Artist and educator Preston Drum of Burnsville recommends a visit to the Rochester Art Center.  He highlights two solo shows by Minneapolis College of Art and Design graduates, Roshan Ganu and Ivonne Yáñez. 

Roshan Ganu’s show “जत्रा (Ja-tra) : A Feeling At The Beginning Of Time” is one large artwork in a space that is made up of various mirrors, projections and animation. It’s a multi-sensory installation, with sounds of vendor calls and sung prayers. जत्रा’ (“ja-tra”) is a Marathi word for a town or village fair. The installation feels carnivalesque, with thousands of tiny interactions that you can choose to focus on specifically or let wash over you. Drum says it feels “as though you were walking into a time-traveling / space-traveling device. And when you walk inside, it's kind of like you're being teleported to India, but also in India in different times.” 

Ganu, who is the 2022-23 MCAD-Jerome Foundation Fellow, will participate in an artist spotlight tour Saturday, Oct. 7 at 11 a.m. The show runs until Nov. 5. 

Ivonne Yáñez’s show “Like a Little Tlaquepaque Vase or Como Jarrito de Tlaquepaque” is an intimate show that Drum says is “full of little hidden treasures to discover.” The title of the show refers to a phrase in Spanish that describes an overly sensitive person.

Here, brightly colored vases are made of bright, shimmery fabric. The ceiling and walls of the room are hung with sculptures, which feature detailed embroidery work, images of tarot cards and Mexican lottery games. Drum appreciates the juxtaposition of real human-made plants and the way all the elements work together. This show runs through Jan. 21.

Lisa Hartwig of Hudson, Wis., loves to attend the Sogn Valley Art Fair (pronounced “so-gun”), which holds its 51st annual event this weekend in Cannon Falls.

She appreciates the high level of quality of the art, ranging from pottery to jewelry, from painting to printmaking. More than 50 artists’ work is on view. Hudson describes it as a park-and-walk event that feels like a street festival and is anchored by the printmaking nonprofit ArtOrg.  

“I think it’s such a nice community and it’s such lovely work that you can’t beat it,” Hartwig says.  

The art fair is Oct. 7 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Oct. 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

Alexander Jabbari, assistant professor of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Minnesota, is looking forward to the Mehtegan Fall Iranian Culture Festival this Saturday in St. Paul.

The event, which is open to all, features Iranian music, dance and food. He’s particularly excited to see Twin Cities-based singer-songwriter Marjan Farsad, who sings in Persian in a style he describes as “dreamy indie pop.” Farsad will perform at 1:30 p.m., ahead of a national tour. She will also perform at the Parkway Theater in Minneapolis on Nov. 5. 

Other musical performances include piano, the poetry of Omar Khayyam set to setar, and a DJ playing Persian pop in the evening. There will also be tea and Iranian food for sale.  

Marjan Farsad