Afterlife Merriment

Opens Friday: Skulls. Everybody's got one, but Artland can't get enough of them these days. Just in time for All Saints' Day and Halloween, St. Paul tattooist-sculptor Jessie McNally and illustrator D.C. Ice have gussied up some skulls to celebrate the earthly afterlife of the cranium. No mere bones, their concoctions are embellished with beads, feathers, beaks, claws and even an occasional halo. Owl, floral and flame motifs suggest wisdom, renewal and spiritual notions. Animals abound, and Ice promises that "furry roadkill will be honored." The artists are creating an ofrenda, or altar, on which visitors may place Xerox copies of images of their dead loved ones. McNally's "When the Spirit Moves Through You" is shown here. Mariachi Buen Tiempo will keep feet tapping at the free opening party. (7-9 p.m. Fri. Ends Nov. 29. Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon. and Fri., 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Tue.-Thu., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. Gallery 122 at Hang It, 122 SE. 8th St., Mpls. 612-874-7222, www.hangitinc.com)

Mary Abbe