Art Hounds

From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what’s exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the audio heard in the player above. Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here.Songs and stories with Kao Kalia YangMelissa Meyer works at Way to Grow, which focuses on education for families, including literacy, music and the arts. She's excited to attend “An Evening of Children’s Literature with Kao Kalia Yang and Friends” this Friday at 7 p.m. at the Ordway Theater in St. Paul.In an evening of songs and stories, Yang will read from all her picture books, and Leslie Damasco and T. Mychael Rambo will perform songs Yang wrote specifically for the evening. Jocelyn Hagen, who composed music for the event, will play piano.Melissa says of Kao Kalia Yang: Let me tell you, she has a gift. She really wraps you into the story. Her stories about are about her own personal experience as well as her family's experience coming here to the

From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what’s exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the audio heard in the player above. Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here.Concerts at the Cedar Cultural CenterRenee Vaughan, who plays the Swedish folk instrument the nyckelharpa, recommends a concert on Friday that will bring a mix of musical holiday folk traditions.Red Thread will perform along with Minneapolis and Duluth-based folk band Ponyfolk, Friday at 8 p.m. at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis.Renee says: Red Thread is fronted by one of my absolute favorite singers, Sarah Larsson, with her lush, warm voice, coupled with these incredible harmonies, and it's mixed with a deep love of cultural lineage. Their music spans from Yiddish and klezmer and Slavic, Scandinavian, Irish, English and American winter traditions, and they'll be sharing the stage with Ponyfolk. They're able to have this folk sound that crea

From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what’s exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the audio heard in the player above. Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here.A Holmesian holiday twistHeidi Dybing of Lanesboro loves the arts scene in her community. She’s seen the Commonweal Theatre’s production of “A Sherlock Carol” twice and plans to go back for more. The story, she says, is equal parts Sherlock Holmes mystery and Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” with recognizable lines from each woven into the script. The show runs through Dec. 21.Heidi says: This show is absolutely fantastic. It's eye candy because of the amazing sets with the amazing vintage props all over the stage and the walls and the ceilings. It is very Victorian, with authentic Victorian costumes and music.— Heidi DybingClassical guitar meets civil rights anthemJoe Haus, former president of the Minnesota Guitar Society, recommends seeing the

From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what’s exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the audio heard in the player above. Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here.A harmonious gathering of voicesSinger and voiceover actor Jen Maren always enjoys seeing the Twin Cities Women’s Choir perform. Their fall concert, whose theme is “Ignite!,” takes place 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 23 at South High School in Minneapolis.Maren says: This is an incredible group that is 140 voices, all non-auditioned, but incredibly professionally sounding. There's percussion, there's a string quartet happening. There's some great jazz arrangements that are happening. There's all six-part harmony of all these women's voices raised in song. And I don't know about you, but we're living in a rather divided time right now, so a little bit of harmony would actually be soothing to my soul.— Jen MarenCelebrating Latinidad on screenFilmmaker Maxie Rock

From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what’s exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the audio heard in the player above. Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here.Centering voices of experienceMankwe Ndosi is a community-engaged artist at Pillsbury House + Theatre in Minneapolis. She admires the work of zAmya Theater, whose original plays focus on housing and homelessness, drawing from the lived experience of the communities in which they perform. Their show, “Living in America: The Waiting List is Full,” takes place in conjunction with Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. The hour-long performances are today through Friday, Nov. 21, at venues across the Twin Cities, including Minneapolis Central Library, Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis and 825 Arts in St. Paul.Mankwe says: I think this group is really important, because a lot of times when we talk about making change, often things are happen

From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what’s exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the audio heard in the player above. Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here.Music, storytelling and Ojibwe voicesSinger-songwriter Molly Dean of Minneapolis sees the musical group Bizhiki perform as often as she can, and she plans to drive to Grand Marais to see their concert on Saturday, Nov. 8, at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts at 7 p.m. Bizhiki consists of Dylan Bizhikiins Jennings (Bad River Ojibwe), Joe Rainey Sr. (Red Lake Ojibwe), and S. Carey (who is also drummer for Bon Iver). It's a multimedia performance, including video from filmmaker Finn Ryan. The concert is presented by the North Shore Music Association, which Molly says curates “an excellent calendar of music throughout the year.”Molly adds: I can recall the first time that I saw them. I was blown away by their performance, with the drumming and the vocal

From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what’s exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the audio heard in the player above. Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here.Brecht meets the gangster underworld in Frank Theatre’s Halloween openingPeter Rachleff is a retired labor historian from Macalester College, and he recommends Frank Theatre’s staging of Bertolt Brecht’s “The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui,” a satirical play about authoritarianism and corruption. The play’s title character, Arturo Ui, is an imagined cross between Adolf Hitler — whose rise Brecht fled Germany to escape — and Al Capone, and it’s set in the 1930s gangster underworld of Chicago.Frank Theatre is known for mounting plays that challenge the status quo and spark conversation. The play opens on Halloween and runs through Nov. 23 at the Ivy Building for the Arts in Minneapolis.Rachleff, who has seen Frank’s previous productions of the show in pa

