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.A classic story returns to the stageJuanita Vang is co-executive director at the Southeast Asian Diaspora (SEAD) Project in Minneapolis. She performed in the original production of Ehkhudah Zar’s play “Muyehpen” in 2023, and she’s excited that Exposed Brick is mounting a new, traveling production of the play. Written in English and billed as one of the first — if not the first — tellings of the classic Karen story in English, Muyehpen will be performed at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul this Friday at 7 p.m. and at the Paramount Theatre in Austin at 6 p.m. April 25. The theater notes that, while all ages are welcome, the play contains references to sexual assault. Ageless echoes: The Karen story of Muyehpen finds new lifJuanita says: I love

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 puppet rock opera returnsAzure Anderson of St. Paul is an artist, musician, and podcaster, and she’s a huge fan of Phantom Chorus Theatre. They are re-mounting the founders’ 2019 production of “Razia’s Shadow,” a puppet rock opera. The production contains 12 songs by Forgive Durden, performed live, with a new cast of puppet characters ranging in size from two to eight feet.The show runs April 10–25 at the Hive Collaborative in St. Paul. In-person and live-streamed tickets are available. While not designed as a children’s show, Anderson says the show is recommended for ages six and older due to a few spooky elements; if your child enjoys Tim Burton’s film “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” this show should be a good fit.Having seen all Phantom Chorus’

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 rarely staged musical comedyChristine Sweet, a retired classical music radio host in St. Paul, is looking forward to seeing Minneapolis Musical Theatre’s production of "Grumpy Old Men," a musical adaptation of the 1993 romcom set in Wabasha. The musical runs April 3–19 at the Conn Theater in Minneapolis.Christine says: MMT brings us new and rarely performed musicals, digging deep to find forgotten gems and often presenting the local premieres of chosen works, which is the case with this production of “Grumpy Old Men.” After a hard winter, we could use some belly laughs at the foibles of two lifelong rivals vying through snow and ice-fishing for the attention of their attractive new neighbor.MMT draws on the Twin Cities' wealth of vocal, instrumental

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 beloved fantasy comes to the stageBecca Buntjer of South St. Paul is looking forward to taking her kids to see the world premiere of the play “The Girl Who Drank the Moon” at Stages Theatre Company in Hopkins. The play is an adaptation of the novel by Minneapolis author and Newbery Medalist Kelly Barnhill. The play runs March 27 through April 19 with performances both during school hours and on weekends. The show is 75 minutes long and is recommended for audiences age 10 and up. There is a special meet-the-author and book-signing event 6-7 p.m. on April 4 before that evening’s show.Buntjer can’t wait to see a book her family loves adapted for the stage.Buntjer says: It is a fantastical world with a fun, magic structure, and it's got sweet character

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 story of the 1977 bank strikeAs Artistic Director of the Twin Cities Women’s Choir, Randi Grundahl Rexroth loves Women’s History Month and the opportunity to empower women’s voices. She’s looking forward to the opening of Twin Cities actress Sandra Struthers’ new play “Hungry Like the Wolf," which tells the story of the 1977 bank strike in Willmar. In the first bank strike in the U.S., eight women demanded equal pay with their male counterparts. The show features an all-female directing and design team. See it at the History Theatre in St. Paul, Saturday, March 21 through April 12.Randi is looking forward to an engaging show with strong 80s vibes.Randi says: The script is fast-paced and guaranteed to speak directly to us Gen Xers. Sandra Struthers

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.‘Touching Two Worlds: Reality’Koreen Valdovinos runs Open Minds Fusion Studio. She met Sherry Walling when they were both training to be aerial arts instructors 10 years ago, and Valdovinos is looking forward to seeing Walling’s next circus production, “Touching Two Worlds: Reality.” Walling, who is also a clinical psychologist and author, partners with circus performer Lynn Lunny to create circus shows whose narratives focus on mental wellbeing. Shows are March 13 and 14 at Luminary Arts in Minneapolis, with a Circus Experience option that allows ticketholders to try out some circus arts for themselves on Sunday.Koreen says this circus show revolves around themes of loss, embodiment, and healing through movement.Koreen says: One of the greatest part

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.‘Our What Ifs Became Real Life’Kayla Maria of Fort Ripley is an avid arts consumer, and she recommends a visit to the MacRostie Art Center in Grand Rapids. She appreciated the multi-disciplinary show “Our What Ifs Became Real Life” by Amber Buckanaga and James Harvin, on view through March 27.She describes the “intimate moments” of the exhibit.Kayla says: As you walk into the exhibit, you're basically walking through time and through the timelines of James and Amber's ancestors and even thinking into the future. There were components like poetry, textiles, fashion, design and painting. There was a moment where they were talking about Amber's family history with boarding schools and relating that to James's family escaping slavery.— Kayla Maria‘Monste

