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It’s an arty party in Saint Paul! From Grand Ave to Lowertown to Midway, our fair city has lots to look at and appreciate this weekend. Want to make an evening of it? Check out our handy-dandy itineraries below!

Friday, August 27th

Beneath the Surface Closing Party

7-10pm / Free

Rhea Pappas Photo Studio / Northern Warehouse, 308 Prince St., Studio #411

The photography of one Rhea Pappas always takes our breath away - and not just because her subjects are submerged under water. The young shutterbug has made major “waves” in the art scene this year, showing her work in multiple locales and being accepted to the State Fair’s Fine Arts Competition. Her current body of work Beneath the Surface was displayed at the Icebox Gallery in Northeast Minneapolis over Art-A-Whirl. And for those of you who didn’t have the chance to cross the river this May, Pappas is offering a chance for you to peep the goods at her Lowertown studio this Friday - an unofficial “closing” party, if you will. Check out Pappas’ ethereally submerged lovelies and her ghostly, abstract light-play, meet the artist herself, sip some refreshments, nibble some apps and even tap your toes to live music a la Sarah Cotner. Click HERE to read an interview we did with Rhea earlier this year.

What to do after: After checkin’ out the art, pop into the Black Dog Cafe for a glass of vino and live music from the Fantastic Merlins. Or stroll a couple blocks down to Barrio and try one of their awesome margaritas and perhaps a couple happy hour tacos!

Friday, August 27th

Well Done Closing Party

7-11pm / Free

Nicademus Art / 225 N. Snelling Avenue

Burlesque of North America’s small but famed group of collaborators have whipped up beautifully designed posters for cool bands the world over and have sold their limited edition art prints far and wide. And what’s that you say? They’re based out of the Twin Cities? Yep, it’s true. And even if you didn’t make it to last month’s opening reception and BBQ, you’ve been granted one last chance tonight. Well Done is a collection of the collective’s favorite pieces, many of them in alternate color palettes than their original designs — making the prints on display truly one-of-a-kind. What’s more, is that the group has created a huge wallpaper installation in the gallery and will be selling off “wallpaper packets” to those interested in jazzing up their own abode.

What to do after: Jaunt on over to the nearby Turf Club to take in live tunes from Vaz (comprised of founding members of legendary local noise rock group, Hammerhead). Or for something less loud, make your way to the Blue Door Pub on Selby, a joint widely heralded for its perfect Juicy Lucy burger.

Friday, August 27th-Saturday, August 28th

Tri-Art Acrylic Event

10am-8pm Fri / 10am-6pm Sat / Free

Wet Paint / 1684 Grand Avenue

Okay, so this isn’t an art opening, but hey, we figure after all the above shenanigans you might be inspired to create art yourself! Head down to Grand Avenue’s staple art supply store, Wet Paint, for a weekend sale and some fun art-play! The shop will be offering a whopping 60% discount on Canadian-made, high-pigment acrylic paint line, Tri-Art. And Reps from the Jack Richeson Company (US distributor for Tri-Art) will demo the Tri-Art range and answer any questions you have about the line. They will also have samples of each of the Tri-Art paint lines found at Wet Paint on hand so you can test them out yourself - and you can forget doodling on little sheets of paper - this weekend’s even invites you to try out the wide range of products on a huge 5′x’10 canvas easel. Painters of all ages and skill levels are welcome. So, get inspired, grab some heavily-discounted supplies from Wet Paint and put your creativity to work!

What to do after: Since you’ll likely need some replenishing after a day of artsy shopping, stroll up the block to the Coffee News Cafe, a cozy spot that offers a great menu of sandwiches and soups…and yes, coffee. Or check out the Shish Cafe, where you can snack on Mediterranean delights and baked goods. Don’t forget to stop into some of the cute boutiques in the area while you’re at it!

It’s hard to imagine that Summer is almost over, but the silver lining is always the Minnesota State Fair! Enjoy the tail end of August with a few hundred thousand of your closest personal friends at the great Minnesota Get Together this year. The 651 will be bringing you our favorite tidbits previewing this year’s fair throughout the week, so stay tuned for entertainment picks, food picks, and more. The Fair starts on Thursday, August 26th and runs through Labor Day. Today’s bit will talk about the Fine Arts Building, one of my personal favorites!

