Author: rakemag

Probably no one told Sarah Vowell when she was growing up that she should get into radio. With a whiny, nasally voice that sounds at once bored by the world and fascinated by the inner workings of her own mind, sheÕs an incredibly annoying anti-radio personality. Nonetheless, the woman can tell a good story, and always gets a wry laugh, which is why she’s become a regular on NPR’s This American Life. In her latest book, Assassination Vacation, Vowell embarks on a twisted road trip to sites of presidential assassinations, where she ponders the wackos who want to kill presidents, and the wackos who want to run for president. Coffman Union, 300 Washington Ave. SE, Minneapolis; 612-625-6000

Meissner grew up in the passenger seat of his father’s Chevy Nova, while the elder Meissner traveled the Midwest as a salesman during the 1950s. In his newest book of poems, American Compass, Meissner casts his knowing yet never cynical eye back on those times and the iconic images–Elvis Presley, James Dean–that helped shape American culture. The poet is also the author of a notable collection of baseball essays, Hitting Into the Wind; his new book includes more musings on our erstwhile national pastime (which now must be either NASCAR or eating, or both). 1011 Washington Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-215-2575; www.loft.org

A lot of talented calligraphers lost their jobs back in the fifteenth century, once the printing press came into vogue; their vocation has, alas, never recovered from the blow. But Donald Jackson is lucky. Not only is he Queen Elizabeth’s official scribe, he’s also been commissioned to create the first new handwritten Bible for the modern age. He is relying chiefly on the same materials and techniques that his colleagues used in the Middle Ages, but is also making use of computer-assisted illuminations that incorporate flora and fauna native to Minnesota for divine inspiration–Eden as a prairie, if you will. Sixty pages of this modern masterpiece are on display for this exhibit. 2400 Third Ave. S., Minneapolis, 612-870-3131; www.artsmia.org

Who among us didn’t believe, just a little bit, that our toys led secret lives, either while we slept or when we’d left the house on a quiet Saturday afternoon? The toys in Nygren’s paintings leave the domestic sphere altogether, traveling to new places while fixed in a state of “objectness.” Rendered in rich hues, his oil-on-canvas still lifes and scenes of elephants flying over various rural landscapes are imbued with a sense of calm, beautiful absurdity. 3012 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-344-1700; www.flanders-art.com

Perhaps it has something to do with the rising cost of studio space in the Twin Cities. Or maybe there’s a growing impulse to get out and better appreciate our state’s natural beauty, while it’s still there. Whatever the reasons, we’re seeing a boom in art barns, small-town galleries, and artists making a go of it amid the rolling landscapes in southern Minnesota’s bluff country. This is the fifth year in which artists from this region have put their work on display in home studios and galleries; among the thirty-eight participants, a host of media are represented: ink, clay, fiber, metal, wood, glass, stone, and more. You don’t get to see cows and spring fields when you’re touring galleries in the Cities, so consider this a doubly enthralling road trip through southeastern Minnesota and northeast Iowa. 1-800-428-2030; www.geocities.com/studioarttour

Two Rivers director Juanita Espinosa says that for Native Americans, the present is “synonymous with the past.” This truth of native culture runs through the works in the gallery’s latest exhibit. In a seamless mesh of tradition and modernity, various interpretations of the concept of dodem (Ojibwe for “family”) and the original clan systems (Crane, Loon, Fish, Bear, Marten, and Wolf) reconnect humanity with the natural world. For those who may not be up on their clan facts, a cheat sheet is available to bring further meaning to the paintings, intricate pencil sketches, sculptures, and dream catchers on view. 1530 E. Franklin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-879-1780

How does two more weeks of darkness sound? Before spring truly kicks into gear, you can happily fritter away a few wet and chilly days in a theater, catching some of M-SPIFF’S 160 films from fifty countries, which constitute the largest film event in the Upper Midwest. The festival opens in appropriately grand style at the State Theatre and continues at venues across the Twin Cities. Highlights include a tribute to French filmmaker Benoit Jacquot, who will make an appearance; “New Visions of Europe,” a collection of films about life in the twelve-year-old European Union; and several contributions (short films, features, and documentaries) by Minnesotan filmmakers. Anytown, USA stars Doug Friedline, Jesse Ventura’s former campaign manager, as himself in a film about a small-town New Jersey mayoral race. The Wild Condition, an “experimental nature film” about an elderly woman who befriends a wolf, has us intrigued, as well (any small, tasty children in the cast?). See the full lineup and descriptions of films and events at www.mnfilmarts.org/m-spiff/2005

The mono-monikered Norwegian graphic artist Jason, on whose work this production is based, apparently prefers his name to be spelled “JASON.” (Does that mean one must be extra-emphatic in speaking his name aloud?) We don’t cotton to the orthographical whims of E.E. Cummings or Bell Hooks, so we’ll have to decline Jason’s wish as well. That said, his work is impressive enough that our hometown experimental-yet-accessible theater troupe, Off-Leash Area, decided to bring his characters to life on stage. Psst! is a heartbreaking romance set in a factory assembly line and unfolding in expressionisticÑand wordless–style, using masked performers, movement theater, and music from Cat Power and Tom Waits. 1021 Franklin Ave., Minneapolis.; 612-724-7372

Marsha Palmer just so happens to be joined at the hip with Jeremy Walker. What’s interesting about this is that Palmer is Zenon Dance Company’s managing director, and local jazz impresario Walker is best known as proprietor of the dearly departed Brilliant Corners; their own relationship facilitated an otherwise unlikely union between Zenon’s hoofers and Walker’s new Jazz Is NOW! Composers’ Ensemble. With their respective organizations solidly odd-coupled, Palmer and Walker asked some of their favorite brilliant East Coast artists to brighten our corner of the world. So it is that Ted Nash (jazz composer and Wynton Marsalis collaborator) and choreographer Jeanine Durning have put their heads together to create a sometimes jagging, sometimes bopping combination of live music and dance, one that promises to be a high point of Zenon’s spring production. 528 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-339-4944; www.zenondance.org

There’s no better way to sell a show: “This production contains nudity,” warn press materials for French provocateur Jerome Bel’s American debut. Known for his spiciness and experimental dance techniques, Bel has created a pop music-inspired extravaganza; sponsored by Walker Art Center, “The Show Must Go On” includes David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” and Tina Turner’s “Private Dancer,” promising more than a little foot tapping in the audience. And possibly some eye popping too, as one male dancer breaks ranks from the troupe to perform a striptease (seen below) to Reel 2 Real’s danceteria hit “I Like to Move It.” 710 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-339-7007; www.hennepintheatredistrict.com