The Twin Cities arts scene this weekend invites you to create your own zine and collages in a workshop in Minneapolis. Engage with the intersections of race, gender, and neurodivergence through the paintings of a Black queer artist in Bloomington.
Looking ahead, an upcoming Indigenous arts showcase in Minneapolis next week offers an opportunity to explore the fusion of contemporary fine art practices with traditional Indigenous art forms. The event also marks the grand opening of a new Indigenous arts center.
Paintings celebrate Black, queer, and neurodivergent experiences
Artistry Theater and Visual Arts is hosting the “Loud Joy” exhibition, featuring the Afrofuturistic paintings of artist Leeya Jackson. The show explores Jackson’s experiences as a Black, queer, and neurodivergent woman.
Inspired by Octavia E. Butler’s science fiction novels; artist and activist Faith Ringgold, who merged art, feminism and the civil rights movement in her story quilts; Frida Kahlo exploring Mexican culture in her self-portraits; and Kehinde Wiley’s representations of Black and Brown men in his portraiture, Jackson’s work reflects her identity as a Black woman diagnosed with ADHD. The exhibition offers insights into the shame and “loud joy” that accompanies the intersections of race, gender, and neurodivergence.
Date: Friday, January 5, through Sunday, February 25.
Time: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday. 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Location: Artistry Theater and Visual Arts, 1800 W. Old Shakopee Road, Bloomington
Cost: Free
For more information: Visit artistrymn.org/.
Zine and collage workshop
Resource Mpls will host the Zine and Collage Workshop event, featuring a community altar rooted in African and Indigenous traditions.
Zines, an abbreviation for “magazine,” are DIY small-circulation publications historically crafted by marginalized voices to share stories excluded from traditional publishing. The workshop, spearheaded by artist Baki Z Porter, serves as a platform for Black, Indigeneous, people of color (BIPOC) artists to create how-to guides, share personal journal entries, poems, and collages.
“I want to make sure everyone knows that their words in art matter,” Porter said. “I am on a one-person mission to get my community self-published, and I believe the zine format allows folks to give magic to the mundane.”
The workshop also stems from a mission to redefine communal support, operating on a community-driven model of mutual aid. Attendees are invited to contribute funds and resources, culminating in a pooled contribution from which an anonymous BIPOC community member in financial need may benefit.
The community altar, rooted in Creole and Louisiana traditions, celebrates the interconnectedness of nature and community, honoring “the land we live and breathe on, as well as our ancestors,” Porter said.
Attendees are encouraged to bring items that pay homage to their ancestors, such as candles, food, and craft tools.
The workshop will provide the essential materials for collaging, including magazines, newspapers, scissors, glue, and printer paper. However, attendees are welcome to bring their own supplies.
Date: Saturday, January 13
Time: 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Location: Resource Mpls, 512 E. 24th St., Minneapolis
Cost: Free
For more information: Visit resource-mpls.com.
Exhibit merges fine art and Indigenous tradition
The University of Minnesota’s Katherine E. Nash Gallery will host the show “Dreaming Our Futures: Ojibwe and Očhéthi Šakówiŋ Artists and Knowledge Keepers”, featuring works by 29 Indigenous artists. The exhibit marks the debut of the George Morrison Center for Indigenous Arts, a collaborative effort to bridge the worlds of fine art and traditional Indigenous art forms.
The exhibition, curated by Ojibwe historian and U Professor Brenda J. Child, Harvard University faculty member Christopher Pexa, and Howard Oransky, director of the Nash Gallery, is an exploration of the historical roots and future possibilities of Indigenous art. The collection includes surrealistic paintings infused with historical, religious and cultural references by Anishinaabe artist Frank Big Bear, sociopolitical reflections on Native American history by Chippewa artist David Bradley, explorations of Indigenous futurisms by Anishinaabe artist Awanigiizhik Bruce, and scenes of Ojibwe life by Ojibwe artist Patrick DesJarlait, among others.
A panel discussion about the featured artworks will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, February 3, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., led by Child, and featuring Pexa; Kate Beane, executive director at the Minnesota Museum of American Art, and authors Louise Erdrich and Diane Wilson.
A reading by Patricia Marroquin Norby, the associate curator of Native American art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is set for 12 p.m. February 15. It will offer a closer look at the abstract works of the Ojibwe painter and sculptor George Morrison (1919-2000), after whom the center is named.
Artist Fern Cloud will present traditional Dakota hide painting techniques from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, March 14.
Date: Tuesday, January 16, through March 16.
Time: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The Regis Center for Art is locked on Saturdays, with U-card access only. Visitors can call 612-624-7530 to gain entrance.
Location: Regis Center for Art, 405 21st Ave. S., Minneapolis
Cost: Free