Each year, thousands of Minnesota artists submit their work to the State Fair Fine Arts Competition, and only a little under 400 make the cut. The sprawling building on the corner of Randall & Cosgrove houses these fantastic works for the duration of the Fair, inviting all to take in the talent of our creative community. What’s different and more exciting about the annual competition, is that the works are selected from all over the state - from small towners to city slickers. Next to a modern, abstract work by a Northeast Minneapolis artist you may find a detailed country landscape created by someone from Owattona — the possibilities are pretty much endless. The Fine Arts Building is a mixed bag, and that’s just how we like it! See sculpture, painting, textiles, photography, drawing and oh-so much more in this unconventional, yet highly respected annual exhibit.

2010 State Fair commemorative art by Deborah Voyda Rogers

One of our favorite things? Watching all the pronto pup-eating looky-lous experiencing and talking about art. It’s a very rare thing to get so many eyes on such a plethora of local work, and we expect a number of those people end up being inspired to create or seek out more art on their own, away from the Fair. And that’s a wonderful thing! Bring your family, friends, and significant others to check it out — a little visual stimulation never hurt anyone (especially when you can bring your cheese curds into the gallery!).

BONUS:  Attention artists: The Fair hasn’t even kicked off yet, but the organization is already putting out a submission call for the 2011 Commemorative Art piece (the art that will rep the Fair throughout all the land next year!). The final piece should be the artist’s visual interpretation of the Great Minnesota Get-Together. Attend this year’s State Fair for inspiration. Application deadline is Friday, Oct. 1, 2010 by 3:30pm.

Harriet Island turns into the Emerald Isle for a weekend as the annual Irish Fair of Minnesota returns. Don some green apparel and head to the banks of the Mighty Mississippi for a three-day blow out celebrating Irish Heritage - and trust us - the Irish definitely know how to party!

A family-friendly event that draws heavily on music, dance and interactive activities for all ages, Irish Fair is a great place to introduce your little ones (or yourself) to the cultural history of Ireland, and St. Paul’s close connection to it. Over 100,000 people attended Irish Fair last year to enjoy fantastic music, performance, food, and so much more. And this year the legacy continues with a mighty fine schedule of events including music from Great Big Sea, Young Dubliners, Lunasa, Tommy Sands, The High Kings and Bua plus a number of local and regional performers including over 80 individuals or groups with more than 250 dancers and 140 musicians presenting 300 shows, seminars or workshops throughout the weekend. Traditional Dance performances happen pretty much all day every day on the dance stage and are capped off each night with a céili (that’s Irish for a huge dance party!).

Also on hand will be a number of educational activities that will offer you a chance to learn about traditional musical instruments, history, legends, movies, literature and more. Inside the Harriet Island pavilion, you’ll be invited to peruse a number of craft vendors, check out the Irish Fair Photo Contest entries, see a replica poitín still and enjoy treats at Tussie’s Tea & Sweets tea room. Outside the pavilion, you can trace your genealogy, enter the Baking Contest, learn some Irish words and get info on many of the active Irish non-profits in Minnesota from community organizations on site. Over 60 art vendors and exhibitors dot the landscape of Irish Fair as well, a perfect opportunity to pluck up hand-crafted, culturally interesting gifts for friends and family. Most vendors are located in the East or West Marketplace tents. A few are spread out around the grounds. Artisans have their own tent between the East and West tents.

And don’t forget the kids! There’s plenty of kid-friendly activities to be enjoyed including a hand-crafted mini-golf course, craft areas where kid’s can learn about Irish heritage, face painting, character and balloon artists and more. There’s even an Irish Indeed Children’s Area Stage where whimsical tales will be spun amid song, dance and puppetry. Kids (and adults) will also delight in watching O’Reilly’s Border Collies herd sheep several times a day - sheep will actually be let loose in the crowd only to be wrangled easily back by Chuck O’Reilly and his dogs.

