Art Hounds

Queen Drea of St. Paul describes herself as a sound alchemist. She loves the innovative, community-centered performances of Ananya Dance Theatre.

The theme for this fall’s performance is processionals, which can both celebrate life and disrupt its flow when they take the form of protests.

Ananya Dance Theater investigated its theme by performing several processionals in the Twin Cities this summer; Queen Drea had the opportunity to be involved with one during the George Floyd memorial service in May. She looks forward to seeing how that idea has developed into a staged dance show, marked by interruption, innovation and liberation.

Queen Drea appreciates that Ananya Dance Theatre’s works involve a confluence of artists alongside the dancers, adding, “Every year, I go, and there's just something unexpected.”

“Michhil Amra: We Are the Procession!” plays Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at The O'Shaughnessy at St. Catherine University in St. Paul.

Zoe Cinel, curator at Rochester Art Center, recently saw a striking exhibit in Winona. “Googled Earth: Through a Looking Glass” is the work of artists Patrick Lichty of Winona State University and Negin Ehtesabian, who lives in Iran.

The artists, who are married, have never been able to visit each other’s home countries. As they await visas, they use Google Maps and virtual reality to share their homes. This exhibit shares that experience with viewers through a combination of mixed media and virtual reality.

One pair of mixed media prints by Ehtesabian, for example, hang facing each other on walls, depicting images and symbols from the U.S. and Iran, respectively.

Cinel was particularly intrigued by a series of tapestries created using imagery from the geography where both artists have lived. She says the nontraditional approach to a traditional craft looks like “if glitch art had a baby with a rug.”

Overall, Cinel appreciated the personal, colorful show that “speaks about borders and humans at the same time.”

“Googled Earth: Through a Looking Glass” is up until Oct. 4 at the Watkins Gallery at Winona State University.

David DeBlieck teaches dance in the theater department of the College of St Benedict and St John’s University. He loves the work of Sod House Theater, a Twin Cities-based company whose traveling annual productions invite audiences to engage with the space around them.

Their current show “Table” integrates dinner — created by local chefs from local ingredients — and a show.

Directed by Sarah Agnew, whose traveling food-centered shows have included “Arla Mae’s Booyah Wagon,” the show is performed by an all-female cast who also serve as wait staff for the meal.

It’s an interactive show served up in courses, and DeBlieck looks forward to gathering with friends at the Hallock performance Saturday to enjoy time around a table.

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“Table” runs through Oct. 1 in various communities across the state, including in Crookston, Minn., Sept. 21 in Waseca, Minn., Sept. 28, and in Rochester, Minn., Oct. 1. Please note that some performances have sold out.

Katie Carter is an art lover and former arts reporter for Northern Community Radio. Recently, she made the drive to the Edge Center for the Arts in Bigfork, Minn., where she says she was blown away by Terry Leinbach’s show “Wonder.”

The show includes 39 large, abstract paintings, which Carter calls “a feast of texture and color” that offers layered imagery whose meaning and emotion seemed to evolve the longer she looked.

Leinbach leaves room for this wonder-led interpretation: she numbers — but does not title — each piece. At the center of the gallery space are small wood block creations marked with words that invite the viewer to stop and contemplate.

“It struck me in my cells, when I looked at her art,” Carter says. “It just had such a vibrancy and energetic-ness to it ... To me, her stuff could be right next to Helen Frankenthaler.”

Leinbach lives near Blackduck, Minn. A retired Head Start teacher, she taught herself painting during the pandemic, working on large canvases repurposed from secondhand stores or stretched by her husband.

“Wonder” runs through Sept. 30.

Jim Robinson is co-founder of Table Salt Productions and an alumnus of the Brave New Workshop. He’s a big fan of writer and performer Josh Carson. Robinson is looking forward to seeing Carson’s show “The (Almost) Complete and (Mostly) Accurate History of Alcohol" which opens Friday at Bryant Lake Bowl in Minneapolis.

