Artists' Pipeline #52 - May 2006

A bill currently before the Minnesota Legislature would dedicate a small percentage of state sales tax revenue to arts and culture, hunting and fishing conservation, parks and clean water. Lobbied by Minnesota Citizens for the Arts to “include the arts in the sales tax dedication bill,” the Senate passed a bill that, if approved by the voters, would increase arts funding and lock it in for the next 25 years. The Senate bill would bring the arts around $26 million per year by FY09, and the House version, much less per year. These figures would be up from current funding of $8.5M, or the $12M the arts had before the massive cuts in 2003. Thus, this bill could potentially double or triple state funding to the arts. The biggest difference between the two bills, now in conference committee, is that the Senate would ask the voters to approve a small additional sales tax (3/8th of 1%, or about 37 cents for each $100 spent), and the House would designate these funds from "current revenues."

Programs that contribute to Minnesota's quality of life would be funded. These include fish and wildlife resources; parks, trails and zoos, including: state parks, state trails, metro and non-metro regional parks and trails, Minnesota's zoos; clean water initiatives; MN State Arts Board and Regional Arts Councils, MN Historical Society, Public Television and Public Radio, (MPR is not currently in the House bill), Science Museum of MN, MN Film Board, MN Humanities Commission, MN Children's Museum and Duluth Children's Museum.

The Governor and House leaders have voiced support for the hunting/angling portion of the bill. (The House author is Rep. Hackbarth). Senate Democratic leaders have stated that the bill will not pass unless the arts are in it. Several arts bonding projects are also to be voted upon before the Legislature adjourns in late May, including the Shubert Theatre in Minneapolis, proposed for primarily a dance venue and dance education telecommunication center.

To contact your legislators easily on-line, go to the Citizens for the Arts Desktop Lobbyist: Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, Action Alert (http://capwiz.com/artsusa/mn). Or for other updates, call Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, 651-251-0868, or go to Minnesota Citizens for the Arts (www.mtn.org/mca).

The next Artists With Disabilities Alliance (AWDA) meeting is Wednesday, May 10, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Walker Community United Methodist Church (lower level), 3104 16th Avenue S., Minneapolis. The evening’s facilitator is Monique Bourgerie: 651-645-1470. You are welcome to attend especially if you would like to exhibit your artwork with AWDA at Art-a-Whirl (May 19-21). We will discuss the space in the California Building, 2205 NE California Street, Minneapolis, and our needs (opening night food, assisting each other, etc.)

We will also seek feedback on a grant proposal for a follow-up statewide forum on careers in the arts for people with disabilities; hear about upcoming auditions (July 1 and 15) for AWDA nights at Patrick’s Cabaret (October 20-21); and as usual, artists are invited to bring something to share, show, read or perform.

Minutes of past AWDA meetings are included on the Artists With Disabilities Alliance website (www.Angelfire.com/mn3/awda). Please wear no fragrances so everyone can participate. If you would like to receive postcard or email notices of monthly meetings, contact Jon at VSA arts of Minnesota: 612-332-3888 or 800-801-3883 ext. 4, voice/tty; email: jon@vsaartsmn.org.

Art-A-Whirl®, an annual open-studio and gallery tour of Northeast Minneapolis, is held the third weekend of May: Friday, May 19, 5:00-9:00 pm; Saturday, May 20, Noon – 8:00 pm; and Sunday, May 21, noon – 5:00 pm. More than 300 local and regional artists participate, including potters, tile makers, painters, sculptors, musicians, photographers, glass blowers, printmakers, and textile designers. They showcase their art in warehouses, homes, storefronts and cafes. Welcome booths are located at either 14th Avenue NE/ Central NE, NE Bank parking lot at Marshall and Broadway NE, or Columbia Grounds, 3301 Central Avenue NE. A map can also be downloaded from Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association, Art-A-Whirl (www.art-a-whirl.org). For more information: contact the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association (NEMAA), 2205 California Street NE #118, Minneapolis MN 55418; email: office@nemaa.org or Info@art-a-whirl.org, or call 612-788-1679.

The Ramsey Center For Arts (RCFA) celebrated its four-year anniversary on May 6 at its Lake Elmo center, 3585 N. Laverne Avenue in Lake Elmo. The Center has hosted several exhibits there and at other sites in Shoreview. For more info about upcoming events, call 651-256-1407.

