Art: American Craft Council Show and Imperial St. Petersburg

August 17, 2012 at 8:55PM
"My Mushroom Clouds Will Look Like Flowers"
"My Mushroom Clouds Will Look Like Flowers" (Margaret Andrews/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

American Craft Council Show

Silk jackets, twig furniture, jazzy ceramics, one-of-a-kind necklaces, stylish cutting boards. For the past 25 years the American Craft Council has brought chic handmade fashion and interior design to the Twin Cities via this annual expo. More than 240 artisans from around the country will sell everything from high-end decor to cute kids' wear, garden gewgaws and a whole new category of fun stuff under $100. While the expo will brighten a lot of homes and wardrobes, its three-day boost to the local economy pales in comparison to the impact of the ACC's decision to relocate its headquarters from New York to Minneapolis last year. More event details.

  • Mary Abbe

'My Apocalypse Will Be Better Than Yours'

For his first solo show since the gallery relocated last year, Rosalux Gallery director Terrence Payne switches things up. The new drawings featured in "My Apocalypse Will Be Better Than Yours" mark a departure from Payne's intimate portraits of real people to archetypes and a thematic juggernaut -- doomsday. Ghoulish hell-riders, writhing creatures and hellbound figures abound, rendered in Payne's signature poppy colors. Despite the shift in subject, the artist's style is consistent, sticking with his usual combination of subject, phrase and patterns. Free opening reception 7-11 p.m. Sat 4/16. Through April 30. Rosalux Gallery.

  • Jahna Peloquin

Imperial St. Petersburg: Architectural Visions

Built in the 1700s as Russia's window onto Europe, St. Petersburg was Czar Peter the Great's fantasy capital and showplace. A glamorous conglomeration of pastel palaces, grand boulevards, canals and churches, the city was designed to advertise Russia's wealth and sophistication. It was also intended to introduce new European technologies and ideas to a largely agrarian country of peasants. St. Petersburg retains much of its elegance and grandeur, especially in the photos of William C. Brumfield. More than 30 of Brumfield's classic black-and-white images are featured in "Architectural Visions," which suggests that as late as 1985 the city seemed frozen in its imperial past. More event details.

  • Mary Abbe
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