Art Hounds recommend one-act plays, two generations of artists and art of the fjords

From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what’s exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the audio heard in the player above. 

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One-act plays in Winona

Daryl Lanz, owner of Chapter Two Books in Winona, is glad to see Theatre Du Mississippi’s One Act Play Festival returning for a second year.

Playwrights from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa submitted original work earlier this winter, and the winning four short plays will be performed together to make a performance running about two hours.

The result is a grab-bag of comedy and drama by regional writers ranging from 10 to 50 minutes. Shows will be performed at the Valencia Arts Center’s Academy Theatre in Winona this weekend and next, Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.  

A family of artists

Visual artist Fawzia Khan of Hopkins recommends the exhibit “Reflections and Conversations: Monica Rudquist and Jerry Rudquist” at the Catherine G. Murphy Gallery at St. Catherine University in St. Paul.

Assistant professor Monica Rudquist explores the relationship between her ceramic art and paintings by her late father, Jerry Rudquist (1924-2001), who taught painting at Macalester College for 42 years.

On the gallery’s second floor, Sophia Gibson — an honors student of Monica’s — extends the legacy one step further by curating an exhibit of Jerry’s portraits. 

The exhibit runs through March 16, with an artist talk by Monica Rudquist on March 5 at 6:30 p.m. There will also be a screening and panel discussion of the short film “The Painted Eye,” which documents Jerry Rudquist’s painting process on March 12. 

In the East Gallery, Monica Rudquist’s deconstructed and reassembled bowls, plates and cylinders reflect the shape and textures of her father’s work.  

“Both artists deconstruct objects and put them together in new ways to create imaginary forms and leave the marks of their hands on the works,” Khan said. 

Pining for the fjords

Diane Hellekson, retired writer and former art critic for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, was inspired by the mixed media exhibit “Sund: Notes from the Sea” showing at Form + Content Gallery in Minneapolis.

Minneapolis artist Moira Bateman created works reflecting on her summer 2024 residency in Ålvik, Norway, and on the human impact of its fjords. The exhibit includes found objects pulled from the fjords, textiles and an audio element that immerses listeners in the sounds of the sea and underwater noise pollution.

The exhibit is open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through March 8, with an artist coffee reception on Saturday, March 1 from noon to 3 p.m. 

Hellekson called it an intimate show that gave her a feeling of  “wonder and curiosity.” She says you have to look closely at each piece and see “What is