Calendar of Events in Minneapolis

Sunday, May 19
• 
  Encyclopedia Show Minneapolis
  Kieran's Irish Pub

  This Sunday, Encyclopedia Show Minneapolis wraps up its second season with an episode all about the circus. The event will include a panel of folks whose areas of expertise include fire manipulation, acrobatics, bearded ladies, ridiculous mascots, and juggling. Hosted by Allison Broeren and Mike Fotis, the live variety show and reading series uses comedy, improv, storytelling, and theater to... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Dandelion Day
  Ard Godfrey House

  With hay fever season just around the bend, it might seem strange to celebrate one of the its biggest contributors. However, few dander-filled weeds possess the sunny charm that dandelions have in spades. This Sunday, folks at the Ard Godfrey House will be honoring Harriet Godfrey's introduction of dandelion seeds to the area with a day-long party for families. Festivities include lessons in... Read more about this event >>

• 
  What Happened to the Dollar
  Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater

  Commenting on the frustrations of contemporary existence has always been a function of the theater, yet original works dealing directly with economic issues tend to be in conspicuously short supply. Considering the widespread severity of monetary malaise, one might wonder if even the satirists have been reduced to selling off their senses of humor. Fear not, as the comic provocateurs at Box... Read more about this event >>

• 
  MCBA SpringCon Comic Book Carnival
  Minnesota State Fairgrounds

  This spring, the Minnesota Comic Book Association (MCBA) will be celebrating its 25th year. As usual, the Comic Book Carnival will be a huge spectacle honoring all forms of comics, from local startups to giants like Marvel. During the weekend, over 250 creatives — including authors, inkers, and illustrators — will be on hand to sign copies, chat with fans, and look at portfolios.... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Art-A-Whirl
  Northeast Minneapolis Arts

  With the approach of Art-A-Whirl, the ever-expanding art crawl held annually in northeast Minneapolis, longtime exhibitors and attendees might worry that the event's original intent has been subsumed by the magnified scale. Coming up on its 18th year, Art-A-Whirl has morphed from a small showcase of local artists to a sprawling festival that packs a disorienting array of live music, street... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Stick Fly
  Park Square Theatre

  Whatever their artistic merit, theatrical comic dramas concerning "families in crisis" tend to follow a recognizable formula. Strand estranged family members in a confined space, unearth a lifetime's worth of buried grievances, and let the cathartic chaos lead to a renewed bond. With Stick Fly, though, the seemingly stock scenario is made into something far more layered thanks to an... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Open Blues Jam with Moses Oakland
  Famous Dave's BBQ & Blues Uptown

  Moses Oakland relocated from the Bay Area to the Twin Cities back in 1987, and since then -- well, it'd probably be easier and less space-consuming to list all the venues he hasn't played and the legends he hasn't gigged with. A blues, soul and jazz aficionado well-versed in a wide array of guitar styles, Oakland has held court at the Calhoun Square Famous Dave's since 2000, and his weekly... Read more about this event >>

• More Sunday Events >>

Monday, May 20
• 
  Todd Rundgren
  The Varsity Theater

  In 1973, Todd Rundgren was the producer behind the meat-and-potatoes hard-rock gem that is Grand Funk Railroad's We're an American Band LP. But he was also the auteur behind his own A Wizard, A True Star, one of the decade's most ambitious and bewildering psychedelic masterpieces. Rundgren scored both gigs after 1972's mega-hit "Hello, It's Me" turned him from cult act to superstar, and over... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Foals
  First Avenue

  Foals' previous two records established the Oxford-reared quintet as top-shelf acolytes of twitchy Talking Heads-inspired post-punk. Their just released third album, Holy Fire, flips the script by adding unexpected ballast. Lead single "Inhaler" finds the formerly lean and airy outfit sounding nearly unrecognizable, opting for crunchy and cathartic guitar-rock in place of the danceable... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Best of Bond
  Trylon microcinema

  From 1962's Dr. No through last year's Skyfall, the cinematic adventures of British secret agent 007, otherwise known as James Bond, have entertained audiences for over 50 years with a trusty formulaic blend of megalomaniacal villains, seductive women, and audacious action. Though certain elements (homicidal henchmen, gadgets from Q branch, vodka martinis) remain intrinsic to the franchise,... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Cul-de-Sac
  Open Eye Figure Theatre

