Dallas Goldtooth at the Walker Art Center for his curated film series, Bastille Day celebrations, a North Shore arts festival, a Florentine masterpiece returns to the Minneapolis Institute of Art, 19th-century women explorers at Paul Bunyan Playhouse and more in this week’s MN Shortlist.
‘Once Upon a Time in Manhood’ at the Walker Art Center — July 10-Aug. 14
"Once Upon a Time in Manhood" is a summer film series curated by actor and comedian Dallas Goldtooth at the Walker Art Center. The invitation to the summer series begins with what sounds like a cold open for a sketch, "Once Dallas Goldtooth was a boy. Now he is a man."
If that teaser tells us anything, Goldtooth, who is beloved by audiences for bringing his irreverent sense of humor to the character of William Knifeman on the hit TV series “Reservation Dogs,” will bring that same joyful energy to talk about how popular culture has helped to shape ideas around masculinity and manhood. Goldtooth will host the opening for two evening screenings — “Willow” on Friday, July 10, and “The Last of the Mohicans” on Saturday, July 11.
The film series continues through July and August with “Die Hard,” “The Shawshank Redemption,” “Fight Club” and “Boy.” (Melissa Olson)
Early Bastille Day celebration in Edina — July 10-12
If you're looking for an excuse to lean into your inner Francophile, head to 50th & France for a three-day Bastille Weekend celebration. Expect French-inspired shopping and dining specials, live music, and family activities throughout the neighborhood. Highlights include free screenings of “Amélie” at the Edina Theatre, a Paris flea market and a French-inspired fashion show brunch at Thérèse brasserie.
Most events are free, making it an easy way to spend a summer afternoon pretending you're strolling through a Paris neighborhood instead of Edina. (Annie Russell)
Grand Marais Arts Festival — July 11-12
The 35th annual arts festival returns to the shores of Lake Superior where, as the Grand Marais Art Colony states, more than 10,000 attendees gather to see the work of dozens of juried Midwest artists, from textiles, jewelry, leatherworking to painting and printmaking. (Alex V. Cipolle)
‘for colored girls…’ staged reading at Rochester Repertory Theater — July 11-12
In 1976, a choreopoem by feminist playwright and poet Ntozake Shange premiered at the Booth Theater in New York, becoming only the second play by a Black woman to be staged on Broadway (the first was “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry).
The piece, “for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf,” combined monologues, dance and music to capture the stories of seven Black woman who experience love, joy and empowerment as well as racism, sexism, and violence. The play is considered groundbreaking for centering the experience of Black girls and women through characters named for colors – Lady in Red, Lady in Blue, Lady in Purple and so on.
To mark the 50th anniversary, Griot Arts is presenting two staged readings at the Rochester Repertory Theater at 7 p.m. July 11 and 2 p.m. July 12. (Alex V. Cipolle)
‘Back from the Underworld: Mia’s Dante Tapestry Restored’ at Minneapolis Institute of Art — Through Jan. 31
Have you ever wanted to know what Dante’s “Inferno,” written in the 14th century, actually looked like? Well 16th-century artist Francesco Salviati took a crack at it and the answer is: pretty nice. In 1540s Florence, Italy, one-percenter Cosimo de’ Medici commissioned Salviati to design the tapestry, which centers the meeting of the author Dante Alighieri and the ancient Roman poet Virgil before Virgil guides them into the belly of Hell.
For the first time since the 1950s, the Dante tapestry will go on view July 11 at the Minneapolis Institute of Art after undergoing major conservation. According to Mia, the silk-and-wool artwork is the largest Italian Renaissance masterpiece in the U.S. at 17 feet tall. The restored tapestry remains fragile and sensitive to light and will only be on display through January 2027.
Salviati “has just a great sense of humor and a wonderful spirit of pushing the weavers to do the most complex possible thing,” Max Bryant, a Mia curator, recently told The European Fine Art Foundation, which provided the conservation grant. On Aug. 8, Grammy-nominated violinist Peter Sheppard Skærved will play a free public celebration to mark the tapestry’s return. (Alex V. Cipolle)
‘On the Verge, or The Geography of Yearning’ at Paul Bunyan Playhouse — July 16-25
Known as Minnesota’s longest-running professional summer stock theater, Paul Bunyan Playhouse is a gem tucked in North Central Minnesota. Performing at the Historic Chief Theater in Bemidji, the company puts on multiple shows each summer, ranging from large musical comedies to more intimate plays.
Paul Bunyan Playhouse is gearing up for “On the Verge, or The Geography of Yearning,” which follows three female explorers as they search for the elusive “Terra Incognito” in the late 1880s. What ensues is a surreal and witty play, full of pop culture references ranging from the 1800s through the 1950s, ultimately examining one’s place in the world. (Jacob Aloi)