From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what’s exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the audio heard in the player above. Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here.Puppetry meets scienceMusician Greg Herriges of Minneapolis recommends a date night or family trip to see Z Puppets Rosenschnoz’s performance of “Cellula.” The show combines blacklight puppetry and live a capella music by improv vocalists Mankwe Ndosi and Libby Turner, zooming in on a story that takes place at the cellular level.Performances take place at Sabathani Community Center in Minneapolis. Showtimes are Thursday at 5:30 p.m., Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. The show is recommended for ages 5 and up. Microscope activity stations will be available 30 minutes before each show.Greg says: It takes the world that you might see in a microscope and brings it to glow-in-the-dark life. It is educational, mesmerizing, funny. The live

From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what’s exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the audio heard in the player above. Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here.Mental health and community expression in MorrisMissy Polster, a former healthcare worker connected to the 210 Gallery in Sandstone, is passionate about art that intersects with social justice. She highlights “Waiting for Beds,” a powerful exhibition featuring artists Moira Villiard and Carla Hamilton, alongside submissions from community members. It’s on view at the Morrison Gallery at the University of Minnesota Morris through Nov. 25.Missy says: It's beautiful, it's moving and it does make you think, which is how I hope everybody wants art to be.— Missy PolsterA literary road trip through Minnesota’s complexityChris Vondracek, a journalist for the Star Tribune currently based in Washington, D.C., recommends “Greater Minnesota: Exploring the Land o

From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what’s exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the audio heard in the player above. Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here.A storytelling road trip from Grand Marais to WinonaRose Arrowsmith is a storyteller and children’s book writer from Grand Marais, and for the second year in a row, she’s making the six-hour drive to Winona to attend the Sandbar Storytelling Festival. The festival, held on Friday and Saturday, features seven storytellers from around the country, including local talent, offering a series of storytelling events at the Page Theatre.There are also free events Friday through Sunday at the Historic Mason Theater, the Winona Public Library and two Winona churches. Find the schedule here.Rose describes the transportive nature of storytelling: This is oral storytelling, so oftentimes it's going to be one person up on stage, and they might be telling a story f

From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what’s exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the audio heard in the player above. Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here.Meander through artists’ studios along the upper Minnesota River ValleyMusician Clark Machtemes of Waconia recommends the Meander Art Crawl, a three-day, self-guided tour of artists’ studios across western Minnesota. This year’s event features 42 artists in towns including Ortonville, Appleton, Madison, Milan, Dawson, Montevideo, Granite Falls and Canby.The Meander runs:Friday: 12 – 6 p.m.Saturday: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.Sunday: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.Machtemes notes that several towns will also host evening musical performances. (Find a map here.)The quiet beauty of the everydayMinneapolis painter Ken Johnson recommends Justin Terlecki’s solo show, “Hidden Place,” on view at Groveland Gallery in Minneapolis through Oct. 11.Ken says: It's a series of nine paintings

From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what’s exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the audio heard in the player above. Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here.The Saint John’s Bible ExperienceCalligrapher Maura Lynch of Minneapolis encourages a visit to The St. John’s Bible, a monumental work of sacred calligraphy and art housed on the peaceful campus of St. John’s University.The Bible, which involved significant contributions from Minnesotans, can be viewed year-round both in person and digitally.Maura says: Calligraphy is seen first and read second. When you experience the words in the Bible that have been rendered in a visually and aesthetically beautiful way, it elevates the entire experience.— Maura LynchEdge of the Big Woods Art WanderHutchinson-based potter Betsy Price recommends the Edge of the Big Woods Art Wander in Carver County. The self-guided studio tour runs through a wooded landscape that g

From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what’s exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the audio heard in the player above. Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here.Honoring Marley Kaul’s legacy in book and galleryVisual artist Paula Swenson remembers painter and former Bemidji State University professor Marley Kaul (1939–2021) as a mentor and a creative force in northern Minnesota. Swenson is excited for a new retrospective coffee table book, “Marley Kaul: Paintings,” covering six decades of his work.Book launch events include:Sept. 18, 5–8 p.m. at Open Book in MinneapolisSept. 23, 5–7 p.m. at the Watermark Arts Center in BemidjiSept. 25, 5–7 p.m. at the North Dakota Museum of Art in Grand ForksA corresponding retrospective exhibition of Kaul’s work is also on view at the Talley Gallery at Bemidji State University through Oct. 30.Paula recalls one memorable moment turned painting: My husband and I were over to

