From art books to spiritual mediums to Kevin Bacon’s band at the State Fair, this week has tons going on around the metro area. Get some laughs at the 65th season of Dudley Riggs Theatre in downtown Minneapolis, and take in jazz, hip-hop, R&B and more sounds from the African diaspora at the On the One Music Festival in Bloomington. Finally, author Brian Duren drops his second book of the summer, hitting a local bookstore near you.
‘Craft and Conceptual Art: Reshaping the Legacy of Artists’ Books’
Megan N. Liberty, the art books section editor at the Brooklyn Rail and co-founder of the Book Art Review, ponders the connection between craft and conceptual art in a traveling exhibition stopping at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, after first opening at the Center for Book Arts in New York, where it was organized, and then hitting the San Francisco Center for the Book.
Exploring craft history and the way that history has impacted conceptual art, Liberty revisits the history of both forms as well as their connections. Works by 38 book artists will be on view, including two works from MCBA’s collection, as well as pieces by local artists Harriet Bart and Philip Gallo. The exhibition runs Saturday, Aug. 26, until Saturday, Oct. 21, with a reception in MCBA’s Main Gallery on Friday, Sept. 22, from 6 to 8 p.m. (free). More information here.
Courtesy of the artist
Kevin and Michael Bacon
The Bacon Brothers
After you’re done visiting the farm animals and checking out the seed art, plan to cap your State Fair journey at the Leinie Lodge Bandshell. It’s free, it’s a stage that brings in big acts offering an alternative to the more expensive grandstand, and it’s a great vibe. This Thursday, Aug. 24, and Friday, Aug. 25, actor Kevin Bacon brings his band, The Bacon Brothers, made of Bacon and his brother Michael, to the stage for shows starting at 8:30 p.m. (free). The Leinie Lodge Bandshell will also be the place to be when Soul Asylum plays on Sunday, Sept. 3, and Monday, Sept. 4, at 7:30 p.m. (free). More information here.
‘Cheaper than Hamilton’
The Brave New Workshop blasts into its 65th year with its latest sketch comedy show that takes on white privilege, pop culture, Midwestern sensibility and more with gleeful antics, silly spinoffs and a few moments of sober commentary. Longtime cast member Lauren Anderson is a hoot as the Midwestern mom contestant in a game show called “Just Say It,” where the game simply asks the person playing to speak directly. Newcomer Erin Kennedy holds her own too, bringing a high energy hysteria to the mix, like when she belts, “you gotta sing out your problems,” dance steps and all. And Doug Neithercott and Denzel Belin both balance moments of biting truth-telling with physical humor.
This week, the show performs Saturday, Aug. 26, at 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., with more performances beginning Friday, Sept. 1, at 7:30 p.m., with a run through Nov. 4. at the Dudley Riggs Theatre ($35-$40). More information here.
Courtesy of the artist
Ashley DuBose
On the One Music Festival
The On the One Music Festival, presented by The Avant Garde, returns to Normandale Lake Bandshell with a full day of music highlighting Black-centered music across different genres of the diaspora. Ashley DuBose, who gained fame after appearing on The Voice, headlines with singer/songwriter Jamela Pettiford doing a tribute to Erykah Badu and Jill Scott. The International Reggae All Stars are among the acts this year, with plenty of R&B, Neo-Soul, Jazz, Afrobeats, Hip-Hop, Spoken Word spread throughout the day. Saturday, Aug. 26, noon to 8 p.m. at the Normandale Lake Bandshell in Bloomington (free). More information here.
Theresa Caputo
Theresa Caputo
Have any ghosts you want to reconnect with? Theresa Caputo, star of the reality TV series “Long Island Medium,” heads to Mystic Lake Casino for “The Experience,” where she connects with the spirits from the beyond. Is this real, you ask? Well, if not, she’s by all accounts one hell of a performer. Either way, it’s a chance to see a modern rendition of the spiritualist tradition. Sunday, Aug. 27, at 8 p.m. at Mystic Lake Casino ($69-$109). More information here.
Brian Duren readings
After releasing his novel “Ivory Black” on June 1, Minnesota author Brian Duren readies for his second novel release of the summer, when “The Gravity of Love” makes its way into the world on Aug. 29. Both books grapple with memory, past mistakes and finding solace through art and creativity. In “Ivory Black,” an artist turned warmonger comes to terms with the suffering caused by his life choices as he’s flooded with memories of his younger self. He reconnects with his father’s legacy as a painter, a gift he holds himself, to find redemption in a novel that travels from Paris to Texas to Minnesota to Fallujah with vivid scene building and characterization. In “The Gravity of Love,” Duren again shows skill at portraying strained relationships, placing his characters in time and place drawn with careful sensory detail. “The Gravity of Love” switches between two narrators — a son and his mother facing her own mortality in a piece that stirs up emotion.
Duren will be in conversation with author Cary Griffith for the launch event on Wednesday, Aug. 30, at 7 p.m. at Magers & Quinn (free). He’ll be reading from “The Gravity of Love” on Thursday, Sept. 7, at 7 p.m. at Subtext Books (free) and will be reading from Ivory Black on Sunday, Sept. 10 at 2:30 at Big Hill Books. More information here.