  The suburbs are often depicted as enclaves of cordiality where neighbors look after one another. The truth, of course, is that suburban homes can feel as alienating as any urban dwelling. Exploring the land of meticulously maintained lawns, playwright Daniel MacIvor's Cul-de-Sac introduces a community whose voyeuristic leanings are seldom seen as a violation of privacy, whereas assisting a... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Daily Happy Hours
  The Lowbrow

  Things are happening in the Kingfield neighborhood. A few years ago the area was considered more residential; if you wanted to barhop your best bet was to stay in the Lyn-Lake area just north of the region. However, thanks to places like King's Wine Bar, Patisserie 46, and Jack's (formerly Java Jack), which has added wine and beer to its menu, the area is bustling with activity. The Lowbrow... Read more about this event >>

• 
  In the Zone
  Traffic Zone Center For Visual Art

  While Minnesotans have been battling endless winter, Traffic Zone artists have been preparing to clear out our snow-addled brains with bright and shiny new works. That's right: It's once again time for the "Spring Open Studio" — whether or not the weather is cooperating. Lisa Nankivil shows new directions in her striated abstractions. Perci Chester's sculptures dance with kinetic... Read more about this event >>

• More Monday Events >>

Tuesday, May 21
• 
  Father John Misty
  First Avenue

  Josh Tillman issued a handful of solo albums before spending four years drumming and occasionally singing with Fleet Foxes, helping forge their atmospheric, Pacific Northwestern chamber folk-pop. Tillman then headed south, wandered into Laurel Canyon, absorbed the psychedelic remnants of '70s boho central, and emerged with a new alter-ego, Father John Misty. Ministering to a congregation of... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Thor Eric Paul
  Shoebox Gallery

  Starting this weekend, paintings by Thor Eric Paul will be featured at Shoebox Gallery, the storefront gallery next to Roberts Shoe Store on Lake Street and Chicago. The former Skowhegan and Jerome fellow will be making work for both the gallery and for the studio upstairs, where gallery owner Sean Smuda says he will display some of the artist's large tableaux. Smuda refers to the work Eric... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Wang
  Regis Center For Art

  This two-part, dual-location exhibition celebrates the work of Beijing artist Wang Youshen. At the Regis Center on the U of M campus (Quarter Gallery, 405 21st Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612.625.8096), the "Wang" portion includes photography on walls and dangling from the ceiling that turns a subversive lens on subjects both Chinese and American. The concept behind the "Youshen" installation at... Read more about this event >>

• 
  The Primrose Path
  Guthrie Theater

  British playwright Crispin Whittell brings his second premiere adaptation to the Guthrie Theater with The Primrose Path, based on Ivan Turgenev's 1859 novel Home of the Gentry. Whittell's first adaptation, the latest version of A Christmas Carol used by the theater, has played to strong audiences and solid notices over the past three seasons. Whittell was looking to create a passionate love... Read more about this event >>

• 
  #NameThisExhibit: 1200 Birchwood Plaques
  American Swedish Institute

  Anyone who has taken a road trip to a small, picturesque town has probably seen a birchwood plaque. Traditionally, artists — often of the amateur or untrained variety — would paint a scenic bit of nature onto an oval-shaped slice of wood. These types of artworks tend to show up on the walls of country kitchens, for sale in tourist shops, and hanging in bed-and-breakfast bedrooms.... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Date Night: Tasting for Two
  Kings Wine Bar

  While the official name of this Tuesday-night special isn't cheap date night, it certainly works as an affordable outing for you and your sweetie (or budding relationship). For $45 couples can enjoy three courses, plus dessert, with each plate thoughtfully paired with a pour from the wine menu. Nestled in the cozy—but quickly expanding—corner of 46th and Grand Avenue in the... Read more about this event >>

• 
  More Real? Art in the Age of Truthiness
  Minneapolis Institute of Arts

  As Stephen Colbert has posited, we live in an age of "truthiness." He may have been referring to politics, but the same could be said for contemporary art. Are those really irreplaceable dynastic urns that Wei Wei is smashing or coating in brightly colored paint? Are Joel Lederer's images of utopian landscapes in Second Life achievable? Are Vik Muniz's objects that simulate the reverse sides... Read more about this event >>

