Oil Warrior: It is the not so distant future and suicide bombers have hit simultaneous cities across the United States. Arab and Muslim Americans are official enemies of the state and have been ordered into internment camps. Presented by Pangea World Theater at In the Heart of the Beast theater in Minneapolis, "Zafira the Olive Oil Warrior" tells the story of one Arab American womanสผs experience leading up to, during, and after her internment.
3. You look at current world affairs with bitter irony, and would enjoy a good laugh.
A Short Play about 9/11 follows three characters: a hilarious talk show host on the verge of being fired after a monologue of 9/11 jokes; a Russian bio-chemist whose frequent appearances as a terrorism expert are marred by his inability to stay sober; and a young woman who realizes the agonized face on all those "Missing" posters may be her own. The play charts their struggle to resume a normal life, and the surprising role humor and art play in the healing process. And it's funny.
4. You have moved on, and would rather spend your time celebrating all that is good in the world.
The Cowles Center for Dance and Performing Arts presents a day of free performances in honor of its grand opening this weekend. Sunday, from 11am-5pm, along with a bunch of free dance classes, allowing people to dance their cares away.
Whatever way you choose to spend this Sunday, peace be with you.
Art Hounds: August: Osage County, Peace Mass, and a short, funny play about 9/11
Posted at 7:00 AM on September 8, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Music, Theater
The hounds dig up a play about a devastatingly dysfunctional family, a Winona/global performance of a mass written in response to the Sept. 11th terror attacks, and a drama about 9/11 that might make you laugh.
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Ten years ago, a play about 9/11 with strong comedic elements would have been unthinkable. But actor and "Comedy Suitcase" co-founder Levi Weinhagen thinks enough time has elapsed to find a healing humor in the tragedy. Levi, who's also social media manager for "Minnesota Playlist," recommends Workhaus Collective's "A Short Play About 9/11." It follows three disparate characters, including a comedian, who in the wake of the attacks, struggle to resume their normal lives. It opens on Friday and runs through Sept. 24.
Last April, as Winona State University arts administrator Kathy Peterson recalls, her community was deeply moved by a performance of Karl Jenkins' "The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace," by the Winona Oratorio Chorus. There will be a reprise of the 9/11-inspired work this Sunday, Sept. 11th, at Central Lutheran Church in Winona. The concert is part of "Global Sing for Peace," in which Jenkin's Mass will be performed in communities around the world.
Patrick Dewane agrees the nasty behavior of the troubled family at the center of the Pulitzer Prize winning play "August: Osage County," may hit close to home for many audience members. But the Twin Cities actor and writer is willing to put up with the discomfort to get to the laughs. It opens on Friday and runs through October 2.
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Art after 9/11/01
Posted at 3:41 PM on September 6, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Education, Events, Museums
Editor's note: As we near the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01, I asked a few curators for their thoughts on how the event has influenced art-making. Today's response comes from Walker Art Center associate curator Bartholomew Ryan.
We live in a post 9-11 world, and as such one could say a post 9-11 paradigm, where all art is implicitly or explicitly enveloped in the events of that day and its aftermath. Of course, depending on where you live or on your cultural-political background, you may also be living in a post-Hurricane Katrina world, or a post- Iraq War world, or a post-other-major-traumatic-event world. Deciding what works to write about in this context is not simple. Because of the size and impact of the event, any list of art that has some relation to 9-11 is naturally going to be deeply partial, subjective and personal. I am going to mention four pieces briefly, and leave it at that.
Ellsworth Kelly, Ground Zero, 2003
Image: Whitney Museum of American Art
American artist Ellsworth Kelly's Ground Zero, 2003 was exhibited at the Walker in 2010 in a Yasmil Raymond curated exhibition titled Abstract Resistance . It is also one of the few works that directly references 9-11 in the upcoming MoMa PS1 exhibition titled September 11 , organized by former Walker curator Peter Eleey. The work features a green triangle collaged onto a New York Times Arts & Leisure section reproduction of the Ground Zero site. It is the artist's response to different suggestions for memorials and buildings at the World Trade Center of all of which he disapproved. He proposed instead a "visual experience," a mound of green grass that could function as a space for public communion.
Red Alert, 2007
Video on plasma monitors
Courtesy of Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel, Germany
ยฉ Hito Steyerl
Kelly's abstract representation speaks to something very key about how many artists respond to trauma, not trying for a literal representation of reality, but something less tangible and somehow broader in vision and possibility. Another work that responds in a directed way to the post 9-11 paradigm is Red Alert, 2007 by Berlin-based artist and theorist Hito Steyerl. A triptych, it features three identical computer monitors hung vertically side by side on a wall. They each play the same looped video of a deep red color. To look at the work is to see three static glowing fields of color emanating from the wall. The piece relates to the artist's deep thinking through of the status of the photographic image, digital particularly, in contemporary life. In recent texts, Steyerl has pointed out, cable news and other media have begun to set a value on images where the lower the resolution, the more fragmentary they are, the more they can be seen to be representing the truth. And so the highly pixilated cell-phone image of a foiled bomber on a plane, or the virtually abstract live-video feeds broadcast by embedded journalists during Operation Iraqi Freedom, are perceived to be the most authentic documents of real lived experience: the less you can see, the more that is being revealed. This observation led Steyerl to imagine a final state for the documentary in pure abstraction, though perhaps not that pure. The chosen color for the monochromes is based on the color of highest terror alert determined by the Department of Homeland Security. So even though visually abstract, the color is coded with significance: It has been ingrained in the psyche of those of us who live in this country as a constant symbol of ongoing dangerous potential. At any moment, the color reminds us, we may be attacked.
EVENT FISSION (ๅ่ฃ 1980): Eiko & Koma at Hudson River Landfill from Eiko and Koma on Vimeo.
Eiko & Koma's Event Fission is a work that they performed in Manhattan's downtown Battery Park Landfill way back in 1980 when the Towers were spanking new. Japanese-American Choreographers who are no strangers to the Walker and the Twin Cities, Eiko & Koma's approach to dance has evolved over the years into a deeply subjective, personal style. In the video documentation of the performance, Eiko holds aloft a white flag on a pole. She dances along a ridge with the Downtown skyline in the background, seeming to joust with the buildings, most particularly the iconic towers rising steely from the ground. Herself and Koma join forces, move down the ridge, dance and dig a hole into which they fall creating a plume of dust. The work has an insouciant, innocent quality, but is also provocative, especially with hindsight. The exuberance and life of the dancers seems in strong opposition to the bold authority of the buildings in the background. For many people, many of them artists, the towers were symbolic of finance-driven values that they did not share, and while wishing them no material harm, they could critique the kind of world they seemed to represent. After the buildings fell, Eiko & Koma, New Yorkers since 1978, made a new work of mourning and commemoration titled Offering, 2002.
Michael Richards, standing next to his work "Tar Baby vs. St. Sebastian"
Image courtesy: The Studio Museum in Harlam
The last work I will mention is titled Tar Baby vs San Sebastian, 1999. A bronze sculpture depicting an air force pilot with multiple airplanes penetrating his body, the work memorializes the Tuskegee Airmen, a celebrated and segregated air force unit during WW2 made up of African American pilots. The allusions to torture in the work reference in part the famous U.S. Government medical experiment in which African-American sharecroppers from Tuskegee were told they were being cured of syphilis when in fact they were being observed to see how the disease would develop in their bodies. The sculpture is part of a series by the artist Michael Richards, who understood that history is beset by traumas and wanted to help reveal them and make sense of them. Richards was artist in residence at the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council on September 11th. Their studios were on the 92nd floor of Tower One. Consequently he was one of the many tragic victims of that very tragic day.
What art resonates most with you when thinking about the events of 9/11? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
Art Hounds: Mark Manders, The Goondas, and finding art in a construction zone
Posted at 7:00 AM on September 1, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Music, Sculpture
Construction at the corner of University and Raymond in St. Paul (MPR Photo/Chris Roberts)
This week's hounds are reveling in "post-conceptual" sculpture, celebrating raw, seductive rock from some nice Minnesota boys and fine-tuning their powers of observation along the Central Corridor.
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Allen Brewer can't help it. The Twin Cities artist and instructor at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design sees unintentional art everywhere he looks; in mundane, everyday surroundings, and even light rail construction. Allen's St. Paul studio is near the Central Corridor on University Ave, where wild colors, piles of rubble and the detritus of a torn-up street make for eye-catching sculpture.
Award-winning set designer and Off-Leash Area co-founder Paul Herwig found solace and stimulation at the Walker Art Center's exhibition "Mark Manders: Parallel Occurrences/Documented Assignments." Paul says the acclaimed Dutch sculptor Manders is a thoughtful, clever artist who plays with the viewer's assumptions and perspective. The show is up through September 11.
Local poet and writer Laura Brandenburg has not one but two reasons to visit downtown St. Paul this Friday night. The first is a chance to preview the Amsterdam Bar and Hall, which will have a grand opening later this month, and the second is that the Goondas will help christen the new club. Laura says The Goondas, with their swampy, bluesy, all-out musical attack, have restored her faith in local rock and roll.
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Art Hounds: Hamlet, Latino artists, and a neighborhood art crawl
Posted at 7:00 AM on August 25, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Craft, Drawing, Events, Galleries, Painting, Photography, Sculpture, Theater
"Sustainable Farming" by Nancy Robinson
This week's hounds can't resist a Latino art show inspired by miracles, an art crawl the Longfellow neighborhood way--from home to home, and an attempt to scale the theatrical heights of Hamlet for the first time.
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The Twin Cities Latino artist collective Grupo Soap del Corazon has a fan in former Minneapolis Institutue of Arts assistant curator Molly Huber. Molly, who now works at the Minnesota Historical Society, highly recommends the group's latest exhibition, "El Milagro," at Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis. It's a collection of paintings, photography, sculpture and mixed media pieces from the area's most dynamic Latino artists, all inspired by the presence of miracles in their lives.
No Bird Sing emcee and McNally Smith College of Music faculty member Joe Horton will be on foot, going from home to home in the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis this weekend, on the hunt for art. The League of Longfellow Artists, or LoLa, will be hosting the third annual LoLa Art Crawl, in which artists open up their doors and showcase their art. Joe says the art is fantastic, and so is the community building that results.
Veteran Art Hound and Minnesota Monthly writer Gregory Scott is always game for a production of his favorite play, Hamlet. This time, the Jungle Theater is taking a stab at Shakespeare's masterpiece for the first time in its 21-year history, with 2008 Guthrie BFA grad Hugh Kennedy in the title role. It's a level of boldness that Gregory admires and thinks should be rewarded. On stage from Aug. 26 - Oct. 9th.
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State Fair in stop motion
Posted at 9:12 AM on August 19, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events, Film
Midwest Brigadoon - trailer from Ochen K. on Vimeo.
Can't wait another week for your annual dose of the Minnesota State Fair?
It turns out you don't have to.
This Sunday the Southern Theater premieres a new film that distills all twelve days of Great Minnesota Get-Together into just 25 minutes.
Ochen Kaylan recorded over 1,000 hours of footage at last year's Minnesota State Fair. He set up more than 20 stop-motion cameras around the grounds to capture the process of constructing and dismantling the 320 acre festival, which brings in 1.8 million people each year.
You can find out more about the film, and the instpiration for its name, here.
4 ways to celebrate community
Posted at 12:57 PM on August 18, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events, Music, Theater
Sometimes when looking at the local arts listings, themes appear out of nowhere.
This week, the theme is "community."
Marc Bamuthi Joseph
Photo: Bethanie Hines
Whether it's remembering those who have gone before us, talking about what brings a community together, or attending arts events that bring neighbors together in unique ways, there are plenty of ways to strengthen your community ties in the coming days.
1. The Living Classroom
What sustains life in your community? That's the question up for debate this afternoon and evening at the Walker Art Center's Open Field. Local and national artists - led by spoken word/theater artist Marc Bamuthi Joseph - host a public conversation while stimulating your creative juices with drawing, ping pong, and more.
2. Celebrate community elders
Ancestor Energy has for decades combined jazz and spoken word to create music that heals and celebrates the human experience. Tonight they reunite for a special concert to remember two recently departed community pillars, Deborah Torraine and Roy McBride
3. Get to know your neighborhood
What better setting for an operetta than your local community garden! Mixed Precipitation presents this year's musical offering "Alcina" in a host of green spaces, along with some delicious fresh food to sample while you enjoy the performance.
4. Get to know your neighbors
Open Eye Figure Theater's Driveway Tour may be over, but OffLeash Area's Garage Tour is just getting underway, featuring their popular piece "A Gift for Planet BX63." Performances take place in the garages of daring, welcoming folks.
Editor's Note: scroll down once you get to their website - the page looks like it's empty - but it's not!
Art Hounds: Visual art meets poetry, Dark Dark Dark, and Oklahoma!
Posted at 7:00 AM on August 18, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Film, Music, Poetry, Theater
Dark Dark Dark | "Spies" Event | Teaser (1) from Guerrilla Waltz on Vimeo.
A classic American musical, a live silent film score from a Minneapolis chamber folk group and a group of visual artists interpreting a poem, have all captured the hounds' attention this week.
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Bloomington Civic Theatre is on a roll, according to actor, director, and Normandale College film and theater teacher Sean Byrd. Sean says not only is BCT staging excellent productions, it's improved its outreach to the community. Sean is excited about BCT's upcoming production of Oklahoma!, which marks the return of director Gary Gisselman, who served as BCT's artistic director way back in 1964. Oklahoma! is on stage Aug. 19 - Sept. 18.
Nordic roots artist Kari Tauring is going to the Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts in Fridley on Saturday, Aug. 20th, to watch a cross-discipline artistic dialogue unfold. Poet Kathryn Kysar has published a new book of poems entitled "Pretend the World," and she's asked a group of visual artists from different media to respond to one in particular. Kysar plans to continue the call and response in the future. The exhibition, also called "Pretend the World," is at Banfill-Locke through Sept. 30.
The slightly eerie yet elegant Minneapolis chamber folk group "Dark Dark Dark" has long struck a chord with freelance arts journalist Christopher Matthew Jensen. Christopher says the band will truly get to stretch its wings on Monday, Aug. 22, when it headlines the final installment of the Walker Art Center's popular "Music and Movies in the Park" series. Dark Dark Dark will be joined by 30 to 40 members of the "Modern Times Spychestra" in creating a live score to Fritz Lang's silent movie "Spies." The performance will take place in the Walker's Open Field, not Loring Park.
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This year's Fringe: attendance down, but not by much
Posted at 4:45 PM on August 15, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Arts management, Events, Funding, Theater
Preliminary numbers indicate 48,350 tickets were issued to the 2011 Minnesota Fringe Festival, down 3.7% from last year's record of 50,222 tickets. But this year also had two fewer productions - 167 instead of 2010's 169.
In a press release issued by the festival earlier today, Executive Director Robin Gillette said she's proud of this year's numbers.
"The past several years have seen enormous growth in the festival's attendance and we're happy to see those new audience members have become loyal Fringers in their own right.
"The numbers may be down a tad, but it was still a blockbuster year," said Gillette. "And what's more important to me than the numbers is the overwhelmingly positive response we got from participating artists, audiences and volunteers."
Preliminary estimates of this year's ticket sales total $357,567, down 3.1% over last year. Festival organizers attribute the discrepancy between revenue and tickets issued to a price increase for the festival's Ultra Pass, which offers holders an unlimited number of tickets for a set fee.
Meanwhile, the 19th annual Minnesota Fringe Festival has already been scheduled: Thursday August 2 through Sunday August 12, 2012.
Target puts on a cool show... in New York
Posted at 10:02 AM on August 11, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Dance, Design, Events, Fashion, Funding, Public Art
Call me a little late to the party, but I just saw this video of an installation of dance, lighting and music in New York's Standard Hotel. As you can see (via the not-so-subliminal imagery throughout) funding came in large part from Target.
So what I want to know is - when's Target going to bring the bright lights and hot moves to the Mini-Apple? Don't forget your homies!
The reviews are in for the MN Fringe Festival
Posted at 11:46 AM on August 10, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(2 Comments)
Filed under: Criticism, Events, Theater
The Minnesota Fringe Festival has hit the half-way mark. This is the time when attendance at certain shows drops off markedly, while others now have lines out the door. Word is out on which shows to see, which to avoid, and which are generally a toss-up.
A line forms before a performance of "Taiko Blast!" at Mixed Blood Theater in Minneapolis
MPR Photo/Jeffrey Thompson
Want to make sure you've done your homework before you take on the second half of the Fringe? I've compiled links to reviews from the local media - more than enough information to help you separate the wheat from the chaff. See a review you think is totally off-mark? Let us know!
Fringe like the pros
Posted at 1:38 PM on August 5, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events, Theater
Want to try out the Fringe Festival this year, but don't know where to start?
Well then you'll want to listen to Tom Crann's conversation with Caroline Toll and Nick Vetter.
Caroline Toll and Nick Vetter chat with fellow Fringe Festival attendees, including Stuart Holland, at the University of Minnesota Rarig Center in Minneapolis, Minn.
MPR Photo/Jeffrey Thompson
Toll and Vetter are hard-core Fringe-goers. They met at the Fringe, and gave out custom Fringe Festival buttons to guests at their wedding.
As festival veterans, Toll and Vetter have planned an ambitious schedule at this year's performing arts showcase. One strategy they use is to front load their schedule with shows they're fairly confident will be a hit (That's where experience comes in handy).
Click on the audio link to hear about their plans.
7 reasons why this is the biggest weekend of the year
Posted at 3:06 PM on August 3, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events, Museums, Sculpture, Theater
This is it folks - in the Twin Cities arts scene, this weekend is the highpoint of summer. Whether you're into theater, art, playing with fire, or role-playing, this weekend is for you.
5. Franconia Sculpture Park Hot Metal Pour
6. The Minneapolis Institute of Arts' annual Art Swap
7. Live Action Role Playing at the Walker Art Center
So what will you be doing this weekend?
The Fringe circuit: next stop, Minneapolis
Posted at 12:39 PM on August 3, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events, Theater
The Minnesota Fringe Festival gets underway tomorrow, and while most of the performances are home-grown, there are 27 shows coming to town as part of what insiders affectionately call the "Fringe circuit." In other words, performers travel from festival to festival, across the country, and sometimes across the globe, keeping their show alive as long as possible.
MPR's Euan Kerr interviewed a couple of performers for whom the experience has been life-changing:
Courtney McLean traveled the circuit for a couple of years with her one-woman show. The fringe travelers find each other and trade tips on the best places to stay and tricks of the fringe trade, McLean said."You kind of have this sense of 'Oh we don't belong,' and so you glom on to each other," she said. "And you meet people from all over the world. It's so cool."
And that's how she learned about other fringes.
"I have friends that have been to the New Zealand Fringe, I have friends that do the Canadian circuit all the time. People who have been to Edinburgh, the Amsterdam Fringe..."
The Fringe circuit changed MacLean's life. She upped stakes and moved to Minneapolis from New York after performing here twice.
You can get a taste of 20 different out-of towner shows tonight at HUGE Improv Theater in Minneapolis, including several acts from "greater Minnesota."
Fringe trailers offer tastes and flavors
Posted at 5:02 PM on July 28, 2011
by Euan Kerr
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Filed under: Comedy, Dance, Events, Theater
The Minnesota Fringe is a week away, and some folk are already planning their schedules. A handy-dandy tool to help the choice is the Fringe's trailer page where many shows have put together extracts, past shows, ands in some cases full-blown commercials for their pieces.
Here are three that caught our eye:
"Knit One/Purl One" by Unfold the Sky Productions
"Buckets and Tap Shoes" by 10 Foot 5 Productions
"Macbeth: The Video Game Remix" by Theatre Arlo
There are also selections of the Fringe-for-All previews posted here.
What's interesting you this year?
Art Hounds: Comic Cookbook, Mankato sculpture, and a suburban art oasis
Posted at 7:00 AM on August 4, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Galleries, Public Art, Sculpture
This week the hounds are all about salon style comic book art, a walking sculpture tour in the 'Key City,' and an art park nestled in the hills of Eagan.
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Going to the Caponi Art Park in Eagan has been on bass player Rolf Erdahl's 'to do' list for a long time. The co-founder of the Vecchinone/Erdahl bass and oboe duo finally took his family over the July 4th weekend. Rolf was captivated by the harmonious relationship between the visual art sprinkled throughout retired art professor Anthony Caponi's 60-acre park, and the earth. The park is open Tuesday through Sunday.
Mankato painter Amanda Gullixson thinks her city needs more public art, which is why she's excited about the "CityArt Walking Sculpture Tour." People can visit 25 sculptures scattered around downtown Mankato from artists around the world, and then vote for their favorite. The city will then purchase that piece and award the winning artist a $2500 prize. Voting is open through October 28.
Performance and visual artist William Hessian is a big proponent of Altered Esthetics "Comic Cookbook: Just Add Ink" exhibition, which opens on Friday, August 5th. It features comic artists from around the state in a salon style show that will saturate the gallery with art. The show runs through Aug. 25.
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Art Hounds: Big Business, the Dari-ette, and a corporate wizard
Posted at 7:00 AM on July 28, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Galleries, Music
The hounds have live-action role playing, a '50s drive-in, and heavy metal of the two-person variety in their hearts and minds this week.
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Fiona MacNeill, performance and digital media artist in Minneapolis, is more than just a little curious about "The Amazing Adventures of the Corporate Wizard in the Land of L.A.R.P." It's a 72-hour role playing extravaganza at the Soap Factory. Artists and players from around Minnesota will take on roles in a rambunctious, at times contentious narrative that reflects upon corporate America's moral map. You can observe or join this weekend, July 29-31.
After losing Porky's, Erin Hanafin Berg of the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota is pleased we still have the Dari-ette in St. Paul as an architectural landmark and symbol of the car culture of the '50s and '60s. The Dari-ette is holding a 60th anniversary party on Saturday, July 30th, with a live radio broadcast and era-appropriate bands galore.
Jess Miller is on the board of the Rose Ensemble, she's a clarinetist and she loves heavy metal, especially if it's Big Business. Jess says Big Business is a thunderous, L.A.-based two-piece that doesn't take itself too seriously but knows how to bring the noise. Big Business will rattle the walls of the Triple Rock Social Club on Friday, July 29th along with Miami metalheads Torche.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
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Art Hounds: The Defenders, Momentum dance, and handbells ring
Posted at 7:00 AM on July 14, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Dance, Events, Film, Music
Chris Yon, Echo Park Dream Ballet Essay. Photo by Cameron Wittig, courtesy Walker Art Center.
This week's hounds embrace the notion of not only presenting cinema, but defending it in a screening room full of film aficionados, they endorse a series that plucks emerging talent from the local dance scene, and they open their ears to a national handbell conference in Minneapolis/St. Paul.
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The Walker Art Center's Momentum: New Dance Works at the Southern Theater is perhaps the biggest dance event of the year, according to dance and theater videographer Ben McGinley. Ben is thrilled with this year's line-up, which includes choreographers Chris Yon, Kenna Cottman, and Kaleena Miller, plus the zany three-woman troupe Mad King Thomas. Momentum: New Dance Works 2011 is on stage at the Southern July 14 - 23.
Attention, movie geeks! Cheapo music clerk and former film student Jon Gilbert wants you in on The Defenders, a series at the Trylon Microcinema in Minneapolis. It's a monthly get-together of cinephiles in which one local film personality presents a movie of his or her choosing and then defends it in a vigorous, rigorous post-screening discussion. The next installment of "The Defenders" happens Wednesday, July 20th at 7pm, and features Star Tribune Movie Critic Colin Covert.
As music director at North Como Presbyterian Church in Roseville, Sean Johnson knows a good handbell choir when he hears one. But do you? Sean says you'll have abundant opportunities to refine your taste in handbell music this weekend, July 14-17, when the Handbell Musicians of America holds its annual conference at the Minneapolis Hilton.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
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Ten things to know about the 2011 MN Fringe Festival
Posted at 11:11 AM on July 15, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events, Theater
Earlier this week I sat down with Robin Gillette and Matthew Foster of the Minnesota Fringe Festival, to find out the details for this year's performance free-for-all.
I've distilled our conversation down to ten things you'll want to know, from the basics to the bizarre.
1. This year's festival runs August 4 - 14, with 168 shows being performed on 15 stages, plus three "bring your own venues:" Mill City Museum, Kieran's Irish Pub and Cult Status Gallery.
2. This year's fringe button, which you need in addition to your ticket to see a show, looks like this:
The button still costs $4... tickets are still $12.
3. Big this year: Shakespeare!! The bard is the inspiration for nine shows, including three Shakespeare-Sci-Fi mash-ups: Ham-Luke, MacBeth: The Video Game Re-Mix and Tempests (which reimagines "Aliens" as the sequel to "The Tempest")
4. That brings us to the most talked about trailer for this year's Fringe:
5. Also big this year: religion! and mental health! and music!
6. Lightrail construction will present challenges for many venues, including the only St. Paul venue Gremlin Theatre. Robin Gillette recommends that Fringe-goers pick a venue for the day and stay put, rather than trying to bounce around from one venue to the next.
7. Interesting factoid: Bob McFadden, the founder of the Minnesota Fringe Festival, is directing his own Fringe show. This is the first time a former festival director has returned to direct a show. It's title? Dripping in Spit: The Resurrection of Father Louis Hennepin
8. This year's "Fringe Central" is Moto-i. That's where people gather before, after and inbetween shows to share reviews and rejigger their plans for the remaining days of the festival. Oh, and eat and drink.
9. Not sure where to start? There are two "Fringe-for-alls" this Monday and next. Each is a showcase of 30 different Fringe acts, each given three minutes to perform an excerpt of their show. FYI: a 2011 festival admission button is required for entry. Gillette and Foster agree - this is not where you separate out the "great" from the "good," but the "maybe" from the "must avoid."
10. Like life, the Fringe is what you make it. Go with friends, pace yourself, and simply enjoy the fact that all these people are willing to jump up on stage and share their creativity with you.
Happy Fringe-ing!
Art Hounds: Iron Pour, 1001 Chairs, and a retro sci-fi flick
Posted at 7:00 AM on July 7, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Film, Museums, Public Art, Sculpture
This week the hounds track down a weekend iron pour in Lanesboro, an installation piece at the Walker that defends artistic freedom, and a throwback sci-fi film made in the Twin Cities about moon zombies....ATTACKING!
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Twin Cities artist Mike Tincher wants you to grab a chair from home and bring it to the Walker Art Center's Sculpture Garden on Tuesday, July 12, to take part in the installation piece, "1,001 Chairs." The chairs represent artists around the world whose voices have been silenced. It's an homage to a work by Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei, who in April was detained by the government and recently was released.
Adrienne Sweeney, artist administrator at the Commonweal Theatre, says it gets really hot this time of year in Lanesboro...molten hot. That's because a bunch of metalsmiths from around the country (led by Art Hound Karl Unnasch) will be conducting an iron pour in Sylvan Park. Unnasch will be giving an artist talk on Thursday, June 7 and the iron pour itself is on Saturday, June 9. There will also be public workshops on how to craft ironworks. The event is sponsored by the Lanesboro Art Center.
If you're charmed by the over-the-top melodrama, cornball comedy, and cheesy special effects of the '50s-era sci-fi movie ouevre, big band drummer Kerry Johnson predicts you will love "Attack of the Moon Zombies." It's another in a series of locally produced horror/sci-fi movies from Twin Cities writer/director Christopher Mihm. "Attack of the Moon Zombies" will be screened July 14 at the New Hope Cinema Grill in New Hope, but Kerry wanted to give you advance notice because when the film premiered in May, it sold out.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
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Art Hounds: CONvergence, Beethoven and a poster-like mural
Posted at 7:00 AM on June 30, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Music, Public Art
This week, the hounds find the art in a science fiction convention, the diversity of Beethoven's music in Winona and a poster-like mural in Powderhorn.
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Susan Woehrle is a storyteller and writer from Minneapolis. She usually digs CONvergence, the Twin Cities' annual science fiction and fantasy convention, but she's especially excited about this year's theme: "Tomorrow Through the Past." With its focus on steampunk, she thinks this year's convention will really showcase the imagination and artistic expression of the convention participants.
Minneapolis printmaker Joshua Norton thinks Richard Barlow's mural in Minneapolis is no ordinary mural. The mural, which Barlow painted on the Acme Awning building in Minneapolis' Powderhorn neighborhood through a Clean City grant, depicts a speed skating rink that used to be in Powderhorn Park. Norton loves how this image taken from a photograph from the Minnesota Historical Society manages to be nostalgic and modern at the same time.
Jonelle Moore, a pianist from Winona, looks forward to the Minnesota Beethoven Festival every year. Beethoven is her favorite composer and she feels the Winona festival really captures the depth and diversity of his compositions. The festival is going on through July 17 and features many different performances, including tonight's free Minnesota Orchestra concert at the Lake Park Bandshell.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
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Walker Art Center hosts NHL draft prospects
Posted at 4:41 PM on June 24, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events, Museums
This morning an unlikely pairing took place; the world of hockey paid a visit on the world of fine art.
As you may know, the NHL draft is taking place tonight and tomorrow in St. Paul at the Xcel Energy Center. Today, the Walker Art Center served as host for many of the young draft prospects attending pre-draft orientations and media events.
I asked the Walker Art Center's Scott Stulen why the art museum was playing host - he explained it's simply a popular rental venue. But Stulen says the event is fascinating:
In some ways it's a graduation for them, from being an amateur to a professional. All of the professional leagues have preparatory sessions like the one hosted at the Walker this morning. The session dealt with the world the players are about to enter, how to communicate with press and the fans, how craft an image and how to handle social media (be careful who you friend). The league has an interest, as do the players, in presenting a professional product to the public and this is one mechanism to assist. They often have past players speak to talk about financial planning, dealing with the pressures of high expectations and other unique challenges.
Stulen says, in witnessing the event, he wondered if there shouldn't be an equivalent event in the art world.
I was interested in how the art world prepares young artists for their professional career, and often the lack of "real' world orientation when they leave school. Maybe there is a lesson to be learned from these sports programs, or as in the case of Lebron James, a lesson to be learned as how not to present yourself publicly.
Interesting thought - a professional league training for arts grads?
Wits with Neil Gaiman sold out, but you can stream it live
Posted at 2:23 PM on June 24, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Neil Gaiman
In case you haven't heard about it, Minnesota Public Radio's Wits series is a radio stage show at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, MN, that brings some of the country's leading story tellers, writers, musicians and witty people to share their talents and have some fun with host John Moe and musical guide John Munson.
Tonight marks the last show of the season, with guests Neil Gaiman and Josh Ritter, among others.
Of course, tickets went bye-bye rather quickly for this one, but for those of us who weren't quick enough, we are not without hope.
The show will be streamed live tonight (starting at 8pm) on the Wits website.
Art Hounds: Improv Fest, woodturning and Dali's cookbook inspires dance
Posted at 7:00 AM on June 23, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Comedy, Craft, Dance, Events, Theater
Chicagoans "TJ and Dave" are one of the many groups that will be here for this weekend's Twin Cities Improv Fest
A festival of improvisational comedy Twin Cities style, American woodturners uniting in St. Paul, and two dance companies preparing a feast of movement are on the hounds' agenda this week.
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Scotty Reynolds, an actor with Interact Theater and a food performance artist with "Mixed Precipitation," finds a lot of inspiration in the culinary arts. No wonder he's drawn to "Dali's Cookbook: A Gastronomical Inquisition," a joint production of Ballet of the Dolls and Zorongo Dance Theatre in Minneapolis. It's based on a cookbook surrealist Salvador Dali wrote and dedicated to his lover. It's on stage at the Ritz Theater through Sunday, June 26.
Love free form improv comedy? Want to see the Twin Cities' best improv artists matched up with stars from other parts of the country? Shad Petosky, owner of Pink Hobo Gallery and Puny Entertainment in Minneapolis suggests you go directly to Huge Theater for the fifth annual Twin Cities Improv Festival. Shows start tonight and go through Sunday.
Maybe your only exposure to woodturning was in woodshop in junior high. Or maybe woodturning is a completely foreign concept. Amanda Birnstengel says it doesn't matter. Amanda, director of the Hopkins Center for the Arts, predicts you'll be amazed by the progression of the art form and the prowess of the nation's finest woodturners as they converge for the 25th American Association of Woodturners Symposium at St. Paul's River Centre.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
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Art Hounds: Patio Nights, felt weapons, and Minnesota Prohibition songs
Posted at 7:00 AM on June 16, 2011
by Chris Roberts
(2 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Museums, Music, Sculpture
This week's hounds endorse the resurrection of a summer art and music tradition, a hanging installation of felt guns and knives, and an early music choral group embracing Prohibition.
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Happy days are here again for local musician Mischa Suemnig. Mischa's celebrating the return of "Patio Nights," the Minnesota Museum of American Art's summer-long outdoor music and art gathering. The MMAA has been without a home for a couple years but it's using City House, a former municipal grain elevator on the Mississippi River to revive "Patio Nights" on Friday, June 17. One of Mischa's favorite local bands, Communist Daughter, will be the featured musical entertainment this Friday.
Asia Ward loves installation artist Liz Miller's hand cut felt art works. Asia, a kinetic sculptor herself, says Miller has a provocative new show at the Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program Gallery at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. It's entitled "Ornamental Invasion" and contains numerous felt pieces, cut in the shape of items in the MIA's weapons collection, and hung from the ceiling. Tonight, there will be a panel discussion on the current MAEP exhibitions -- Miller's and Paula McCartney's "A Field Guide to Snow and Ice" -- at 7:00 p.m.
Jackie Smith, a singer with the Mila vocal ensemble, is anxious to see the Rose Ensemble shed its medieval attire and grab their tommy guns in their upcoming "Songs of Temperance and Temptation." The show highlights the music of the Prohibition in Minnesota. The Rose Ensemble, which normally specializes in early music, will bring "Songs" to Weber Music Hall at University of Minnesota Duluth tonight at 7:30pm, and the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, June 17-18 at 8:00 p.m.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
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Art Hounds: American Indian festival, Paper Toys, and pioneering painting
Posted at 7:00 AM on June 9, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Arts around the state, Events, Film, Galleries, Music, Painting
Still from the documentary film "Naked Vision"
This week's hounds have their eyes on a Duluth screening of the documentary about painter Philip Pearlstein, an art show in which paper takes on an added, more playful dimension, and an encompassing American Indian art festival in Minneapolis.
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Minneapolis Institute of Arts curator Joe Horse Capture has been waiting a long time for a festival that cuts as wide a swath through American Indian culture as the Twin Cities American Indian Arts Festival. It'll be held this Saturday and Sunday on the corner of 16th Avenue South and Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis.There will be music from six native bands, a hand drum contest, native food, and a fine arts plaza, which will feature more than 30 Native American visual artists.
Kelly Krantz is always on the lookout for shows at the Pink Hobo gallery in Minneapolis because she says they offer affordable art and never disappoint. Kelly, who makes zines and mini comics and blogs about theater for Metro Magazine, says Pink Hobo's "Paper Toy II" will feature cut, folded and manipulated paper sculpture, wall pieces and toys. It's a great opportunity to start an art collection, according to Kelly. The show opens on Saturday and runs through July 29.
Peter Spooner, curator at the Tweed Museum of Art at the University of Minnesota Duluth, says the documentary "Naked Vision" is a compelling portrait of a 20th century master who's still going strong. Philip Pearlstein was an Andy Warhol contemporary who started as an abstract expressionist but moved into realism at a time when it wasn't cool. "Naked Vision," from Minnesota filmmaker and artist Jen Dietrich, will be screened at the Sound Unseen Festival in Duluth on Saturday, June 11, at Spirit of the North, at 2:30pm.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
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Minnesota State Fair unveils 2011 commemorative art
Posted at 12:00 PM on June 8, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(2 Comments)
Filed under: Arts around the state, Events
The Minnesota State Fair's official commemorative art for 2011, by Steve Thomas
The Minnesota State Fair unveiled this year's commemorative art today, which will grace posters, postcards, pins and prints for those looking to memorialize the 12 day event.
Artist Steve Thomas of Lino Lakes says the piece is essentially a snapshot of his own fair experience.
The look of this year's piece marks a return to the sharp lines and iconic images that were typical of the state fair's earlier marketing posters.
The original acrylic will be on display in the Fine Arts Center during the fairสผs
12-day run.
This year's artwork is also the result of a change in the selection process. Last year fair officials switched from nominating an artist to putting out an open call for submissions.
By all accounts, it appears the new method is a success.
My Saturday night spark
Posted at 1:45 PM on June 6, 2011
by Chris Roberts
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Arts around the state, Culture, Events
A droning violin in Father Hennepin Bluffs park
When you reach mid life, you become more grateful for adventures. Northern Spark gave me one.
Riding my bike from a St. Paul patio party to the downtown Minneapolis riverfront.
The early summer dusk and clouds of bugs along the Mississippi colliding into my face as if it were a windshield.
Arriving at the almost glowing Gold Medal Flour building at nightfall.
Staring at images of familiar yet foreign looking river sights projected onto its massive, undulating silo surface, with shadows of gaping onlookers at the bottom a la Mystery Science Theater 3000.
Being enveloped by throngs of ecstatic people on Stone Arch Bridge who collectively almost rose into the air as the weight of an oppressive winter was lifted from their shoulders.
Following the Egg and Sperm caravan to and fro on the bridge.
Watching grown men try on a sperm hat with the expression of a seven year-old boy donning a twins cap for the first time.
Seeing people step into a booth at Father Hennepin Park and bark, grunt, howl and whisper misunderstood words to the tune of a haunting, droning live violin.
Getting my neighbor's very pleasantly surprised reaction after he visited the Soap Factory for the first time.
Riding my bike down Chicago Avenue at 11:45pm and passing the hospital where my two sons were born.
Checking my watch again at Lake and Hiawatha when a homeless woman asked for the time and noticing it was 12:03 am, June 5th, my birthday.
Oh, and I tweeted for the first time.
See what I mean by adventure?
The reviews are in for Northern Spark
Posted at 2:25 PM on June 7, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(2 Comments)
Filed under: Events
It would be practically impossible for any critic to have taken in the entire line-up of festivities for this past weekend's Northern Spark festival. And frankly, how many critics would want to work the graveyard shift?
So rather than seek out a variety of reviews in the local media, I turned to artists and art lovers to find out what they thought of the festival.
From poet and musician Anna George Meek:
I loved the reclamation of public spaces at night, a feeling similar to Take Back the Night marches, but with art. And many of the installations were in places that I've previously ignored, "no-man's-land" spaces that suddenly became meaningful.In general, the experience heightened our awareness to our surroundings; we were always looking for what was different, and sometimes couldn't remember what was new and what we simple hadn't seen before. (A friend remarked that she had never noticed the lights on the 35W bridge.) Everything became an installation. That sensation continued the next day, and for a while, nothing was ordinary.
I loved how many different kinds of people came out. Teenagers, elderly couples, families with kids, 20-somethings who were dressed for the club scene.
What I didn't like was the number of pot-clouds I walked through, crowds of loud and/or drunk 15-24ish-yr-olds who weren't there for the art or the community. Nothing against those who partake, but that's not something I myself want to be a part of incidentally. After passing one particularly obnoxious group on the Stone Arch Bridge, I heard someone walking behind me say "It's not really about the art." And I thought: there are two ways to take that.
Cynically: it's an excuse to get high and drunk in plain sight and be obnoxious in front of an audience. Optimistically: it's about community and the the ability of art to transform our consciousness. Next year, I'm hoping the festival can be more about the latter, and less about the former.
My husband and I made it to 2am, and didn't see nearly everything we wanted to. All in all, it was magical, an enormous effort that made me proud to be an artist and a TwinCitian.
From theater-goer extraordinaire Scott Pakudaitis:
I especially enjoyed dancing in the Dance Shanty, listening to Michael Croswell's sound collage outside of the Black Dog at 3:30am, watching the projections at the Palace Theater and on the Landmark Center, especially near dawn when the clouds started becoming visible in the sky, and talking with random strangers about what they've seen and what they liked. I loved seeing the variety of art in the festival - sound, video, lights, movement, words, spray paint, shadows, concepts... you name it. The energy of the night was magical.
On the downside, in at least one instance - the installation Migrating Monoliths - Pakudaitis noted the installation had clearly been vandalized.
From artist Megan Mayer:
It made me go places I'd never been in the 25 years I've lived here--such as the riverfront in St. Paul, and the Foshay Tower in Mpls. From the observation deck from the top of the Foshay we could see the projections on the MIA in the distance. I was surprised how many people were still up and at 'em at 2am (I had an event outside at the Walker from 2-3) and that they were so willing to participate and game for trying something new.Later that evening/morning, I saw a building's neon sign with a few letters burned out. For a second I thought it must be part of the event and watched those letters waiting for something to happen. Something about the gorgeous, gorgeous weather, the lack of sleep and the buzzing energy of the crowds all contributed to this slightly warm, fuzzy feeling of community potency.
That said, the crowds and the artists I saw were mostly white, which is not a new issue in the arts world.
Several others offered rave reviews of particular events, and at least one noted that this was a great event for getting younger audiences interested in the arts .
Any thoughts you'd like to add? Do you think this should be an annual event? Share your review in the comments section.
10 ways to light your Northern Spark
Posted at 12:55 PM on June 3, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Events
Imagining Northern Spark. Maquette and photography by Rasun Mehringer. Design: Matthew Rezac
This weekend a bunch of Twin Cities arts lovers are going to attempt to pull an all-nighter. Northern Spark begins at sunset Saturday night, and lasts until sunrise Sunday morning. More than 200 artists and organizations are presenting approximately 100 different performances or installations all over the metro area, There's everything from music and dance to light projections and performance art.
Feeling up to the challenge? Even if you're not able to stay up as late as you used to, you could probably take in a fair amount by midnight. Here are some of the more provacative items on the program:
1. Start it off right
There are not one, but two opening ceremonies for Northern Spark - one in St. Paul and one in Minneapolis. Both take place at 8:55pm. If you're in St. Paul you can enjoy an Art Car Fanfare while in Minneapolis you can enjoy another sort of horn concert along the Stone Arch Bridge.
2. Take a trip down the river
Get on board the Mississippi Megalops, a boat ride featuring singers, scientists and storytellers, bringing the nature and history of the river to life.
3. Enjoy a beautiful nightmare
Not all nightmares have to be scary, but they should be haunting... Andrea Stanislav's "Nightmare" fits the bill. An image of a white horse appears to gallop on the river - it's actually a very large video screen placed on a barge.
4. Ping Pong!
Ping with Wing! Wing Young Huie presents a retrospective of his photography (that's more than 1500 images) in an empty lot on the West Bank, but if you tire of looking at images and want to practice your forehand, you can participate in any one of several mini ping-pong tournaments going on in the lot, using - of course - glow in the dark balls (really useful for when you accidentally over shoot it into the bushes).
5. Getting from Here to There
Northern Spark offers free bus rides all night long to get from one event to the next, but why let the time in transit go to waste? Please Remain Seated offers an artistic look at the bus-riding experience through "short enigmatic prounouncements" to "passenger dance lines."
6. What's your frequency, Kenneth?
Station Identification transforms the Foshay Tower's observation deck into a radio compass, in which visitors roam the radio dial with their feet.
7. It's for you
Barbarra Claussen's red phone booths are not some retro send-up of British quaintness; they are about power, who has it, and how they communicate it. Modern Monoliths Migrating are a series of phone booths playing taped messages that force, reward, and persuade the masses to do what's desired.
8. Make your mark
Thanks to the Soap Factory, on Saturday night you can mark local buildings and not get charged with the clean-up. Laser Tag is large scale virtual graffiti projected into the night a monumental scale. Volunteers will be on hand to show visitors the ropes.
9. Gather round the fire
Starting at 3am, people will congregate on Target Field at the Walker Art Center to share stories - bedtime stories, to be precies. A series of local writers will each tell a story approximately ten minutes long, with the sole goal of NOT putting you to sleep.
10. Get some sleep
Can't keep your eyes open any more? Not to worry, because upstairs in Walker Art Center's Gallery 8, you can curl up on the floor and be sung to sleep... while people come and look at you. Hey - now you're the art!
Art Hounds: Dengue Fever, Rochester art and a teen mystery novel
Posted at 7:00 AM on June 2, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Arts around the state, Books, Events, Music
"Why Can't We All Just Get Along?" by Tony Tasset
This week's hounds rave about an L.A. band specializing in Cambodian psychedelia, two exhibitions at the Rochester Art Center, and a young adult novel about two teenage super sleuths whose latest adventure takes them to the wilds of Kenya.
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Arts journalist Britt Aamodt gushes about St. Paul author Susan Runholt's latest teen mystery, "The Adventure at Simba Hill." It's a whodunit featuring heroines Kari and Lucas, set at an architectural dig in Kenya. Britt says it's another engrossing story from Runholt with spectacularly evocative writing.
Mix one part California surf rock with two parts '60s-era Cambodian psychedelic rock and Cambodian pop music and you have one of Greg Swan's favorite bands at the moment: Dengue Fever. Dengue Fever, five white musicians fronted by a Cambodian pop star, plays the 7th St. Entry, Friday, June 3. Greg, who writes about music for Perfect Porridge, discovered the group watching the documentary "Sleepwalking Through the Mekong," about Dengue Fever's Cambodian tour.
Visual artist and mnartists.org Project Director Scott Stulen says a rich art experience awaits anyone traveling to the Rochester Art Center this summer. Scott says a pair of exhibitions, "Tony Tasset: Life During Wartime" and "John Fleischer: ALLMOST" features the work of two aesthetically distinctive yet thematically similar artists. Tony Tasset is based in Chicago and John Fleischer is a Minneapolis native. The Tasset show runs through September 4 and the Fleischer show runs through July 31.
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Final State Fair line-up announced, adds Weezer
Posted at 10:41 AM on June 1, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events, Music
Weezer
The final two shows in the 2011 Minnesota State Fair Grandstand Concert Series have been confirmed; they are Weezer and The Carnival of Madness. So here's what the Grandstand run will look like:
โขReba with special guest Ronnie Dunn (Aug. 25)
โขDef Leppard with special guest Heart (Aug. 26)
โขBig Time Rush (Aug. 27)
โขThe Carnival of Madness Tour 2011 (Aug 28)
โขHappy Together Tour 2011 (Aug. 29)
โขSteely Dan with special guest Sam Yahel (Aug. 30)
โขToby Keith with special guest Eric Church (Aug. 31)
โขMarc Anthony Live! (Sept. 1)
โขA Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor (Sept. 2)
โขWeezer (Sept 3)
โขTrain and Maroon 5 with special guest Matt Nathanson (Sept. 5)
On Sunday, Sept 4, the Grandstand will host the Amateur Talent Finals.
5 ways to memorialize this weekend
Posted at 10:50 AM on May 26, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
OverUnder collaborated with Broken Crow to make this mural in northeast Minneapolis. Confused? See number 4.
Want to make sure that this Memorial Day Weekend doesn't just fade away? Well then, do something memorable. Here are a few ideas:
1. Get to know your neighbors: This weekend numerous home-owners in the South Minneapolis neighborhood are opening up their garages, backyards and maybe even their livingrooms for a little urban exploration. The event, titled "Constellation: A backyard art expedition" features everything from an art swap to knitting a tree cozy.
2. REALLY get to know your neighbors: Walker Art Center presents "Exposed: Voyeurism, Surveillance and the Camera since 1870" which features art made of people without their knowing.
3. Lament those you have lost: It is Memorial Day, after all. Open Eye Figure Theatre presents "Refreshments," three miniature performances staged in different parts of their theater space. These lamentations tell of epic battles between Dark and Light and are inspired by the puppetry and dance of Java and Bali.
4. Support deviant art: NYC street artist Erik Burke also goes by the name Over Under, and his street art flips our notions of security and shelter. His show "Building on Building" opens Saturday at the XYandZ Gallery in Minneapolis.
5. Run away with the circus: The extremely flexible folks at Cirque de Soleil are taking over the north lot of the Mall of America to present Ovo, a production that focuses on the drama and adventure of a bug's life.
So what are you doing this weekend?
5 things to do this weekend if there's no Rapture
Posted at 11:29 AM on May 19, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Punch, of Punch and Judy fame, will not be going to heaven
Image courtesy Walker Art Center
So there's been a lot of talk lately about the end of the world.
The whole discussion reminds me of my college years, when a classmate and dear friend who was concerned for my salvation gave me a list titled "Top ten things to do when the Rapture happens." It included such advice as "find a bible and stand on it" - I think the ideas was to stand on holy ground in the hope of being saved.
I told my brother about the list and he recommended I make my friend my own list: "Top ten things to do if the Rapture doesn't happen." Ideas included "read a good book" and "see a movie." Needless to say, I never gave her the list.
But, in case we find that this weekend we are still around, here are a few things you can do.
1. Meet the Devil: Improbable Theatre presents "The Devil and Mr. Punch" in which 'Punch and Judy get slapped into the 21st century by the UK's masters of contemporary puppet theater.'
2. Draw your favorite demon: The Minnesota Comic Book Association presents its SpringCon Comic Book Celebration on the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, featuring a comic book market, an art show, and lots of workshops for aspiring comic book artists...plus a chapel service.
3. Build your own Paradise: Legos!! The Minneapolis Convention Center hosts KidsFest (I think they are talking about kids of all ages here), which features four acres of Lego activities, including race ramps, a model gallery, and opportunities to talk with master builders. Just imagine what you could build... Oh and don't forget to bring your kids, too.
4. Go to Art Heaven: Art-A-Whirl: Over 500 artists will be showing their handiwork in warehouses and galleries throughout northeast Minneapolis. Lots of live music and other fun attractions, too.
5. Partake in a Sacred Ritual: The Bad Plus performs "On Sacred Ground: Stravinsky's Rite of Spring", reinterpreting the ballet with their distinct modern jazz style.
Heck, with this much fun about, why leave?
Pen Pals series to host Michael Ondaatje, Wallace Shawn
Posted at 7:30 PM on May 12, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Books, Events, People, Writing
Author Michael Ondaatje
Tonight Dave Eggers is at the Hopkins Center for the Arts as the final guest of the Pen Pals Author Lecture Series. And as part of the event, the Minneapolis Library Foundation is announcing the featured authors for the 2011/2012 season.
It's an impressive list - see for yourself:
October 27/28, 2011
Jhumpa Lahiri received the Pulitzer Prize in 2000 for Intrepreter of Maladies, her debut story collection that explores issues of love and identity among immigrants and cultural transplants. Alongside her Pulitzer Prize, Jhumpa Lahiri has won numerous awards including the PEN/Hemingway Award, an O. Henry Prize, and the Addison Metcalf Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Her second novel, The Namesake, was published to great acclaim in 2003 and adapted for film in 2007.
December 1/2, 2011
Michael Ondaatje is one of the world's foremost writers -- his artistry and aesthetic have influenced an entire generation of writers and readers. Although he is best known as a novelist, Ondaatje's work also encompasses memoir, poetry, and film, and reveals a passion for defying conventional form. In his novel, The English Patient, which was adapted into an Academy Award winning film, he explores the stories of people history fails to reveal, intersecting four diverse lives at the end of World War II. His forthcoming novel, The Cat's Table, will be published in the US in the fall of 2011.
March 15/16, 2012
Wallace Shawn is beloved for his comedic roles as a film and stage actor, in such works as My Dinner with Andre and The Princess Bride. As a playwright and an essayist, he is revered for his exploration of difficult, often controversial themes. Much of his writing in his collection Essays (2009) has the same cadence as the dialogue in his award-winning plays and screenplays -- bold assertions, often provocative, that outrage and even startle. In 2005, Wallace Shawn received the PEN/Laura Pels Foundation Award for "showing the way to a new kind of theater...."
April 19/20, 2012
Dr. Brian Greene is one of the world's leading theoretical physicists and author of the national bestsellers, The Elegant Universe and The Hidden Reality. A brilliant, entertaining communicator of cutting-edge scientific concepts, Greene was described by The Washington Post as "the single best explainer of abstruse concepts in the world today." In 2008, he co-founded the annual World Science Festival. The Festival's mission is to take science out of the laboratory, making the esoteric understandable and the familiar fascinating to the general public.
May 10/11, 2012
Arthur Phillips was born in Minneapolis and educated at Harvard. He has been a child actor, a jazz musician, a speechwriter, a dismally failed entrepreneur, and a five-time Jeopardy champion. His first novel, Prague, was named a New York Times Notable Book and received The Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award for best first novel. He is the author of five novels, including Egyptologist, The Song is You and The Tragedy of Arthur. His work has been translated into twenty-five languages and is the source of three films currently in development.