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.Harp takes center stageKathy Kienzle is a retired principal harp of the Minnesota Orchestra. She’s looking forward to the upcoming Bakken Ensemble performance where the harp gets to shine. This season Bakken Ensemble celebrates 30 years. The performance is 4 p.m. Sunday, March 1, at Westminster Hall in Minneapolis.Cheryl Losey Feder is the guest harpist, and Kienzle says this is a wonderful chance to hear her perform chamber music up-close, rather than with the full Minnesota Orchestra.Kathy is particularly looking forward to hearing André Caplet’s “Conte Fantastique,” which she calls “extremely difficult and very, very fun to hear.”Kathy says: One of the reasons I really love this piece is people think of the heart as a very beautiful, soothing, pre

Art Hounds recommend “VocalEssence WITNESS: Symphony of Spirituals,” “Oasis Laugh-Battle” and “Salomé.”

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.‘Fíodóireacht Bheirte / A Weaving of Two’Matt Schneider describes himself as a dancer and dance floor builder for the underground scene of electronic music in the Twin Cities. He’s looking forward to the Valentine’s Day artist reception of a photography exhibit by married couple Saoirse and Sarah Weiss. Their joint exhibit, entitled “Fíodóireacht Bheirte / A Weaving of Two,” runs through April 5 at the Northside Artspace Lofts Gallery in Minneapolis.Matt describes Sarah’s work as daytime photographs involving portraits and family and Saoirse’s work as nighttime images that capture the DIY dance scene.He says the artist reception on Saturday (6-9 p.m.) will be a family-friendly dance scene with live music and a DJ.Matt says: She's one of the few peopl

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.Collide Theatrical’s ‘Little Women’Renee Guittar is a Twin Cities dancer, actor, and choreographer. She’s performed in the past with Collide Theatrical Dance Company, and she’s looking forward to being in the audience to see their production of “Little Women.” The show runs Feb. 6–15 at the Luminary Arts Center in Minneapolis.Renee says: I love seeing Collide’s shows, because the dancers are so impressive and athletic, and the shows are just jam-packed with storytelling that is accessible to all sorts of people, whether you've seen a dance show before or you haven't. Yes, you're watching cool dance moves and lifts and turns and all that stuff, but there's a reason why the dancers are doing all those movements, and it's because of the story. And I alw

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.Dinner with literary greatsErin Janssens is a big fan of the Northfield Arts Guild Theater, and she is looking forward to their play “Little Wars,” which opens Friday. Set in the French Alps on the night before France falls to the Nazis, the play imagines a dinner party of female literary greats: Agatha Christie, Gertrude Stein, Dorothy Parker, Alice B. Toklas and Lillian Hellman. The play runs Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m., through Feb. 8.As the characters discuss what they can do to help Jewish people targeted by the Nazis, Erin says the play raises questions that feel timely.Erin says: What do you want your legacy to be? How do you want to be remembered? Do you want to be remembered as someone who did something to help

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.Everyday beauty, captured outdoorsPainter Adam Swanson of Cloquet recommends seeing the work of painter Matt Kania at Duluth Pottery, on view now through February. The exhibit “From There to Here” features Kania’s plein air paintings. There is an artist reception tonight from 5 to 7 p.m.Swanson says Kania is a prolific artist who takes the time to notice — and paint — both landscapes and scenes of everyday life.Dance meets scienceRachel Doran is co-director of Hothouse, a dance arts space in Northeast Minneapolis. She can’t wait to see Black Label Movement's show “Rules of Life,” which combines dance with findings from cancer research.Performances are Jan. 16 and 17 — Friday at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. — at the Barbara Barker Cente

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.Fiber art finds a spotlightSandra Brick, a teaching artist at the Textile Center of Minnesota, recommends a trip to the Minneapolis Institute of Art to see Amy Usdin’s contemplative fiber arts exhibit, “After All.“The show runs through Feb. 22 in the U.S. Bank Gallery.Sandra says: I think it’s really great that Mia is giving fiber art this call-out in this show because, historically, fiber art has been considered a craft, and by having this exhibit at Mia, we’re saying that it is an art.Amy's art is an expression of connection and transformation. There's woven layers, knots, found objects and time-composed pieces, both large and small, and many are hanging from the ceiling. So it's a truly immersive experience. You get to walk around the art. I would

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