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 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 uses comedy to engage the audience and discuss really difficult subjects like gender and gender inequity and double standards and harassment. The cast includes Sandra and Jen Maren, who last teamed up at the History Theatre's production of ‘Glensheen,’ Allison Vincent, Sam Landman and History Theatre veteran JJen Burleigh-Bentz.— Randi Grundahl RexrothA Gilbert &amp; Sullivan tragicomedyAllison Amy Wedell is the Alto Two Section Leader of the Twin Cities Women's Choir, and she’s looking forward to great singing on display in “The Yeoman of the Guard; Or, The Merry and His Maid” from The Gilbert &amp; Sullivan Very Light Opera Company. Allison says this tragicomedy is “a little more opera than operetta” with a wider range of emotion than some of their satires. Performances run Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through March 29 at the Conn Theater at the Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis. The March 28 performance will be livestreamed.Allison says it’s one of Gilbert and Sullivan’s most musically ambitious works, staged by local talent:Allison says: It's music-directed by Dr. Randal Buikema and it's directed by Gary Briggle. I personally know Gary Briggle as an actor from his 10-year run in “Glensheen” at the History Theatre, but I'm really looking forward to seeing him apply his considerable musical theater talent to this show.— Allison Amy WedellPainting Minnesota wildlifeAlejandra Pelinka is the Director of Creative Placemaking for the City of Bloomington, and she feels fortunate that she gets to see art exhibits curated by Artistry in the building where she works. On display right now is Kat Corrigan’s exhibit “Minnesota Neighbors.” The series of vibrant paintings of Minnesota animals runs through April 19 in the Atrium Gallery at the Bloomington Center for the Arts.Alejandra says: What I really love about this exhibit is how it really makes you slow down and notice the animals we live alongside every day. You'll see a very loose, expressive painting method. And what I love about that is it gives it motion, and it gives it emotion as well. With this exhibit, specifically, you feel like you're not just looking at an animal, but it feels like you're kind of meeting it.— Alejandra Pelinka
      

Art Hounds: A strike story, a tragicomedy, and scenes from nature


        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 happening from the top down, from large institutions or academics or policy makers, and we really seldomly actually are listening to folks who are in some of the hardest challenges situations, but they actually have the most information about what works and what doesn't work. And so I think in this time, when there is room for change and transformation, it's helpful to be able to see people who are living it, who are the experts, who are also the visionaries of how to transform what can be some of the toughest situations that people can experience.— Mankwe NdosiWordplay and wonder in LongfellowSara Rothholz Weiner is an architect and potter living in Minneapolis, and she recommends a visit to the Snakpak Gallery in the Longfellow Neighborhood, where a sidewalk community makers event is also happening this weekend. The gallery features the work of Jim Ockuly.Sara says: Jim Ockluly’s witty and evocative art explores the relationship of image and language. It's quirky, it's fun, it's thought-provoking, and it's accessible to all audiences. He explores our world with a sense of irony and a big dose of wonder that's very relevant to our times.This [weekend] event, importantly, includes several local artists and craftspeople from the Longfellow neighborhood on a sidewalk art show and yes, bundles of local firewood [will be] for sale with proceeds going to Soup For You Cafe, a local soup kitchen that's free for all.— Sara Rothholz WeinerJazz and emotional honesty on stageMeghan Kreidler is a musician and actor in Minneapolis, and she’s shining a light on fellow musician Leslie Vincent, whose new album “Little Black Book” has its Twin Cities premiere on Sunday, Nov. 16 at the Parkway Theater in Minneapolis. The jazz album of original songs explores the ups and downs of dating and marriage. Leslie and her band will be joined on Sunday by guest musician Jeremy Messersmith.Meghan says: It's really hard not to fall in love with [Leslie] the minute she steps on stage. She just creates a really warm and fun atmosphere. I remember the first time I ever saw Leslie perform, and it just felt really accessible and fun and kind of new, and it broke my kind of preconceived notions about what jazz can be and how it can feel from an audience perspective.— Meghan Kreidler
      

Art Hounds: Theater rooted in lived experience and more


      Each week three people from the Minnesota arts community talk about a performance, opening, or event they're excited to see or want others to check out.
    


      Each week three people from the Minnesota arts community talk about a performance, opening, or event they're excited to see or want others to 