Art Hounds

Plus, Art Hounds recommend "Time Sensitive" in Fergus Falls, Minn., and an international cultural festival in Mankato, Minn.

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.

This week on Art Hounds: A show about aging and memory in Fergus Falls, an international cultural festival in Mankato, and a ceramic mug competition in Minneapolis.

Plus, Art Hounds recommend the Twin Cities Winter Jazz Festival and the "Super Bowl" of ceramics

Singer Liz Pearse is thrilled that she's getting the chance to see acclaimed mezzo-soprano Clara Osowski perform with the Winona Symphony Orchestra this Saturday. Osowski, who is based in the Twin Cities, will be singing works by two Minnesota composers — Dominick Argento and Libby Larsen. Pearse recommends taking advantage of this opportunity to see such world-class talent while Osowski's still a local.

Ceramic artist Anna Metcalfe thinks you should know that the "Super Bowl of clay," held by the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, takes place in Minneapolis this weekend. The annual conference brings together thousands of ceramicists from around the country and the world. Metcalfe says the best part is the more than 160 exhibits that are popping up all over the Twin Cities showcasing some of the best ceramic art around. You can peruse the 26-page listing of related events here.

Jazz aficionado Barbi Byers will be at Crooners Lounge and Supper Club this Sunday for the Twin Cities Winter Jazz Festival. The five-hour festival takes up two stages and will feature saxophonist Gary Bartz along with drummer Francisco Mela as headliners. This year's festival is a tribute to longtime jazz supporter Larry Englund, who died in February. The music starts at 2 p.m.

This week on Art Hounds: The "Superbowl" of ceramics comes to the Twin Cities, mezzo-soprano Clara Osowski performs with the Winona Symphony Orchestra, and jazz musicians remember Larry Englund at the Twin Cities Winter Jazz Fest.

Writer and director Seth Bockley is headed to Open Eye Figure Theatre this weekend to see "The Beldenville Troll: A New England Gothic." This brand-new performance is billed as a modern fable; it's accompanied by a gallery of "artifacts" from Beldenville, Maine — including "troll bones." Performances run Friday to April 14.

Singer and performer Jennifer Eckes recommends checking out Skylark Opera Theater's production of Mozart's comic opera "Cosi fan tutte." Eckes says Skylark is giving the somewhat sexist tale a contemporary update; plus they're performing it in English, so audiences should have no trouble following along. Performances run Friday to March 31 at The Historic Mounds Theatre in St. Paul.

Musician Emma Deaner was at the Ides of March Bacchanalia festival in Duluth this past weekend and, lucky for you, there's another weekend of concerts on tap. The festival brings together some of Duluth's best musicians to form cover bands. This weekend you can see tributes to Fugazi, Dead Kennedys, Nirvana, Willie Nelson and The Travelling Wilburys at various venues around town.

This week on Art Hounds: Mozart's "Cosi fan tutte," a festival of cover bands, and troll-hunting.

Plus, Art Hounds recommend jazz at the Duluth Depot and a smorgasbord of queer theater.

Composer Craig Harris recommends Combustible Company's latest production, "The Gun Show." This one-person show offers a balanced look at what has become a polarized issue — gun control. Playwright EM Lewis examines her own complicated relationship with firearms as well as how the debate has evolved differently in rural and urban areas, all with an eye toward moving the conversation forward. Performances run Friday through March 24 at the Off-Leash Art Box in south Minneapolis.

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Theater artist Andi Cheney suggests you sidle up to the theatrical buffet presented by "I'm Never Going to Earth Again: 60 Queer Plays in 90 Queer Minutes." Cheney says Gadfly Theatre is a small but ferocious company that's doing important work developing new voices in queer theater, and the results are both hilarious and poignant. Performances run from Friday to March 24 at Strike Theater in northeast Minneapolis.

Writer Claire Kirch is a jazz fan, and she's delighted that one of her favorite trios has moved from the local strip club to a more family-friendly venue — the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in Duluth. Stop by on Saturday afternoons from 3 to 6 p.m. for "Jazz at the Depot: Take the 'A' Train." Admission is $5 and includes a free drink.