March 13, 2011, Sunday - David Hyde Pierce at The Guthrie

Time: 7:00pm

Location: Guthrie Theater, Wurtele Thrust Stage

Join us for an In Conversation with Emmy and Tony Award-winner David Hyde Pierce and Guthrie Director Joe Dowling as they discuss the actor’s illustrious career in theater, television and film.

Perhaps best known for his role as Niles in the hit sitcom “Frasier,” Hyde Pierce makes his way to the Guthrie direct from Broadway where he recently starred in La Bête. In addition to a celebrated career on Broadway, performing in musicals such as Monty Python’s Spamalot and Curtains, he has acted in theaters across the country, including the Guthrie where his credits include The Seagull, Tartuffe, Cyrano de Bergerac and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

The Guthrie’s In Conversation series invites patrons to hear directly from playwrights, artists and cultural leaders. Each event concludes with a Q & A session with the audience.

March 13, 2011, Sunday - MacPhail Community Partnership Recitals and Open House

Times: 12:30pm and 3:30pm

Location: Antonello Hall, MacPhail Center for Music, 501 South 2nd Street

Admission: Free

Did you know that over 2,200 of MacPhail's students participate in MacPhail programs through a school community partnership?  Join us for the 4th Annual Community Partnerships Recital, celebrating student performances from a wide variety of partnerships.

March 12, 2011, Saturday - Tim Carroll Opening Reception at The Soap Factory

Time: 7:00-11:00pm

Location: The Soap Factory, 518 Second Street SE

Live music and soundscapes featuring Teen Anal Terrorist, The Blind Turk, Jason Wade and Jaime Carrera

Tim Carroll is a record of time, authorship and endurance through performance and installation. Tim Carroll utilizes the entirety of The Soap Factory’s 12,000 sq ft gallery space in his most recent installation. Carroll will transform The Soap Factory into a maze-like path by stretching thousands of feet of commercial tar paper across every wall and column. With a 6 ft height of tar paper running throughout the gallery, Carroll uses chalk to create a continuous series of vertical lines. Beginning at the opening reception and finishing on April 10th, the artist will be present in the gallery and drawing for all open gallery hours--a total of 98 hours.

Carroll has worked with tar paper and chalk for several years. He first found inspiration in ancient Greek pottery and Victorian needlepoint. Attracted to the raw, industrial texture of tar paper and the supple quality of chalk, the artist has utilized The Soap Factory’s rough-hewn building as a jumping off point for this large-scale installation work. Carroll strikes a balance with the elegant simplicity of his black and white materials and the raw texture of both the tar paper and gallery.

March 12, 2011, Saturday - Guthrie Theater: Once Upon a Time Storytelling at Central Library

Time: 2:00pm

Location: Children's Library at the Central Library

Grades 1-3. Your child will discover new and exciting ways to create and tell a story through hands-on activities.

This project is funded with money from Minnesota's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Presented in partnership with the Guthrie Theater.

Call 952.847.8000.

March 12, 2011, Saturday - MacPhail Spotlight Series: Una Noche en España

Time: 8:00pm

Location:   MacPhail Center for Music, Antonello Hall, 501 South 2nd Street

Escape into the passionate rhythms of Spain. Absorb the staccato steps of the Flamenco dancer, the intense emotion of the singer and the driving power of the energetic Spanish
music. You’ll be transported to another place and time by this thrilling night of song and dance.

Teresa Richardson, cello; Mindy Eschedor, piano
Ritual Fire Dance by Manuel de Falla
Song of the Birds by Pablo Casals
Intermezzo and Danza Finale by G. Cassado

Andrea Plevan, flamenco dancer; Trevor May, guitar; Aaron Maus, guitar
Spanish Flamenco Dances
Tangos
Guajiras
Alegrias
Fandangos

Paula Gudmundson, flute
Transparencias Torito by Eduardo Gamboa

Andrea Leap, voice; Mindy Eschedor, piano
Siete Canciones Populares by Manuel de Falla

Bob Adney, percussion
Pieces inspired by traditional Spanish dances

March 12, 2011, Saturday - Washburn A Mill Tour at Mill City Museum

Time: 1:00pm

Location: Mill City Museum

Fee: $12 adults, $10 seniors and college students, $8 children ages 6-17 and MHS members. Tour includes museum admission.

