It’s been three years since the start of the pandemic, and we are quickly approaching the three- year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd. As a community, we are still processing both events and figuring out how we move forward toward a better future. One project tackling some of those questions is called “Facing the Fire II.” It’s a continuation of a project Paul Herwig initiated on buildings on Lake Street, and now, teaming up with music artist Queen Drea, heads to Minneapolis’ Third Precinct. Another project that is looking at the big questions of equity, truth, and power is a piece called “Here Lies the Truth” by a Wisconsin-based contemporary dance troupe heading to the Red Eye Theater. Other events this week: the Minneapolis Saint Paul International Film Festival gets started, See More Perspective teams up with the Bach Society of Minnesota, SooVAC features two artists grappling with family legacy, and the Bakken Ensemble presents its season finale.
Facing the Fire II: Projections on the former Third Precinct building
As the city deliberates where to rebuild the Third Precinct, which was damaged by fire in the unrest following George Floyd’s murder, a group of artists are animating the former site (and one of the options for the new Third Precinct) with art and music. Local music maker Queen Drea curates music sourced from the Muatas, Kashimana Ahua, and PaviElle French, along with her own composition and sound design, and weaves in poetry by ShaVunda Brown. Drea’s music accompanies a design by Paul Herwig — compiled from news media images, street art, graphics, historical unrest, and civic protest — that is projected on the police station. It’s commissioned by Herwig and Longfellow Rising. The 30-minute running loop will be shown ). More information here.
Here Lies the Truth
Madison, Wisconsin-based Li Chiao-Ping Dance Company investigates sociopolitical events and the important questions of our time through a documentary-style performance that layers in recorded voices with movement. Investigating the notion of truth as it converges with power, access, and equity, the work is a start of a conversation about where our country has been and where it’s headed. Li Chiao-Ping conceived, directed, and choreographed the piece, working in collaboration with the dancers and other artists and designers. Thursday, April 13, and Friday April 14 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 15 at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Red Eye Theater. ($24 suggested donation). More information here.
Minneapolis Saint Paul International Film Festival
It’s a sure sign of spring when the Minneapolis Saint Paul International Film Festival launches. If you can get over to the Main, located in the St. Anthony Main area, before the cold front hits again, take some time before the show to take in the beauty of the river, walk over the Stone Arch Bridge, or have a pre-movie patio beverage in the neighborhood. As with past years, the festival is packed with locally made film and international gems. I recommend seeing “My Sailor, My Love,” a film by Finnish director Klaus Härö in his first English language project. It’s filled with gorgeous scenery and terrific acting performances. Another film you may want to take a gander at: “Cairo Conspiracy,” a portrait of terrible, inept people and systems, told with style, intrigue and bite. Thursday, April 13 through Thursday, April 27 ($15). More information here.
Seeds of Culture: Baroque and Hip Hop in Conversation and Cross-Pollination
Have a dose of Claudio Monteverdi with your hip hop when See More Perspective joins the Bach Society of Minnesota for a genre-pushing concert. See More Perspective riffs on the composer’s works, along with music by Marc-Antoine Charpentier and Jean-Philippe Rameau in a performance co-created by violinist Marco Real-d’Arbelles. The two music creators will be joined by vocalists Elena Stabile and Katherine Parent, Phillip Rukavina, on lute and guitar, and pianist Rie Tanaka. Afterwards, stay for a meet -and-greet with the artists and sample MaiBach beer by MetroNOME Brewery. It takes place Saturday, April 15 at the Center for Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m. (free). More information here.
In a Family Way and Intend at SooVAC
Interdisciplinary artist, educator, and curator Kehayr Brown-Ransaw mines family history to make large-scale quilts featuring brightly colored designs in an exhibition called “In a Family Way.” Layered into the lovingly assembled installation are photographs, stories and legal documentation of the artist’s heritage. Walk into a tree farm and visit the untold stories kept close and vivid. Also on view at SooVAC is “Intend” by Tia Keobounpheng. If you’ve been to the Fine Arts building at the State Fair in the last two years, you’ll recognize Keobounpheng’s dizzying use of color and pattern that have made her a runaway hit at the annual exhibition. At SooVAC, she’s working with stitching on paper to create a kind of roadmap to her own ancestral history, using mirrors to reveal the hidden stitches. Both exhibitions hold an opening reception Saturday, April 15 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. (free), with the exhibition running through May 27 (free). More information here.
Bakken Ensemble season finale
For its season finale, the Bakken Ensemble performs a work that draws on Andean folk and classical music traditions, called “Leyandas: An Andean Walkabout for string quartet.” It’s by composer Gabriela Lena Frank, a California-based composer who, when not winning prestigious awards — including Guggenheim Fellowship, a Latin Grammy Award, and honors from the Joyce Foundation, United States Artists, the Sphinx Organization, and others— works with young composers on a farm in California, called The Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music. Besides the piece by Frank, the Bakken Ensemble will perform a work called “Souvenir du Voyage” by Bernard , a frequent Alfred Hitchcock collaborator. Also on the program is George Crumb’s “Sonata for Solo Cello.” Performing in the concert will be clarinetist Sangyoon Kim, cellist Stephanie Arado, Pitnarry Shin, violinist Kyu-Young Kim and violist Jenni Seo. Sunday, April 16 at 4 p.m. at Antonello Hall at MacPhail ($25 tickets). A fundraiser follows the concert: Sunday, April 16 at 6:30 p.m. ($125-$175 fundraiser). More information here.
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