• More Tuesday Events >>

Wednesday, May 22
• 
  Transmission
  Clubhouse Jager

  "Retro" is a tricky niche to slot a dance night into. Usually you've got to find yourself an era and a genre, hew towards the hits, and maybe garnish it with an outsized wink, a double-pistol-point and a smirking acknowledgement that you think the past is, well, kinda goofy. But Transmission doesn't constrict itself to that kind of semi-insincere kitsch. Helmed by DJ Jake Rudh, a veteran of... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Abraham Cruzvillegas: The Autoconstrucción Suites
  Walker Art Center

  On first look, Abraham Cruzvillegas's sculptures and installations have a Duchampian appeal with their incorporation of everyday objects. But on closer investigation, the work collected in "The Autoconstruccion Suites," the first mid-career exhibition for the Mexico City artist, has a dynamism that comes from his creative assemblage of materials. Cruzvillegas calls his process... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Open Mic
  The Joke Joint Comedy Club

  It was a potentially risky gambit for the Joke Joint to relocate from its former spot at the Ramada Inn in Bloomington, near the high-traffic area of the MOA, but the move across the river to Lilydale near South St. Paul proved fortuitous. The new digs, in the old Diamond Jim's location with its cozy balcony and old-fashioned saloon motif, is a distinctive and intimate space where the club... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Jessica Dickinson: final remainders 2011-2013
  David Petersen Gallery

  Back in the day, Jessica Dickinson spent time with the artists of Speedboat Gallery. The St. Paul native, Brooklyn-based painter is known for her abstract works that are built, deconstructed, and rebuilt over time. Space, chance methods, a change of mind, and different ideas become incorporated into her work. Whether this process is visually accessible in the final product matters not. Seeing... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Painter Painter
  Walker Art Center

  Paint, as a medium and mode of expression, is so 20th century. Right? Not for the 15 emerging artists presented in the Walker Art Center's new survey, "Painter Painter." Hailing from throughout the U.S. and Europe, this new under-40 crop of painters (including Sarah Crowner, Dianna Molzan, Zak Prekop, and Lesley Vance) takes abstraction and practice beyond the studio and in novel directions.... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Redefining, Redesigning Fashion
  Goldstein Museum of Design

  The global nonprofit Sustainable Technology Education Project (STEP) has defined environmentally sensitive clothing design, or eco-fashion, as that which takes "into account the environment, the health of consumers, and the working conditions of people in the fashion industry." In turn, the Goldstein Museum of Design has turned STEP's definition into an opportunity. For the exhibition... Read more about this event >>

• 
  The Death Comedy Jam
  Grumpy's Bar & Grill

  If you've ever considered writing some jokes and giving standup comedy a try, know this: That first time is gonna be brutal. That being the case, you might as well test your mettle in the most brutal setting possible, which in Minneapolis means hitting up the Death Comedy Jam at the downtown Grumpy's. The show's so tough it was for several years emceed by the Grim Reaper, who ushered the... Read more about this event >>

• More Wednesday Events >>

Thursday, May 23
• 
  Still Life: Poetries of Abstraction
  Groveland Gallery

  Joseph Byrne's new works — casein on paper — are abstractions with straight edges pieced together like building blocks. Carolyn Brunelle's recent acrylic paintings are vibrantly colored abstractions brimming with the emotional intensity of a Van Gogh (without his signature brushwork). Together, the two artists herald spring and summer at Groveland Gallery in a double-header as... Read more about this event >>

• 
  What Happened to the Dollar
  Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater

  Commenting on the frustrations of contemporary existence has always been a function of the theater, yet original works dealing directly with economic issues tend to be in conspicuously short supply. Considering the widespread severity of monetary malaise, one might wonder if even the satirists have been reduced to selling off their senses of humor. Fear not, as the comic provocateurs at Box... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Cul-de-Sac
  Open Eye Figure Theatre

  The suburbs are often depicted as enclaves of cordiality where neighbors look after one another. The truth, of course, is that suburban homes can feel as alienating as any urban dwelling. Exploring the land of meticulously maintained lawns, playwright Daniel MacIvor's Cul-de-Sac introduces a community whose voyeuristic leanings are seldom seen as a violation of privacy, whereas assisting a... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Happy Hours
  Tiger Sushi 2

  Located on the first floor of the condo stacks mere blocks from Lake and Lyndale, Tiger Sushi is an easy place to stop in for a sushi fix on days when the super-popular Fuji-Ya is a bit too crowded. The ambiance is nice, the bars are long, and the space never feels overly packed, even when it is really busy (as one recent Groupon night demonstrated). Seafood of any sort can rack up the bill,... Read more about this event >>

