Russian-American Artists in Minnesota
Opening Saturday: Born and raised in Russia when it was still the USSR, Katia Andreeva and Konstantin Berkovski moved, independently, to the United States in the 1990s. Both trained at rigorous art schools in Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, and have adapted their impressive skills to the challenges that befall immigrants who transit the world before finding home in an alien country and foreign language. Trained as a fashion designer, Andreeva has done book illustration, designed theater sets, painted icons and restored porcelain, all while continuing to record the natural beauty of flowers and foliage in vibrant watercolors, including "Red Cosmos," shown here. As a painter, draftsman and sculptor, Berkovski has taught art, done commissions for Gustavus Adolphus College (among other venues) and grown organic vegetables for top Twin Cities chefs — while continuing to paint and draw. A new show pairs the work of these transplanted Russians, whose images speak without need of translation. (10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat.; 1-5 p.m. Sun. $9 adults. The Museum of Russian Art, 5500 Stevens Av. S., Mpls. Ends May 31. 612-821-9045, www.tmora.org)
