Actor Jeff Spencer recommends checking out "Mug Shot 2" at Mojo Coffee Gallery in northeast Minneapolis. It's a ceramic mug competition, and Spencer says the 400 submissions are incredibly creative and evocative works of art. You can vote for your favorite, and mugs are for sale, too. The show runs through May 5.

Stay-at-home mom and community volunteer Natha Townsend is a big fan of the Mankato Area International Festival on the campus of Minnesota State University, Mankato. The festival is organized by the university's international students, who represent more than 90 countries. It features food, music, dance and a flag parade. Townsend — a native of Sri Lanka — says the event provides Mankato residents with an opportunity to mingle with other cultures without leaving their hometown. The festival is held on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Centennial Student Union.

Social art practitioner Jacinta Zens is going to Fergus Falls, Minn., for the opening of "Time Sensitive" at the Springboard for the Arts gallery. The exhibition is by Elyse-Krista Mische who, after spending time with Fergus Falls' elderly, created an array of mixed media art to honor their life stories and memories. Zens says the artist is giving voice to a population that's often ignored. The exhibition runs Monday through April 12 with a reception on Tuesday.