• 
  More Real? Art in the Age of Truthiness
  Minneapolis Institute of Arts

  As Stephen Colbert has posited, we live in an age of "truthiness." He may have been referring to politics, but the same could be said for contemporary art. Are those really irreplaceable dynastic urns that Wei Wei is smashing or coating in brightly colored paint? Are Joel Lederer's images of utopian landscapes in Second Life achievable? Are Vik Muniz's objects that simulate the reverse sides... Read more about this event >>

• 
  The Museum of Non Participation: The New Deal
  Walker Art Center

  Imagine you're stuck inside Islamabad's National Gallery. Outside, mass protests are met with government violence. What's your response? For London-based artists Karen Mirza and Brad Butler, it's a traveling multimedia art project that investigates how artists and museums confront, reconcile, or ignore political realities. In its first U.S. presentation, "The Museum of Non Participation"... Read more about this event >>

• 
  An Iliad
  Guthrie Theater

  Sometimes, the old stories are the best ones, and there are few older than Homer's The Iliad. The poem is nearly 3,000 years old, but the tale of the last days of the Trojan War and the terrible toll it takes on both sides of the fight proves that human nature hasn't changed all that much since ancient days. An Iliad takes us through the basics of the story as one actor, Stephen Yoakam, plays... Read more about this event >>

• 
  The Bungalow
  The Record Room

  Friday night gets all the love, Wednesday night has its nudge-wink "hump day" cachet and everyone hates Mondays so much that there's no choice but to go out and wash that start-of-the-week ennui away. But what about Thursday, the day of the week where people are most likely to put socially-outgoing good times off until tomorrow? Well, there's a dance night for that, too, and it's worth... Read more about this event >>

• More Thursday Events >>

Friday, May 24
• 
  Everything is Entrance
  Soo Visual Arts Center

  You might find yourself asking what it is you're looking at in "Everything Is Entrance," on exhibit in the SooVAC's Main Gallery space. That's kind of the point, as Lori Esposito's large-scale drawings are a bit Rorschach test, a bit black-light poster, a bit meditative mandala. "When we don't recognize something, we understand it as being other, mystical, mysterious, transformative," she... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Cornbread Harris
  Loring Pasta Bar

  You might've heard of his son -- a man named Jimmy who teamed up with another man named Terry, the rest being R&B history -- but Cornbread Harris is a Twin Cities legend in his own right. Harris is a WWII vet who joined Augie Garcia to record the area's first rock'n'roll record (1955's "Hi Yo Silver"), but also has roots in country, blues and jazz, giving him the repertoire and background... Read more about this event >>

• 
  International Reggae All-Stars
  High Five Bar & Grill

  Make all the jokes you want about the climate differences between Kingston and Minneapolis, but the cultural ones aren't as hard to reconcile. The aptly dubbed Lynval "Golden Voice" Jackson and his band have been a welcome and frequent presence in Twin Cities clubs for years now, and they're serious about the bonafides in their name. We're not just talking the international aspect -- other... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Cul-de-Sac
  Open Eye Figure Theatre

  The suburbs are often depicted as enclaves of cordiality where neighbors look after one another. The truth, of course, is that suburban homes can feel as alienating as any urban dwelling. Exploring the land of meticulously maintained lawns, playwright Daniel MacIvor's Cul-de-Sac introduces a community whose voyeuristic leanings are seldom seen as a violation of privacy, whereas assisting a... Read more about this event >>

• 
  In the Zone
  Traffic Zone Center For Visual Art

  While Minnesotans have been battling endless winter, Traffic Zone artists have been preparing to clear out our snow-addled brains with bright and shiny new works. That's right: It's once again time for the "Spring Open Studio" — whether or not the weather is cooperating. Lisa Nankivil shows new directions in her striated abstractions. Perci Chester's sculptures dance with kinetic... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Leaning Tower Happy Hour
  Leaning Tower Of Pizza

  Of the many bars scattered along Lyndale Avenue, the Leaning Tower of Pizza is one that truly feels like a neighborhood bar. There's parking across the street by the laundromat, but it is usually pretty empty because most customers walk or bike over for the evening. While many patrons stick to beer and cigarettes on the outside patio, the pizza is pretty good, too. On Mondays you can get a... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Firkin Fridays
  Grumpy's Bar & Grill

