I had a great time at Art-A-Whirl last weekend. One of the highlights for me was seeing Alexandra Beaumont’s “Techniques for Ecstasy” at Public Functionary. If you missed the festival this year, or didn’t make it to that particular exhibition, you still have a few more days to see it, and there’s also a panel discussion taking place this Thursday. Read about it below, as well as some of my observations from Frank Buffalo Hyde’s exhibition at All My Relations, which is also having an artist talk this week.
Also in this edition of Weekend Picks, I share my thoughts on Cheri Johnson’s new novel, “Annika Rose,” and I’ve got lots of information about the various events happening around the Minneapolis Trucker’s Strike anniversary. You’ll also read about Wayne Anthony and Steven C. Anderson at the Commodore, and an opening celebration for a new public artwork at Samatar Crossing.
Book Launch: Annika Rose
Cheri Johnson’s new novel, “Annika Rose,” is part coming of age story, part psychological thriller, and part meditation on loneliness.
I write about the book and the upcoming launch here.
A launch for the book takes place Wednesday, May 22 at 7 p.m. at Eat My Words Bookstore in Minneapolis (free). More information here.
Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities: A Toy Theater Atlas
Back in March, I had a sneak preview of a performance coming to the Southern Theater this week, by a troupe that employs a marvelously creative kind of toy theater. “Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities: A Toy Theater Atlas,” is created by Minneapolis-based Matthew Gawryk & Chicago-based Dan Kerr-Hobert.
The source material, Italo Calvino’s classic novel that involves an imaginary conversation between Kublai Khan and Marco Polo, describes 55 fictional cities. In their adaptation, Gawryk and Kerr-Hobert play with perspective and size as they find ways to envision Calvino’s fictional places with cigarette boxes, pop-up books, and more.
It runs at the Southern Theater Wednesday, May 22, Thursday, May 23, and Friday, May 24 at 7 p.m., Saturday, May 25 at 12 p.m. at 7 p.m., and Sunday, May 26 at 12 p.m. ($25). More information here.
Techniques for Ecstasy
I immersed myself in Alexandra Beaumont’s “Techniques for Ecstasy” at Art-A-Whirl last weekend. It’s a textile installation on view at Public Functionary that culminates in a project the artist has been working on that finds a manifestation of movement in the realm of visual art.
In Beaumont’s “Dancing with Friends,” project, begun in 2022, the artist created large-scale textile collages featuring her closest friends. Then, last March, the artist hosted a dance party at Public Functionary, taking images to create a new related series that captures the vibrant energy of the event. Figures seem to dance on layered diaphanous drapes. You can see through the translucent material, creating a dream-like quality to the work.
Beaumont will be in conversation with Dwight K. Lewis, Jr. Kat Purcell and jess pretty, discussing dance’s use as a tool for bringing people together— whether that’s a social gathering, a spiritual practice, or an act of protest.
It takes place Thursday, May 23 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Studio 247 in the Northrop King Building. The exhibition remains on view through May 25. More information here.
Frank Buffalo Hyde: AL·TER·NA·TIVE
Scully and Mulder from the X-Files, Pee-wee Herman, and Mighty Mouse are just some of the pop culture icons that percolate through “AL·TER·NA·TIVE,” Frank Buffalo Hyde’s solo exhibition at All My Relations Gallery.
You can read my thoughts on the gallery and Buffalo Hyde’s work here.
On Friday, May 31, hear from the artist as part of an artist talk from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at All My Relations (free). Reserve a spot here.
Wayne Anthony Sings Ultimate Sinatra with Special Guest Steven C. Anderson
Have you ever been to the Commodore? It’s kind of a special place that is tucked into the Cathedral Hill neighborhood. When you enter, you’re suddenly transported into another era with gorgeous art deco stylings. This week, the Ballare Social Club invites you to hear Steven C. Anderson play his Bösendorfer piano, followed by singer Wayne Anthony kicking it back with Sinatra toons, accompanied by a 9-piece ensemble.
It all happens Friday, May 24. The Stephen C social hour starts at 6 p.m., followed by Wayne Anthony from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Commodore. ($35-$48). More information here.
Minneapolis Truckers Strike 90th Anniversary
It all happened 90 years ago.
The United States was still in the midst of the Great Depression, but as workers slowly began to return to work, labor organizing swelled across the country. According to a 1936 report by the U.S. Bureau of Statistics, almost one and a half million workers in the U.S. were involved in 1,856 strikes and lockouts across the U.S. In Minnesota, there were 22 strikes throughout the year, involving 22,437 workers.
Among those strikes was what started as a strike by the Teamsters. In May of that year, the General Drivers Local 574 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) had organized 3,000 truck drivers to unionize. The trucking companies refused to recognize the union, and the Teamsters called a strike. It was one of the most violent strikes in Minnesota’s history, with hundreds of strikers arrested, over 67 people injured, two strikers killed, and two deputized civilians killed as well. Ultimately, the strike ended on May 25, 1934 when the trucking companies recognized the union and met its demands. It marked a turning point for labor organizing and workers’ rights in the state.
Two art exhibitions are marking the occasion. The first is “Voters in Revolt,” featuring three different bodies of work by Brooks Turner. One is a series of large-scale tapestries that juxtaposes nature images with images of the strike. Turner also has created a series of pen and ink drawings of the strike, and has created a video and audio installation employing the voice of noted writer Meridel Le Sueur, who participated in the strike and also wrote about it.
The Hair + Nails exhibition starts with an opening event on Saturday, May 25 from 7 to 10 p.m. (free) and runs through June 30. More information here.
Then in June, Turner is joined by artists Mike Alewitz, Rachel Breen, Keith Christensen, Olivia Levins Holden, Carolyn Olson, Mike Rivard and youth artists from Juxtaposition Arts for a group exhibition commemorating the strike at the Cargill Gallery at Minneapolis Central Library, from June 3 to July 28. The opening for that show takes place Saturday, June 8 from 3-5 p.m., and there will be an artist tour on Saturday, June 15, 2-3 p.m., followed by a 3-5 p.m. panel discussion with the artists and historian Peter Rachleff (free). More information here.
Besides the two exhibitions, there will be labor-oriented films shown at Pohlad Hall on Sunday, June 23 at Pohlad Hall from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and on Friday, June 26 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Eastside Freedom Library (free).
Other events include a wreath-laying ceremony on Saturday, July 20, at 4 p.m. at N. Third St. and 7th Av. N., remembering Bloody Friday, when 67 strikers were shot at by police and two killed, and a picnic on Saturday, July 27 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Wabun picnic area of Minnehaha Park.
For a full list of events, plus an essay by Peter Rachliff, see here.
Artwork Dedication: Samatar Crossing
The City of Minneapolis pays homage to the late Hussein Samatar, the city’s first Somali city council member, with a new two-part artwork at Samatar Crossing, the bike and pedestrian bridge that spans 35-W between downtown and the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood. Called “Common Currents,” the work reflects on stories of immigration and other stories of journeying of people who find their way to Minneapolis.
Created by Ifrah Mansour, Randy Walker and Aaron Marx, the swirling, primary colored sculpture features poetry by local poets, including Sun Yung Shin, Sharon M. Day, ShaVunda Brown, Aegor, Ahmed Said Salah, Sixco, and Mohamed Shariff.
Come celebrate the new work on Tuesday, May 28 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the downtown side. A procession will take place across the bridge, with live poetry, refreshments, and music from DJ Fawzia. (free). More information here.
Sheila Regan
Sheila Regan is a Twin Cities-based arts journalist. She writes MinnPost’s twice-weekly Artscape column. She can be reached at [email protected].