Minneapolis can cook!
Posted at 9:20 PM on May 9, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events, Food
The James Beard Foundation Awards have just come to a close, and while Minnesota didn't take home as many awards this year as last, it still can claim a couple of winners.
In the category of Best Chef in the Midwest region, Isaac Becker won for his restaurant, 112 Eatery.
And on Friday, Amy Thielen won in the category of Cooking, Recipes, or Instruction for her work at the Minneapolis Star Tribune, including her articles "A Good Catch," "Low-Tech Wonder," and "From the Bean Patch: Plenty."
Congrats to them both!
5 things to do this weekend with mom
Posted at 12:22 PM on May 5, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Walker Art Center's Jewelry Mart
Image courtesy of Walker Art Center
Looking for something to do this weekend? Something even your mother would love? Look no further:
1. Does your mom like to shop? Check out Walker Art Center's annual jewelry mart, featuring nineteen local artists.
2. Does your mom like dance? Take her to Katha Dance Theatre's production of "The Untouchable Maiden."
3. Does your mom happen to listen to jazz and also like theater? Check out Interact's new show "Hot Jazz at Da Funky Butt."
4. Does she love Shakespeare? Classical Actors Ensemble presents "All's Well That Ends Well," and their tickets are cheaper than the Guthrie's.
5. Is you mom a class(ical) act? Take her to see the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra perform Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations.
Art Hounds: Free comic books, Hot Jazz and Robert Johnson's birthday
Posted at 7:00 AM on May 5, 2011
by Molly Bloom
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Books, Events, Music, Theater
Scotty Reynolds, Zena Moses and Reginald D. Haney in Interact Theater's Hot Jazz at Da Funky Butt
This week, the hounds take us to a a church/nightclub haunted by jazz musicians past, a happy land where comic books are free and a tribute to the legendary blues guitarist Robert Johnson.
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What's better than comic books? Free comic books! Screenwriter and director Ed Linder says Free Comic Book Day has become a tradition in his family. He and his son head to Uncle Sven's in St. Paul and leave with a big bag full of new comics to try and new characters to meet. Free Comic Book Day is this Saturday. Click here to find out more and find a comic book store near you.
According to music professor and pianist Sonja Thomspon, Hot Jazz at Da Funky Butt is a chaotic, messy good time. A band of visitng musicians from New Orleans helps to transport us to the birthplace of jazz and introduces us to the spirits of jazz musicians past. Intearact Theater's casts are made up of people with a range of disabilties, and Sonja says their performances celebrate our humanity and our differences. The show runs through May 21.
This weekend would have been the 100th birthday of blues legend Robert Johnson. To celebrate his life and music, music writer, artist and musician Sarah Moeding will be at Palmer's in Minneapolis this Saturday for the Robert Johnson Tribute show. Seven bands will be playing all 29 of the songs he recorded during his short life -- and will also play songs inspired by the guitarist. Sarah is most excited to hear The Fattenin' Frogs, whose vocalist reminds of Sarah of a sunny day on a backporch.
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Scottsboro Boys: box office fail, critical win
Posted at 9:39 AM on May 3, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events, Theater
The cast of The Scottsboro Boys, music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb, book by David Thompson. Directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman. On the McGuire Proscenium Stage of the Guthrie Theater through September 25, 2010.
Photo credit: Paul Kolnik.
The Tony Award nominations are out, and local Guthrie fans are sure to recognize one show on the list: Scottsboro Boys.
A minstrel-style musical about the trial of a group of black men, Scottsboro Boys ran on the Guthrie's proscenium stage last August and September, received generally glowing reviews in its pre-Broadway warm-up run.
But once on Broadway, the show failed to draw an audience, and closed after a short run and lackluster ticket sales.
Still, that didn't prevent the show from getting 12 nominations this morning, second only to "The Book of Mormon."
Scottsboro Boys is nominated for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical (twice), Best Direction of a Musical, Best Choreography, Best Orchestrations, Best Scenic Design of a Musical, Best Lighting Design of a Musical, and Best Sound Design of a Musical.
Weekend outlook: oh so sexy
Posted at 1:15 PM on April 29, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Anna Sundberg as the Sexy Librarian
Sexy Librarian by Joking Envelope Productions
A meek librarian lives in quiet frustration until she finds an ancient tome with a horrible spell and transforms herself into a beautiful monster. Whip off your glasses and shake out your hair for this stereotype-smashing twist on the classic Jekyll and Hyde tale. A rock musical about fantasy, obsession, and rockin' the bookmobile after hours. Get ready for the total opposite of quiet in the library. Through Saturday May 21 at Minneapolis Theatre Garage.
Caw! Caw! Caw! A river of crows brings rising energy. The crows proclaim demands and dreams. That's right, "Caws to Unite!" is the theme of this year's May Day Parade. The 1pm parade, featuring original puppetry by In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre is followed by a celebration and festival in Powderhorn Park.
Now Eye See You, Now Eye Don't
What's it like for a visual artist to go blind? Inspired by Off-Leash Area Co-Artistic Director Paul Herwig's own challenges with vision loss, "Now Eye See You, Now Eye Don't" is the story of a successful visual artist who goes blind--a darkly comic production with big choreographed dance numbers, plenty of humor, and a universal story of loss, dignity and hope. Performances at the Ritz Theater through May 7.
Want to get to know the St. Paul art scene in a day? Then check out the St. Paul Art Crawl, featuring the work of more than 300 artists showing in galleries and open studios. Think of it as a farmers' market for art.
First it was a compelling memoir, then a successful Broadway play. Nimbus Theatre presents "The Year of Magical Thinking" starring local doyenne Barbara Berlovitz in the role of Joan Didion.
Face it - spring has been an eternity in the making this year. Get your fill of fresh flowers and bright colors this weekend at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts' annual Art In Bloom, featuring the arrangements of more than 150 floral artists, paired with the works of art that inspired them.
So, what are you doing this weekend?
Art Hounds: Zenon, Brutes and chasing windmills
Posted at 7:00 AM on April 28, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Dance, Events, Music, Theater
Zenon Dance Company performs Before After by Uri Sands. Photo credit: William Cameron.
This week's hounds celebrate a production that 'dreams the impossible dream,' a dance company at the height of its powers, and an indie rock band that's big on tight, crafted power pop.
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Choregrapher and dancer Penelope Freeh thinks the Twin Cities has been blessed to have a dance troupe like Zenon Dance Company in its midst for the last 28 years. Penny says Zenon's 28th Spring Season concert is special, with its veteran dancers performing works by local heavyweights Uri Sands and Wynn Fricke, as well as pieces by New York choreographers Sydney Skybetter and Kyle Abraham. It runs through Sunday at the Ritz Theater in Minneapolis.
Minneapolis playwright, director and actor Aditi Kapil says Ten Thousand Things Theater has a unique ability to take the most ambitious material, be it a Shakespeare play or a musical, and reduce it to its most meaningful form. Aditi says that's what it's done with "Man of La Mancha," on stage at Open Book in Minneapolis April 29th through May 1, and the MN Opera Center, May 6 - 8. The advanced tickets are sold out, but a limited of number of tickets will be available at the door each night.
Billie Jo Konze says 'folkiness' is everywhere in indie music, which is why "The Brutes" are a beath of fresh air. Billie Jo, a local actor and singer, predicts the Brutes will impress you with their smart, highly crafted, infectious rock songs. The Brutes' next gig is Friday, April 29th, at the Kitty Kat Club in Minneapolis.
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Art Hounds: Women's work, Native bags, and an Afrobeat legend
Posted at 7:00 AM on April 21, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Craft, Events, Music
This week's hounds have set their sights on a performance series by and about women, a re-discovered collection of beautifully woven Native American bags in Winona, and the co-founder of 'Afrobeat' music, who's playing at the Cedar.
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"It's Women's Work," at Open Eye Figure Theatre in Minneapolis, deserves more attention than it's getting, says Art Hound Levi Weinhagen. Levi, co-founder of the kids/adult theater troupe "Comedy Suitcase," says the showcase features mainly female singers and performers dealing with material that pertains to women. It winds up Thursday, April 21 through Saturday April 23, with "Fearless and Fallen," a performance of 17th, 18th and 19th century folk songs. "Fearless and Fallen" features singer Prudence Johnson, guitarist Dean Magraw and cellist Michelle Kinney.
Retired arts educator Peter Flick of Winona wants to spread the word about a collection of re-discovered woven Native American bags at Winona County Historical Society. Peter says the beautifully woven bags from tribes around the Great Lakes region are gorgeous to look at and provide a glimpse into everyday life for Native people. The exhibition is called "Weaving Culture," and it's on display through May 22.
Minneapolis rapper M.anifest is so excited about this Saturday's Tony Allen concert at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis, he got on Skype to tell us about it from his native Ghana! M.anifest says Nigerian percussionist Tony Allen not only co-founded the infectiously rhythmic and influential 'Afrobeat' movement, he's probably the greatest drummer in the world, even at 71!
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
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Art Hounds: Heaven, Henry Cowell, and Bach's B-Minor Mass on the big screen
Posted at 7:00 AM on April 7, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Dance, Events, Film, Music
(Copyright Guthrie Theater. Photo credit: V. Paul Virtucio)
A musical set during the Balkan war, an early music festival focusing on a forefather of 20th century composition, and a German filmmaker and VocalEssence give Bach's Mass in B-Minor a cinematic treatment.
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Get in touch with "Art Hounds." That's the first thing Children's Theatre Company Director of New Play Development Elissa Adams did after she saw the Flying Foot Forum's production of the musical "Heaven" at the Guthrie's Dowling Studio. Alyssa says with choreography by Joe Chvala and songs from Chan Poling, the show brings the Balkan War and its impact to life on stage in a truly moving way. It's on at the Guthrie through April 10.
Composer Randall Davidson says Henry Cowell played such an enormously influential role in the evolution of 20th century American composition, more people need to know about him. Randall will be in attendance all four nights at Studio Z in Lowertown, St. Paul, for Zeitgeist's "Early Music Festival," April 7-10. The festival will feature Cowell's music.
Patricia Mitchell, president and CEO of the Ordway Center for Performing Arts in St. Paul, is already a big fan of one of Bach's masterpieces, "Mass in B Minor." Patricia says German filmmaker Bastian Cleve and VocalEssence will make the work a feast for the eyes and ears in "The Sound of Eternity." VocalEssence will perform the piece while Cleve's 27 short dialogue-free films inspired by the Mass are shown on the big screen. "The Sound of Eternity" will be performed Friday and Saturday at 8pm at St. Olaf Catholic Church in Minneapolis.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
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Weekend outlook: fused
Posted at 1:20 PM on April 7, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
James Sewell Ballet and the Schubert Club present "Fusion" at the O'Shaughnessy this weekend.
Photo by Erik Saulitis
James Sewell Ballet partners with The Schubert Club and the International Novelty Gamelan percussion ensemble to explore the influence of the East Indies on European and American Impressionist composers. This weekend and next Fusion features dance performed to the live music of Ravel, Debussy and International Novelty Gamelan.
Moving music melds with moving pictures as Vocalessence presents The Sound of Eternity this Friday and Saturday at St. Olaf Catholic Church in downtown Minneapolis. Vocalists perform Bach's Mass in B Minor, while German filmmaker Bastian Clevรฉ's 27 short films inspired by Bach's work play on screen.
Scout, Atticus and Boo Radley are back. Park Square Theatre presents one of the classic stories on race and justice in the American South To Kill a Mockingbird through April 17.
For the next four weekends, Pangea World Theater showcases a diverse array of new voices performing spoken word, readings and theater in its Alternate Visions Festival. See their website for event and schedule details.
She's equally comfortable singing gospel in church or belting out a Broadway tune on stage. Greta Oglesby performs this Saturday and Sunday at the Capri Theater in Minneapolis, including "Lot's Wife," a number she owned when she played the lead in Caroline, Or Change at the Guthrie Theater in 2009.
So, what are you doing this weekend?
Your weekend outlook: Dark, scary and a little bit dirty
Posted at 4:08 PM on March 31, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
The cast of Avenue Q, now playing at Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis.
No this is not the street Jim Henson lived on... Avenue Q, unlike Sesame Street, features puppets who swear, look at porn on the internet, and do all sorts of other perfectly human things. The broadway hit takes a more intimate turn at Mixed Blood Theatre through May 1.
We often think murder and violence is something that happens to other people, who live in some other neighborhood. But Angela Strassheim's photographs reveal the evidence of crimes from years gone by left behind in homes that seem otherwise completely urbane. An exhibition of her work titled "Evidence" is up at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts through October 9 (Check back here tomorrow for an in-depth look at the show).
Flying Foot Forum's Joe Chvala and The New Standards' Chan Poling have teamed together to create "Heaven," a dance-theater piece that explores the brutality of war-torn Bosnia in the 1990s. The show runs through April 10 at the Guthrie - you can read the reviews here.
Does the Minneapolis skyway system have a special, warm place in your heart? Then head over to the Walker Art Center tonight to see the results of Architecture Magazine's Videotect competition, in which people were invited to create their own video tributes to the architectural oddity.
So, what are you doing this weekend?
Art Hounds: Jack Klatt, Rogue Valley, and a painter's impressions of Minnesota
Posted at 7:00 AM on March 31, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Music, Painting
Members of Rogue Valley at their "spring" show at the Fitzgerald Theater last April.
The hounds are following a "feel-good" musician whose style touches Tin Pan Alley, a prolific indie pop/folk band whose songs are tied to the cycle of the seasons, and a mildly impressionistic octogenarian painter who captures the subtle majesty of the land of 10,000 landscapes.
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As a blogger and booker for Merlin's Rest Pub in Minneapolis, Todd Ojala has a feel for crowd pleasing music, which is why he's high on Jack Klatt and the Cat Swingers. Todd says Klatt melds burlesque, blues and gypsy jazz in a way that inspires good vibes no matter what's being sung about. Jack Klatt and the Cat Swingers are at the Driftwood Char Bar on Thursday, March 31. They'll also be playing at Lee's Liquor Lounge on Tuesday, April 5.
Over the last year, Minneapolis playwright and Fringe Festival communications director Matthew Foster has enjoyed the changing seasons maybe more than ever because each one has been accompanied by a new batch of songs from Rogue Valley. Matthew has been entranced by the indie folk band's "album for every season" project, which culminates Friday, April 1, at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis, with the release of the group's "winter" record, "False Floors."
St. Paul woodworker Fred Livesay has known Faith Lowell's gentle, delicately muted Minnesota landscape paintings since he was a kid. For Fred, they conjure the beautifully familiar, still mysterious feeling of being outdoors in the bluffs of the southern part of the state, or the pine forests of the north. Faith Lowell's landscapes are on display at the Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
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Musicians host benefit for Japan
Posted at 4:42 PM on March 28, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events, Funding, Music
More than 50 Twin Cities musicians are lining up to raise money for the American Red Cross, in an effort to help out those suffering in Japan from what feels like an unending disaster (earthquake, followed by tsunami, followed by radiation leaks). Tonight and tomorrow night, from 5pm - midnight, folks like Martin Devaney, Dan Newton, Curtiss A, Larry Long and Arne Fogel will play 20 minutes sets back to back at Rudolph's BBQ in south Minneapolis. The musicians are playing for free; a $10 donation per person is suggested. All net proceeds will go to the American Red Cross.
The line-up so far looks like this:
Monday, March 28
Hosted by KFAI's Jackson Buck
5pm Steve Sklar and Johnna Morrow
5:20 Lonnie Knight
5:40 Mike McMahon
6pm Martin Devaney
6:20 Dave Babb of the Liquor Pigs
6:40 Steve Kaul and Mikkel Beckmen of the Brass Kings
7pm Paul Mayasich
7:20 Dan Newton
7:40 Bernie King
8pm Tom Feldman of the Get-Rites
8:20 Robert Wilkinson of the Flamin' Oh's
8:40 Good Batson/Bad Batson (Bill and Ernie Batson of the Hypstrz)
9pm Curtiss A
9:25 Cats Under the Stars
10pm Willie Grey and the Gossamers (Nate Westgor's band-Willie's Guitars)
10:20 Jeff Ray
10:45 Sneaky Pete Bauer
11:10 Nikki and the Ruemates
11:40 Michael McElrath
OPEN MIC FOLLOWS
Tuesday-March 29th
Hosted by Paul Metsa
5pm Nicholas Mrozinski and the Feelin' Band
5:20 Bobby Vandell Duo
5:40 Tony Ortiz w/ Mary Rancone
6pm Terry Walsh
6:20 Barry Goldberg
6:40 Geno LaFond
7pm Mick Sterling
7:20 3 Amigos
7:40 Paul Metsa-Sonny Earl-Mari Harris
8pm Mary Cutrufello
8:20 Tom Lieberman
8:40 Arne Fogel
9pm Kevin Bowe
9:20 Mary Jane Alm
9;40 Larry Long
10pm J.D. Steele
10:20 Sherwin Linton
10:40 Robby Vee
11pm Paul Metsa and friends
11:30 Chris Mulkey
Update on flood cancellations
Posted at 1:30 PM on March 25, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Just a quick note to say that Frank Theatre has indeed cancelled its Sunday performance of "Cabaret" due to rising water levels on the river.
In addition, Four Humors Theater is moving its April Fools show off the Centennial Showboat (no joke). Still waiting on word as to where it's being relocated... although they promise it won't be the Metrodome.
This despite the fact that most river level forecasts have been revised lower in the next week. According to Paul Huttner: "The latest updates from the hydrologists at the NCRFC in Chanhassen have lowered river level forecasts for some river locations as much as 3.5 feet from forecasts earlier this week."
To think, I may have to add a tag for this blog called "Natural Disasters"...?!
Rising river threatens theater, artist studios
Posted at 2:35 PM on March 24, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Frank Theatre's production of "Cabaret" may have to cancel its Sunday permormance on the Centennial Showboat due to rising water levels.
They say a rising tide lifts all boats... but in this case, that's not necessarily a good thing.
Frank Theatre, which has been performing "Cabaret" on the stage of the Centennial Showboat, has just announced that it's no longer selling tickets to its Sunday performance.
An e-mail sent out this afternoon put it this way:
News from the Padelford folks today was not good. We are no longer selling any tickets for Sunday as it looks like the river is gonna trump Frank. We anticipate an official announcement of cancellation of Sunday's matinee tomorrow, after the water level projections are released.
The staff at Frank Theatre encourage people who already have tickets for Sunday's show to call the Showboat ticket office to reschedule - (651) 227 1100. The best availabilities are for tonight's performance.
Meanwhile, this morning MPR's Laura Yuen reported that flood preparations are the prime concern of artists in the Lowertown neighborhood of St. Paul. Here's an excerpt:
The Mississippi in St. Paul has been rising about two feet a day. Crews are assembling an earthen levee along Shepard Road. And large pumps in Lowertown -- one of the lowest-lying neighborhoods in the city -- have been diverting floodwater out of the sewer system.
Artists who live in one residential building have built sandbag turrets around the drainage holes in their parking lot. That way, they hope to keep floodwaters from backing out of the drains and into their living spaces.
Sol Squire, the president of the Tilsner Artists Cooperative, calls this area "Sandbaghdad."
"The three drains that are here, this is the place where the flood will come up for the first time, when it happens," he said. "To build an appropriate barrier, 3-4 feet high, broad at the base, is a serious undertaking, especially for us arty types, who aren't accustomed to that much strain."
Constructing a barrierSquire says sandbagging is an annual ritual for Lowertown residents. The city is preparing for a deluge next week that could be on par with the flood of 2001, the third-highest on record.
That kind of flooding would easily submerge riverfront parks and force the downtown airport to deploy its floodwalls.
And of course, flooding in southeastern Minnesota is also likely to be dire for riverfront communities.
Is flooding having an impact on your production or other artistic activity/livelihood? Let us know in the comments section.
Art Hounds: The Residents, William Kentridge, and Minnesota originality
Posted at 7:00 AM on March 24, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Music, Television, Theater
(Image courtesy of the Walker Art Center. Photo Credit: John Hodgkiss)
The hounds lead us to a veteran experimental music group that was multimedia before it was mainstream, a transformative piece from a pioneering South African puppeteer, and an original public television series that makes you proud to be a Minnesotan.
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Freelance arts journalist Christopher Jensen anxiously awaits a rare visit from the avant garde music/theater group The Residents, which is performing at the Cedar Cultural Center on Friday, March 25th. Christopher says to expect weird masks and costumes (after touring and recording for well over 40 years, band members have yet to reveal their identities) bizarre stage antics and undefinable music.
Talk about patience. Minneapolis sculptor and theater artist Irve Dell has been waiting a decade and a half to see his hero, South African puppeteer William Kentridge and the Handspring Puppet Company perform "Woyzeck on the Highveld." "Woyzeck" is an interpretation set in South Africa of a famous 19th-century German play about jealousy and murder in an indifferent society. Irve's wife, noted playwright Kira Obolenski, saw it 15 years ago and her perception of theater was forever changed.
After eight years in the state, New York transplant, musician and composer Christopher Cunningham (aka Neverwas) is starting to identify as a Minnesotan. Christopher credits the weekly Twin Cities Public Television artist profile series MN Original with moving that process along. He says he's been introduced to dozens of artists and feels closer to the local art scene thanks to the series' portrayal of the state's most creative people in startlingly vivid video and audio. By the way, Christopher will be glued to his couch this Sunday night at 10:00 for TPT 2's "Dessa: A Minnesota Original Special," a concert featuring Doomtree rapper Dessa.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
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Two Twin Cities chefs nominated for James Beard Awards
Posted at 7:50 PM on March 21, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Culture, Events
It's that time again - when the James Beard Foundation announces the nominees for its annual awards. And funny how the same names seem to be cropping up again...
For instance, two of the three Twin Cities restaurants that made the finalists list for the Best Chef in the Midwest region last year are back again this year: Isaac Becker of 112 Eatery, and Lenny Russo of Heartland. The third Twin Cities restaurant - Restaurant Alma - took home the award.
Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl is once again nominated for her restaurant reviews for Minnesota Monthly, and Andrew Zimmern is also on the nominees list this year, this time for his multimedia feature "Appetite for Life" which appeared on msn.com.
In addition, the Star Tribune's Amy Thielen was nominated in the journalism category of "Cooking, Recipes, or Instruction" for her articles "A Good Catch," "Low-Tech Wonder," and "From the Bean Patch: Plenty."
Winners of the 2011 James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards will be announced on May 6, 2011. Winners of the Restaurant and Chef Awards will be awarded on May 9. See the full list of award nominees here.
Sally Awards: And the winners are...
Posted at 6:30 PM on March 21, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events, People
Anton Treuer, professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University, takes home this year's Sally Award for Education.
Each year the Ordway Center for Performing Arts presents the Sally Awards to recognize individuals and institutions that have made outstanding contributions to the the state's culture and quality of life. This year the Ordway presented a newly expanded list of Sally Awards. In addition to the traditional categories of "Vision," "Education," "Initiative" and "Commitment," this year the Ordway added a fifth category: "Access."
So without further ado, here are the winners for the 2010 Sally Awards:
Education: Anton Treuer
Sometimes educating a future generation means also safeguarding the past. AntonTreuer is the editor of the only academic journal of the Ojibwe language.
Professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University, Treuer is the author of eight books including "The Assassination of Hole in the Day" and "Ojibwe in Minnesota," recently named "Minnesota's Best Read for 2010" by The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. According to the Ordway's announcement, "Dr. Treuer has championed Minnesota's traditional indigenous art forms and has worked tirelessly to expand our definition of the arts to include oral narrative and story performance, especially as they intersect with the Ojibwe language."
Vision: Michelle Hensley and Ten Thousand Things Theater
Michelle Hensley, Artistic Director of Ten Thousand Things theater company, was awarded the 2010 Sally Award for Vision.As the founder and artistic director of Ten Thousand Things Theater, Hensley has filled a void by providing compelling theater to people who would normally not have access. That means she takes her veteran performers to prisons, homeless shelters and housing projects. Not satisfied with just performing to segregated groups, Hensley encourages audiences who would normally never step foot into a homeless shelter to make the journey with her, and rewards them with free performances.
Initiative Award: Kathy Mouacheupao and the Center for Hmong Arts and Talent (CHAT)
Over the years the Center for Hmong Arts and Talent has grown from a creative hub to social justice organization, using the arts to create change. Kathy Mouacheupao is the executive director for CHAT, which is now widely recognized as the leading Hmong American arts organization in the country. According to the Ordway "the annual Hmong Arts and Music Festival, sponsored by CHAT, has become a community celebration of Hmong culture, arts and expression." In addition, CHAT now hosts the "Fresh Traditions Fashion Show," featuring functional art designed by Hmong artists and blending contemporary designs with traditional Hmong fabrics.
Arts Access: Amy Stoller Stearns and the Historic Holmes Theatre/DLCCC
The first recipient of Ordway's "Access" award, Amy Stoller Stearns moved from Minneapolis to Detroit Lakes, Minn. in 2002. She got a job working as the box office manager of the newly opened Detroit Lakes Community Cultural Center, housed in the Historic Holmes Theatre. Today she's the executive director, and the DLCCC offers everything from local and regional acts to national and international performers. In order to make its programming as accessible as possible, the center offers artist visits to schools, discounted or free tickets to school groups, and a diverse array of performances.
As the Ordway announcement states, "when it opened nine years ago, no one quite knew what the Holmes Theatre would become, but today it's hard for most to imagine life in Detroit Lakes without it."
Commitment: Willie Murphy
Minneapolis native Willie Murphy is a charter member of the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame, and has performed with the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Joan Baez, Muddy Waters and Carl Perkins. He joined with folk musician "Spider" John Koerner to produce "Running, Jumping, Standing Still" in 1969. He formed "Willie and the Bees," whose music came to define R&B and Soul music in the 1970s and early '80s. In 1985 he launched his own record label, Atomic Theory. Not one to fade out in his later years, Murphy just released his latest album, "A Shot of Love in a Time of Need," in February. Oh and July 2 is "Willie Murphy Day" in St. Paul.
Congratulations to the winners!
Weekend outlook: Horrors
Posted at 2:02 PM on March 17, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Randy Reyes stars as the down-and-out florist Seymour Krelbourn and Sheena Janson portrays the famous man-eating plant, Audrey II in Mu Performing Arts production of "Little Shop of Horrors."
Mu Performing Arts presents the musical Little Shop of Horrors, starring an all Asian-American cast. Why, you ask? Because otherwise these talented actors would never get the chance to take on these juicy, memorable roles. The show opens March 19 at The Ritz Theater in Minneapolis and features a steampunk inspired set and costumes.
Cross a rock musical with romantic poetry and what do you get? The Age of Wordsworth, by Four Humors Theater. With performances this weekend and next at Southern Theater, The Age of Wordsworth sets the writings of Wordsworth, Mary Shelley and Percy Shelley to electric guitar. Rock on!
How do women see the world? Find out at the Mpls Photo Center which presents "Woman as Photographer," a show of photographs by women from 14 different countries. The show runs through April 17, and features a panel discussion tonight from 7 - 9pm.
The film retrospective of Julian Schnabel continues this weekend at the Walker, with screenings of Berlin and Miral, as well as a conversation with the director himself on Saturday night, in which it's expected he'll discuss the relationship between his films and his paintings.
So what are you up to this weekend?
EgoFest, 7 Shot Symphony, Super Mario meets Michael Bay
Posted at 7:00 AM on March 17, 2011
by Chris Roberts
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Dance, Events, Film, Theater
Image courtesy Live Action Set. Photo credit: Noah Bremer
This week's hounds sniff out an indie film fest in Brainerd, a western of mythic proportions and a Super Mario Brothers/ Michael Bay mash-up.
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It's not Sundance or Cannes, but Brainerd fiber artist Lisa Jordan thinks EgoFest is a pretty nifty short film festival. EgoFest, which is in its second year, will be held at the CLC Chalberg Theatre on the campus of Central Lakes College in Brainerd on Friday, March 18th and Saturday, March 19th. The festival features filmmakers from across the U.S. and Canada.
Improv artist, actor and musician Courtney McClean is in the mood for some comic relief this weekend, which is why Courtney's seeking out Comedy Suitcase's "Michael Bay's Super Mario Armageddon." Courtney says the show satirizes blockbuster action flicks and video game geekdom while reminding you why both are so popular. On stage through March 26 at the Bryant Lake Bowl.
Live Action Set's 7-Shot Symphony is like a movie western, says Twin Cities theater and improv artist Jen Scott, only the cowboys are mythic heroes from nearly every culture around the globe. Jen says Live Action Set's ability to create images with physical theater is magical. You can see it at the Loring Theater (formerly the Music Box Theater) in Minneapolis through March 27.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Art Hounds is powered by the Public Insight Network.
Minnesota artists in Japan: update
Posted at 9:41 AM on March 15, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Events
Just a quick and happy update to say that ceramic artist Kelly Cox is doing just fine, according to friends who've communicated with her on Facebook. Apparently the island she and her husband were on was far enough away from both the earthquake and the resulting Tsunami to leave them unscathed.
Facebook and Twitter are alive this morning with reports of the massive earthquake and Tsunami that has hit Japan, killing at least 1,000 people.
It turns out two major groups representing the Minnesota arts scene are currently in Japan; a delegation of 23 people from the Walker Art Center and the cast of Ordway's "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" which includes more than 20 Minnesota performers.
Both groups were in Tokyo when the earthquake hit, not far from the epicenter of the 8.9 earthquake. But according to representatives of both groups, everyone has been accounted for and is safe.
The Walker Art Center tour is a standard patron tour, including board members, donors, and some staff, headed by Director Olga Viso. The cast of "Joseph" is in Japan for what was to be a two-week tour.
Not yet accounted for is local ceramic artist Kelly Cox, who is backpacking on an island off the coast of Japan.
Have any news of Minnesota artists in Japan? Let us know and we'll update accordingly.
Weekend outlook: pulling strings
Posted at 11:18 AM on March 10, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Events
Master puppeteer Michael Sommers in action
Bring on the puppets! Open Eye Figure Theatre and Walker Art Center co-present Toy Theatre After Dark, two weekends of performances - some for kids, others for adults only - featuring some of the most talented puppeteers working... in miniature.
Get your dance shoes on for Beyond Ballroom's latest work, with performances all this weekend at The Ritz in Minneapolis. The evening includes a reworking of the company's 2007 production, "Spinning Wheel," "The Nightingale," and a new work, "Change of Hue."
Like your news in the form of a quiz show? Then you'll want to see Peter Sagal, host of "Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me" on Saturday night at Bet Shalom Congregation in Minnetonka.
How good can you feel about being successful, if it's at the cost of abandoning your family? Pillsbury House Theatre presents Broke-ology, the story of a loving family caught between the future they envisioned and the present they have. Note: all performances are pay what you can.
Imagine all the gods of all the world's mythologies meet up at a saloon in the wild West. Add a live band and you have The 7-Shot Symphony. Live Action Set puts Odin, Gilgamesh, Hades, Orpheus, Thor and a host of others in cowboy hats and gives them finger guns - can you feel the fear? Performances run through March 27 at Loring Theater.
Take a journey through medieval Islam, and the scientific discoveries of a boy raised by gazelles in "Journey," an English adaption of Hayy ibn Yaqzan ("The Self-Taught Philosopher"), considered one of the spiritual and scientific masterpieces of the medieval Islamic world. This weekend is your last chance to see the show at the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis.
Art Hounds: Pocket Lab poets, Habib Koite and mother/daughter issues
Posted at 7:00 AM on March 10, 2011
by Chris Roberts
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Music, Poetry, Theater
This week's hounds are staring up at tall poets, grooving to African acoustic music, and watching a portrayal of a mother/daughter relationship in all its ugliness and beauty.
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Amelia Foster has an afinity for introverted young poets because she is one. Get a bunch of them in one room, Amelia says, and their eccentricities begin to shine. That indeed will happen at Rogue Bhudda Gallery on Thursday, March 10 at 7pm, with another installment of the Pocket Lab Poetry reading series. It features such poets as Seth Michael Berg, Deborah Stein, Dobby Gibson and Steve Healey. It's entitled "Invasion of the Tall Poets," evidently because of their tall stature.
Andrea Satter thoroughly enjoyed the Table Salt Production of "Nest." Andrea, development manager for Coffee House press in Minneapolis, also saw herself reflected in it. "Nest" is about a troubled mother/daughter relationship that reaches a new plateau after the mentally ill mother shows up at her daughter's doorstep. "Nest" is on stage through March 12 at the Lowry Theater in St. Paul.
As host of Radio K's global music show, "Radio K International," Paul Harding keeps a close eye on African musicians passing through town. Paul says the second iteration of The Cedar's "Acoustic Africa" series will be special. It features Malian superstar and guitarist Habib Koite, along with guitarist and composer Afel Bocoum, also from Mali, and guitarist Oliver Mtukudzi of Zimbabwe.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Art Hounds is powered by the Public Insight Network.
Arts Advocacy Day at the Capitol
Posted at 4:05 PM on March 8, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Events, Funding
MPR Photo/Steve Mullis
Sitting in the Great Hall on the ground floor of the Capitol building, Sheila Smith scans her iPad. "I'm monitoring the Twitter-verse," she says. It's noon, but Smith, the president of Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, has already had a full day greeting, training and shuttling Minnesotans to the State Capitol for the annual "Arts Advocacy Day."
Smith says on any given day, four or five different causes are advocating before their Senators and Representatives; the arts tends to be one of the top three groups in terms of size, and one of the largest arts advocacy days in the country. This year, she estimates 700 people made the trip, many from places like Marshall and Fergus Falls. If she's right, that makes this one of the best attended arts advocacy days since the event began, second only to the year Paul Wellstone's plane crashed - a tumultous political year.
Smith says Arts Advocacy Day gets its start early in the morning, specifically so those travelling from hours away can get on the road and head home (many come to town the night before). So by the time I wandered into the Great Hall several teams had already finished visiting their Senators and Representatives, stressing the two key points of this year's event. Namely:
1. Advocates urged legislators to please maintain the distribution of fifty percent of the Legacy Amendment's arts funding to the State Arts Board and the Regional Arts Councils. They requested specifically that legislators not earmark any of that money for the construction of buildings. "The State Arts Board funds 2,000 grants in 87 counties," says Sheila Smith. "If you fund a building, you've taken a statewide funding source and given it to just a few people." Instead advocates encouraged the Legacy Amendment be used for funding arts activities.
2. Advocates expressed their understanding that this is a difficult budget year, and asked that the Minnesota State Arts Board take no greater a cut than other beneficiaries of the general fund.
I asked Smith what argument she has for preserving arts funding, when other causes involving poverty or health care are also on the table. Her response:
"The scale for us is so tiny - we're a rounding error in the Health and Human Services budget. Arts funding makes up 0.0009% of the state budget. No matter what you do to arts funding you will not solve the budget problem. In fact, you're not even starting the conversation."
Smith counters that while arts funding may be tiny compared to other areas, that small funding has an enormous impact, which is the story advocates were sharing with their legislators today.
Advocates gather in the Great Hall of the capitol building after meeting with their representatives.
Greta Murray is the Executive Director of the Southwest Minnesota Arts and Humanities Council, and made the drive in from Marshall for today's event. She met with a half- dozen or so legislators and talked about arts projects in their districts that are funded by the State Arts Board. This is something she's been doing for 14 years, and this year she's a little concerned.
"Everybody we talked to today supports the arts, but that doesn't mean they'll promise to protect our funding," she said. "It's frustrating, because it's obvious the state is in huge trouble, but the arts are so important, and such a small piece of the funding puzzle."
Cheri Buzzeo of Willmar Community Theatre (a.k.a. "The Barn Theatre") says she was warmly received by her political representatives, who seemed well-versed in how their constituents were benefitting from arts funding. She's more worried about a last minute panic-attack on the part of local politicians, should the hit they take from federal funding be worse than anticipated.
"I think we've done a good job today in talking about the arts, and how they bridge the gap between many different sectors. I like to think the arts are non-partisan," said Buzzeo. She says she's particularly proud of how well the State Arts Board and Regional Arts Councils have worked together to spread the funding out between both the metro area and the rest of Minnesota; she says she doesn't sense any competition between the two geographic areas,
So will the hundreds of people who journeyed to the Capitol today make a difference for the future of arts funding? Sheila Smith likes to think so.
"The world belongs to to the people that show up," Smith quips. "If a legislator gets ten letters on a particular issue, they pay attention, because it inspired people to take action. Today 700 people showed up to support arts funding. That should get their attention."
You can find out more about Arts Advocacy Day at the Minnesota Citizens for the Arts website.
Art Hounds: Hamlet, Malena Handeen, and a new arts mag
Posted at 7:00 AM on March 3, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Music, Theater, Writing
The hounds are sweeping the state, uncovering a Duluth theater company specializing in Shakespeare, a songwriter in Milan (MN) who personifies creativity, and three artists in Minneapolis who are diving into the print publication business.
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Actor Lawrence Lee tells us about a welcome addition to the growing Duluth theater scene. Wise Fool Shakespeare, according to Lawrence, not only puts its imprint on the Bard's work, but also other classics. Wise Fool's inaugural production of Hamlet, is at Scottish Rite Auditorium in Duluth through March 20.
Emily Wright says listening to the songs of Malena Handeen will help you let go of your small town Minnesota stereotypes, if you have any. Emily, a folk musician and music teacher in Montevideo, says Milan, Minnesota's Malena Handeen fuses blues, zydeco and even hip hop on her new CD "Toothsome Favorites."
As founder and moderator of the open book club "Books and Bars," Jeff Kamin knows the challenge of matching writers with readers. Jeff applauds Meghan Suszynski, Jamie Millard and Regan Smith for venturing into the world of literary arts print publications with their handsome new magazine, Paper Darts. Paper Darts is holding a launch party celebrating its third volume at Honey in Nordeast, Saturday March 5th, from 7-10pm. Music by The Chord and the Fawn, plus readings by local lit heroes, including John Jodzio, Matt Mauch and Michelle Campbell.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
SPCO explores 500 years of music in 2011-2012 season
Posted at 12:06 AM on March 1, 2011
by Euan Kerr
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Events, Music, People
Patrick Castillo is very proud of his band.
"This is a very good Baroque band," he said the other morning. "And so we're going to have those muscles of the orchestra flexed with the music by Bach and the music by Handel."
His band, by the way, is the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and he's the artistic planning director. He was talking about the SPCO's 2011-2012 season which is released this morning.
"We are also going to have five world premieres so showing a very broad spectrum of music that I think the SPCO excels at," he said.
The new season samples works from half a millenium, but really highlights new music. The season opens with a new oratorio by New York composing phenom Nico Muhly, who has been playing regularly at the Southern Theater over the past few years.
Castillo says if the season has a theme it's simply to explore great music.
"We have the music of Bach and Handel, but we also have five world premieres and a lot of other living composers represented in our 11-12 season," he said.
He singles out a string symphony by Lara Auerbach which will also premier in the fall.
"She is a very dynamic composer, pianist, poet. Really kind of a consummate artist," he said. "A little bit of a throwback to the comprehensive artistry that we saw with the composers of the late 19th century. You know, these piano virtuosos who took the stage in their own piano concerti. So she'll be performing her works as well during a week-long residency with us."
Castillo says the artistic partner model which the SPCO has been using for several years now continues to work well, with both the commissioning of new work and the deeper exploration of the music of the past. He points to a series of concerts planned for Dawn Upshaw.
"If you want to play Bach, you don't just play Bach, but you play Bach with the best Bach people and I think our artistic partner roster allows us to do things like that."
The SPCO will also revamp its website, and build up the availability of archived concerts online.
The Oscars: the winners, and the almost-winners
Posted at 10:47 PM on February 27, 2011
by Marianne Combs
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Events, Film
The King's Speech took home Academy Awards for best film, best actor, best director and best original screenplay
Well it appears that Academy Awards was, for the most part, predictable. There was a lot of momentum behind the King's Speech, Colin Firth, and Natalie Portman respectively. In truth, what I found more interesting was to look at who local critics thought should win. In doing so, they reveal their own personal preferences, and how they compare to industry/popular standards. Here's how they spread out in the top three categories:
In the category of Best Picture
Colin Covert of the Star Tribune
Should and/or Will win: Toss up between Social Network and True Grit
Chris Hewitt of the Pioneer Press
Will win: The King's Speech
Should Win: Toy Story 3
Euan Kerr, MPR Arts Reporter
Will win: The King's Speech
Should win: Winter's Bone
Stephanie Curtis, MPR Movie Maven
Will Win: The Social Network
Should Win: Winter's Bone
The winner: The King's Speech
In the category of Best Actor
Colin Covert
Will win: Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"
Should win: Jeff Bridges, "True Grit"
Chris Hewitt
Will win: Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"
Should win: James Franco, "127 Hours"
Euan Kerr
Will win: Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"
Should win: Javier Bardem, "Biutiful"
Stephanie Curtis
Should and Will win - James Franco, "127 Hours"
The Winner: Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"
In the category of Best Actress
Colin Covert
Should win: Jennifer Lawrence, "Winter's Bone"
Will Win: Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"
Euan Kerr
Should win: Annette Benning, "The Kids Are All Right"
Will Win: Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"
Stephanie Curtis
Should win: Annette Benning, "The Kids Are All Right"
Will Win: Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"
Chris Hewitt
Should win: Michelle Williams, "Blue Valentine"
Will win: Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"
The Winner: Natalie Portman
Weekend Outlook: digging out
Posted at 12:30 PM on February 24, 2011
by Euan Kerr
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Events
So it might be a little chilly, (even Egyptian gods have to deal with the snow,) but the shoveling should just be detail work now: the squaring of edges, and the salting of ice-patches. Time to get out and drench yourself in culture.
Over at the Southern Theater James Sewell Ballet presents "Ballet Works Project" tonight through Sunday. It's an evening of world premiers including pieces by Afro-modern hip-hop artist Kenna Cottman, James Sewell company member Chris Hannon, SAGE award winner Judith Howard and movement maverick Patrick Corbin. There will also be a new solo work by James Sewell.
And of course there is also "Proximity" offered tonight only at the Bell Museum at the U of M with Olive Bieringa.
As ever there is lots of interesting theater busting out all over. Elemental Ensemble is presenting the world premier of "Journey" a play based on the medieval Islamic work Hayy ibn Yaqzan which is considered a masterpiece of Arabic literature. The production description puts it this way: Written in the 12th century by Ibn Tufayl, an Andalusian Muslim philosopher and physician, it is the story of the parentless boy Hayy, who is raised in the wild by a gazelle. The death of his gazelle mother sends Hayy on a voyage of scientific inquiry and self-discovery. It is the first Arabic novel, the first philosophical novel, and the first work of science fiction.
After a run at the Rarig Center this weekend it then moves to the Children's Theater next week.
And Teatro del Pueblo's 10th annual Political Theater Festival continues with ยกGaytino! i Dan Guerrero's autobiographical, one-man show about his Chicano and gay identities. It runs Friday through Sunday at the Gremlin Theater in St Paul.
Sunday night is of course the Oscars, and there will be parties large and small all over the place (cynical me believes it is like Christmas Eve, New Year's eve and Superbowl Sunday, one of the great days to go out to a movie.) No matter where you are going, remember to follow @cubecritics on Twitter as Stephanie Curtis and I grumble our way through the telecast.
Kind of still in the weekend, depending on how you define it, is a fun night at the McNally Smith School of Music which is in the midst of it's 25th anniversary celebration will present members of the guitar and vocal faculty performing the Jimi Hendrix album "Are You Experienced?" in it's entirety.
So what are you doing this weekend?
Art Hounds: Buddy Wakefield, The 4onthefloor, and exes play exes
Posted at 7:00 AM on February 24, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Music, Poetry, Theater
The hounds are following a play about a chance meeting of two exes' that stars two exes, a mesmerizing performance poet from Seattle and a band which contains no shortage of kick drums.
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As the slam master for the all-women poetry slam "Punch Out Poetry," Cole Sarar can appreciate a performance poet who can tie the audience around his finger. Buddy Wakefield is that kind of talent. The Poetry Slam champion from Seattle will conduct a workshop Saturday, February 26 at 3pm at the Local in Minneapolis, with a performance later that night at Kieran's Irish Pub.
Looking for a night out at the theater in Superior, Wisconsin? Duluth writer Lucie Amundsen recommends "Shooting Star," on stage at The Shack, perhaps the upper Midwest's only dinner theater/liquor store. "Shooting Star" is the story of what happens when two exes unexpectedly cross paths at a snowed-in airport. What's interesting is that actor Lawrence Lee and his former wife Charlotte VanVactor are in the lead roles. You can see it weekends through March 19th.
Erik Funk rarely gets as excited about a band as he is about The 4onthefloor. Erik, member of "Dillinger Four" and co-owner of the Triple Rock Social Club, says the Minneapolis indie rock band has a special gimmick that really works. Each member, in addition to other instrumental duties, plays his own kick drum. The 4onthefloor takes its pounding 4/4 rhythm to the Turf Club on Friday, February 25.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Weekend outlook: well preserved
Posted at 12:37 PM on February 17, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
This shabti, or funerary figure, is one of 100 artifacts from Tut's tomb and other notable ancient sites on display in "Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs" at the Science Museum of Minnesota.
Credit: Sandro Vannini
Evidently the ancient Egyptians believed you can take it with you. The artifacts and treasures found beside the boy king in Egypt pay their first visit to the Twin Cities in "Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs" at the Science Museum of Minnesota. The exhibition opens tomorrow and runs through September 5.
Speaking of well-preserved, songster Randy Newman brings his wry lyrics and beautiful tunes to the stage of the Guthrie Theater Monday night. While more recently he's known for his movie soundtracks, I love him for his old songs "Political Science."
Speaking of politics (I'm just on a roll with segues), Teatro Del Pueblo presents its annual Political Theater Festival featuring two works by guest playwrights. This weekend there's "Aliens, Immigrants, & Other Evildoers," a sci-fi Latino noir and multimedia solo by Josรฉ Torres-Tama, followed next weekend by ¡Gaytino!, Dan Guerrero's autobiographical, one-man show about his Chicano and gay identities. All performances are at Gremlin Theater in St. Paul.
In a follow-up to its exhibition "The Art of Conflict", the Iraqi/American Reconciliation Project presents "Navigating the Aftermath" at the University of Minnesota's Regis Center for the Arts. The goal of the show is to "take a step back, look at the collective and long-term effects of the war, and consider how both countries might start to move forward toward reconciliation and a more peaceful future."
Do you ever feel like a tragic martyr for your love? THE JOANS, part rock-and-roll concert, part-theater, riffs on facts and fictions surrounding Joan of Arc. Starring Annie Enneking, THE JOANS combines the strange pleasure of religious hysteria, the sanctity of rock-and-roll aggression, and the melancholy of total sexual satisfaction. "Love burns," as they say.
Performances run this weekend and next at Bryant Lake Bowl.
And if you're looking for some fun family fare, you can't beat Rock the Cradle at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Children's Theatre in Minneapolis. Hosted by 89.3 The Current, kids get to pet the instruments, dance in the disco, listen to radio hosts read storybooks, and just basically go crazy while their parents enjoy the tunes. The event runs Sunday from 11am - 5pm.
So, what are you doing this weekend?
Art Hounds: Atmosphere, Earth Revealed, and the birth of A.A.
Posted at 7:00 AM on February 17, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Music, Photography, Theater
"Minneapolis - St. Paul," Jonathon Wells
This week's hounds dig up a play about the relationship which grew into Alcoholics Anonymous, an art exhibit exploring urban landscapes literally from the ground up, and the state's premier indie hip hop group's statewide tour.
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Writer and poet Juliet Patterson of Minneapolis predicts that if you see photographer and geologist Jonathon Wells' exhibition "Earth Revealed," you'll have a new awareness of the ground you walk on. It's a series of digitally rendered urban landscape portraits which show the city above and its geologic profile beneath. On view at the Minneapolis Photo Center through Feb. 21.
"Bill W. and Dr. Bob" is back on stage at Illusion Theater and Twin Cities actor and writer Shanan Custer couldn't be happier. Shanan says the show was her favorite production of 2010. The remount portrays how A.A. founders Bill Wilson and Dr. Robert Smith used their friendship to cope with and overcome their addiction to alcohol. You can see it at Illusion through March 13.
Atmosphere is coming to Bemidji, which means long-time fan and rapper Junior Jourdain of Red Lake won't have to drive for hours to see them. Junior calls Atmosphere the most influential act in indie hip hop. Atmosphere is getting ready to launch its first ever statewide tour, called "Welcome to Minnesota." The tour stops in Mankato on Feb. 22, Bemidji on Feb. 23, St. Cloud on the 24th, Rochester on the 25th, and Duluth on the 26th.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Weekend Outlook: Brecht-acular
Posted at 2:26 PM on February 10, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
German playwright Bertolt Brecht
Barbra Berlovitz, formerly of Theatre de la Jeune Lune, takes on one of the most challenging female roles in modern theater - Bertolt Brecht's "Mother Courage." The German playwright is considered the father of "epic theater" in direct opposition to melodrama and escapism, and used his plays as a way to talk about political ideals. Berlovitz takes on the role of Anna Fierling, a woman who sets out to profit from the war, and ends up losing her children to it. A production of Collectif Masque and The Bricklayers Theatre Company, "Mother Courage" runs through February 20 at the Lab Theatre.
Can you get at the truth, when the truth is so colored by our lenses of experience? Ten Thousand Things presents "Doubt: A Parable" at Open Book. The play, which deals with intimations of child sexual abuse by a priest, was the inspiration for the recent award-winning film starring Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Merde! Intermedia Arts presents Pardon My French, an original one woman show about the classroom experiences of a Minneapolis French teacher, and her challenges engaging her students while maintaining a sense of humor. Performances run tonight through Saturday.
Nimbus, the company that bills itself as presenting "theater for a world gone mad", celebrates moving into its new theater space in Nordeast Minneapolis with a production of "The Balcony" by Jean Genet. Set in an exclusive brothel at the center of a revolution that threatens the established regime, Irma, the madam, oversees a collection of patrons acting out archetypes of power in society, including a bishop, a judge and a general. As the situation outside becomes more volatile, a plan is formulated to re-establish the status quo while simultaneously fulfilling the patrons' fantasies.
So, not feeling like your relationship is worth celebrating this Valentine's Day? Well then maybe, you'll want to take advantage of some free relationship counseling on stage in front of a live audience... or maybe not. Either way, you'll probably get a kick out of CHOCOLATES and SHAME, an evening of romantic comedy with Joseph Scrimshaw. Bring your date for an evening of romance themed stories, stand-up, improv and all around "tender loving comedy." Two Nights only (this Friday and Saturday) at People's Center Theater.
Stuart Pimsler Dance & Theater bring back their romantic hit "The Ends of Love" at the Southern Theater this weekend. Set in an imagistic world of emotional movement and intimate dialogues, The Ends of Love muses on love, lust and loss from youth to old age, referencing works from Plato's Symposium to Nicole Krauss' The History of Love. Performances Friday and Saturday night, plus a Sunday matinee.
So, what are you doing this weekend?
Art Hounds: Wee Cabaret, Puppet Lab, and more than a mass
Posted at 7:00 AM on February 10, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Dance, Events, Music, Theater
This week's hounds focus on an art gallery that's become a performance venue, a world premiere of a choral work built on a mass, and new puppetry for adults.
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Twin Cities actress Amanda Whisner applauds Form + Content Gallery's foray into Twin Cities performance by presenting "Wee Cabaret" during the month of February. It's a weekend showcase offering dance, hip hop, improv and more. On Saturday Feb. 11, and Sunday Feb. 12, choreographer Justin Leaf, performance artist Kjellgren Alkire and "The Truant Lovers" are featured, with rapper Dessa Darling and improv artist Jill Bernard at the end of the month.
Puppetry for adults. For some that may sound like somewhat of an oxymoron, but for Inver Hills Community College Music professor Andrew Martin, something to celebrate and support. For Andrew, that means going to see In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre's "Puppet Lab," which is winding up this weekend (Feb. 11-13). Puppet Lab features four new works from up and coming puppetry artists.
