10 biggest art events in the Twin Cities this fall

Opening of Second Shift

The struggle to make time for creativity inspired artist Chris Larson and his wife, Kriss Zulkosky, to open Second Shift Studio Space, turning a former linoleum shop on St. Paul's East Side into a free studio space for women and nonbinary artists. The inaugural exhibit showcases work by current residents K.B. Lor, Jovan Speller, Heather Lamanno and Angela St. Vrain. (Sept. 7-Oct. 20, 1128 Payne Av., St. Paul, secondshiftstudiospace.org)

Elske Rosenfeld

The Berlin-based artist's ongoing project "A Vocabulary of Revolutionary Gestures" investigates the historic events around political and social change. (Sept. 9-26. Goethe in the Skyways, City Center, Suite 208, Mpls. Free. goetheintheskyways.org)

'After the Explosion'

Photos shot by a staffer for Maj. Gen. Nikolai Tarakanov, who was in charge of cleaning up Chernobyl, offer an intimate peek into the nuclear meltdown and its human toll. (Sept. 14-Feb. 23. The Museum of Russian Art, Mpls. $5-$12. tmora.org)

'Transference'

Curator Alexandra Buffalohead brings together well-known printmakers whose work is intrinsically connected to the Dakota land of Mni Sota Makoce, which roughly translates as the experience of "seeing land where the waters reflect the clouds." (Sept. 16-Oct 26. Highpoint Center for Printmaking, Mpls. Free. highpointprintmaking.org)

Nicholas Galanin

Galanin, who is Tlingit/Aleut, sees through a critically engaged indigenous lens. For his Minnesota debut, he'll present a performance satirizing white people's fetishization of Native objects, an homage to artist James Luna, and more. Keep in mind that Galanin withdrew from the 2019 Whitney Biennial in protest against the museum's vice chair. (Sept. 20-Dec. 8, Law Warschaw Gallery, Macalester College, St. Paul. Free. macalester.edu/gallery)

'Prince: Before the Rain'

Fifty photographs by Allen Beaulieu show the early days of the superstar. "The man was beautiful to me," said Beaulieu. "He took me on three tours. I got to see a rock star. I got to develop a rock star." (Sept. 21-May 3. Minnesota History Center, St. Paul. $6-$12. mnhs.org/historycenter)

'Artists Reflect: Contemporary Views on the American War'

This companion show to an exhibit of U.S. art from the Vietnam War era includes 11 Southeast Asian artists who explore the immigrant and refugee experience while honoring Hmong veterans. (Sept. 29-Jan 5. Minneapolis Institute of Art. $16-$20; free for active military and veterans. new.artsmia.org)

Sherin Guirguis

The Egypt-born, L.A.-based artist will install a series of hand-cut works on paper and sculpture inspired by the late Doria Shafik, poet, journalist and a leader of the Egyptian women's liberation movement. (Oct. 3-March 1, Minnesota Museum of American Art, St. Paul, Free. mmaa.org)

'Volta Photo'

"Photography is a witness to everything, a kind of proof of life," said photographer Sanlé Sory. From 1960-80, his studio in Burkina Faso flourished, opening the year his nation gained its independence. More than 35 of Sory's black-and-white studio portraits will be on view. (Oct. 18-Jan. 4. Weinstein Hammons Gallery, Mpls. Free. weinsteinhammons.com)

'The Expressionist Figure'

We may be living in a time of smartphones, but classic works on paper live on. This exhibit features work by 73 artists, including Edgar Degas, Rosemarie Trockel and Kara Walker, that explore the body as a wonderland. (Nov. 17-April 19. Walker Art Center, Mpls. $10-$15. walkerart.org)