And then of course there’s the food. No cultural experience would be complete without getting to sample some delicious ethnic fare, right? Six local Irish pubs, three private vendors and three Irish organizations provide Irish specialties to tempt your tastebuds. And while you’re at it, you might as well have a pint or two. And if you’re feeling especially saucy, Jameson Irish Whiskey even has its own tent.  “Hospitality Tickets” are available for those planning to eat and drink their weight for $100 a day or $250 for the weekend. Otherwise, food and beverage tickets will be available on an individual basis.

Irish Fair happens Friday August 13-15 and is free and open to the public. For more info and specific schedules of events visit www.irishfair.com.

We’re kind of in love with whoever concepted and implemented the artist-friendly mecca on University Avenue that includes the Carleton Place Artist Lofts and its newest addition, Lyric Living. The Lyric also includes an actual performance space where we’re sure we’ll see more and more great events popping up. This weekend, however, you can get a taste for the Lyric by checking out A Night of Art and Burlesque brought to you by Urban Arts, a local instigator of performance-based art forms.

The evening will include a wide variety of work by over 30 visual artists of numerous mediums, as well as the resurgence of Burlesque troupe, Dr. Farrango’s Burlesque Theater, who have been on a break for the past couple of years. See saucy burlesque babes shimmy and shake amid awesome art in four 20-minute programs, presented variety-show style. Expect lots of glitz, glam, sequins, feathers, and possibly pasties as these gals perform the age old art of classic strip tease entertainment for an appreciative audience. One thing we especially love about burlesque are the costumes: beautifully made, sultry, and almost always sparkly - these custom-made garments (with easy tear-away access, of course) are art pieces themselves.

Also included in the night? Living sculptures including pin-up girls, mermaids, and more, plus live music, ice cold bevies and lots of pretty people. Come check out the Lyric space, and while you’re there, grab a brochure on their super-reasonably priced luxury apartments. We SO want to live there!

The event runs from 7pm-1am on Saturday, August 14th; burlesque showtimes are at 9:30pm, 10:30pm, 11:30pm, and 12:30pm. For more infomation call 763-229-7722 or visit www.UrbanArts-tc.com.

Lyric Living at Carleton Place, 765 Hamden Avenue South, St. Paul.

On August 3rd-7th, Saint Paul will be literally teeming with poets and spoken word artists from across the country! That’s right, the National Poetry Slam is landing in our fair city this year. Why? Well, it’s all thanks to our own St. Paul Slam Team, who beat out hundred of other poets to take home the title of national champs in 2009. Hence, the honor to host the 2010 event fell to them/us - how cool is that? Over 80 teams consisting of multiple poets will roll into town this week, and will battle it out at numerous venues in town, culminating with the finals on the 7th.

Come out to support our home team on this week and take part in the numerous (and we REALLY mean numerous) events going on both on and off the grid. Preliminary bouts run Tuesday through Thursday from 7-9pm and 9-11pm at Artists’ Quarter, Camp, Great Waters, Lowry Lab, POP, and Wild Tymes. The semifinals happen Friday, August 6th from 8-10pm at Artists’ Quarter, Fitzgerald Theater, History Theater, McNally Smith Auditorium, where the 20 top scoring teams will battle for the #1 spot that will get them to finals stage. The Team Finals happen on August 7th at 8pm at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium, where the four final teams will spout off their best work in a heated battle for the championship.

And that’s not all! Dozens of side events will occur during the day AND after each night’s battles at the Artists’ Quarter and Wild Tymes. Stay up late to check out hip hop shows, an Erotic Poetry Slam (oh-la-la!), a Limerick Battle and much more. During the day, plenty of workshops and some culturally-aligned readings happen including showcases specifically featuring women, Latino & Indigenous, African Heritage, Asian-American & Pacific Islander, and Jewish/12 Tribes showcase and more. We’re especially charmed by the idea of Head to Head Haiku (Wed. August 4th 1:30-3pm at the Lowry Lab) where 15 uber-competitive poets go toe to toe with their best haiku poetry.