Best known for co-creating “A Very Die Hard Christmas,” Carson has also dived into history to create plays on John Wilkes Booth and Nellie Bly, among others. This show explores the way alcohol has shaped our lives, causing — and occasionally solving — problems from ancient Greece through today.

“You walk away from these shows breathless because they are so packed with comedy and information,” Robinson says. “He’s a brilliant writer.”

The show runs through Sept. 30.

Poets & Pints marks its 100th show next Wednesday, and poet Charles Curry of Apple Valley says he “wouldn’t miss it for the world.” The monthly poetry event takes place at Sisyphus Brewing. Curry describes it as "an exceptionally welcoming show for poets," fostering a friendly environment. Both seasoned and novice poets are invited to perform a wide array of styles, including formal and free verse poetry, as well as spoken word and rap.

Poet Tony Plocido is the host and curator of the events. At a typical event, poets fill out a quick form ahead of time for an opportunity to present their work; an open mic follows the scheduled readers. The 100th show features Minnesota poets Shane Hawley, Thadra Sheridan, Joe Davis and Khary Jackson, as well as Shawn Pavey of Kansas City.

The nonprofit show is part of the League of Minnesota Poets, whose local chapter is Cracked Walnut. Shows take place on the third Wednesday of the month. Register to read at future events here.

Theater maker Grant Sorenson of Minneapolis is excited about the return of a unique theater project being staged at Norway House in Minneapolis.

Local creative Kurt Engh adapted the Norwegian author Erlend Loe’s cult novel“Naïve. Super” into a one-person play where — here’s the twist — the show will be performed by a different actor each night.

The play is about a 25-year-old who one day realizes they aren’t happy with their life. Through a series of small changes and discoveries, they piece their life back together into something they can enjoy.

The actors include seasoned veterans and emerging talents. Sorenson, who saw the original pre-pandemic iteration of the show, is fascinated by the ways the play could shift nightly.

As to the challenges of directing and performing a show with a shifting cast, Sorenson says “the show is built to support the performer. The script is available to them in a binder, but then also in books, in lists, in projections that happen throughout the space. Part of the fun is sort of seeing where the actor finds the text of the play.”

“Naïve. Super” is 90 minutes without intermission. It runs Friday through Sept. 17.

Art enthusiast Florence Brammer of West St. Paul has been attending Mixed Precipitation’s traveling outdoor operas for 15 years, having never missed a season.The company’s Pickup Truck Opera series offers inventive takes on famous operas, abridged and performed across the state at parks, vineyards, nature centers, and other beautiful spaces.

There’s still time to see this season’s production of“Romeo and Juliet,” adapted and updated for modern times from Vincenzo Bellini’s 1830 opera,I Capuleti e i Montecchi(The Capulets and the Montagues).In Mixed Precipitation’s signature style, they combine opera sung in bel canto style with pop songs — in this case, works by such “star-crossed” bands as the Fugees, Fleetwood Mac, and the Pixies.

Performances are Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. at Alexis Bailly Vineyard in Hastings. Other dates and locations include Sept. 8 at Dodge Nature Center in West St. Paul, Sept 9 at Swede Hollow Park in St. Paul, and Sept. 10 at JD Rivers’ Children’s Garden in Minneapolis.

Editor’s note: The show was adapted by MPR’s Denzel Belin, who was not involved with this episode of Art Hounds.

Luverne Seifert is a Twin Cities actor and acting teacher. He recommends going to see “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” from Dark & Stormy Productions.

In this edgy production, set at Marcia Blaine School for Girls in 1930s Scotland, the lessons are less about math and reading than they are about love and sex. “It’s a very provocative play,” Seifert said. “And at times I think your jaw will drop.”

The cast consists of University of Minnesota students making their professional stage debut, and the production runs through Sept. 17 at the Gremlin Theater in St. Paul.

Duluth filmmaker Khayman Goodsky, of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, loves a good book. That’s why Goodsky suggests going to the “Meet the Artist” series at Two Loons Gallery in Duluth any time, but especially on Aug. 26, when Thomas and Betsy Peacock are the artists in question.