Local composer David Evan Thomas can expect to have a great Saturday evening this weekend. That's because one of David's favorite vocal groups is singing a new piece by a composer he thinks highly of. The Singers will gather at First Lutheran Church in Columbia Heights at 8pm to perform Jocelyn Hagen's "Amass." It's a work that expands upon the traditional mass by adding spiritual poetry and new instrumentation.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Weekend outlook: olympic
Posted at 2:31 PM on February 3, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Becky Brunning in "The Olympic Gene" at Bryant Lake Bowl
Becky Brunning and her great-grandfather, Welsh Olympian, William LeBeau were born exactly 100 years apart. He won a medal for gymnastics in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics; she can "see" the London 2012 stadium from her bedroom window (well if that building wasn't in the way). Inspired by such fortuitous serendipity, The Olympic Gene engages her sporting heritage, examines the legacy of one of Wales' first medal winners and demonstrates just how far DNA can take you. Performances are tonight and Saturday at Bryant Lake Bowl.
Get your fill of corpulent naked ladies in lush settings at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts with "Titian and the Golden Age of Venetian Painting: Masterpieces from the National Galleries of Scotland." The show opens Sunday and runs through May 1.
Have you seen Black Swan? Then consider checking out the dance that inspired it; the Voronezh State Ballet Theatre of Russia presents Swan Lake at the Northrop Auditorium tonight.
Altered Esthetics presents "Online (Dis)Connect," a show in which artists evaluate the pros and cons of technology and its impact on human thought, identity, and interaction. Opens Friday night at 7pm.
Form + Content Gallery presents Wee Cabaret, a performing arts series featuring three 20-30 minute performances by Ill Chemistry, Jennifer Isle/Offleash Area, Jelloslave, and Frank Theatre, followed by a reception and Q&A between the artists and audience.
The Grand Hand Gallery in Saint Paul presents "Handprinted" a group show of master printers including Charles Beck and Nick Wroblewski.
So what are you doing this weekend?
Art Hounds: "Four Little Girls," sculpted memories, and a Guqin virtuoso
Posted at 7:00 AM on February 3, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Galleries, Music, Theater
This week's hounds get behind a children's play about a horrific bombing of a black church in 1963, an artist who molds memories into objects and a master Chinese musician coming to the Twin Cities.
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In honor of Black History Month, Nordic Roots performer Kari Tauring is urging people to see Steppingstone Theatre's "Four Little Girls: Birmingham 1963." It's about four young African-American girls in Birmingham, Alabama, who were killed when their church was bombed by the Ku Klux Klan. Kari says remembering this event and the girls who died is an act of healing. "Four Little Girls" is on stage through Feb. 27th.
Fiber artist and arts educator Mimi Holmes greatly admires the work of sculptor and University of Minnesota landscape architecture professor Rebecca Krinke. Krinke has a solo show at Rosalux Gallery through Feb. 26th. "Visitation" is a sculptural installation inspired by lost and recovered memories. The opening reception will be held Friday, Feb. 4th and will feature an improvisational theater performance.
Gao Hong is one of the premier Chinese pipa players in the country. Gao, who teaches Chinese music at Carleton College, wanted to make sure people knew that Zhao Jiazhen was coming to the Twin Cities! Zhao Jiazhen is the world's foremost Guqin (seven-string Chinese zither) musician. She'll be performing on Wednesday, Feb. 9th, at the Loring Theater in Minneapolis. Jiazhen will also join the local world music group "Speaking in Tongues" in a concert on Sunday Feb. 13th at 3pm at O'Shaughnessy Auditorium in St. Paul.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Weekend outlook: too beautiful?
Posted at 2:07 PM on January 27, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Twenty Percent Theatre presents "Helen" at Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul
Helen, the woman with the face that launched a thousand ships - can we really blame her for the fall of Troy? What did she do, other than just look good? And what if Helen never made it to Troy? Twenty Percent Theatre presents a modern re-imagining of the cursed beauty January 28 - February 11 at the Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul, in which "we find Helen in a hotsy totsy hotel room, hidden away by the scheming gods while the war and the world rages on. Helen explores, with humor and heartbreak, how our own stories of beauty, of war, and of love have the power to trap or teach us."
This Sunday marks the annual ART SLED RALLY!!! Head to Powderhorn Park with your latest creative not-so-aerodynamic invention, or just go to check out what others made, and how well they do on the slopes. The rally runs from 2-5pm.
The Walker Art Center presents "The Spectacular of Vernacular" - a look at how modern day craft could become the folk art of the future. It's billed as embracing "the rustic, the folkloric, and the humbly homemade as well as the crass clash of street spectacle and commercial culture." Opens Saturday and runs through May 8.
Need some bright colors to get you through the winter blahs? I've got two exhibitions for you that are sure to warm your spirits and brighten your day:
Jimmy Longoria's paintings - which serve as rough-drafts for his amazing street murals - are on display at Hopkins Center for the Arts through February 27 (see my full treatment here).
Or, check out paintings by Frank Big Bear in the brand new All My Relations Gallery on Franklin Ave in Minneapolis. The gallery is dedicated to showing contemporary art by Native Americans, and fills the gap left when the Ancient Traders gallery shut down last year. I'll have more on this show soon.
So what are you doing this weekend?
Art Hounds: Dallas Orbiter, insect drawings, and a performance smorgasbord
Posted at 7:00 AM on January 27, 2011
by Molly Bloom
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Drawing, Events, Music
This week the hounds dig up delicate insect drawings at the University of Minnesota, a multi-culti showcase at the History Center, and new music a Minneapolis electronic group is offering free-of-charge.
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Char Ellingson is a science teacher in Minneapolis who's always on the lookout for examples of art and science merging in beneficial ways. She found it at the University of Minnesota's entomology department in the form of intricate, detailed, vibrantly-colored insect drawings by grad students and faculty. The U offers a graduate-level insect drawing course every other year. Viewing opportunities for the drawings are by appointment only.
T. Mychael Rambo likes the idea of a family friendly multi-national performance buffet because, among other things, its 'community building' potential. That's one of the reasons the local theater artist and arts educator endorses "Global Hotdish" at the Minnesota History Center on January 29. This installment of 'Hotdish' will be hosted by a Hmong spoken word artist, and feature an Eastern European dance troupe, jugglers, and gospel singers.
Musician and visual artist Rich Barlow appreciates all artists who challenge themselves creatively, and he also likes it when bands do covers. Therefore Rich is very pleased with the Minneapolis electronic band Dallas Orbiter's plans to release a new song and a cover tune every month in 2011 to celebrate its tenth anniversary. They're available as free downloads at the Dallas Orbiter website.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Weekend outlook: cold nose, warm heart
Posted at 12:18 PM on January 21, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Bigloo
Are you one of those people who just can't get enough of winter? Then you'll definitely want to visit the "open field" next to the Walker Art Center this weekend for an afternoon of poetry and improvisation performed... in an igloo. The performances are free, but space is limited, for obvious reasons. And there will be other, warmer, performances taking place inside the museum as well.
The Native American Community Development Institute (NACDI) celebrates the grand opening of its new All My Relations Gallery (in the same location as the former Ancient Traders gallery) with an exhibit of never-before-seen paintings by master artist Frank Big Bear. A reception and celebration takes place tonight.
Daring to Think, Move and Speak
Trena Bolden Fields is a professional actor and educator, and she combines both skills in her one-woman show "Daring to Think, Move and Speak". The show is made up of monologues and spirituals featuring African American women of the Civil Rights Movement. Performances run this weekend at Dreamland Arts in Saint Paul.
Elsewhere
Betsy Ruth Byers is an abstract painter, which can be a dicey career move in the Midwest. But Byer's paintings are inspired by a truly Midwestern ritual - night swimming at the lake. Her paintings attempt to capture the feeling of descending the wooden steps to the lake shore and submersing oneself into dark cool water. On display in the Burnet Gallery at Le Meridien Chambers in Minneapolis. Find out more about her work here.
Brouhaha Comedy Festival
There's nothing that warms the heart more than a deep belly laugh, and so now that temperatures are descending to their mid-winter lows, what better way to fight off the cold than with a comedy festival? Southern Theater presents "Brouhaha" a festival of new comic theater featuring six different performances put on by local talent, including clowning, improv, new works, and even some Chekhov.
Stay warm, and enjoy your weekend!
Art Hounds: Art meets science, crates of vinyl and Babe, The Sheep Pig
Posted at 7:00 AM on January 20, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Music, Photography, Theater
Peter Happel Christian, Blackholes and Blindspots, No. 8, 2010
The hounds look forward to rummaging through crates of used vinyl at the Cedar, an exhibition featuring a photographer whose work is at the intersection of science, history and art, and the CTC's interpretation of "Babe, the Sheep Pig."
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Local actor Sid Solomon says a production like no other in town right now is on stage at the Children's Theatre Company. It's called "Babe, The Sheep Pig," an adaptation of the childrens' book "Babe The Gallant Pig," upon which the 1995 movie "Babe" was also based. Sid is excited to see how a veteran CTC cast, led by Dean Holt and Reed Sigmund, tackles this kids classic. "Babe, The Sheep Pig" opens Friday, Jan. 21 and runs through Feb. 27th.
Artist Greg Fitz was drawn into photographer's Peter Happel Christian's world after appearing in a recent show with him, and has become a fan. Greg, who's also curator of Macalester College Galleries, says Happel Christian has a unique ability to make a viewer take notice of the ordinary. Happel Christian's new show, "Ground Truth" opens Thursday, January 20 at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, as part of the MIA's Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program. It runs through April 3.
To Jennifer Larson, it doesn't get much better than diving into crate after crate of used vinyl records, while being serenaded by some great local musicians. Jennifer, who blogs on music for "Girl Germs" and is an intern at the Current, says that's what Hymie's Record Fair at the Cedar on Friday, January 21 is all about. The used vinyl comes from Hymie's Vintage Records in Minneapolis and the music will be provided by Buffalo Moon, Rope Trick and the Annandale Cardinals.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Weekend outlook: electric
Posted at 1:57 PM on January 14, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Burkina Electric performs tonight and tomorrow at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis
If variety is the spice of life, then this weekend is hot!
What do you get when you cross electronica with West African tunes? Burkina Electric! The Southern Theater presents two performances this Friday and Saturday that are sure to make you dance in your seat.
If you think pottery is for, well, pot-heads, think again. Northern Clay Center presents the work of three Jerome artists, including Roxanne Jackson. Jackson explores the grotesque and macabre creating ceramic skulls, hearts and shoes made from hooves. Opens Friday and runs through February 27.
Longing for a warmer climate? Give yourself a mental trip to the Middle East, and stop on over at the studio of Jawaahir Dance this Sunday for an afternoon of relaxation, dance and henna. It all starts at 2pm with a performance by company members, then you can learn some moves yourself. Bring your own pillows.
Need a laugh? The Minneapolis Jewish Humor Festival presents two weeks of comedy, featuring stand-up, film, music and a couple of hits from this summer's Fringe Festival.
Art Hounds: Hungarian dances, The Vault, and remembering Rondo circa 1956
Posted at 7:00 AM on January 13, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Galleries, Music, Theater
The hounds discover traditional Hungarian folk dance in a St. Paul church, a new student run art gallery that's bringing a bohemian flavor to downtown St. Cloud, and a theatrical portrait of St. Paul's Rondo neighborhood just before it was annihilated by Interstate 94.
(Want to be an Art Hound? Sign up here!)
Local songwriter Erik Brandt and his family lived for a time in Budapest, Hungary, and grew to love Hungarian folk dances or "Tanchazes." He's been able to re-live those experiences with the help of the group "Minnesota Hungarians," which is sponsoring a Tanchaz at Unity Unitarian Church in St. Paul on January 15th with music by the Madison-based band Szaszka.
St. Cloud visual artist Char Hopela predicts The Gallery Vault, a new St. Cloud State University-sponsored, student-run art gallery will bring a new aesthetic and creative energy to downtown St. Cloud. The Gallery Vault will feature mainly student exhibitions, with occasional faculty shows as well.
If you're looking for a meaningful and musical way to mark the upcoming MLK holiday weekend, uber-vocalist Maria Jette says you should strongly consider "Rondo 56: Remembering St. Paul's African American Mainstreet." Commissioned by the MN Historical Society and written by Dan Chouinard, "Rondo 56" is a look back at St. Paul's most prominent black neighborhood on the eve of its destruction by an interstate highway. It features an all star roster of local singers and will be performed at the Church of St. Joan of Arc in Minneapolis on Sunday, January 16th.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Weekend Outlook: Score!
Posted at 2:19 PM on January 7, 2011
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Score! In every sense of the word! Minnesota Orchestra presents "Video Games Live: Bonus Round", featuring live performances of some of the most popular and compelling game music around. The performance includes syncronized lighting and video footage, to boot - you may just feel your thumbs twitching to hit the "shoot" and "jump" keys.
Want to see what kind of art is making waves in Europe? All this month the Walker Art Center presents its annual "Out There" series; this weekend it kicks off with "Show Your Face!" by avant-garde Slovene physical theater troupe Betontanc and Latvian object theater masters Umka.lv. "Seven actors and three musicians bring an empty snowsuit to life--a faceless everyman on a dark odyssey through the 20th century."
Did David Mamet's look at the real estate agency in 1984 predict in some way today's foreclosure crisis? Torch Theater presents "Glengarry Glen Ross," the play that became the hit film starring Alec Baldwin and Jack Lemmon.
"Your local bowling team meets the Supremes" - that's how April Sellers describes one of her dance pieces that makes up this weekend's "Tandem" performance at the Southern Theater. Tandem is a bi-annual series featuring
independent dancemakers, and this year the featured choreographers are Minneapolis-based Sellers and Chicago-based Rachel Damon, who's known for examining gender and the body.
Nightpath Theatre presents Macbeth: Rehearsing, an original production of a "typical rehearsal" of one of the greatest tragedies ever written. But by the end of the evening, actors and characters find they have more in common than they ever imagined. Performances run through January 22 at Red Eye Theatre.
So what are you doing this weekend?
Art Hounds: Real estate, oceans, and MC/VL's final show
Posted at 7:00 AM on January 6, 2011
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Music, Photography, Theater
Stuart Klipper, "Swell, Southern Ocean, Antarctica" (1992)
The hounds are loose in 2011, on the trail of a quintessential David Mamet play, a photographer who shoots from sea to shining sea and some party-starter emcees who are taking the stage one last time as a duo.
Performer Patrick Dewane has a lot of questions he can't wait to have answered about Torch Theater's resurrection of the 1984 David Mamet classic, "Glengarry Glen Ross." Patrick, who's also Vice President of Advancement at the Minnesota Opera, is very curious to see how Torch interprets a play about a real estate company that in some ways foreshadows the housing crisis of the late "oughts." It's on stage at the Theatre Garage in Minneapolis Jan. 7 - Jan. 29.
Winona photographer Drake Hokanson suggests a trip to Winona's Minnesota Marine Art Museum in the next several weeks because its new show "The Watery Part of the World: Photographs of Stuart Klipper" is a must-see. Hokanson describes Klipper's photos as being able to capture oceans around the globe in all their moods and majesty. You have all the way until May 15th to see "The Watery Part of the World" at the M.M.A.M.
Before the Minneapolis rap duo MC/VL hangs it up for good, Cheapo clerk and voracious live music consumer Jon Gilbert plans to party with them one more time. Jon says the rollicking, crossover hip hop act will perform its final gig on Saturday, January 8, at the 501 Club. Incidently, the downtown Minneapolis bar will be hosting its final show that same night.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
2010 in review
Posted at 3:46 PM on December 30, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Events, News and reviews
I have a terrible memory. And so when thinking about posting a "Year in Review"-style piece, I wondered what I'd have to write about.
It turns out, a lot.
Much has happened in the past twelve months. The recession brought with it budget cuts and layoffs, several institutions changed leadership, others marked significant anniversaries, new companies started up, other companies shut down, talented people died... (and I imagine, many talented people were born, too).
I've tried to capture the main highlights below, broken down month by month. Click on the links to find out more about each story, and take stock of what an amazing year it's been.
January
Theater critic Dominic Papatola "leaves" the Pioneer Press to work at a local foundation... and is roasted mightily by the theater community. He must have enjoyed it, because he continues to write for the PiPress on a semi-regular basis.
Local artists do what they can for Haiti in response to the earthquakes which struck the island nation.
Graywolf Press, Coffee House Press, Milkweed Editions and the Loft Literary Center all celebrate significant milestones
February
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts hosts its fourth "Foot in the Door" exhibition, and receives a record-breaking 4,800 submissions.
Southern Theater marks its 100th Birthday.
Dawn Upshaw renews her three-year contract with the SPCO
Prince gives a song to the Current.
March
Daniel Klein launches his online show dedicated to local food (including road kill), "The Perennial Plate."
New local publishing house Replacement Press publishes its first book.
Sally Ordway Irvine Awards are bestowed upon VSA Arts of Minnesota (Vision), Myron Johnson (Commitment), Bedlam Theatre (Initiative), and T. Mychael Rambo (Education).
April
Community Supported Art is launched, and the shares are sold out in a matter of hours
MN Original, the new TPT program dedicated to profiling Minnesota artists makes its debut.
Two "new music" composers, Franz Kamin and James Brody, die in a Roseville car crash.
The Minneaposis Institute of Arts launches it's contemporary art department with "Until Now" and "Art Re-Mixed."
Minnesota Center for Book Arts asks for resignation of Executive Director Dorothy Goldie.
The 22nd Annual Minnesota Book Awards takes place; review the winners here.
Jay Coogan is inaugurated as the new President of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
Fred Gaines, playwright and teacher, dies.
Minneapolis Institute of arts Curator Bob Jacobsen resigns.
Walker Art Center announces it's suspending its annual "Movies and Music in the Park" series for the summer, which causes first an outburst, then a response - a new series of their own.
May
Photographer Wing Young Huie's University Avenue Project is installed in storefront windows and on the sides of buildings lining the Twin Cities corridor, where it hangs for several months.
Starting Gate Theater closes its doors.
Minnesota Opera President Kevin Smith announces his retirement, making way for new director Allan Naplan.
Open Book celebrates its 10th birthday.
Goldstar.com moves to the Twin Cities.
Bedlam Theatre's floor collapses due to a long slow leak of hot water.
Metropolitan State University honors photographer Gordon parks, a St. Paul native, by renaming its gallery "The Gordon Parks Gallery"
The Walker Art Center cuts its budget by 8% and eliminates nine staff positions.
Folk musician Bill Hinkley dies at the age of 67.
Both the SPCO and the Minnesota Orchestra begin offering recordings for download or streaming online.
June
First Avenue announces it plans to change up the names on the stars adorning the building.
The Childrens' Theatre Company announces it's eliminating approximately 9% of its full and part-time staff positions, and eliminating two shows from its coming season (Ballonacy and Lord of the Flies) in an effort to trim its budget to a more sustainable size.
Minneapolis Institute of Arts Kaywin Feldman is appointed the president fo the Association of Art Museum Directors.
Bravo launches its new show "Work of Art: The Next Great Artist" - one of its contestants is Twin Cities artist Miles Mendenhall.
SPCO musicians agree to an 11.3% pay cut.
The McKnight Foundation names Minnesota-based sculptor Siah Armajani as the 2010 McKnight Distinguished Artist.
The Playwrights' Center names new director Jeremy Cohen.
The Shubert Center is renamed the Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts, in honor of Sage and John Cowles.
July
Intermedia Arts wins a major grant from the Kresge Foundation, which breathes new life into the center's programming.
The Minnesota Chorale and MacPhail Center for Music announces they are forming Voices of Experience, an "artistically ambitious" 50-voice chorus of Twin Cities seniors.
August
American Craft Council moves to Minneapolis
On the same weekend, the Twin Cities host the Minnesota Fringe Festival and the National Poetry Slam, as well as the Powderhorn Art Fair, the Uptown Art Fair, and the Loring Park Art Festival. Phew!
For the first time in its 17-year history, the Fringe Festival sells more than 50,000 tickets.
Scottsboro Boys makes its regional premiere at the Guthrie Theater, before moving on to Broadway.
The University of Minnesota College of Continuing Education announces a new graduate program aimed at Minnesota arts professionals.
The Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists honors its Artistic Director Emeritus Wendy Lehr, by naming its new theater after her.
National Endowment for the Arts Chair Rocco Landesman visits Minnesota.
Dancers perform to raise money for long-time friend Jeff Bartlett after he suffers numerous injuries in a work-related fall.
September
Bedlam Theatre is forced to leave its Cedar-Riverside home.
Eclipse Records closes, again.
100 year old Fitzgerald Theater makes the National Register of Historic Places.
October
Walker Art Center decides to let teens in its doors for free.
Weisman Art Center closes for a year to make way for the final stages of its Frank-Gehry-designed expansion.
Rapper Mike Eyedea Larsen dies of an accidental overdose at the age of 28.
GiveMN starts charging 2.9% transaction fees to the recipients of donations made on its site.
Judi Dutcher resigns from Museum of Russian Art
Minnesota Center for Book Arts names Jeff Rathermel as its new Executive Director.
Artist-in-Residence Lucinda Naylor is let go from her position at the Basilica of St. Mary after she begins collecting DVDs sent out by the Archbishop promoting marriage as the union of a man and a woman. Naylor then transformed the DVDs into a work of art.
November
David O'Fallon, CEO of MacPhail Center for Music, moves to take the position of President of the Minnesota Humanities Center.
Movement artists Eiko and Koma roll around naked in dirt at the Walker Art Center all month long.
Bush Foundation ends Artist Fellowships
Give to the Max day raises more than $8 million for Minnesota non-profits.
December
A major blizzard essentially brings the Twin Cities to a standstill, and almost every performance scheduled for that Saturday night is forced to close.
Nina Archabal steps down from Minnesota History Center, and Michael Fox is named to replace her.
Walker Art Center screens "Fire in my Belly," a controversial video pulled from an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery.
Managing Director Eric Bunge resigns from the Commonweal Theatre in Lanesboro, upon the request of the Board of Directors.
So what do you think was the biggest arts story of the year? Share your thoughts in the comments section. And Happy New Year!
What are you doing New Year's Eve?
Posted at 3:15 PM on December 29, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Events
Everybody likes to come out with a guide to New Year's Eve events. Well for me, that would be just a tad overwhelming, so instead I thought I'd take it up a level, and provide you with a "guide to the guides" - scroll and pick below to check out the various lists put out by local media outlets. And while you're at it, let us know what you're planning on doing on New Year's Eve...
Name your poison: The New Year's party guide
FYI - Tom Horgen's guide is broking down into "themed parties," "live music," "dance parties," "restaurants." "comedy" and "all you can drink."
Vita.mn's New Year's Eve guide, with its top ten picks and more
City Pages calendar for New Year's Eve
It's a typical City Pages calendar list, though look closely because some of the events aren't actually taking place on New Year's Eve itself (for example, "A Don't Hug Me Christmas Carol").
But Andrea Swenson has a New Year's Eve specific concert guide.
And, Coco Mault offers her ideas for an unusual ending to the year.
Music for the last night of the year
- Ross Raihala of the Pioneer Press gives his best bets for music gigs on NYE, broken down into some unusual categories.
A.V. Club's calendar listing for New Year's Eve
So what are you doing New Year's Eve?
Weekend outlook: Christmas-y
Posted at 11:40 AM on December 24, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Events
Looking for some family fun that captures the holiday spirit this weekend? Check out the following...
Experience A Victorian Christmas at the Ramsey House in Saint Paul, in which the 11,000-square-foot home is bedecked in 1870s ornaments, an enormous tree and lots of garlands. Hour-long tours led by costumed guides incorporate tidbits from family letters and diaries, while elegant music is played on the 1875 Steinway piano and a costumed Ramsey servant serves freshly baked Christmas cookies.
Partake in African and African-American storytelling, fashion, dance and art this Sunday
as the Minnesota History Center hosts Kwanzaa Family Day. Beverly Cottman tells stories of tricksters and folk heroes, Fatawy Sayibu and the Tiyumba Dance Company sing, dance and drum, and Ta-Coumba Aiken leads families in making "voice of unity" art projects to take home.
Wonder what it would be like to prepare for the holidays as a wealthy railroad magnate at the turn of the century? Have we got the tour for you! Visit the James J. Hill House for its annual Hill House Holidays, which brings to life the bustle and excitement of a Gilded Age Christmas. Costumed actors portray people who worked for the Hill family, and the script is based on letters and oral histories of people who worked for the Hill family during the first decade of the 20th century.
*The Depot Rink*
It's fun, it's romantic, and it's warm in the winter. Named one of the top ten best places in the United States to ice skate by the USA Today and MSNBC, The Depot Rink is a historic Downtown Minneapolis train shed that now houses a modern-day, indoor rink with floor-to-ceiling glass walls showcasing views of the downtown city skyline. Hours this weekend: Christmas eve - 10am - 6pm, Christmas Day noon - 10pm, Sunday 10am - 9pm
Looking for a more low-brow holiday get-together? Trailer Trash performs it's annual "Trashy Little Xmas Show" at Lee's Liquor Lounge on Saturday night, starting at 9pm. (Not appropriate for the little ones)
Happy Holidays!
Weekend outlook: 50/50
Posted at 3:02 PM on December 17, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Events
Charles Sheeler, Buildings at Lebanon, 1949
Part of the Walker Art Center's "50/50" exhibition
The Walker Art Center presents 50/50 - a print show organized in part by votes from the public, and in part by a staff curator. Artists include Chuck Close, Kiki Smith and Charles Sheeler.
While you're at the Walker, check out the free screening of David Wojnarowicz' "Fire in my Belly" - and click here to read about the video surrounding the controversy.
Rosemary Williams is obsessed with stuff. Particularly her stuff. Her latest show at the Soap Factory consists of a series of films documenting every single thing she owns. Each room in the gallery focuses on a different room in her house, and explores our fascination with objects, from the monumental to the mundane.
Looking for something a little more kid-friendly? Zenon Dance Company presents "The Nutcracker According to Mother Goose" at the Southern Theater. 45-minute matinees are just right for the little ones.
Don't forget to check the December Holiday guide for more ideas...
So, what are you doing this weekend?
Art Hounds: Chinese fashion, The Shiny Lights, and a feast at Fezziwig's
Posted at 7:00 AM on December 16, 2010
by Chris Roberts
(2 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, FashionAdd category, Music, Theater
The hounds hunt down an exhibition about Mao suits and modern Chinese fashion, a veteran rock band that resurrects a '70s sound, and "The Christmas Carol" re-told by the family Scrooge clerked for as a young man.
Sonya Berlovitz, who designs costumes for local theater companies, had her curiosity roused by the Goldstein Museum of Design's latest exhibition, "Mao to Now: Chinese Fashion from 1949 to the Present." Sonya says it offers a fascinating look at, among other things, the evolution of the iconic Mao suit. Plus, it showcases Chinese designers who are making a splash in global fashion right now. It's at the University of Minnesota through January 17.
Twin Cities Daily Planet arts editor Jay Gabler was on the receiving end of some Victorian Christmas cheer when he went to see "Fezziwig's Feast," put on by the Actors Theater of Minnesota at Wigington Hall on Harriet Island in St. Paul. It's a re-telling of "The Christmas Carol" from the point-of-view of Scrooge's benevolent former employer, Old Fezziwig and his family. A roasted pork and butternut squash soup dinner comes with the ticket. It runs through this Sunday.
Minneapolis songwriter and Frank Randall has a lot of respect for veteran musicians who rage against the dying of the light and continue to make great music for music's sake. That's how Frank describes members of The Shiny Lights, who include such local notables as John Eller, Chris Lynch, Steve Price and Noah Levy. The Shiny Lights will unleash their epic '70s sound and unveil a new CD with gigs at The Fine Line tomorrow, The Varsity Theater on Dec. 23 (CD release show) and the Aster Cafe on Dec. 30th.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Closings continue Sunday
Posted at 9:30 AM on December 12, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
With mountains of snow heaping high and the roof of the Metrodome collapsing, it's pretty clear that we're still dealing with the affects of yesterdays blizzard, and will be all day. In light of that, some institutions are extending their closures through Sunday.
As per yesterday, send me your news and I'll update this post accordingly.
2:02pm - Romantica's show at The Cedar originally scheduled for tonight has been postponed to tomorrow night at 8pm.
12:48pm - Rockstar Storytellers say they are a go for the Minneapolis Theatre Garage tonight.
12:45pm - Due to storm Wing Young Huie is postponing his photo sale from the University Avenue Project to January.
Noon - LandmarkCenter reports The Holiday Sweet Shop event is postponed due to snow removal.
Science Museum of MN tweets: "Did you purchase tickets online or by phone for yesterday or today & didn't make it? Call us at (651) 221-9444 - we'll take care of you."
The Guild Of Oriental Dance hafla WILL take place tonight at the Jawaahir Studios.
10:59am Park Square Theatre reports: "Sunday matinee of 2 Pianos / 4 Hands is on. Please don't take any undo risks to attend - we can easily exchange your tickets for another performance. The ticket office number is 651-291-7005."
10:07am - Commonweal Theatre in Lanesboro has canceled both its matinee performance and its scheduled volunteer party.
10:01am - Santaland Diaries matinee at Hennepin Stages is ON
9:51am - Minneapolis Institute of Arts is closed today.
9:46am - planning on going to church or some other house of worship? You might want to check and see if they're open. Some have canceled services.
9:42am - since many artists and art lovers also love public transit, it's worth noting that buses are supposed to be back up and running starting at 10am.
9:37am - The Walker Art Center is back to its regular schedule. 11-5 Sunday, Dec 12, plus British Television Ad Awards.
9:34am - SooVAC gallery in Minneapolis is taking a snow day today.
9:32am - The Science Museum of Minnesota is opening at noon today.
This weekend's performances of THE MATCH GIRL'S GIFT have been canceled. If you had reservations for these shows, please contact Padelford Riverboats at (651) 227-1100 during the next week to have your tickets moved to another date.
9:29am - Minnesota Children's Museum says it will be open until 5pm today.
9:18am - All Minnesota Historical Society sites and museums are closed today (Mill City Museum, James J. Hill House, Minnesota History Center, etc).
Black Dog Cafe in downtown Saint Paul has canceled tonight's edition of "Bongos and Berets"
Snow day cancellations
Posted at 10:58 AM on December 11, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(21 Comments)
Filed under: Events
At this point almost every performance in the Twin Cities has been canceled. While a few venues insist they will continue performances as planned, they are willing to exchange tickets for those who are uncomfortable braving the weather. And really,IMHO, in this weather you shouldn't be attending a performance unless it's within walking distance of your house. And you own sled dogs.
4:37pm - this from First Avenue: Tonight's show is happening, but for those who can't make it, they've scheduled a second performance tomorrow at 6pm, at which they will honor tickets for tonight's show, until they reach capacity.
4:24pm Hennepin Theatre Trust website is still down, but their Facebook account reports: "Today's ticket holders who can't make it please call our box office at 612.339.7007 for exchanges. We are experiencing record call volume."
4:18pm - Gremlin Theater's production of "Burn This" is canceled.
4:12 Ballet of the Dolls cancels CinderFella at the Ritz Theater
4:07 - folks with Doomtree say the Blowout at First Avenue is ON.
FYI - I've been checking the Hennepin Theatre Trust website for the latest on the Lorie Line concert tonight... right now the HTT website is DOWN, which indicates to me many ticket holders are looking for that same info. The last word on Lorie Line's website says the show is still on... but that post was time-stamped 11am.
3:52 pm: According to the Ordway's website, it still plans to go on with tonight's performance of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" - but people can exchange their tickets.
Joking Envelope has canceled tonight's performance of SUPER-POWERED REVENGE XMAS #1 at Minneapolis Theatre Garage. According to Joseph Scrimshaw on Twitter, "we'll honor our $10 #blizzardpeople deal for Thurs, Dec 16 show."
Huge Theater has canceled all shows tonight: Ka-Baam, Splendid Things, and Blueprov.
The Klingon Christmas Carol at Landmark Center is canceled.
Brave New Workshop has canceled both of tonight's performance of "Brett Favre's Christmas Spectacular II: The Second Coming."
Minnesota Orchestra has canceled tonight's performance of Handel's Messiah.
Santaland Diaries has canceled both performances tonight at Hennepin Stages.
Fitzgerald website now says tonight's performance by Peter Ostroushko is CANCELED.
This weekend's performances of THE MATCH GIRL'S GIFT have been canceled. If you had reservations for these shows, please contact Padelford Riverboats at (651) 227-1100 during the next week to have your tickets moved to another date.
Children's Theatre has now decided to cancel today's 7:30 performance of A Christmas Story due to the weather. Anyone with a ticket can contact the box office and they will happily exchange it.
History Theatre has canceled tonight's performance of The Christmas Schooner.
HoliDazzle is canceled.
Zenon Dance Company and School has canceled all Saturday dance classes, the company audition, and the Dance Zone Fall Showcase performance for Dec 11. Classes and the Zone show will resume on Sunday.
Jungle Theater is canceling tonight's performance of Fully Committed.
Ann Reed performance at Riverview Cafe and Wine Bar is canceled.
Tonight's concert of the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus has been canceled.
Pillsbury House Theatre is canceling its "Naked Stages" performance for this evening.
Fox Tax Gallery's "These are a few of our favorite things" show opening reception has been moved to next Friday.
Guthrie announces Saturday evening's performances (Dec 11) of The 39 Steps and A Christmas Carol HAVE BEEN CANCELED.
Canadian Pacific "Holiday train stops" are still a go for four locations in the Twin Cities
National Lutheran Choir has canceled tonights show, and will instead perform at the Basilica of St. Mary on December 14, 8 PM
Park Square has reversed it's earlier decision and is CANCELING tonight's performance of Two Pianos, Four Hands, since so many people called in to exchange their tickets.
Hennepin Theatre Trust's website (home of the State, Orpheum and Pantages theaters) states "All performances for Saturday, December 11, 2010 will occur as scheduled."
Children's Theatre Director Peter Brosius writes "while the shows at CTC are on and audiences are coming, if people are not comfortable we will gladly exchange their tickets no questions asked, no problem, they just need to call the box office."
The Santaland Diaries performances tonight at Hennepin Stages (7 and 9:30pm) are NOT canceled.
Youth Performance Company writes: "For the safety of our patrons & performers, we have had to cancel today's performances of A Winnie the Pooh Christmas Tail
Both performances, 4 & 7:30 pm are canceled.If you have tickets for either performance, please contact us at 612-623-9080 to reschedule. Sorry for the inconvience."
"Mary Loves Joseph" at Mixed Blood Theater is canceled tonight.
Old Log Theater canceled for tonight.
VocalEssence performance in Stillwater is CANCELED.
Southern Theater adds it's also canceling tonights performance of the U of M Dance Department - "Continuously Rich" - in addition to today's matinee.
Childrens Theatre Company reports both Robin Hood and A Christmas Story are ON today.
The SPCO has decided to cancel tonight's performance at the UCC Church on Summit Avenue that was to have been at 8:00 PM.
Katie McMahon's "Celtic Christmas" at The O'Shaughnessy on the St. Kate's St. Paul campus has been rescheduled to Dec. 22, 7:30 p.m. Tickets to tonight's performance will be honored. Call the O'Shaugh Box office if you have questions: 651-690-6700.
SteppingStone Theatre has canceled both performances for today.
Laura Stack's artist talk at Rosalux Gallery has been canceled.
Minnesota Orchestra called to report it has canceled its 2pm concert of "A Scandinavian Christmas."
In the Heart of the Beast Puppet & Mask Theatre has canceled the two performances today of LA BEFANA - 3pm and 7pm.
The American Swedish Institute will be closing early today, at 1 p.m. The ASI Lucia performance at Augustana Lutheran Church scheduled for 2:30 p.m. today has been canceled.
The Walker Art Center, the MIA, the Science Museum of Minnesota and the Minnesota Children's Museum are all closed today. In addition, the Minnesota History Center and all its satellite operations (Mill City Museum, James J Hill House, etc) are closed.
History Theater has canceled this afternoon's performance of The Christmas Schooner, and Mila Vocal Ensemble has canceled its performance tonight.
The Varsity Theater will reschedule its concert with Langhorne Slim.
Chanhassen Dinner Theatre has canceled its matinee performances.
Stages Theatre Company is going on with its 1pm show, but has canceled its 7pm performance of Junie B in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells.
Open Eye Figure Theatre canceled the 2:30 performance of the Holiday Pageant.
Rosetown Playhouse's Saturday evening performance of The Christmas Carol at Roseville Area Middle School is canceled.
Playwrights' Center tweets that the Casa Cushman reading is canceled, due to "snow insanity."
Weekend outlook: all hands on board
Posted at 1:57 PM on December 10, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Events
Peter Vitale and Michael Pearce Donley star in Park Square Theatre's "Two Pianos, Four Hands"
There's much to do this weekend, both holiday related and not...check out my post on holiday offerings in December to get your Christmas and Hannukah fill, and keep reading here for other options...
Park Square Theatre presents 2 Pianos 4 Hands; Ted and Richard are piano whiz kids with stars in their eyes. Working toward their dream, they begin to realize the difference between "very good" and "great." Two very talented men fill the stage with everyone from pushy parents to eccentric teachers while playing everything from Bach to Jerry Lee Lewis.
U of M dance students explore the choreography of black women in "Continuously Rich: Dance Revolutions 2010" at the Southern Theater. Featuring works by Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Nora Chipaumire and Makeda Thomas.
Join Mila Vocal Ensemble for an evening of traditional holiday music, featuring the powerful harmonics of a variety of Eastern European countries.
Music, performance art, choreography, and video combine to form Purest Spiritual Pigs' The Swine Show at Bryant Lake Bowl. Artists include: Cody Bourdot, Jaime Carrera, Alicia Dvorak, Sarah Gordon, Natasha Hassett, Tyler Jensen, Jeffry Lusiak, Raymond Rea, Heather Spear, and Helena Thompson.
MCAD presents the Twin Cities Dance Film Retrospective, an intimate look at the history of dance film in the Twin Cites and features a variety of works created by local pioneers in the field. A pre-screening artist talk will be hosted by arts journalist and dance critic, Lightsey Darst, on December 11 at 6:30 p.m.
So what are you doing this weekend?
Art Hounds: Mila, Albert Park, and a choreography retrospective
Posted at 7:00 AM on December 9, 2010
by Chris Roberts
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Dance, Events, Music
The hounds lead us to a group of women vocalists raising their voices in Eastern European song, an artist enclave in and around the smallest dedicated park in the country, and a choreographer who's putting more than 30 years of work on display at Studio 206.
(Want to be an art hound? Sign up!)
As a member of the Swedish vocal group Flickorna Fem, Nina Clark has a deep appreciation for music from other cultures. One of Nina's favorite choral groups is the Mila Vocal Ensemble, which draws from the musical traditions of 30 countries, most notably Eastern European music. Mila will present a holiday concert Friday at Unity Church in St. Paul and Saturday at the United Theological Seminary in New Brighton.
Choreographer Kristin Van Loon considers herself a Laurie Van Wieren groupie in some ways. That's why you'll find her at "Who Made These Videotapes," a concert that functions as a retrospective of veteran Minneapolis choreographer Laurie Van Wieren's 30 years of innovative, idiosyncratic work. You can see and absorb "Who Made these Videotapes" Dec. 9,10 & 11 at 8pm, at Studio 206 in the Ivy Building for the Arts in Minneapolis.
St. Paul area writer Melissa Doffing would agree that West St. Paul's Albert Park, the country's smallest dedicated park according to "Ripley's Believe It or Not," seems like an unlikely location for an arts festival. But Melissa plans to rendevous with the artists of Albert Park beginning at 6pm tonight at Amore Coffee to celebrate the neighborhood's lively cultural scene. There will be a reading of a memoir inspired by the park, and music from the Albert Park Trio.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Weekend outlook: on ice
Posted at 12:37 PM on December 3, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Events
"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?
Art Hounds: Hip Harlem, Toys in the Attic and a night of dance
Posted at 7:00 AM on December 2, 2010
by Chris Roberts
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Dance, Events, Music, Printmaking
The hounds follow their art-sensitive noses to a show by, for, and about toys, an exploration of the Harlem Renaissance led by a centenarian and a nonagenarian, and an unforgettable evening of dance.
Custom toys and toy-inspired posters will fill Gallery 122 in Minneapolis on Friday, December 3 and Chris Cloud couldn't be more excited. Chris, the executive creative director of MPLS.TV, says his childhood flashes before his eyes when he takes 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.
Judith Brin Ingber is a dancer, teacher and writer in the Twin Cities who has very high regard for "Take Me Back to Hip Harlem," Dec. 4th and 5th At Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis. It features local dancer Ida Arbeit, who'll be turning 101 on Saturday the 4th, 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.
Performance artist and director Melissa Birch says members of the Twin Cities dance scene are holding an all-day party at the Southern Theater on Saturday Dec. 4th for a very important cause. It's a benefit to raise money for longtime dancer and mentor Krista Langberg and her husband Terry Chance. Both have been diagnosed with cancer in the last two years and have two daughters. The event will feature live music during the afternoon from Adam Levy and friends, and a concert that evening showcasing the finest in Minnesota modern dance, including members of Zenon Dance Company, Morgan Thorson, Hijack, Matthew Janzceski and Mad King Thomas.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Photo of Chris Cloud taken by Robb Long.
Your guide to holiday shows
Posted at 4:01 PM on December 1, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(4 Comments)
Filed under: Events
Celebrate the season with Penumbra Theatre's "Black Nativity"
Happy December! For many, the month is a bit of a rush, filled with shopping, parties, present-wrapping, and high standards for family togetherness.
If you're considering taking in a performance as part of your festivities, look no further. What follows is a compendium of plays, music concerts and dance productions that could fill up every evening of an Advent calendar. And if you see something missing, of course feel free to pipe up in the comments section.
If you do find a show that interests you, click on the link provided to find out more about dates and tickets - some of these shows are for one or two nights only, early in the month.
Happy Holidays!
Dance
Great Russian Nutcracker
This weekend only, the Moscow Ballet presents this classic holiday chestnut at the State Theater.
The Nutcracker
At Bloomington Center for the Arts, presented by Continental Ballet
This weekend and next Continental Ballet company director Riet Velthuisen presents her own reworking of the dance.
Cinderfella
At Ritz Theater, produced by Ballet of the Dolls
Yes you read that right - CinderFella. From the makers of "Nutcracker: Not So Sweet" comes a family-friendly holiday twist on the classic fairytale about a young man, and his evil stepmother and stepsons. Can they all live happily ever after?
Nutcracker
At the O'Shaughnessy Auditorium, presented by Ballet Minnesota
Ballet Minnesota presents a classic staging of the ballet that's become synonymous with the holiday season.
The Nutcracker According to Mother Goose
At the Southern Theater, presented by Zenon Dance Company
Looking for a Nutcracker that will keep your children entranced? Zenon Dance Company presents its annual holiday show "The Nutcracker According to Mother Goose," blending nursery rhymes with Tchaikovsky.
The Enchanted Toy Shop
At Concordia University in St. Paul, by Saint Paul City Ballet
This full-length ballet is based on La Boutique Fantasque first produced by Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. The Rossini score has been complimented by Tchaikovsky's Waltz Of The Snow Flakes and Waldteufel's Skater's Waltz.Saint Paul City Ballet Company dances the principal roles leading a cast of over 80 including the SPCB School Studio Company and students of SPCB School selected by audition.
Music
The Bad Plus
The Dakota
The Bad Plus returns to the Dakota for its annual Holiday gig celebrating its midwestern roots. But don't expect a line-up of Christmas tunes. For more yuletide fare check out these other Dakota performances: "Christmas with Alexander O'Neal," "Holiday in the Heartland w/Esera Tuaolo," and "Ronnie Spector's Best Christmas Ever."
The New Standards Holiday Concert
Fitzgerald Theater
This weekend only, the minimalist jazz trio The New Standards reinterpret many familiar holiday classics.
Holiday Harmonies
At Ted mann Concert Hall, presented by Twin Cities Gay Mens Chorus
Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus rings in the 30th season with its annual holiday concert in collaboration with Bells of the Lake hand bell choir. Our holiday concert will feature favorites like Deck the Halls, Silver Bells and Silent Night.
Chanukah: A Musical Celebration
At Sabes Jewish Community Center, performed by Twin Cities Jewish Chorale
The Twin Cities Jewish Chorale presents as its first concert of the 2010-2011 season a joyous, multigenerational treat: Chanukah: A Musical Celebration. The Chorale is a 35+ voice communitywide concert choir devoted to performance of the full range of Jewish music. They sing in Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino and English, and their eclectic repertoire includes ancient and modern, sacred and secular, rare gems and new compositions.
Christmas with Cantus
Various locations
Yes you can see them in "All is Calm" (listed under theater), but if you're interested in more contemporary sounds and less talking, check out "Christmas with Cantus" at various churches and chapels in the Twin Cities
Taste of the Holidays
Fitzgerald Theater, presented by MPR
MPR's own Steve Staruch hosts an evening filled with performances by some of the finest musical groups in the region, including the Copper Street Brass Quintet, Magnum Chorum, The Singers, Hiram Titus, Vecchione/Erdahl Duo and Dolce Winds.
The Christmas Music of Mannheim Steamroller
Orpheum Theater
This weekend only, Chip Davis and his cohorts in Mannheim Steamroller present tunes from the album that has sold over 9 million copies.
Theater
A Christmas Carol
Presented by the Guthrie Theater
This season the Guthrie presents a fresh, darker take on Dickens' ghost story, featuring a new adaptation by British playwright Crispin Whittell, a new set and costumes, aerial effects, and a cast of Guthrie favorites.
Black Nativity
Penumbra Theatre
Penumbra Theatre and TU Dance join forces to bring you this year's "Black Nativity" in which Grandma Walker and her children ring in the holiday season. Featuring contemporary gospel music performed by some of the best talent in town.
A Christmas Story
Presented by Children's Theatre Company
Loved the film? Just like the movie, the all-for fun family show includes playground bullies, soapy mouth-washings and a coveted BB gun.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
SteppingStone Theatre
In this SteppingStone favorite, The Herdmans - "the worst kids in the whole history of the world" - invade the Christmas pageant and everyone braces for complete disaster. When chaos erupts and the firemen arrive, even Reverend Hopkins is ready to cancel Christmas.
The Holiday Pageant
Open Eye Figure Theater
Open Eye rings in the season with its annual family-friendly holiday production, featuring puppetry, music by Victor Zupanc, all sorts of angels and devils, and even cookies and hot cider.
Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins
At Hillcrest Center Theater, presented by Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company
Hershel of Ostropol has been walking long and hard with growing anticipation for the Hanukkah holiday. But when Hershel arrives in Helmsbergville, the village is silent. Goblins have been preventing Hanukkah in Helmsbergville for years. Can this visitor help bring Hanukkah back?
The Christmas Schooner
History Theatre
A heart-warming musical about a German-American shipping captain and his crew who braved the icy waters of Lake Michigan to bring Tannenbรคume (Christmas trees) to the immigrant families of Chicago.
Fezziwig's Feast
At Wigington Hall on Harriet Island, produced by Actors Theater of Minnesota
Old Mister Fezziwig, the embodiment of the joy and happiness that is Christmas, invites you to his annual party in the Fezziwig Warehouse. This dinner theater production features a traditional Victorian feast, music, and a story written by Fezziwig's friend Charles Dickens.
Santaland Diaries
At Hennepin Stages, produced by Frank Theatre
Based on David Sedaris' acerbic observations of his experience working in Macy's SantaLand, Frank presents this alternative holiday classic in which "Crumpet the Elf" recounts his uproarious encounters during the height of holiday merriment.
Santaland Diaries
Produced by Theatre Limina at Bryant Lake Bowl
Three "elves" suffer through Christmas at Macy's Santaland: it's the anti-Christmas Carol by a master of cynical wit. See it again or go for the first time--but either way, be sure to get your tickets early! Featuring live original music by The Misfit Toys' Kyle DeLaHunt and Colin Kerns. Mature audiences only.
A Klingon Christmas Carol
At Landmark Center in St. Paul, presented by Commedia Beauregard
Scrooge has no honor, nor any courage. Can three ghosts help him to become the true warrior he ought to be in time to save Tiny Tim from a horrible fate? Performed in the Original Klingon with English Supertitles, and narrative analysis from The Vulcan Institute of Cultural Anthropology. It's the Dickens classic tale of ghosts and redemption adapted to reflect the Warrior Code of Honor and then translated into tlhIngan Hol (That's the Klingon Language).
All is Calm: Christmas Truce of 1914
Produced by Theater Latte Da and Cantus, at Pantages Theatre
The Western Front, Christmas, 1914. Out of the violence comes a silence, then a song. A German soldier steps into No Man's Land singing Stille Nacht. Thus begins an extraordinary night of camaraderie, music, peace.
Mary Loves Joseph: A Wonderful Love Story
At Mixed Blood Theatre, presented by PickaLine Productions
Mary and Joseph are your typical newlyweds until an Angel (on a mission to get his wings, of course) breaks the news to Mary that she is pregnant with the Son of God. Watch as Mary and Joseph's love for one another is tested as they prepare to not only be parents, but parents of the Messiah. As told by the narrator and host for the evening, God.
Miracle on 34th Street
Lyric Arts in Anoka
In the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, treat your family to a classic sure to inspire the spirit of the season. Revolving around Kris Kringle's experiences at Macy's, this is one department store stop you don't want to miss. Mr. Kringle believes he is the real Santa Claus. Because of a disenchanting encounter with cruel cynics Mr. Kringle is spurred on to prove himself.
Super-Powered Revenge Christmas #1
At Minneapolis Theater Garage, produced by Joking Envelope
In a dive bar on Christmas Eve, a disgruntled comic book writer fights with his collaborator (and ex-girlfriend) about his grand vision: a giant comic book reboot of Christmas, with its beloved icons reborn as superheroes. Written by Bill Corbett.
The Hardy Boys Save Christmas
At Bryant Lake Bowl, presented by Comedy Suitcase
From the creators of the top selling show of the 2009 MN Fringe Festival, The Harty Boys in The Case of the Limping Platypus, comes an all-new Harty Boys adventure. Join sibling detectives Fred and Jack Harty as they battle a Christmas hating criminal bent on destroying the Twin Cities' most precious holiday traditions.
A Christmas Carol - The Golden Girls Remix
At Bryant Lake Bowl, presented by Theatre Arlo
Dickens' timeless classic "A Christmas Carol," as you've always wanted it: Infused with the wondrous magic of the 1980s masterpiece "The Golden Girls." Join us on a Christian allegory-meets-flashback episode when Sophia--Sicily's original Scrooge--eats a bad bit of pastrami and, trapped in that tortured space between life and death, is visited upon by the spirits of Christmas past, present and future. As Blanche, Rose and Dorothy worry and eat and worry some more, the true meanings of Christmas and cheesecake are revealed.
Brett Favre's Christmas Spectacular II: The Second Coming
Brave New Workshop Theatre
Break from the family fumbles of the holiday season, and cheer as the all-star holiday line-up takes the field for Brett Favre's Christmas Spectacular II: The Second Coming.
Bingo Bonanza for the Holidays
Illusion Theater
Enjoy Miss R's usual holiday frolicks with a bingo twist.
A Don't Hug Me Christmas Carol
At Hennepin Stages
It's Christmas Eve in Bunyan Bay, Minnesota and cantankerous bar owner Gunner Johnson gets in an argument with his wife, Clara, tells her he's skipping Christmas, he storms out of the bar, goes snowmobiling across the lake, falls through the ice, and goes into a coma. What ensue is sorta like Scrooge's adventures in A Christmas Carol... only very different.
Going Postal
Bryant Lake Bowl
Spend the night with an arsenal of characters performed by Janelle Ranek, from
Char, singing the blues about a night gone wrong, to Drucilla and her Mother (goth/emo meets Mary Kay), and Mary "the cat lady" telling tales of cats and Jesus.
What are you doing to celebrate the holidays?
Weekend outlook: curious
Posted at 12:30 PM on November 19, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Children's Theatre Company presents "A Christmas Story"
Already in the mood for Christmas? There are several theaters ready to satisfy your craving. This weekend the perennial chestnut "A Christmas Carol" opens at the Guthrie Theater, featuring a new adaptation by British playwright Crispin Whittell.
The Children's Theatre Company is turning a movie classic into a stage show for kids. "A Christmas Story" complete with tacky lamp and BB gun, runs through December 31.
And if what you're really looking for is just a really good laugh at another person's expense, Brave New Workshop presents Brett Favre's Christmas Spectacular 2 - The Second Coming.