Reservations recommended - call 612-341-7555

Get an in-depth look at the historic Washburn A Mill complex and the award-winning Mill City Museum building. A museum interpreter will take visitors into the building's many nooks and crannies, highlighting the lives of the men and women who worked there, how the building functioned during its peak flour milling years and the many changes to the building over time. Also covered will be the challenges of preserving the 120-year-old, fire-damaged building; its art, architecture and interior design; and the St. Anthony Falls Historic District.

Although many parts of the mill can be explored during regular museum visits, this is the public's only opportunity for a guided tour through the entire museum building.

March 12, 2011, Saturday - Ribbon Cutting for Soap Factory's New Entrance Walkway

Time:  6:00pm

Location:  Soap Factory, 518 Second Street SE

The Soap Factory invites the public to a ribbon cutting ceremony for its new accessible entrance on March 12. The historic building that has housed a railroad warehouse, a soap factory and now a celebrated arts nonprofit, is easily accessible to the public for the first time in 30 years.

Built and designed by Mitch Redepenning, this new entrance walkway will be christened in style with champagne smashing and big scissors. This walkway lets all people enter the building with dignity, whether in a wheelchair or a stroller, in high heels or on crutches. The entrance to The Soap Factory is now accessible in the truest sense of the word. This project was funded, in part, by a VSA Minnesota ADA Access Improvement Grant. This program is supported by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the Legacy Amendment vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.

March 12, 2011, Saturday - Midwest Photo Safari "Minneapolis Nights" in the Mill District, Winter 2011 Special Session

This is a Midwest Photo Safari special winter session.

Walk parts of the St. Anthony Heritage Trail and practice early evening light photography.  Learn the principles of low light settings on your digital SLR's or the various "scene" mode settings of your digital point and shoot.

The safari starts with a short presentation covering basic principles of low light/night photography. When darkness sets in, this area comes alive with interesting lights. From the Minneapolis night skyline to the great lights on the area bridges, capture stunning night images you are sure to want to frame.

This safari is best done with a digital SLR or a better quality digital point and shoot with advanced scene modes. Your Safari guide / photographer will be carrying a Sony digital point and shoot to demonstrate the techniques we will be covering. For this safari, a sturdy tripod is necessary... Midwest Photo Safari can provide pro-quality rental tripods on request. A remote shutter release is also very handy to have along, or you may use the "self timer" feature of your camera.

March 11, 2011, Friday - 3-day Creative Nonfiction Conference at Open Book

Location: Open Book, 1011 Washington Avenue South

Cost $250.00

Creative Nonfiction Conference

SPEND THE WEEKEND LEARNING the art of creative nonfiction and routes to publication with some of the nation’s most acclaimed writers and editors!

For more detail, download the conference brochure.

Friday, March 11

7 p.m.: Mentor Series Reading with Toi Derricotte

Saturday, March 12

9–10. a.m.: Conference Check-in
10–11 a.m.: A Conversation with Toi Derricotte and Patricia Weaver Francisco
11:15 a.m.–12:45 p.m.: Breakout Sessions

•NF01 Short Nonfiction Essays with Francine Marie Tolf
•NF02 Memory & Imagination with Jill Jepson
•NF03 Meet the Editor with Pam McClanahan
1–2 p.m.: Lunch: Networking Lunch
2:15–3:45 p.m.: Breakout Sessions

•NF04: In Profile: The Art of Writing Life with Frank Bures
•NF05: Writing about Transformation with Elizabeth Jarrett Andrew
•NF06: Meet the Editors with Patrick Thomas (Milkweed Editions) and Katie Dublinski (Graywolf Press)
4–5:30 p.m.: Breakout Sessions

•NF07: Finding the Story, Telling the Truth with Laurie Hertzel
•NF08: Writing about the Upper Midwest with Cary J. Griffith, Will Weaver, and Chris Niskanen; moderated by Ann Regan
•NF09: Writing Is a Craft. Publishing Is a Business. How Do You Master Both? with Linda Anderson