Art St. Croix, a new informal organization that seeks to provide opportunities in the arts for adults with disabilities in the Saint Croix Valley, helped mount the opening exhibit at the RCFA Lake Elmo Gallery, "Living Creatively." On April 29 it held its first literary event there, "Your Word & Theirs." Performers read poetry, memoir and other non-fiction, and performed music and brief dramatic presentations.

Art St. Croix's next monthly meeting will be on Monday, May 22, 4:30 pm, at Arcola Mills north of Stillwater. Executive Director Jill Greenhalgh will lead a tour of the progress in reconstructing the old mansion into an arts and history center. For more information about this meeting or other Art Saint Croix events, email: 102225.1412@compuserve.com.

The Center for Independent Artists in Minneapolis hosted a reception March 23 to thank co-founder and former director Zaraawar Mistry and co-founder Leslye Orr, and welcome the Center’s new director, Mankwe Ndosi. The C4IA is located in the Instituto de Cultura Y Educacion, 4137 Bloomington Avenue South, Minneapolis.

The newly renovated offices include a budding office gallery set up and organized by Associate Director Hend Al-Mansour. 2006 CIA programming includes Tekween: Making Art in Arabic and transformation of the annual Frinj of the Frinj Festival.

The Center for Independent Artists nurtures independent artistic vision, fosters diverse cultural perspectives and seeks to build an enlightened citizenry. It particularly supports original work, the work of artists from diverse cultural groups, and the development of projects that offer under-represented or uncommon perspectives. For more information: 612-724-8392 or Center for Independent Artists (http://www.c4ia.org).

Naomi Staples, a ten-year-old from Clear Lake, has created a piece of art that has been selected for a national exhibit June 5-25 at Union Station in Washington, D.C. The exhibit, A View From My Window, comprises work by student artists with disabilities from every state and the District of Columbia, as well as Albania, Argentina, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Sri Lanka. The call for art earlier this year encouraged artists to explore their hopes and fears by expressing their dreams, memories and landscapes through visual art. VSA arts president Soula Antoniou said, "This exhibit will give people from all over the world a chance to view and understand both the beauty of art and how it affects the lives of children with disabilities."

Naomi is one of 11 students who will travel to Washington, D.C. to be recognized at a Congressional reception on June 8, as part of the annual VSA arts national conference. She will also be recognized at a presentation at her school, Clearview Elementary School, on Tuesday, May 9 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. VSA arts of Minnesota Executive Director Craig Dunn and Arts in Education Coordinator Amie Pence, will be joined by Alec Sweazy, a Minnetonka musician with William’s Syndrome, to recognize her accomplishment and speak to students and staff about participation in the arts by people with disabilities. To attend the school presentation, check in at the main office at 7310 Hwy 24 SE, Clear Lake.

"Murderball" was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary. Played in armored wheelchairs worthy of Mad Max, quad rugby (aka "Murderball") is a no-holds-barred, highly competitive, physically violent sport whose competitors are athletes with quadriplegia. Whether by car wreck, fist fight, gun shot or rogue bacteria, these men are forced to live life sitting down. But in their own version of the full-contact sport, they attack each other in custom-made, gladiator-like wheelchairs - without helmets! Co-directors Henry Alex Rubin and Dana Adam Shapiro uncover uncommon humanity at the core of men who shatter handicapped stereotypes and exemplify determination in the face of extraordinary obstacles. Whenever possible the film was shot from wheelchairs. Thus, the filmmakers learned firsthand the obstacles one faces in a world of paralysis and that their ‘muscular’ upper bodies weren’t as developed as they initially thought. The 86-minute film is rated R for language and some sexual content. It won the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for Best Documentary. It is currently NOT available with audio description or captioning.

Artists from Mississippi and Minnesota are collaborating to create an ArtShare Committee that will help design, implement and utilize the Hennepin Gallery in the Hennepin Government Center, 300 South 6th Street, Minneapolis, in August. Artists can show, according to MinnesotaHelpers CEO Mary Gray, what extraordinary healing can occur for Katrina victims and Minnesota victims of crime through expressions of art.

The area for art consists of 110 feet of glass-enclosed gallery space. One section will display Pre-Katrina Mississippi; another will display a Post-Katrina debris-filled area reflecting the devastation of Hurricane Katrina; the remaining space will show various pieces of fine art to include glass, pottery, oil, watercolors, photography, sculpture, mixed media and bronze work.

