Three Modernist masters have floated into the Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona, Minn. Edward Hopper's "Sultry Day" (1928), Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's "The Child With the Dog" (1900) and Joseph Stella's "Study of the Brooklyn Bridge" (1922) are now a part of the rivertown museum's water-inspired collection. "All of these paintings first and foremost have waters in them," said assistant curator Dave Casey. "We have a growing selection of American art so the Hopper fits perfectly into there." Hopper is best known for his portrayals of modern American life, such as the downtown diner in "Nighthawks," but this work portrays a Massachusetts seaside town. The Stella piece will be part of a fall exhibition titled "This Is New York" while the Toulouse-Lautrec fits into the museum's Impressionist and post-Impressionist collections. The museum was founded by collectors Mary Burrichter and her husband, Bob Kierlin, owner of the Winona-based hardware-supply company Fastenal. ALICIA ELER
Bringing Philando into focus
HBO's new comedy series "Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas" found a somber subject for its premiere: the 2016 police shooting of Philando Castile. The series, hosted by former "Daily Show" writer Cenac and executive-produced by John Oliver, is dedicating its first season to policing in America. That prompted Cenac, who also stars in TBS' "People of Earth," to visit Falcon Heights and St. Paul. Former Ramsey County Sheriff Matt Bostrom is held up as an example of someone making positive changes by leading workshops that emphasize the importance of character when hiring law-enforcement officers. "What I know is, solutions are not going to come waiting for a president or Congress to do something," Cenac says at the end of the episode, which airs at 10:30 p.m. Friday. "The people in St. Paul know they have to figure it out on their own and that's what's interesting to me, to see how people try to figure it out."
NEAL JUSTIN
Mahoney in aisle 3
The music business is often all about who you know, and apparently so is the grocery business at times. Twin Cities pop-rocker Tim Mahoney's new CD of solo-piano tunes, "Honest Remakes and Other Stuff," is being stocked exclusively at Kowalski's grocery stores. Turns out the ubiquitous club vet is a nephew of store founders Jim and Mary Anne Kowalski and even worked for them as a bagger in his teens. He dedicated the personal new collection — including covers of Prince, Counting Crows and Paul Young — to his late uncle Jim, who died in a fishing accident in 2013. Mahoney will sign CDs (and maybe help with bagging?) Saturday at the Excelsior store from noon to 1:30 p.m.
CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER
Veteran leader steps aside ...
Lynn Von Eschen, executive director of Cowles Center since 2012, will retire in June shortly after his 59th birthday. "I will have worked in the arts for 34 years and it's always been a dream of mine to go out on a high note," Von Eschen said, alluding to his decade at Children's Theatre and 18 years at the Ordway. Stepping away will let him focus on family, including his father, who has dementia. "My husband and I are centered and grounded here, and three of our four children live here," he said. "I don't know if this retirement is forever but it certainly is for the near future." Tom Hoch, the former Hennepin Theatre Trust CEO who ran for mayor last year, will step in as interim director and coordinate the search for a replacement.
ROHAN PRESTON
... And a new one steps up
Twin Cities Business has a stylish new editor-in-chief: Allison Kaplan, longtime shopping and style editor for Mpls.St.Paul magazine. "I've had the benefit of working right down the hall from TCB during my eight years with sister publication Mpls.St.Paul, so I know how lucky I am," Kaplan wrote Monday. She replaces Dale Kurschner, who has led the magazine since 2010. A Minnesota native, Kaplan is known for her popular "Ali Shops" blog and weekly radio show "Shop Girls" on myTalk107.1. As editor-in-chief, a priority will be increasing online traffic and social media engagement. While Kaplan will miss "being able to justify shopping all the time ... you can be sure I'll continue to carry my reporter's notepad in a stylish pocketbook."
