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. 

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Meander through artists’ studios along the upper Minnesota River Valley

Musician Clark Machtemes of Waconia recommends the Meander Art Crawl, a three-day, self-guided tour of artists’ studios across western Minnesota.

This year’s event features 42 artists in towns including Ortonville, Appleton, Madison, Milan, Dawson, Montevideo, Granite Falls and Canby.

The Meander runs:

Friday: 12 – 6 p.m.

Saturday: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Sunday: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Machtemes notes that several towns will also host evening musical performances. (Find a map here.)

The quiet beauty of the everyday

Minneapolis painter Ken Johnson recommends Justin Terlecki’s solo show, “Hidden Place,” on view at Groveland Gallery in Minneapolis through Oct. 11.

Ken says: It's a series of nine paintings in oil. They're scenes reproduced from photographs and from his remembered events of places and friends: sleeping, exploring the outdoors, eating — all relatable.

He's creating a living history through these subtle artworks. His oils are in muted blues and greens. It's best seen in person because he uses these small brushes, and you can actually see these little brush strokes.

— Ken Johnson

Kick-start spooky season with Theatre 55’s production of ‘Sweeney Todd’

St. Paul’s Heather Foxx says she first discovered Theatre 55 — a Twin Cities theater company featuring actors aged 55 and older — through Art Hounds.

After appearing in some of their past productions, she plans to be in the audience for their fall show, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”

Heather says: This fall, they’re kicking off the spooky Halloween season with “Sweeney Todd,” filled with beautiful, eerie, haunting melodies, with actors and actresses of 55 and older.

— Heather Foxx