The two co-own Black Bears and Blueberries Publishing, which specializes in Native written and illustrated books. “Everything they’ve put out has been researched and carefully developed, so, I mean you can’t go wrong with reading their books,” Goodsky said.

You can meet Thomas and Betsy Peacock, Saturday, Aug. 26, at Two Loons Gallery, 2025 W. Superior St., Duluth.

Luis Fitch is a Mexican artist, designer and creative entrepreneur based in Minneapolis. His recommendation is “Immigrant Roads,” a solo exhibition of largescale paintings exploring the legacy of Mexican-born families who built the Santa Fe railroad in the early part of the 20th century.

“What I’m excited about in this exhibition is the hope that the artist brings to restore some of the stolen dignity from Latinx workers,” Fitch said.

“Immigrant Roads” is on display through Sept. 22 at the CLUES Latino Art Gallery, 797 East Seventh St., St. Paul.

Meggie Moench is a Minneapolis-based musician and dancer who is excited to attend 10th Wave Chamber Collective’s upcoming event “At Dusk: Outdoor Chamber Music Concert Series.”

“I love listening to local live music in Minneapolis, and 10th Wave Chamber Collective is a group whose performances I always make sure to see,” Moench said.

This particular concert series is extra special, she said, because it features all BIPOC, contemporary composers with a modern flair playing outside in nature.

There are two concerts. The first is at 7 p.m. on Aug. 19 at Lutherie Lab (2619 Ulysses St. N.E., Minneapolis). An additional performance takes place a week later at 7 p.m. on Aug. 26 at the University Lutheran Church of Hope Courtyard (601 13th Ave. S.E., Minneapolis).

Karla Grotting is a local dancer, choreographer and dance educator who says Rhythmically Speaking’s event, “The Cohort,” makes jazz dance approachable and fun for any audience.

“It’s very legible and accessible and captures all elements like jazz music does,” Grotting said.

The show runs Aug. 17-19 at the Southern Theater (1420 Washington Ave. S., Minneapolis).

Amy Tervola Hultberg is an education consultant from New York Mills, who loves to see the community come together for the town’s annual puppet pageant.

“The children involved, the families involved, the residents involved are also very dedicated.” Hultberg said. “Children are learning how to walk on stilts … it’s a true puppet experience.”

The pageant tells the story of Kalevala, which is based on the Finnish national epic poem, and tells a story of creation. The community has worked on the puppets for weeks and will get to debut their own latest creation to the public at 7 p.m. on Aug. 18 at New York Mills VFW Post 3289.

An additional performance will take place at noon on Aug. 19 at the Finn Creek Open Air Museum.

Former St. Paul art critic Diane Hellekson came out of retirement to rave about Kathryn Nobbe’s exhibition “Indelible Vestiges: Mother, Her Mother, Me.” The exhibition attempts to capture the the blurred reality between the present and past through memory through a vareity of multimedia elements.

“There’s old shoes that look like little ghosts walking alongside the gallery.” Hellekson said. “Indelible Vesitages” is open through Sept. 9 at Form + Content Gallery at 210 Second St. N. in Minneapolis. Special performances designed to complement the installations punctuate the run, including a spoken word event 4-6 p.m. on Aug. 19.

West Coast transplant Juliet Parisi lives in Eagan, Minn., now, where she uses alcohol-ink and mixed media to turning everyday chaos into something beautiful. No wonder she is drawn to Caponi Art Park’s annual “Hot Art” event, where participants carve sand molds that are then used to create molten metal castings with help from Igneous Metal Arts.

“They toss in scrap iron, like radiators, bits of pipe, iron sheets,” Parisi said, “toss it into a huge cauldron and they melt it down to hot, molten lava.”

The 2023 event is Saturday, Aug. 12 at noon at Caponi Art Park in Eagan.

Minneapolis musician Barb Brynstad is in the band Turn Turn Turn. Every year, she looks forward to the Downtown Minneapolis Street Art Festival. The event features mural art, food trucks and hosts a variety of different musical acts.

