Shakespeare at the cidery, a gaggle of pianists, and dirt art are part of this week’s Weekend Picks. At Rosalux Gallery, Eleanor McGough turns her keen eye toward the patterns of nature, Malamanya + Salsa Brava cook up an evening energizing music at Hook & Ladder, and Leslie Vincent releases her second album.
Shakespeare at Sociable Cider Werks
A shipwreck, separated siblings, gender swapping and mistaken identities make up the plot of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” performed by The Gray Mallard Theater Company outside of Sociable Cider Werks. Grab a brew, bring a lawn chair, and enjoy the summer evening in this production directed by Buddy Haardt. Thursday, July 20, Saturday, July 22, and Sunday, July 23 at 7 p.m., through Aug. 6 (free). More information here.
Grand Piano Spectacular
Orchestra Hall will feature not one, not two, but four different grand pianos for its Grand Piano Spectacular concert, featuring the Minnesota Orchestra’s creative partner for summer programming Jon Kimura Parker and friends. Kimura Parker is joined by Chelsea de Souza and duo Elizabeth and Marcel Bergmann. Marcel Bergmann has arranged four of the selections for the concert, including a medley of George Gershwin tunes and two works by the king of tango, Astor Piazzolla. Bergmann also composed the last piece on the program, “Four for Boogie.” Thursday, July 20 at 11 a.m. ($35-69.) More information here.
[image_credit]MinnPost photo by Sheila Regan[/image_credit][image_caption]An installation by Alexa Horochowski featured in the “Groundwork” exhibition.[/image_caption]Groundwork
An exhibition at Dreamsong gallery called “Groundwork” celebrates not only the ephemerality of art, but our own fleeting existence on this earth, with work by artists that both use the earth as a medium and as subject matter. The precarious nature of many of the works is palpable in Nikki Praus’ piece, “Will we hold each other through this fire,” (2023), a text-based piece made of dirt installed outside of the gallery.
Then there’s Alexa Horochowski’s series of cones made of clay adobe that the artist hand-pressed into molds and dried in the sun. Carefully placed at different angles and balances, the installation was permanently altered at the exhibition opening in June, when a visitor knocked over one of the sculptures, breaking it. “The artist accepts this chance and collaborative permutation that amplifies the ethos of transience,” Horochowski commented on the incident on Instagram.
At that same eventful opening night party, I was pleased to watch a screening of Ana Mendieta’s 4-minute film, “Untitled: Silueta Series (Gunpowder Works)” 1980, a ritualistic, feminist piece. My curiosity was also piqued by an installation by Seitu Jones featuring both oversized seeds as well as the mold from which they emerged.
You can visit the exhibition through August 5, Wednesdays-Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., or make an appointment. More information here.
Malamanya + Salsa Brava Dance Party
Get ready to move your body for the next installment of Hook & Ladder’s “Under the Canopy” series. The evening starts out with the Caribbean and Latin American sounds of Malamanya performing outdoors, followed by a dance party of Salsa, Bachata, Cumbia, and more indoors. Friday, July 21 at 7 p.m. with doors at 6 p.m., ($16 in advance, $22 at the door). More information here.
Eleanor McGough: Reception “Branching Patterns”
Eleanor McGough’s installation at Rosalux Gallery evokes the image of an herbarium, where specimens of plant leaves, flowers, and stems are mounted on paper, displayed within a book or in a glass display case. McGough creates her flora specimens out of cut paper, mounting them on the walls of the gallery. Each individual piece features one solid color, clean lines, and an abstracted take on roots, branches and patterns found in nature. There’s a pleasing order to the structured set up McGough has arranged, in contrast to the complexity of the patterns from which the artist draws inspiration. The exhibition runs through July 30, with a reception Saturday, July 22, from 7-10 pm. (free). More information here.
[image_credit]Supplied[/image_credit][image_caption]Leslie Vincent[/image_caption]Leslie Vincent Album Release: About Last Night
In “Psychedelics With You,” a recent single by vocalist Leslie Vincent, the singer channels a classic jazz sound and mixes it with fresh lyrics that seem at once classic and present. The song is also part of Vincent’s second album, “About Last Night,” and Vincent will be celebrating its release with an outdoor concert. It takes place Saturday, July 22 at 7:30 p.m. at Crooners- The Belvedere ($30-40). More information here.
