SATURDAY
'Wise Blood'
The Soap Factory's cavernous basement serves as the backdrop for "Wise Blood," an immersive new opera and exhibition based on the iconic Flannery O'Connor novel. Chiefly a collaboration between classical composer Anthony Gatto and visual artist Chris Larson, the opera tells the Southern Gothic tale of redemption and retribution in 1950s America from the viewpoint of a haunted World War II veteran. Prior to the show's June 4 performances, Larson's large-scale installation pieces, kinetic sculptures and projections will be on display, accompanied by sound design by Gatto. (Free opening reception 7-11 p.m. Sat. Ends June 15, free. Performances 8 p.m. June 4-7 and June 11-14, $40. Soap Factory, 514 SE. 2nd St., Mpls. www.soapfactory.org.)Jahna Peloquin
'Kris Lowe: The Back Story'
Beyond its exploitation as a patriotic cliché, the eagle has a reputation as an avian architect and recycler. Minnesota artist Kris Lowe pays tribute to these less well-known attributes in a new drawing series inspired by her research into eagles' habits, especially their monumental nests and the things they re-use each season in constructing them. Atop her drawings, Lowe builds intricate webs of grass, thread, shredded paper, stamps and currency that add visual interest and psychological nuance. She also employs historic stamps in assemblage constructions built on the backs of prestretched art canvases. Poetic musings about the intersection of natural and human history, her drawings and assemblages unearth the "back stories" to be found in ragged fragments of the urban landscape. (Free opening reception 6-9 p.m. Sat. Douglas Flanders & Associates, 818 W. Lake St., Mpls. Ends June 7. 612-791-1285 or www.flandersart.com.) Mary Abbe