“Something I really love about this event is that you can actually watch artists creating these unique, beautiful pieces,” Brynstad said. The 2023 Downtown Minneapolis Street Art Festival runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 12-13.

Nat El-Haidescribes herself as a Minneapolis writer, organizer and lesbian commentator. She’s looking forward to the latestSouthside Shtetl— an outdoor Jewish makers market that celebrates the local Jewish community and includes everything from pottery to political education.

Plus: Anyone can join in the klezmer jam session from 6-8 p.m.

“This month’s event is really grounded in the Jewish diaspora,” El-Hai said. “You’re not going to find any other Jewish event in Minneapolis like this.”Southside Shtetl takes place 4-8 p.m. Aug. 13 at 3103 Chicago Ave. in Minneapolis.

Tinia Moulder is a fan of Sue Scott’s recurring variety show and podcast “Island of Discarded Women.”

The actor, choreographer and teaching artist, who just wrapped a production of “Glensheen” at theHistory Theatrein St. Paul, said the show is a great introduction to all kinds of artists – writers, musicians, spoken-word artists, and more.

“I especially love the interview that Sue does with a woman on each show,” Moulder said.

In August, that special interview guest was violinist, composer and disability activistGaelynn Lea. The live events take place in an intimate supper club setting. And the best part, Moulder said, is that if you can’t make it, you can hear it all on apodcastreleased a few weeks later.

The episode of “Island of Discarded Women” featuring Gaelynn Lea was recorded on Aug. 3 atCrooner’s Supper Clubin Minneapolis. The next live event, featuring former TV news anchor Pat Miles, happens Oct. 12.

Duluth is going a little bit country for the North of Nashville festival. But most of the bands playing at the one-day country music fest didn’t have to travel far.

“It features bands that are right on the cusp of making it from southern Minnesota and northern Minnesota,” said Duluth guitarist and songwriter Chris Allen, who is stoked for this outdoor summer concert and afterparty.

On the lineup: Lexie Houle, Bo Allen, Luke Lynell. Plus,a blast from the past: 1980s act West Wind.

North of Nashville happens 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5 at theCast Iron Bar and Grillin Duluth; call218-729-7514for tickets.

Nat El-Haidescribes herself as a Minneapolis writer, organizer and lesbian commentator. She’s looking forward to the latestSouthside Shtetl— an outdoor Jewish makers market that celebrates the local Jewish community and includes everything from pottery to political education.

Plus: Anyone can join in the klezmer jam session from 6-8 p.m.

“This month’s event is really grounded in the Jewish diaspora,” El-Hai said. “You’re not going to find any other Jewish event in Minneapolis like this.”Southside Shtetl takes place 4-8 p.m. Aug. 13 at 3103 Chicago Ave. in Minneapolis.

Tinia Moulder is a fan of Sue Scott’s recurring variety show and podcast “Island of Discarded Women.”

The actor, choreographer and teaching artist, who just wrapped a production of “Glensheen” at theHistory Theatrein St. Paul, said the show is a great introduction to all kinds of artists – writers, musicians, spoken-word artists, and more.

“I especially love the interview that Sue does with a woman on each show,” Moulder said.

In August, that special interview guest was violinist, composer and disability activistGaelynn Lea. The live events take place in an intimate supper club setting. And the best part, Moulder said, is that if you can’t make it, you can hear it all on apodcastreleased a few weeks later.

The episode of “Island of Discarded Women” featuring Gaelynn Lea was recorded on Aug. 3 atCrooner’s Supper Clubin Minneapolis. The next live event, featuring former TV news anchor Pat Miles, happens Oct. 12.

Duluth is going a little bit country for the North of Nashville festival. But most of the bands playing at the one-day country music fest didn’t have to travel far.

“It features bands that are right on the cusp of making it from southern Minnesota and northern Minnesota,” said Duluth guitarist and songwriter Chris Allen, who is stoked for this outdoor summer concert and afterparty.

On the lineup: Lexie Houle, Bo Allen, Luke Lynell. Plus,a blast from the past: 1980s act West Wind.