Think of is as an alternative to traditional Thanksgiving fare; Pangea World Theater presents "Curiosities" by Heid Erdrich. Curiosities moves between centuries to reveal how much contemporary American Indian identity is determined by history from the 1800's. The performance features dance, visual art, Ojibwe Hymn singing, contemporary and traditional American Indian music, and media to show how much the images of nearly 200 years ago haunt us today. This work is in honor of the Ojibwe men and women who died in Europe while traveling as "curiosities" on display and for American Indian artists and intellectuals who struggle with "performing Indian," still today. Performances run through Sunday at Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis.
There's lots of great dance on stage this weekend... at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis you can check out Zenon Dance Company show with world premieres by New York choreographer Colleen Thomas and the Uruguayan-born, Brooklyn based Luciana Achugar.
At the Northrop Auditorium, Emily Johnson of Catalyst Dance presents "The Thank-you Bar," a piece on displacement inspired by her memories of growing up in Alaska.
Over in St. Paul, TU Dance takes over the O'Shaughnessy Auditorium, with new pieces by Uri Sands, including "The Amusement of the Gods," a full-company piece examining rituals of worship from multiple points of view.ย ย "Long Way Back" reflects on being lost and finding one's way again. ย
So what are you doing this weekend?
Art Hounds: blue paint, Black Dub and acting prowess
Posted at 7:00 AM on November 18, 2010
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Music, Painting, Theater
Yves Klein, People Begin to Fly, 1961
Oil on paper on canvas 98-1/2 x 156-1/2 in.
Courtesy The Menil Collection, Houston ยฉ 2010 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris
This week's hounds treat us to a sparse production with powerful performances, drench us in brilliant guitar licks, and then roll us around in some blue paint for good measure.
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Mike Croswell, a St. Paul composer and sound designer, cannot wait to see his personal guitar hero when he comes to Minneapolis this week. Daniel Lanois gained fame as a producer for acts like U2, Peter Gabriel and Brian Eno, but he's a brilliant, thrilling performer in his own right. You can see him with his band Black Dub at the Cedar Cultural Center on Wednesday, Nov. 24.
Rachael Davies is an actor and administrator at Open Eye Figure Theatre. She plans on taking advantage of the opportunity to see Ten Thousand Things' latest production, "Life's a Dream" at Open Book. This theater company usually performs at jails, homeless shelters and other places where they can reach those who may not have access to the arts. She loves how their minimalistic productions showcase the acting prowess of the company.
Kaywin Feldman, director and president of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, has a big crush on Yves Klein (yes, she's holding a container of the hue of blue paint that he developed). She fell in love with him all over again at the Yves Klein: With the Void, Full Powers exhibition at the Walker Art Center. It includes over 200 of his pieces that feature drawing, sculpture, film and naked bodies in blue paint. The show will be up through Feb. 13.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Weekend outlook: sweet
Posted at 12:02 PM on November 12, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Interact Center for Visual and Performing Arts presents "Life is Sweet"
Sometimes it takes hanging out with someone special to remind you that "Life is Sweet." Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts presents a work that does just that, featuring its many talented performers who just happen to have an extra chromosome. "Life is Sweet" is a reworked 15th century morality play about a man who is visited by "virtues" (such as "friend," "lovers," "warrior") as he prepares for his death. In the show, all the virtues are performed by actors with Down Syndrome. Director Tod Peterson says he came up with the idea for the production when he heard the shocking statistic that 90% of expectant parents who discover their unborn babies have Down Syndrome terminate the pregnancy.
Interested in brushing up on your art history in the company of an oh-so-sociable Japanese kitten? "Hello Masterpiece" at the Burnett Gallery in Minneapolis features artist Leslie Holt's recreations of famous paintings in miniature, accompanied by a little Hello Kitty image. Are the masterworks lessened by the appearance of "Hello Kitty?" Or is "Hello Kitty" suddenly legitimized by hanging out with the greats of art history? You decide.
Oh and if you're a big fan of the White Album, you may want to make a trip to Fargo/Moorhead to visit the Plains Art Museum, which is currently showing The White Album: The Beatles Meet the Plains. The exhibition allows you to listen to songs from the White Album while contemplating artwork selected to pair with the music.
Lionel Popkin, an alum of the Trisha Brown Dance Company, presents "There is an elephant in this dance" at the Southern Theater. The work plays off an overlarge elephant costume to suggest how an individual body can hold multiple histories and divergent cultural identities.
Brave New Workshop Theatre presents its holiday sketch comedy show "Brett Favre's Christmas Spectacular II: The Second Coming" - billed as a "break from the family fumbles of the holiday season"
Ever dreamt of running away to join the circus? Now that you're all grown up you might want to run on over to Old Arizona Theater to take in Cabaret Zirkus. Blue Phoenix Circus Troupe presents an evening of 1930s-styled German cabaret, intended for "mature audiences only."
So what are you doing this weekend?
Looking at how people walk the Walker
Posted at 3:00 PM on November 12, 2010
by Euan Kerr
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Filed under: Events, Museums
With all its twists, turns, and unusual angles, navigating the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis is never straightforward. It's a deliberate choice in the design.
However for the last 18 months or so the museum has been exploring how to make visiting a more pleasant, or at least accessible experience for patrons with additional challenges.
Courtney Gerber, who sports the title of 'assistant director of education, tour programs' says the Walker has been using a two year grant from the Met Life Foundation to explore whether its tours and hands-on art-making experiences are accessible to anyone who wants to use them.
Gerber says the grant is intended for programmatic improvements more than physical change, but the Walker knows that for people to feel accepted and welcomed in the building they need to be physically comfortable the moment they walk in.
So the museum bought lightweight but strong gallery stools which people can use to rest as they move through, or can even carry them along.
"When you are in our galleries there tends to be an echo," Gerber says. "So we were able to purchase assisted-listening devices for those who are hard of hearing and just need a little extra amplification."
This particular development will likely interest attendees at the latest in a series of meetings which occurs Saturday. People with hearing difficulties are invited to an open house to learn what the Walker has done so far, but also to make suggestions.
"The goal is really we want to offer people what they want, not what we think they want," Gerber says. "So their feedback is invaluable."
The event is free, but patrons need to register in advance to help with planning. The event includes a light lunch, and a tour of the recently opened Yves Klein exhibit.
Gerber says she's been very happy with the project, and at how it's been embraced by the members of the public already involved.
"I think often when we are working on a project we forget to open up the lines of communication and ask the people who it is most readily going to effect, and just by inviting people in for conversation, the reception has been outstanding," she says.
One particular success has been "Contemporary Journeys," a program the Walker developed for people with Alzheimers and their caregivers. Gerber says she believes it's provided a new and relaxing experience.
"So there is somewhere where they can go and talk about something other than their disease and really be an active participant in life in a community," she says. "Just seeing the positive effects that an art museum can have on the lives of people living with that particular disease really, really blew me away. It was enlightening."
When I pointed out that many able-bodied people find the new Walker Annex a challenge, Gerber acknowledges the subject has come up at every session. She says they are looking at that issue too.
"At the moment because we don't have funding to physically change the building, we are working hard with people oh how we can better articulate paths through the building."
Ultimately, Gerber says, the Walker will have an accessibility guide, and she will develop curricula which she plans to share with other museums.
"Accessible design is good for everyone," she says.
Art Hounds: Autistic License, The 39 Steps and hues of blue
Posted at 7:00 AM on November 11, 2010
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Photography, Theater
A play that delves into the rigors and rewards of raising a child with autism, a photographer who makes eerie collages that look like blueprints, and a Hitchcock spoof at the Guthrie are all grabbing the hounds attention this week.
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Jane Strauss is a photographer with an intimate understanding of autism. Jane and her partner have Asperger's Syndrome, as do four of their children. Her 13-year-old son is autistic. So she's very anxious to see local playwright Stacey Dinner-Levin's play about a family with an autistic child called "Autistic License." It's at Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul through Nov. 15.
Wendy Knox may make a citizen's arrest when she goes to the Guthrie to see "The 39 Steps." She says two of the play's stars, Jim Lichscheidl and Luverne Seifert, shouldn't be allowed to be on the same stage in a furiously paced comedy that requires them to be in drag and make dozens of costume changes. Why? Because of the mayhem that will result. "The 39 Steps" is a spoof of the whodunnit Hitchcock film classic of the same name. It runs through Dec. 19th.
Megan Vossler has become an admirer of photographer Sean Smuda's work. Megan, a visual artist who teaches at MCAD and Macalester College, took in Smuda's "Blueprint Series" on the exposed brick walls of 801 Lofts in Minneapolis. The 3x4.5 foot photographic collages depicting surreal, post-industrial landscapes and objects, resemble blueprints in shades of gray and blue. The show is up in the 801 Lofts' three story atrium until Feb. 11.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Weekend outlook: farcical
Posted at 11:00 AM on November 5, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Luverne Seifert (the house maid) and Sarah Agnew (the corpse) are two of the four actors taking on 150 roles in "The 39 Steps" at the Guthrie Theater
Looking for spy thriller filled with comedy, hat tricks and over the top camp? Get thee to the Guthrie! The 39 Steps is a fast-paced whodunit featuring four great actors playing more than 150 characters. The hijinks of Jim Lichtscheidl and Luverne Seifert steal the show.
The Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul and Minnesota Film Arts present an Asian Film Festival, showing 36 films, including "Open Season," a look at the 2005 homicide conviction of Hmong refugee Chai Vang for the shooting of eight hunters in Wisconsin. The festival runs through November 13 at St. Anthony Main.
Northrup King Studios in Minneapolis present their annual Art Attack, presenting the work of 200 artists in one building. This year includes the exhibition "Nature of Ice," artwork exploring the ephemeral beauty of ice in nature. The studio open house runs Friday, November 5, 2010 5:00-10:00 PM, Saturday, November 6, 2010 Noon - 8:00 PM and Sunday, November 7, 2010 Noon - 5:00 PM.
If the world told you you were destined to fail, would you be able to rise above it and succeed? That's the question posed by the play Life's A Dream, presented by Ten Thousand Things theater company. A young prince is born, but the stars predict he will grow up to be a monster. But "a dream" teaches him to be more. Performances run at MN Opera Center November 5-7, and at Open Book November 12-14 and 19-21.
May I take your reservation? Nathan Keepers reprises his role - roles, actually - in "Fully Committed" at the Jungle Theater in Minneapolis. In the course of an evening he takes on 40 different personalities, from scheming socialites and name-dropping wannabes, to fickle celebrities and egomaniacal bosses, all demanding a table at Manhatten's hottest restaurant. Through December 19.
It's not easy raising a kid with autism. Stacy-Dinner Levin shares the story of her struggle, and the rewards that come with it, in "Autistic License." The twist? In this production, her son Geordy plays himself. Performances run through November 14 at Gremlin Theater.
Cabinet of Wonders explores a family's story, navigating a grand and ruined legacy as it unearths an ever-shifting past of betrayals, performance and lies. Song, movement, puppet and objects combine in a powerful examination of life that is both alternately wicked and mordantly funny. Featuring Vera Mariner and Twin Cities' newcomer Pearce Bunting as the play's protagonists, sister and brother Christina and Leopold. Performances run through November 14 at Open Eye Figure Theatre.
What would have happened if Romeo and Juliet were brother and sister? The Classical Actors Ensemble presents "'Tis Pity She's a Whore," a story of forbidden love that dates back to 1633. Performances run through November 20 at the Walker Community Church.
So what are you doing this weekend?
Art Hounds: Blissful harmonies, a cabaret for improvisers and a solo tour-de-force
Posted at 7:00 AM on November 4, 2010
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Music, Theater
Nathan Keepers appears as Sam Peliczowski (and many others) in The Jungle Theater's FULLY COMMITTED: Nov. 5 - Dec. 19
This week's hounds sniff out a cabaret where improvisation rules, an actor 'fully committed' to over 40-roles and a pair of vintage country crooners who harmonize like they came out of the same womb...and they did.
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As an arts-based psychotherapist and music lover, Nancy Ruppenthal has a keen interest in jazz and new music. For Nancy, the annual Fall New Music Cabaret at Studio Z in downtown St. Paul is an autumnal highlight. It's sponsored by the ensemble Zeitgeist, and features a gathering of some of the best improvisers in the Twin Cities. The cabaret runs Nov. 4 - 6 and features three hours of live, local music each night.
"Fully Committed," a one man show at the Jungle Theater where the lead actor plays more than 40 parts, has drawn the intense interest of Danette Olson. Danette, executive director of St. Croix Festival Theatre, once directed the play herself, and is really anxious to see how actor Nathaniel Keepers tackles his role(s). The Jungle first staged it in 2002. You can see it Nov. 5 - Dec. 19.
St. Paul musician Peter Karman isn't shy about heaping praise on his favorite group in the world right now, the Cactus Blossoms. Peter says the brotherly duo incorporates exquisite Louvin Brother-style harmonies in its original songs and resurrect the sound of 1950s AM radio. The Cactus Blossoms will hold down happy hour at the 331 Club in Minneapolis, Monday, Nov. 8th, 6-7pm.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Weekend outlook: freaky fabulous
Posted at 9:30 AM on October 29, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(2 Comments)
Filed under: Events
Minneapolis Musical Theatre presents "Evil Dead: The Musical"
Your Halloween experience doesn't have to be limited to handing out free candy and going to a costume party; read on for artsy haunted house tours, creepy dance and spooky theater...
BareBones invites you to Carnetheria, a puppet spectacle that plumbs the deep and darkest depths of a dreamlike Carnival for all ages. Using larger-than-life puppets, shadow puppets, bike puppets, costumes, masks, song, dance, stilting, aerialism, fire artistry, and original music by a live orchestra, the BareBones Halloween Outdoor Puppet Extravaganza runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Hidden Falls Regional Park
Ever been to Soap Factory's Haunted Basement in Minneapolis? It's the haunted house tour of your youth, but this particularly brand of scary has some real artistic flair. Be prepared to sign a waiver at the door saying you won't sue anybody for the horrors you are about to experience. And we won't blame you if you end up crying "uncle!"
Dark, dank, and filled with dramatic history... there's nothing like the underbelly of a theater to get you to believe in ghosts. Music Box Theatre presents "The Haunted Theater," billed as a haunted house tour/theater performance. Performances run 30 minutes. Check out the creepy video trailer on their website for a taste of what to expect.
Ballet of the Dolls choreographer Myron Johnson give the holiday a twist with "Whatever happened to... Swan Lake?" at Ritz Theater in Minneapolis. Continuing his pursuit of high drama and larger-than-life personalities, Johnson has created his own mash-up of "Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?" and "Swan Lake." It's billed as a dark tale of two sisters who let jealousy and career ruin their lives.
Love zombies? Minneapolis Musical Theater presents: "Evil Dead, The Musical." It's a campy horror/comedy featuring such delightful numbers as "Look who's evil now" and "Do the Necronomicon."
Minnesota Orchestra celebrates the 50th anniversary of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" this Saturday with a live soundtrack. Cue the violins for the shower scene!
Looking for a different type of haunting? Mixed Blood Theatre presents The House of the Spirits/La Casa de los Espรญritus, based on the novel by Isabel Allende. This production continues Mixed Blood's tradition of presenting bilingual shows, and is directed by the Guthrie Theater's Marcela Lorca.
So how are you going to celebrate All Hallow's Eve?
Art Hounds: Master quilters, provocative prints and a room full of funny
Posted at 7:00 AM on October 28, 2010
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Printmaking, Theater
An internationally-known artist brings his juxtaposed prints to Highpoint, a play about Alabama slave descendants and their glorious quilts is at Park Square, and top-notch Twin Cities improv artists congregate at the BLB. We'll let the hounds tell you why they're excited.
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Miles Mendenhall has high praise for "Skeleton Images Tossed by Chance" an exhibition of prints by Mexican artist Carlos Amorales at Highpoint Center for Printmaking in Minneapolis. Miles, a printmaker, installation artist, and finalist on Bravo TV's "Work of Art" reality show, says Amorales' work is simultaneously provocative and accessible, and immaculately presented at Highpoint. The show is on view through November 20.
Pamela Broz, Interim Director of Communications and Marketing at the Textile Center in Minneapolis, was thoroughly entertained by "Gee's Bend" at St. Paul's Park Square Theatre. It's a play about a group of master quilters in Gee's Bend, Alabama, who are descended from slaves and use their stunning quilts to connect with each other and the outside world. Maybe the fact that Pam is a quilter made her feel she was in familiar company. "Gee's Bend" runs through Nov. 7 at Park Square.
Have you been looking all your life for the funniest people in Minne...strike that...the funniest and most brilliant people in Minneapolis? Local improv artist and actor Tom Reed says they can be found on the Bryant Lake Bowl stage every Monday night at 8pm as part of "Show X!" Tom says it's an audience-fueled long-form improv show which can't be beat for hilarity, comic genius, and maybe even a little pathos.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Ordway adds a 'Sally' and looks for nominations outside the metro
Posted at 3:30 PM on October 26, 2010
by Euan Kerr
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Arts management, Events, People
Patricia Mitchell says one of the best parts of her job is when she serves as a "one person prize patrol."
As President of the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts she gets to drive around Minnesota to quietly tell the winners of the annual Sally Awards that they should turn up to the gala celebration in March. Then she has to swear them to secrecy.
To complicate matters, she also has to ask them if there are any friends who should get invitations to the gala, although again there can only be a hint as to why.
"We have a little slip that goes into the invitation that says 'This invitation is sent to you at the request of one of this year's honorees.' And Wendy Lehr, who was honored the year before last, said 'The women in my bridge club kept saying they'd got this invitation, and they just couldn't figure out why,'" Mitchell laughed.
Mitchell is out beating the bushes for a couple of reasons this year. First of all there is a new Sally, the Legacy award.
"There have been until now four category of awards: for vision, committment, initiative and education. And this year inspired by the Legacy Amendment, we have decided to add an award specifically to reward individuals or programs that increase the access to the arts for people in Minnesota."
So what does that mean?
"Well, the interesting thing is you get other people's ideas as to what access means," she responds." When I think of it, it's ways to connect people and arts experience, either by giving them direct experience of practicing art, or witnessing it, or listening to it or participating in it. Anything that brings people and art together is increasing access in our book."
Mitchell is also getting the word out that she's looking for nominations from all over the state of Minnesota. The Sallys have always had a healthy metro representation, but she knows there is great art going on all over the state.
Nominations are open now through November 15th. Mitchell stresses anyone can make a nomination, and you can nominate yourself, (as people have already done.) The awards ceremony is March 22nd, but Mitchell will have been on the road on her secret trip before that.
"So if you get a mysterious invitation, come," she laughs again.
Weekend outlook: haunted
Posted at 10:08 AM on October 22, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Events
Walk this way for a ghost filled tour...
Dark, dank, and filled with dramatic history... there's nothing like the underbelly of a theater to get you to believe in ghosts. Music Box Theatre presents "The Haunted Theater," billed as a haunted house tour/theater performance. Performances run 30 minutes. Check out the creepy video trailer on their website for a taste of what to expect.
Looking for a different type of haunting? Mixed Blood Theatre presents The House of the Spirits/La Casa de los Espรญritus, based on the novel by Isabel Allende. This production continues Mixed Blood's tradition of presenting bilingual shows, and is directed by the Guthrie Theater's Marcela Lorca.
This weekend is perfect for art lovers who enjoy gallery-hopping on opening nights. Tonight Groveland Gallery presents two exhibitions by Meg Ojala and Carol Lee Chase, while Gallery13 presents "Perishable Realities." On Saturday, Stevens Square Center for the Arts presents "Off Center," its annual member exhibition.
Pillsbury House Theatre presents the latest installment of its "Non-English Speaking Spoken Here" performance series, featuring New York slam poet Ainsley Burrows, local hip-hop legend Truthmaze, and performer Signe Harriday.
In the mood to move? The Ted Mann Concert Hall presents Zollar: Uncensored, a retrospective of sorts of the compelling choreography of Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, the founder of Urban Bush Women.
And finally it's the last weekend to see the sketch comedy/biography/tribute to the founder of Brave New Workshop, Dudley: Rigged for Laughter at the History Theatre in St. Paul
So what are you doing this weekend?
How to: get free or cheap tickets
Posted at 4:31 PM on October 21, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Events, Funding, How To
Whether or not we're still in a recession, we could all use a few more dollars in our pocketbook. To that end, I asked my Facebook friends in the arts community to offer their tips on getting out to see shows for cheap, or even better, for free. Here's a distillation of what they had to say:
1. Know what you want: If you have pretty specific tastes in theater or music, it's worthwhile getting to know the companies or venues behind them. That means getting on their mailing lists, "liking" their Facebook page (Cantus offers "flash sales" on their FB page 24 hours before concerts), subscribing to their Twitter feeds, or even calling them up. Ask them if they have special offers, or will trade comp tickets for volunteer time. While not all venues are big enough to warrant ushers, Amy Rummenie at Walking Shadow Theater Company advises they still might welcome help painting a set, or value a particular skill you have to offer. And remember, if you know you like the work of a particular theater, dance company or orchestra, you can often get deep discounts by buying a season package.
2. Keep your ear to the ground: Veteran "fringer" Scott Pakudaitis recommends checking out discount ticket sites like goldstar.com. In addition he says to buy a Fringe button, which will get you a discount to many shows all year round. Then subscribe to the MN Fringe Festival mailing list, to find out which shows are playing this weekend.
3. Be flexible: Great cultural events happen on Tuesday nights, too, you know. Be prepared to go at the last minute (rush!), at an odd time (the Schubert Club offers free concerts at the Landmark Center over the lunch hour), or in an unusual location (you can pay to see a Ten Thousand Things Theater production at Open Book, or see it for free at a homeless shelter, and have a completely different audience experience - try it, you might like it!).
4. "FREE" doesn't mean "mediocre:" Poet and musician Anna George Meek reminds us the Minnesota Sinfonia gives free concerts, usually at the Basilica and Metropolitan State University. Your local library can get you a free "Museum Adventure Pass" for your family to all sorts of cultural institutions. Check your nearest parks to find out what sort of events they're hosting, which can often include free theater performances and music concerts. The Minneapolis Insititute of Arts is always free... so are gallery openings. The Walker Art Center is free on Thursday nights. And as actor/playwright Joseph Scrimshaw points out, many theaters offer a "pay what you can" night; if your favorite theater doesn't, think about giving them a call and telling them you'd really appreciate the option.
5. Finally, (how can I resist?) - become an MPR member! Membership at MPR gets you access to all sorts of discounts to cultural venues all over the state. Further proof that your membership pays back dividends above and beyond what you hear on-air and what you read on-line.
Happy deal-hunting!
Art Hounds: Accordion-O-Rama, Flyway Film Fest, and a master abstract painter
Posted at 7:00 AM on October 21, 2010
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Film, Music, Painting
This week's hounds look beyond the Twin Cities for art, including a film fest on the shores of Lake Pepin, four accordionists on one stage in Zumbrota and an experimental painter in west central Minnesota.
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For local jazz writer Pamela Espeland, there can never be too many accordionists, even if it's on a small stage. Which is why she's plugging "Accordion-O-Rama," this Saturday, Oct. 23 at 7:30 at Crossings at Carnegie. Crossings at Carnegie is a refurbished former Carnegie Library in Zumbrota. "Accordion-O-Rama" will showcase the squeeze-box skills of Dan Newton, Simone Perrin, Patrick Harision, and Denny Malmberg.
Documentarian and 2010 McKnight Fellow for Filmmaking Dawn Mikkelson says you probably won't find the Hollywood star-making machinery at the Flyway Film Festival in Pepin and Stockholm, Wisconsin this weekend. But there will be a plethora of indie filmmakers and film enthusiasts from across the country to take in a festival that's generating a national buzz. The Flyway Film Festival contains 35 feature films and shorts from seven different countries and runs Oct. 21 - 24 in Pepin and Stockholm.
Artist Andrew Nordin, owner and operator of the New London residential gallery ARThouse (featured on Art Hounds just a few weeks ago), has more good news to report from west central Minnesota. A new gallery called ARTmeyerson is opening up in Atwater. Andrew's also thrilled with ARTmeyerson's inaugural exhibition, "Avant Garage, Four Decades of Art." It's a retrospective of noted regional painter Robert Mattson. The opening is Saturday, Oct. 23 from 7 - 10pm, with entertainment provided by Minneapolis blues legend Willie Murphy.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Twin Cities Book Festival foreshadows industry's future
Posted at 8:51 AM on October 18, 2010
by Luke Taylor
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Filed under: Books, Events
Attending the Twin Cities Book Festival gives an unobstructed view of an industry undergoing historic changes.
The tenth annual Twin Cities Book Festival, organized by the nonprofit Rain Taxi Review of Books, took place Saturday, Oct. 16, at Minneapolis Community and Technical College.
A standing-room crowd packed the festival's opening panel discussion about the transformations sweeping the publishing world. "Much has changed, but in ways that call upon us as people who love books to be better, to be more innovative, to think quicker and not to be afraid," said panel moderator Kevin Smokler, CEO of BookTour.com and editor of the anthology Bookmark Now: Writing in Unreaderly Times.
The appeal of books -- or good writing, more broadly -- appears as vibrant as ever. In the Twin Cities Book Festival exhibition space, 77 publishers, magazines, booksellers and arts organizations exhibited on tables alongside 36 individual authors with their own displays; cradled within the exhibition space was a massive used-book jumble sale. According to Rain Taxi board member Patrick McAvey, the event has grown steadily, increasing from about 1,000 people in its first year to more than 6,000 in 2009.
So what has changed? The panelists described the rise of independent presses, the decline of traditional gatekeepers such as major publishers and book reviewers, the advent of e-books and even the immense impact of social media such as Facebook and YouTube (because many books now have trailers, just like films).
"Here in the early decades of the 21st century, our collective problem as writers and as readers -- and most of all, as book lovers -- is not that the thing we love is vanishing, going away or becoming less important," Smokler said, "but there is simply too much of it. There is too much of it to decide how to spend one's time as a person who loves books and what to devote one's attention to."
Kevin Smokler
I asked Smokler if publishers are simply publishing too many books. "I don't think they're over-publishing books in aggregate," he said. "I think there are too many books that attention and care and time is not paid to. The system seems to be set up where there's one or two big titles a season that get all the publicity dollars. So it's a completely stacked deck. That seems, from a business standpoint, a silly way to promote books."
Author Tim W. Brown of Chicago said the proper response to the industry's changes is for readers to empower themselves to find good books and for authors to empower themselves to get their books into readers' hands.
Steph Optiz, membership director of the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses in New York, agreed. "I think an exciting change is the ability to self-publicize and market books," she said. "For a lot of authors, that's really important and a great way to get their work out to a wide audience."
Brian Landon is one such author. The murder-mystery writer from Blaine, Minn., says his publisher assists a lot with promotion, but Landon also maintains his own website and blogs through Amazon.com, in addition to attending traditional book-signings and reading events.
Author Brian Landon likes to meet new readers at the Twin Cities Book Festival.
Author Joseph Mbele embraces online technology to self-publish his books and sell them on demand. "Publish-on-demand is a good idea because you don't have 10,000 copies sitting in a warehouse waiting for buyers," he said. "A book is printed only when somebody orders it. This is the future of publishing, there's no doubt."
Loonfeather Press in Bemidji doesn't do print-on-demand, but it does use a digital press to produce smaller runs of books. "You don't have to print 1,000 books right away," said business manager Mary Lou Marchand. "You can try it out, see if it works. If you're starting to sell, then you can get a bigger run going. I think that's a real advantage for small presses."
Larger presses, such as North Star Press of St Cloud, are also minding their inventories. "We're not even printing hardcover right now, we're only doing paperback," explained Seal Dwyer, business manager at North Star. "And all our books are on Nook and Kindle, which is not hurting our book sales, but is adding to our total sales."
Julia Opoti and Leyla Warsame come to the festival to meet authors and to find rare or underappreciated books.
Amidst these various responses to so many industrial changes, author Andrew Ervin (whose debut novel Extraordinary Renditions was recently published by Coffee House Press) pointed out one immutable element. "The biggest challenge is still putting the words together," Ervin said. "That hasn't changed. Actually writing something that's worth reading. Maybe this is old-fashioned, but I think you have to write a good book, too."
Art Hounds: Brute Heart, Refugee Nation, and a critical mass of printmakers
Posted at 7:00 AM on October 14, 2010
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Music, Printmaking, Theater
"Unfinished Invasion," Lloyd Menard, 1976. The exhibition "Outstanding Printmaker: Lloyd Menard 1970 to Present" is at the College of Visual Arts as part of the Mid America Print Council Conference.
This week's hounds are following a new play about the "secret war" in Laos, a Twin Cities celebration of printmaking and a female chamber pop trio that haunts and seduces.
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Local actor Heidi Berg was impressed by the panoply of emotions she felt and education she received watching "Refugee Nation." The production probes the causes and aftermath of one of the tragic by-products of the Vietnam war-- the Laotian Civil War, also known as the "secret war." "Refugee Nation" was designed by two Twin Cities' Laotian actors after conducting extensive interviews within the Lao community. It's co-presented by the Lao Assistance Center, Pangea World Theater, and Intermedia Arts, where it's on stage through Oct. 17.
Colleen Sheehy drove all the way from Fargo to immerse herself in the Mid America Print Council Conference. As director of Plains Art Museum, Colleen's kind of on a scouting mission. This week (Oct. 13 - 16) the Mid America Print Council Conference is gathering the best print makers in Minnesota and around the country to exhibit and discuss their art and to conduct workshops. The conference (it's less stuffy than it sounds) is based at the University of Minnesota's Regis Center for the Arts.
Soozin Hirschmugl has fallen under the spell of Brute Heart. Soozin says the female chamber pop trio combines viola, bass, drums and keys with enmeshed, mesmerizing vocals to craft haunting, ethereal songs. Brute Heart joins Chastity Brown and Mayda in a show at the Kitty Kat Club this Saturday, Oct. 16.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Weekend outlook: soundly entertaining
Posted at 8:48 AM on October 8, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
David Byrne in "Ride Rise Roar," part of this year's Sound Unseen film festival.
There's a lot to look at this weekend...
Love music? Love movies? Then Sound Unseen is the film festival for you. Euan Kerr has this profile of one of the movies on offer.
In addition to the music/film festival taking place in Minneapolis, the St. Paul Art Crawl is invading the east side of the Mississippi, with more than 300 artists showing their work in venues all over the city.
Commedia Beauregard continues its "Masterworks" series at Bryant Lake Bowl this weekend with "The Louvre it or Leave it Show." CB asks playwrights to contemplate a particular work of art and then write a short play inspired by it. This time around the work is all drawn from a little Minneapolis museum.
Intermedia Arts and Pangea World Theatre present "Refugee Nation," a play about Laotian-Americans living in the thirty year wake of a U.S. led secret war in Laos. The show was created in part from interviews done in the Twin Cities. Check back later today for an in-depth post on the show.
Heading to Duluth this weekend for some fall color? Than might I suggest a stop at The Venue in the West End to check out "Evil Dead, The Musical." It's a campy horror/comedy featuring such delightful numbers as "Look who's evil now" and "Do the Necronomicon." Brought to you by Rubber Chicken Theater.
Thinking about getting a tattoo? Or, say 200 of them? This weekend the Hyatt Regency hosts the Minneapolis Tattoo Arts Convention, featuring suspension acts, burlesque, tattoo contests, an art gallery, 200 of the world's best tattoo artists and an appearance by the human canvas The Enigma.
Art Hounds: Haunted Basement, ARENA Dances and one-liners with line breaks
Posted at 7:00 AM on October 7, 2010
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Criticism, Events, Galleries, Poetry, Storytelling
This week the Hounds introduce us to a truly frightening haunted factory, an athletic dance company and the funniest man in Minneapolis.
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Betsy Maloney, a dance teacher at the Main Street School of Performing Arts, will be taking her students to see "not so good at standing still" by ARENA Dances. The company gets its name from the intersection of athletics and arts, and this is evident in their physical, kinetic style. There will three performances this weekend at the LAB Theater in MInneapolis, with a Q&A following Friday night's show.
For writer John Jodzio, there is no funnier man in Minneapolis than Brian Beatty. His very dry sense of humor is showcased in his "one-liners with line breaks." Beatty is a performer as much as a writer, sometimes showing up to readings in a bear costume. Beatty will be reading at Magers and Quinn this Saturday, along with poet John Tottenham.
Looking for a truly frightening experience to get you in the mood for Halloween? Videographer Ben McGinley highly recommends you pay a visit to the Haunted Basement at the Soap Factory in Minneapolis. This artist-designed haunted house contains shocks, but plays with your mind more than anything else. And don't worry -- you can always cry uncle if it gets to be too much. It's open every weekend through the end of the month.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Check out a theater for free
Posted at 12:43 PM on September 30, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events, Funding, Theater
Interested in seeing a show at a Minnesota theater, but worried it won't be worth the price of admission?
Well, now you have no excuses.
The Minnesota Theater Alliance has organized more than fifty theater companies across the state to offer free tickets for shows in the month of October, in what it's calling MN Free Night.
The only catch: you must be trying out a theater for the first time. So if you're in their database as having purchased tickets in the past, no deal.
Still, how many of us have actually been to fifty different theaters? There's sure to be something new for everyone.
While the majority of the theaters are - as you might expect - in the Twin Cities, there are also free performances to be found in Grand Rapids, Fergus Falls, Marshall, and Lanesboro.
Better act fast if you're interested - a quick check of the reservations site saw that many of the shows are already sold out... and reservations opened online only yesterday.
Addendum 13:05pm:
Just got off the phone with Minnesota Theater Alliance Program Director Leah Cooper, who added a few vital details.
1) The reason why so many shows have already been sold out is certain targeted groups were given a week to access tickets before the site was promoted to the general public. Those groups include people who are currently unemployed, recent college graduates and immigrants: i.e. people who probably don't have the means to attend theater regularly right now, but might be inclined to do so in the future if they had a positive experience (the goal of the project is to diversify theater audiences, after all).
2) Many theaters are staggering the release of their tickets to avoid what happened last year. What happened last year, you ask? Over 6,000 tickets were given away to Minnesotans in three hours, and the server to the website crashed. Whoops!
So in other words, keep checking the website throughout the month as more tickets become available.
Weekend outlook: bittersweet
Posted at 8:09 AM on October 1, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Minnesota History Center presents "Chocolate: The Exhibition"
Chocolate. Need I say more? Okay, fine: the Minnesota History Center is presenting an exhibition all about chocolate - it's history, how it's made, and its connection to both tropical rainforests and slavery. The exhibition opens this weekend with a big family day on Saturday from noon to 4pm, but the Twin Cities' Marathon is also this weekend, so plan your parking accordingly. (Also, if you want to learn more, tune in to Midday today at 11am - I'll be talking with the exhibition developer Gretchen Baker and local chocolatier B.T. McElrath.)
Love to collect art books, but don't have much room on the shelf? Jody Williams' creations are just right for you. Williams' books are often only a couple of inches tall, handmade, and often enclosed in equally cool miniature boxes. Many of her pieces are in the Walker Art Center's book collection, but you can see them up close this month at Form and Content Gallery in Minneapolis. Her current work features etchings of contemporary invertebrates and their fossil ancestors, and an accompanying series of specimen boxes.
Halloween is on the horizon, which means it's time to get creeped out at the Soap Factory's Haunted Basement in Minneapolis. It's the haunted house tour of your youth, but this particularly brand of scary has some real artistic flair. Be prepared to sign a waiver at the door saying you won't sue anybody for the horrors you are about to experience. What I want to know is - will there be creepy smells again this year?
Want to know what's really going on in Afghanistan? Then get thee to the Guthrie for an epic theatrical experience. Tricycle Theater presents Great Game: Afghanistan, in which key moments from the country's history are transformed into short plays. 12 plays are broken down into three evening's worth of entertainment, or if you wish, go on a Saturday or Sunday and immerse yourself in Afghani history and culture. For more information, check out Euan Kerr's story here.
Ahh, many of us have dreamed of getting a nice, fat inheritance from a doting Aunt. But what would you really have to go through to get it? Pillsbury House Theatre presents "Vigil," in which solitary misfit Kemp leaves his boring bank job to care for his dying aunt Grace. He hopes to quickly cash in on her will, but Grace isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
So, what are you doing this weekend?
Art Hounds: Julie Buffalohead, Lazerbeak, and the world's oldest story
Posted at 7:00 AM on September 30, 2010
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Music, Painting, Theater
This week's hounds look at unsettling art about childhood nostalgia, listen to new beats and rhymes from a Doomtree DJ, and soak up the oldest story in the world at the Southern.
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University of Minnesota theater and video professor Megan Lewis took her theater class to see Theatre Novi Most's "The Oldest Story in the World" at the Southern Theater, and they were enthralled. Megan calls this re-telling of the ancient epic of Gilgamesh, one of the hottest, sexiest productions she's experienced in a while. You have until this Sunday, October 3, to see it.
Will Lager says Julie Buffalohead's latest paintings at the Bockley Gallery in Minneapolis put him back in touch with his formative years in a somewhat unnerving way. Will, who serves as information and membership manager for High Point Center for Printmaking, says Buffalohead's use of iconic childhood images, such as Snoopy and a Tonka Truck, alongside fantastical forest creatures is funny and slightly dark at the same time. Buffalohead's work hangs on the Bockley walls through Oct. 16.
Egypto Knuckles, aka Ali Elabbady, has high praise for the latest record from the Doomtree Crew. "Legend Recognize Legend" is the debut release from behind the scenes player and Doomtree producer Laserbeak. Egypto says Lazerbeak, who's actually Aaron Mader, former guitarist for the now defunct Minneapolis indie band "The Plastic Constellations," combines rock melodies and sensibilities with hip hop beats to create a fresh sound.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Weekend Outlook: Epic
Posted at 8:09 AM on September 24, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Theatre Novi Most presents "The Oldest Story in the World" at the Southern Theater
Theatre Novi Most presents "The Oldest Story in the World," a new telling of the epic Gilgamesh. Called "Humanity's First Story," Gilgamesh was carved into 11 clay tablets around 1700 BCE--a thousand years before The Iliad. Based on a historical King who reigned in Uruk (present day Iraq) Gilgamesh, upon losing a dear and intimate friend, becomes obsessed with finding the key to immortality, and in so doing, goes places no human is meant to see. Performances run this weekend and next at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis.
Want to see some really big art? This Saturday marks the 14th Annual Art and Artists Celebration at Franconia Sculpture Park
with a daylong festival celebrating Franconia's artists, the new sculpture installations, and the community. There will be artist-led tours, dance, food, a graffiti project, live music and activities for the whole family.
Rochester Art Center celebrates five years of presenting new talent with "Vertical Currency." 20 emerging artists will take over the entire museum with their latest work.
Inspired by his seven-year collaboration with Walter Carter, a 102-year-old former sharecropper from the Mississippi Delta, Ralph Lemon's new four-part multimedia performance explores the complexities of impermanence and time. The first installment "How Can You Stay in the House All Day and Not Go Anywhere?" reminds us, as Lemon says, of "the special, ordinary, and inspiring human commonality of how one lives a life." Performances run tonight through Saturday at the Walker Art Center.
Anything that brings together Sonja Parks, Regina Marie Williams and Isabell Monk O'Connor is going to get me to see it. "A Cool Drink of Water" at Mixed Blood Theater imagines the family of A Raisin in the Sun living in upper middle class America in 2010. The characters take on everything from gentrification to modern-day feminism through the lens of contemporary African-America.
What does wealth look like? Minneapolis Institute of Arts presents "Embarrassment of Riches: Picturing Global Wealth" in which we see opulence and power through the eyes of several prominent photographers.
Art Hounds: Gershwin film gems, folkie pop hooks and ARThouse
Posted at 7:00 AM on September 23, 2010
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Film, Music
"Duet" by Lisa Bergh, image courtesy of the artist
An old home in New London that houses new artworks, one of the nation's premier film archivists shares some gems at the Heights Theatre, and a folkie with a knack for pop hooks, all get the coveted Art Hounds endorsement this week.
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If you have a tank full of gas and maybe a little wanderlust, you can join Jamie Lang's caravan to New London, Minnesota to experience ARThouse. Jamie, who's the exhibition director for the Northern Clay Center, says ARThouse is actually the home of artists Lisa Bergh and Andrew Nordin. Four or five times a year, they convert it into a gallery and invite artists from across the region to show their work in a one-night only exhibition. This Saturday, Sept. 25th, 5-8pm, ARThouse owners Bergh and Nordin will be the featured artists.
Elk River arts writer Britt Aamodt calls Bob DeFlores one of the foremost film preservationists in the nation. DeFlores' personal film archive goes deeper than many of the major studios' in Hollywood. On Sunday, Sept. 26, you'll likely find Britt at the Heights Theatre in Columbia Heights to see some of DeFlores' rare footage of composer George Gershwin, as well as the last movie Gershwin wrote the music for, "Damsel in Distress." Be there, so you can wish Gershwin a happy birthday.
One of St. Louis Park singer-songwriter Dan Israel's favorite artists, John Prine, will make a return visit to the Orpheum Theatre on Saturday, Sept. 25th. Dan says Prine's extensive catalog of material, hook-laden folk songs, heady lyrics, and hilarious banter will make for an incredible evening of music.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
And the winner is...
Posted at 9:00 PM on September 20, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Events, Theater
Some of the winners from previous Ivey Awards, an event which gives Twin Cities theater companies an opportunity to celebrate their achievements.
How do you make sure the top honoree of your awards ceremony shows up?
Ask her to host the event.
The Twin Cities theater community honored actor Wendy Lehr tonight at the Ivey Awards with its highest accolade: the Lifetime Achievement Award. Lehr also served as co-host for the evening with longtime friend Bain Boehlke, Artistic Director of the Jungle Theater.
Lehr is having an exceptional year; just recently the Lowry Theater in downtown St. Paul was renamed the Lehr Theater in her honor. The re-naming was in recognition for her years at the helm of the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists.
Lehr is currently starring in The Glass Menagerie at the Jungle Theater.
Other awards were as follows:
Emerging Artist: Costumer Kalere Payton
Individual recognition for exceptional work:
Aaron Gabriel: Music, Madame Majesta's Miracle Medicine Show (Interact Theater)
Katie Guentzel: Acting, My Antonia (Illusion Theater)
Allison Moore: Playwright, My Antonia (Illusion Theater)
Joseph Stanley: Scenic Design, Mulan, Jr. (Children's Theatre Company)
Tulle & Dye: Costumes, Beauty & The Beast (Ordway Center for the Performing Arts)
Regina Marie Williams: Acting, Ruined (Mixed Blood Theatre)
Outstanding Productions:
Mary's Wedding by the Jungle Theater
Ruined by Mixed Blood Theatre
Othello by Ten Thousand Things Theater
The Ivey Awards recognize achievements in the Twin Cities theater scene for the past year. The awards are based on evaluations completed by the general public and more than 150 volunteer theater evaluators who saw more than 1000 performances in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area from September 2009 through August 2010.
From "parking space" to "park"
Posted at 6:24 PM on September 16, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events, Public Art
(PARK)ing Day in Seattle
Photo by Rob Ketcherside
Tomorrow people will be putting quarters in meters across the Twin Cities, not for their cars, but for sod, plants and lawn chairs.
September 17th is (PARK)ing Day in the Twin Cities, when creative folks of all sorts turn asphalt rectangles into... parks. Some play music, others host picnics - the one thing they they don't do is park their cars.
According to the organizers' website, the annual event is "a non-commercial project, intended to promote creativity, civic engagement, critical thinking, unscripted social interactions, generosity and play."
In 2009, the event inspired people in 140 cities around the globe to claim their spot on the street.
Weekend outlook: a riot
Posted at 9:16 AM on September 17, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Mary Mack
Friday night local punk poet Paul Dickinson presents his semi-regular Riot Act Reading Series in the Clown Lounge of the Turf Club in St. Paul. He'll be joined at 8pm by folk comedienne Mary Mack.
A couple of strong and powerful theater pieces open this weekend...
Frank Theatre presents the area premiere of "Eclipsed", the story of five women thrown together by civil war in Liberia, and how they learn to survive as the "wives" of a commanding officer who took them as loot.
Penumbra Theatre presents "Sleep Deprivation Chamber", about a college boy who's beaten by a cop, and his mother's fight to protect him. It's the dramatic telling of a true story written by the mother and son who lived the experience.
Looking for ambient electronic music that's "visceral" "foreboding" and "defiant?" Southern Theater presents two evenings of new music by Ben Frost and Tim Hecker this Friday and Saturday.
Saturday the American Swedish Institute hosts the Minnesota Tile Festival, which brings together more than 40 local and national tile artists, offers hands-on workshops, and includes free tours of the mansion.
Looking on to early next week, acclaimed Norwegian novelist Per Petterson speaks at the Guthrie Theater. Petterson is represented in the United States by Twin Cities publishing house Graywolf Press.
Art Hounds: Frank Theatre, Ojibwe stories and new life for old objects
Posted at 7:00 AM on September 16, 2010
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Galleries, Theater, Writing
"Reclamation Project: Repatriation Exercise #1 (Procyon lotor)" 2010 by Pamela Valfer
This week the hounds take us to Liberia during the civil war, a fictional reservation in Northern Minnesota and to an alternative future.
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Gregory J. Scott is an arts writer for the Downtown Journal and Vita.mn. He's excited about the new work being shown by Allen Brewer and Pamela Valfer in "Alternative Futures" at SOO Visual Arts Center. He particularly likes how Valfer's work, which involves returning things like fur and rodent-shaped piggy banks to some form of a natural state, plays with people's reactions. The "cuddly yet repulsive" work reclaims objects that could easily be forgotten and gives them new life. The show runs September 18 through October 31, with an opening reception this Saturday, 6-9pm.
Claire Wilson, a writing teacher at the Loft Literary Center, is always eager to see the plays put on by Frank Theatre. She knows that they will take her somewhere she's never been before, and even if it's uncomfortable or difficult, she knows it will be worthwhile. "Eclipsed," Frank's latest production, will take Claire to Liberia during the civil war. The play, written by Macalester alum Danai Gurira, opens today and runs through October 10 at the Playwrights' Center.
Ben Kimball is an engineer by day, and by night a book reviewer for Minnesota Reads. He loved Linda LeGarde Grover's collection of inter-connected short stories, The Dance Boots. The stories span several decades and are set on a fictional Indian reservation in Northern Minnesota. Ben loves Grover's powerful writing, her use of Ojibwe language and the complexity of her characters. Grover, a professor at University of Minnesota - Duluth, will be reading from her book this Friday at Birchbark Books in Minneapolis.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Fall season preview: November
Posted at 3:22 PM on September 13, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Events
Susana di Palma curates the Walker Art Center's "Choreographers' Evening"
Photo: Cameron Wittig
Continuing to page over all the season brochures I've received for this fall, I've got one month left to consider: November. For some strange reason, all the shows that are catching my eye are in the latter half of the month, right around Thanksgiving. And as luck would have it, I'll be out of town (and state) over the holiday. So do me a favor, and get to as many of these as you can, and report back as to how they went.
November
TU Dance
Nov 19, 20 and 21
O'Shaughnessy is celebrating 25 years of dance this season by presenting the works of James Sewell Ballet, Katha Dance Theatre, Ragamala Dance and TU Dance. Toni Pierce-Sands and Uri Sands do a wonderful job of blending ballet, ethnic, modern and street dance all into one compelling distinctive style. This fall they're premiering a new work that investigates the artist's process as an act of worship - should be heavenly.
Black Nativity: Now's the Time
November 26 - December 26, 2010
An annual holiday tradition, Penumbra Theatre's contemporary gospel musical celebrates the bonds of family, the power of faith and the appreciation of what money can't buy - the gift of love.
Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5
Nov 26, 27, 28
Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
What can I say? I'm a sucker for Bach. Laurence Cummings -- harpsichordist, organist and conductor -- joins the SPCO for the first time with a program of Baroque works.
Choreographers' Evening
Nov 27
Walker Art Center
A great way to check the pulse of the Twin Cities' dance scene is to attend the Walker Art Center's annual "choreographers' evening." This year's program focuses on global elements within the Twin Cities dance community and is curated by renowned Spanish Nuevo flamenco dancer/choreographer Susana di Palma, artistic director of Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theater.
Art Hounds: Films in Wadena, father-daughter theater, and a music salon
Posted at 7:00 AM on September 9, 2010
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Film, Music, Theater
This week's hounds highlight a film festival along the banks of Whiskey Creek, a searing drama about a father and daughter and a 19th-century-style salon with lots of music and a little conversation.
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Wadena artist Kent Scheer says the Whiskey Creek Film Festival has spiced up the cultural life in his neck of the woods for the last five years. This year the festival runs September 10-16 at Wadena's art deco movie house, the Cozy Theatre. All six films being screened are brand new, including "Winter's Bone," "The Kids are Alright," and "Around a Small Mountain." It also includes short films from Minnesota filmmakers. Kent Scheer has even offered to help with your travel arrangements; contact him here.
Jane Froiland thinks the Phoenix Theater Project has chosen a great play for its inaugural production: "Proof." It's about a daughter who's wondering and worrying about the genetic legacy of her recently deceased father. Jane, a Twin Cities actor, says the characters of the father and daughter will be played by an actual father/daughter duo, Kurt and Amy Schweickhardt. The show will be at the People's Center Theater in Minneapolis through September 25, with a pay-what-you-can performance on September 13th.
How about a salon done the old fashioned way, with less talk, more music? Minnetonka Civic Orchestra Music Director Scott Winters recommends Muse Salon's next installment at the Schubert Club in St. Paul's Landmark Center. It'll feature the music of Quilter, Schumann, Argento, Shostokovich and others performed by such standouts as vocalist Maria Jette, cellist Tom Rosenberg and violinist Orieta Dado. There'll be lots of room for discussion as the performance proceeds on Wednesday, September 15th at 7pm.
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And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Fall season preview: October
Posted at 12:46 PM on September 9, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Dance, Events, Theater
On Tuesday I took a look at the fall arts season, and put together a list of what I'm most excited about in the coming months. The list was so long I decided to break it down into two parts. So while on Tuesday you got my picks for September, here's my list for October and November (FYI many venues have yet to book November, so that list is a bit short).
October
The Walker Art Center presents "Dark Matters" October 14 - 16, a blend of dance and puppetry. The title refers both to astrophysics and human impulses, exploring the idea of undetectable forces at work in cosmology. In it an artist creates a puppet with fateful results...
Ballet of the Dolls choreographer Myron Johnson asks "Whatever happened to... Swan Lake?" and gives us his own answer October 15 - 30 at Ritz Theater in Minneapolis. Continuing his pursuit of high drama and larger-than-life personalities, Johnson has created his own hybrid of "Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?" and "Swan Lake."
Billed as a dark tale of two sisters who let jealousy and career ruin their lives, I'm thinking Johnson should have been brought in to consult on the new movie "Black Swan."
October 19 - Bob Mould plays acoustic at the Dakota.
Strife, love, class conflict, murder and canned peas - this is what happens when a University brings together wildly creative people from different disciplines onto the same staff. The Woyzeck Project features the talents of Luverne Seifert, Carl Flink, and Michael Sommers along with the dancers of Black Label Movement. On October 22, the Southern Theater will be transformed into the tangled mind of Georg Bรผchner, author of the play Woyzeck, and audience members will have the opportunity to create their own stories as they wander from room to room.
Is it possible to defy the fate that the universe, and society, have consigned to you? Starting October 29, Ten Thousand Things presents Life Is a Dream by Pedro Calderon de la Barca, in which a prince must do just that. It's a storyline that's bound to resonate with TTT's audiences, whether they're in homeless shelters, prisons, or the Minnesota Opera Center.
Want to listen to some of the brightest young talent in the world of classical music? Osmo Vanska conducts "future classics" on October 29.
http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/season/event_detail.cfm?id_event=1011005
Disclaimer: this is by no means a comprehensive list, and yes, it reflects my personal taste. Want to give a shout out to a show not listed here? You can always leave a comment. The more, the merrier!
Weekend outlook: cloudy, with angels
Posted at 8:32 AM on September 10, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Dance, Events, Museums, Music, Photography, Theater
Bonnie (with a photograph of an angel), Port Gibson, Mississippi 2000
Photography by Alec Soth
Photographer Alec Soth got his start working on the staff at the MIA, and now his work is the subject of a retrospective at the Walker Art Center. "From Here to There - Alec Soth's America" looks back at 16 years of his images, drawing from his series "Sleeping By the Mississippi" and "Niagara" as well as new work. For more information about the show, check out this story by Euan Kerr.