Sunday, March 13

10–11 a.m.: The Reality of Nonfiction Writing: A Writer’s Panel with Laura Flynn, Julie Landsman, Gail Rosenblum, and Sarah Stonich
11:15 a.m.–12:45 p.m.: Breakout Sessions

•NF10: Ghostly Obsessions: Writing from History with Cheri Register
•NF11: The Nonfiction Anthology with Heid E. Erdrich, Kathryn Kysar, Ann Regan, and Sun Yung Shin
•NF12: The Anatomy of Publishing: Agents and Editors with Ashley Shelby
•NF13: Magazine Features: Story, Idea, and Structure with Greg Breining
1–1:15 p.m.: Next Steps for Writers

March 11, 2011, Friday - Children’s Defense Fund Beat the Odds Award Dinner at The Depot

Time: 6:00pm

Location: The Depot, 225 Third Avenue South

You’re invited to join the Children’s Defense Fund’s 19th annual Beat the Odds Award Dinner.

The night begins at 6:00pm with a silent auction and reception. There will be spectacular items to bid on, a raffle and live auction.

At 8:00, guests will be seated for dinner and an inspiring and emotional program when the honorees will speak.  Their videos will be shown and scholarships will be presented. Four high school seniors who have succeeded in school and their communities, despite having faced tremendous difficulties will receive $4,000 scholarships.

Information

March 11, 2011, Friday - Doveman and Nadia Sirota at Southern Theater (2 nights)

Times:
Friday, March 11- 8:00pm
Saturday, March 12 - 8:00pm

Location: The Southern Theater, 1420 Washington Avenue South

Known as Doveman when performing alone or with a select group of collaborators—often including Sam Amidon, Nico Muhly and members of The National—Thomas Bartlett is one of New York’s most in-demand keyboard players. He has toured with David Byrne, Laurie Anderson, Yoko Ono and many more. His music, highlighted by delicate, whispered vocals and ambient, jazz-influenced arrangements, is “so pretty it should probably be played only near sunrise with a furry cat in your lap and tea in hand, when you’re most open to the world” (Los Angeles Times).

Best known for her unique interpretations of new scores and for commissioning and premiering works by some of the most talented composers of her generation, violist Nadia Sirota has been praised for her “command and eloquence” (Boston Globe). Sirota elegantly balances work and collaborations with classicists such as Meredith Monk, Philip Glass and the Silk Road Ensemble, with a steady dose of rock and roll – projects with Jónsi, Grizzly Bear and Bryce Dessner. World premiere by Daniel Felsenfeld; and regional premieres by Nico Muhly, Missy Mazzoli and Owen Pallet.

March 10, 2011, Thursday - Cuban Film Festival at St. Anthony Main

Time: 7:30pm

Location: St. Anthony Main Theatre, 115 Main Street SE

With sell-out crowds at last year's festival, Minnesotans' love affair with Cuban cinema is clear. And it is also clear that there is a hunger for information about this intriguing island to our south, so rich in music and the arts. Yet, despite all that we have to share with one another, our government still denies us access. So, although most of us can't get there in person, we can get a taste of Cuban life through the movies.

The film festival will again be presented at St. Anthony Main Theatre and will consist of six features.

The line-up is as follows:
March 10 - Will the Real Terrorist Please Stand up? (view a 16-minute trailer);
March 17 - Los Dioses Rotos (Fallen Gods),
March 24 - Páginas del diario de Mauricio (Pages from Maurice's Diary),
March 31 - Eso que Anda (Van Van Fever).

All films are subtitled, and each will be followed at a nearby bistro with a discussion.

Admission: $7.00.

For more information: www.minnesotacubacommittee.org or 763-228-2899.

March 10, 2011, Thursday - Central Riverfront Forum: Creating a Downtown Gateway to the Mississippi River, Focus on Fuji-Ya

Time: 6:30pm – 8:pm

Location: Mill City Museum, 704 Second Street South

Where a fifty-foot wide canal for Mississippi waters once supplied the world’s largest direct-drive hydro-powered industrial complex, a visitor will now see the boarded-up Fuji-Ya restaurant, mill ruins, a shady grove and a railroad bed, and can look beyond to the St. Anthony Falls, the Stone Arch Bridge and the Third Avenue Bridge. Just two blocks from Washington Avenue, the downtown street grid meets the river here, creating two levels and scenic views of the falls.

