Art Hounds

Forecast Public Art's founder Jack Becker was walking by Theatre in the Round the other day and was delighted to come across muralist John Pugh. Pugh is finishing up work on a massive "trompe l'oeil" — or "to fool the eye" — mural on the exterior of the theater. Becker says the brick walls appear to peel away, revealing a glass sphere with actors performing inside. "Theatre in the Round," indeed.

Minnesota Center for Book Arts' board member KC Foley attended the opening of "Rose and Melvin Smith: Remembering Rondo" at the Weisman Art Museum, and she wants everyone she knows to go see it. Foley says the husband and wife capture the vitality of the African-American neighborhood at its height, before Interstate 94 was built right through the middle of it. The sprawling exhibition includes paintings, collage and sculpture. On display through Sept. 8.

Props master Brooke Nelson paid a visit to Duluth recently, where she took in a performance of Renegade Theater Company's production "Sylvia." In it a middle-aged man falls in love with a dog — played by a beautiful young woman — much to the consternation of his wife. Nelson says the show is great fun, but not appropriate for children due to a very foul-mouthed dog. Performances run through Saturday.

Artist and professor Rachel Breen is looking forward to Northern Spark this year. The late-night art festival takes over different neighborhoods, presenting all kinds of art for public consumption from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. This year's festival has three hubs: the Commons in downtown Minneapolis, the American Indian Cultural Corridor along Franklin Avenue and the historic Rondo neighborhood in St. Paul. You can find all the details on its website.

Writer and performer Paige Collette says the Red Eye Theater's New Works 4 Weeks festival is in full swing, and recommends you get in on the fun before it's over. Each weekend a different artist performs new work to the audience. This weekend, artist Theo Langason presents "Welcome Home," an evening of poetry, music and improvisation on the theme of home.

Philip Muehe has come to count on Art in the Park each year to help him find the perfect gift for Father's Day. Artists from around Minnesota come to Sylvan Park in Lanesboro, Minn., to sell their paintings, sculpture, jewelry and more. Between the art, the park and the food vendors, Muehe says it's a delightful way to spend the day. It runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Artist and professor Rachel Breen is looking forward to Northern Spark this year. The late-night art festival takes over different neighborhoods, presenting all kinds of art for public consumption from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. This year's festival has three hubs: the Commons in downtown Minneapolis, the American Indian Cultural Corridor along Franklin Avenue and the historic Rondo neighborhood in St. Paul. You can find all the details on its website.

Writer and performer Paige Collette says the Red Eye Theater's New Works 4 Weeks festival is in full swing, and recommends you get in on the fun before it's over. Each weekend a different artist performs new work to the audience. This weekend, artist Theo Langason presents "Welcome Home," an evening of poetry, music and improvisation on the theme of home.

Philip Muehe has come to count on Art in the Park each year to help him find the perfect gift for Father's Day. Artists from around Minnesota come to Sylvan Park in Lanesboro, Minn., to sell their paintings, sculpture, jewelry and more. Between the art, the park and the food vendors, Muehe says it's a delightful way to spend the day. It runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Educator Sam DiVita is impressed by photographer Whitney Bradshaw's portrait series "Outcry." Bradshaw photographs individual women screaming, and then fills a gallery with the results. DiVita says the exhibition made him think of all the reasons woman have to scream, and how hard it can be for women to be heard. "Outcry" runs through June 30 at The Show Gallery Lowertown in St. Paul.

Musician and composer Emily Youngdahl Wright recommends listening to blues singer and storyteller Jerry Ostensoe. Ostensoe lives in Granite Falls, Minn., and Wright says his music conveys the feeling of the wide-open plains. Ostensoe was recently diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, or ALS; he just recently celebrated the release of his latest self-titled CD, which he says will be his last. Wright says knowing Ostensoe's story makes listening to his music that much more compelling.

