Arts Minded: Save some gas, visit the local art scene

• Artsminded

Artsminded

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“It’s easy to sympathize with how it must feel to be a player in the Minnesota Orchestra. One day the New York and London critics are hailing you as among the world’s best; the next day your bosses are locking the doors and telling you not to come back until you accept a 34 percent pay cut.” ~Minneapolis Star Tribune, Oct. 6.

What is happening with the Minnesota Orchestra and other major music and arts venues in the Twin Cities is very hard to accept. After all, Minnesota is the state that voted itself a special tax — the Legacy Fund — to preserve the state’s cultural bounty. Now several of the prime, nationally known arts organizations are having severe problems.

We here in River Falls want to support our internationally known organizations to the west. We are delighted to be a few miles from a major arts area, but even in these hard times, we have much to celebrate here in Pierce and St. Croix Counties. After all, in the words of the arts and culture program emanating from the Phipps, “What we need is here!” We need not expend gas and money to fill our arts cravings.

A glance below at the offerings in our area is enough to warm our hearts. In the next two weeks, we have art “tours” where we can visit studios of regional artists, barn (folk) dances where we can participate with local bands and callers in one of the older means of entertainment and art.

And the art crawl right here in downtown River Falls once associated with River Dazzle has been moved to celebrate fall colors and more daylight. We have plays, book celebrations, movie showings, and cultural exhibits, all in our lovely and very active public library.

If it’s classical music we want, now that the fall semester has begun, we can consult the UWRF website for concerts right here — and since the redesigned Cascade will be open soon, getting there will be easier.

If it’s world class music we crave, we have excellent music radio — from both Wisconsin and Minnesota. In fact, CAB will sponsor two events that come up in the next couple of weeks.

Upcoming events

--Barn dance at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13 featuring the Rush River Ramblers at the River Falls Academy Gym, 439 W. Maple St. The dance is open to all ages — early dances are child appropriate — they get more complex as the evening wears on. Adults are $5; 12 and under are $2.50.

--Fall art crawl from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20 in the downtown. Businesses will feature local artists and their art. See posters on Main Street — and elsewhere — for the businesses and artists. Stop at the CAB booth that day for maps and information.

--Sense and Sensibility at the library on Friday, Oct. 12. Jane Austin celebration with readings of several of her books and showings of movies based on them, as well as fashions of Jane Austin’s time with discussion.

--Movies sponsored by Coalition for a Compassionate Community, followed by discussion at the library: Places in the Heart, 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 15; “The Red Balloon,” “Porcelain Unicom,” and “The $6.50 Dollar Man,” 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27.

--Annual library Haunted House, “Chaos at the Castle” from 6-9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 31.

--Celebrating 100 years of American Girl Scouting library exhibit through Friday, Oct. 25.

--Fierce: The Artistic Vision of Dr. Lynn Jermal at Gallery 101 in KFA on the UWRF campus. On display through Saturday, Oct. 27. Gallery hours Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. and Sun. 2-4 p.m.

--Gallery 120 exhibit “Have Water, Will Paint:” Art show opening from 4-8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 12. Featuring water color artists Naomi Brandt, Clayt Snow, Vicki Dean, Ed Paulson, and Joan Dowell.

--River Falls Art Department faculty exhibit at the Phipps Oct. 19-Nov. 25. Opening reception from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 26.

--River Falls Community Theatre presents “Play On” at the North Hall Auditorium at 7 p.m. on the following dates: Oct. 19-20 and 26-27.

--Western Wisconsin Pottery Tour: Friday, Oct. 12, 4-7 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 13, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, Oct. 14, noon-5 p.m. For maps and artists see Western Wisconsin Pottery Tour.

--“Hair” themed exhibit at the Foster Art Vault in Hammond on Saturday, Oct. 13, 5-9 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 14, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Artists include Greta Hammelman, Thea Ennen, Barb Bend, Teri Power, Leslie Batt-Lutz, David Markson and Christine McKahan. Music at Hammond Hotel by Gene LaFond and Brian Green, Saturday night 8-11 p.m. For more information contact Paulette at 715-796-8869 or lupine.anderson@gmail.com.

--Sigwarth Glass Studio Show and Sale: On Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 20-21,10 a.m. to 5 pm. at Sigwarth Glass Studio, 586 Wyngate Drive. For more information visit Sigwarth Glass.

Tags: announcements, events, arts