ART
Yeah, Yeah… You Already Know About This One
If art is your scene, don’t miss out on the Northeast Minneapolis Art-A-Whirl this weekend — an open-studio and gallery tour featuring over 400 artists, including potters, tile makers, painters, sculptors, musicians, photographers, glass blowers, printmakers, and textile designers. Plus you’ll get a lot of music and dance thrown into the mix. Grab a copy of the Art-A-Whirl map and schedule, and start the weekend off with the Minneapolis Photo Coop’s first group exhibit, featuring 15 photographers.
MUSIC
Are We Not the Musical Capitol of the World?
We’ve got a well-rounded city here, and the musicians refuse to get left behind, so in addition to the weekend’s fine arts splendor, there are some great musical offerings.
Nachito Herrera isn’t the only Latin American music icon living in the Twin Cities now. After studying jazz and classical guitar at conservatories in Lima, Buenos Aires, and London, Peru native Andrés Prado relocated to the Twin Cities in 2005. Don’t miss out on Prado’s unique mix of Andean and Amazon melodies, Afro-Peruvian rhythms, and Miles Davis-style jazz. His beautifully honed guitar skills, along with his use of rhythms and sounds of Peruvian shamanic chants makes him a one-of-a-kind artist. And the rest of his band doesn’t fall too far behind — Peter Schimke on piano, Pete Whitman on sax, Kevin Washington on drums, and Anthony Cox on bass.
Friday and Saturday at 9 p.m., Artists’ Quarter, 408 St Peter St., St.Paul; 651-292-1359; $10.
Talk about one-of-a-kind… the electronic duo Matmos actually manages to make music out of strange sounds — the sound of crayfish swimming, rats in cages, the pages of a bible, cards shuffling, spinning coins, and even liposuction surgery! And if that’s not enough, they’ll be teaming up on Saturday with the reknown chamber quartet So Percussion, and ex-Twin Citian Walter Kitundu, known for his sculptural, hand-built turntables that elaborate on the sonic possibilities of the record player. This is a show to be reckoned with. Matmos has collaborated with Björk, the Kronos Quartet, and People Like Us. Hell, they even created music for a pinball machine.
Saturday, Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-375-7600; $20 ($16 Walker and MPR members; MPR members call 612-375-7600 for tickets).
If you miss Kitundu on Saturday night, catch him on Sunday, alongside two other great artists. Mankwe Ndosi, Carei Thomas, and Kitundu began working together eight years ago on the Coalition for Performance Composition — “focused on the aesthetic of purposeful improvisation among uncategorizeable players in image, sound, and word.” This weekend’s show, Restoring the Human Connection, includes a set of music from Coalition players and special guests, and finishes with a conducted jam session, where a Coalition conductor will set the group structures for short pieces, with everyone joining in at the end. Watch the masters at work — Kitundu on phonoharp and percussion, Ndosi on vocals and text, Thomas on JD800 synthesizer and harmonica with spoken story, Douglas R. Ewart on winds and percussion, and Donald Washington on reeds — and then lend your voice (or musical instrumentations) to their song. Sit back and relax or join in. This is a fully interactive event.
Sunday at 4 p.m., Center for Independent Artists, Black Box Theater, 4137 Bloomington Ave. S., Minneapolis, 612-724-8392; $10.
Looking for something with a little more angst and soul, perhaps a bit less experimental and a little more contextually real? Let singer/songwriter/activist Mitch Walking Elk pull you out of your complacency with his songs of social injustice. He’ll be playing Saturday at the Cedar Cultural Center with Wade Fernandez. I’ve got to tell you, I met Walking Elk almost two decades ago, when he was just breaking into the music scene, and there’s just something about this man that makes you feel honored just to stand in his presence. He has much to offer and much to say, and he does so eloquently and powerfully. This is Indian Country music at its finest. (That’s music from Indian Country, not country music.)
Saturday at 8 p.m., Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-338-2674; $10.
Nobody recognizes musical talent better than a musician. And when the top guitar players in the country laud a guitarist, you’ve just got to stop and listen. Folk legend Dave Van Ronk called Dakota Dave Hull “one of the best guitarists in the world.” And when Leo Kottke heard Phil Heywood for the first time, he promptly asked him to join his tour so the two could play duets. Dakota and Heywood are among America’s top guitarists, and having the two together is just one fat bonus. Dakota serves up a mix of jazz, ragtime, folk, blues, Western swing, and vintage pop. While Heywood — former National Fingerpicking Champion (1986) and winner of the American Fingerstyle Guitar Competition (1987) — offers up country blues, and rootsy, soul-grabbing guitar instrumentals.