The Central Riverfront Forum will focus on this site. Tom Meyer of Meyer, Scherer and Rockcastle will share insights he prepared with a public-private team facilitated by the Minneapolis Riverfront Partnership and the Minneapolis Park Foundation.

Other topics include an update on restoring the falls in the East Channel of the Mississippi and an invitation to apply for Downtown area representation on the Above the Falls Citizen Advisory Committee.

The Central Riverfront Forum provides a quarterly update on Central Riverfront issues. Additional 2011 dates will be:  June 9, September 8, December 8 at Mill City Museum. 

This event is free.  For more information, please contact Cordelia Pierson at 612-465-8780 x212 or cordelia.pierson@gmail.com

March 9, 2011, Wednesday - A Sip of Science at Aster Cafe

Time: 5:30pm

Location: Aster Cafe, 125 SE Main Street

A Sip of Science: The Search for Diamonds in North America

A SIP OF SCIENCE bridges the gap between science and culture in a setting that bridges the gap between brain and belly.  Food, beer and learning are on the menu in a happy hour forum that offers the opportunity to talk with researchers about their current work, its implications and its fascinations.

At the March 9 event: Diamonds are said to be forever, but where do they originate? North America's geology has excellent potential for diamonds, but only recently have advances in science and technology made discovery possible. Join organizers for a happy hour discussion with Minnesota State Geologist Harvey Thorleifson on how Canada joined the ranks of world leaders in the production of high quality gem diamonds and how the methods that were key to diamond discoveries in Canada have been applied throughout Minnesota, with some preliminary success.

The talk takes place during happy hour at the Aster Café. No cover; food and drink will be available for purchase. Harvey Thorliefson is director of the Minnesota Geological Survey, state geologist of Minnesota, professor in the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Minnesota and vice president of the Association of American State Geologists. Prior to joining the Minnesota Geological Survey team he was with the Geological Survey of Canada.

A SIP OF SCIENCE is a science happy hour sponsored by the National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics (NCED), usually held the second Wednesday of the month. It is a chance to hear about new and exciting research over beer, in a cool bar. Come talk with the experts about their efforts to address some of the Earth's most pressing problems. NCED's A SIP OF SCIENCE brings the wonder of science to happy hour.  More information.

March 8, 2011, Tuesday - Downtown Minneapolis Neighborhood Association (DMNA) Board Meeting

Time: 6:00pm

Location:  Central Public Library - Room N-202

DMNAboard meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month. Anyone who lives, works or owns a business or property within the Downtown East and Downtown West neighborhoods is eligible for general membership in the DMNA.

The agenda for tonight's meeting is:

6:00pm Call to order and introductions
6:05pm Consideration of agenda
6:10pm Presentation regarding the Northern Spark summer festival scheduled for June 4, 2011, by Steve Dietz and Andrea Steudel
6:20pm Land Use Update
- Kaplan University (40 S. 7th Street) – Conditional Use Permit application for new signage; Presentation by Mary Ferraro
6:25pm NRP Implementation Report
- Update on City Council action with regards to the NRP Phase II Plan
  o Considered by Community Development Committee – February 15 – Approved
  o Considered by Ways and Means Committee – February 22 – Approved
  o Considered by City Council – February 25 – Approved
6:30 pm Neighborhood and Community Engagement Report (NCEC)
- Update on NCEC action on February 22, with regards to the DMNA 2011 Community
Participation Program application and budget
- Consideration of endorsing neighborhood proposal with regards to the NCEC election
process
6:35pm Consideration of minutes from the February 8, 2011 Board Meeting
6:40pm Consideration of March 2011 Financial Report
6:43pm Staff report presented by Christie Rock
6:45pm Downtown 2025 Update and discussion facilitated by Bob Parr, Downtown 2025 Plan Coordinator
8:00 pm Adjournment

Next DMNA Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 12, 2011, at 6:00pm at the Central Library in Room N-202.

