Three picks for celebrating Juneteenth, a summer-long plein air art competition begins in Otter Tail County, “Come From Away” at the Guthrie, the Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona and more in this week’s MN Shortlist.
‘Every(body) Wants to Be a Showgirl’ at Rose Academy of Burlesque in Minneapolis — Through June 21
This nationally touring exhibition – self-described as the “largest global celebration of Black burlesque artists – began in February in Washington D.C. and has arrived in Minneapolis for a special Juneteenth Jubilee Edition. The exhibition features a burlesque archive of costumes, photography, archival footage of Josephine Baker and stories of more than 100 “performers who have shaped American performance culture without institutional recognition,” including Minnesota performers like Red Bone, Foxy Tann, and Tré Da Marc.
Curator Aquarius Moon, a Somali-Nigerian performance artist who founded the D.C. Metro Cabaret Club, is in town for the event.
“There was a lack of an emphasis of capturing the history of Black people's contribution to the art form. It's always had heavy influences from the Black American experience as well as the Black diasporic experience,” Moon tells MPR News. “Minneapolis has a phenomenal burlesque scene.”
Moon says the exhibition’s Minneapolis stop will center the Twin Cities Black burlesque community that created Juneteenth Jubilee, a series of shows and workshops across Minneapolis now in its fifth year. (Alex V. Cipolle)
Soul of the Southside festival in Minneapolis — June 19
The free annual Juneteenth celebration “rooted in joy, belonging and Black liberation” is organized into four pillars: creative expression, education and reflection, wellness,healing and community wealth. This means there is a whole lot of activity and neighborhood-building in the span of the festival's eight hours.
Within a few blocks along Minnehaha Avenue, attendees can throw clay at Mudluk Pottery, shop an art market, attend a mini film fest featuring the work of local Black artists or cooking classes and mocktail samplings, get a free massage at the MN Wellness Center, visit the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder staff, help paint a community mural, and learn about how it all started five years ago with a “Soul of the Southside” exhibition at the Coliseum Building.
Founded by South Minneapolis community members Fancy Lanier-Duncan and Emmanuel Duncan, the celebration takes place in an historic spot at Minnehaha and Lake, where the former Minneapolis Police Department’s 3rd Precinct building burned in the uprisings after the murder of George Floyd.
A staple event is Ancestral Food Waves. “We partner with chef Lachelle Cunningham who is an incredible chef storyteller who really dives into the history of what nourishes our bodies,” says Lanier-Duncan. “What did our ancestors, what did our grandmas and our aunties, and our uncles and our grandfathers — what did they do to stay healthy, to nourish themselves? How creative did they have to get with the food that they were cooking?”(Alex V. Cipolle)
Twin Cities Jazz Festival in St. Paul — June 19-20
The event began 28 years ago and has grown into one of the largest free jazz festivals in the Upper Midwest. Over two days, dozens of musicians perform across two outdoor stages at Meers Park in downtown St. Paul, as well as more than 18 bars, restaurants and venues across the metro area, from Erta Ale Ethiopian Restaurant and the Minnesota Museum of American Art in St. Paul to Berlin in Minneapolis and Crooner’s Supper Club in Fridley. Headliners include the Grammy-winning Yellowjackets band, the JazzMN Orchestra with Michael Mayo, and Peruvian-American saxophonist Lucia Sarmiento. (Alex V. Cipolle)
“Movement Werk” Juneteenth Celebration at the Capri in Minneapolis — June 20
Located in the heart of North Minneapolis, the Capri Theater is celebrating Juneteenth with a dance party, poetry readings and community. The event, “Movement Werk,” begins at 3 p.m. in the Capri’s community hall “Paradise at the Capri.”
Featured artists include A.E. Wynter (who's been involved with Minnesota literary organizations like More Than A Single Story and the Loft Literary Center) and Junauda Petrus, an award-winning author and Minneapolis’ current poet laureate. (Jacob Aloi)
“Come From Away” at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis — Through August 9
A musical about the most devastating day in recent American history certainly raises eyebrows. But “Come From Away,” now playing at the Guthrie Theater, isn’t exactly a musical about the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Rather, it's a reminder of the good in humanity and how people can band together in dark times.
Following the terror attacks on 9/11, the U.S. airspace was closed, causing dozens of flights to be diverted. In response, the Canadian government enacted “Operation Yellow Ribbon.” Across Canada, communities welcomed stranded international travelers, one of which was Gander, Newfoundland. The experience of the people who were in that small town in the North Atlantic serves as the basis for “Come From Away.”
While it has been produced across North America, the Guthrie's production strikes a chord with Minnesotans. In one scene, the Newfoundlanders organized mutual aid networks in a matter of hours because “they can’t watch the news anymore,” echoing the similar networks that came together during the height of the recent federal immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota. (Jacob Aloi)
‘Longest Day of Art’ in Battle Lake — June 20
This event in Otter Tail County is two-fold: A community photography project to capture the essence of Battle Lake as the town turns 135, and the kickoff to the Prairie Lakes Plein Air festival, which culminates with an awards ceremony in September. For the rest of the summer, artists will be painting the lakes country starting with an opening day plein air workshop event with artist Mary Boylan at Glendalough State Park. There will be plein air workshops throughout July, August and September. (Alex V. Cipolle)
Opening nights at Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona — June 24-25
When I was growing up, no summer felt complete without a visit to the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City, Utah. There’s just something about summertime that calls for a production of one of the Bard’s plays—and the Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona understands this.
Producing two plays each summer, the festival features a single acting company trading off between shows and roles at different nights of the week. This year’s offerings include the oft-produced love-farce “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Pericles,” an obscure play about a Levantine prince adrift at sea, giving audiences a nice variety based on personal taste. The cast for these shows is also full of great interpreters of Shakespeare that have graced Minnesota stages—including Will Sturdivant and Melissa Maxwell who had memory-making turns in the Guthrie Theater’s “Henriad” a couple years ago. While opening nights are on the 24 and 25, both shows run well into July. (Jacob Aloi)
