SATURDAY
'In Which ________ and Others Discover the End'
Minnesota installation artist Liz Miller meticulously arranges colorful felt, fabric and plastic into amorphous shapes and patterns that, at a distance, look like 3-D art. Upon closer examination, the interlaced, tactile pieces give the viewer the sense of stepping into a futuristic jungle. Her latest large-scale installation will envelop the walls of Public Functionary with its decorative, chaotic and repetitive charm. The installation is just the beginning of "In Which _______ and Others Discover the End," a collaboration between Miller, performance collective SuperGroup, experimental playwright Rachel Jendrzejewski and art-rock band Brute Heart. The project will explore themes of human mortality, climate change and the mystery of life, culminating with a series of live performances. (Free opening reception 7-11 p.m. Sat. Performances March 27-29 & April 2-4. Ends April 10. Public Functionary, 1400 12th Av. NE., Mpls. www.publicfunctionary.org.) Jahna Peloquin
'Rome: Traversing the Sacred'
The flowing forms of Roman Baroque sculpture are a natural for a painter best known for big, lush, Pop-style images of roses and other blossoms. After a sojourn in Rome, Minneapolis artist Charles Lyon returned with angels on his mind. Specifically, the 10 marble angels that Gian Lorenzo Bernini and others designed to grace the Ponte Sant'Angelo, which spans the Tiber River and links the ancient city to the Christian precincts dominated by St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican. Instead of ruffled flower petals, Lyon evokes the undulating robes, cascading ringlets and tender expressions of the 350-year-old sculptures. Simultaneously, Minnesota artist Carl Oltvedt is showing new landscape paintings of the North Shore and Minneapolis parks in the gallery's Annex. (Free opening reception 2-5 p.m. Sat. Ends April 18. Groveland Gallery and Annex, 25 Groveland Terrace, Mpls. 612-377-7800 or www.grovelandgallery.com.) Mary Abbe