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As an Asian-American woman and African-American man trade insults, slurs, and outrage, you might think this play is vintage Penumbra, a socio-political episode wrought from American race relations. But when sexual tensions enter the fray–given the electric, Tony-and-Maria attraction between these two, they should be exchanging kisses, not insults–Slippery When Wet becomes something altogether sharper and saucier. Throw in some national and racial identity crises for good measure, and the play could be something like an updated Jungle Fever for the literary set. 270 Kent St. N., St. Paul; 651-224-3180; www.penumbratheatre.org

The young Alfred Maurer was the Thomas Kinkade of his day, churning out proper and commercially appealing paintings that earned him lots of money and fans–until he started cavorting around Paris! It was only when he met up with those pesky French that he discovered modernism and threw away all his popular success. This exhibit chronicles Maurer’s passionate exploration of Cubism, Fauvism, Impressionism, and his own unfettered creative impulses, through the forty paintings on view. It’s obvious that the painter found true joy in the freedoms of modernism. Sadly, the masses did not, and Maurer died a relative unknown, never regaining the success of his youth. Of course, like a few other lucky-unlucky artists, he’s come to be appreciated posthumously–at least by those whose tastes are, we’d like to think, more discerning than Thomas Kinkade’s. 333 East River Rd., Minneapolis; 612-625-9494; www.weisman.umn.edu

This month, The Gates, the saffron fabric extravaganza by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, goes on view in Central Park; but right here in Plymouth we’ve got a quintessentially Minnesotan take on destination art. For No Name Exhibition’s first wintertime show, a couple of dozen artists have braved the vast white expanses of a frozen Medicine Lake to create “art shanties” and other works. (No worries–they’re not occupying any valuable ice-fishing areas!) Thanks to that subzero nastiness last month, many projects got off to a slow start, but the fun with some is watching them take shape (as with the ice painting shown here). On opening day, for instance, we watched a cascade of ice balloons tumble out of a van like diminutive bowling balls. With their balloon skins shucked, the ice blobs–each a gorgeous object unto itself–were destined to be piled into a pyramid and lit from within. Bring your skates (or snowshoes, depending) to the closing party on February 19. Frontage Rd. 7 & 18th Ave., Plymouth; 612-623-9176; www.artshantyprojects.org

Offering a seasonal counterpoint of sorts to its parade last summer, Intermedia Arts brings together an assortment of automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, and snowmobiles atop frozen Lake Minnetonka. Bedecked in feathers, cork, jewels, and various other flotsam, the hardiest artcars will putter along the lake’s two-lane ice highway, cranking the tunes and the heat. www.artcarparade.com

Cottman takes photographs to save things. That could be a Minneapolis street scene that looks for a moment, in a certain light, like Harlem in the nineteen-thirties. Or it could be a sweet second of his mother’s life, or a glimpse of women doing the secret things that women do. One of the Twin Cities’ most celebrated African-American photographers, Cottman and his camera bring light to intimate family moments and respect to neighborhoods that aren’t often noted for their beauty. In this exhibit, he previews several current projects, including a tribute to his mother, an essay about life in the Jordan neighborhood, and a journey to Paris’ Place des Vosges. 2400 Plymouth Ave. N., Minneapolis; 612-587-0230

We’ve often passed the signs for the Hinckley Fire Museum while driving up north, but we’re embarrassed to admit we thought this institution involved a display of historical fire trucks. The museum is actually devoted to an 1894 catastrophe in which a wall of fire destroyed over four hundred square miles in and around Hinckley and killed 418 people. This was no natural disaster, however; humans caused this firestorm by denuding the landscape of trees and stacking them like so much kindling all around the town. It’s just one of many stories told in Minnesota: A History of the Land, an impressive four-part documentary that spans sixteen thousand years (that’s going back a couple of Ice Ages!). Relating tales of natural forces along with those of lumber barons, conservationists, tribal leaders, real-estate developers, and other land-shapers, A History of the Land recalls the projects from Ken Burns, equally sprawling and captivating, that air on public television every couple of years. It’s not just because both have used gorgeous, atmospheric music from our own Peter Ostroushko; this tribute to our state also combines stunning still images with reenactments, interviews, and animation to bring history to life. Beautiful, informative, and unforgettable, it offers a whole new view on “roadside attractions” that we’ll keep in mind on our next car trip.

Now that the Bush administration has set its eyes on Iran, it’s a good idea for us to learn something about the people it’s thinking about bombing. This film, a satire about a hapless cat burglar, gives us a few clues about our friends in the Middle East. For one thing, they have a wicked sense of humor. When the burglar escapes from prison disguised as a cleric, he finds himself forced to continue to live the mullah life. That includes giving sermons, and his bizarre, off-the-cuff speechifying, which covers everything from sex to Pulp Fiction, wins him a rabid and highly annoying group of followers that he just can’t shake. We do know the real Islamic clergy lack humor, because those holy killjoys pressured the government into banning this hugely popular film in Iran. So see it here. 309 Oak St. S.E., Minneapolis; 612-331-3134

We know how you feel about Godard. As one of our friends said, after a screening of his newest, Notre Musique, “Don’t ask me to discuss that.” Okay, then–but you still want to see Tout Va Bien, from 1972; along with 1967’s Weekend, it’s billed as one of Godard’s “most accessible” films. (Funny how these bookended Godard’s militant-filmmaking spree with Jean-Pierre Gorin.) With Tout Va Bien, the canny Frenchman got “Hanoi Jane” Fonda, at the peak of her anti-establishment phase, to star as a journalist, with Yves Montand as her erstwhile New-Wave film-director husband. He also tried to play to the masses by offering, as he grudgingly admitted, “a story for those who shouldn’t still need one.” What’s more, one could even call Tout Va Bien optimistic, at least by Godard’s standards. Unlike Weekend, it attempts to convince the well-meaning bourgeois masses, which he so valiantly despised, that they could, indeed, change. How’s that for uplift?

Brainwashed victim or extremist sympathizer? Does it matter, now that she’s become part of John Waters’ ensemble? Well, there’s still plenty of the drama swirling around Patty Hearst’s two-year stint with the Symbionese Liberation Army. Guerilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst examines the plight of the media mogul’s granddaughter following her kidnapping, apparent brainwashing, and crime spree with the radicals; it uses raw, gritty, and rarely seen footage to recreate the circus that had the press in thrall for months. By the way, Symbionese doesn’t refer to some obscure nation, but to symbiosis: different organisms living together in harmony. Obviously, the SLA had no desire to harmonize with the establishment; its favorite motto was, ÒDeath to the fascist insect that preys upon the life of the people!

And she got a movie deal, too! Kate DiCamillo is the Cinderella of Twin Cities writers, having gone from toiling in the Bookman warehouse to offering people pennies for paperbacks at Half-Price Books to winning a prestigious Newbery Medal and National Book Award honors. Now her first book, Because of Winn-Dixie, has been fashioned into a charming movie, starring Jeff Daniels, Cicely Tyson, and Dave Matthews (yeah, that Dave Matthews) in the story of a little girl who finds a dog in need of a friend at the grocery store. Hollywood’s idea of a good-looking dog has never really matched ours, but hey–it’s a nice, family-friendly story. When are they making Kate’s own tale into a movie?