We’ll be out and about checking out the shows this week - will you? We’re betting the St. Paul Slam Team takes the crown for the second year in a row. After all, they’ve got a great chance, considering the formidable talent they’re bringing to the table yet again AND they’re on home turf. Returning poets Shane Hawley, Sierra DeMulder, Khary J. (aka 6 is 9), Kyle “Guante” Myhre, and Sam Cook will all represent St. Paul once again at the 2010 National Poetry Slam. Let’s take a look at their bios:

SHANE HAWLEY
Shane Hawley is a spoken word artist who dabbles in hip-hop and stand-up comedy. He is a four time member of the Minneapolis National Poetry Slam team, and a former Minneapolis Grand Slam champion. He has opened for national acts such as P.O.S, Dessa Darling, and Jeremy Messersmith.  As a St. Paul native, he is eager to represent his city in his city at the 2010 National Poetry Slam.

SIERRA DEMULDER
Sierra DeMulder In addition to winning the 2009 National Poetry Slam with Saint Paul, Sierra DeMulder ranked 9th at the IWPS, 11th at WoWPS and coached Macalester College to Final Stage at CUPSI 2010. She was awarded Best Female Poet at CUPSI 2009 and in January 2010, her first full-length manuscript was published by Write Bloody Publishing.

KHARY J. (AKA 6 IS 9)
Khary J. (aka 6 is 9) is a playwright, teaching artist and poet who is glad to represent St Paul for the fourth time. He’s proud of the poetry the Twin Cities is consistently producing, and hopes to remain a part of the scene in various ways in the future.

KYLE “GUANTE” MYHRE
Kyle “Guante” Myhre has been Grand Slam champ of Saint Paul, Minneapolis and Madison, and was part of the 2009 National Poetry Slam champion Saint Paul team.  As a rapper, he’s a member of the Tru Ruts crew and has shared the stage with Talib Kweli, Sage Francis, Brother Ali, Zion I and many others.  Guante is currently serving as arts coordinator of the Canvas, a Saint Paul teen arts center, and continues to lead workshops through the MN Spoken-Word Association.

SAM COOK
Sam Cook was born in Moscow to communists, and was raised in Boulder, Colorado among the white and privileged. Sam  has yet to decide where he will die, but hopes to do it among poets. Since leaving home he has spent his alloted years of ‘youth’ practicing Buddhism, sitting in Sweat Lodges, making wine, riding bikes through the mountains, pwning the interwebs, playing folk guitar with an ear for mediocrity, serving strangers food, writing and reading poems, moving and repairing mobile homes, camping, overcoming insomnia, fighting the man and perhaps importantly, enjoying the sunshine.

The National Poetry Slam happens in St. Paul from August 3rd-7th. Prices, times and events vary. To check out the schedules for both official competition events and extra events including day-time events and late-night events, and to purchase passes visit www.nps2010.com.

No, these boys don’t wear pasties and tassels — they are the nationally renowned screen print collective more formally known as Burlesque of North America! The small but famed group of collaborators have whipped up beautifully designed posters for cool bands the world over and have sold their limited edition art prints far and wide. And what’s that you say? They’re based out of the Twin Cities? Yep, it’s true. And this Saturday, St. Paul’s Nicademus Art and Framing is letting the group loose on their gallery walls for a new exhibit entitled Well Done.

But before you pigeon hole Burlesque as simply a talented group of “artists” think again. They have their fingers in just about every creative facet of the local arts community from music to art curating to event production. The arty smarties are the masters of their own space over in ye olde Northeast Minneapolis, with a full on screen printing empire as well as a brand spankin’ new gallery space entitled CO Exhibitions. They also regularly engage local music aficionados with hot n’ heavy DJ nights all over the cities, even putting out their own mix CDs and vinyl from time to time. How cool is that?

The show at Nicademus, which opens this Saturday and runs through August 28th, is a collection of the collective’s favorite pieces, many of them in alternate color palettes than their original designs — making the prints on display truly one-of-a-kind. Also on task for Saturday’s opening party is a BBQ behind the gallery for the first couple hours as well as fresh beats doled out by BRLSQOTHEQUE DJs. Art, food, music: the trifecta of awesomeness.