This weekend marks the annual Concrete and Grass music festival in lowertown Saint Paul, featuring performances by the Minnesota Orchestra, the Suicide Commandos and Dessa, among others.
Tennessee Williams' classic tale "The Glass Menagerie" opens this weekend at the Jungle Theater, starring Wendy Lehr as Amanda Wingfield. Themes of "quiet desperation" and "unrealistic dreams" seem particularly poignant given today's economy.
The Guthrie Theater premieres the stage version of Louise Erdrich's novel "The
Master Butchers Singing Club." The story chronicles the intersecting lives of German immigrant and butcher Fidelis Waldvogel and sideshow performer Delphine Watzka as they settle onto the plains and into the small town of Argus, North Dakota.
Ananya Dance Theatre presents Kshoy!/Decay! today through Sunday at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis. It's a powerful work that through movement examines how capitalist interests lead to violence against women. For more details, click here.
So what are you doing this weekend?
Weekend outlook: a romp
Posted at 8:04 AM on September 3, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
The folks at Bedlam prepare to move their community based theater operations to the Seward neighborhood in Minneapolis.
This weekend marks the end of an era for Bedlam Theatre, as it closes up shop in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood. There's a big party Friday night (featuring roasted goat) followed by one last evening of performances Saturday night, including dance, puppetry, film, and music by Savage Aural Hotbed.
Looking to learn some new dance moves and be totally inspired by local talent? This weekend marks Intermedia Arts' B-Girl Be Carnivall, a celebration of women in hip hop, featuring not just dance but spoken-word, aerosal art and a gallery show. The main event is on Saturday, but there's fun stuff happening all weekend long.
Playwright/performer Carlyle Brown presents his latest one-man-show "Therapy and Resistance," the story of a draftee attempting to get out of Vietnam by convincing the doctor he's crazy. Based in part on Brown's own experience as a peace activist, "Therapy and Resistance" examines the insanity of war. At Dreamland Arts in St. Paul September 2 - 19.
Feeling a little nostalgia for Pong? How about Pac-Man? If so, make your way over to Altered Esthetics gallery for "Level 13" its biannual exhibition of classic video game art. There's an opening reception Friday starting at 7pm.
Oh and of course, there's still one more weekend to enjoy the artsy offerings at the Minnesota State Fair...
Art Hounds: Closing Open Field, funny people and a folk opera
Posted at 7:00 AM on September 2, 2010
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Museums, Music
Futurefarmers setting up the giant megaphone that will be used for "Auctions Speak Louder Than Words" at the Open Field on Saturday. (Photo credit: Gene Pittman)
This week's hounds praise the Walker's 'cultural commons,' wonder who'll be the last comic standing in Minneapolis, and get sucked into a Vermont songwriter's folk opera.
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Minneapolis painter Pete Driessen has a great deal of respect for poet and writer Lewis Hyde, who'll be speaking at the Walker tonight at 7pm. One of Hyde's favorite topics is the idea of a cultural commons, a communal marketplace of ideas that can enliven social discourse. Pete says the Walker's summer long experiment, "Open Field," which is based on Hyde's concept, has been a great success.
Photography enthusiast Audra Williams loves a good comic, but she also appreciates the work that goes into developing a comedy routine. Audra says the "Funniest Person in the Twin Cities" competition at the Acme Comedy Club has all the hilarity and pathos you'd expect from amateur local comedians trying to turn three minutes of stand-up into gold. The finals will be held Tuesday, Sept. 7, at 8pm.
One of Ellen Stanley's favorite singer-songwriters has made Ellen's favorite record of 2010. Ellen is the frontwoman for Mother Banjo and also handles publicity for Red House Records in St. Paul. She says in "Hadestown," Vermont singer-songwriter Anais Mitchell has created an at-times rollicking and mesmerizing folk opera based on the Greek myth, "Orpheus." Mitchell is playing Thursday, September 2 at 7:30pm at the Ginkgo Coffeehouse in St. Paul; Friday September 3 at 7:30pm at the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center; and Saturday, September 4 at the Storyhill Festival in the Brainerd Lakes area.
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And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
An art lover's day at the Fair
Posted at 4:05 PM on September 1, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(5 Comments)
Filed under: Events
One of the winning entries at the Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts Building.
The Minnesota State Fair has a reputation for being about fried food, farming, big bands, and rides, in pretty much that order. But there's a lot of art to be had, in all shapes and sizes, for an enthusiast such as myself. Yesterday I spent the better part of the day at the fair, first at the MPR booth, and then wandering the grounds checking out this year's offerings. Here's just some of what I took in...
The Fine Arts Building:
This of course, was my first stop. The FAB brings together paintings, mosaics, sculpture, photography, ceramics, glass and dolls all under one cool roof. While much of the artwork as you first enter is dedicated to state fair themes, from there it branches into landscapes, portraits, abstraction, and everything inbetween. I recognized local artists in the show that I've covered in the past - Teresa Cox and Deb Foutch among others - and took note of some new names.
And you thought State Fair art was just about seeds and animals...
I noted the Star Tribune's Mary Abbe panned this year's exhibition, saying it was "overrun with cute critters and clichรฉd imagery." That made me curious as to who was curating the show this year, so I took a look at the panel. Among them: the Minneapolis Institute of Arts' photo curator David Little, and Weisman Art Museum Director Lyndel King. Interested in finding out more about the judging process? Check out this comprehensive piece by Thomas O'Sullivan on mnartists.org.
Brenna Busse demonstrates how she molds heads for her dolls.
One of the great things about the state fair is that you don't just see the art, but you see people making it, too. At the Fine Arts Building, Brenna Busse demonstrated doll making, and kids could play with wooden blocks to create their own sculptures. This is something I love about the fair - the number of people who take time to demonstrate their craft or art with thousands of strangers.
Cosgrove street really is home to the arts at the fair, so after exiting the Fine Arts exhibition, I just strolled down the street to the Education building. This is where all the student art is on display. This includes everything from pencil drawings to woodworking to stained glass. The entries are so numerous that they are crammed in display booths several feet deep that line the walls. My favorite: a study of Paul Klee done by a group of 2nd graders!
I guess this gives credance to the old adage "my kid could draw that."
Next, on to the Creative Activities building. Wait, cue the parade! That's right, any day at the fair deserves a parade, and so as I left the Education building I was greeted by the blaring of horns and beating of drums. As Shakespeare said, "All the world's a stage..."
A few steps down the street I found myself at the Creative Arts building, home to quilting, weaving, knitting, sewing, crocheting, embroidery and cross-stitch, just to name a few. Check out this quilt that won the "Rosebud's Cottage" award for being the "first quilt ever made" by the entrant:"
Stunning!
It was while rounding the corner that I stumbled across one of my favorite performers at the fair, Larry Scheidt.
Scheidt is a performer of the truest kind; that is, he's a salesman. About every 15 minutes, hour after hour, Scheidt gives his spiel for the "Swiss Quality Peeler." He touts the blade ("never goes dull") and its ergonomic design ("doesn't matter if you're right handed or left") all the while churning out roses carved from radishes, birds sliced from apples, and other edible decorations to tempt the eyes. I first saw him probably six years ago, and dutifully bought a peeler because I felt I'd just been treated to a great act (I still have it, and yes it works great, but no I have not made any roses out of radishes lately).
My favorite work of art at the Minnesota State Fair, Larry Scheidt.
Happy to see that Scheidt is still going strong, I headed off to the Agriculture/Horticulture building for some honey ice cream, a tour of the beeswax carvings and of course to check out the seed art (I was talking to artist Linda Paulson - daughter to "seed queen" Lillian Colton - about her work when the power went out, putting a crimp in her demonstration style). There craftsmen of the culinary sort were showing off their finest apples, wines, squash...
By this time I was ready to call it a day; I hadn't yet made it to the talent show stage, nor had I paid my respects to the butter sculpture (the Dairy Barn was shut due to the power outage), but I'd seen an eyeful of art, been treated to live music at the MPR booth, and observed the theater of the fair in full swing. Indeed, the Minnesota State Fair offers a little something for everyone.
Weekend outlook: a fair alternative
Posted at 8:00 AM on August 27, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Bikers take part in "Urban Caravan," stopping in front of interesting buildings to watch movies set to live-mix soundtrack.
The smell of mini-donuts is in the air, and the "Great Minnesota Get-Together" is sure to draw thousands this weekend. But if crowds aren't your thing, and hay makes you sneeze, check out these other low-calorie, high-quality options.
Rather than wander from barn to barn this weekend, why not wander from studio to studio? This weekend 84 artists in the lovely Longfellow neighborhood will show off their talents as part of the LOLA ("League of Longfellow Artists") Art Crawl.
Why eat a blooming onion while watching "the miracle of birth" when you can watch a movie while on a bike ride? Andrea Steudel and Luke Anderson of "Urban Caravan." ride on a specially equipped bike with turntables and a projector, creating soundtracks on the fly and screening films on the sides of buildings and bridges. They'll be meeting Saturday night at 9:45pm at the Martin Olaf Sabo bridge on the Greenway.
Trade in the screams of roller coaster rides for the sweet notes of opera. Mixed Precipitation presents the Tales of Hoffman in Twin Cities community gardens during the harvest season, and promises "artfully created locally sourced food samplings are prepared fresh and served to translate events of the story." Performances start at 4pm; this Saturday they'll perform in Birchwood Community Garden, and Sunday they'll be at the Children's Garden in Theodore Wirth Park.
People watching at the state fair is definitely great sport, but how about watching two great thinkers debate while strolling the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum? TigerLion Arts presents 'Nature,' a "walking play" featuring the nature lovers and philosophers Emerson and Thoreau.
Whatever your preference, there's lots to take in this weekend accompanied by sweet fresh air, and not even a hint of a deep-fat fryer.
Art Hounds: A bicycle built for film & time traveling photos
Posted at 7:00 AM on August 26, 2010
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Dance, Events, Film, Photography
Image courtesy Timothy G. Piotrowski
This week's hounds hunt down a fashion photographer who travels back in time, top-notch Middle Eastern dance from Minneapolis, and a bicycle built for music and cinema.
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Two-time Guggenheim fellow and photographer Stuart Klipper doesn't normally traipse into beauty salons seeking art. But Stuart recently went to Rue48 Salon on 48th and Chicago in Minneapolis to see photographer Timothy G. Piotrowski's vintage fashion shots and, needless to say, was extremely impressed. Piotrowski employs young women who wear vintage clothing in his pictures.
One of Carstens Smith's favorite dance groups in the Twin Cities is Jawaahir Dance Company, which specializes in Middle Eastern dance. Carstens, who's development coordinator for the St. Paul Art Crawl, says she lives vicariously through Jawaahir's dancers, who are performing a piece called "The Dark Nightingale" through September 5 at the Ritz Theater in Minneapolis. It focuses on the music of the late Egyptian vocalist Abdel Halim Hafez.
Jenny Jenkins is a photographer and textile artist in Minneapolis who often uses her bike to get around. A few weeks ago she was riding on the Midtown Greenway when she ran into Andrea Steudel and Luke Anderson of "Urban Caravan." Steudel and Anderson ride on a specially equipped bike with turntables and a projector, creating soundtracks on the fly and screening films on the sides of buildings and bridges. Cool, eh?! You can ride along and catch Urban Caravan's next 'performance' this Saturday night, Aug. 28. They'll be meeting at 9:45pm at the Martin Olaf Sabo bridge on the Greenway.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Mapping joy and pain
Posted at 1:44 PM on August 19, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events, Sculpture
A crowd gathers around Rebecca Krinke's table at Mears Park in St. Paul.
If you've lived any place for a long time, there are bound to be ghosts that haunt you, and memories you linger over longingly: the house where you once lived, the scene of your first date, the place where a loved one died.
Artist Rebecca Krinke thinks these emotional attachments we have to specific places, both joyful and painful, are worth noting, and she's creating a map to do just that. The project is called "Unseen/Seen: The Mapping of Joy and Pain," and has been travelling around the Twin Cities so that people can add their stories.
Do you have happy memories of your childhood? Then pick up a gold pencil, and decorate the area where you grew up in gold. Not so happy memories? Then choose a dark gray pencil, and make your mark.
Certain buildings have received dark marks from people who find them to be a source of pain. Those include several U of MN campus buildings, the governor's mansion, and the state capitol.
Yesterday Krinke set up her "table" (in truth it's a sculpture of sorts) in Mears Park over the lunch hour, assisted by two U of MN undergrad students. While many folks rushed by on their limited time off, others were easily drawn in by Krinke's call to participate.
One woman walking with a cane picked up a dark pencil, found a spot on the map, and made a small dot. "There! I'm done," she said. When Krinke asked her how it felt, the woman responded "Good, they needed that" and walked off.
A man marked the area where he grew up in West St. Paul with both gold and gray. "They tore down our house, but I still have happy memories from there," he said. After a pause, he added "I feel better now" before walking off.
Krinke says all of her work, in broad terms, has dealt with themes of pain and joy, or recovery. This is the third time she's used the format of a table for her work.
At Franconia Sculpture Park, I created a table called The Table of Remembering and Forgetting which alluded to repression (of pain/perhaps any emotion), but to me it was like a moment of repression was stilled and made beautiful or became beautiful since it was acknowledged.
In the interior courtyard of Rapson Hall on the U of MN campus, you can find Krinke's "Table for Contemplation and Action: A Place to Share Beauty and Fear."
It's a table where a center copper element contains a single unusual changing element of nature. You are invited to write of fears or hopes on slips of paper and place them into a large glass vessel embedded within the table. When the vessel is full, the writings are burned without reading them.
Krinke sees her "Joy and Pain" project as a way to take the cathartic experience even further, allowing people to stand side by side and share their joy and pain visually, without having to explain themselves.
It can perhaps be inspiring and / or healing to remember joy and perhaps leave some pain on the table. Emotions are bound up in the places we have them - but emotional mapping is rare. I wanted to make a place of mystery in a way - to remind us all of the mystery of actually being alive and having these joy and/or pain experiences.
Inside the table
While passers-by leave their marks on the surface of Krinke's table, they might not notice what's going on beneath the surface. The interior of the table is filled with strange gray and gold sculptures, which Krinke says reflect the shedding, emerging and growing that's taking place just above.
Krinke says she's been surprised by how many people have really thought about their marks, and have seemed to get something meaningful out of it.
They often talk and talk about very personal things sometimes , have emotional reactions, showing us bruises and scars...I am surprised that the project seems to be reaching a deep chord, and I don't know what it is yet. Perhaps we are never asked about our emotional life in any deep way. Perhaps we don't share much. One person said to me that if she talked about too much joy at work- people got jealous. It seems that perhaps joy is more taboo to talk about than pain. People map more gold- but talk about pain much more often. Or maybe this needing to talk is a fundamental part of pain and joy needs no words? I have a lot to mull over as I create my next works.
If you're interested in adding your experiences to the map, Krinke will be out with her table in Minneapolis at Juxtaposition Arts on August 26 from 1-3pm and at the Minnesota State Fair on August 27 from 5-9pm and August 28 from 9am-1pm at the Crossroads Building.
Once completed, the table will be included in an exhibition at Virginia Tech called "Mapping Spectral Traces."
Weekend Outlook: Fair
Posted at 7:11 AM on August 20, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
"A Gift for Planet BX63" by Off Leash Area
Let's hope for good weather this weekend, because there are lots of great outdoors events and festivals for the whole family.
Off Leash Area is bringing its highly physical theater to a garage near you. That's right, the theater company usually performs out of its own garage, but is now taking its performance of "A Gift for Planet BX63" on tour to residential garages in Minneapolis, Plymouth, Blaine, Brooklyn Park and Eagan. The show is billed as a melding of "The Little Prince" and "The Gods Must Be Crazy."
This weekend 13th Ave NE in Minneapolis is being transformed into the Nordeast Music Festival, with live music, a silent auction, chair massages and... a meat raffle. Bands to perform include the Hopefuls, Zoo Animal, the Roe Family Singers and Screaming Vermillion.
Kids of all ages are welcome to the "CARNiVAL DE WONQUE!" this Saturday. Presented by Patrick's Cabaret, the event includes lots of games that cost just 25 or 50 cents to play (ring toss, fish pond, etc), as well as a hula hoop contest and live music by The Brass Messengers.
This Saturday also marks the Red Stag Block Party, featuring live music all day (Heiruspecs and E.L.nO., among others), yet another hula hoop contest and great food that's locally sourced. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Ann Bancroft Foundation (the explorer, not the actress) to support microgrants to help young girls reach their goals.
And the mother of all festivals, the Minnesota Renaissance Festival gets underway this weekend in Shakopee. Feel free to wear your swords, knives, dirks and daggers, but leave the axes, claymores, maces, pikes and guns at home.
Huzzah!
Art Hounds: Duluth theater reopening, grafitti cover-ups and veteran rockers with a new sound
Posted at 7:00 AM on August 19, 2010
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Music, Public Art
Graffiti painted over on a bridge at the corner of St. Anthony and Prior in St. Paul.
This week the hounds show us the unintentional beauty of graffiti that's been painted over, an old vaudeville theater Duluth that's getting a new life, and a new group of veteran rockers that are creating a new sound.
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Duluth artist and arts writer Ann Klefstad is happy to report the famed NorShor Theatre is back in the public domain. The city of Duluth purchased the 100-year-old former vaudeville theater and one-time strip club and asked the Duluth Playhouse to provide programming. Duluth mayor Don Ness will celebrate the NorShor's centennial with a $100 plate benefit to raise money for its restoration on tonight at 7pm. On Saturday, Aug. 21 at noon there will be an open house commemorating the NorShor's vaudeville history and that night, an evening of live music featuring the Duluth area's hottest bands.
If you happen to be stuck in traffic, painter and MCAD and CVA instructor Allen Brewer suggests you be on the lookout for graffiti that's been painted over. Allen says you can find it all over the Twin Cities -- on overpasses, the sides of buildings, railroad bridges, etc. He describes it as taggers and clean-up workers engaged in an accidental collaboration that results in unintentionally beautiful, completely pure abstract art.
Holly Newsom has discovered a band she wants the rest of the world to know about. Holly, the frontwoman for the Minneapolis indie rock band Zoo Animal, says Satellite Voices consists of a group of veteran local rockers and creates a sound all its own. She's especially impressed with the band's eccentric yet charismatic leader, singer-songwriter Knol Tate. Satellite Voices' next gig is at St. Paul's Turf Club on Thursday, Aug. 26. The group plans to release its first CD this fall.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
2010 Minnesota Fringe Festival sets attendance record
Posted at 1:53 PM on August 16, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Dance, Events, Theater
50,256: that's how many tickets were issued during this year's Minnesota Fringe Festival.
It's the first time the festival has issued more than 50,000 tickets in its 17-year history.
That's an 8.7% increase in attendance over last year's festival.
I say "issued" instead of "sold" because a portion of those tickets are comps.
The number of people attending the Fringe went up as well; nearly 17,000 festival admission buttons were issued in 2010 compared to last years 15,267. That means the average button holder attended roughly three shows.
Finally, the Minnesota Fringe Festival took in 12.9% more cash this year, too. The 169 productions earned over $355,000 in ticket sales over the course of 11 days.
Your weekend outlook: sticky
Posted at 10:09 AM on August 13, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
The Secret School by Rudy Fig
It turns out Friday the 13th is your lucky day! We've got plenty going on to distract you from the heat and humidity...
"The Gallery @ Fox Tax" opens its latest show, "Sticky Sweet," this Friday night. The exhibition features pop surrealist paintings by local artists Rudy Fig and Jeff Warner.
This is the opening weekend for the BFA juried scholarship exhibition at the Nash Gallery on the U of M campus. The exhibition is curated by one of the BFA students who's gained quite a bit of fame this past year - Miles Mendenhall. Mendenhall was a finalist in Bravo's "Work of Art: The Next Great Artist," which came to a conclusion this past week.
The Minnesota Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Festival is underway in Richmond, Minnesota. In addition to over thirty-five hours of concerts on the Main Stage (including Blue Highway, The Gibson Brothers, Rarely Herd, and others), there are five stage venues that each feature music, dance and other entertainment.
This weekend marks the 32nd annual Irish Fair on Harriet Island in St. Paul. Events include the "Irish Got Talent" competition, a Highland bagpipe contest, and an exhibition on the history of Irish songs.
Finally, turn it up to eleven this weekend with a stop at CO Exhibitions in Minneapolis, where they are paying artistic tribute to the great mockumentary "This is Spinal Tap." In the movie, there's a scene where Fran Drescher's character graphically describes the artwork for Spinal Tap's forthcoming LP "Smell The Glove." The album cover never materializes in the film, but now you can see the cover as envisioned by 30 different artists.
Oh and don't forget, the Minnesota Fringe Festival is on through Sunday...
Art Hounds: Comic book art and bluegrass music
Posted at 7:00 AM on August 12, 2010
by Chris Roberts
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Galleries, Music, Theater
Listen as the hounds wax poetically on a local comic book convention in a box, a Pakistani "Sex in the City" at the Fringe, and the premier Minnesota bluegrass event of the year.
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It makes sense that St. Louis Park illustrator Chris Lyons stopped by Altered Esthetics Gallery in Minneapolis to check out "Lutefisk Sushi Vol. D." It's a mini comic book convention featuring bento boxes of comics from more than 60 local artists. It also includes a display of comic art on the walls which Chris was very impressed with. "Lutefisk Sushi Vol. D" is at Altered Esthetics through Aug. 26.
Mizna board member Nahid Khan likes shoes, wears a headscarf, and is an American whose parents emigrated from
Pakistan, which is partly why she's drawn to the Minnesota Fringe Festival production of "That Sara Aziz!" It's about four modern Pakistani-American women who want to embrace the bounty of American life while maintaining their their globally dispersed family relationships. You can see "That Sara Aziz!" Aug. 12, 14, and 15 at the Playwrights Center in Minneapolis.
It's one of Marv Menzel's favorite times of the year, when pluckers and pickers converge on the campground El Rancho Maรฑana in Richmond, Minnesota for the annual Minnesota Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Festival. Marv, who's proprietor of the Homestead Pickin' Parlor in Richfield, is especially looking forward to hearing national headliners Blue Highway and local heroes The High 48s on the main stage during the four-day celebration, which begins Aug 12.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Minnesota Fringe sets opening weekend record
Posted at 3:51 PM on August 9, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Events, Theater
The Minnesota Fringe Festival is far from over, but it's already breaking records.
For the first four days of the festival - Thursday through Sunday - shows issued a record-setting total of 18,895 tickets. That's a 9.9% increase over last year's festival.
Additionally, traffic to the festival's website, fringefestival.org, was up 23 percent over last year. As of 2 p.m. on Monday, over 1,650 audience reviews had been submitted to the site (Note: These numbers have not yet been audited and may be subject to change).
Executive director Robin Gillette says she's delighted with the increases. She says it indicates a solid, and by no means modest, year-by-year build in audiences.
The 2009 festival's opening weekend was a 19 percent jump over 2008.
13 different shows gave sold-out performances on opening weekend, including some shows by first-time Fringe producers who got slots late in the game, said Gillette.
This really shows this year's crop of producers brought their A-game, no question. Fringe tries to offer both the structure and the education for first-time producers to succeed, and we're hoping this weekend's numbers point to those efforts' success.
Note: These numbers have not yet been audited and may be subject to change.
Minnesota Fringe continues to Sun., Aug. 15 at 19 venues in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Voices from the Fringe
Posted at 11:25 AM on August 7, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Criticism, Events, Theater
Actors and audiences congregate at Bedlam Theatre to swap reviews and party after an evening of theater-going.
Ever heard the phrase "everyone's a critic?" Well I decided to put that theory to the test last night. Rather than give you my reviews, I thought I'd head over to "Fringe Central" (Bedlam Theatre) and cull the wisdom of others.
At about 10pm, I plunked myself down at a table with my laptop and an ice coffee, and before long I had a line of people waiting to share their experiences. Sure enough, a few of them came bearing postcards for their own shows, and many of them knew somebody in the show they were reviewing, but still, on the whole, I think I got some honest, heartfelt critiques. Read on...
Local playwright Dan Pinkerton has seen two shows so far - "An Adult Evening with Shel Silverstein," and "Superlatives of Excellence."
First, his take on An Adult Evening with Shel Silverstein:
These short plays - about six of them, run the gamut from a sweet sort of wit to a biting sort of wit, with a lot of stops with ribaldry along the way. The two performers are terrific. They really are very good and they alternate between who's the straight man and who's the comic. It's a wonderful showcase for the two of them and for the six different directors.
In full disclosure, Pinkerton admitted his daughter Ariel directed one of the stories, but he says he's completely unbiased about the charm of the other five. As for "Superlatives of Excellence:"
A very different show: It's Bedlam Theatre to the Nth degree - everything that is Bedlam is there - non-sequitors, big wigs, a show within a show. The setting is a playwriting festival, so there are four plays within the show. There's satire of theater, of religion, of Charles Bronson, of the military, and of post apocalyptic settings. Like many Bedlam shows, it's a shotgun of parody and satire aimed at so many things.
Pinkerton says while he was lucky to see two great shows his first night out, he's prepared to see some stinkers later in the week.
Caroline Toll and Nick Vetter are Fringers to the core. They met at a Fringe show four of five years ago, and have seen hundreds of shows together. When they got married this May, they gave out custom-made Fringe buttons to their guests, valid for this year's festival. They say they're not normally easy graders, but all the shows they've seen so far have earned five stars(FYI: these two often finish each other's sentences, so I've combined their reviews, seperating out their individual comments as appropriate).
The Princeton 7th: This is a remount of a Fringe show from a few years ago, with Ari Hoptman and Alex Cole. One of the actors had to drop out at the last minute due to an injury. Guthrie actor Richard Ooms stepped in and he just seamlessly stepped into the show. Nick: He brings the proper gravity to the whole show - it's one of the more dramatic, cerebral shows of the Fringe. Caroline: It's more formal theater, which there's not a lot of in this year's Fringe.
Bite Me Twilight : Caroline: This is a little embarassing... Nick: she made me first watch the first two movies for background and I couldn't stand them! But Tom Reed, he deconstructs them, reconstructs them and narrates the plot line, and it's f-ing hilarious. He condenses down 1000 pages to about 30, and it's everything that's important. Caroline: Nick dreaded seeing this but we were laughing non-stop.
Mike and Matt: These are two stories told by two brothers - Mike and Matt Fotis. We came to see Mike but Matt kind of stole the show from him, talking about being a dad, and making fun of his family right in front of his brother. It was very earnest and real, but well polished. It shifts seamlessly between the various stages of the story - snortingly funny.
Thinkingaview/CorresponDance: Caroline: They are so sexy! There are eight dancers and they are so charming, and at one point they're just this in this charming puppy pile of nubile bodies writhing around. Nick: There was a considerable amount of kissing. At one point they did the same duet to Etta James' song "At Last" three time, but each time duet changed: two men, two women, and then one man and one woman. Caroline: They were just stunning, and they were the same moves, but the impact was different because of the gender roles, and also the emotions conveyed by the dancers.
You/Provoke/Me: Another dance performance, this time by a group from Chicago. Caroline: I wish some of the dancers from this area would go see this show, because the bar they set is so freakin' high! Nick: There are some dancers in this town whose talents are underutilized. Caroline: Its basically about the modern world, and how dehumanizing it is. At one point a woman in a business suit is dancing with a cinder block.
Compared to Nick and Caroline, Ben Mattson is a Fringe newbie, having only been to one Fringe show in his life before this year's festival. Mattson says he likes the fact that the festival really caters to independent artists; these aren't the sort of shows you can see on any given weekend in a local theater.
Speech: Really really good - I laughed a lot. I like the way they sprinkled a lot of pop culture references that even I got. It was a very sweet and endearing show, not insipid but clever. Somebody said it was "Glee-like" - It has a lot of geek appeal, so if you're geeky about anything you'll probably like it.
Idiosyncronicity: This show just reeled me in. It was a combination of stories and poetry with music, all with a geeky twist. Some of the poetry was about the main character's misadventures in love, and many of the stories were sci-fi-esque. It was filled with little facts like "horns don't work in outer space" Some stories were humorous, some sad, but all captivating.
It just so happens that the "main character" of Idiosyncronicity is Rob Callahan, who was also in line to give his reviews. In addition to performing, he's checked out "My Mother Told Me" by Phillip Andrew Bennet Low.
This is his thing - what he does is epic fantasy quest stories. He dresses them up as something else, but that's what they are. Audiences sometimes have a hard time with his work, because he has these densely packed, philosophy filled sentences; he packs three hours into one hour. This year, he broke it up with dancers performing ballet to blue grass music; it was not ironic at all, and it worked. They would do a dance that forwarded the story and give the audiences a "brain break." I think he's found a format that really works.
Callahan also saw Low in another piece, "A Nice Guy's Guide to Awkward Sex"
It was hilarious, it was them really just telling true stories of their awkward romances, just changing the names. But actress Natalie Rae Wass stole the show - which is hard to do, with those two. Every time she came on stage, everyone focused on her.
Pat Divine is an out-of-towner, here from Los Angeles to perform his show "Breaking Down in America." He also checked out Nice Guys Guide to Awkward Sex, because he was curious about the show, but also because Natalie Rae Wass is letting him crash at her place while he's in town.
Divine says he's impressed with how established and organized the Minnesota Fringe Festival is. He says he enjoys getting to perform for a completely new audience.
I did two other Fringes in Canada; I've gotten such widely different reactions to my show depending on the location - certain aspects of my show are more "coastal" if you will. For instance, when I watched the show tonight, there was a part where someone said something that was sort of down, and literally the whole audience went "aaawwhh" - that would never happen in an LA audience.
Alison Bergblom Johnson is performing her show "Other Than Tragedy" in this year's Fringe. It's a story about dealing with mental illness, and so she was inspired to check out Code 21:
Code 21 brought up some interesting issues, it's about the psych ward, Code 21 is the code for a psychiatric emergency. I liked how he handled certain issues, I was uncomfortable about others, such as how the nurses talked to the patients. I never had that sort of experience, but maybe that's just artistic license.
Johnson also got out to see Aardvark Fandango and Rachel Teagle Believes in Ghosts.
Aardvark Fandango: This consisted of some fabulous dance solos and one ensemble piece that John Minger choreographed for the students of Zenon. His solos were mostly about aging. The coolest one was about tray-ology. He was sitting, with a tray on a stand in front of him, and he danced from that position, but it was fabulous dance.
Rachel Tiegle believes in Ghosts: It's kind of a guilty pleasure - sort of like a warm toasted marshmallow. She really inhabits her space and the characters she's playing well.. At this point in the evening, Fringe Prom was well underway, and folks in their tuxes and taffeta were getting down on the dance floor to the likes of Prince and Neil Diamond. It was time for me to make my way home. By the looks of it, the 2010 Fringe Festival has had an excellent opening, and according to these reviewers, there are lots of great shows to choose from.
Art Hounds: A pop-up publishing house and eye-popping theater magic
Posted at 7:00 AM on August 5, 2010
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Books, Events, Galleries, Music, Printmaking, Theater
Hot Off The at the Soap Factory
This week, the hounds track down a day full of blues and roots music, magical (and free) theater for all ages and zinesters running a temporary publishing house.
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Rolf Erdahl is a bass teacher and bassist in the Vecchione/Erdahl Duo. He liked Open Eye Figure Theatre's Milly and Tillie so much that he's planning on seeing it for a second time this weekend. Rolf loves how this slapstick, magical show reminds him of the feeling of possibility that he had as a child. The show is free and can be seen tonight, tomorrow and Saturday at 7pm.
Tom Haakenson, chair of liberal arts at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and one of the editors of the online journal Quodlibetica, thinks you should try to get published this weekend. Hot Off The is a pop-up publishing house that is offering a behind-the-scenes look at publishing, from taking submissions to printing and binding books. They'll be at The Soap Factory every Thursday, Friday and Sunday through Aug. 22.
Danette Olsen is the executive director of Festival Theatre in St. Croix Falls, WI. She's really looking forward to this weekend's Red House Barnfest. Danette is impressed by the line-up of blues and roots musicians, but she's especially excited to see Danny Schmidt. This Austin, TX-based singer-songwriter is being compared to everyone from Bob Dylan to Greg Brown, but she thinks his unique voice should be heard live. The Barnfest starts at 1:30pm at the Hobgoblin Music Outdoor Amphitheater outside of Red Wing.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Your weekend outlook: by the numbers
Posted at 12:45 PM on August 6, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
More than 700 artists will be showing off their work at three different art fairs in Minneapolis.
There have already been a couple of weekends Marianne has declared must be the "biggest" or "best" weekends for the arts in the Twin Cities. This weekend puts them to shame. Follow along as we "do the numbers:"
9
That's the number of musicians performing in this year's line-up for Red House Barnfest, put on by Red House Records. The Barnfest starts at 1:30pm Saturday at the Hobgoblin Music Outdoor Amphitheater outside of Red Wing, and features such acts as Storyhill, Danny Schmidt, Ruth Moody of The Wailin' Jennys, and Pieta Brown.
76
There are 76 poetry slam teams from all over the country in St. Paul this week to compete in the National Poetry Slam. The competition is in St. Paul this year because local team "Soap Boxing" are the defending champions. Competing rounds are taking place in 11 different venues all over downtown St. Paul.
169
The Minnesota Fringe Festival gets underway tonight, and over the next 11 days will present 169 different acts at 19 different venues. This is a festival primarily for theater lovers, but includes stand-up comedy, improv and dance.
724
That's the number of artists who will be presenting their work this weekend in three different art fairs in Minneapolis: Powderhorn Art Fair, Uptown Art Fair, and the Loring Park Art Festival.
2500
2500 degrees: that's how hot the furnace at Franconia Sculpture Park will be for its annual Hot Metal Pour, in which visitors can buy and carver their own molds, and then create their own metal sculptures.
All in all, you have the opportunity to see more than one thousand artists and/or acts this weekend - whether they're painting, pouring hot metal, acting, dancing, slamming poetry or playing the guitar. Not bad. In fact, that's pretty dang amazing.
Your weekend outlook: worthy of framing
Posted at 12:17 PM on July 30, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Performers from the Soap Factory's annual "Artery" festival.
If you've never been persuaded to check out an art gallery before, this is the weekend to overcome your inhibitions. There's a little something for just about everyone on offer at galleries all over the Twin Cities.
Now in its third consecutive year, Artery Twenty Ten offers performances by more than 22 artists over a series of four evenings at The Soap Factory in Minneapolis. The original premise of "Artery" was inspired by similarities between civic circulatory systems (roads, travel, city planning) and our own physical systems.
Fascinated by the Steampunk movement? Stevens Square Park presents "The New Antiquarians," an artistic ode to this imagined alternate fallout from the Industrial Age. The exhibition features a "Cabinet of Curiosities" of retro-futurist paintings; steampunk sculptures; a memory quilt and miniature catacombs made from cast-off, salvaged, and recycled materials.
Tarnish and Gold Gallery presents "The Art of Conflict: Identity in War and Displacement," featuring artwork by both Iraqis and Americans provoked/inspired by the war in Iraq. Organized by the Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project, with an opening reception tonight from 7-10pm.
Want to feel like an in-the-know hipster? Every few months Lisa Bergh and Andrew Nordin open their house in New London, to present a one day artist installation to the public. This Saturday they are hosting Karl Unnasch, who is transforming found/given objects into works of art.
Circus Juventas - our local version of Cirque de Soleil - presents "Sawdust," a salute to the origins of the modern-day circus, Featuring original music composed and performed by Peter Ostroushko.
The creators of "Chicago" and "Cabaret" give you the musical "The Scottsboro Boys."
It's based on the notorious "Scottsboro" case in the 1930s in which nine African-American men were unjustly accused of a heinous crime. Performances run at the Guthrie Theater through September 25.
Art Hounds: From University Ave. to Wadena
Posted at 7:00 AM on July 29, 2010
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Public Art, Sculpture
The hounds chase down teen art in Minneapolis that's making an impression, a sculptural oasis in North Central Minnesota, and a Central Corridor cabaret.
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Andrea Satter says photographer Wing Young Huie has made waves with his colossal series' "The Lake Street Project" and now "The University Avenue Project," which documents a six mile stretch of the Central Corridor. Andrea is anxious to attend Huie's monthly cabaret, held in conjunction with the project, scheduled for this Saturday at 1433 University Ave. It features talent from the University Avenue area.
If you think North Central Minnesota is devoid of grand scale outdoor art, you're wrong. Jamie Robertson says sculpture lovers will enjoy a sojourn to Wadena this Saturday, July 31, for the grand opening of Green Island. It's a 60-acre former farmstead that's been molded into a sculpture park. It'll be open seven days a week from sun-up to sundown for the rest of the summer. Admission is free.
Teen art exhibits rarely turn heads the way "SooFUZE" does. That's the opinion of Christopher James, Communications and Events Director at the Weisman Art Museum. Christopher says the multi-media show at Soo Visual Arts Center reflects the work of Twin Cities teen artists that's unusually sophisticated and thought-provoking. You have until September 5th to check it out.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Your Weekend Outlook: Go with the FLOW
Posted at 1:25 PM on July 23, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Check out music, storytelling and art at the 5th annual FLOW Northside Arts Crawl.
This is a great weekend for festivals of all sorts, as well as some mind-bending modern dance.
The 5th Annual FLOW Northside Arts Crawl takes place Saturday from 3PM to 8PM along West Broadway. Highlights include: Asian Dance and storytelling, performances by the Black Storytellers Alliance, live music, live music, theater and spoken word. (My favorite - recognition ceremony for Northside High School graduates who are going to college.)
Lumberjack Days in Stillwater has got all sorts of old-time fun: amateur talent contests, ice cream socials, a petting zoo and even a treasure hunt.
Minneapolis Acquatennial continues through this weekend, with world wakesurfing championships, the coronation of the Queen of the Lakes, fireworks, and special events at the Bakken museum featuring scientific discoveries by inventors young and old.
Rosie Simas Dance presents "It's Strange to Be Here, The Mystery Never Leaves You" featuring new dance work inspired by the words of John O'Donohue. Performances are at Bedlam Theatre(heads up: This production contains nudity).
The Southern Theater presents
Chris Yon's "The Infinite Multiverse," a set a of high energy dances featuring Taryn Griggs, Justin Jones and Kristin Van Loon. In the same evening Johanna Meyer and Judy Bauerlein offer up "Stroll," a "humorous, post-modern pantomime."
The Mpls Photo Center presents "Stars of India: Its People and Places," a photographic exhibition by Indian native Robi Chakraborty. The exhibition opens tonight with Indian food, music and even a henna artist.
So what are you doing this weekend?
Art Hounds: Ladysmith, Liberia and dance
Posted at 7:00 AM on July 22, 2010
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Dance, Events
This week's hounds are promoting an opera with small town Wisconsin roots, a pair of choreographers from NYC making their mark at the Southern, and the work of a Liberian installation artist at a local African market.
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Twin Cities composer Carolyn Elerding is going to Ladysmith, Wisconsin this weekend, by way of the opera. "The Ladysmith Story," conceived by local opera singer and Ladysmith native Brad Johnson Bradshaw, traces the evolution of a small town at an important point in its history. After having its world premiere at Ladysmith High School, "The Ladysmith Story" is on stage at the Red Eye Theatre in Minneapolis on Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm, and Sunday at 2pm.
Elissa Adams directs new play development at Children's Theatre Company, so it's not surprising she's drawn to performance that straddles the line between theater and dance. Elissa's going to see NYC transplant and choreographer Chris Yon's new work "The Infinite Multiverse," and a piece by NYC choreographer Johanna Meyer entitled "Stroll," featuring San Diego actress and director Judy Bauerlein. They're being performed at the Southern Theater, July 22 - 24.
Patricia Briggs, an arts writer based in Racine, WI, has tapped installation artist and Liberian native Catherine Kennedy as one of the rising stars in Twin Cities visual arts. Kennedy's mixed media exhibition, "Exit: Making it Through" explores the lives of women caught up in the Liberian civil war. It's on view at the African Food Market and Deli Afrique in Crystal, starting this Friday through August 23.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Art Hounds: Ritter, Rosalux, Commonweal
Posted at 7:00 AM on July 15, 2010
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Music, Theater
A revered singer-songwriter in an orchestral setting, an important Minneapolis gallery resurfaces in Nordeast, and a Steve Martin play as interpreted by a Lanesboro theater company all get the Art Hounds treatment this week.
(Have an idea for Art Hounds? Tell us here!)
Rural Minnesota artist Karl Unnasch made a sojourn to the Commonweal Theatre in Lanesboro recently to see "Picasso at the Lapin Agile," and Karl says it was a fantastic production. The play was written by comedian Steve Martin and envisions Picasso running into Albert Einstein at a pre-WWII Parisian bar and getting to know each other. It's on stage through September 25th.
One of Crystal Nelson's favorite singer songwriters will be accompanied by one of the world's great orchestras tonight. Crystal, who writes for the Minneapolis music blog Borangutang, can't wait to hear Josh Ritter unveil his new record "So Runs the World Away," with the help of the Minnesota Orchestra at Orchestra Hall. The performance is at 8pm.
As coordinator of the Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Chris Atkins closely follows what's happening in the Twin Cities gallery scene. Chris is happy to report that Rosalux Gallery, which used to be housed at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts building before it closed last year, is reopening....in Nordeast! The new Rosalux, which is run cooperatively by member artists, opens its inaugural show in its new space on Saturday, July 17th.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Your Weekend Outlook: Freewheeling
Posted at 9:45 AM on July 16, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Events
The 10th annual Bicycle Film Festival is underway today and tomorrow at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis, featuring all sorts of short films dedicated to human-powered two-wheelers. Brendt Barbur, Founding Festival Director, was impelled to start the Bicycle Film Festival when he was hit by a bus while riding his bike in New York City. He insisted on turning his negative experience into a positive one. Since then the BFF has become a major catalyst for the urban bike movement.
Tonight marks the 2010 Minnesota Black Music Awards at Pantages Theater, a celebration that's been on hiatus for more than a decade. The evening features performances from Mint Condition, The Sounds of Blackness, The Ladies of Jazz, Heiruspecs and The New Congress. The evening will explore the legacy and spotlight the future of the "Minneapolis Sound" as made famous by Prince.
On Saturday, head on over to the Minnesota History Center for One Night Stand in the Heartland, a look at the Beatles' one night in Minnesota on August 21, 1965. The exhibition features images by local photographer Bill Carlson
Yes, dancers can be sports lovers, too. Eclectic Edge Ensemble presents "For Sports Sake" at the Ritz Theater in Minneapolis. EEE explores how sports inform and shape our country's culture. Do sports have the power to solve all of the world's problems?
Sunday get your beret on for the Bastille Day Block Party at Barbette's in Minneapolis. Entertainment provided by Infiammati Fire Circus, North Star Roller Girls, Spot Spa Hula Hoop Contest, among others, plus music by Romantica, Eyedea & Abilities and the Brass Messengers.
Going to be in Winona this weekend? Then stop by the Performing Arts Center of Winona State University for the Great River Shakespeare Festival. The festival runs through August 1, and each weekend you can choose from "A Comedy of Errors," "Othello" and "The Daly News" (and no, that last one is not by Shakespeare).
So what are you doing this weekend?
Art Hounds: Sweeney, Carmina, and Trombone Shorty
Posted at 7:00 AM on July 8, 2010
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Music, Theater
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. Credit: Jane Richey
This week's hounds highlight Fleet Street's demon barber as interpreted by Minnesota teens, medieval love songs in Ely and an explosive trombonist from The Big Easy.
(Have an idea for Art Hounds? Tell us here!)
The Northern Lights Chamber Music Festival is an annual tradition Carol Orban of Ely has enjoyed for many years. Carol, a member of the Northern Lakes Arts Association, is especially excited about a performance of her favorite work, "Carmina Burana," which will headilne this year's festival. It's being performed Friday, July 9 at UMD's Weber Hall at 7:30pm, Saturday, July 10 at 7pm at Washington Auditorium in Ely and Sunday, July 11 at Roosevelt High School Auditorium in Virginia. Festival participants will be joined by members of the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra Chorus and the East Range Choral Society.
Twin Cities actor Jane Froiland is solidly behind the mission of the St. Paul-based Young Artists Initiative and its upcoming production of Stephen Sondheim's bloody musical, "Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street." Jane says the talent in Young Artists Initiative, a performing arts program for teens across the state, is on a par with many professional artists she's worked with. "Sweeney Todd" is on stage at St. Paul's Gremlin Theatre July 8 - 18.
If you wanna party like they do in the Treme neighborhood of New Orleans, Minneapolis jazz writer and commentator Pamela Espeland says make for the Minnesota Zoo Thursday, July 8 to see Trombone Shorty. Pamela says the 24-year-old trombonist became a professional musician at the ripe old age of five and has a wonderful new CD out called "Backatown."
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Your Weekend Outlook: Off the Ball
Posted at 9:34 AM on July 9, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Blues legend Taj Mahal will be playing Saturday at the Minnesota Zoo. (AP file photo)
Understandably, there are going to be millions of eyes glued to television screens this weekend for the World Cup final between The Netherlands and Spain. Inevitably, about half of them are going to be sorely disappointed and wish they'd done something better with their free time. Looking for better odds? Read on...
If you're at the Minnesota Zoo this weekend, you've got a choice between Greg Brown tonight, and Taj Mahal tomorrow night - both at the zoo amphitheater.
How far are you willing to go for good theater? How about to a cemetery? Theatre Pro Rata presents "Traveling Light," the story of an imaginery encounter between Joe Orton and Brian Epstein just weeks before they both died. Performances run tonight through July 28 at the Layman's Cemetery in Minneapolis.
Saturday, Al-Bahira Dance Theater presents Oyun Havalari, an evening of dance starring Artemis Mourat, international master Turkish and Rrom ("gypsy") dance artist. The evening features a rich tapestry of ethnic and contemporary dance from the Middle East, Turkey, North Africa, Eastern Europe and the Americas. At Ritz Theater in Minneapolis.
Southern Theater presents "Solo," world premieres performed by six of the Twin Cities' finest dancers, all of them recipients of the McKnight Artist Fellowship. Performances run tonight through Sunday at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis.
The Twin Cities Zinefest is back, with an art show, live music, craft demonstrations and more. Billing itself as a destination for "rebels" and "frustrated intellectuals" to connect, create and share ideas, Zinefest plays host to some of the Midwest's best self-made talent. The event runs from 11am to 5pm Saturday at Stevens Square Center for the Arts.
Soo Visual Arts Center (also known as SooVAC) is opening up it's new, expanded quarters on Lyndale Avenue in Minneapolis Saturday night, and to break it in, the gallery is hosting "Untitled 7" - the seventh year of SooVAC's juried exhibition series. This year's exhibition explores the "authenticity of experience" (check back later today for a more in-depth look at the new space and the new show).
On Sunday, soak in the sun and take in the sounds of Tapes 'N Tapes, Eyedea & Abilities, Total Babe, Just Wulf, BubbleTeeth, and Wolf Mountain on the Walker Art Center's rolling hillside as part of Open Exposure. This daylong festival of music brings high school musicians into the mix with established bands, rappers, and performers. Bring your best music mixes to trade in a mix tape exchange, create your own musical instruments in the art-making tent, and learn more about the professional arts community at the Young Artists Resource Fair.
Looking for family friendly fare? Steppingstone Theatre presents "Stinky Cheese Man," a musical based on the children's book, which features a twisted retelling of the Gingerbread Man.
Counting down to the Fringe Festival
Posted at 11:30 AM on July 6, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Events, Theater
The annual theater circus of the Minnesota Fringe Festival is just one month away, and the folks in charge have launched a new and improved website to help you plan your Fringe experience.
When it comes to the Minnesota Fringe, planning your week is often times half the fun, because face it, trying to cram in the best of 169 shows into eleven days is a logistical and creative challenge. This is without a doubt the Twin Cities' biggest theatrical event of the year, and it's not just limited to theater; there are dance performances, musicals, spoken word and puppetry. It is a great way to see an amazing stretch of artistic talent without breaking the bank (ticket prices are $12 per show, with several options for deals on multi-passes).
To help you navigate the theatrical buffet table, MFF is presenting a new feature, "Fringe Tracks." Think of them as celebrity playlists, only instead of songs, local personalities have listed their own top choices for theater-going during the festival. Fringe Executive Director Robin Gillette says the tracks are meant to help first-time Fringers navigate the often overwhelming choices. There's also a guide for newcomers.
In the coming weeks I'll also take a closer look at some of the shows on offer, and post what I find out.
Art Hounds: Passion, the ordinary and indie rock
Posted at 7:00 AM on July 1, 2010
by Chris Roberts
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Museums, Music, Theater
Adam Caillier, Antler Speaker, 2009, pigmented inkjet print
A five-week long soap opera for the stage, artists occupied by the ordinary, and an indie rock band that knows how to tell stories have all piqued the hounds' interest this week.
(Have an idea for Art Hounds? Tell us here!)
St. Paul artist and MCAD and CVA instructor Pamela Valfer feels like she's found the extraordinary in an exhibition about the ordinary. "Ordinarily Here," at the Weisman Art Museum through October 10, features ten Minnesota artists looking for meaning among the ordinary objects that surround us.
"As the World Turns" may have ended its 76-year run, but Twin Cities theater and dance photographer Scott Pakudaitus recommends soap opera fans fill that gaping hole with Flower Shop Project's "River of Passion." It's a five-part serial theater production starring 15 core actors, that will keep you riveted every Friday in July at the Bryant Lake Bowl in Minneapolis.
What Twin Cities actress and arts administrator Andrea Tonsfeldt appreciates most about Minneapolis indie rockers Pictures of Then, is the band's ability to rock -- and hold her interest lyrically at the same time. Pictures of Then plays Saturday at Sauce Spirits and Soundbar in Minneapolis.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Your weekend outlook: in good Taste
Posted at 8:15 AM on July 2, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Taste of Minnesota on Harriet Island
The new bosses at Taste of Minnesota promise improved sounds and smells this Independence Day weekend, with bands like Atmosphere and Heiruspecs on five different stages, more walleye, and fewer corn dogs. Still, you'll have no problem finding mini-donuts and cheese curds...
All Sci-FI and Fantasy geeks, unite! Or in this case, CONverge! This weekend marks the annual CONvergence at the Sheriton Bloomington Hotel. This year's theme: "Bring on the Bad Guys."
Which do you prefer - the suburbs, or the cities? A group of artists take on the merits of both in Altered Esthetics' latest group show, in the Q'ARMA building in Northeast Minneapolis.
Stella, Stanley and Blanche DuBois plummet headlong into a trainwreck in Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire," which opens this weekend at the Guthrie Theater. See the play, and then rent the movie starring Marlon Brando for the definitive portrayal of "sexy, yet brutish."
What's your favorite spot in the Twin Cities? This Saturday artist Susan Armington will be at Walker's Open Field to lead the creation of a gigantic collective map. Participants will make 3D models of their cherished hangouts and share stories of how they came to be so beloved.
Spending the weekend in Duluth? Local legend Claudia Schmidt performs tonight at the Red Mug Coffeehouse just over the lift bridge in Superior, Wisconsin. Otherwise you can see her Monday performing with Prudence Johnson at Taste of Minnesota.
So how are you spending the three day weekend?
Sage and John Cowles recognized for commitment to arts
Posted at 1:28 PM on June 29, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Dance, Events, Funding
John and Sage Cowles, arts benefactors, will get their due tonight at a special event.
Tonight John and Sage Cowles are being recognized for their lifelong commitment to the arts and for being passionate champions of dance.
Community leaders, friends and family are honoring the philanthropists and arts advocates, who played a pivotal role in the creation of the Minnesota Shubert Center, a new home for dance and performing arts. The center is currently under construction, and set to open in the fall of 2011.
The Cowles' role in transforming the local arts scene dates back 50 years, when John Cowles helped convince Sir Tyrone Guthrie to build a new theater in Minneapolis. The son of a newspaper man, Cowles worked for his father's paper, the Minneapolis Tribune. He eventually became president and CEO of the company in 1968. In 1983 he left Cowles Media and spent twenty years doing whatever interested him, including studying agriculture, teaching fitness, and performing alongside his wife as guest artists in the world tour of a dance piece by Bill T. Jones.
Sage Cowles is the namesake of the "Sage Awards" in the Minnesota dance community. A dancer herself, she performed on Broadway and television before marrying her husband and occupying herself with raising their kids.