The goal of the program is to provide coveted Minnesota gallery space to Mississippi artists by bringing fine art here from Mississippi, and with the relationships created through artist-to-artist cooperation, future opportunities for Minnesota's fine artists to bring their work to newly-built or redesigned galleries throughout Southern Mississippi.

An "Art Exchange" task force is being formed, and an ArtShare Art Committee will address issues of presentation at the Hennepin Gallery. To participate, or for a flyer with more information, call 763-208-9920, 612-239-1437 or go to Minnesota Helpers (www.MinnesotaHelpers.org).

With the final bows of “Hamlet” on Vineland Place in Minneapolis, the Guthrie Theater turns its focus to its new facility, designed by Jean Nouvel, on the banks of the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis. The new $125 million Guthrie will open to the public with a black-tie gala on Saturday, June 24, featuring founding Guthrie companie members Zoe Caldwell and George Grizzard, as will as a performance by the Minnesota Orchestra, led by Osmo Vanska. On Sunday, June 25 at noon the Guthrie will welcome the community to a free day of tours, previews of inaugural performances, live music and fireworks, made possible by Target, the opening weekend sponsor.

The 285,000-square-foot theatre complex houses a 1,100-seat thrust stage, a 700-seat proscenium stage, and a 250-seat studio black box. It also includes rehearsal rooms, classrooms, production and support facilities, offices, restaurants, bars and parking. Eight images from the theatre’s past serve as historic markers of the theatre’s culture: George Grizzard, Jessica Tandy, Peter Michael Goetz, Barbara Bryne, Lester Purry, Cheyenne Casebier, Blair Brown and Hume Cronyn. The Guthrie’s scene shop is across Second Street above the city-run parking garage. Sets will move into the Guthrie on a walkway 36 feet above the street, recalling the conveyors that used to inhabit the Mills District. The season will open with an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s "The Great Gatsby" on July 15.

Change your address books: the new address is 818 2nd Street South, Minneapolis, MN 55415. The box office number will remain the same: 612-377-2224; the main administration number is now 612-225-6000. For more information: Guthrie Theater (www.guthrie.org).

"The Beauty in Difference" is the premiere of a video, a live performance and a community forum presented by The Stuart Pimsler Dance & Theater on Friday and Saturday, May 12-13 at 8:00 p.m. at Intermedia Arts, 2822 Lyndale Avenue S., Minneapolis. Post-show wine reception. Tickets are $16, $12 students/seniors. Call 612-871-4444. Stuart Pimsler Dance & Theater (www.stuartpimsler.com) or Intermedia Arts (www.intermediaarts.org).

In honor of the 16th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), several local disability organizations are sponsoring a celebration on Wednesday, July 26 from 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. at the Radisson University Hotel, 615 Washington Avenue SE, Minneapolis.

Keynote speaker Barry Taylor will discuss current Supreme Court decisions and the state of the ADA today. Taylor is legal advocacy director for Equip for Equality, Inc., the Illinois Protection and Advocacy system, at which he supervises the legal services, self-advocacy and training programs. Taylor has also overseen many individual and systemic disability discrimination cases. The evening also features entertainment by storyteller Kevin Kling and jazz pianist Michael Deutsch. A cash bar will be available and light refreshments will be served.

Sponsors include: ADA Minnesota, Access Press, Minnesota State Council on Disability, Metro Center for Independent Living, United Cerebral Palsy, Institute on Community Integration, Minnesota Department of Employee Relations (DOER), VSA arts of Minnesota, Minnesota Department of Human Services, Courage Center and ARC-Greater Twin Cities.

Admission is free, but to reserve a spot please contact Betty: bettyc@mcil-mn.org, 651-646-8342, or TTY 551-602-2001. For more information, visit ADA Minnesota (www.adaminnesota.org).

Loretta Bebeau

Visual art by Loretta Bebeau, Minneapolis, was part of a "Diverse Connections" exhibit and sale in March featuring 39 University of Minnesota Art Department Adjunct Faculty members at the Katherine Nash Gallery, Regis Fine Art Center: University of Minnesota, 405 - 21st Avenue South Minneapolis (off Riverside/Cedar area). For more information: Katherine E. Nash Gallery: University of Minnesota (http://nash.umn.edu). You may also visit her studio by calling 612-827-3270 for an appointment.