From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what’s exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the audio heard in the player above. Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here.Queer Muslim coming-of-age on stageAnita Chikkatur of Minneapolis is an educator and theater enthusiast. She’s excited for Theater Mu’s production of “Maybe You Could Love Me,” a new play by Samah Meghjee.The story follows the evolving friendship between two queer Muslim women across three stages of life — childhood, adolescence and adulthood — all portrayed by the same pair of actors. Directed by Katie Bradley, the play opens Theater Mu’s 2025–26 season.“Maybe You Could Love Me” runs through Sept. 28 at Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis, with previews beginning today.Anita says: One of the things that I love about Theatre Mu is that it showcases the very diverse experiences of the Asian American communities in the United StatesWe need to kind of un

From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what’s exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the audio heard in the player above. Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here.Ojibwe art and teachings at Tettegouche State ParkEric Klepinger, an artist north of Duluth, recommends checking out the monthly artists’ shows and the artist-in-residence work at Tettegouche State Park. Featured in August is prolific Ojibwe artist Sam Zimmerman of Duluth, whose work will be on view until September. His boldly colored work often features animal forms, and Klepinger says these works were inspired by animals he saw at Tettegouche. Zimmerman is also, separately, the Artist-in-Residence at Tettegouche. For this role, he created seven signs, printed on weather-proof aluminum, about the seven Grandfather Teachings of the Ojibwe, which will be installed next spring at the Nature Play Area. See all the artists at Artists-in-Residence program

From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what’s exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the audio heard in the player above. Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here.Edible creativity at the State FairMorgan Kempton of Minneapolis, who works in education at Hennepin Arts, is a fan of the Creative Activities building at the Minnesota State Fair, which runs through Labor Day.While many flock to the rides or concerts, Kempton is drawn to the detailed displays of baked goods:Morgan: It’s just interesting to see how many different types of pies people can make, and all the designs on the top of the pies can always be so unique and interesting to see.— Morgan KemptonCarved emotion in HopkinsJanet Kilsdonk of Hopkins recommends “… good dog …” an exhibition of wood carvings by artist Fred Cogelow at the Hopkins Center for the Arts. The show runs through Sept. 6. She was captivated by the lifelike quality of the work:Jane

From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what’s exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the audio heard in the player above. Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here.Shakespeare with a twistLuke Fanning of northeast Minneapolis has his eye on Zach Christensen of Jackdonkey Productions, whose staging of “Henry V” is now at Theatre in the Round.Fanning says Christensen has “an uncanny knack for taking something that might be a little bit old and dusty and shaking it up and making it new and fun.”This production promises music, movement and “weird vibes” while still exploring the play’s central themes of war, power and their effects on people. “Henry V” runs through Aug. 18.Luke says: I know I can trust Jackdonkey to add music, movement, weird vibes in a way that I’m gonna lean in instead of zone out.— Luke FanningTim Harding’s shimmering ‘Double Vision’Minneapolis visual artist Carolyn Halliday has followed Tim Har

From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what’s exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the audio heard in the player above. Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here.A clown’s farewell at the FringeThe Minnesota Fringe Festival continues through Sunday, Aug. 10, with nearly 100 shows presented in 90-minute intervals at theaters around the Twin Cities.Phillip Schramm, an improviser and theater maker in Minneapolis, particularly recommends seeing “Clown Funeral” at Theatre in the Round in Minneapolis, Saturday at 1 p.m. The show is billed as appropriate for ages 12–15 and up.“The funeral is about Bongo, a clown that has passed away, and there are four other clowns that are there to kind of honor his memory, and it goes the way you would think,” Schramm says. “It's a clown show. So there are bits of physical comedy, of just them assembling the coffin. There's word play. There's one clown that really only speaks thro

From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what’s exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the audio heard in the player above. Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here.‘Hidden Herald’ returns with new audio stories around St. PaulLast year, Jamie Daniels of St. Paul stumbled upon Wonderlust Productions’ mini audio stories, scattered about St. Paul. Season two of “Hidden Herald” kicks off this weekend, with a new batch of five-to-ten-minute audio stories written by Minnesota playwrights and recorded by professional actors. This weekend’s launch includes a scavenger hunt with prizes. Maps with the audio play locations are available starting Thursday at several St. Paul businesses, listed here. To listen — this weekend and beyond — simply scan a QR code printed on a durable decal on the ground.Jamie describes the wonder of discovering a new story: You scan [the QR code], and you are transported into a brief five-to-te

From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what’s exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the audio heard in the player above. Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here.Healing through the sensesMolly Johnston works for Springboard for the Arts in Fergus Falls and is the co-director of DanceBARN Collective in Battle Lake. She got a sneak peek at Naomi RaMona Schliesman’s upcoming exhibit “Heilung Saaám (Healing Medicine)” at the Kaddatz Galleries in Fergus Falls. The exhibit runs July 8 through Aug. 16, with an opening artist reception Thursday, July 10 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.Molly says: Naomi’s sculptures have always intrigued me with their textures, colors and materials from nature. This particular show excites me because she is examining healing through the senses. The exhibit combines paintings and prints, sound and music and even smells to create an immersive experience, including creating two interactive murals