March 8, 2011, Tuesday - Wine Seminar at Sorella

Time: 5:30pm-7:00pm 

Location: Sorella Wine & Spirits, 1010 Washington Avenue South

Reservations Required - 612-339-4040
 
Chris Griese - Sake Specialist - World Class Wines

Chris has just returned from another week of Sake studies in Japan where he completed Professional Sake Training Level II, with John Gauntner, noted sake author and expert at the National Sake Institute in Tokyo.

Chris is one of only 80 people worldwide to complete the class. We will be tasting some very special Sakes as Chris shares his travel tales and expertise.

March 7, 2011, Monday - Holzschuh Exhibit opens at Sanctuary

Time: 7:00pm to 9:00pm

Location:  Sanctuary, 903 Washington Avenue South

Don Holzschuh is a well known artist from Minnesota who has done shows in other major US cities (e.g. New York!) as well as France, Germany, Holland and Belgium.  His works are in the collections of major corporations and individual homes in this country and overseas. 

Don and enjoy one of Chef's new appetizers, one of our fab new martinis ~ or give yourself a treat and make a dinner reservation! 

March 6, 2011, Sunday - Michael Langham Memorial Service at The Guthrie

Time: 6:00pm

Location: Guthrie Theater, Wurtele Thrust Stage

A public celebration of the life and work of former Guthrie Artistic Director Michael Langham, who passed away on January 15, will take place Sunday, March 6, at the Guthrie.

Scheduled to pay tribute and share their memories of Langham are Guthrie Artistic Director Joe Dowling, board member Charles Zelle, director Stephen Kanee, production manager Jon Cranney, playwright Barbara Field, musician Dick Whitbeck and actors Barbara Bryne, Peter Michael Goetz, Helen Carey, Sally Wingert and Christina Baldwin. A friend and respected colleague of Tyrone Guthrie, Michael Langham came to the Guthrie after 12 years as artistic director of Canada's Stratford Festival Theatre and a distinguished career in England directing for the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre of Great Britain and on Broadway with The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. Langham recruited leading actors with whom he had worked for his inaugural plays at the Guthrie, Cyrano de Bergerac and The Taming of the Shrew, both of which were artistic and box office successes. The Langham years, 1971-77, were marked by financial stability for the Theater and deft stagings of familiar classics that enjoyed broad appeal, including the premiere of the now-traditional holiday production of A Christmas Carol. A central core of actors performed works including Oedipus the King, Love's Labor's Lost, The Matchmaker, She Stoops to Conquer, and A Streetcar Named Desire.

March 6, 2011, Sunday - Guthrie Backstage Tour

Time: 10:00am

Location: 818 South 2nd Street

Backstage tours offer a behind-the-scenes look at how Guthrie shows are taken from script to stage. In 45 minutes, you'll visit the Guthrie's signature thrust and proscenium stages; enter the expansive scene shop where sets are built and painted, and learn how they're transported to each stage; visit the shop where costumes are expertly stitched, fabrics dyed and wigs constructed; and explore the rehearsal rooms where company members prepare for performance.

Backstage tours are scheduled Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 10 a.m. $10 per person; $6 for subscribers, students and seniors. Call the Box Office at 612.377.2224 or order online. The Box Office opens for backstage tours and in-person sales at 9:30 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

March 5, 2011, Saturday - Kitchen Harvests: World War I Tips for Getting the Most from Your Food at Mill City Museum

Location: Mill City Museum, 704 South Second Street

Times: Noon and 2:00pm

Featured tips in this demonstration include clever ways to pack more nutrition into food, how to turn seemingly useless scraps into meals and ways to get more from your food dollar.

Author Rae Katherine Eighmey will feature food and facts from her new book "Food Will Win the War: Minnesota Cooks, Crops, and Conservation during World War I."  Eighmey will demonstrate the preparation of whole wheat chocolate cookies, cornmeal and rice waffles, and meatcakes. Samples will be available. After each demonstration, copies of Eighmey's book will be available for purchase, and she will be available to sign them.

Visitors can also ready Eighmey's blog which includes many of her cooking tips and recipes.

Fee: Programs included with museum admission of $10 adults, $8 seniors and college students, $5 children ages 6-17; free for MHS members.