Tara Innmon

A painting by Tara Arlene Innmon of Minneapolis received the top award in a visual arts show sponsored by Art Ability in Pennsylvania. Innmon’s painting "Christmas in the City" was selected by Amy Masterman of the Philadelphia Museum of Art as her Juror’s Choice Award – and a $500 check. She had several other pieces in the show as well. Established in 1994 by Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital in the Philadelphia area, Art Ability is a nation-wide juried exhibition and sale of art and fine crafts produced by individuals with disabilities. Artists receive 80 percent of proceeds from the sale of their pieces, with 20 percent earmarked to support the Hospital’s treatment programs. For more information: ArtAbility@mlhs.org, 610-251-5607 or Main Line Health - Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital - Art Ability (www.mainlinehealth.org/br/article_9417.asp).

Carei Thomas

Carei Thomas & The Neighborhood Ensemble presented their Sixth Annual Weisman Museum Concert on March 19. Entitled "Home Is . . .," it accompanied the Weisman’s art exhibit, "Home House Project: The Future of Affordable Housing." In the words of Gaston Bachelard, "If I were asked to name the chief benefit of the house, I should say: the house shelters day-dreaming, the house protects the dreamer, the house allows one to dream in peace."

Michael Deutsch

Michael "the Hook" Deutsch, Minneapolis jazz/blues pianist, was featured in a recent City Pages article: Job Got Off Easy: He Lost His Ma and Sis to a Fire. He Lost His Arm to a Machine. What Else Has Michael Deutsch Got to Lose?.

Mike Kramer

Mike Kramer, a visual artist at Interact Center, exhibited 13 paintings depicting a variety of landscapes at the Bloomington Art Center through mid-April.

Holly Tappen

Holly Tappen of Falcon Heights is one of eight Minnesota emerging artists who are HOOKED to an art critique group by UM Professor David Feinberg and hoping to LURE you to a LIVE BAIT Art Show of their paintings and sculpture (subject matter unrelated to bait). Through May 26, the Undercroft Gallery at 2136 Carter Avenue in Saint Anthony Park (just east of Hwy 280) also features Louis Allgeyer, Mary Jo Bartos, Anne Facente, David Feinberg, Mary Houghton, Beth Karon, Jeff Lohaus, Thrace Soryn. For more information: 651-645-3058 or Saint Matthew's Episcopal Church - Saint Paul, Minnesota (www.stmatthewsmn.org).

Mari Newman

Mari Newman of Minneapolis will exhibit recent art works through May at the Dunn Bros. Coffee Shop next to the Marriott Depot Hotel, 201 Third Avenue S., Minneapolis. The shop is open Monday-Thursday: 6 am - 10 pm; Friday-Saturday until midnight, and Sunday until 10 pm. For more information: 612-692-8530. For more of Mari's paintings, go to MN artists - Mari Newman (www.mnartists.org/Mari_Newman).

The Minnesota State Arts Board has announced 72 recipients of Artist Initiative Grants in Media Arts / News Media, Music, Poetry, Prose, and Photography. A total of $379,900 was awarded in 2006 grants. Among the recipients were:

Naomi J. Cohn, Saint Paul, was awarded one of 11 Poetry grants, $4,400, to research, draft and refine a cycle of poems using museums, parks, and museum objects as touchstones for writing about memories of her father. Web site: The Loft Literary Center: Naomi Cohn (http://www.loft.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=feature.display&feature_id=48&CFID=3093363&CFTOKEN=59418448).

Billy McLaughlin, White Bear Lake, received one of 13 music grants, $6,000, to complete the final level of retraining on his guitars and to return to the recording studio and concert stage. Web site: Billy McLaughlin (http://www.billymclaughlin.com).

