ART & LECTURE
Contemporary Practice of Ancient Women’s Ritual
Inspired by a short story by writer Leah Lax, Janice Rubin began documenting the contemporary practice of the ancient and secret Jewish ritual bath, mikvah. The resulting underwater photographs are both sensual and enigmatic, haunting and evocative. But The Mikvah Project is not a one-woman show; it’s a collaboration. Joined by Lax, Rubin expanded the project to include oral histories and anonymous portraits of a variety of women, creating a multifaceted testimonial of contemporary mikvah practice. “In interviews, women speak of mikvah observance as aiding in their struggles with body image… as a means of infusing their sexuality with privacy, boundaries and a sense of holiness.” The Mikvah Project is about Jewish women reclaiming a ritual. Sunday’s opening reception will feature a lecture by Lax, sharing some the surprises and obstacles encountered in their journey, as well as a book-signing of the catalog.
Sunday from 4-7 p.m., Sabes JCC Tychman Shapiro Gallery, Jay & Rose Phillips Building, Barry Family Campus, 4330 S. Cedar Lake Rd., Minneapolis; 952-381-3400.
ART
What Makes a Man?
When you affect one side of an equation, the other side changes — a fact we so seldom consider. In our quest to give voice to the oppressed, the silenced, the others, we often neglect the mainstream category through which that other is defined. Feminism has challenged male dominance, altered standards of judgment, reorganized institutions, and sparked a reformulation of female identity. But, how do men figure into this equation? How do we begin to re-define masculinity in light of these developments? Mush Mush Masculinity! examines these issues through a collection of two- and three-dimensional work, installation, and video. The single-night art exhibition explores the definition of masculinity, how masculinity might be constructed, and what the repercussions of such constructs might be.
Saturday at 8 p.m., ACVR Warehouse, 106 W. Water St., St. Paul; 651-227-2622; free.
Also opening this weekend is the mystery Host exhibition at the The Soap Factory (Saturday at 7 p.m.), Jodi Reeb-Myers’s new acrylic installation at Frame Ups Gallery (Saturday at 6 p.m.), and both Clay in Living Color: Jim Romberg and Focus on Detail: Timothy Lloyd and Jean Matzke at The Grand Hand Gallery (Saturday at 5 p.m.).
BOOKS & AUTHORS
Tongue-in-Cheek City Girl Philosophy
Since she left Minnesota in 2004, artist/writer/performer Karn Knutson has become a city girl extraordinaire. The title of her latest collection says it all — City Girl Philosophy: Everything You Need to Live a Simply Stunning Life. And city girls only live simply stunning lives, that at least is clear. Those of you who actually like Sex and the City will appreciate Knutson’s hip, urban party-girl guide. Those of you who don’t, might at least have a good laugh. “City Girl likes [her] martinis dry and her humor even dryer–and she’ll take it the right way if you laugh your way through all her good advice–as long as you pay attention to it.”
Friday at 7 p.m., Magers & Quinn Booksellers, 3038 Hennepin Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-822-4611.
In Our Culture, Porn Makes the Man
Engage in intellectual conversation about good old-fashioned smut this Sunday afternoon, when Robert Jensen discusses his latest book, Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity. In addition to his role as professor of journalism at the University of Texas, and feminist anti-pornography activist, Robert Jensen is one of the sharpest cultural critics in the country these days, and has penned books on other provocative topics, such as white privilege and freedom of expression. Articulate and outspoken, Jensen is sure to lead a lively and smart discussion. ––by Danielle Kurtzleben
Sunday at 3 p.m., Magers & Quinn Booksellers, 3038 Hennepin Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-822-4611.
THEATER & PERFORMANCE
Idigaragua
The always irreverent and ever-theatrical indie-rock band Fort Wilson Riot created this five-part “indie-rock opera” (and album) about a nameless American journalist and his adventures in a mysterious foreign land. Enlisting the help of Jeremey Catterton, a stage director and friend from the University of Minnesota who now resides in London, the band has cobbled together a fictional travelogue based on the writings of Paul Bowles, the ex-pat author best known for The Sheltering Sky. Given the scarcity of collaborations between theater-makers and rockers, this won’t be your typical night at the theater; plus this production incorporates puppets, dancers, and video. As for the score for Idigaragua, one local music critic compared it to Sondheim and Beethoven — but these ears detect more the influence of Queen. –by Christy DeSmith
Friday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3:30 p.m., Bedlam Theatre, 1501 S. Sixth St., Minneapolis; 612-341-1038; $12.
Speed-the-Plow
There is Shakespearean language, with its grand soliloquies and sonnets. And then there is the language of David Mamet, who made his name by elevating everyday speech into an art form. This fall, The Jungle Theater brings those trademark machine-gun sentences, stutters, and profanities to the stage with Speed-the-Plow. Jungle Artistic Director Bain Boehlke directs this satire about a Hollywood producer who is torn between art and money when he’s given twenty-four hours to green-light either a spiritual, apocalyptic film (pitched by his gorgeous secretary) or a sex-and-violence-packed action flick (pitched by a close friend). Consider it a palate cleanser after the summer of Transformers and Spiderman 3. –by Danielle Kurtzleben
Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Jungle Theater, 2951 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-822-7063; $36.
COMEDY
YouCube Humor
As long as there have been cubicles, there has been cubicle comedy (Office Space, Dilbert, The Drew Carey Show). Tonight Brave New Workshop tackles the life of the cubicle drone when it opens its 260th comedy revue, YouCube: This Company Loves Misery. YouCube will lampoon everything from Blackberries and motivational seminars, and as per usual will have at least a few hilarious sketches. Also, stay after the show on Friday or after the late show on Saturday for late-night improv… sure, improv comedy is hit-or-miss, but it’s free, so what have you got to lose? –by Danielle Kurtzleben
7:30 p.m., Brave New Workshop, 2605 Hennepin Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-332-6620; $20.
MUSIC
Red House Records Tribute
Red House Records owner Bob Feldman was a fire hydrant of fun and positive energy before he died, a year ago January, at the age of fifty-six. With a folk-music show on tiny KFAI that was strictly a labor of love, Feldman cherished music enough to achieve a remarkably high batting average on the quality of music released on his label. Thanks to Feldman’s remarkable ability to recognize and attract talent, Red House Records is now home to some of the finest acoustic singer/songwriters in the country. Now many of those folks whom he patronized — Greg Brown (the first and still the best Red House artist), Eliza Gilkyson, Dave Moore, Peter Ostroushko, and many, many others — will pay tribute to his memory at an overstuffed gig that should produce a memorable confluence of combos and pairings, passionately offbeat covers, funny and tear-jerking anecdotes, and a rousing, poignant finale on a very crowded stage. — by Britt Robson
Sunday at 7 p.m., Fitzgerald Theater10 E. Exchange St., St. Paul; 651-290-1221; $25 and $50.
Also this weekend is the second annual West Bank Ruckus festival in the parking lot next door to The Nomad, and the fabulous Harvest Fest in Geneva — three days of music and camping with three stages and 35 bands.
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