Twin Cities' 5 must-see art shows this weekend

The state fair is this weekend. Did I mention that the state fair is happening?!?!?! Well, it is. But theer is a lot of other stuff happening around town, like art exhibition openings and panel discussions and destruction rituals. So, go to it. The fair will always be there . . .

Destroy//Minneapolis

Saturday, August 26 at 8 p.m.

The Soap Factory (514 2^nd St SE, Minneapolis 55414)

https://www.facebook.com/events/1354069248043824/

At 8pm on Saturday night, the Twin Cities will be destroyed. In this new ritual for new times, Leyya Tawil works with many Twin Cities dancers on building work on-location which will then be destroyed in the dance itself. Says Leyya Mona Tawil: "My project for The Soap Factory, Destroy// Minneapolis, is a metaphor for renewal and resistance. The health of a city is dependent on change; a change that requires destruction as part of the life cycle… As well, it is a framework to support and present the talented dancers and musicians of Minneapolis/St. Paul." Tawil has brought this work to 23 cities all over the world since 2012. Now, Minneapolis/St Paul must be destroyed.

Savage/ Thunder

https://www.facebook.com/events/113686595934891/

Opening on Saturday, August 26 from 6-8 p.m.

Exhibition runs through September 26

Artists Karen Savage and Jonathan Thunder present their first duel exhibition of paintings, aptly titled "Savage/Thunder." Thematically, their work charts landscapes, personal journeys, dreams, the Lake Superior region and their own heritage, and also speaks to the connections between the Twin Cities and Northern Minnesota. Savage and Thunder are both Anishinaabe/Ojibwe artists.

Performance and Discussion: Project 42

Sunday, August 27 at 7 – 8:30 p.m.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1529388017136127/

On Sunday, an artistic response to the lived experiences of transgender peoples in the US will be held at Mixed Blood Theater Company in conjunction with the Minnesota Museum of American Art's "We The People" exhibition. The event is a collaboration between Twin Cities-based performance artist Marcel Michelle Mobama and 20% Theatre company, and curator Johnnay Leenay of the exhibition "We the People," which features Jono Vaughn's "Project 42," in which the artist creates memorial garments for trans women, honoring their lives and spirits.

Johnnay Leenay, one of the four curators of the exhibition "We the People" and also the Diversity in the Arts Curatorial Fellow at the Minnesota Museum of American Art, focuses her section of "We the People" on the lives of queer and trans identities. Vaughn's latest piece for "Project 42" is a dress-like garment for Tiffany Berry, who was murdered in Memphis in 2006. The vibrant pink dress, with patterns over a Google Maps location of Berry's murder, and patterns of 21 triangles for Tiffany's age, also includes her name on the inside of the dress.

"Sketches of Cedar Riverside" by Mohamud Mumin

Runs through October 29, 2017

Artist Mohamud Mumin of the Somaal House of Art Collective is everywhere. He recently organized "Receptacle," a group exhibition at Cedar Riverside and TK TK mosque, of all Somali artists. In this new exhibition at the American Swedish Institute, he further explores the history of Minneapolis' West Bank, which has historically been home to many immigrants, from Nordic to today's East Africans. The exhibition laces together past and present, bringing in objects form the American Swedish Institute and the Hennepin County Library. Mumin will host a public talk in conjunction with this exhibition on Wednesday, September 13. More info: https://www.asimn.org/programs-education/events/wednesday-wonderings-afternoons-asi-mohamud-mumin

Above: Kyle L. Fokken, "The Jack in the Basket" (Figurehead Series), Minneapolis

Art at the State Fair

Fine Arts Center, Cosgrove St. and Randall Av.

Runs through the state fair September 4

Everyday from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.