In her 50s, Sage returned to dance and helped found the Minnesota Independent Choreographers' Alliance. She taught dance for non-dancers and served on the boards of several dance companies (she currently serves on the board of Merce Cunningham's company).
Sage and John helped fund the Barbara Barker Center for Dance at the University of Minnesota. They also established the Cowles Land Grant Chair, which underwrites residencies by dancers, choreographers, critics, and other professionals in the field. To date more than 140 guest artists have come to the University's Department of Theatre Arts and Dance to teach, choreograph, and lecture through the Cowles' generosity.
The event honoring the Cowles takes place this evening at the Grain Belt Brewery in Northeast Minneapolis.
Art Hounds: chamber music, aesthetic apparatus, Jose James
Posted at 7:00 AM on June 24, 2010
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Music, Printmaking
This week's hounds endorse a chamber music jamboree in the north woods, a display of internationally-acclaimed hand-printed posters, and a buzzed-about jazz crooner from Minneapolis.
(Have an idea for Art Hounds? Tell us here!)
If you're an amateur chamber musician, where can you go to find like-minded practitioners and some tips on how to play better? How about the North Shore? Duluth composer Robert Linnemann says the Woodland Chamber Music Workshop, taking place in Tofte through June 27, welcomes chamber musicians of all ages and skill levels, with coaching from the Gichigami Trio. The Trio will also perform a free concert open to the public tomorrow at 7pm at the Surfside Resort. The workshop is full for this year, but maybe next summer?
If you're looking for the future of jazz, Pillsbury House Theatre Co-Artistic Producing Director Faye Price says cast your gaze on Minneapolis native and South High alum Josรฉ James. James, who now resides in Brooklyn, has made an exceedingly favorable impression on jazz critics around the globe, and Faye says he has a magnetic, almost hypnotic presence on stage. James has put out a new CD of standards called "For All We Know," and he'll be dipping heavily into that at his Dakota Bar and Grill gig tonight.
Artist and writer Andy Sturdevant was wowed by the latest MCAD show, "AAXI: A Decade of Aesthetic Apparatus, One Year Late." It features the internationally acclaimed hand-printed posters of the Minneapolis design duo Dan Ibarra and Michael Byzewski, who together make up Aesthetic Apparatus. Andy says the posters blend elements from the last 70 years of design, and the show also displays the tools Ibarra and Byzewski employ in their work. The exhibition is up until June 27 so you have one weekend left to see it.
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And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Your weekend outlook: the full spectrum
Posted at 8:04 PM on June 23, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Looking to get some color this weekend? Twin Cities Pride offers you rainbows galore, and many good excuses to spend the weekend working on your tan in Loring Park, including a festival, the parade, an art show, and The Village People.
Rogue Buddha Gallery in Northeast Minneapolis presents "Under The Skin," a collection of works inspired by, or involving, tattoos. Opens Friday night and runs through July 25.
The Minnesota Center for Book Arts celebrates its 25th birthday this weekend with an open house on Saturday, from 10am to 4pm. Visitors can get their hands dirty as they try out letterpress printing, papermaking and hand bookbinding. Plus there will be art on display and you might even get some birthday cake.
Ten years ago Argentinian artist Guillermo Kuitca painted a map of the midwest onto a set of mattresses, and Minneapolis was right in the middle. Kuitca says he chose the area because he knew nothing about it. Fast forward to this weekend, and that same piece is part of Kuitca's solo show at the Walker Art Center.
The Hijack dance duo Kristin Van Loon and Arwen Wilder join forces with New Orleans performance artist Scotty Heron for an evening of "artistic radicalism" at Open Eye Figure Theater. smithsoniansmith (this is it) poses a bunch of questions, including 'What does it mean to be radical? What is trash? What is beautiful? What is usable? And what is violent?'
CO Exhibitions - formerly known as "First Amendment Arts - presents an exhibition of the visual artwork of the hip hop collective Doomtree. Wings & Teeth will feature screenprinted concert posters and videos, plus fan-submitted artwork inspired by the collective. Members of the group will perform as part of the opening night party on Saturday, from 7 - 10pm.
Art Hounds: Hair, Hindustani Music, Fitting the Profile
Posted at 8:24 AM on June 17, 2010
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Music, Theater, Writing
Rikki Davenport playing tabla.
Writers and artists pondering their Jewish identity, tabla and sitar sounds at Gandhi Mahal and a teen revival of a musical about young people changing the world while not cutting their hair are all on the hounds' radar this week.
(Have an idea for Art Hounds? Tell us here!)
Rachel Reiva is privy to the latest and greatest in local youth theater as Teen Fringe Festival Reviewer for the Twin Cities Daily Planet. That's why Rachel's looking forward to a production of the musical "Hair" by Blank Slate Theatre, a company by and for Twin Cities teens and young adults. Given Blank Slate's track record, and that hippie values and concerns might be making a comeback amongst the younger crowd, Rachel predicts this will be an awesome show. On stage at the Lowry Lab in St. Paul, June 18-26.
For Shahzore Shah, one of life's pleasures is going to the restaurant Gandhi Mahal in Minneapolis, and listening to North Indian Hindustani music on tabla and sitar. It's performed by Minnesotans Mark Ilaug and Rikki Davenport. Shahzore, who sings in the Twin Cities choral group Cantus, says Ilaug and Davenport have been studying Hindustani music for the last several years and are excellent musicians. They play this Friday, and most Fridays, from 5-9pm.
Beth Mayer is a writer in Lakeville who strongly recommends the latest linkage of writers and visual artists by the group TalkingImageConnection. "Fitting the Profile" is happening tonight at 7pm at the Tychman Shapiro Gallery in St. Louis Park. It's a juried art show featuring artists exploring diversity in the Jewish community, and local writers responding to their work.
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And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Art Hounds: 3D Music, Redundancy Dept., Ander Monson
Posted at 8:25 AM on June 10, 2010
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Music, Theater, Writing
Greta Grosch, Jim Robinson, Shanan Custer and Jeffrey Cloninger in "The Dept. of Redundancy Dept."
The hounds track down a sculptural music festival, a satirical sketch comedy show that tends to repeat itself and a memoirist who's somewhat anti-memoir.
(Have an idea for Art Hounds? Tell us here!)
As editor of the online book review blog, "Minnesota Reads," Jodi Chromey reads...voluminously. When she encounters something fresh and innovative, it's reason to celebrate. That's why she's singing the praises of Ander Monson's new memoir or anti-memoir, "Vanishing Point." Jodi says it's short, experiments with form, incorporates the web in a unique way, and perhaps best of all, is published by Greywolf Press in Minneapolis. Ander Monson visits Magers and Quinn in Minneapolis, Tuesday, June 15th, at 7:30pm.
St. Paul actor Andrea Guilford knows great sketch comedy when she sees it, which is why she's a big fan of the Recovery Party. The Recovery Party is a troupe consisting of several former Dudley Riggs alums and its latest production, "The Department of Redundancy Department," is on stage at the Bryant Lake Bowl, Fridays and Saturdays during the month of June.
There are maybe 10,000 outdoor music festivals in Minnesota any given summer. Jessica Pack, executive director of ArtReach St. Croix, says they won't get any better than the 3D Music Festival at Franconia Sculpture Park. Jessica says over the course of eight Saturdays this summer, a broad range of Minnesota music will ring out from Franconia's new amphitheater, which is right in the middle of the park, surrounded by sculpture. The festival starts Saturday, June 12, with the old timey twang of the Roe Family Singers.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Your Weekend Outlook: A complete mystery
Posted at 8:20 AM on June 9, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Steve Hendrickson in the role of Sherlock Holmes at Park Square Theatre in St. Paul
Looking for something fun to do this weekend? It's elementary, my dear Watson! Read on for clues...
Park Square Theatre in St. Paul presents "Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Jersey Lily." Watson pines for Lillie Langtry, Holmes chases the infernal Moriarty, and Oscar Wilde gets some of his best lines. Written by Katie Forgette, the show is billed as a delightful escapade that includes seduction and secrets, lies and lilies, mistresses and mayhem. On stage through July 3.
It's a bit of a coup for an artist to be in two shows concurrently, but photographer Osama Esid has managed to pull it off. Esid is part of a group show (featured last week) at Franklin Art Works, and starting this weekend is the subject of a solo show at Gallery 13.
Amidst the haunted halls of The Soap Factory (once a storage space for rail freight), artists contemplate the echoes of their own artwork over time in "What Remains." Up through July 25.
Looking for a good laugh to counteract the effects of the week's news? How about an evening of sketch comedy? The aptly named Recovery Party presents Department of Redundancy Department. Again. At Bryant Lake Bowl.
One of my favorite old-time films is "Auntie Mame" starring Rosalind Russell as the eccentric aunt who takes in her adoring nephew and teaches him how to live life to the fullest. The story was also turned into a musical, "Mame," which starred Angela Lansbury in 1966. Minneapolis Musical Theatre decided to remount the musical, but thought Mame needed an update to make her suitably outrageous by today's standards. The answer? MMT co-founder Kevin Hansen takes on the part of the great diva. Performances run June 11 - 27 at the Illusion Theater in Minneapolis.
And why not spend a lazy Saturday morning watching cartoons? Classical Minnesota Public Radio kicks off the summer with the Magical Classical Cartoon Morning - a vaudeville inspired movie party projecting the funniest cartoons and other performances with classical accompaniment. The fun runs from 10am - 1pm at the Fitzgerald Theater in downtown St. Paul.
So tell me, now that I've revealed my hand, what good fun have you detected on the horizon?
State Fair Posters, then and now
Posted at 12:35 PM on June 9, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
The 2010 Minnesota State Fair commemorative poster by Deborah Voyda Rogers
Today the Minnesota State Fair unveiled this year's poster art, by White Bear Lake resident Deborah Voyda Rogers. It's an annual event, and for the last several years the fair organizers have made the poster an opportunity to showcase the work of a Minnesota artist. The image will adorn not just posters, but billboards, buses, t-shirts and postcards.
Frankly I'm a bit inspired by this year's selection; it's an homage to the fairgrounds' architecture. But it fails to depict any one of the three most important components of the annual get-together: people, food and animals. Curious, I decided to take a look at some of the recent winners.
The 2005 Minnesota State Fair Commemorative Poster, by Mary GrandPre
Of course the most famous artwork to grace the State Fair poster in recent years is that of Mary GrandPre, the illustrator of the Harry Potter books. No witches or wizards here, but it does hit the holy trinity - kids, farm animals and food (corn, pies and an ice cream cone). There's even a ferris wheel in the distance. And isn't that a quilt along the bottom?
The 2008 Minnesota State Fair Commemorative Poster, by Edie Abnet
However a look at the 2008 artwork reveals a more minimalist trend. Edie Abnet's watercolor focuses on horses, and horses alone. The accompanying ribbons, banners and stars imply more of a circus or carnival feel than that of a 4-H competition. For horse lovers it's a big win, but what about those thousands of people who come to the fair for a good corn dog and a ride in the chair lift?
Even more puzzled now, and as curious as ever, I decided to look up some of the older State Fair posters. A virtual visit to the Minnesota Historical Society provided me with a bunch of great material, including a series of fair posters from 1922, by Latham Litho and Printing Co. in New York.
Image courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society
Image courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society
The images are bright and cheerful, thanks to the primary colors, and both of them feature people and food. And you know what else? They also feature architecture. And they still hold true after almost 90 years. Not bad.
I like the idea of the fair showcasing the work of Minnesota artists each year, and not just in the Fine Arts building. But by playing to a particular artist's creative strengths the State Fair is losing an opportunity to celebrate what it truly is - the Great Minnesota Get-Together.
Art Hounds: Flint Hills, Sound Unseen, New Works
Posted at 8:25 AM on June 3, 2010
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Film, Music, Theater
Still from "Sounds Like Teen Spirit," screening Friday at Sound Unseen in Duluth.
It's an all-festival installment this week as the hounds look forward to an international childrens fest, a festival of films about music and an experimental theater festival.
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Sharon DeMark has gotten in the habit of going to the annual Flint Hills International Children's Festival at the Ordway in St. Paul, and her family is usually in tow. Sharon, the arts program officer for the St. Paul Foundation, says the five dollar ticket price for some incredible international children's acts is amazing, as is the number of free performances happening in Rice Park. The festival runs June 1-6.
Jean Sramek predicts the hipster-friendly yet encompassing Sound Unseen International Film and Music Festival will be a hit when it makes its inaugural appearance in Duluth June 2-6. Jean is a Duluth theater artist and music buff who describes Sound Unseen as a festival of films about music from around the world, coupled with live music, of course. Sound Unseen has migrated north after being a mainstay in Minneapolis for the last decade.
Minneapolis dance and theater videographer Ben McGinley says an unpredictable, rich experience awaits you at the Red Eye Theater in Minneapolis as its New Works 4 Weeks Festival unfolds during the month of June. Ben is particularly interested in the "Works in Progress" series, June 3 - 6, in which five artists will each have 15 minutes to give audiences a glimpse at new work they're developing.
For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter.
And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677.
Your Weekend Outlook: Open
Posted at 12:43 PM on June 2, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
The Walker Art Center is launching its "Open Field" this weekend.
Wow. WOW. WOW!! I've got my fingers crossed for great weather this weekend, because there are so many events that celebrate both art and summer. But whether it rains or shines, you've got plenty to choose from.
The Walker Art Center is launching a new summer project called "Open Field." The idea is to create a "cultural commons," a place that belongs to everyone and is a hub to entertainment, relaxation and artistic expression.The Walker is calling it "a park celebrating the creative assets and collective knowledge that abound in the Twin Cities." People can post their ideas for projects on the Open Field Calendar, and invite others to join in on the fun. The catch? The Open Field will only be as good as your participation.
Looking for an outdoor experience that's less art and more science? The Science Museum of Minnesota has re-opened its "Big Backyard" for the summer, featuring a nine-hole golf course that illustrates landscape evolution, an "outdoor darkroom," a maze of prairie plants and panning for gems and fossils.
This Saturday marks the opening of Minneapolis Mosaic, the city's festival of arts celebrating cultural diversity. The festival launches with an evening of free entertainment off Hennepin Avenue between 7th and 8th Street.
The Flint Hills International Children's Festival is underway this week, culminating over the weekend with performances in the Ordway Center and the surrounding parks and plaza, as well as arts activities and exhibitions. Cost for two full days of shows in the Ordway is $5 per person; all outdoor activities are free and open to the public.
Looking for something a little more dangerous? Bedlam Theatre and Infiammati Fire Circus present Persephone: Reign of Fire. Mounted in the theater's parking lot (because face it, do they need any more building damage?), Persephone: Reign of Fire tells the story of an innocent maiden's journey to the underworld, her rise to power as queen and her incandescent return to the living as harbinger of spring. Performances, which run through Sunday June 13, feature fireworks, puppetry, aerialists and "acro-stilting."
Starting at 10am on Friday, the 44th Annual Edina Art Fair gets underway, featuring well over 350 artists from all over the country. This year the fair is adding The fair includes a new "Green Art" section for artists who work exclusively with environmentally friendly materials.
Oh and then there's Grand Old Day this Sunday, featuring an art fair, art cars, lots of bands, and of course, shopping.
Now if the weather's bad, or if you simply want to chill out a little bit, check out the following:
The vocal ensemble Cantus is back with its perennial favorite "Cantus Covers" in which the guys rework music by The Beatles, Beck, Fleetwood Mac and more. At the Ritz Theater in Minneapolis this weekend and next.
Up north for the weekend? Or are you always up north? Either way, you might want to take in "American Buffalo" by David Mamet at the Rubber Chicken Theater in Duluth. It's the story of a group of guys bent on stealing a rare coin collection, and the mistrust that builds amongst them along the way.
Altered Esthetics presents Bike Art V, featuring photography, sculpture, spoke-card art and more. And excuse me, but what is this about a "bikini bike wash?"
And finally, this weekend marks the beginning of Red Eye Theater's "Works in Progress," a month-long festival of multidisciplinary works by some adventurous artmakers.
So, this isn't everything, but it is enough to fill up anyone's weekend. What are you going to do?
Your weekend outlook: More than Fair
Posted at 3:13 PM on May 26, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Kate Eifrig and Steve Hendrickson star in "My Fair Lady"
It's Memorial Day weekend, which means that many will ditch the cities for all points north, or will spend their days lazing by a lake or staffing the backyard grill. But if you choose to make your get-away in the urban jungle, many cool offerings await...
It's the eternal tale of a man molding a woman to fit his perfect ideal; Ten Thousand Things presents "My Fair Lady" at the Minnesota Opera Center, and this is the last weekend in the run (my bad for not getting it on the Weekend Outlook sooner). Go for the great ensemble cast; stay for the compelling treatment of the perennial issues of class and gender.
Check out Pillsbury House this weekend for a two-fer; you can see the play "Pa's Hat: Liberian Legacy," the story of a young American woman who accompanies her father back to his Liberian homeland, and the trouble they find there. Then stay for the opening of "The Scent of God," a group art exhibition that explores the residual effects of an encounter with the holy, organized by Obsidian Arts.
Speaking of two-fers, there are two new productions on stage at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. Dollhouse is a modern re-imagining of Ibsen's classic "A Doll's House," reworked by playwright Rebecca Gilman. Up in the Dowling Studio you can see "Circle Mirror Transformation" the story of five small town Vermonters who each take a community acting class and soon learn more about each other and themselves than they bargained for.
The Soap Factory presents its third installment of WORKHORSE, a showcase for short, in-progress, just beginning or just finished performance works. Workhorse offers artists the chance to share work at an early stage and gain useful feedback from their peers in an informal setting. One night only - Thursday, starting at 8pm.
It's never too late to celebrate! The Minneapolis College of Art and Design presents "AAXI: A Decade of Aesthetic Apparatus, One Year Late," a look at the design studio's first decade. You guessed it, they're eleven.
Flaneur Productions presents the seventh annual Heliotrope exhibition of underground music. At the Ritz Theater in Minneapolis Thursday through Saturday, 6pm - midnight.
Hot, humid and a heck of a good time
Posted at 2:09 PM on May 24, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Ephraim Cruz Eusebio stands with his finished canvases, after painting for three and a half hours during MPR's open house.
Photo by Lindsay Miller
A big thanks to all of you who braved the heat and humidity this weekend to come visit MPR's headquarters in downtown St. Paul. For all of you who missed it, I thought you might appreciate getting a look at some of the more artful aspects of the celebration, particularly the "Art Hounds Garden of Action Painting."
Photo by Jen Hanlon
First off, painter/musician Ephraim Cruz Eusebio ruled the day. Over the course of the open house, Eusebio transformed three canvases, inspired by MPR's three services(news, the current, and classical). As he jumped back and forth, an assistant dialed up the appropriate station, so he could react to what was on the air at the moment. The "M" canvas - representing the news station - ended up the darkest of the three, reflecting the somber tone of the headlines, while the "P" canvas projected the rambunctious energy of the current, and "R" radiated the calming, blissful tones of the classical station. All that, in less than four hours - wow.
Photo by Ephraim Cruz Eusebio
In addition, the green was converted into an "Art Car Parking Lot" for the day. Eusebio brought his "turfmobile" (covered in artificial turf and run on biodiesel), and the House of Balls' Allen Christian parked his art car on the grass and passed away the time working on one of his wire sculptures. But perhaps most impressive of all was the "bee bike," which Mina Leirwood pedalled over from Minneapolis. A former art car driver, Mina has switched to art bikes to reduce her carbon footprint.
Photo by Ephraim Cruz Eusebio
Artistic expression was not limited to the green space across the street from MPR HQ. Indeed it was everywhere, from Adam Levy's Bunny Clogs performing at the Fitzgerald, to Tom Keith performing sound effects for kids, to Jelloslave's Michelle Kinney and Jacqueline Ultan playing their cellos in the atrium.
I have to admit, when I found out I'd be working outside for four hours in 90° heat, I started pouring on the self-pity. But after fours hours with such a creative crew, and in the company of great MPR fans - many of whom sat on the grass while their kids did somersaults - I felt pretty darn blessed. Thanks to all who came, and for those of you who missed it, we'll see you next time.
Get thee to a museum!
Posted at 1:35 PM on May 18, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events, Museums
Today is International Museum Day, and to celebrate, many museums are waiving the cost of admission, including the Walker Art Center (reminder: general admission to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Weisman Art Museum is always free).
Each year the International Council of Museums announces a theme to IMD; this year that theme is "museums for social harmony."
"Museums provide a structured platform for interactions between cultures, which makes them ideal ambassadors for intercultural communication," writes An Laishun, Deputy Director of the International Friendship Museum in an ICOM report.
Social harmony will likely be one of the topics discussed at this year's meeting of the American Association of Museums, held in Los Angeles (heads up: it will be in the Twin Cities in 2012). The theme of the meeting is "Museums without borders" and will tackle the role of museums in an increasingly globalized society.
So if you have the afternoon free, and can stand being indoors on a spring day, head over to your favorite museum and take some time to think about how it fosters social harmony.
Your Weekend Outlook: Both lovely and lustful
Posted at 8:15 AM on May 19, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Ragamala Dance presents "Ihrah: Sacred Waters" at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis.
This is an exceptional weekend for dance. Whether you like modern, traditional, or a little bit of everything, this weekend's for you!
Ragamala Dance presents Ihrah: Sacred Water at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis. Since time immemorial, river worship has been performed in India to respect the vitality of water as a life-sustaining force. Based on the poetic sanctity of these rituals, Ihrah: Sacred Waters is an evening length work set to a live south Indian orchestra and features a specially commissioned world premiere from composer Marc Anderson. Performances run May 20-23.
John Jasperse Company presents "Truth, Revised Histories, Wishful Thinking, and Flat Out Lies" at the Walker Art Center this Thursday and Friday. By juxtaposing varied styles of dance, performance, and music in a collage that bounces between the sincere and the ironic, John Jasperse asks us to examine what we believe, what we don't, and why.
The Ritz Theater presents the 3rd annual choreographers' evening, "Renovate." The event features new works by a wide variety of local talent. Performances run Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Stephen Epp and Dominique Serrand bring back their production "The House Can't Stand" to the Northrop Auditorium. One lone woman - a lifelong Republican, her husband dead, her children gone - receives a chance phone call that leads her on an attempt to prevent a terrible act of violence. Her pursuit takes her deep into the recesses of her mind and the landscape of the American past. Through May 29.
St. Paul's SteppingStone Theatre presents "The Magic Pot: Three Tales from China." May Ling, a young Chinese girl, finds herself in the middle of ancient fables about emperors, magicians and fabulous riches, that teach her about life, honesty, and true happiness, and pave the way for her own extraordinary adventure. Through May 23.
Form and Content and Traffic Zone Galleries in Minneapolis present "Love Never Dies," an international group exhibition which explores the themes of marriage, family, relationships, aging and generational change in the LGBTQ communities. The artwork includes collage, digital formats, film/video, photography, printmaking, and sculpture.
The Classical Actors' Ensemble presents "The Complete Sonnets Festival", staging all 154 of Shakespeare's sonnets. The sonnets are divided into two performances - one on Friday night, and the other on Saturday night. If you want to down all of them in one fell swoop, on Sunday you can see both performances back to back. At Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis.
Here we go again. Puppetry of the Penis is back for another run in the Twin Cities, this time at Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis. Billed as a presentation of "the ancient Australian art of genital origami," it includes such installations as "The Pelican," "The Loch Ness Monster," and "The Hamburger." This Friday night at 7pm and 9:30pm.
Looking for something a little more family friendly? Swede Hollow Park hosts its first annual Plein Air Art Festival. Painters will paint, kids will be provided chalk to make their own art on the sidewalks, and former Hamm's Brewery employees will be on hand to share stories of the good old days. Saturday, May 22 beginning at 10am.
So that's what I've got - what are you doing this weekend?
Your Weekend Outlook: A Whirlwind
Posted at 8:24 PM on May 12, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Why go see one artist when you can see the work of 500? Art-a-Whirl, billed as the largest open studio and gallery tour in the United States, is back this Friday through Sunday in Northeast Minneapolis. No matter what your interest - pottery, painting, posters, music, rugs, whatever - you're bound to find something you like at this event.
What if you could visit yourself in the past? What advice would you give yourself? Or would it be better to not know the future? Walking Shadow Theater Company presents The Transdimensional Couriers Union, a science fiction adventure of love, technology, and betrayal in which Sophie must choose whether to repair her relationship, or time itself. At the Peoples Center Theatre in Minneapolis through May 29.
Marinetti and Mayakovsky were both futurist poets, and they both thought industry and fast cars were pretty much the heights of human achievement. Theatre Novi Most, inspired by a meeting of the two men, have taken their life stories and their letters to create a theatrical tale filled with physical poetry. At Open Eye Figure Theatre through May 23.
Artist Sonja Peterson finds similarities between explorers of old, with their borderline insane passions for discovery, and the financial wizards of today, creating new revenue streams out of seeming thin-air. Peterson explores the intersection between the wilds of undiscovered territories, and the wilds of the modern economic engine, with detailed, intricate works in paper and glass. At the Burnet Gallery in the Le Meridien Chambers art hotel in Minneapolis, starting Friday Saturday.
Urban Samurai Productions presents "Bright Ideas," a darkly comic look at just what parents are willing to do to get their kid into the right... preschool. Billed as an exploration of "the impact that our hyper-competitive cutthroat culture has on the modern family." At Sabes Jewish Community Center through May 23.
Stevens Square Center for the Arts presents a tribute to the golden age of American vaudeville and amusement parks with "Escape from Coney Island." The birthplace of the hot dog and the rollercoaster, Coney Island holds an important place in American history, and some credit it with the birth of popular culture (and really, how far flung is reality television from a good old freak show?). Eight artists present work inspired by the bizarre peninsula/playground, through June 6.
So what are you doing this weekend?
The future of our parks
Posted at 1:57 PM on May 11, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Design, Events, Public Art
Minnehaha Falls
Cecily Hines wants to change the way you think about parks.
The President of the Minneapolis Parks Foundation is a co-organizer of a series of talks, starting Thursday, about park design in the 21st century. The talks are part of a broader project to redesign the city's parks system. She says while the Twin Cities may have great parks, they aren't keeping up with the times.
When you look around other cities throughout the country and the world, they're doing incredible things with landscape design and public spaces and park land. We - because we've had such an incredibly wonderful system that's well-maintained and programmed - really haven't been keeping up with visioning for the long term future. The early generations planned and left us an incredible legacy, and we should be doing the same for the future.
Hines points to changing demographics and social issues; our aging and ethnically diverse population, the economy and the environment are all creating new demands and putting new pressures on city life. Hines says effectively designed parks could address all of those issues.
Parks are not stagnant. Parks can perform many different functions and in other cities you see different types of programming, areas with multiple uses, parks connecting to alternative transportation, and providing storm management.
The first speaker in the three-part series is Jamie Dean, Program Manager of the East London Green Grid, a park system which is meant to revitalize a downtrodden section of the city. Conceived as a "living network of parks, green spaces, river and other corridors," supporters claim it will also "improve public health, enhance biodiversity, and link communities."
Connectivity is a big word in park design. How can parks help people connect with their community, their neighbors, or to other parks? Hines says some of the ideas commonly discussed include public wi-fi access, proximity to lightrail, and safety.
In anything that we consider - you want it to be attractive to people of all ages and all cultures, because the more people that come into our parks, the more vibrant they are and the safer they are. And we have some parks in our system that are very active and very vibrant, and we have others that feel less safe because there's less activity going on in them.
Hines says the challenge we'll be balancing good design and innovation with the need for financial sustainability. Whatever is put into place must be easy to maintain, and long-lasting.
The Minneapolis Parks Foundation is co-organizing the talks along with the Walker Art Center and the University of Minnesota's College of Design and School of Landscape Architecture. Hines says that's because those institutions have shown a high level of interest in and respect for elegant and effective design:
When you look at any kind of problem any kind of aspiration, goal or issue - quality design matters. And it shows. When you enter a space that's been well designed you know it, you feel it, and it feels artistic, but you're not in a museum, you're in a beautiful outdoor space, and you enjoy the beauty of it as well as the functionality of it.
This Thursday's talk is free and open to the public. Tickets will be available at the Humphrey Institute's Cowles Auditorium on the U of M campus starting at 6pm. The talk begins at 7pm.
Your Weekend Outlook: Addictive
Posted at 8:22 PM on May 5, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Wormwood stars that delicious, delirious and dangerous drink - absynthe.
Sure it's May and the forecast is for snow, but why worry when there's so much to do indoors this weekend? Enjoy yourself, and know that the warm weather will be back soon.
Hardcover Theater is dedicated to presenting dramatic stagings of literary works. Its latest production, "Wormwood," is based on the 1890 novel by the British writer Marie Corelli. When Gaston Beauvais tries to drown his sorrows in absynthe, he's haunted by the Green Fairy, who urges him to do exactly the wrong thing. Soon the dead bodies start to pile up... Performances run through May 21 at Bryant Lake Bowl.
TU Dance returns to Southern Theater for a full evening work by Uri Sands titled "Sense(ability)." Sands' choreography incorporates ballet, West African, traditional, modern and streetwise American dance.
The History Theatre in St. Paul presents a, well, revealing look at the burlesque scene in Minneapolis in 1953. Queens of Burlesque runs through May 23. More interested in the modern version? Try out "The Big Teasy" presented by Lili's Burlesque Revue at the Ritz Theater.
It's a great weekend for music at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis. Duluth band "Low" performs Thursday night, fiery fiddler Carrie Rodriguez plays with Romantica on Friday night, and guitar phenom Kaki King fingers her frets on Saturday.
Like pottery? Like driving around Minnesota in the springtime? Then head out to the St. Croix Valley this weekend for the event that's drawing dozens of potters from around the nation to show their work in the studios of their Minnesota colleagues. Meet the artists, check out the work, and enjoy the lovely drive between destinations on the St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour.
Want to give your kids a treat to celebrate the end of the school year? Take them to Disney's Mulan Jr, or The Best Little House in the Forest, both of which run through the middle of June at the Children's Theatre Company.
Altered Aesthetics presents "F.R.E.S.H." - an exhibition that looks at the origins, expressions and effects of street art in and beyond the gallery walls.Think guerrilla art, hip-hop, punk rock, murals and more.
Happy Cinco de Mayo! This year marks two important milestones in the history of Mexico: 200 years after the Mexican War of Independence and 100 years after the Mexican Revolution. Intermedia Arts presents "Independence and Revolution 1810/1910/2010," an exhibition by Mexican artists, through May 28.
And that's just scratching the surface. So what are you doing this weekend?
Art Hounds: TU Dance, Pottery, Mayda
Posted at 8:25 AM on May 6, 2010
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Dance, Events, Music
The hounds want you to check out a sensual exploration of the elements through dance, incredible pottery sprinkled throughout the St. Croix Valley, and a singer-songwriter who's slight in stature but not in voice.
(Have an idea for an Art Hounds? Tell us about it here.)
TU Dance blends a wide array of styles in its first full-length work, "SENSE(ABILITY)," and Julie McGarvey promises it will be evening of innovative, energized, beautiful movement on stage. Julie, marketing director for Penumbra Theater and a freelance director, says "Sense(ability)" springs from a series of sketches TU Dance has created over the last three years that examine the relationship between the senses and the elements. It's at the Southern Theater beginning today through May 16th.
Mike Tonder will be wandering through the St. Croix Valley this weekend (May 7-9), reveling in some of the nation's best pottery. Mike, who's a glass artist from Two Harbors, never misses the annual St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour, which this year features 37 guest potters from across the country.
Jessica Gleason sings and plays keyboard in the Minneapolis indie funk group Dance Band. She's also a local costume designer. Jessica is in awe of the power-packed song stylings of St. Paul's Mayda Miller, who was voted best R&B artist in this year's City Pages poll. Mayda will overtake the 7th St. Entry stage tonight.
May Day in an "uproar"
Posted at 1:27 PM on May 3, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events, Theater
Just one of the many revelers from Sunday's May Day Parade. Photo by Steve Mullis.
Yesterday marked the annual May Day Parade in Minneapolis, featuring the oversized puppes and masks of Heart of the Beast Theater. The theme for this year's parade was "uproar" in honor of the year of the Tiger. HOBT dubbed it "a call to be fully present to the uncertainties of these shifting times." Having the tiger around should help; according to Chinese tradition the animal represents courage and bravery, and is a sign said to keep away fire, thieves and ghosts.
MPR's Steve Mullis checked out the parade, and put together this lovely slideshow. Enjoy!
Art Hounds: James Luna, May Day, Hmonglish
Posted at 8:25 AM on April 29, 2010
by Chris Roberts
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events, Theater
Getting ready for this year's May Day Parade. Photo credit: Alan Wilfahrt
A performance artist who contemplates the intersection of Native American and mainstream culture, a parade of puppets celebrating the sun's return and songs about the struggle of being young and Hmong in America are all on the hounds' 'must see' list this week.
(Got an idea for us? Tell us about it here.)
For months, Judy Fairbanks has been looking forward to James Luna's visit to White Earth Tribal and Community College in Mahnomen, Minnesota, April 28-May 1. Luna is a Native performance and mixed media artist from San Diego, CA, who's known in Indian communities across the country. Judy, a White Earth tribal elder and part-time art student, says Luna will perform at a free community forum this Saturday at 3pm at the Shooting Star Casino in Mahnomen.
The annual May Day Parade, presented by In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre in Minneapolis, is Amy Salloway's spring ritual. Amy, a Twin Cities actor and storyteller, isn't alone. An estimated 50,000 people come to the event each year, to see a parade of amazingly limber, larger-than-life puppets, stilt walkers and musicians march down Bloomington Ave., and to later witness the "Tree of Life" ceremony at Powderhorn Park. The parade begins at 1pm and the ceremony starts at 3:30.
Janis Lane-Ewart, Executive Director of KFAI Fresh Air Radio in Minneapolis, says "Hmonglish Musical" at Gremlin Theatre takes you inside the life of a Hmong American teen caught between the ways of his parents and the pressures and pleasures of American adolescence. It's onstage at Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul through May 2.
Your Weekend Outlook: Happy
Posted at 12:10 PM on April 28, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
C'mon everybody, get happy! Live Action Set presents "The Happy Show"
Photo by Eric Melzer
Flowers, poetry, parades, plays about happiness and falling in love - yep, it's spring alright. Enjoy all the giddiness that comes with warmer weather and get out and enjoy yourself!
What does it take to be happy? And how in control are we of our own happiness? Live Action Set presents "The Happy Show" at Bedlam Theater, a "choose-your-own-adventure" style of theater production that takes over every corner of the building. Meet the King of Dogs and keep the gods from destroying the universe by being happy!
Things will be in an uproar on Sunday in Minneapolis as In The Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theater presents its annual May Day Parade and Festival. This year's theme is - you guessed it - "uproar" in honor of the Year of the Tiger. HOTB says it's "a call to be fully present to the uncertainties of these shifting times."
From May through October, Wing Young Huie's photographs will transform Saint Paul's University Avenue into a six-mile public gallery from the KSTP Tower to the State Capitol. The University Avenue Project is designed to reveal the everyday realities of the diverse neighborhoods connected by this main artery, and will include evening projections on 40 foot screens as well as monthly cabaret performances.
From Thursday through Sunday, you're invited to experience the floral fragrance of spring within the walls of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Art in Bloom showcases the work of 150 floral artists, whose work will be on view next to the works of art that inspired them. The four day event includes an opening party, free docent tours, and a floral themed Art in Bloom Shop.
Saturday at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, the Fine Art Building will be taken over by Craftstravaganza, an "urban craft fair" (does that mean the art is more gritty?) that runs from 9am - 5pm.
In conjunction with her exhibition "In and Out of Place" at Obsidian Arts, Gabrielle Civil will participate in a national event of performance broadcast on the internet. Low Lives 2 features artists in New York, San Francisco, Houston, Miami and elsewhere all showcasing work on the same evening.
As part of Marimba 2010, So Percussion will perform the regional premiere of 2009 Pulitzer Prize-winner Steve Reich's Mallet Quartet for two vibraphones and two marimbas, as well as the world premiere of acclaimed Minneapolis-based composer Mary Ellen Childs' "And So." At the Southern Theater Thursday and Friday night.
The Festival Of Nations is this weekend at the St. Paul RiverCentre. 90 different ethnic groups from around the world will share their foods, crafts and traditions that form the mosaic of American culture.
In order to close out National Poetry Month with a bang, more than 30 poets will take the stage at Normandale College in Bloomington to read a new (or relatively fresh) poem. The Inaugural Twin Cities Poetry Read will present cash prizes to select winners, invite audience members to share their own poetry, and publish an anthology of poems read at the event.
Meet Celeste - a Nancy-Drew-meets-Alice-in-Wonderland detective of sorts, and her companion, Starla the starfish. Together they star in Celeste and Starla Save Todd and Win Back The Day. Dubbed as a hilarious romp for adults only, this mystery/comedy involves falling in love, who we are allowed to love, and how we love. At Minneapolis Theatre Garage April 30 - May 15.
Oh and don't forget, this weekend also marks the openings of "Two Old Black Guys Just Sitting Around Talking" and "Make Something Cool Every Day."
Your weekend outlook: panoramic
Posted at 8:14 PM on April 21, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Some of the landscape photographs on display at the Minneapolis Photo Center
The Minneapolis Photo Center is following up on the success of its "Portrait Show," with a new juried exhibition titled "Landscapes: Unfeigned or Illusory." The show features the work of 64 photographers, and opens Friday night with a reception from 7-9pm.
The St. Paul Arts Crawl celebrates spring this weekend by showing off the work of hundreds of artists all over Lowertown. The fun gets started Friday at 6pm, and continues Saturday from noon 12 - 8pm and Sunday from 12 - 5pm.
The Guthrie Theater presents "M. Butterfly" by David Henry Hwang. Assigned to Beijing in the 1960s, French Diplomat Rene Gallimard encounters Song in a performance of Madame Butterfly. Dazzled by her beauty, he believes he has found "the perfect woman," and uses his Western influence to ensnare the exotic butterfly. Note - this is not the opera by Puccini!
Starting Gate Productions presents its final show before shutting its doors. "Our Country's Good" takes place in June of 1789 in the penal colony that was later to become the city of Sydney. A marine lieutenant decides to put on a play to celebrate the king's birthday, and casts the play with the English convicts.
Interested in fashion? You're in luck! It's Minnesota Fashion Week, and as part of the festivities, Ballet of the Dolls is hosting a "cabaret catwalk" featuring four runways and BOTD's own avante-garde style.
More the bookish type? No worries. Theo Dorgan will read some of his poetry at the University of St. Thomas on Friday. And Doug Row will be at Town Park Tavern by Target Field on Saturday to talk about his book "We're Gonna Win, Twins!"
Looking to see some of the most innovative dance from around the country, but aren't in the mood to travel? That's what SCUBA Touring Network is for, and this weekend it brings three dance companies to the Southern Theater for your viewing pleasure. Check out the works of BodyCartography Project of Minneapolis, locust of Seattle, and Megan Mazarick of Philadelphia.
Finally, while television is not usually on the list of things to do in the local cultural scene, we should make note of a new program that premieres Thursday night at 7:30pm. TPT2's show mnOriginal promises to bring Minnesota artists to a new level of prominence with weekly profiles, featuring dancers, sculptors and musicians of all stripes talking about their work and showing how it's done.
So, what are you doing with your weekend?
Your Weekend Outlook: transformative
Posted at 3:05 PM on April 14, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Frank Theatre presents Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis. Photo by Tony Nelson.
They say art has the power to transform people. What they didn't mention is that sometimes it transforms them into really disturbing oversized insects. Take, for example, Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka, in which one man wakes up to find himself now in the shape of a cockroach, but nobody seems to take his predicament seriously. Find out just how bad things can get in this Frank Theatre production at Open Eye Theatre in Minneapolis. Performances run through May 1.
There's a ton of great music that blends classical training with modern sensibilities and a love of folk music at the Southern Theater in the coming days. Tonight and tomorrow you can see Nico Muhly and Sam Amidon. Friday and Saturday yMusic joins singer, composer and pianist Gabriel Kahane (for more on Kahane, check out this story). If you haven't had enough already, come back Monday night for a show by local chamber group Accordo.
The Loft Literary Center continues its spoken word series Equilibrium Thursday night at 7pm with guest Anida Yoeu Ali. Also performing will be Tatiana Ormaza, Tish Jones, Kohl Miner, Tou Saik, Marisa Carr, and Preeti Kaur.
The Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival gets underway tomorrow. You can find out about some of the 145 films it will feature in Euan Kerr's lovely story.
Patrick's Cabaret presents the "Somewhat Sci-Fi Variety Show," an evening of hip-hop modern, singing, waacking, performance art, comedy and freestylin, all inspired by science fiction culture.
Bryant Lake Bowl has two shows running this weekend: the annual Dykes Do Drag show, and a remount of "The Harty Boys and the Case of the Limping Platypus."
Update: And if you're in Lanesboro this weekend (great little town, 30 minutes south of Rochester - heard of it?) check out the Commonweal Theatre's Ibsen Festival, featuring a world premiere adaptation of the rarely-produced John Gabriel Borkman by Minnesota playwright Jeffrey Hatcher.
Still not found what you're looking for? Check back later for posts on MIA's "Until Now" exhibition of contemporary art, Bedlam's Ten Minute Play Fest, and Gallery 13's latest show. And if you've got other plans this weekend, let us know what they are.
Your weekend outlook: Cranked Up
Posted at 12:49 PM on April 7, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
"Choose The Bike" by Alan Turman, one of the artists whose work will be on display as part of Artcrank's annual poster show.
Love posters? Love to bike? Then you'll want to be at Artcrank 2010 this Saturday at Shelter Studios in Minneapolis. Can't make it? No worries, the show continues at One On One Bike April 12 through May 1st, and appears again at Northrup King Building for Art-A-Whirl May 14-16.
The Walker Art Center has two events worth checking out that open this weekend: "Views from Iran" is a film series focussing on contemporary life in a country that has made American headlines for years, but about which we know very little. And The Talent Show explores our engrossed relationships with reality TV and talent shows, against the backdrop of shrinking personal privacy.
The Cedar Cultural Center presents two evenings of West African music, one from Mali and another from Senegal. Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni ba perform Saturday night, followed by Senegalese legend Baaba Mal on Sunday.
Looking for dance? Beyond Ballroom Dance Company presents From the Belly of the Wolf and Other Tales at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis. And Ethnic Dance Theatre performs "Ports of Call" featuring the music and dance of Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Egypt, Greece, India, Latvia, Lebanon, Norway and Turkey.
There's just a bunch of theater opening this weekend - in St. Paul! To give you a quick rundown:
Teatro del Pueblo and Pangea World Theater present Federico Garcia Lorca's "House of Bernarda Alba," in which five adult daughters are kept in mourning for their dead father, despite their own desires to find love. Performances run April 9 - 25 at Steppingstone Theatere.
Park Square Theater presents "Dead Man's Cellphone,"billed as a "quirky modern adventure" that finds Jean increasingly annoyed by the ringing cellphone of a man sitting (quietly) next to her.
Iris Shiraishi tracks her journey from a childhood in Hawaii to her work as a taiko artist with Mu Daiko and Mu Performing Arts in the production "Becoming." Performances run April 9 - May 2 at Dreamland Arts.
Update: Also Theatre Unbound and Green T Productions have joined together to present "Medea: A Noh Cycle". Performances run April 10 - 25 in the Lowry Lab theater.
On the other side of the river, Mixed Blood Theatre takes the commercialization of race to the mat in "The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity," a look at the world of pro wrestling. Listen for a radio story on the show by colleague Chris Roberts later this week.
So what are you up to this weekend?
Your Weekend Outlook: Ready for take-off
Posted at 9:00 AM on March 31, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Shapiro & Smith Dance Company performs "Women and Men" at the Southern Theater.
These are the weekends I love, when just a little bit of everything is out there for the choosing. Want dance? We've got it. Theater? No prob! Poetry reading? Sure thing. Plus music, prints, parties and more. Read on...
Shapiro & Smith Dance Company returns to the Southern Theater in Minneapolis for its latest evening of choreography "Women and Men." Through five different pieces (three company favorites and two new works) the dancers delve into the relationships and boundaries that exist between the sexes. Performances run April 1-4.
It's Poetry Month! Poets Lightsey Darst and Greg Hewett read from their newly released collections (Find the Girl, and darkacre, respectively) tomorrow night at the Loft. The reading begins at 7pm.
The expression "Safe as Houses" doesn't seem to carry the weight it used to now that the mortgage crisis has hit. Joking Envelope pushes the irony even further when a family buys a house located on the mouth of Hell. Performances run April 2 - 17 at Minneapolis Theater Garage.
Highpoint Center for Printmaking presents the work of 11 South African artists created in the David Krut workshop in Johannesburg. The artists find inspiration in their fraught social history, spirituality and music. The show runs through April 24.
Brazilian music legend and that country's former Minister of Culture Gilberto Gil returns to Minnepaolis for the first time in nearly a decade. He performs Sunday night at Orchestra Hall.
For some music that's equally exotic but in a more intimate setting, check out Lebanese Oud master Bassam Saba. In addition to performing with Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble, he conducts the New York Arabic Orchestra. Thursday he'll be performing with leading classical Arabic percussionist April Centrone at the Cedar Cultural Center.
Rediscover the innocence of the 1960s with your kids; Walker Art Center celebrates the opening of its "1964" exhibition with a Free First Saturday filled with dancing, prints and fun all with a retro feel.
Not sure what kind of art you want, but you know you want to party? Try out Ricochet Kitchen: Evolutionary Art Party at Bedlam Theater in Minneapolis. The get-together features all kinds of dance, spoken word, performance art and independent film. The party gets underway Saturday at 8:30pm, with a sliding cover charge of $5-10.
So tell me, what have you got going on this weekend?
Your weekend outlook: satisfying
Posted at 12:04 PM on March 24, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Roy Lichtenstein's "Sandwich and Soda," 1964
It's 1964: The country is still reeling from the asassination of JFK, President Johnson orders the first bombings of North Vietnam, the fight for civil rights is underway, and the Beatles are invading America. So how is all this upheaval reflected in the art made that year? You can find out at the Walker Art Center's new exhibition "1964."
Interested in listening to some good tunes this weekend? Among your choices: Toki Wright celebrates the release of his new EP BlackMale at First Avenue Friday at 8pm. Brothers Matt and Dan Wilson pair up for an evening featuring music from their time with/as Trip Shakespeare, Semisonic, and The Twilight Hours, as well as their solo exploits (that's also Friday at 8pm). And if you're a night owl, on Saturday you can head over to Gallery 13 in Northeast Minneapolis for "Ahmed and The Creators" and the "Flat Foot Rollers" starting at 10pm. Kick up your heels, and while you're there, check out the artwork by Louisa Greenstock.
Speaking of kicking up your heels, the Minnesota Opera is putting on an evening all about belly dancing in conjunction with its production of Salome. Learn how Middle Eastern dance inspires Richard Strauss' drama, followed by the basics of belly-dancing technique taught by instructors of the Jawaahir Dance Company.
Looking for ballet? St. Paul City Ballet makes its first foray across the river to Minneapolis with "Reimaginings" at the Ritz Theater this Friday Saturday and Sunday. The program consists of four pieces that combine classical ballet with contemporary dance.
And Thursday night, Los Angeles performance company "Diavolo" takes to the Ordway Stage with its unique brand of physical movement. Diavolo specializes in creating largeโscale works that examine the absurd and sometimes frightening relationships people have with their environment.
So what are you doing this weekend?
2010 Sally Ordway Irvine Awards winners
Posted at 7:02 PM on March 22, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events, People
Each year the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts presents the "Sally Awards," naned for Sally Ordway Irvine, who founded the center. Four awards are given to people or institutions who've played a significant role in the state's cultural scene. The categories are Vision, Commitment, Initiative and Education. This year's winners are:
For Vision: VSA Arts of Minnesota
First up - Vision In the category of Vision, VSA Arts of Minnesota won for creating a community where people with disabilities can learn through, participate in, and access the arts. Not just accessible to wheelchairs, but things like large print programs, and creating opportunities for people who are blind to touch works of art. In other words, finding ways to making performances and exhibitions come alive for people with disabilities.
For Commitment: Myron Johnson
Johnson said while accepting his award "Theater saved my life. I had a very difficult family situation, and if it weren't for theater I doubt I'd be alive, let alone standing here accepting this award."
Myron Johnson first tried out for a play when he was seven, and he's been involved in theater and dance ever since. His company "Ballet of the Dolls" combines his love of ballet with his love of fashion, imagination and storytelling. And he says he'll never leave the Twin Cities:
I would never consider being anywhere else - this city has been so supportive of me, my work and my ideas. There's nothing I can say about what Minneapolis and St. Paul mean to me - they mean everything to me. My work with Ballet of the Dolls is my life - they help me make dreams come true. For a child who couldn't speak, I've learned to talk - and that's because of the arts, and theater.
After the awards ceremony, I asked Johnson what it felt like to receive such a mainstream award for his anything but mainstream art.
It's so awesome. It's shocking to me - I'm sort of the bad boy. The next show I'm doing is "The Dance of the Pink Flamingoes" inspired by John Waters. It's just so great that I've been able to do whatever comes to my mind and people support it here. I didn't try to win an award - I just did what I loved.
Johnson actually met Sally Ordway Irvine when he was a kid working at the Children's Theatre Company. He thinks she'd be happy to know that a kid who got his arts training at an organization she so believed in went on to win an award in her name.
For Initiative: Bedlam Theatre
A literal hotbed of theater and community engagement, Bedlam has grown from a budding experimental theater company to a place to hang out, eat perogies, and get involved. Many of the folks who work at Bedlam also work at Seward Cafe. Bedlam core member Maren Ward says the cafe's ethics and values have strongly influenced the theater's own work.
Bedlam lends its community space out for classes, meetings and workshops. In addition it hosts an on-site bicycle workshop and outdoor performances near the Cedar-Riverside LRT stop. The theater gives discounts for audience members who arrived by bike or LRT, and its restaurant offers a local food menu.
In 2004 Bedlam was named by American Theatre Magazine as one of 12 innovative companies to watch nationwide, and McKnight Foundation's Neal Cuthbert says other theaters are looking at Bedlam's model to see how they can engage their own audiences.
For Education: T. Mychael Rambo
T. Mychael Rambo is an actor, a singer, a writer and a motivational speaker. He can often be found talking to students at Central High School or Gordon Parks High School. Rambo is not just a believer in the transformational power of the arts, he has experienced that transformation first hand.
In a moving acceptance speech, Rambo recalled a much darker time in his life, when he was sleeping at Dorothy Day Center and spending his days sitting in Rice Park, just outside the Ordway. Rambo said he couldn't have imagined back then he'd one day stand on an Ordway stage to accept an award.
"Art is to service what bud is to flower" said Rambo, "and my transformation speaks to the power of art." Quoting Martin Luther King Jr he went on to say "'We may not remember the words of our enemies, but we remember the silence of our friends' - this is a room filled with people who recognize we cannot be silent."
Each awardee of the Sally Awards receives a cash prize in support of their work.
Pioneer Press investigates peep abuse
Posted at 10:51 AM on March 19, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Evidently some people on staff at the St. Paul Pioneer Press have realized that their annual contest has led to some questionable treatment of fluffy little marshmallow creatures, and so they're leading a PETA-like campaign to raise awareness about the cruel abuses the contest has inspired. Art? Or torture? You decide.
Your weekend outlook: the (w)rite of spring
Posted at 2:54 PM on March 17, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
This weekend is burgeoning with more events than I know what to do with: book signings, dance concerts, theater, birthday celebrations, music, comedy... If you can't find something in here to tickle your fancy, well all I can say is, you're missing out.
Enjoy a good crime novel? Want to meet an author? How about fifty of them? Once Upon A Crime Books presents its annual Write of Spring on Saturday afternoon, featuring a dozen or so different crime writers every hour for four hours. Sounds like the perfect setting for a murder mystery to me...
Katha Dance Theatre presents Soul to Sole, a blend of gospel music and North Indian Kathak dance, tonight through Saturday at the Ritz Theater in Minneapolis.
Just because a storyteller dies doesn't mean the story has to. Walker Art Center presents Spalding Gray: Stories left to tell, in which a group of actors perform selections of his manic monologues, as well as excerpts from his journals. Get this: each night features a different local personality performing one of the pieces. Tonight: Louie Anderson, Friday: MPR's own Kerri Miller and Saturday: Kevin Kling.