North of Nashville happens 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5 at theCast Iron Bar and Grillin Duluth; call218-729-7514for tickets.

Ian Francis Lah is an actor and the executive artistic director for the Northern Lakes Art Association in Ely, Minn. He’s currently in rehearsals for the musical “Songs for a New World,” but this week he took time out to sing the praises of another event.

“I love this time of year in Ely, Minnesota, because it’s when the Blueberry Art Festival happens, he said of the festival, which features more than 200 artists and crafters, 25 food vendors, a beer garden, and freshly baked blueberry pies.

“It’s a wild time. Ten thousand people pass through a day and that is triple the amount of citizens in Ely.”

The Blueberry Art Festival takes place in Whiteside Park and runs from Friday, July 28, through Sunday, July 30.

By day, Carolyn Cherry is an educator with the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District. In her spare time, she is passionate about nurturing her inner artist.

She met fiber artist Deborah Foutch while taking a class built around the book “The Artist’s Way.” Foutch, whose work focuses on the natural world, spends a lot of time mentoring other artists. Cherry was delighted to get a sneak peek at Foutch’s exhibition “Nine Artists in Conversation,” which features the work of Foutch and eight of her mentees.

”It’s a nurturing exhibition for those who want to be creative in different ways,” Cherry said. ”In ‘The Artist’s Way,’ they talk about artist dates, and I think this is the perfect artist date.”

The exhibition opens with a reception 6-8 p.m. Saturday, July 29, and runs through August at the On2 Gallery in the California Building in Northeast Minneapolis.

Sasha Warren is a Minneapolis writer whose work has been published in the mental health magazine “Asylum.”

“I try to pay attention to events both in the literature world and in the disability scene,” he said. Cowchella, put on by Cow Tipping Press “is the real big event that joins the two.”

The literary festival features writers with developmental and intellectual disabilities. “Every year there’s some kind of surprise,” he said. “But the best part is just walking around, soaking in the scene and feeling the pervasive joy of the atmosphere.”

Cowchella takes place 4-8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 3, at Springboard for the Arts in St. Paul.

Ian Francis Lah is an actor and the executive artistic director for the Northern Lakes Art Association in Ely, Minn. He’s currently in rehearsals for the musical “Songs for a New World,” but this week he took time out to sing the praises of another event.

“I love this time of year in Ely, Minnesota, because it’s when the Blueberry Art Festival happens, he said of the festival, which features more than 200 artists and crafters, 25 food vendors, a beer garden, and freshly baked blueberry pies.

“It’s a wild time. Ten thousand people pass through a day and that is triple the amount of citizens in Ely.”

The Blueberry Art Festival takes place in Whiteside Park and runs from Friday, July 28, through Sunday, July 30.

By day, Carolyn Cherry is an educator with the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District. In her spare time, she is passionate about nurturing her inner artist.

She met fiber artist Deborah Foutch while taking a class built around the book “The Artist’s Way.” Foutch, whose work focuses on the natural world, spends a lot of time mentoring other artists. Cherry was delighted to get a sneak peek at Foutch’s exhibition “Nine Artists in Conversation,” which features the work of Foutch and eight of her mentees.

”It’s a nurturing exhibition for those who want to be creative in different ways,” Cherry said. ”In ‘The Artist’s Way,’ they talk about artist dates, and I think this is the perfect artist date.”

The exhibition opens with a reception 6-8 p.m. Saturday, July 29, and runs through August at the On2 Gallery in the California Building in Northeast Minneapolis.

Sasha Warren is a Minneapolis writer whose work has been published in the mental health magazine “Asylum.”

“I try to pay attention to events both in the literature world and in the disability scene,” he said. Cowchella, put on by Cow Tipping Press “is the real big event that joins the two.”

The literary festival features writers with developmental and intellectual disabilities. “Every year there’s some kind of surprise,” he said. “But the best part is just walking around, soaking in the scene and feeling the pervasive joy of the atmosphere.”

Cowchella takes place 4-8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 3, at Springboard for the Arts in St. Paul.