Improv artist Janet Polli has become a fan of Saturday nights at HUGE Improv Theater. First, "OMG" features women reading excerpts from their childhood diaries, and then using the material as fodder for improv. Then "The Mess" brings together some of the Twin Cities' best improv talent for a completely new show every week. Both shows run through the end of June.

This week on Art Hounds: "Outcry" empowers women to scream it out. Plus, an improv double-feature and the story behind Jerry Ostensoe's latest - and last - CD.

St. Paul Academy senior and self-described theater nerd Isabel Saavedra-Weis went to see Full Circle Theater's production of "Caught," and says it gave her brain a workout. The show starts out as a gallery exhibition, then turns into a play and continues to morph throughout the evening. Saavedra-Weis says the show makes you examine what you know to be true and smartly reveals how much of our sense of comfort revolves around knowing what is real. Performances run through Sunday at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis.

Dancer, choreographer and composer Justin Jones recommends checking out "The Startled Faction (a sensitivity training)" at Hair and Nails Gallery in Minneapolis. Created by Chicago-based filmmaker Catherine Sullivan, the 34-minute film explores the competing notions of "leaning-in" and resistance, using dance, dialogue and reconstructed scenes from other films. Jones says while the film might sound heavy or overly didactic, the result is funny and engaging. On view through June 16.

Photographer and filmmaker Nik Nerburn is excited to see Allen Killian-Moore's solo exhibition "I Am What's Wrong with the World" at the Duluth Art Institute. Combining film, video and photography, the installation explores power, the landscape and coexistence. Nerburn says don't pay any attention to the title of the show — Killian-Moore is what's right with the world.

This week on Art Hounds: "Caught" has you questioning what is fact and what is fiction. Plus, two art film installations - one in Minneapolis and the other in Duluth.

Theater artist Freya Richman has become a big fan of DaNCEBUMS, a company created by five college friends who like to say they bring "the party to the arty." Richman particularly loves their ongoing collaboration with musician Eric Mayson, and how their works play off one another. DaNCEBUMS presents "It's All Real, It's All Fake" Thursday through Sunday in the Tek Box Theater at the Cowles Center for Dance.

Composer and musician deVon Gray is going to the Minneapolis Institute of Art Thursday night for a combined art and music experience. Some of the Twin Cities' greatest improvisational musicians — Sarah Greer, Mankwe Ndosi, Davu Seru and Fatawu Sayibu — will perform in Gallery 255, drawing inspiration from the Mbuti barkcloth paintings hanging on the walls. The performance gets underway at 6:30 p.m.

Visual artist Bebe Keith is looking forward to the return of A.R.T. — or "Audacious Raw Theater." Created by Lanesboro, Minn.-based performing artist Catherine Glynn, A.R.T. brings together seven artists to create seven new works in seven days. Audiences can see the results at the historic St. Mane Theatre in Lanesboro on June 1-2 at 7:30 p.m.

This week on Art Hounds: a dance show about authenticity, a music performance in a museum and Audacious Raw Theater.

Avid arts consumer Florence Brammer was moved by Prime Productions' staging of "Marjorie Prime." It takes place in the future, when computerized hologram companions replace the deceased, "primed" with their memories. Brammer says the show is a compelling exploration of what we choose to remember, and how we choose to remember it. Performances run through Sunday at Park Square Theatre.

Katha Dance founder Rita Mustaphi is looking forward to Ethnic Dance Theatre's "Balkan Odyssey." Joined by MILA vocal ensemble, EDT explores the music and dance of the Balkans, from Athens to Zagreb. Performances run May Friday through Sunday at the EM Pearson Theatre on the campus of Concordia University.

Novelist and retired arts administrator Kathleen Peterson is looking forward to a new play based on a true story in Winona, Minn. Mister James and Mister Jeff were both escaped slaves who made their way to Winona, but they found very different lives there. James ran a successful restaurant; Jeff was a panhandler who suffered public scorn. "Mister James and Mister Jeff" explores what their relationship might have been like. Performances run through Sunday at the Masonic Theater in Winona.