Open Eye Figure Theater presents two new works by emerging artists with Seeds. Kyle Loven performs his one-man trptych, "my dear Lewis," combining puppets, objects, video, and original music by George Maurer. "O the Sky!" by Eric Van Wyk employs shadow puppetry, objects and figures to tell the story of a man who leaves a big city in the east to travel west.
Four Humors Theater takes a critical look at modern life in
Welcome to Dystopia, on stage this weekend and next at Bedlam Theater.
They say classical music is written by dead white men, but that doesn't mean they can't still be the life of the party. Celebrate Bach's 325th Birthday at the Dakota. There will be music from the Bach Society of Minnesota, local cello and percussion ensemble Jelloslave, and classical music pioneer and cellist Matt Haimovitz.
What the "Vagina Monologues" is to women, "The Naked I: Beyond the Binary" is to transgender, gender-queer, and intersex individuals. 20% Theatre Company presents this exploration of sex and sexuality that moves beyond the traditional categories of male and female.
The Ordway Center for Performing Arts in St. Paul presents steppenwolf's August: Osage County, a stinging yet comic look at a dysfunctional family and all of its dirty little secrets.
Mike Doughty plays at the Dakota both Friday and Saturday night, performing music from his new cd "Sad Man Happy Man." He's touring as an acoustic duo with long-time bassist Andrew Livingston on cello.
Stepping Stone Theatre and Stuart Pimsler Dance and Theater join forces to present My Grandmother's Tsotchkes: Tales of A Gambling Grandma. A young girl learns about her Russian Jewish grandmother through the trinkets she collected. Each "tsotchke" - a bag of pennies, a box of chess pieces, an old black shoe, and a glass ring - transport the girl into adventurous stories of her grandma's flight from Russia to America.
Theatre Pro Rata presents The Spanish Tragedy by Thomas Kyd. The play, written ten years before Shakespeare wrote Hamlet, bears quite a few striking similarities, including a quest for revenge, ghosts, a play within a play, and more. But here the main character is a father mourning the loss of his son. Performances run through March 28 at Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul.
And last, but not least, The Cody Rivers Show descends on the Walker Community United Methodist Church for two nights (tonight and Friday) of intense physical humor and sketch comedy with Right Back Where We Finished.
Phew! I'm tired just writing about all this stuff.
Your weekend outlook: new and different
Posted at 4:06 PM on March 10, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Nathan Christopher, Lindsay Marcy, and Randy Reyes star in Alan Berks' Music Lovers at the Playwrights' Center. Photo by Travis Anderson
There's a lot of new work out there this weekend, so don't tell me you've "been there, done that." Why not take a risk on something completely unexpected?
Do you have fond memories of your first crush on a band? Are you still going from one musical love affair to the next? Workhaus Collective presents Alan Berks' play "Music Lovers," billed as "a witty, sexy comedy for people whose first love was a catchy pop hook, an obscure album by a forgotten band, or a musician they met at a bar who changed their lives." Shows run at the Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis weekends in March, and this Saturday night the performance will be followed by a nice little set from Fan Fiction (a.k.a. Martin Devaney and Kate Murray).
The Southern Theater continues the celebration of its 100th birthday by returning to its roots with "The Vaudevillian." Theater of Fools collaborated with local storyteller Kevin Kling to put together an evening that uses the Southern's own history to examine the always theatrical pursuit of the American Dream. "The Vaudevillian" runs this weekend and next and features music by the Medicine Show Band.
Myron Johnson reunites with composer Steven Rydberg for two weekends of live music and dance performances titled "Our Way." Johnson and Rydberg worked together for many years creating original works for the Children's Theatre Company.
Nimbus Theatre presents the regional premiere of "Strike Slip," in which a tragic shooting forces three diverse families to confront the way they perceive themselves, their community and their dreams. Performances run weekends in March at the Minneapolis Theater Garage.
Ragamala Music and Dance Theater joins forces with the Children's Theatre Company to present "Iron Ring." Rooted in the mythology of ancient India, the story follows the travels of young Tamar who loses a game of chance with a mysterious stranger and finds himself on quest to win back his kingdom.
Check back later for more in-depth looks at art exhibitions at CVA gallery in St. Paul and Chambers gallery in Minneapolis...
Your weekend outlook: award-winning
Posted at 2:06 PM on March 3, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Yes the Oscars are this Sunday, and yes, there are some great films and actors up for awards this weekend. But rather than watch other people walk down a red carpet, why not imagine yourself the star of your own drama? Take yourself out for a night on the town, see and be seen, and enjoy some quality entertainment right here in your own home town.
Theater Latte Da presents "Violet" at the Guthrie Theater. Featuring a score by the same woman who wrote the music for Tony Kushner's "Caroline, or Change," "Violet" tells the story of a young white woman, emotionally and physically scarred, who sets out on a journey in the Deep South to find a cure.
The Minnesota Cuba Committee and Minnesota Film Arts present the Cuban Movie Festival, featuring winners from this year's festival in Havana, Cuba. Screenings will take place at the St. Anthony Main Theatre in Minneapolis; the festival will present general audience discussions after each showing.
This weekend choirs from around the region are descending on Minneapolis for the North Central Division Conference of the American Choral Directors' Association. While you probably aren't interested in attending such sessions as "Why can't my choir sing in tune?" or "Successful Middle School Survival," you might be interested in any one of the several concerts at Orchestra Hall in conjunction with the conference. Performances run tonight through Sunday.
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra takes Bruch's Violin Concerto on the road this weekend (along with works by Rossini, Mozart and Strauss) to Wayzata Community Church on Friday and St. Paul's United Church of Christ on Saturday.
Mixed Blood Theater presents "Somebody/Nobody," in which Hollywood starlet Sheena seeks refuge from her celebrity lifestyle and Loli, an unemployed mechanic from Kansas, wouldn't mind getting a little fame for herself. Performances run through March 14.
The Old Log Theater presents "The Dixie Swim Club," a play about five Southern women whose friendship began many years ago on their college swim team. The story focuses on four weekend reunions over the course of thirty-three years. Remember, Old Log is a dinner theater, so you can show up early for a meal and drinks before the show.
Got any plans for your weekend? Let me know...
The many voices and stories of Muslim women
Posted at 4:21 PM on March 3, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(6 Comments)
Filed under: Culture, Events
Panelists, from left to right: Safiya Balioglu, Latifah Kiribedda, Imani Jaafar-Mohammad, and Hend Al-Mansour. Photo credit: Catherine Tsen
Last night I had the honor and pleasure of moderating a panel discussion on "The Many Voices of Islam: Drawing a Distinction Between Culture and Religion" at St. Catherine's University. The panel was organized in conjunction with a touring exhibition of art by women from Muslim cultures, which you can read about here.
The goal of the evening was really quite simple - to share stories, and help people who aren't familiar with Islam to understand the size and diversity of the Muslim diaspora, especially in regards to women.
One of the frustrations shared by many of the panelists was how they feel lumped together into a stereotype of a silent, oppressed woman dressed all in black. Imani Jaafar-Mohammad is a lawyer and a partner with her husband in their firm. She says she knows many people assume she wears a head scarf because he forces her to, but in fact it was entirely her own decision. Her modest dress did not stop her from swimming competitively or playing on a basketball team.
For Hend Al-Mansour, the experience is quite different. She left her native Saudi Arabia because of the oppression she experienced there. In Saudi Arabia women cannot drive cars, and they make up only 5% of the work force. Al-Mansour still finds great beauty and richness in her religion, but wrestles with how it's used politically in her home country to keep women submissive. Meanwhile she works as an artist and is pursuing a masters in art history, specializing in Arab art, at the University of St. Thomas.
Safiya Balioglu, born in Germany, converted to Islam when she was 23. She says she was attracted to the devotion of the religion, and how spiritual practice is incorporated into daily life (five daily prayers). But raising her children with her Turkish husband in Germany was not easy, and she felt ostracized by her own culture. When he got a job offer in the U.S., they decided to make the move. Balioglu says she was impressed by how warm and friendly people were with her, and seemed not to care about the fact she was wearing a headscarf. Her children are now enrolled in a Muslim magnet school, and she couldn't be happier.
Latifah Kiribedda is the voice of a new generation of Muslim women. Born and raised in Uganda, Kiribedda is an outspoken feminist and devout Muslim who applied to St. Catherine's University because she felt a kinship with the values of the institution. She sees it as her own responsibility to share the stories of her faith in order to help people understand what it does and does not stand for. She asked all the women in the audience wearing hijabs to stand up and show off their colorful scarves, saying that here was proof not all Muslim women wear black from head to foot.
All these women share a common faith, but their stories varied drastically. And while they were able to answer many questions from the audience about customs and religion, they sometimes had to agree to disagree on what those answers were, based on their own experiences. But if these four women are any indication, they point to a bright and strong future for their faith and for all women.
More Short Stuff! (Animated version)
Posted at 6:13 PM on February 17, 2010
by Euan Kerr
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Animation, Events, Film, Media, Storytelling
"Logorama" (Image courtesy Shorts TV UK)
The nominees for the Short Animation Oscar are delightful (if a little on the dark side.) They will be screened starting this weekend at the Lagoon Theater in Minneapolis and the Zinema 2 in Duluth.
There's always a danger of spoilers in a post like this, so I will attempt to step lightly:
French entry "Logorama" hurls us into a bizarro world Los Angeles where trademarks and company logos have come to life. The cops are Michelin Men, the buildings are all corporate signs, and even cars take some corporate shape. When a well-known fastfood figure goes rogue, things get even crazier (and foul mouthed.) Just to add to the wackiness, the film is in English with French subtitles.
"Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty" from Ireland retells the fairy tale in a peculiarly wondrous way
Likewise "The Lady and the Reaper" from Spain presents a very modern take on what some people daintily call 'end of life issues.'
"French Roast" is another French entry, although curiously the director Fabrice Joubert worked with Nick Parks of Wallace and Gromit fame. Joubert casts a curious eye on the goings-on in a small Paris cafe.
And finally Parks, Wallace, and Gromit return in "A Matter of Loaf and Death," a half hour wild adventure involving yeast, windmills, and crocodiles.
Watching these movies allow us to see how animation has changed in recent years, and how it has attained incredible heights. It also shows how fierce the competition has become in this category. It's a win-win for animation lovers.
(You can get a taste of each film here)
Huge response to call for entries for 'Foot in the Door'
Posted at 2:46 PM on February 8, 2010
by Euan Kerr
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Filed under: Events, Galleries, Museums, People
The folks at the MIA anticipated they'd attract more entries for the 2010 Foot in the Door show than the 1,700 they received for the last Foot in the Door in 2000. However their guestimate of 3,000 was way low.
By the time the submission period ended at 4.30 on Sunday afternoon in excess of 4,500 artworks had survived the curatorial process (that is they had fit into the one foot cube 'Curator' box shown above,) and been accepted for the show. The on-line video submissions are not included in that number, so clearly the final number could be significantly higher.
The MIA's Ann-Marie Wagner tells me there was a huge press of people on Sunday afternoon, hoping to make the deadline. There were so many people in fact that the line went twice around the second floor rotunda in the MIA's Target wing, down the stairs, twice round the ground floor rotunda, then out the door, across the park, though the atrium of the Third Avenue, and out onto the sidewalk beyond.
The line was so long that at 3pm staff realized they wouldn't be able to fit in any more people by the 4.30 deadline, so they cut off the line.
Chris Atkins of the MAEP program which organizes "Foot in the Door" says by Sunday they were getting about 100 submissions every 45 minutes or so. He says most people had to wait about an hour or 90 minutes in line, and there were some cases of a two hour wait, but he says once people actually got to the head of the line they were usually processed in just a few moments.
When asked how many people were unable to get in, he says he doesn't really know.
Atkins says the job of hanging and displaying the work has already begun as they prepare for the opening of the show on Thursday February 18th.
"We've got them stacked 11 or 12 high on the wall," he says. It sounds as though visitors might want to take a leaf out of the Walker's "Benches and Binoculars" show and bring some opera glasses with them.
There are two galleries set aside for Foot in the Door 2010, but it looks as though it's going to have to spill out into the atrium, even with the plan to assign each piece just one square foot of space.
"I've got some geometry to do with the registration crew to actually see, gridding things out," he says. The pieces will be hung roughly in the order they came in. There will be a system which will allow people to quickly find specific pieces.
While the majority of the submissions came from the Twin Cities, Atkins saw work coming in from all over the state. He mentions pieces from Willmar, Albert Lea, and Grand Marais. "A lot of zip codes from all over the state," he laughs.
Several teachers from schools and colleges around the area brought in multiple works, sometimes 40 or 50 for students in their classes.
All of the entrants were also invited to the opening night party along with family and friends, so it's likely to be packed, and probably one of the biggest ever openings in MIA history.
"Yeah, it'll definitely be up there," says Atkins. "It's hard for us to anticipate exactly how many, but we'll do everything we can to make sure people can come in, they get into the galleries, and have a good time that night."
The show is scheduled to run through June 13th, a total of about 15 weeks. Atkins says he's excited about how it's all coming together.
"It's going to be a lot more work over the next 10 days," he says, "But it's going to be a great show on the 18th."
Your Weekend Outlook
Posted at 1:53 PM on February 3, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Events
"The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp" by REMBRANDT Van Rijn
This is one of those weeks when I have to use all my fingers and toes to count off the great range of cultural offerings out there. "This little piggy went to the theater..."
Earlier this week I previewed "Common Sense," an exhibition at the Weisman Art Museum inspired by ordinary things and commonplace events. Well, now here's a theater production inspired by art.... namely, paintings by Rembrandt. The Rembrandt Plays features six vignettes inspired by six paintings. The show runs Fridays in February at Bryant Lake Bowl in Minneapolis.
The Guthrie is a hotbed of activity this weekend, but let's not talk about it, because then we'd have to say "MACBETH" and you all know what bad luck that is. Oh you don't? Then be sure and tune in to Euan Kerr's story on the Scottish play's bad rap later this week.
James Sewell Ballet shows off its latest creations this weekend at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis, featuring new choreography by Sewell, Hijack, and Nicolas Lincoln.
Brave New Workshop continues to make good-natured fun of all of us with its latest production "How to Make Love like a Minnesotan III - The Full Montevideo."
And if you don't wanna work, but just wanna beat on the drums all day, have I got the show for you! Three "heavy hitters" - Savage Aural Hotbed, Barinya and Batucada do Norte - present all sorts of banging and thumping at the Cedar Cultural Center Saturday night.
Looking for something a little more peaceful? Head on over to Dreamland Arts in the Midway neighborhood of St. Paul for breatheloveknowrelate in which women from four different continents enact a creation story for the healing of the planet and its people. Performances run this weekend and next.
Three musicians make their own kind of international peace at the Walker Art Center this Saturday. Guitarist Bill Frisell, violist and ehru player Eyvind Kang and oud master Rahim AlHaj join forces to create their own "East meets West" brand of jazz improvisation.
Still haven't found what you're looking for? Check back later this week for a look at David Henry Hwang's play "Yellow Face" and an exhibition of art by women of Islam at St. Catherine's University.
The weekend report
Posted at 12:14 PM on February 1, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Events
P.O.S. performs at First Ave as part of The Current's 5th birthday party. Photo by Kyle Matteson.
Some weekends go by without a second thought... others deserve further reflection. This was one of those.
First off, the weekend got started with what, by all accounts, was a rockin' good party. The Current's fifth birthday was marked by not just a great line-up (Solid Gold, Mason Jennings, P.O.S...) but also by appearances by both Twin Cities' mayors AND the purple one himself, Prince.
Saturday, the Minnesota Book Awards Finalists were announced. Some of the more standout names: Kevin Kling (for his memoir Holiday Inn), N.M. Kelby (for her novel A Travel Guide for Restless Hearts), Dara Moskowitz-Grumdahl (for her guide to wine Drink This: Wine Made Simple), mystery writer John Sandford (for his thriller Rough Country), and Kate DiCamillo (for her novel for young readers, The Magician's Elephant)...not to mention poets Dobby Gibson, Ray Gonzalez, Joanna Rawson and Jude Nutter.
Then Sunday was Grammy night, which brought some of its own Minnesotan delights. First off, Minneapolis born Sharon Isbin took home a Grammy for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance for her CD Journey to the New World. Then there was the t-shirt sighting. Twitter was all... well, atwitter with the news that Ringo (yes, THAT Ringo) was spotted wearing a t-shirt from local record store Electric Fetus. Evidently it was a gift from his nephew.
All of this creative and cultural activity over the course of a single weekend got me to thinking once again about this past month's debate (hosted by MinnesotaPlaylist and MNArtists.org) about "the Minnesota style." How to quantify something so diverse, and so healthy? Is it because, as Andy Sturdevant suggests, we are a cultural "outpost?"
And at this morning's arts and culture confab, in response to the Ringo-t-shirt news, colleague Chris Roberts wondered "when are we (as a community) going to accept the fact that we're cool? Why are we still so surprised when we get national attention? Why do we still need outside approval?"
Thoughts?
Your Weekend Arts Outlook
Posted at 12:45 PM on January 27, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(1 Comments)
Filed under: Events
Powederhorn residents ready their sleds for Art Sled Rally 2009
The spirit of this weekend's line-up of events speaks to a real sense of community and good old fashioned fun. Read on, and be inspired to get out and about!
The 2010 Art Sled Rally gets underway at 2pm on Saturday in Powderhorn Park in Minneapolis. The rally features sleds of all shapes and sizes, and varying degrees of aerodynamics. Look forward to a spectacle, and be prepared to jump out of the way!
Midtown Market in Minneapolis hosts its third annual Global Soup Cook Off from noon to 2pm on Saturday in honor of National Soup Month. Market vendors will prepare 10 different soups, and for $3 you can try them all and vote for your favorite (Proceeds go to Perspectives' Kids Cafรฉ, a nutrition and self-esteem program providing mentoring and educational opportunities for high-risk and homeless youth living in the Twin Cities).
The Best of the Midwest Burlesk Festival gets underway Friday night at the Varsity Theater, and continues Saturday and Sunday at the Ritz Theater. The festival features burlesque performers from around the region, plus local favorites.
BodyCartography Project's piece "1/2 Life" investigates the survival of the body amidst a world of scientific research, data and control. "1/2 Life" features dance, video, music... and a physicist. Performances run Thursday through Saturday at the Southern Theater.
Stuart Pimsler, Judith Brin Ingber, a Hmong spoken word group and many others come together for People of the Book, a collection of stories told not just through prose but music, dance, and imagery. Thursday through Sunday at Sabes JCC in Minneapolis.
Off Leash Area presents "The Jury," based on one company member's experience serving as a juror on a murder trial. The piece combines movement and theater as it searches for the balance between social and individual responsibility. Janueary 28 - Feb 6 at The Red Eye in Minneapolis.
Montreal native Kid Koala uses pencils, paper, clay, glue, records and mixers to not just make music, but create a narrative. He performs his own brand of mixology - combining silent movies and swing music with hip hop and heavy guitars. You can see him Saturday at The Cedar.
Literary Twin Cities: so much to celebrate
Posted at 8:25 AM on January 27, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Books, Events, Writing
Last night I had the honor of hosting "Literary Twin Cities," an event marking the milestone anniversaries of three local non-profit presses (Milkweed Editions, Graywolf and Coffee House Press) as well as the Loft Literary Center.
It's an occasion worth celebrating: those presses I mentioned make up three of the top five independent literary presses in the nation. Minneapolis and the Twin Cities as a whole have on multiple instances been cited as literary hubs in the country. Open Book, the home to both Milkweed and The Loft, was the first cultural institution to move into a previously downtrodden neighborhood, one that has since become a cultural corridor featuring the Guthrie Theater, MacPhail Center for Music and the Mill City Museum. As a center for the literary arts, it's the first of its kind.
Milkweed, Graywolf, Coffee House and The Loft are all just a part of a multi-layered dynamic literary scene that includes (but is not limited to) several fiercely independent bookstores (Macawbers, Magers and Quinn, Birch Bark Books and Common Good Books), SASE, the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, Rain Taxi Review and the Playwrights' Center. Then there's the number of writers and poets based here, as well as a strong network of public libraries.
Over the course of an hour we discussed not only what drew some publishers to move to the Twin Cities, but what it is about our local culture that has allowed the literary scene to thrive as well as it does. Is it the winters? The foundation support? Our level of education?
Coffee House Press founder Allan Kornblum said he was drawn to Minnesota by the "community spirit" (an early invitation to a Twin Cities book fair said "couches will be found for visiting publishers to sleep on" and proffered a celebratory dinner afterward).
Others agreed that community spirit, combined with strong education, philanthropic support and a cultural dedication to service all work together to create a dynamic literary scene.
But what about the future of publishing? All three literary presses are publishing e-books, which they say actually saves them money, and creates less "waste" (i.e. books that have no buyers). Their greatest concern is developping a generation of new young readers who enjoy not just pulp fiction, but literature.
Milkweed Editions is one of just two non-profit presses in the nation that publishes books for young readers, in part to provide an alternative to the mass-marketed fare that dominates bookstore shelves. CEO and Publisher Daniel Slager says that's in part to help develop young readers appetites for good quality literature.
What drives these non-profit presses is a desire to bring more diverse literature to the fore. The larger for-profit presses are motivated by the bottom line, which means they publish only those authors who have mass appeal. Non-profit presses nurture new voices, and translate foreign works we might never otherwise get to read.
Graywolf's Fiona McCrae said she's excited by some of the changes on the horizon of the publishing world. Already she's experienced how technology can help level the playing field between large and small presses. McCrae sees a new generation of young publishers getting in the business, and that's inspiring her to stay on top of her game.
Jocelyn Hale sees The Loft Literary Center as a bridge between the community and its non-profit presses. She said the mission of The Loft is to to support the development of writers, to foster a writing community, and to build an audience for literature. All of that in turn creates both a pool of potential authors for these presses, as well as informed and appreciative readership.
Local artists do what they can for Haiti
Posted at 11:35 AM on January 21, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(3 Comments)
Filed under: Events
The students at the High School For Recording Arts in St. Paul created and recorded this song and video to inspire people to support relief efforts in Haiti.
It's amazing how a disaster thousands of miles away can move people to do whatever they can to help. In the case of artists, that help comes in the form of art. In the wake of the earthquakes in Haiti, many Twin Cities artists have organized events to raise moeny for relief efforts. Here are the ones I know about:
UPDATED FRIDAY, JANUARY 29
On Saturday, January 30, Veteran improv and stand-up comedians from across the Twin Cities give two performances at Stevie Ray's Comedy Cabaret in Bloomington. All proceeds go to the Red Cross Haitian Relief Fund. There will be two shows - the one at 8pm is booked, but 10pm still has seats available.
"Unite for Haiti" Benefit Concert to Be Held at the Dakota Jazz Club, 6 pm Sunday, January 31. Features Estaire Godinez, Nachito Herrera, IBe, Adam Levy of The Honeydogs, Davina Sowers of Davina & the Vagabonds, and more. Tickets are $20. All door proceeds will benefit Haiti.
Saturday, Feb. 6, 4-7pm : Art Sale for Haiti: Un Object d'Heart
Alliance Franรงaise of Minneapolis/St. Paul hosts a benefit sale of work by local artists, potters, photographers, writers and others. All proceeds go to Mรฉdecins Sans Frontiรจres (Doctors without Borders) and the American Red Cross for their Haiti relief efforts. Haitian food available for purchase.
**************
The below events have already taken place:
The Minnesota-based Haiti Mission Project is hosting the Haiti Earthquake Relief Fundraiser tonight from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Hopkins Center for the Arts. Tickets are $20 through haitimissionproject.org or $25 at the door, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the earthquake relief efforts of the Haiti Mission Project, Heartline Ministries and Haiti Lutheran Mission Society. The event features live music, a silent auction and food and wine.
On Friday the Cedar Cultural Center hosts "Solidaritรฉ Avec Haรฏti" Starting at 6pm and running til midnight, the line-up includes live Caribbean, Brazilian and African music and dance, as well as an art auction and Caribbean food.
From 2 - 8pm on Saturday, Arnellia's in St. Paul hosts "Haiti Mi Amour Fundraiser" with live performances by One Mic Productions, Desdamona Rox, Toni Paul, Kendra Glenn and others.
At 2pm on Sunday, musicians Robert Robinson, Timothy Frantzich, Jerry Steele and others perform in the Chanhassen High School auditorium, and volunteer Bonnie Steele will talk about the work she does in Bouzy, Haiti. All proceeds will go to Feed My Starving Children as well as the village of Bouzy. Tickets $20 for adults, $10 for teens, free for children under 12,
Later in the afternoon that same Sunday, Open Sing performs Mozart's Requiem at the Church of the Epiphany in Plymouth. All who love to sing are invited to bring their own choral score or borrow one at the door. Participants rehearse for an hour starting at 4pm, break for a bit, then come back and perform the piece once through in its entirety. A donation of $10 is suggested -all money raised will go to CARE, the international relief organization, for their efforts in Haiti.
Are there other artistic performances out there aimed at raising money for Haiti? Let me know and I'll add them to the list.
Your weekend arts forecast: "Rocky"
Posted at 2:00 PM on January 20, 2010
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
Park Square presents "Rock 'n' Roll," Tom Stoppard's tribute to
the music of revolution, protest, and liberation. The show features the music of Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, John Lennon, The Beach Boys and U2.
89.3. The Current returns to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Children's Theatre Company for its annual "Rock the Cradle." There's story-time with the Current DJs, Kid's Disco, live music and puppetry, and of course the musical instrument petting zoo.
If that's not enough "rock" for you, Ten Thousand Things presents "Stones in his Pockets," the story of what happens when a Hollywood film goes on location in a small Irish village. It stars two great physical actors - Jim Lichtscheidl and Stephen Epp - playing more than a dozen characters.
Of course we can't forget the St. Paul Winter Carnival. Starting tonight, and running through the end of January, it features more parades than you can shake a broomball stick at.
On Sunday night Bryant Lake Bowl brings back Fringe favorite "The Problem of the Body" in which Prof. Damon Rudman uses shock and awe to probe contemporary American attitudes toward bodily urges.
And for the modern art lover, the Southern Theater presents "Crotch" - a one man show based on the life and work of artist Joseph Beuys.
So what did I miss? And what are you planning to do this weekend?
Your Weekend Arts Forecast: Things are warming up
Posted at 3:37 PM on January 13, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(2 Comments)
Filed under: Events
Battle Cats and Kenna Sarge perform an evening of hip hop music and movement at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis
After the deluge of holiday shows, followed by a couple of dead weeks as people came to the mind-numbing realization that yes, this is 2010, a new burst of creative activity is hitting Twin Cities stages and galleries. Here's just a sampling...
Local hip hop artists Battlecats and Kenna Sarge join forces to create an evening of music and movement inspired by both urban and West African traditions. At the Southern Theater in Minneapolis Thursday through Sunday.
Guthrie Theater hosts a mini-fest of plays by emerging local theater companies, called "Singled Out."
Andrea Stanislav presents her latest body of work, "lightning struck itself" in the Burnett Gallery at Chambers Hotel in Minneapolis. In it she continues her exploration of the darkness hidden beneath shiny surfaces (check back here Friday for a look at the show and a conversation with the artist).
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra continues its Stravinsky festival with two performances of "The Rake's Progress," an opera in three acts.
The Moscow Festival Ballet presents Coppélia - one of the first comic ballets - about a doll that comes to life.
And Open Eye Figure Theatre in Minneapolis presents "The Mushroom Picker," a solo performance by Patrick Dewane about the heroics of his grandfather
during World War II.
So, what are you up to this weekend?
Your weekend arts outlook
Posted at 8:21 AM on January 7, 2010
by Marianne Combs
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Events
Daniel Defenbacher (center) quizzes panelists during an "inquisition," Walker Art Center atrium, 1940
Tonight, the Walker Art Center revives a 70 year old event. In 1940 it hosted what it called "the Inquisition," a quiz forum on art and art history. Organizers of the remount say it's something akin to "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" for art lovers, designed to award some and shame others. The Inquisition will take place on three nights over the next three months. On tonight's panel? Yours truly, "competing against" local artist/writer Andy Sturdevant. Wish me luck!
Opening tomorrow and running through January 23, 20% Theatre Company presents "Fresh Five," a series of five world-premiere one-act plays, each directed by a local, emerging female director.
Sunrise, sunset... Tevye is back in Paramount Theater's production of Fiddler on the Roof. The two and a half hour musical (hey, that's almost as long as Avatar!) boasts a full orchestra. Performances run tonight through Jan 17.
Did I mention the Mpls Photo Center is hosting a portrait show? Yes, it turns out, I did.
Guthrie Theater presents Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" - the show runs through January in Minneapolis before launching a state-wide - followed by nation-wide - tour.
And who can resist a feast for the senses? The Minneapolis Institute of Arts presents a free family Sunday that engages not just your eyes, but your nose, your ears and your tastebuds. Families will be able to create art based on smells and tastes, made and decorate fans, and even assemble their own Cubist collages.
So what are you up to this weekend?
A look back at the events of 2009
Posted at 2:00 PM on December 31, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
It was a year marked by the economic recession, and one that took its toll on arts organizations both big and small. In addition we lost some local luminaries. But amidst it all there was some good news too. Read on for a recap of the major moments of 2009...
January
St. Paul Chamber Orchestra hosts what's believed to be the first ever International Chamber Orchestra Festival.
Heart of the Beast Mask and Puppet Theater is dark for all of January and half of February, and temporarily lays off its staff in an attempt to trim $200,000 from its budget.
February
Poet, pianist, and essayist Bill Holm dies at the age of 65.
March
The Guthrie Theater, Minnesota Orchestra, Minneapolis Institute of Arts and Walker Art Center all announce significant cuts to their budgets and staff in response to the economic recession.
April
SPCO musicians agree to a pay cut, and the Minnesota Historical Society announces deep cuts to its own budget.
May
Guthrie Theater presents the premiere of Tony Kushner's latest play "An Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures" as part of its Kushner Festival. Last minute changes to the script postpone the opening of the show by a week.
June
Minnesota Orchestra announces $40million expansion.
Jorja Fleezanis retires from her position as concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra.
The Vatican declares the St. Paul Cathedral a national shrine.
July
The Legacy Amendment Tax Increase takes effect, which dedicates a steady stream of funding from a sales tax increase for the environment and the arts
Claude Purdy, a founding member of the Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul, dies.
Noted music writer Michael Steinberg dies at the age of 80.
August
Minnesota Orchestra musicians accept a wage freeze, a reduction in pension contributions, and the freezing of open positions to help the orchestra save about $4.2 million over the next three years.
September
Minnesota icon Garrison Keillor gives the world a start when he suffers a minor stroke, just two months after A Prairie Home Companion celebrates its 35th anniversary.
October
Weisman Art Museum expansion gets underway.
An unprecedented exhibition of "masterpieces" from the Louvre Museum in Paris opens at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
The Coen brothers' "A Serious Man" opens in cinemas. The film is set in the brothers' native St. Louis Park - the first of their movies set in Minnesota since "Fargo."
November
Longtime Minneapolis music venue Uptown Bar shuts its doors.
The American Craft Council announces it's moving to Minneapolis.
After 10 years of non-stop lobbying and fundraising, the new Minnesota Shubert Center finally breaks ground.
"Give to the Max Day" leads to more than $14 million dollars donated to Minnesota non-profits through the new website GiveMN.org.
St. Paul Pioneer Press announces theater critic Dominic Papatola is leaving the paper, and there are no plans to replace his position. Papatola will continue to write for the paper as a freelancer.
December
Despite the rough year, both the Minnesota Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra announce they've balanced their budgets, and the SPCO is even lowering its ticket prices.
What are you doing New Year's Eve?
Posted at 8:24 AM on December 31, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Sauce Spirits and Soundbar is one of the many venues offering up entertainment for your New Year's Eve celebration
I admit - I will be spending New Year's Eve at a neighbor's house, within easy walking distance of home, enjoying good food, some wine, and maybe a game of Trivial Pursuit. But if you dare venture a little further out into the night, there are more than a few things to choose from...
Sauce Spirits and Soundbar presents a full line-up of music, including Mystery Palace, Lookbook, Estate and Beatrix Jar. Cover is $10 (which includes a drink ticket) and there's free champagne at midnight.
For the 18+ crowd, First Avenue hosts "New Year's Eve 2010 - Deep Space Danceteria," featuring Total Eclipse at Midnight, a Champagne Toast, and a Moonwalk Contest. All this hosted by TV's "Drinking With Ian."
Bryant Lake Bowl offers two performances to choose from on New Year's Eve. At 7pm and again 11pm you can catch "The Scrimshaw Brother's New Year's Eve Comedy Workout" during which they'll try to make up for all the exercise they didn't do the other 364 days out of the year.
Starting at 9pm, Bedlam Theater presents a New Year's Eve Masquerade Ball, featuring the Mahadrin Klezmer Ensemble, DJ Asylum Soundsystem and Dreamland Faces. Prizes will be awarded for the best mask.
For those with cash to burn, the Dakota Jazz Club has a full line-up for the evening, starting at 5:30pm with Paris Strother on piano. Then, while the dinner-set dines on a four-course creation by "Chef Jack," Jevetta and Jearlyn Steele are joined on stage by Sanford Moore. Finally, at 10:30pm, Irvin Mayfield takes the stage with his quintet for some lively horn playing. (FYI - Mayfield's performance will be broadcast live as part of NPR's Toast of the Nation). The whole evening's entertainment - including dinner - will set you back $200... per person.
Current DJ Steve Seel has a few other items to add to the list...
The New Standards will perform at Hotel Minneapolis's New Year's celebration, which features a "Mad Men" theme.
Lee's Liquor Lounge is putting on a "Rockstravaganza" with Current DJ Jill Riley, Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles, and E.L.nO. providing an all-star E.L.O. tribute.
Varsity Theater presents the always energetic Mark Mallman, along with White Light Riot, First Communion After Party and Koo Koo Kangaroo.
Solid Gold heads the line-up for "2010: The Year We Make Contact" at the Marriot City Center Grand Ballroom. It's a party you can feel good about, as it benefits the music programs at Edison High School in Minneapolis.
Got other plans for New Year's Eve? Let us know!
St. Paul "raises the curtain" on half-price tickets
Posted at 10:25 AM on December 7, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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The Arts and Culture Partnership of St. Paul has announced the return of "Raise the Curtain," a one-day promotional event that offers tickets to a number of St. Paul shows at half-price. The goal is to stimulate sales by making shows more affordable to people in an economic pinch. The catch is that all tickets must be purchased tomorrow, December 8th.
This is not the first time the "curtain" has been "raised" on half-price tickets in St. Paul. It was done back in 2001 to stimulate holiday spending in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and subsequent market crash.
Organizations participating in the promotional offer include the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Rose Ensemble, Minnesota Historical Society, Park Square Theatre, Saint Paul City Ballet, and the Ordway Center for Performing Arts.
December: the month for holiday shows
Posted at 10:00 AM on December 10, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Madame Bonbonniere in Nutcracker Fantasy performed by Minnesota Dance Theater
If you're in the mood to celebrate the holidays, local theaters and dance companies are here to help. It seems just about everybody has got a holiday show this year to lure you in their doors. Here's a list of what I've found - if you spot something missing, let me know and I'll add it.
(Update: I've moved this post up on the blog to reflect the fact that new shows have been added.)
Classics, Old and New
"A Christmas Carol", at the Guthrie Theater(this year marks the shows 35th run). It's the Dickens' classic, and the whole production - with its huge cast and decadent set - speaks to the indulgent mood of the holidays.
"Black Nativity," at Penumbra Theatre. Each year Penumbra Theatre reinvents its holiday musical, and this year the theme is "A Season for Change." Expect lots of holiday tunes, sung by some of the greatest talents in town.
Minnesota Dance Theater presents founder Loyce Houlton's "Nutcracker Fantasy" featuring sugarplum fairies, a rat queen, and a 42-piece symphony orchestra conducted by Philip Brunelle.
While it's a relatively new work, "All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914" has quickly become a Twin Cities favorite. It features the real-life story of men on either side of a war who find a common bond, and a momentary peace, in Christmas carols. Performed by a mix of local actors and Cantus men's choir.
Particularly Fun For Families:
Steppingstone Theatre brings back its perennial favorite: "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever." In it the Herdmans - "the worst kids in the whole history of the world" - invade the Christmas pageant and everyone braces for complete disaster.
Minnesota Jewish Community Theater presents "Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins," adapted from the book by Eric A. Kimmel and featuring the creations of local puppeteer Chris Griffith.
Stages Theatre Company in Hopkins offers up "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," a musical based on the poem by Clement C. Moore.
In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre presents "La Natividad." Beginning at HOBT's Theater and Mercado Central, the audience accompanies Maria and Josรฉ through the streets as they look for refuge. The procession ends with a puppet-filled Nativity, plus a fiesta-- complete with music and food.
Burnsville Performing Arts Center presents "Junior Claus." When Santa Claus is suddenly sidelined, young Junior must learn how to drive the big red sleigh, climb down chimneys, and everything else that goes into making "the greatest delivery in the world."
Open Eye Figure Theatre presents "The Holiday Pageant" - a tale filled with devils and angels, sheep and shephards, and tricks and trumpets... starring both puppets and people.
Jim Lichtscheidl performs his one man show "Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol" at Park Square Theatre in St. Paul. The flip side of the classic Christmas tale, Jacob Marley's story begins in the afterlife where his business partner Scrooge once again determines his future.
Mounds Theatre in St. Paul presents "A Christmas Story," the Jean Shepard story turned classic movie. (Remember the fishnet-stockinged-leg-lamp-stand?)
Dance Your Heart Out:
Ballet of the Dolls returns to its holiday chestnut "Nutcracker (not so) Suite" in which Ken and Barbie play the leads. This year celebrates Barbie's 50th birthday. "Expect hilarious, touching, and risquรฉ performances, saturated with much merrymaking."
For a more traditional take on the classic, Ballet Minnesota presents "The Nutcracker" at the O'Shaughnessy in St. Paul.
For the younger kids, Zenon Dance Company presents a series of morning and afternoon performances of "The Nutcracker according to Mother Goose" at the Ritz Theater in Minneapolis.
Not For Kids:
The Jungle Theater presents "The Seafarer" - the tale of an Irishman living in his own hell who ends up playing cards for his soul on Christmas Eve. "Colorful" language throughout.
Bryant Lake Bowl hosts a flurry of holiday fare that is aimed at the older set. There's "Inappropriate Laughter III: Merry Sketchmas and Happy Ha-Ha-Ha-lidays!," "The Santaland Diaries," and "Letters to Santa...Postage Due!"
Bryant Lake Bowl also plays host to "Nutbuster! The Ballet" in which John Munger, Artistic Director of the Third Rabbit Dance Ensemble, presents his one-man solo version of The Nutcracker as a psychotic day-fantasy in the mind of Drosselmeyer(supposedly Clara's kindly and magical uncle).
Joking Envelope (the creation of local playwright/performer Joseph Scrimshaw) presents "Fat Man Crying" at the Minneapolis Theater Garage. "George and Skye Deal are a happily married couple enjoying a casual Christmas Eve at home until Santa Claus breaks in--armed with a magic sack, intimate details about the couple and a neurotic fear of a mysterious man known only as 'The Dave'."
And there's "Foxy Tann's Beaverdance" at Bedlam Theater in Minneapolis. I think this one wins the award for descriptions:
"Jacques Brainerd is the manliest of manly fur traders descending on Central Minnesota at the dawn of the Nineteenth Century. He can paddle faster, shoot straighter, and handle more beaver than any voyageur in the woods. His Ojibwe girlfriend Bemidji is worshipped by the local beavers as a goddess. Mister Blaine is Brainerd's boss, a bourgeois capitalist with secret plans for the fur trade that he is keeping under cover. Loring Park is the city kid who answers Blaine's call for a new kind of man. Karl Marx, disguised as Santa Claus, travels back in time to change the evolution of the US Economy."
Unlikely Holiday Adaptations
(As if the above wasn't strange enough already... )
Commedia Beauregard presents "A Klingon Christmas Carol" - a reworking of the original, translated into Klingon (with English supertitles for all of us non-native speakers). From their site: "Scrooge has no honor, nor any courage. Can three ghosts help him to become the true warrior he ought to be in time to save Tiny Tim from a horrible fate?"
Back to Bryant Lake Bowl, there's "A Christmas Carol: The Golden Girls Remix." "Join us on a Christian allegory-meets-flashback episode when Sophia--Sicily's original Scrooge--eats a bad bit pastrami and, trapped in that tortured space between life and death, is visited upon by the spirits of Christmas past, present and future."
Phew! How's a gal to choose? Let me know what you're planning to see this holiday season, and if I missed something, tell me.
Your Weekend Arts Outlook
Posted at 2:23 PM on November 20, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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'Corleone: The Shakespearean Godfather' at Gremlin Theatre
Photo by Jim Clifford
One of the hits of past Minnesota Fringe Festivals was "Corleone" - a Shakespearean re-imagining of The Godfather. The one-hour piece has been expanded into a full evening's entertainment, with Coppola's iconic mobsters spouting off in iambic pentameter. It opens tonight at Gremlin Theater in St. Paul.
Franklin Art Works celebrates it's tenth anniversary tonight with the opening of a new show. The highlight? "Hello World!..." - a large-scale video installation comprised of thousands of unique video diaries gathered from the internet. The work measures 15' high x 48' long and featires multi-channel audio. Artist Christopher Baker says the project is a meditation on the contemporary plight of democratic, participative media and the fundamental human desire to be heard.
Walker Art Center went through its storage bins to put together an exhibition that shows how a particular event can shape artistic ideas around that time. Event Horizon features postwar art, from avant-garde film of the 1960s to newly created environmental works.
Uri Sands and Toni Pierce-Sands are back with their company TU Dance and a new line-up of work at the O'Shaughnessy Auditorium in St. Paul this weekend. The program features the company premiere of Danial Shapiro & Joanie Smith's "Dance with Army Blankets," presented in its first full staging since being commissioned by Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble in 1992. Uri Sands presents two premieres: a new duet performed with Marciano Silva Dos Santos; and Sense(ability) Sketch III - Earth, the latest in his series exploring the dynamic synergy between the human senses and the elements.
Photo by Ed Bock
And, can 34 years of packed audiences be wrong? This weekend marks the opening of the Guthrie's 35th performance of A Christmas Carol.
Fringe Festival announces new Midwest tour circuit, training for artists
Posted at 10:52 AM on November 13, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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This past August the Minnesota Fringe Festival broke a lot of personal records. 46,189 tickets were issued to an estimated 15,100 patrons to see 162 shows at 22 different venues. Executive director Robin Gillette says she thinks the festival doesn't need to grow anymore than it has already, and so she's focussing instead on getting more people into the festival from across the region. Up until now the festival has been dominated by artists from the Twin Cities.
"We're heading to Wisconsin, Iowa and all over Minnesota," said Gillette. "A huge number of people create performing arts in the Upper Midwest, and we want them to participate in our festival."
Gillette said the Minnesota Fringe is also participating in the first organized tour for U.S.-based Fringes. Four Midwestern festivals--Kansas City Fringe Festival, Minnesota Fringe Festival, Indianapolis Theatre Fringe Festival and Chicago Fringe Festival--have created a circuit for artists who want to participate in all four festivals. Two companies will be picked from the Minneapolis Fringe to participate in the tour.
Gillette said the Fringe is also expanding its training and support to budding performance companies. Fringe and Springboard for the Arts are organizing an all-day conference for producers of small theater.
"The goal is to teach our producers how to make a show a reality," Gillette said. "Fringe is a fantastic way for first-time producers to get their feet wet, but we want to make sure our participants walk away feeling like they've learned enough to do it again outside the framework of the festival."
Fringe is introducing two new programs: "First Steps" for first-time Fringe producers and "Next Steps" for producers with more Fringe experience. First Steps includes a mentorship program with a more established production company and Next Steps provides support to companies as they look to produce shows outside of the Fringe.
Your weekend arts forecast
Posted at 9:40 AM on November 11, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Things are going to get ugly... Dean Holt and Reed Sigmund star as the stepsisters in "Cinderella" at the Children's Theatre Company. Photo by Ann Marsden
The Children's Theatre Company is taking the fairytale classic "Cinderella" and giving it a shot in the arm. Artistic Director Peter Brosius is mounting the play in the style of English "panto," which involves lots of physical comedy, gags, and men cast as women.
To that end Reed Sigmund and Dean Holt have been cast as Cinderella's 'ugly stepsisters' Dorcas and Pearl. Sigmund is known for his roles in "A Year with Frog and Toad" and "Bert & Ernie, Goodnight!" (he was Ernie). Holt won an Ivey award for his Charlie Chaplin-esque performance in CTC's "Reeling." Joe Chvala, founder of Flying Foot Forum, choreographed the show.
The Martha Graham Dance Company brings Clytemnestra to the Northrop Auditorium tomorrow night. Fifty years after its premiere, the psychodrama is still deemed a masterpiece of 20th Century American modernism.
The shapes and structures of the set ar emeant to evoke the inner spaces of the mind and memory, accentuating dramatic scenes of betrayal, revenge, murder, and reconciliation.
The Minnesota Orchestra presents an evening of Sibelius, Mendelssohn and the world premiere of a new work by English composer Sally Beamish. Beamish's "The Song Gatherer" will be performed by guest cellist Robert Cohen, for whom it was written.
Form and Content Gallery hosts a reception for the artists in its exhibition "Calling All Angels" Saturday night from 7-9pm. It's described as an exploration of the mysterious line between the here and the hereafter - and our complex relationship with memory and loss. The show features the work of Camille J. Gage, Anders Nilsen and David Everett.
Check back tomorrow to find out what the Art Hounds are up to, and on Friday I'll have a look at the Jungle Theater's production of "The Seafarer" which also opens this weekend.
Your Weekend Arts Forecast
Posted at 6:50 AM on November 5, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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The choices for your weekend will have you all tied up in knots...
Minnesota Dance Theater presents Carmina Burana, it's physical interpretation of Carl Orff's music, which itself was inspired by the poems of vagrant monks. The dance was originally performed with Theatre de la Jeune Lune, and features the vocal performances of Bradley Greenwald, Justin Madel, and Jennifer Baldwin-Peden. Shows run tonight through Sunday at the Lab Theater in Minneapolis.
The Northrup King Building in Northeast Minneapolis hosts its annual "Art Attack," in which all its resident artists (they number 130+) open their studio doors to the curious. Those studios feature everything from fiber art and ceramics to architecture and poster art. The fun begins Friday from 5-10pm, and continues Saturday from noon-8pm, and again Sunday from noon-5pm.
Bryant Lake Bowl has a couple of fun shows on its cozy little stage this weekend. First, there's "Quickies," a series of comedic shorts put on by four different companies. Think of it as speed-dating for your perfect theater... Performances run for the three Fridays at 7pm.
Hardcover Theater returns to the BLB with its latest literary incarnation, this time ripped from the pages of H. Rider Haggard's 1887 novel, She. In it, pith helmet sporting Brits make their way through the wilds of Africa, and stumble across a society that worships a powerful and irresistable woman. Hardcover has described it as being "like an Indiana Jones movie onstage, but with interesting characters and provocative themes." (Hmmm... can that work?)
So don't hold back on us - what are you doing this weekend?
Your Weekend Outlook
Posted at 10:51 AM on October 28, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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I see many cultural events in your future...
Sufjan Stevens, image courtesy of Southern Theater
Tomorrow night (Thursday) Sufjan Stevens presents his 2007 film "The BQE" at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis. Over the course of 40 minutes Stevens explores - and sets to music - the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. The piece was commissioned by the Brooklyn Academy of Music as part of its Next Wave Festival. Not sure if it's your thing? Check out this clip:
THE BQE- A Film By Sufjan Stevens from Asthmatic Kitty on Vimeo.
Meanwhile, the Rockstar Storytellers are back at Bryant Lake Bowl this Sunday, this time to take on the "War and Western" genre. John Wayne, anyone?
The Walker Art Center goes head-to-head with Halloween with the opening of "Dan Graham: Beyond." This retrospective reveals Graham's perspective on "the changing relationship of individual to society, as filtered through American mass media and architecture."
Open Eye Figure Theater brings back it's critically acclaimed "Elijah's Wake" at its intimate space in Minneapolis. Dubbed a "visual poem by Michael Sommers," Elijah's Wake examines what we leave behind when we're gone.
At the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, students from El Colegio have created "ofrendas" or "offerings" for the Day of the Dead. These three dimensional pieces made in crates (symbolizing the immigrants that came to Minnesota to work in the fields). The offerings, and related videos, are on display through November 15. (Check back here on Friday, when I'll have a more in-depth look at the exhibition.)
What you could do this weekend:
Posted at 4:03 PM on October 22, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Steve Epp stars in "This House Can't Stand" at the Southern Theater.
It's a great weekend to see theater, dance and art, so take advantage of it!
Steven Epp and Dominique Serrand of the former "Theatre de la Jeune Lune" are back with a new performance. It's a one-woman show starring... Steven Epp. "The House Can't Stand" runs tonight through Sunday at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis.
James Sewell Ballet presents its latest work, including one piece performed to the music of Bad Plus. The evening includes work by choreographers Linda Shapiro (of Shapiro and Smith) and Penelope Freeh. Performances run this weekend only at the O'Shaughnessy Auditorium.
The Bell Museum presents "Hungry Planet," an exhibition based on the book by the same name, which documents the eating habits of families around the world. In addition to the images, the exhibition follows how food makes its way from field to table. The opening reception (tonight) features snacks from around the globe.
The inimitable Kevin Kling is back with a new production, performed by Interact Theater of Minneapolis, and Tutti Ensemble from Southern Australia. Northern Lights/Southern Cross: Tales from the Other Side of the World, is an epic tale that starts the moment Kling almost died in a motorcycle crash. The production runs through November 8 at the Guthrie Theater.
Groveland Gallery hosts a reception for its newest exhibition tomorrow night from 5-8pm. In the main gallery you can find the paintings of Rod Massey, who captures Minneapolis neighborhoods with a loving and bittersweet touch. In the annex, Dani Roach displays her hyper-realist landscapes.
What you could see this weekend...
Posted at 12:42 PM on October 15, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Theater Latte Da presents "The Full Monty" at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts
Theater Latte Da presents a stripped-down version of "The Full Monty" (sorry, I couldn't resist). The story, which you may remember from the movie, is about a bunch of guys who, when faced with an economic recession, decide to bare it all in the hopes of making some cash. The show opens tonight at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts.
Ballet of the Dolls presents "Pas de Quatre," a deconstruction of four ballets made famous by the Ballets Russes: Cleopatra, Sheherazade, The Firebird and Le Dieu Bleu. The company promises, In true Doll style, "No classical music, tutus or tights.......well, maybe tutus." "Pas de Quatre" runs through October 25.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, Northrop Auditorium hosts the world premiere of "Moulin Rouge - the ballet." It's the creation of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and lest you were hoping for love ballads a la Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, you should know the ballet is set to a compilation of music from French composers at the time the Moulin Rouge was opening.
If you're getting in the mood for some Halloween scares, The Soap Factory presents "The Haunted Basement," an artistic re-imagining of your worst fears. This year the theme is "disturbing," and that means disturbing sights, disturbing sounds, and even disturbing smells. Yikes!
Stay tuned... later today I'll take a look at the exhibition of masterpieces from the Louvre Collection opening this weekend at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and tomorrow I'll explore the political conflit behind Mixed Blood's production "Ruined."
Crafty people descend on Minneapolis
Posted at 5:25 PM on October 14, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Tomorrow through Sunday, the American Craft Council is holding its annual conference in Minneapolis at the Radisson Plaza Hotel. While here, curators and artists will tour local studios and art centers, including the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, Highpoint Center for Printmaking and the Textile Center. The theme for the conference is "Creating a New Craft Culture."
Speaking of which, if you're interested in learning more about "Craft in America," PBS has a nifty five-part series which you can watch in its entirety on-line through October 22.
Twin Cities Book Festival tomorrow
Posted at 9:46 AM on October 9, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Just a reminder - the Twin Cities Book Festival takes place tomorrow at Minneapolis Community & Technical College from 10am - 5pm. If you're at all bookish, this event is for you, featuring author talks, a storytelling circle for kids, and lots of books and literary magazines for sale. For more information on the featured authors, see my previous write-up here.
