Opening Tuesday: An ambitious bunch of about 40 contemporary artists are planning to take on the "social, political and ecological issues of our time" in a new exhibition, project space and series of public programs, film screenings and artist talks.

The organizers imagine that art is capable of solving problems in everything from how we produce and consume our food to how the criminal justice system operates. The "Hydroponic Table" shown here was designed by the Crescent Collective as a food-producing sculpture; note the lettuce sprouting in the table's hydroponic trough. In a fusion of art and politics,

Minneapolis City Council Member Cam Gordon will hold office hours in the gallery 9 a.m.-noon Sept. 26. Artist Kate Casanova will serve insects (crickets, mealworms, waxworms) as snacks during a reception 6-9 p.m. Sept. 12. (11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tue.-Sat. Ends Dec. 13. Free. Katherine E. Nash Gallery, Regis Center for Art, University of Minnesota, 405 21st Av. S., Mpls. 612-624-7530 or www.art.umn.edu/nash)

Mary Abbe