The opening reception for Well Done happens on Saturday, July 24th from 7-11pm and is free and open to the public. The exhibit runs through August 28th. For more information visit www.nicademusart.com. For more info on Burlesque of North America visit www.burlesquedesign.com.

This weekend Saint Paul hosts its biggest outdoor festival: The Taste of Minnesota. Aptly held on capital city grounds; Harriet Island to be specific. The huge 4th of July weekend bash is not for the faint of heart, however. Those wary of large crowds better take their Xanax, because the Taste is one huge throng of p-a-r-t-y. From live music on multiple stages to delicious food of State Fair-level awesomeness to fun family activities and more, the Taste is one of those quintessential Minnesota experiences you ought to try at least once. This week, our writers will be tackling specific aspects of the festival, so check back. In this post, we’ll be fill you in on what’s happening in the Entertainment Village — a family-friendly area where you needn’t worry about being trampled by beer swilling hooligans in a Sammy Hagar-induced frenzy.

The Entertainment Village will feature a number of interactive activities that are fun for everyone, including kids art projects designed by Creative Kidstuff, hoop shooting with NBA stars at NBA Nation and numerous performers that won’t blow out your ear drums (not that we’re against having our ear drums blown out, because trust us, we’re cool with that in the right situation).

Among other things, you’ll meet the dancers of Ballet Minnesota, who will also be performing excerpts from their piece “River Songs” set to the music of Charlie Maguire. Listen in as Brian Poulton a.k.a. “The Storyman from England” weaves tales the signs autographs for fans. Join in the fray with drummer Mick Labriola, who will perform a drum routine and instruct 25-30 people on how to keep the beat. Irish dancers, Rince Na Chroi will do some traditional jigs accompanied by a live band, and will provide instruction for the entire fam. Circus Juventas will also be on hand to show off their magical carnival techniques — which are performed exclusively by kids! On top of all this, you’ll also be privy to live music from rockers Half Demon Doll, The Okee Dokee Brothers, School of Rock, and Adam Levy’s “Bunny Clogs” solo project — a catchy, family-friendly series of tunes everyone can enjoy.

Check back later this week for more Taste rundowns including entertainment on the main stages, the food and more. The Taste of Minnesota runs Friday, July 2nd through Monday, July 5th at Harriet Island. For schedules and more info visit www.tasteofmn.com.

Summertime, and the livin’ is easy…especially when you factor in free movies and music every Thursday through July in Castillo Park! The Urban green space on St. Paul’s West Side will be ablaze with spicy music and festive films this summer,  inviting the public to come take “siesta” from the daily grind. The series will feature a number of culturally influenced musical acts, an eclectic film roster and interactive arts activities that the whole fam can enjoy.

The Riverview Economic Development Association (the same peeps who put on the annual Cinco de Mayo Feista!) have partnered up with the filmophiles at Take-Up Productions, the Young Artists Initiative and Noche de Gala Productions to bring you Music and Movies in District Del Sol. Each Thursday, a family art activity kicks off at 6:30pm, music and dance follows at 7:30pm with an outdoor film screening at dusk.

The Schedule:

June 24th: Napoleon Dynamite (music: Javier Trejo)

July 1st: The Road to El Dorado (music: Danza Mexica Cuauhtemoc)

July 8th: Cochochi (music: Caritas Feliz)

July 15th: Take the Lead (music: Capone)

July 22nd: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (music: Asi es mi Peru)

July 29th: Selena (music: Sensacion Latina)

Music & Movies in District del Sol happens every Thursday through July 29th beginning at 6:30pm at Castillo Park (149 Cesar Chavez Street, St. Paul). More info, including a full description of movies and bands can be found at www.districdelsol.com.

If there’s one thing local jazzophiles look forward to each year, we’re guessing the Twin Cities Jazz Festival is it. A three day event, the Jazz Fest packs in a huge amount of entertainment. From small, intimate nightclub sets to lively coffee shop jam sessions to outdoor performance stages featuring big names and small names alike — there’s a little something for everyone. And no worries if you aren’t a jazz expert; the 12th annual live music extravaganza is far from pretentious with performers of all ages and styles getting together to throw down and jam out. Come with friends, come with a date, or even bring the kids — it’s never to early to start the music appreciation process!

