Tactile textiles For a stunning collection of color and texture, check out the Guatemalan Trunk Show Benefit, showcasing almost 1,300 textiles and pieces made from them, including indigenous and contemporary Guatemalan textiles.
The free show runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Odegard Showroom, 210 N. 2nd St. in Minneapolis. The pieces -- including fabrics, pillows, tablerunners, throws and bedspreads -- are on display and for sale. Proceeds benefit rural Guatemalan artisans and their families through Friendship Bridge, a microlender.
Curator Mary Anne Wise, a Wisconsin textile artist and educator, visited Guatemala's western highlands in November; her team purchased village-specific pieces from vendors and artisans in more than a dozen cities, and contemporary pieces from Fair Trade groups. (See a travel diary from Wise's trip at www.maryannewise.com/mynews.html.)
Also for sale: Furniture and accessories by nine regional designers -- Lynn Barnhouse, Carol Belz, Wendy Coggins, Tom Gunkelman, Sally Wheaton-Hushcha, Jody Mahoney, Marcia Morine, Gay Parker and Mary Wozniak -- created using these textiles.
Two new rug designs by Stephanie Odegard, based on Guatemalan motifs, are also scheduled to be introduced. For more information, see the aforementioned Web address or call the showroom at 612-455-6100.
KIM YEAGER
City living on parade Back when living in the city was a hard sell, Minneapolis and St. Paul launched a home tour to spotlight newly remodeled homes. Unlike most other tours, this one also featured the homeowners who did the remodeling as well as the neighborhoods they lived in.
Now in its 21st year, the annual Minneapolis and St. Paul Home Tour has become a rite of spring. This weekend's tour features a garage/tea house combo, artists' live-work spaces, updated basements and green remodeling projects. There also will be historic tours in Minneapolis' Prospect Park and St. Paul's Dayton's Bluff neighborhoods.