John T. Medeiros, Minneapolis, received one of 22 Prose grants, $2,000, to purchase a computer, and research the third and final portion of his memoir about the quest for individuality in the world of twins. Web site: John T. Medeiros - Writer, Poet (http://jmedeiros.net)

Leslye Orr and her husband, Zaraawar Mistry have formed Dreamland Arts, a gathering place in Saint Paul for creative expression through the arts that builds a healthy community. In February Orr performed her original show Women Who Drink in Stillwater, and Mistry performed his own show, Indian Cowboy, at Mixed Blood Theatre. At Dreamland Arts, a former retail business attached to their home, they are planning to offer classes (acting, music, dance, puppetry and the visual arts), performances (music, theater, dance and puppetry), children's arts activities, educational workshops in the arts, fitness and well-being (from yoga to hula), film screenings (educational and entertaining), and special events such as "artistic" birthday parties, art fairs, and a haunted house at Halloween. Dreamland Arts facilities at 677 Hamline Avenue N. will also be available for rental to artists who embody the community spirit and aesthetic values of their endeavor. Mistry and Orr founded the Center for Independent Artists at the El Colegio Charter School in Minneapolis. Its new director is Mankwe Ndosi, 612-724-8392. For more info on Dreamland Arts: info@dreamlandarts.com, 651-645-5506 or Dreamland Arts (www.dreamlandarts.com).

Minneapolis-based poets, spoken word artists and multi-disciplinary performers are invited to participate in a spoken word performance June 10 and 11 for Minneapolis Mosaic. Using the theme of “Many Worlds, One Night,” the Found in Translation collaborative is looking to unite ideas and worlds often perceived as ‘lost in translation.’ By exploring and redefining how communities communicate despite language and cultural barriers, the artists will create a visual and spoken mosaic, incorporating spoken word, drumming, vocal incantations and movement.

Collaborating organizations are Soulistic Playhouse, Center for Independent Artists, Tru Art Speaks, In the Belly and AtlanticRock.com). To help facilitate the search for participants, they will attend the following open mic events:
Tuesday, May 9, 10 p.m. - 1 a.m.: the Poets Groove @ Blue Nile, 2027 East Franklin Avenue;
Wednesday, May 10, 7 - 10 p.m.: People's Open Mic @ Lula’s Coffee & Jazz, 3400 Nicollet Avenue S.;
Friday, May 12, 7 p.m. - American Indian Education Hip Hop Fest.

If you cannot attend one of these open mics and are interested in this unique opportunity or have questions, please e-mail sharmon@soulisticplayhouse.org or Mankwe at mankwe@c4ia.org or call Stephenetta at 612-408-2829. For more information: Tony.Morrow@minneapolis.edu.

Heritage Hjemkomst Interpretive Center in Moorhead has issued a Call for Entries to its 2006 Juried Fine Arts Exhibition. Over $1000 in prizes will be awarded. The exhibition is July 1 to September 29. Submission deadline is May 31. For entry form with complete details, visit City of Moorhead Hjemkomst Center (www.hjemkomstcenter.com). For more information: contact Lisa Vedaa, 218-299-5520 or lisa.vedaa@ci.moorhead.mn.us.

Springboard for the Arts has a new schedule of workshops, opportunities and grant deadlines on its website. For more information, to get mailings, or to register, call 651-292-4381, go to Springboard for the Arts (www.springboardforthearts.org), or write to 308 Prince Street, #270, Saint Paul, MN 55101-1437.

Art Slam, a program of the Twin Cities organization Articulture, is an 8-session workshop for teens that combines instruction in visual arts and poetry/spoken word. It will take place Mondays and Wednesdays, July 3-26, at the Saint Paul Jewish Community Center. A concluding event will feature a showing and reading of students ‘work. Other participating organizations are the Downtown Minneapolis Public Library, Saint Paul YWCA (Selby & Western), Blaisdell YMCA and TC Underground on Lake Street. For more information: Contact April McHugh, 651-255-4767, amchugh@stpauljcc.org, or go to ArtiCulture - Visual Arts Classes, Camps, and Workshops - Minneapolis, Minnesota (www.articulture.org).

Women with physical disabilities who are enrolled in a graduate program in a college or university in the U.S. are eligible for scholarships from $500 to $2,000 per year from the Ethel Louise Armstrong Foundation, Inc. (ELA). Based on merit, the scholarship, in addition to providing financial assistance, enables women with disabilities to develop their leadership roles within the disability community. Deadline is June 1. The application is online at Ethel Louise Armstrong Foundation - ELA (www.ela.org). Scholarship recipients will be notified in August. For more information: (626) 398-8840.

Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute’s 43rd Annual International Art Show by artists with disabilities is up through May 20 at 800 E. 28th Street, Minneapolis (second floor of the Abbott Northwestern Hospital). The Judges' awards were:

Best of Show presented by the Sister Kenny Foundation went to Gayle Nord Harrison for a mixed media work called "Somewhere a Village."

