The werewolf’s life has never been easy. But the complications of twenty-first-century living often result in even more confusion and frustration. Fortunately, a few sessions with a qualified life coach can help today’s lycanthrope adjust to those inevitable crises of confidence. OWN YOUR ASPIRATIONS. Werewolves often lack a sense of purpose in their lives, personally … Read more
Of all the depressing novels I know, Jude the Obscure takes the prize for sustained doom and gloom. Don’t let the film mislead you; it is far too pretty. All those authentic Victorian sets (not to mention the delightfully authentic Kate Winslet) undermine the exposition of Jude’s law, that Sod and Murphy were incurable optimists, … Read more
I had a garage sale a couple of weeks ago. I relish regularly purging my home of crap. However, I also think it is a special kind of hell to have to arrange crap artfully on card tables in the driveway, assign a value to each item of crap, and look at the neighbors with … Read more
I was asked once to reveal some “universal truth” I’d learned. When I couldn’t dredge up the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus from my faded memories, I settled for, “Things are usually more complicated than they seem.” I give the same answer when asked why I live in Minneapolis. Each day here is an exercise in … Read more
Although he has focused throughout his career on the political realities of life in America after the Cold War, Paul Shambroom’s work isn’t the sort of blunt, unambiguous photo-polemics that one traditionally expects from strictly documentary art. His images are open for interpretation, and more likely to raise questions than offer easy answers. The New … Read more
Those who regret missing George Morrison’s drawings at Todd Bockley last winter can more than make up for it with this exhibition. Though the museum points out that this exhibit is not a retrospective, it is, in fact, a decent overview of Morrison’s career from the 1940s to the 80s—effective but not overwhelming. Included are … Read more
Broader even than “pop culture,” the theme of this show seems so all-encompassing as to be almost pointless (or, at least, to invite too much esoteric theory for our tastes). The good news is that the show itself is elegantly sparse and impressively installed, showcasing several works each from three artists, who’ve shown mostly at … Read more
Hand it to Coen + Partners for establishing this gallery as an adjunct to its offices; by doing so, this landscape architecture firm has been admirably carrying on—if not reviving—the gallery tradition within the legendary Wyman Building, featuring both local artists and guest curators. Incidental brings together a quintet of artists whose work, according to … Read more
The tiniest detail, one that would seem perfectly innocuous in another context, can in this exhibit bring to bear the full horror of the Holocaust. Take, for example, a picture of some children on an outing. In the front row, a girl called Celina Cedarbaum appears to be caught in a merry moment, turning her … Read more
Jane Hamilton has been blessed or cursed—take your pick—by not one but two bolts of Oprah’s lightning. Having her novels The Book of Ruth and A Map of the World chosen for the distaff Midas’ book club elevated Hamilton to the rarefied ranks of best-selling literary authors and guaranteed her books ample display space in … Read more