  Folks looking to start Labor Day weekend a little early may want to check in with Grumpy's Firkin Fridays. Each week, the bar sets up snack food and a cask-conditioned beer to be enjoyed by all until it's gone. What kind of beer? That varies, as the brew is usually announced the day of the event via the Grumpy's Twitter account. Past pours have included Epic Brewing Company's Spiral Jetty,... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Changes in Time
  Minneapolis Theatre Garage

  Changes in Time, a new work by E.B. Boatner, gets its world premiere this weekend with a production by 20% Theatre Company. The play explores how we survive despite the boxes and categories that society thrusts us into, looking at one transgender person's journey throughout the latter part of the 20th century. The piece is presented as three short snapshot plays — "Wishes," "Dresses,"... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Lance Armstrong's Steroid-Pumped Comedy Revue
  Brave New Workshop Downtown Stage

  If there's one thing we've learned over the past few years, it's that making sports stars into heroes is a no-win game. At best, they'll outstay their welcome in the spotlight, tarnishing the hard work of their career. At worst, we learn embarrassing facts about their personal lives (hello, Brett Favre!) or discover that they essentially cheated their way to the top. Which brings us to Lance... Read more about this event >>

• 
  The Comedy Corner Open Mic Night
  The Corner Bar

  In 2009, a quirk of the Minneapolis liquor code that required special licensing to perform standup comedy temporarily put a halt to the Comedy Corner Underground's Friday night open mic and threatened other comedy shows around town. After local comedians worked with the city government to amend the law, the room reopened with a renewed vigor and sense of purpose, now hosting multiple shows... Read more about this event >>

• More Friday Events >>

Saturday, May 25
• 
  New Found Glory
  First Avenue

  It's crazy to think that it's been ten years since New Found Glory released Sticks and Stones. Especially for the fans. The bulk of us are nearing our 30s. In our teens, we belted out the lyrics to "The Blue Stare" and "It Never Snows in Florida" with adolescent emotion. Those days are long gone, but we can relive them with New Found Glory's current tour, which celebrates the tenth... Read more about this event >>

• 
  American Revival
  Mill City Nights

  Indie-rock with traces of country is a tough genre to innovate in, and even tougher to simply retread the same ground. Minneapolis band American Revival doesn't reinvent the indie-rock wheel, but it does add something immensely enjoyable to the genre, which is more than good enough. Their new EP, Thank Ya Kindly, is sweetened and prepped with pockets of catchy guitar and melodies. It's not... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Cul-de-Sac
  Open Eye Figure Theatre

  The suburbs are often depicted as enclaves of cordiality where neighbors look after one another. The truth, of course, is that suburban homes can feel as alienating as any urban dwelling. Exploring the land of meticulously maintained lawns, playwright Daniel MacIvor's Cul-de-Sac introduces a community whose voyeuristic leanings are seldom seen as a violation of privacy, whereas assisting a... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Balls
  Southern Theater

  Balls open mic cabaret has been a late-night staple of the Minneapolis scene for over 20 years now. The midnight event, hosted by creator Leslie Ball, welcomes a wide range of participants. What audiences might see on any given evening varies wildly per week, but may include an acoustic song from an out-of-town musician, a standup set from a college student, a musical number from local actors... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Dzine: Victory
  Public Functionary

  After months of hoopla and hard work, including a stunning $31K Kickstarter campaign worthy of a case study, the much-buzzed-about Public Functionary is finally opening. It's a new, contemporary-art exhibition space in northeast Minneapolis "based on an evolving presentation of exhibition experiences developed with artists under thoughtful curatorial influence," explains the press material.... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Out of the Pan into the Fire
  The Southern Theater

  After opening last weekend, the latest creation from the Moving Company continues its run at the Southern Theater. The piece, which was developed earlier this year with students from the University of Iowa, was culled from a variety of little-known fairy tales with a bit of social commentary mixed in. Out of the Pan into the Fire utilizes direct address and dramatization with, as is typical... Read more about this event >>

• 
  Bondage A-Go-Go
  Ground Zero

  While there are usually a handful of burlesque shows happening on any given weekend, and Sex World is open 24 hours a day, Bondage A-Go-Go is still one of the most enduring nights dedicated to kinks and sexy subcultures. The crowd can vary depending on the season and the evening, but generally there's a healthy mix of goth/steampunk partiers, bad-ass folks chilling in leather/vinyl gear,... Read more about this event >>

• More Saturday Events >>