Graphics: First Place: Alissa Hullett, Old Man Magic; Second: Mark Boritz, Drawing #1. Third: David Gaul, New England Boathouse. Honorable Mention: Tom Kaberka, Cards.

Photography: First: Jackie Crawford, Deep Thoughts; Second: Rosanne Bassett, After All; Third: Kevin Thompson, Flamingos; Hon. Mention: Loren Paulson, Sognefjord, Norway.

Watercolor: First: Barbara Misheck, Red November; Second: Brom Wikstrom, Heart Flutter; Third: Dianne Mahoney, Excelsior Garden; Hon. Mention: Edward Robinson, Winter Thaw.

Mixed Media: First: Laura Ann Walker, Lounge Act; Second: Mark Marolt, Checkerboard of Games; Third: Casper Banjo, The Sliver's Apt. #5; Hon. Mention: Sriharsha Sukla, The Gate.

Oils & Acrylics: First: Irene Olmsted, Pond Across the Road; Second: Thomas Goldstein, Fish Out of Water; Third: Anne Krocak, Phoenix; Hon. Mention: Ernie Grossbach, Watching the River.

Sculpture: First: Keiko Asai, Nyoirin-Kannon; Second: Dayna Lorraine Wolfe, Ethyl Mermoid; Third: Betty Davis, Charmed; Hon. Mention: Russell Schermer, 1940 Pickup.

Encouragement Award: Kahlid Ahmed for a sculpture, "Bird with Red Dot."

Other Encouragement Awards given by individuals, organizations and companies ranged from $25 to $100. Exhibit coordinator was Laura Swift.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends. For more information: 612-863-4466 or Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute - Art Show (http://www.allina.com/ahs/ski.nsf/page/artshow).

The Minnesota Opera's May production of The Elephant Man provides a starting point for a discussion of public attitudes and policies toward disabilities. A free discussion will be hosted by the Humphrey Institute, 301 19th Ave. S., Minneapolis, on Wednesday, May 10 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Advance registration is required. Call 612-342-1611. The panel will include opera commentator Robert Marx, former Senator David Durenberger, State Senator Matt Entenza, Humphrey Institute Professor Nancy N. Eustis; composer Laurent Petitgirard; Kathryn A. Stolp, chair of Mayo Clinic’s Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation program; and John Tschida, vice president of public affairs and research at Courage Center. The opera is being performed May 13-21 at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. For tickets, call 651-224-4222 or go to The Minnesota Opera (www.mnopera.org).

Lilli Sprintz and other visual artists and writers are participating in the Art of Recovery Show through June 30 at the Minnesota State Arts Board, Park Square Court, Suite 200, 400 Sibley, Saint Paul. Commemorating Minnesota Crime Victims’ Rights Week, April 23-29, Art of Recovery is cosponsored by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Justice Programs and the Minnesota State Arts Board. The exhibit is free and open to the public 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Or go to Minnesota State Arts Board (www.arts.state.mn.us/aor/index.htm).

Minnesota artists with mental illness are featured in "Art of the Mind," an exhibit at the MacRostie Art Center (MAC) in Grand Rapids. Installed in MAC’s Main Gallery, the exhibit will run May 5-23. TheMacRostie Art Center is at 405 First Avenue NW. For more information: Steve Downing: 218-326-2697, email: macrostiesd@qwest.net, Web site: MacRostie Art Center (www.macrostieartcenter.org).

Outsiders and Others is showing its fourth annual exhibit in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. Called "One in 4," the exhibit is intended to help increase awareness that mental illness affects one in every four adults (according to the National Institutes of Mental Health). Featured artists are Lynnda Jones, Steven Carlyle Moore, June Orr and Rosemary. The exhibit includes an evening of conversations about art and mental illness with the artists, local experts and staff on Thursday, May 11 from 7:00 to 9:00. The exhibit is up through May 20 at 1010 Park Avenue S., Minneapolis. Regular gallery hours are: Wednesday, Friday & Saturday noon to 5:00, Thurs. noon to 7:00. Free parking. For more information: 612-338-3435 or Outsiders and Others: Art Gallery and Mentorship Studio (www.outsidersandothers.org).

