Ice, snow and city streets inspire Minnesota artists in 3 new shows

Ten Years of Art Shanty Projects on Ice: A Celebration

Saturday: Yes, there will be art shanties again. After a yearlong 2015 hiatus, one of Minnesota’s most distinctive — or eccentric — art festivals will materialize again, in February, on White Bear Lake. Fans needn’t wait for bitter winds and blowing snow, however. A decade of Art Shanty Projects will be celebrated with a one-night-only party featuring photos of shanties of yore, plus posters, buttons, T-shirts, performance relics and other mementos from the past decade. Much of the stuff will be for sale, with proceeds benefiting the upcoming On-Ice Program in White Bear Lake. During the past year, the Shanty project restructured as a nonprofit organization that won a prestigious Art Place America grant totaling $100,000 over two years. The money enabled the organization to pay artists for the first time this year. Besides making shanties and producing events, the artists have made kick-sleds (think push-carts on skis) to enable mobility-impaired people to get out on the ice. There won’t be any shanties at the party, but art cars and art bikes are sure to show up. (6-9 p.m. Sat. Free. Soo Visual Arts Center, 2909 Bryant Av. S., Mpls. artshantyprojects.org)

 

Winter Wonderland: Beauty Revealed

Opening: Winter’s bare, sculptural trees and restrained colors have inspired artists from Pieter Bruegel the Elder in 16th-century Belgium (whose famous “Hunters in the Snow” is now in Vienna) to Claude Monet, who was fascinated by sunshine gleaming off snow-banked villages in 19th-century Norway. Now five Minnesotans — Andy Evansen, Tom Foty, Charlotte Laxen, Kathryn Mussack and Neil Sherman — have recorded their impressions of Minnesota in winter and other seasons. Foty’s “Minnehaha Creek in Spring,” shown here, catches that bracing moment when creeks flood with icy, fast-running water and snow recedes under the sun of lengthening days. The artists will do a free Q&A about their work from 1 to 4 p.m. Jan. 23. As a special enticement, arboretum admission is free every day in January. Normal admission is $12 for ages 13 and up. (Ends March 31. Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, 3675 Arboretum Drive, Chaska. 952-443-1400 or arboretum.umn.edu.)

Sidewalks of the City

Opening: Seasons rarely intrude in David J. Cunningham’s moody urban nocturnes. Instead, his canyon-like streets are suffused with timeless light, a watery glow that softens the edges of buildings and wraps cars and people in shadowy anonymity. In 16 recent paintings, the St. Paul-based painter interprets Twin Cities streets as narrow canyons observed from bird’s eye perspectives, or geometric towers crowded into jigsaw puzzle designs. Many of his scenes could be found in any modern metropolis, but some memorialize such local landmarks as Nye’s Polonaise, the Minneapolis Warehouse District, or Nicollet Mall on “Rainy Nights” as seen here. Expect a lively scene on opening night at Gallery 360, a cozy art-smart boutique and popular neighborhood hangout in south Minneapolis. (Opening 7-10 p.m. Sat. Ends Feb. 28. Free. Gallery 360, 3011 W. 50th St., Mpls. 612-925-2400 or gallery360mpls.com)