Minnesota Biennial 2D II

We waited all year for a surprise like this. Provocative, global-minded, warm, and even uninhibited pieces make up this juried show of works by twenty-six artists from around the state. Compelling discoveries include the super-psychedelic Georgie Girl Hart, by Andy Messerschmidt of Ely (pictured), and Plymouth resident Chuck Avery’s Separation, a photograph of concrete blocks and gravel piles that recalls seventies land art. Though this biennial focuses on two-dimensional media, its photographs, prints, paintings, and drawings are anything but flat. We’re already anticipating next year’s biennial, devoted to works with that utterly transformative third dimension. (The artists will share a little back story at a “Slide-o-Rama” slide-show event on December 8.) 50 W. Kellogg Boulevard (at Market Street), St. Paul; 651-266-1030; www.mmaa.org