Art Hounds: Julie Mehretu, Winona and Mississippi Volga III
Posted at 7:01 AM on October 8, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Entropia (review), 2004 by Julie Mehretu
Published by Highpoint Editions
Jodie Ahern is senior editor at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Jodie was thrilled to see Highpoint Center for Printmaking's debut show in its new building called "Excavations: The Prints of Julie Mehretu." Mehretu is an internationally known painter and printmaker who's work received early notice from the Walker Art Center. "Excavations" is on view at Highpoint through November 21.
Greg Neidhart is a music professor and directs the arts administration program at Winona State University. Greg expects sparks to fly at the "Celebration of Words, Music and Image," a collaboration between area poets, folk and classical musicians and composers. They'll perform Sunday at 7:30pm, at an up and coming attraction in Winona, the Minnesota Marine Art Museum.
James Craven is a veteran actor at Penumbra Theater. James is very impressed with Open Eye Figure Theatre as a company and venue in South Minneapolis. His favorite artistic expressions, dance, music and light, will collide at Mississippi/Volga III, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 9th and 10th at 8pm. Mississippi/Volga III will feature performers from Russia, Hungary and Germany working alongside the local avant cello duo "Jelloslave" and the Minneapolis tap and percussive group "Buckets and Tap Shoes."
Not finding what you want here? Well don't forget, the St. Paul Art Crawl is this weekend. The Decemberists perform at the State Theatre on Friday. And Stuart Pimsler Dance and Theater presents its latest work "Tales from the Book of Longing," inspired in part by the poetry of Leonard Cohen.
Art Hounds: Dhvee, Marisol, and Hope Sandoval
Posted at 7:01 AM on October 1, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events
Image courtesy of the Walker Art Center.
Each week Minnesota Public Radio News asks three people from the Minnesota arts scene to be "Art Hounds." Their job is to step outside their own work and hunt down something exciting that's going on in local arts.
Interested in becoming an art hound? Sign up!
Sandy Agustin serves as artistic director of the Neighborhood House on St. Paul's west side and is also an arts consultant. You'll find Sandy at the Walker Art Center on Friday, Oct. 2 for "Dhvee," a sprawling production blending the Indian movement of Minneapolis-based Ragamala Dance with the music of a Balinese gamelan orchestra. "Dhvee" opens Thursday night, Oct. 1 and runs through Sunday, Oct. 4.
Heather Meyer is a Twin Cities-based actor, playwright and improvisor. Heather has nothing but praise for the Jose Rivera's absurdist play "Marisol," and the company that's performing it, Theatre Pro Rata. The play focuses on what happens to the main character, Marisol, when her guardian angel leaves to join a plot to overthrow a god who's lost his grip on the world. "Marisol" is on stage at St. Paul's Gremlin Theatre from Oct. 3 - Oct. 18.
Bill Caperton is a musician, talent buyer for the Turf Club and 501 Club, and a graduate student at the University of Minnesota. Bill's gig of the week happens this Saturday, Oct. 3, when singer songwriter Hope Sandoval and her band The Warm Inventions make a stop at the Music Box Theatre in Minneapolis. You may remember Sandoval's old band Mazzy Star and its '90s alt rock classic, "Fade Into You."
Still not seeing something you want to check out this weekend? Then you might consider attending Highpoint Center for Printmaking's grand opening celebration on Saturday, or seeing Rob Fischer's new exhibition at Franklin Art Works. Take a look at yesterday's post on Penumbra Theatre's latest production "Radio Golf." And don't forget the music and movies festival "Sound Unseen."
Art Hounds: Breaking, popping, and styling
Posted at 7:27 AM on September 17, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events
Image courtesy of Intermedia Arts
Each week Minnesota Public Radio News asks three people from the Minnesota arts scene to be "Art Hounds." Their job is to step outside their own work and hunt down something exciting that's going on in local arts.
Interested in becoming an art hound? Sign up!
Art hound Betsy Altheimer is the development program director at Springboard for the Arts in St. Paul. She's really looking forward to the B-Girl Be Block Party taking place at Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis on Saturday, Sept. 19.
Betsy thinks this afternoon of music, dance, art and film will appeal to everyone, from b-girls steeped in hip-hop culture to newbies seeking an introduction. She also loves the strong sense of sisterhood created at this gathering of female hip-hop artists from around the world.
Chris Bates is an engineer and visual artist in Sioux Falls. Chris wants to let you in on a little secret: Sioux Falls is home to some really fine jazz.
Every weekend, Touch of Europe features local and touring jazz musicians. Chris loves listening to the different styles of the artists who play there and the music helps him as he plans his own abstract visual artworks.
Laura Bidgood is a spoken word artist, storyteller, and freelance director in the Twin Cities. She was blown away by the Lyric Arts' production of Doubt, A Parable, which runs through Sept. 27.
She says she was nervous that this production wouldn't be able to live up to the big names and big budget of the recent movie, but she was amazed by the skill and talent on display on this Anoka stage.
Meanwhile, Accordo, a new Twin Cities classical music ensemble, featuring some of the finest talent from both the Minnesota Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, performs at the Southern Theater this weekend.
The Walker Art Center launches its Coen Brothers film retrospective tomorrow night with "Blood Simple."
And in "Rise!" Twin Cities actor-vocalist-educator T. Michael Rambo take its audience on a centennial journey of African American culture, literature and civil rights activism, drawing from the writing of Langston Hughes, W.E.B. DuBois and Martin Luther King Jr., and incorporating the music of Billie Holliday and Nat King Cole, among others.
Art Hounds: We don't need no stinking tutus
Posted at 7:24 AM on September 10, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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There's enough dance out there this weekend to make even a ballerina's head spin... and yet not a single nutcracker in site.
Interested in trying out a dance concert, but haven't figured out yet which kind you prefer? Choreographers in Accord (CIA) present 8 @ 8, a smorgasbord of dance by eight different companies, including modern, ballet, belly dancing and flamenco.
Meanwhile, Ananya Dance Theatre presents the third and final concert in a trilogy exploring the effects of global warming and pollution on the planet. "Ashesh Barsha, Unending Monsoon," is a danced response to the overconsumption of electricity, energy, and natural resources. (Tip: check back here later today for a more in-depth report on this concert)
Local troupe Hijack joins forces with choreographer Scotty Heron to present SmithsonianSmith, the dancers' latest attempt at being even more "radical." In describing their work, they write:
We bounce to the bouncy music. We smash beer cans on our foreheads and bellies like frat boys. We glue-gun these cans into a Mardi Gras-worthy headdress. We are insects, drunk on nectar and having sex with plastic flowers. We are cleaning up after an oil spill on the Mississippi using absorbent pompoms and wearing cardboard boxes on our heads as sun shields.
Finally, British choreographer Wayne McGregor brings his dancers to Northrup Auditorium Friday night to perform "Entity." Based on collaborative research with psychologists, neuroscientists, and software engineers, "Entity" attempts to convey the complex relationship between the brain and the moving body.
Dance just not doing it for you? How about a music festival in downtown St. Paul? How about a festival celebrating the food and culture of Greece? Or India? Maybe pottery is more your thing? Or an art sale where nothing costs more than $99? How about spoken word?
Still not finding what you're looking for? (geez, you're picky) Check out what these art hounds are doing this weekend.
Of course we can always use a few more hounds to sniff out some great art. Join the pack!
Art Hounds: Time for the harvest
Posted at 7:00 AM on September 3, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events
Many folks are enjoying trying their hand at vegetable gardening this summer as they search for ways to simplify their lives and reduce their carbon footprint. Well if you'd really like to see what simplicity looks like, pay a visit to Historic Fort Snelling this weekend as the "residents" (i.e. reenactors) put up crops and preserve foods for the winter. Salted pork, anyone?
This is the second and final weekend of the Minnesota State Fair. I'll just mention that a guy with the initals GK who's known for wearing red socks will be on the main stage Friday night.
The Cedar Cultural Center is hosting a couple of notable events this weekend. On Friday Junkyard Empire celebrates the release of its new CD, Rebellion Politik. The album is in part a reaction to last year's Republican National Convention in St. Paul. Then on Saturday, Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles celebrate the release of their aptly named cd "Special Party Time for Everybody."
Manwhile Triple Rock Social Club hosts the 5th Annual Minneapolis Punk Rock Bowling Awards Show. That's right - bowling to live punk music (played by The Dwarves). Is it just me, or does it sound like someone's going to get hurt?
Tonight, Minnesota author Norah Labiner reads from her book German for Travelers at Magers & Quinn in Minneapolis.
And Mixed Blood Theater opens its season Saturday with "The Romance of Magno Rubio" a play staged by Theater Mu. In it, Filipino farm worker Magno Rubio dreams of a romantic affair with a beautiful American woman while his friends chide his naivete.
Looking for more to do? Check out what these art hounds are up to.
While you're at it, join the art hound collective!
So what are you doing this weekend?
Art Hounds: Corn dogs and so much more
Posted at 7:23 AM on August 27, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Yes yes yes I know - there's a certain large event opening today. The dairy barn and the fairway are likely to be on the to-do list of many this weekend. But let's look beyond the mini-donuts and buckets-o-fries and on to some other cultural goodies that await.
Today is mnartists.org Field Day at Walker Art Center. It's billed as a "daylong extravaganza for and by Minnesota artists, musicians, writers, poets, and community members." There will be dancing, readings and kick ball. Events run from 11am to 10pm.
Intermedia Arts presents Mama Said Knock You Out, a gallery exhibition in conjunction with B-Girl-Be, a celebration of Women in Hip-Hop. The exhibition showcases 28 female artists from around the world who are employing Hip Hop culture as a means of expression, education and social and political activism.
Need your art on the go? Stevens Square Center for the Arts presents Rush Hour, an exhibition of 400 works of art that use Metro Transit bus transfers as their canvas. But don't miss your stop! The show is one night only, Saturday from 7 to 10pm.
Finally if you prefer a more casual neighborhood stroll to the crowds at the fair, check out the first ever LoLA Art Crawl. LoLA stands for the League of Longfellow Artists, and the crawl features works by about forty of them.
Not seeing what you want here? Then check out what these Art Hounds are doing.
And of course, don't forget to sign up to be an Art Hound yourself.
Art Hounds: Faeries, fanfare and photography
Posted at 7:03 AM on August 20, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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This weekend marks the opening of the annual Minnesota Renaissance Festival. Back in the old days stalls would serve a slab of bread, a thick slice of cheese and a sausage, washed down with cider. Now you have your choice of fajitas, coconut shrimp, or a chicken teriyaki croissant (?!?!). Opening weekend events include a bellydancing contest, an arabian horse show and a martial arts demonstration.
20% Theatre Company presents "After Juliet," the story of what happens after Romeo and Juliet take their lives. The play's written by Sharman MacDonald, and she supposedly wrote the play at the prompting of her daughter, actress Kiera Knightley. The show runs August 20 - 30 at Sabes Jewish Community Center in Minneapolis.
Working through the Kulture Klub Collaborative, photographer Lauri Lyons and local teenagers are creating Home Is Where You Make It, a mobile exhibition of large-scale portraits of homeless youth. You can check out the portraits, and here Lyons talk, tonight at the Walker Art Center.
And on Friday, The Cabooze hosts a tribute to late pop icon Michael Jackson, featuring performances by JD Steele, Fred Steele, Ray Covington, Brandon Commodore, O'Dell, and more....
Not seeing what you want? Check out what these art hounds are up to.
Interested in becoming an art hound? Join the team!
Tornado sends Guthrie audiences for cover, closes Electric Fetus
Posted at 2:42 PM on August 19, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
No one can upstage Mother Nature. As a tornado swept through Minneapolis this afternoon, Twitter came alive with reports from local businesses. Among them, the Guthrie Theater twitterfeed states "Sirens sounding near the Guthie. Staff and audiences taking cover in the theaters."
Meanwhile Electric Fetus reports: "Ok, apparently @efetusmpls was hit by a tornado. We are dealing with it now. No one was hurt. FETUS IS CLOSED."
More updates as they come in...
Update at 2:50pm - Guthrie Theater now reports all is clear, and the theater is back to normal operations.
Update at 2:55pm - Electric Fetus reports: "Hey all - thanks for your concern. It came fast & furious. Fire trucks there now. Staff & customers sent home. Will update as we know more."
Update at 3:03pm - Electric Fetus: "Store is mostly ok btw. Window damage & damage to outer bldg. A few cars hurt & fence down."
Twin Cities Book Festival announces featured authors
Posted at 7:49 AM on August 19, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Books, Events
Each year the Rain Taxi Review of Books organizes the Twin Cities Book Festival. This year the festival takes place on October 10 from 10am-5pm on the campus of the Minneapolis Community and Technical College in downtown Minneapolis.
The day long event features, amongst many other things, readings and talks by acclaimed authors. This year ten authors will talk about their most recent works, covering not just fiction and poetry, but pop culture, nature and food.
Here's the complete list, from the press release:
Award-winning novelists who inspire, challenge, and entertain:
NICHOLSON BAKER is the author of a dozen works of fiction and nonfiction, including the novels The Mezzanine and Vox. He has loudly campaigned against the destruction of printed matter in the digital age, and won the National Book Critics Circle Award for his book on the topic, Double Fold: Libraries and the Assault on Paper. His new novel, The Anthologist, is narrated by a little-known poet; in this and throughout his work, Baker is a champion of things otherwise unsung, like elevators and the word "lumber."ROBERT OLEN BUTLER is the author of sixteen novels and short story collections, a book on the creative process, and several plays and screenplays. His work has been honored with Pulitzer Prize, among many other accolades. He has, at various points, worked as a translator, counter-intelligence officer, editor, and professor. His newest novel, Hell, allows the ever-inventive Butler to cast many surprising historical and contemporary characters down into the underworld.
LORRIE MOORE is the author of three short story collections and three novels, the recipient of fellowships from the NEA and the Guggenheim, Lannan, and Rockefeller Foundations, and the winner of the Rae Award for the Short Story and the Irish Times International Fiction Prize. A Gate at the Stairs, her newest novel and her first book since 1998's acclaimed Birds of America, is an ambitious and visceral examination of racism, war, young love, and employment as a part-time nanny.
Celebrated poets from different countries and different aesthetics:
Acclaimed poet, novelist, and essayist ADAM ZAGAJEWSKI is one of Poland's most famous literary figures, and his talent has influenced many English-speaking poets as well. In addition to such acclaimed poetry volumes such as World Without End, Mysticism for Beginners, and Canvas, he has also published the memoir Another Beauty and two prose collections. His newest volume of verse, Eternal Enemies, came out earlier this year.
The sound poet CHRISTIAN BรK can read very fast. He can willingly enslave himself to the tyranny of a single vowel. He can build books out of toys. He can create and translate alien languages, having worked as a xenolinguist for Gene Roddenberry and Peter Benchley. And his Eunoia--the single bestselling Canadian poetry book of all time--won the Griffin Poetry Prize and is newly released here in the states. Listen carefully...
Acclaimed writers on the art and beauty of the everyday:
DIANE ACKERMAN is a poet, essayist, naturalist, and the author of two dozen works of nonfiction and poetry. She is the recipient of the Orion Book Award, the John Burroughs Nature Award, the Lavan Poetry Prize, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. (Fun fact: the molecule dianeackerone, a sex pheromone in crocodilians, is named after her.) Her most recent work of literary naturalism, Dawn Light, explores what life is up to when the sun comes up.
RUTH REICHL has been writing about food since the book Mmmmmmmm: A Feastiary in 1972. Her acclaimed food memoirs now include Tender at the Bone, Comfort Me With Apples, and Garlic and Sapphires. The recipient of numerous awards, she was the restaurant critic for the New York Times and is now Editor in Chief of Gourmet Magazine; her books for them include The Gourmet Cookbook and the newly released Gourmet Today.
Wildlife artist DAVID ALLEN SIBLEY started birding at the age of seven. He is now the author and illustrator of more than a dozen acclaimed books and field guides on American avian life, including the fastest selling bird book of all time, The Sibley Guide to Birds. Lightning is bound to strike twice with the soon-to-be-released Sibley Guide to Trees. Mr. Sibley will give a visual presentation on how he researches and illustrates these amazing books.
And pop culture experts on comics and geekdom:
GABRIELLE BELL was born in England, raised in California, and currently resides in Brooklyn. Not ten years ago she was self-publishing her own mini-comics; since the turn of the century she has published the acclaimed autobiographical work Lucky, placed her work twice in the Best American Comics series, and appeared in the prestigious Yale Anthology of Graphic Fiction. Her newest collection, Cecil and Jordan in New York, includes a story that Bell and noted film director Michel Gondry adapted for Gondry's latest film, Tokyo!
ETHAN GILSDORF's book Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks is a travel-memoir quest that explains and celebrates fantasy and gaming subcultures, whether inspired by fictions like The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, or by role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons and World of Warcraft. Gilsdorf will introduce some of the characters he encountered in his journeys across this world and other worlds; he will then invite audience members to share their "geekiest moment" onstage. PS: the audience is also encouraged to attend in costume--prizes will be awarded!
Note to booklovers: in addition to the opportunity to meet several acclaimed authors, the Twin Cities Book Festival also holds a large used book sale, provides exhibition space to a number of presses and literary organizations, and hosts activities organized by the Minnesota Center for Book Arts.
Summer doldrums
Posted at 7:32 PM on August 17, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
It's that time of the year that many reporters dread...and also secretly love. It's the slow time of year, when a lot of people - including newsmakers - are on vacation, and so our news coverage starts to feel a bit sparse. For those reporters who always feel like they're one step behind where they need to be, it's an opportunity to breathe a little easier.
In the theater world this holds particularly true. Most theaters close for the summer, knowing Minnesotans have precious few days of good weather to enjoy, and really don't want to spend their evenings in a darkened room when they could be at the lake.
The Fringe Festival - the bright blazing comet of the summer theater season - has passed, and we're left in its quiet wake.
To make matters worse, in these hard economic times many theaters appear to be shortening their seasons as a way to tighten their budget belts. That means some companies, such as Penumbra Theater, won't launch their first production until October.
What to do, in the meantime? Enjoy the theater of the outdoors. Work in the garden. Take in an music concert in the park. Those cold fall evenings - and cozy little theaters - will welcome you in soon enough.
Art Hounds: All That Jazz
Posted at 6:30 AM on August 13, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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It's a great weekend for music, especially if you like jazz.
Local tenor saxophonist Irv Williams celebrates his 90th birthday this weekend with performances Friday night at the Artists' Quarter in St. Paul and Monday night at the Dakota in Minneapolis. Williams first performed in Minneapolis when he was in the Navy in World War II, and still performs regularly around the Twin Cities. He's released four albums in the past six years alone, and shows no signs of slowing down.
The Ramsey Lewis Trio performs tonight at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. Local vocalist Bruce Henry will make a guest appearance.
On Saturday you'll have to choose between Douglas Little and his group "Seven Steps to Havana" at the Artists' Quarter, and the Ginger Commodore Quartet at the Dakota.
If jazz is not your style, never fear, there's lots more to choose from. Tonight The Cedar hosts a screening of Bela Fleck's new documentary "Throw down your heart," in which he travels through Africa with his banjo, exploring the instruments historic roots. (You can also hear Bela Fleck discuss his documentary on Friday at 10am on Midmorning.)
Tracy Chapman is touring to promote her latest album "Our Bright Future." She lands at the O'Shaughnessy Auditorium in St. Paul on Saturday.
If all this music seems a little too soft and friendly, have I got just the ticket for you! Bedlam Theater is hosting a hardcore punk fest called "Distortion Days." The line-up includes the local acts "Cognitive Dissonance," "War/Plague," "Animals and Beasts," "Misery" and "Detonate." Sounds like it will be an angry, explosive, angst-ridden affair.
Finally, choreographer Cassandra Shore and her troupe Jawaahir perform a concert of arabic music and dance this weekend and next at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis.
Not seeing what you want here? Then check out what other art hounds are doing this weekend.
Also, let us know what you're doing this weekend...
Life as a musical, part two: Flash mobs
Posted at 3:16 PM on August 12, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Culture, Dance, Events, Music, Public Art
Earlier today I wrote about musical numbers, and how they make us feel like we belong to something bigger than ourselves. I cited a video of a public prank, in which a group of performers put on what appeared to be a spontaneous musical in the midst of a food court.
In response, Sharon wrote in with one of her favorite clips of a group taking over a train station in Belgium for a song and dance number:
Such events are called "flash mobs" and they're becoming increasingly popular as technology (internet, cellphones) makes them increasingly easy to orchestrate.
However, as soon as a bunch of creative folk come up with a great idea, it doesn't take long for companies to latch on to them for sales purposes. T-Mobile orchestrated its own flash mob event for a commercial:
Other flash mob events include "flash freezes" in which a large group of people appear to freeze in motion at the exact same time.
Rumor has it there may be a flash event at this year's State Fair... heard anything?
'Africa's Denzel Washington' to visit the Twin Cities on Sunday
Posted at 2:14 PM on August 11, 2009
by Euan Kerr
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Filed under: Events, Film, People
The name Van Vicker might not set your pulse racing, but apparently in Ghana, indeed in Africa, Van is the man. Now the Twin Cities Black Film Festival is bringing him the the Twin Cities for the local premier of his new film "Raj the Dancer."
Van Vicker (Image courtesy VanVickerLive.com)
Van Vicker (he has dropped his first name Joseph) is a 32 year old star of the up-and-coming Ghanaian movie industry. He has made 50 movies, usually playing the romantic lead. You can get a sense of how his fans feel by visiting his web site.
"He's the Denzel Washington of Africa," says the TCBFF's Natalie Morrow, shortly after admitting she hadn't heard of him until recently either. This is Vicker's second trip to the Twin Cities. He was here two years ago to promote his movie "American Boy." Apparently fans spotted him shortly after he arrived at the airport.
"He was pretty much mobbed," said Morrow. "He's a good actor - and he's a good-looking actor. I think that's what's the draw." She says his fan base is overwhelmingly female, but not just African. She says his visits to the US have earned him fans from all over.
Morrow says she has been dealing with Vicker personally as they organize the screening. "He's such a nice guy," she said.
The screening of "Raj the Dancer" will be at 7pm at the Earl Brown Community Center in Brooklyn Center on Sunday evening. There will then be a meet and greet at the Blue Nile restaurant on Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis from 10 until 2 am.
The Van Vicker event is just a warm up for the TCBFF, which is set for September 18th-20th. The event will open with a special showing of "The Wiz," the Michael Jackson Diana Ross reworking of "The Wizard of Oz."
MN Fringe Festival sets attendance records
Posted at 1:54 PM on August 10, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events, Theater
The Minnesota Fringe Festival reports its preliminary ticket numbers are in. They show:
46,189 tickets were issued to an estimated 15,100 patrons of the 2009 festival.
Gross box office revenue was over $330,000 from 162 different productions at 22 venues in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Compare this to 2008's numbers, when a total of 40,926 tickets were issued, generating $297,374.
This is the Fringe's best year yet, beating out the previous banner year (that was 2006, with 44,692 tickets issued with gross box office of $338,181).
Fringe artistic director Robin Gillette says she blames the success on a number of factors. She says the festival provides a wide array of cheap entertainment, which is especially appealing during a recession. In addition, there was great weather, extensive media coverage, and a really strong line-up.
"Fringe's success is a heartening sign for all Minnesota performing arts attendance this fall," said Gillette. "In many ways, Fringe is a wind-up to the next theater season. I think our festival having such an amazing year bodes well for everyone."
Top ten shows by number of tickets issued:
1. The Harty Boys in The Case of the Limping Platypus presented by Joshua English Scrimshaw and Levi Weinhagen at U of M Rarig Center Thrust (1,067 tickets)
2. Bard Fiction presented by Tedious Brief Productions at U of M Rarig Center Thrust (1,046)
3. Sideways Stories from Wayside School presented by Four Humors Theater at U of M Rarig Center Thrust (946)
4. Blue Ribbon Burlesque presented by Lili's Burlesque Revue at U of M Rarig Center Proscenium (797)
5. Tragedy of You presented by Joseph Scrimshaw Productions at U of M Rarig Center Thrust (785)
6. The Red Tureen presented by Doolin & Dingle at U of M Rarig Center Thrust (756)
7. The Return of LICK! presented by LICK! at Southern Theater (687)
8. The William Williams Effect presented by Balance Theatre Project at Southern Theater (680)
9. Buyer's Remorse presented by Sarah Gioia and Steve Moulds at Mixed Blood Theatre (637)
10. Tales ... Of the Expected! presented by Ari Hoptman at U of M Rarig Center Proscenium (615)
Top ten shows by percentage of house capacity:
1. Projectile Thinking presented by Stages Theatre Company with Jon Ferguson at InterDistrict Downtown School (108 percent)
2. Parry Hotter and the Half-Drunk Twins presented by Empty S Productions at Augsburg Studio (107.5 percent)
3. Sarah, Your Ovaries Are Drying Up: The Musical presented by Crankador Productions at Augsburg Studio (101.5 percent)
4. Two Short Operas: Mr. Berman's Bath-Size Bar and There's a Mastodon In My Backyard presented by the Dead Composers Society at Playwrights' Center (100.3 percent)
5. Harold Pinter's The Dumb Waiter presented by Paul von Stoetzel at Playwrights' Center (99.7 percent)
6. 2 Sugars, Room for Cream presented by Shanan Wexler and Carolyn Pool Productions at U of M Rarig Center Xperimental (96 percent)
7. The Traveling Musicians presented by 3 Sticks at Nomad World Pub (95.6 percent)
8. Rumspringa the Musical presented by Best Weird Dog at Augsburg Studio (95.1 percent)
9. Squawk presented by Walking Shadow Theatre Company at Gremlin Theatre (93.6 percent)
10. June of Arc presented by Sandbox Theatre at U of M Rarig Center Xperimental (92.6 percent)
NOTE: All numbers are preliminary and have not yet been subject to a full audit of box office receipts.
Pecha Kucha MSP lives and learns for next event
Posted at 3:24 PM on August 7, 2009
by Euan Kerr
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Filed under: Design, Events, People
It's been four months, but Jonas Schaefer (left, with colleague Josh Pepper on right) is still pretty pumped about the first Minneapolis St Paul Pecha Kucha Night.
Some 350 people turned up at Intermedia Arts for the first one in April and the event sold out.
"The reception was amazing. People really got into it," Schaefer says. Pecha Kucha is a community event where presenters are allowed to show 20 slides as part of a presentation on whatever topic they want. The twist is each slide is only shown for 20 seconds and then the next one pops up. Presentations can only last for six minutes and 40 seconds total. The original Pecha Kucha was in Japan, but the event has spread like wildfire all over the world.
Schaefer says the first evening had a great variety of presentations ranging from map making, urban photography, bringing youth into the wilderness, film making, bike freedom, architecture, and innovative approaches to problem solving.
Schaefer and his co-producer Josh Pepper needed to do a little problem solving of their own. There were so many people they filled the auditorium and some audience members had to watch over a video link from the gallery next door.
Schaefer says it's clear they needed a bigger venue "We realized that right away," he says. So the next event on Wednesday August 12th will be at the Theater Lab in the Warehouse District of Minneapolis. The fun begins at 7pm.
They have 12 people lined up with presentations on jewelry, theoretical physics, futurism, and soar car racing among other things.
They also learned they could do with some help. "We are just two guys that wanted to do something. So there is a lot we learned." So they have expanded and Megan Baxter and Rachel Rydbeck have been added to the Pecha Kucha Night MSP Team.
They are also already looking for future venues. "The event at its core is about new ideas." And that includes cool locations
"We found a local airport that has a hanger that we thought would be a great place for an event," says Schaefer. It looks like the third Pecha Kucha MSP Night will be held there, although Schaefer says they are always open to suggestions.
"The idea is every time you come, you get something new. You get something different, something interesting, and that it doesn't feel like you have done this before."
Art Hounds: Three art fairs, two takes on apartheid, and second helpings at the Fringe
Posted at 7:09 AM on August 6, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events
Sarah Agnew in "The Syringa Tree" at the Jungle Theater in Minneapolis
I've got the jingle for Doublemint gum stuck in my head, because this weekend good things seem to come in pairs.
"The Syringa Tree" continues its run at the Jungle Theater in Minneapolis. It tells the story of two families in South Africa, one white and one black, with actress Sarah Agnew performing all the characters (Euan Kerr has a full report on the show, which you can find here).
Lunga Sinuka offers a different take on life under apartheid in his one-man show at Dreamland Arts in St. Paul. "The Cool Train" follows Sinuka in his childhood in a Xhosa village with no electricity or running water, to working as a glass cleaner at one of South Africa's best hotels, and eventually joining the African National Congress in the violent struggle for freedom.
Latin jazz group Tiempo Libre performs for two nights at the Dakota in Minneapolis, and the first of those nights it's a double-header with legendary flautist Sir James Galway. Pairing a classical flautist with a latin jazz group may seem like a stretch, but since Tiempo Libre is known for its riffs on Bach, this could be pretty fun.
It's the second and final weekend of the Minnesota Fringe Festival, the weekend where people try desperately to get in to see the shows that have emerged as this year's faves. Some of the winners? "Alice Unwrapped," "The Harty Boys in the Case of the Limping Platypus," and "Parry Hotter and the Half-Drunk Twins."
Sometimes two just isn't enough, as in the case of this weekend's art fairs. There's the Loring Park Art Festival, the Powderhorn Art Fair and the Uptown Art Fair all in Minneapolis this weekend, with a Target shuttle bus offering rides between them. It's art-loving madness!
Not seeing what you want here? Check out what other art hounds are up to this weekend.
And let us know - what are you doing this weekend?
Preliminary numbers for this year's Fringe Fest look good
Posted at 2:07 PM on August 3, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events, Theater
According to Fringe HQ, the first four days of the annual eleven-day performing arts festival--Thurs., July 30 through Sun., Aug. 2--show that 16,814 tickets were issued, a 19% increase over last year's 14,133 tickets.
Of this year's 162 productions, nine companies sold out their first performances and a total of 18 performances sold out. Among the sold-out shows are Bring Your Own Venue productions--a Fringe program dedicated to site-specific work--and two shows at Gremlin Theatre, Fringe's first St. Paul venue.
Traffic to the festival's Web site, fringefestival.org, increased 46 percent. By 11 a.m. today, the site had received over 1,400 audience-submitted show reviews, well on pace to eclipse last year's total, and previous festival record, of 2,200.
War at the Fringe
Posted at 12:20 PM on August 3, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events, Music, Theater
What do our views of war sound like? Baritone Stephen Swanson has put together a collection of war songs both dark and humorous into a one hour performance in the Minnesota Fringe. MPR's classical host Alison Young interviewed Swanson, who performed a selection of the songs. You can find out more, and take a listen, here.
Fringe Festival reviews are in
Posted at 8:42 AM on August 3, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events, Theater
Video trailer for Fringe Festival show "Sarah, Your Ovaries are Drying Up"
The Minnesota Fringe Festival is a frenzied, fantastical feast of theater, dance and music, and the numerous media outlets' attempts at covering the Fringe reflect its somewhat chaotic and slippery nature. Teams of critics are sent out by the papers to review as wide a swath of shows in the first weekend as possible, reducing their usually lengthy observations to quick first impressions. Independent bloggers give their take, and others just celebrate the fact that for ten days theater has taken over the city of Minneapolis.
But for sure the most reliable way of figuring out what's a hit and what's not is by checking out the Fringe Festival's own website, complete with video trailers and user reviews.
What's emerging as the festival's standouts this year?
First off, there's "Bard Fiction" - it's a Shakespearean retelling of "Pulp Fiction." As one Fringer writes:
I was amazed at the seamless transition of handgun to dagger, cocaine to snuff, "Bad Mother****er" to "Blasted Oedipus." The use of iambic pentameter and an Elizabethan-influenced dialect retained the spirit of the dialogue while remaining easy to follow.
Looking for good laughs in more modern English? Try "The Harty Boys in the Case of the Limping Platypus." It features a theft from the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and several other Minnesota references. Adult and child actors alike have received rave reviews for their performances. The cast includes local comedic talents Josh Scrimshaw, Ari Hoptman and Leslie Ball.
Some other good bets:
Untitled Duet with Houseplant
Buyer's Remorse
Jurassic Dork
Tragedy of You
Sideways Stories from Wayside School
An Intimate Evening with Fotis, Part III
Projectile Thinking
Of course, that's just a partial list. What do you recommend people see at this year's Fringe?
Minnesota wedding party raises the bar
Posted at 9:10 AM on July 24, 2009
by Euan Kerr
(3 Comments)
Filed under: Dance, Events, People
Update: All Things Considered is going to do an interview with the mother of the bride and the pastor involved in the big dance number. They are as shocked as anyone about the popularity of the video, and have some theories to share. If all goes to plan it will air sometime after 6pm Central time.
It's always fun to see what becomes a viral success. This one is popping up repeatedly in my e-mail, and if you read the comments on YouTube and other sites it's doing the same for a lot of people.
Now, several people we know in the vicinity of State of the Arts are planning nuptials right now, and it's hard to avoid the thought that J and K have thrown down a gauntlet...
Art Hounds: Mixing it up
Posted at 9:17 AM on July 23, 2009
by Euan Kerr
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Culture, Events, Film, Museums, Music, Sculpture, Theater
One of the delights of the late summer is that it's time when local arts folks mix it up a little.
Take tonight at IFP Minnesota's Fresh Fete at the Varsity Theater. As the local organization devoted to independent film it will of course be showing films, but blending some chat and a lot of music too. The film comes from local writer director Emily Haddad who won IFP Mn's Fresh Film grant last year and used it to make "Egg Timer" which will premier at 6.30. There will be a conversation between Mystery Science Theater 3000's Bill Corbett and local playwright and screenwriter Jeffrey Hatcher. The evening will be rounded out by local icon Willie Murphy and the Angel Headed Hipsters and pianist John Sims.
If you haven't seen the Walker Art Center's examination of conceptual art "The Quick and the Dead" - or even if you have - it's worth a visit. There are some 90 pieces by 53 artists, some of which are designed to change over time, hence the value in returning. Take for example Claes von Oldenburg's "The Garden" which involved burying 100 objects and then exhuming and displaying one item per day. He didn't specify what the object should be, but the Walker staff chose lemons, and you can see the results in jars in the Center's lower lobby.
After sell out shows last week the Trylon Microcinema returns with another Buster Keaton film "The Navigator." Live accompaniment is supplied by the Dreamland Faces, complete with singing saws.
If you are considering a little road trip this weekend, there is the final weekend of the Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona, and the always whacky Free Range Film Festival in Webster, about half an our south of Duluth. Movie shorts in a barn, how can you miss?
And for the truly dedicated sports fan the Riverview Theater in Minneapolis is presenting live coverage on the big screen of the Tour de France. You can watch the cyclists sweat while sitting in the finest art deco movie house the Twin Cities has to offer. Admission is free, although they are collecting non-perishable goods for local food shelves, or a $2 donation.
And of course there is all the great stuff ferreted out by the Art Hounds Want to be one of them? Sign up!
Art Hounds: Saving the planet, one show at a time
Posted at 7:00 AM on July 16, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events
(Image courtesy of Brave New Workshop)
This weekend has a little something for everyone. Tomorrow night Brave New Workshop opens its latest improv show "Save the Planet; Yes we can, but do we have to?" It's a send-up of post-election lassitude and all issues in the shade of green.
If you're feeling the old political protest spirit move you, I hope you already have tickets to see folk singer Arlo Guthrie perform at the Fitzgerald Theater tonight in St. Paul. I say "hope" because last I heard the box office was sold out.
Elsewhere in the world of music, Sommerfest gets underway Friday, with a wide array of free concerts on Peavey Plaza, as well as an evening of Strauss and Mozart in Orchestra Hall.
Also, local band The Melismatics perform Friday night at The Entry along with guests Sick of Sarah.
It's also a great weekend for dance. You can see new dance works by Vanessa Voskuil and Sachiko Nishiuchi as part of Momentum: New Dance Works at the Southern Theater (the series continues next weekend with works by Sally Rousse and Megan Mayer).
If that isn't enough for you, head over to the Ritz Theater to see "Reeling Over Love" by the dance group Eclectic Edge Ensemble. It runs tonight through Sunday.
Finally, Intermedia Arts presents an Art Car show and workshop Saturday at Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis. Note: Art bikes are also welcome.
Not seeing what you want here? Check out what these Art Hounds are doing this weekend.
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Art Hounds: It's hot out there
Posted at 7:04 AM on July 9, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events
Fire, sweat and damnation are all themes in this weekend's entertainment offerings. Get yourself a cold drink and take a look:
The Flowershop Project presents "Dawn's Inferno" - an update of Dante Alighieri's classic trip through Hell, re-invented as another kind of torture: a ten-year high school reunion in small town Minnesota.
Bedlam Theatre presents "The Burning Ones: Origin of the Flame." According to Bedlam "a mad scientist's experiment conjures a spark that ignites a whole town, changing the resident's lives forever." Think Road Warrior meets Dr Frankenstein meets The Princess Bride. The production, which takes place in the parking lot, features lots of acts involving - you guessed it - fire.
Patick's Cabaret presents "The Art of Sweat," a yearly festival to "celebrate the rhythms of our lives." This years line up includes Brazilian batucada, woodwind duets, hip hop, acoustic punk, and jazz opera.
The Walker Art Center presents Dirt on Delight: Impulses that form Clay. It's an exhibition of work by 22 artists based in clay and pottery.
Illusion Theater's Fresh Ink series gets underway this weekend with the stage adaptation of Willa Cather's book "My Antonia."
Poets Wayne Miller and Dobby Gibson read from their poetry collections at Magers and Quinn tonight.
Are you a lover of zines? Stevens Square Center for the Arts presents "Zinefest," a weekend long celebration of independent print publications. In collaboration with the Twin Cities Zinefest, the Minnesota Center for Book Arts is currently hosting a zine show called Independent Variables: Contemporary Zine Publications.
If you're looking for fun for the whole family, Steppingstone Theatre presents Hans Christian Andersen's "The Nightingale."
(Update: 8:45AM) Getting back to the "heat" theme, the Southern Theater presents a sultry weekend of Spanish guitar music and flamenco dancing featuring the Minneapolis Guitar Quartet and dancer Colette Illarde.
Not finding what you're looking for? Check out what these Art Hounds are up to.
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Think art is for the weekends? Think again.
Posted at 8:49 AM on July 7, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events
It's Tuesday, not even Humpday, and yet when you look at what's going on, it feels like a Friday. Take a look:
If you're free at lunch you could head over to Sundin Music Hall at Hamline University in St. Paul. Today is the final quintet round for the International Piano-e-Competition, and six pianists will each play with the Rosalyra quartet, starting at noon. And it's FREE.
Fountains of Wayne play an acoustic set at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis.
At the Guthrie you can take in a performance of "When We Are Married."
Interested in cooling off? Take a walk through the Walker Art Center and stop by the lecture room for a screening of Bruce Connor's "Luke" - a behind the scenes examination of the filming of "Cool Hand Luke," starring Paul Newman. It plays on the hour, and runs 22 minutes.
Feeling sinful? Check out The Seven Deadlies at Bryant Lake Bowl tonight.
Art: it's not just for weekends.
What the weekend wrought
Posted at 8:31 AM on July 6, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Events
It was a good weekend for music in the Twin Cities. Gwen Stefani and No Doubt played at the Excel Energy Center on Sunday. Ross Raihala at the Pioneer Press writes the band is stronger than ever after Stefani's return from a solo career. The Star Tribune's Chris Riemenschneider said the concert captured the early days of the band, but didn't reflect how their lives have changed since then. "Stefani, 39, even looked like an ultra-buff 25-year-old, with a stomach you could grate cheese on," wrote Riemenschneider (FYI she's had two kids).
Rosanne Cash gave a more mature show at the Dakota in Minneapolis, filled with witty banter as well as soulful crooning.
Elvis Costello got a mixed review for his performance at Taste of Minnesota. Part of the problem may have been that Costello was surrounded by empty seats, as no one was willing to pay $50 to be up front.
Quinton Skinner writes that Cirque de Soleil's Kooza is quite a spectacle, with a price tag to match. Meanwhile, Star Tribune theater critic Rohan Preston had his face licked by a man playing the circus dog.
Art Hounds: So many ways to celebrate
Posted at 7:17 AM on July 2, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events
Hurray for three day weekends, national holidays, and all the cultural events that go along with them. Saturday the Walker Art Center is hosting a full day of FREE activities for the whole family, including a hula-hooping workshop, an art-bike contest, and musical performances by the Sumunar Javanese Gamelan Ensemble, Haley Bonar and M.anifest.
Taste of Minnesota is taking over Harriet Island in St. Paul tonight through Sunday, with performances by White Snake and Elvis Costello, among others. Fireworks nightly at 10pm.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention A Prairie Home Companion's 35th Anniversary party this Saturday at Lake Wobegon Park in Avon, Minnesota. It's FREE and features, according to Garrison Keillor, "a brass band, speeches, acoustic blues and rock 'n' roll, some reminiscences by old-timers, and the whole big crowd singing the national anthem, and our sound-effects man will make rockets go up in the air." (I'm guessing they might have some real ones, too)
The Minneapolis Photo Center is celebrating Independence Day with an exhibition on poverty in America titled "In Our Own Backyard." It's a touring exhibition of images by a group of photojournalists working to raise awareness about the issue.
A mild-mannered librarian ends up traveling the world in pursuit of the meaning of life and the person who returned a book 113 years overdue. "Underneath The Lintel" runs at Mixed Blood Theatre through July 25.
After so much family friendly stuff, why not something a little spicier? Friday night Lili's Burlesque Revue presents "The Underpants Show" at Bryant Lake Bowl. As the Star Tribune writes, "The singers are great, the band bumps and grinds with the beat and the dancers have just the right tongue-in-cheek attitude." Lili's motto? "We aim to tease."
Still haven't found something to tickle your fancy? Check out what these Art Hounds are up to. Want to join the Art Hound club? Come on in!
Was the Tony Kushner festival a success?
Posted at 10:16 AM on June 29, 2009
by Marianne Combs
(4 Comments)
Filed under: Events, Theater
Sunday marked closing night for "The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures" at the Guthrie Theater. It seemed a bit of a quiet end to what's been a major theater event for both the Guthrie and the Twin Cities. The two other Kushner plays, "Caroline, or Change" and "Tiny Kushner" had already closed, and so the big blue building was relatively quiet. There was a standing ovation for the play, but it wasn't unanimous. "The Intelligent Homosexual" (or "I-Ho," as Tony Kushner likes to call it), ends with the line "I'm thinking." It's an ambiguous finish, and a fitting end to a festival that's been marked with both praise and sharp criticism.
Today the Guthrie (via an e-mailed press release) is already championing the success of the festival. It's cherry-picking the sweetest comments from reviews and boasting gargantuan numbers of tickets sold (although many of them were rush tickets, or online specials designed to get butts in seats). The Guthrie says all three plays met their "box office goals" but there's no explanation of what exactly those goals were.
Any artistic performance's success can be judged a myriad of ways. Was it compelling? Was it entertaining? Did it make money? Did it take us someplace new? Did we learn something valuable? Was it great art?
The Guthrie commissioned Kushner to write a new play, invited him to speak, and staged two other works of his as well. In so doing, it provided an opportunity for thousands of people to learn more about this living playwright, and to see theater that is steeped in modern politics. If that was the theater's goal, than it did indeed succeed.
The more long-lasting, greater success, to my mind, is what those approximately 90,000 people who partook in the Kushner Festival took away from it. And that is a much more difficult thing to gauge.
Did you see any of the Kushner plays? If so, what did you take away from them? Do you think the festival was a success?
Art Hounds: Gay Pride, improv, Cosby and more
Posted at 7:20 AM on June 25, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events
It's the end of June. How can I tell? Well, because most of the theaters in town are dark for the next two months, classical music has gone on holiday, and I'm being inundated with little postcards promoting shows at this thing called the Minnesota Fringe Festival, which is still more than a month away.
However there is quite a bit to choose from this weekend when it comes to your cultural life, especially if your culture runs queer. The annual Gay Pride festival and parade are this weekend. In conjunction with Gay Pride, the Queer Takes Film Festival at the Walker Art Center winds up tonight, and Outward Spiral Theater is presenting Queertopia, a cabaret celebration of queer love. Or, you can check out Robert Mapplethorpe's portraits of women (including a self-portrait) at the Weinstein Gallery.
In the mood for a musical? Theater Mu performs "Flower Drum Song" at the Ordway Center in St. Paul. It's a musical originally by Rogers and Hammerstein, and rewritten by David Henry Hwang of "M. Butterfly" fame. Euan Kerr has more on the show.
If you really need a good laugh this weekend, the Brave New Workshop is hosting its third annual Twin Cities Improv Festival. Local acts include the folks from BNW, Stevie Ray's Comedy Cabaret and the improv troupe Fingergun, as well as groups from Fargo-Moorhead, Texas and Utah.
Toki Wright releases his new hip hop/soul album "A Different Mirror" Friday at The Entry.
Because it's summer, and we're in Minnesota, there are lots of outdoor film series, including Minneapolis Parks and Rec's "movies in the parks." This Friday you can see "Iron Man" for FREE at McRae Park.
If you like new music, and you're anywhere near New York Mills, Zeitgeist is on the road, and will be performing at the NYM cultural center for FREE on Friday night.
And while you wont find an orchestra at Orchestra Hall, you will find Bill Cosby there on Saturday for two performances. Remember Fat Albert? Remember "I Spy?" Sigh...
Not finding what you're looking for? Check out what these Art Hounds are doing.
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A few more events for your weekend: Ballet of the Dolls, White Pine Festival and Rock the Garden
Posted at 2:41 PM on June 19, 2009
by Marianne Combs
(0 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Events
Earlier this week President Barack Obama attempted to placate impatient gay rights activists by extending partial federal benefits to same-sex partners of US government workers. Perfect timing for Choreographer and Ballet of the Dolls Artistic Director Myron Johnson to bring back his piece "Romiette and Juleo," a re-telling of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliette with two men in the lead roles. Promotional materials for the show invite us to "join Ballet of the Dolls to see how things may - or may not - have changed in the past 17 years."
There's plenty of music out there this weekend for all types. For those who are mourning the loss of Jorjo Fleezanis as concert chair of the Minnesota Orchestra, they can see her tonight at the White Pines Festival. Also scheduled to perform this weekend are the Charles Lazarus Group and the Miro Quartet.
Then there's Rock The Garden tomorrow at the Walker Art Center. This year's guests include The Decemberists, Calexico, Yeasayer and Solid Gold.
And then of course there's everything I mentioned yesterday.
So what are you doing this weekend?
Image courtesy of Ballet of the Dolls
Art Hounds: Exploring Dreamlands
Posted at 11:52 AM on June 18, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events
Tonight Wang Yanshu's exhibition of digital images called "Dreamland" goes on display at the Burnet Gallery, located in Chambers Hotel in Minneapolis. Yanshu, who lives and works in Beijing, writes:
"As I see it there is little pure color in our actual lives. Everything in our eyes, even in our hearts, is likely covered with a large murky gray veil. Only when closing our eyes and dreaming can we get to the one and only pure land which is doomed to pass away once we awake but leaves us a hazy memory, an engaging impression and a flash of memory. So I try my best to capture that wonderful dreamland in my photos."
The opening reception is from 6-9pm.
If your taste runs a little less colorful but more sentimental, check out the Robert Rauschenberg exhibition at the Weisman Art Museum, opening Saturday. The exhibition, titled "Au Courant," recreates an exhibition of newsprint collages that were shown in 1970 at the then Dayton's Gallery 12 in Minneapolis (this is before my time, but evidently the Minneapolis Dayton's had an international art gallery on the 12th floor in the late '60s and early '70s).
If you want to get out, Father's Day weekend marks the annual Stone Arch Festival in Minneapolis. The festival features artist booths, four performance stages, and even a few art cars on display.
"Nothing New" is going on at the Textile Center of Minnesota, and that's a good thing, at least for the environment. The Center's new exhibition, opening Friday night, features fiber art made entirely from recycled materials.
If the body moves you, TU Dance is premiering a couple of new works at the Southern Theater this weekend. Or you can enjoy Christopher Watson's Dance company in the great outdoors for FREE at Lake Harriet.
And for the science geek in all of us, there's "Robots vs Fake Robots," put on by Walking Shadow Theatre Company at the People's Center in Minneapolis. Here's their video trailer, which expresses more than I can possibly say:
Robots vs. Fake Robots - #2 from Ben Thietje on Vimeo.
If you still haven't found what you're looking for (I suddenly have a U2 song stuck in my head), check out what the Art Hounds of the air are doing this weekend.
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Art Hounds: To the lifeboats!
Posted at 11:45 AM on June 11, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events
Certainly the biggest event opening this weekend is the Science Museum of Minnesota's "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition". It includes over 200 artifacts from the fated ship, and local actors have been studying their history books in order to inhabit the roles of actual passengers and crew. They don't have any lines to memorize, per se, but will be able to tell visitors about their own lives. (i.e. don't ask the guy in the engine room "so how's the foie gras on this ship?") Oh and of course there's the movie at the Omni theater!
So far the weather forecast for this weekend looks pretty good. Which means if you're worried about catching a certain flu by hanging out with other people in closed spaces, why not try some outdoor theater? Cromulent Shakespeare Company performs "The Tempest" in four different Twin Cities' parks this weekend, starting tonight in Loring Park.
This is the last weekend for two exhibitions: "Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton" at the Walker Art Center, and an exhibition of paintings by local artist Jil Evans at the Form and Content gallery in Minneapolis. Form and Content is having a "closing reception" and poetry reading on Friday night. And as I mentioned yesterday, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts is opening its new exhibition of Pre-Raphaelite paintings by William Holman Hunt.
In dance, Justin Jones presents "the SCREEN/the THING" and "RadioBrain" at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis.
Not seeing what you're looking for here? Then check out what other Art Hounds are doing this week.
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Image courtesy of the Science Museum of Minnesota
The Minnesota Fringe Festival expands to St. Paul! (just barely)
Posted at 11:52 AM on June 9, 2009
by Marianne Combs
(2 Comments)
Filed under: Events, Theater
Each year the Minnesota Fringe Festival, the state's largest unjuried theater event, descends on the city of Minneapolis for eleven days, taking over every venue it can get its grubby little hands on, and creating an immense theater extravaganza out of thin air, thousands of volunteers, and boundless quantities of creativity (What is a unit of creativity? Does it comes in tons? Watts? Bytes?).
For many years the city of St. Paul has been the neglected little sister of this festival. "We have theaters, too!" she cries. "Good ones! And within walking distance of each other!" But to no avail - the festival, out of a desire to remain relatively compact (allowing audiences to get from one show to another in less than 30 minutes), has drawn the line at, well, the city line.
But times, they are a changin'. This year you'll notice the sub-heading for the Minnesota Fringe Festival is "Minneapolis and St. Paul." That's because one little venue, Gremlin Theater, lies just over the borderline on University Avenue.
While this may appear to be a small chink in the Fringe's "Minneapolis Uber Alles" armour, it's actually an indication of a larger movement at work. Fringe Executive Director Robin Gillette and Communications Director Matthew Foster (seen above shortly after drinking large quantities of coffee) say they are working at making the Minnesota Fringe Festival just that - a Minnesota festival. They've made trips across the state to visit communities with their own theaters and talk about ways they can get involved. That's not to say people will be driving three hours between shows in upcoming festivals, but it's an invitation to Minnesotans all over to claim the Fringe Festival as their own.
Want to check out the more than 160 shows that made the final list for this year's Fringe (July 30th - August 9th)? You can find them here.
Art Hounds: What's going on this weekend?
Posted at 10:53 AM on June 4, 2009
by Marianne Combs
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Filed under: Art Hounds, Events
If you'd like dessert with your theater, get thee to Bedlam, which is hosting a production of King Lear. The catch is that each of the five acts is performed by a different theater company, and each company serves its own dessert to the audience. (What kind of dessert best suits a tragedy? A flambe? A trifle? A deflated souffle?)
If you're looking for laughs, Tom Segura is performing at the Acme Comedy club in Minneapolis, or you can see Harmon Leon in Ironic/Not Ironic at the Bryant Lake Bowl.
In the world of classical music, the SPCO is performing Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Ordway in St. Paul, while the Minnesota Orchestra performs Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky with Steven Hough at the piano.
Looking for other ideas? Check out what these Art Hounds are up to.
And be sure to let me know - what are you doing this weekend?
Image courtesy of Bedlam Theater
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