Sunday at 7:30 p.m., Cedar Cultural Center, 416 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-338-2674; $16.
THEATER & PERFORMANCE by Christy DeSmith
Boats on a River
In 2004, the Guthrie Theater offered to send a favorite playwright, Julie Marie Myatt, to wherever in the world she wished to go, just so long as her travels inspired a new play. Myatt chose Cambodia. Once there, she immersed herself in the sex trade, interviewing child prostitutes and even volunteering for organizations trying to rehabilitate the girls. This wasn’t too far a stretch for Myatt, whose repertoire includes such provocative plays as Cowbird, The Joy of Having a Body, and The Sex Habits of American Women, all of which address complicated issues related to sexual identity. With this new piece, Myatt not only explores the challenging subject of the sex trade, but also looks at the motives of aid workers, mostly Westerners, who feel drawn to Cambodia. These do-gooders strive, perhaps in vain, to restore the country’s lost girlhoods.
Watch this video interview with playwright Julie Marie Myatt and director Michael Bigelow Dixon, courtesy of the Guthrie.
Saturday at 7:30 p.m. (various offerings through June 10), Guthrie Theater, 818 South 2nd St., Minneapolis; 612-377-2224; $19.
This is also the last weekend to see In The Basement Productions’ presentation of Burning Bright, by John Steinbeck, at the Lowry Lab Theater. And Future/Now opened yesterday at the Bedlam Theater.
SPORTS
It’s Even GREEN
It’s too late to register for the race, but it’s not too late to watch and cheer on the players. Saturday is the 15th Annual Solar Boat Regatta. That’s right. Can you believe we’ve been doing this stuff for 15 years already? What are we doing going to war over petrolium? We’ve got solar boats and electric cars right here, in our own backyard. The annual Solar Boat Regatta gives mainly high school students a chance to enter their home-made solar-powered boats in a number of races, culminating in a one-hour endurance race. Come cheer them on, watch the chaos, and learn a little about energy conservation (now just another term for peace) in the process. And enjoy some of the activities of Water Fest 2007 while you’re there.
Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Beach House Beach, Lake Phalen, St. Paul.
SPECIAL BENEFITS EDITION
Come on Big Spenders
There are a few other interesting fundraising events and galas this weekend worth mentioning for all you do-gooders out there with some extra cash on hand.
The Ragamala Music and Dance Theater Gala starts with a silent auction, followed by a performance of Sva (Vital Force) with Ragamala’s newest collaborative partner — Taiko drumming group Wadaiko Ensemble Tokara (of Nagano, Japan) — a buffet and cocktails, a dessert reception, a live auction, and a Bhangra dance party.
Friday at 6:30 p.m., SOO Visual Art Center, 2640 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis; 651-209-6799; $65.
Also on the agenda is the second LEAD event, Get Fresh, a garden party at the Weisman Art Museum with an open bar, DJ, and Flora and Fauna. Proceeds will benefit Fresh Energy, an organization on the forefront of the renewable energy movement. And attend the post-party at the Chambers Hotel to continue your intake of great art in Minneapolis, with a cocktail in hand.
Friday at 8 p.m., Weisman Art Museum, 333 East River Road, Minneapolis; $95.
And getting on the pricier side of things, but definitely worth your while — top of the weekend with the The Artists Salon, an evening of gypsy jazz and Parisian cuisine celebrating the one-year anniversary of the new Minneapolis Central Library grand opening. All proceeds benefit the Minneapolis Public Library’s collection. Enjoy a brief program of salon-style entertainment with singer Connie Evingson, Django Reinhart biographer Michael Dregni, bassist Chris Brown, and guitarist Sam Miltich. Mingle with musicians and booklovers. Dine on Parisian cuisine by Thyme to Entertain. And bid on bookish items in the Artists Marketplace.
Sunday at 5 p.m., Sumner Community Library, 611 Van White Memorial Blvd., Minneapolis; 612-630-6390; $150.
Oh, yeah… and don’t forget that Shrek 3 opens tonight, and most theaters are giving away cyanide tablets to the first 100 customers.
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