If you’re going to be in Rochester for your annual colonoscopy, brighten the occasion with a trip to the Rochester Art Center to see the always interesting work of Bruce Tapola, Minnesota’s most famous somewhat-obscure artist. Venues ranging from esteemed institutes of art (in Milwaukee and Minneapolis) to a rented U-Haul parked in front of … Read more
This is a strongly curated show—just as the Walker’s recent Picasso exhibition was. Both venture to transform familiar work by presenting it with vigorous scholarship and a fresh eye. In this case, the focus is on the circle—the paradigmatic composition in many of O’Keeffe’s abstractions—and it’s a valuable insight that had been lying there in … Read more
More fun than a flock of starlings! This improbably cool event is a snowballing phenomenon. Artists passionate about something besides art. A show that’s rife with feeling. The only unusual thing is—jeez, Minnesota!—the dearth of collectors in the mix. For God’s sake, people, this show brings together some wonderfully skilled artists. And it doubles as … Read more
By now, most of us have read Harry Potter. And there are differences between that parallel world and those of yore. Namely, in the ’60s, the parallel world was real, created through individual skill and grace. It was J. D. Salinger’s Upper West Side; or it was on the roads and streets of Kerouac and … Read more
My mother took me on a wild, unforgettable ride the morning she died. Drugged and nearly comatose for about twenty-four hours, she suddenly started breathing heavily, opened her dull, mucus-covered eyes, and began writhing her shoulders off the bed. I was holding her hand, and she gripped me so hard that her bones stabbed painfully … Read more
It has long been held that aroma is one of the most powerful triggers of memory. This fact seems especially salient in October, recalled every time I catch a whiff of cinnamon. Sharp blue skies, sweaters unearthed from storage, the return of thick soups and roasts and quick breads on cool, oven-friendly afternoons make this … Read more
A prophet is not without honor, save in her own country and among her own people. One of life’s perennial puzzles is why people in the United States do not seem to read the wonderful novels of Alison Lurie, the sharp-eyed rhapsode of Ithaca, New York. Every good paperback emporium in England stocks Alison Lurie; … Read more
Things are getting back to normal now. The collapse of the bridge was two months ago, and except for the families of the dead and injured, we Minnesotans have moved on. The Legislature had its special session and funds were approved for southeastern Minnesota flood relief, but the gas tax is where it was before … Read more
The idea of a footrace in North Minneapolis seems to inspire two reactions from residents of other neighborhoods: incredulity and concern. “Do you want to get mugged?” “Are you wearing a flak jacket?” And, of course, the simplest question: “Why?” It is no secret that North Minneapolis has a reputation as one of the … Read more
Ed Morrissey is terse, never letting a sentence extend beyond fourteen words. A typical example: “Shithead. You swing on me again, I’ll kill your sorry ass.” Ed Morrissey is garrulous—as political director at Blogtalk radio, he interviews some of the most prominent members of the conservative movement, his voice a slightly less nasal version of … Read more