Two new exhibits will be shown May 20 - June 30 at Augsburg College in Minneapolis. Both will offer an opening reception on Saturday, May 20, 4-6 p.m.

"Nesting Ground," an exhibit of ceramic forms by Kathleen Moroney, is at the Christensen Center Art Gallery, 22nd Ave. S. at 7 1/2 Street. A recipient of a Jerome Foundation Project Grant for Emerging Artists, Moroney is finishing a ten-month residency at the Northern Clay Center. The angular forms are inspired by her rugged, rural Irish landscape, and convey the hard manmade quality of concrete and the geometric patterns of life above the earth. An artist slide presentation is Thursday, June 8, 7 p.m., in the Marshall Room of Christensen Center. Daily gallery hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

"Invisible Spirit," multi-media works by Missy Whiteman and Jonathan Thunder, is at the Gage Family Art Gallery, on the second level of Lindell Library, 22nd Avenue South and 7th Street. An Artists' Gallery Talk will be Saturday, May 20, 4:30 p.m. For these artists, both the conscious and the unconscious connections between past and present are foundational motifs that inform their work. The exhibition showcases Whiteman's mixed media pieces, Thunder's surrealist paintings, and short films both artists produced in conjunction with Augsburg College's Native American Film Series. This gallery is open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturday-Sunday, 1-5 p.m. (closed over Memorial Weekend, May 26-29).

For more information: 612-330-1524 or Augsburg College - Augsburg Art Galleries (www.augsburg.edu/galleries).

The Plains Art Museum in Fargo, 704 1st Avenue North, will celebrate International Museum Day on Thursday, May 18 with a festival and free admission from 10 am to 8 pm, including entrance to the exhibitions "Kent B. Kirby: A Look Back"; "Jaune Quick-To-See Smith: Made in America"; "Selections from the Hannaher's, Inc. Print Studio"; "Art View: Lynn Fundingsland”; and “Keys to the Collection: Works from the Permanent Collection." In addition, Rolling Plains Art Gallery will have an open house in the Museum parking lot featuring the exhibition "Identity and Vision in Minnesota and North Dakota." For more information: 701-232-3821 or Plains Art Museum (www.plainsart.org) or Lake Agassiz Arts Council (www.fm-arts.com).

The Red River Watercolor Society’s 13th Annual National Juried Watermedia Exhibition is at the Heritage Hjemkomst Center, 202 1st Ave N., Moorhead, through June 20. Special events include a May 9 Slide Lecture by Juror Robert Burridge, 5:00, with reception and awards at 6:00; a May 8-12 Aquamedia Painting Workshop; and two workshops on May 13: Artist Marketing Workshop: How to Cash in Without Selling Out, and Goof-Proof Photography. For more information: 701-237-3669 or Heritage Hjemkomst Interpretive Center (www.hjemkomst-center.com).

Interact Theatre will give several performances the week of June 15 of a work-in-progress by artists who have experienced and survived Traumatic Brain Injury. With a working title of "Fractured Tales," the collaborative piece has been conceived and directed by Lola Lesheim, Interact performing arts director, and also involves Interact Staff Artist Scott Reynolds, Audio Collage Artist Jonathon Nelson, Set Designer Faith Farrell, Writer Amy Salloway, and the Interact Artists. Interact Center for Visual & Performing Arts is located in the Minneapolis Warehouse District at 212 North Third Avenue, one block off Washington Avenue. For more information: 612-339-5145 or Interact Center for Visual and Performing Arts (www.interactcenter.com).

Plays fresh off the playwrights’ computer are given weekly readings at the Playwrights' Center, 2301 E. Franklin Avenue, Minneapolis. The Roundtable for General Members is a cold-reading experience in which actors bring to life new scripts and audience members respond to what worked, what didn’t. It is a great way for playwrights to gain a better understanding of their script's performance power. Roundtable readings take place in the Rehearsal Hall (rear entrance) at 6:30 pm each Wednesday through May. A new format will be initiated in the fall. Doors open at 6:00 pm. For more information: 612-332-7481 or The Playwrights' Center (www.pwcenter.org).

May 10 - Aaron Toronto, May 17 - Laura Owen, May 24 - Claudia Haas.

The Artists With Disabilities Alliance has begun a list of venues in the Twin Cities that offer Open Stages or Open Mic nights for performers. For a copy, contact Jon at VSA arts of Minnesota.

