Design and style
Weekend What's What: The pre-holiday spirit
As we delve into November, we bid adieu to any possibilities of running around sans jacket—and we've come to terms with that (the first real snowfall, however, is another matter entirely). And what better to turn our focus to than the holidays? Thanksgiving is right around the corner, followed directly by the gifty season, and the Twin Cities artsy types seem to be easing us slowly but surely into the spirit of, um, buying their cool stuff. This weekend, hit up the Northrup King Building to peruse and purchase local art and related wares during Art Attack; check out The Affair at the Convention Center for festive tastings of chocolate, wine and the like; or stop into local boutiques such as Drama and Cliche to catch deals on fancy frocks for all the swanky parties that approach.MORE »
Arts Orbit Radar: 11/5/09
What's Happening This Week
On the radar: For most of human history, no one ever said, "Fo shizzle, my nizzle." Then Snoop Dogg said it, then everyone said it—and now, thank God, we're back to no one (except your awkward uncle) saying it. The West Coast drawler will be at Epic tonight, playing to a crowd of former frat boys, aging gangstas, and hipsters who face a tough choice between Snoop and A Fine Frenzy.
Under the radar: Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble isn't coming to Minnesota in the near future, but tonight we have the next best thing: Robaybat and Güvenç and Burk Orchestra, an all-star cast of local musicians who promise to lead "a musical journey through Greece, Turkey, into the Balkans, through Central Asia and Persia."
On the radar: This weekend's Art Attack gives you a chance to see the work of Northrup King artists without having to fight the Art-a-Whirl crowds. If you're looking for a crowd, try to squeeze in to the Paramore show at Roy Wilkins.
Under the radar: Lowertown has been pushing hard to compete with Minneapolis as an entertainment destination, and at least according to Sean McPherson, it's working. Tonight, the newly-anointed Lowertown Entertainment District hosts its first monthly First Friday open-studio event.MORE »
Arts Orbit Radar: 10/29/09
What's Happening This Week
On the radar: Unbelievably, there are still Miley Cyrus tickets available for tonight. This is going to leave her with no choice but to follow the Britney route and start getting skanky. Speaking of skanky, those man-whores Jim James, Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis, and M. Ward have all put their steady bands on hiatus to jump into a wild foursome at the Orpheum as Monsters of Folk.
Under the radar: Artist Lucia Hwang, writes the curator of her show opening today at Augsburg, "brings up the conflict that occurs when people cannot entirely accept or reject the world around them." Specifically, she does this with 365 rolls of toilet paper. They're right...I can neither entirely accept nor entirely reject that.
On the radar: Tiësto, the world's #1 DJ (more or less), is at Epic tonight with several celebrity collaborators "joining" him on video.
Under the radar: Alarmel Valli, one of the greatest living practitioners of classical Indian dance, performs at the O'Shaughnessy tonight. If you go, expect to rub elbows with the Twin Cities' most passionate dance connoisseurs.MORE »
Weekend What's What: Oh, the horror!
Halloween Weekend is officially here! Some of us are still trying to figure out what to wear, while others have their blood-soaked Lady Gaga suits primed and ready to go. The most whimsically terrifying day of the year is upon us and we simply can't wait to take it all in! Whatever you do this Halloween, be fearless and feel free to go completely overboard—that's what it's all about!MORE »
Weekend What's What: L'awesome
We can't think of a much more specific theme to the weekend aside from just plain AWESOME. Killer parties, mucho dancing, fantastical art (including a new gallery) along with plenty of rockin', rollin', and even some crazy puppetry to go around. Next weekend is Halloween, and that's a whole 'nother story (in fact, look for a huge guide from us come Monday), but this weekend certainly holds enough tricks and/or treats to inspire multiple costume changes!MORE »
Arts Orbit Radar: 10/22/09
What's Happening This Week
On the radar: When Theatre de la Jeune Lune closed last year, company leaders Dominique Serrand and Steve Epp promised they'd be back—tonight, they keep that promise with The House Can't Stand, a one-man show starring Epp (in drag) and directed by Serrand.
Under the radar: Combined music/art/film festivals are all the rage these days, and just because it's getting a little nippy to do them outdoors doesn't mean they're going to stop happening. This weekend, OX-OP and the SooVAC bring you (take a deep breath) Non Consensual Post Dada Constructivist Cerebral Warts, "a multi-media onslaught" featuring bands playing in a room where no one else is allowed to go. (Art!) Tonight's opening event also features the short films of local hero Chris Mars.
On the radar: Ten Thousand Things brings Othello to life in a production co-directed by Michelle Hensley and the actress Sonja Parks—who brought down the house with her performance at the Ivey Awards. The casting of Ansa Akyea (Kirby) as the Moor and the often-exuberant Luverne Seifert as Iago suggest that this may be a lighter take than most; but a team this talented can probably pull off just about any kind of take they want. Meanwhile, the Weisman opens its new show To Have It About You, a collection of 1/50th of the artworks collectors Dorothy and Herbert Vogel have donated to U.S. museums. (Each state gets an equal share.)
Under the radar: Open Eye Figure Theatre has made its name for mysterious, beautiful, and strange work with the kind of productions epitomized by Elijah's Wake, a 2003 "visual poem" by master puppeteer Michael Sommers that is being revived for a three-week run starting tonight.MORE »
STYLE | Beautiful, gentle, and fair: Birch Clothing, Minneapolis's most eco-conscious boutique
Four years ago Marti Markus and Ellen Gavin were fed up with buying clothes made in sweatshops and decided to open a fair trade boutique. But when the friends began to research the garment industry, they discovered it was one of the dirtiest polluters on the planet.MORE »
Arts Orbit Radar: 10/15/09
What's Happening This Week
On the radar: Boy, was everyone too busy editing Fringe blogs to actually go to the Fringe, or...oh. I guess that was just me. Well, this weekend a few of the best shows from the 2009 Fringe Festival are returning to the Minneapolis Theatre Garage in a series called Nights of the Living Fringe, so whatever your reason for missing them, you can now correct that omission.
Under the radar: Michael Jackson was a weird, theatrical guy with substance abuse problems and strange hobbies...so obviously, the Bryant-Lake Bowl is the perfect venue at which to pay him tribute. Audra Tracy leads a group of performers in a multimedia tribute, and Paul Anka will be there to break a Martini glass over Tracy's head if he's not given proper credit.
On the radar: Fans of adventurous but accessible art and music are not going to know what to do with themselves tonight. The Soap Factory's Haunted Basement opens for business (early word is that it's as frighteningly brilliant as ever); Spike Jonze's much-anticipated adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are arrives at movie theaters; and Bella Koshka leads a "Rock 'n' Roll Circus" at the recently rebooted Music Box Theatre.
Under the radar: Soft and cuddly puppets move to the cutting edge as In the Heart of the Beast hosts puppeteers Janaki Ranpura and Bart Buch; and at the Germanic-American Institute, Waterbear will be providing a live musical score for the creepy Expressionist silent film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.MORE »
Highpoint Center for Printmaking opens grand new home on Lake Street
Highpoint is hot. At its grand opening gala earlier this month, Highpoint Center for Printmaking opened the big glass doors of its new home on Lake Street to greet its past patrons and new supporters.MORE »
DESIGN | From a black "White Knight" to a plugged-in Che Guevara, CVA exhibit showcases 50 years of "Communication Arts"
The Leaders of Design Series flies under the radar of many creative cognoscenti. Hosted by St. Paul's College of Visual Arts in partnership with AIGA, the series features design-world crème de la crème through lectures and exhibitions.MORE »
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