The epicenter of the fest resides in the urban oasis that is Mears Park. There you’ll find the main stage and just down the block, the 6th Street Stage. On Thursday evening kick things off with performer Pippi Ardennia in Mears at 6pm, then club-hop around the Lowertown Entertainment District all night long. From the Hat Trick Lounge to the Black Dog to the St. Paul Hotel to Camp Bar and pretty much everything in between, Thursday night is a great time to aquatint yourself with the many fantastic venues the area has to offer.

Friday evening, head over to the park after work for live music from 4pm to 8:30pm from the likes of Story City, Sean Jones, Joe Lovano with US Five, Pete Whitman’s X-tet, Aakash Mittal and more. Clubs around the entertainment district will be hoppin’ into the wee hours as well, featuring performers like Atlantis Quartet, Southside Aces, Fantastic Merlins, Kid Dakota, and Jon Weber Trio — just to name a few.

Saturday is the big day, however, with live music in the park from Noon on through to 10pm, featuring such faves as Connie Evingson with Parisota Hot Club, Salsa del Soul, John Ellis & Double-wide, and John Scofield with The Piety Street Band and many, many more. Saturday also offers up a Youth Stage at Cray Plaza, featuring the jazztastic stylings of the younger set, hailing from schools, music organizations and mentorship programs. Still want more jazz after this long day? You’re in luck, because the Hat Trick, the Artists’ Quarter and the Black Dog Cafe all have tunes going well past your bed time.

Overwhelmed? Yeah, us too. But luckily, the Jazz Fest has compiled all the events and set times into a handy-dandy printable PDF schedule HERE or in a slick online program guide HERE.  The 12th Annual Twin Cities Jazz Festival runs June 17-19th in Mears Park (221 E. 5th Street, St. Paul) and is FREE and open to the public.And for just about any other info you could possibly desire, check out the official website at www.hotsummerjazz.com. Oh, and don’t forget your black beret, hep cats!

Yes, yes. we know. This is the third Grand Old Day post on the651.com this week. BUT, before ya jump the gun and go back to Googling yourself, know that we’re just here to make sure you have everything you need to have a great time this weekend! And since I’m the arts and culture writer we thought it appropriate to toss in a little art-related Grand Old Day material for ya.

Did you know Grand Old Day has its own Art District that runs from Hamline, all the way up to Snelling? It totally does! And for those of you familiar with that stretch of road, you know that’s A LOT of street. And all dedicated to artsy coolness? Color us impressed. Check out the all-day Art Fair, sponsored by the art-lovin’ folks over at Lavender Magazine, who’ve helped wrangle together scads of amazing local and regional art vendors who will be on hand to entice you with their wares. See (and buy) paintings, sculpture, bric-a-brac, jewelry and much more. In addition, you’ll be treated to a display of Art Cars — you know, the zany, motorized art pieces that you see every once in awhile and say “What the…?” Get an up close peek; who knows? You may very well be inspired to jazz up your own ride! The Art Cars will also participate in the parade starting at Cleveland & Grand at 10am.

Also on the sched is the Walker Art Center & mnartists.org Open Field Drawing activity. Art supplies are provided so the public can join forces with local artists to create a collaborative art piece!  The center of the tables will contain the working pool of pieces. Start a new drawing, slide it back into pool, pass it around, alter, edit and amend it until the group declares it complete. The end result could be amazing, or it could be scary — you won’t know unless you try! A great activity for kids and adults alike. ArtStart Projects will also be on hand for you to make your own take-home art project. Cool, eh?

Oh, and don’t forget to stop into Grand Ave’s staple art supply store, Wet Paint, to stock up on fun items to keep the art-making going past Sunday!

The Grand Old Day Art District is located on Grand Ave between Hamline & Snelling. The event runs from 8am-5pm on Sunday, June 6th and is free and open to the public. For more info visit www.grandave.com.