Walker Open Stage, for instance, takes place the second Friday of each month at 7:00 at Walker Community Church, 3104 16th Avenue S., Minneapolis. A freewill donation helps cover costs of refreshments and church maintenance. The next meeting is May 12. For details call Tony Wentersdorf, coordinator, at 612-872-0233 or Jennifer at 612-722-6612.

The Bloomington Center for the Arts, at 1800 W Old Shakopee Rd, houses both the Greenberg Gallery (main floor) and the Atrium Gallery (second floor). Gallery Hours: Monday-Friday 8 am-10 pm, Saturday 9:00-5:00, Sunday 1:00-10:00. It also hosts performances by Bloomington Civic Theatre, Bloomington Art Center’s Gallery Theatre Company, Continental Ballet and other groups. For more information: 952-563-8587; Bloomington Art Center (www.bloomingtonartcenter.com).

Rogue Buddha Gallery will host an exhibit called 4(four), providing an opportunity to witness the works of four diverse and talented painters playing off one another in stimulation yet harmonious complements. Featured artists are Yuri Arajs, Nicholas Harper, Jennifer Davis & Michael Thomsen. The exhibit runs through June 10 at 357 13th Avenue NE, Minneapolis. For more information: 612-331-3889 or Rogue Buddha Gallery (www.roguebuddha.com).

Killing Time: an exploration of the Arab coffeehouse in America, is an installation of photography, sound and text by Aissa Deebi. It will be up May 19 through June 2 in the California Building Gallery, 2205 California Street NE. There will be gallery talks and music on Saturdays, May 20 and 27 at 7:30. Gallery hours: Thursday-Friday 5 to 9 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Frank Stone Gallery is at 1224 Second Street NE. For more information: 612-617-9965 or Frank Stone Gallery (www.frankstonegallery.com).

For other Northeast Minneapolis exhibits, go to Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association, Opening Receptions & Current Shows (http://nemaa.org/node/65).

Memories...stories…songs. Nancy Cox, Agnes Smuda and Joan Calof show how inextricably intertwined these are in their innovative CD, Songstories. These beautifully crafted memoir pieces are intertwined with songs that accompanied or generated the memories. The CD release event will be from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 17 at the Open Book, 1011 Washington Avenue S., Minneapolis. For more information: 651-481-9261.

The Phipps Center for the Arts will feature the works of six McKnight Artists on tour, and five Mapworks artists, through June 11. The McKnight Artists are Eileen Cohen, Andrea Leila Denecke, David S. East, Satoru, Hoshino, Mtthew Metz and Kurt Brian Webb. The Mapworks artists are Edie Abnet, Marianne Barratt, Stephen J. Gates, Deanne L. Parks and Erik Sletten.

The Phipps is located at 109 Locust St. in downtown Hudson (15 minutes east of Saint Paul off I-94). Take Hudson exit 1 (Hwy 35N) and turn left at Locust. The Phipps Galleries are open Monday-Saturday 9:00 – 4:30, Sunday noon-4:30, and one hour before and through intermission of performances in the Phipps theatres. For more information: 715-386-2305, The Phipps Center for the Arts (www.thephipps.org).

A group of Anoka County artists known as Artists del Norte is celebrating 30 years of sharing and showing artwork at an exhibition featuring oil and watercolor painting, drawing, pastel, photography and digital media. With a mission to instill appreciation of the visual arts in our communities, Artists del Norte is dedicated to promoting, educating and sharing expertise in art with people of all ages and abilities. The lively group holds monthly meetings with art demonstrations and operates a rotating exhibition program. The exhibit is up through May 19 at Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts, 6666 East River Road in Fridley. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information: 763-574-1850 or email banfilllocke@usfamily.net.

Minnesota Literature publishes 10 newsletters a year with a calendar and opportunity/wanted/contest columns. The June issue (deadline May 15) will include a Bibliography of Minnesota Publishers and is the last issue before summer hiatus. Short notices are free, ads are $15 per column inch (3.5" wide, camera-ready, preferably digital); subscriptions are $15 a year. Contact Lucy Vilankulu, Editor, Minnesota Literature, 3723 Glendale Terrace, Minneapolis 55410; 612.827.0432; Minnesota Literature (www.minnesotaliterature.org).