Secure the Sewers in a Handbag

For starters, be sure to check out photographer Nicholas Marshall’s Voltage 2008: Fashion Amplified Preview. After that, you might be ready to do a little shopping of your own.

SHOPPING & STYLE
Alexis Hudson Trunk Show

Stop by StyledLife today for the first Twin Cities Alexis Hudson trunk show. "Alexis Hudson is the hottest up-and-coming handbag brand, seen on the arms of starlets like Eva Longoria, Katherine Heigl, Kate Hudson, Keira Knightley, the Olsen twins, Cindy Crawford, and more." Designer Rachelle Copeland, who recently moved here from Los Angeles, will be on hand to discuss her designs and help you find the perfect handbag.

10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Gaviidae Common, Suite 179, 555 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis.

LECTURE
Security vs. The Law: A False Choice

Join former U.S. presidential candidate Walter Mondale for today’s National Security Forum — Security vs. The Law: A False Choice. As U.S. Senator, Mondale served in 1975 on the Church Committee, which investigated abuses by U.S. intelligence agencies. He was also chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee’s Domestic Task Force.

Noon, William Mitchell College of Law, Auditorium, 875 Summit Ave., St. Paul; 651-290-6370; free, register online.

LECTURE, ART, & EXPLORATION
Twin Cities Underground: A Life Down the Drain

Join veteran explorer Greg Brick this evening for a presentation on the Twin Cities underground. View images of the caves and sewers of Minneapolis and St. Paul and learn about the subterranean wonderland Brick has been exploring for two decades. It’s one way to tour the sewers without the grime and creepiness.

7 p.m., Mill City Museum, 704 S. 2nd St., Minneapolis; 612-341-7555; free.

ART
Before Their Time: The World of Child Labor

In January, the New York Times reported labor abuses in Chinese factories. "’I work on the plastic molding machine from 6 in the morning to 6 at
night,’ said Xu Wenquan, a tiny, baby-faced 16-year-old whose hands
were covered with blisters." At the end of last year, a Gap scandal revealed child-labor abuses in India. Around
the world, an estimated 350 million children continue to sacrifice
their childhood, their health, and their education working in
exploitative and unsafe conditions. While we may read the
headlines and stay abreast of the current conditions across the globe,
the distance, perhaps, makes it all too easy to dismiss the harsh
realities our children endure. Leave it to a physician/photographer to bring it home. Taking it upon himself to expose one of the world’s greatest injustices, David Parker
has traveled the world, with camera in hand, photographing children
laboring in Bolivian tin mines, Indian sweatshops, Nepal brick
factories, Mexican garbage dumps, and the list goes on. With his new book, Before Their Time: The World of Child Labor — a collection of these photos — released this month, Parker is exhibiting his photos at the Nina Bliese Gallery from March 31st through May 2nd. Join him for the opening reception (and book signing) this evening.

5-8 p.m., Nina Bliese Gallery, 225 S. Sixth St., Suite 100, Minneapolis; 612-332-2978.

MUSIC
Two Fab Shows

You can’t go wrong this evening with two fabulous music shows. See hot Twin Cities band Tapes ‘n Tapes at First Avenue. Or catch the Anoushka Shankar Project at Orchestra Hall. "Trained by her father, Ravi Shankar, Anoushka is a uniquely talented artist, a sitar virtuoso in her own right, and a master interpreter of the great traditional music of India. Joining her is an ensemble of seven virtuoso Eastern and Western musicians, including tabla master Tanmoy Bose."