This weekend, the sprawling artist community of northeast Minneapolis throws open the doors to its studios, galleries and warehouses for another Art-A-Whirl. But this Whirl is more than an art crawl on steroids. It's also a neighborhood-wide celebration of Northeast, and the unofficial heralding of springtime in the city. Check out some of the best events going on during Art-A-Whirl 2011.
- When: Officially 5-9 p.m. Fri., noon-8 p.m. Sat., noon-5 p.m. Sun., unless noted
- Where: All over northeast Minneapolis and beyond.
- For a complete listing of participating locations, visit nemaa.org
Thrown for a loop: a 3-day prog rock opera on the river
Czeslaw Janicki was an electronic-music composer based in northeast Minneapolis during the 1960s. After various government jobs, he channeled his resources into his life's work: a machine that could musically beam human existence into outer space. Sadly, the experiment killed Janicki, trapping his spirit in an unfinished loop.
OK, so none of that actually happened. Janicki is a fictitious character concocted by Permanent Art & Design Group. But his sci-fi existence serves as the backbone for "Czeslaw's Loop: The Final Opus" -- a sprawling, three-day multimedia opera with roughly 100 participating artists and musicians, taking place on the Mississippi River during this weekend's Art-A-Whirl. This marks the fourth year that high-concept antics have come to the riverfront behind the Sample Room, and it looks to be the most elaborate yet.
The logistics behind "Czeslaw's Loop" are a bit mind-boggling, but here goes. There'll be four distinct acts over three days, atop a massive stage built on the river, Permanent creative director Joseph Belk said. Ryan Olson, ringleader of the supergroup Gayngs, and rapper P.O.S. will head up the first act, titled "Desire," on Friday evening. Producer/composer Chris Strouth will conduct the third act, "Creation," on Saturday night, along with members of '80s stalwarts the Time, the Family and Information Society. The entire weekend will be packed with music and visual art, all rooted in the pathos of a shared sonic loop -- Janicki's unfinished masterpiece. The performance will sprawl off the stage onto a barge (!) and two houseboats.
Strouth, an avant/multimedia veteran, likens the project to a "prog rock opera." "It's the weirdest thing I've ever done," he said, promising surprise guests and a laser-filled ending. "This is like the Nashville of the Midwest in a lot of ways," Strouth said. "Sure, I'm biased, but I'm not wrong."
- Jay Boller
Thursday
Art-A-Whirl unofficially kicks off Thursday on the West Bank (not northeast Minneapolis) with this art show and party put on by Tarnish & Gold Gallery and the Bloodtime collective. The event takes over the Nomad World Pub and its second-floor space with visual art by Bloodtime's Justin James Sehorn and Jesse Draxler, plus Garrett Perry, Miles Mendenhall, Nick Howard and others, as well as live music from Doomtree's Mike Mictlan, Spyder Baybie Raw Dog and La Manchita.
Friday
George W. Bush's premature proclamation is at the heart of this group show at Fox Tax Gallery, with works by local artists that riff on the post-Bin Laden political climate and a decade in politics. In addition to the original work on sale, 10 signed and numbered prints of each piece from artists such as John Diebel, David Hansen and Nicholas Golfis will be available for $40 each.
Friday-Sunday
One of Rogue Buddha's regularly featured artists gets the spotlight during the gallery's Art-A-Whirl opening. Inspired by the subconscious, Michael Thomsen's ornate, shrine-like sculptures are chock full of mechanical moving parts, religious iconography and general whirligigs. The show will include the artist's past work as well as a number of new mixed media pieces and a preview of his forthcoming art film "Centro."
