Excavations: Julie Mehretu prints

Opening Sat. Internationally celebrated American artist Julie Mehretu will be in Minneapolis for the opening Saturday of her first print retrospective. Staged in Highpoint's chic new galleries, the 20-piece show includes images the Ethiopian-born artist has made at top printmaking studios around the country including Highpoint, where she executed two prints, the colorful "Entropia (review)," shown here, and a smaller piece, "Entropia: Construction." The multilayered prints combine abstract gestures, vortex swirls, color flares and graphic patterns suggestive of maps, urban planning grids and architectural drawings. Educated at Kalamazoo College and the Rhode Island School of Design, Mehretu gained an extra measure of fame in 2005 when she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, the so-called genius grant that provides no-strings-attached support to enable its recipients to pursue their intellectual and creative endeavors. Walker Art Center also showcased her work in a solo exhibition in the early 2000s. The Mehretu show inaugurates Highpoint's new state-of-the-art facility designed by Minneapolis architect James Dayton. (Party with hands-on printmaking and dancing, 9-midnight, Sat., $35. Tickets selling fast, so call to confirm availability. Highpoint Center for Printmaking, 912 W. Lake St., Mpls. 612-871-1326 or www.highpointprintmaking.org)