Minneapolis, November 8, 2012—The Walker Art Center’s Target Free Thursday Nights in December feature a Chef-in-Residence event with chef Josh Brown (Thursday, December 6), a Teen Art Lounge (Thursday, December 20), and a screening, Films from the Collection Selected by Melinda Ward, from the exhibition The Renegades: American Avant-Garde Film, 1960–1973.
Target Free Thursday Nights
Get inspired. Get in free.
December 6, 13, 20 and 27
Galleries open 5–9 pm; special events follow.
Thursday, December 6
Chef-in-Residence: Josh Brown
Gather by D’Amico, 5 – 9 pm
Top talents from Twin Cities restaurants create limited-edition small plates exclusively for this ongoing series—meet them on the first Thursday of every month for a tasting. On December 6, Gather executive chef Josh Brown shares tastes from his British-themed menu, which complements the British Arrows Awards screenings throughout December. As with the first Thursday of every month, guests can sample two complimentary menu items. Chef Brown will be present throughout the evening to chat with guests and answer any questions. Named “One of the Best New Restaurants of the Year” by Mpls./St. Paul magazine, Gather features a happy hour and full bar with an innovative specialty cocktail menu by mixologist Josh Rigert.
Thursday, December 20
Teen Art Lounge
Star Tribune Foundation Art Lab, 5–8 pm
Artists ages 13 to 18 tune into new ways of making art at this informal drop-in gathering hosted by the Walker’s Teen Arts Council and a guest artist each month.
Screening: The Renegades: Films from the Collection Selected by Melinda Ward
Lecture Room, 7:30 pm
For the final guest-curated screening held in conjunction with the exhibition The Renegades: American Avant-Garde Film, 1960–1973, former Walker film curator Melinda Ward selects three key works from the Ruben/Bentson Film and Video Study Collection.
During her tenure at the Walker, first as the film coordinator (1974–1979) and then as project director of the Learning Museum (1979–1985), Ward had a huge impact on the Twin Cities film scene and helped to shape the Walker’s extraordinary Ruben/Bentson Collection. Though she is currently immersed in the world of radio as the senior vice president of Public Radio International (PRI) Productions, her knowledge and enthusiasm for American avant-garde film has not diminished over the years.
For this program, Ward selected work from the Walker’s collection from three pioneering filmmakers—Kenneth Anger, Bruce Conner, and Ernie Gehr. Though their styles are vastly different, all three changed the face of cinema with radically new editing and production techniques. Gehr’s Serene Velocity and Conner’s THREE SCREEN RAY are also featured in the exhibition The Renegades, now on view at the Walker. Program length 65 minutes.
REPORT by Bruce Conner
Made over the course of three years, Conner utilized television footage of the assassination of John F. Kennedy in an attempt to create a film that deals with the death of the president and how it was exploited by the media. 1963–1967, 16mm, 13 minutes.
Scorpio Rising by Kenneth Anger
Through montage and an innovative pop soundtrack, Anger documents an all-male motorcycle gang as they fix and polish their bikes; outfit themselves with leather, skull rings, and chains; and attend a Halloween party. The end result is a meditation on fascism, death, the rituals of religion, and American pop culture. 1963, 16mm, 29 minutes.
Serene Velocity by Ernie Gehr
Shooting four frames at a time and then incrementally adjusting the focus on the zoom lens, Gehr transforms a dull institutional hallway into a pulsating image that flashes between two states, near and far. 1970, 16mm, 23 minutes.
Target Free Thursday Nights Special in the Walker Shop
The Walker Shop offers a discount on selected items during Target Free Thursday Nights. The December Shop special is the ArkHippo iPhone case. The case is designed to protect your phone, make it easier to handle, and allow you to stand it alone in a horizontal or vertical position. Created exclusively for use with the iPhone 4 or 4S, these rugged, flexible cases are functional and fun! Cases are available in eight different colors and made of durable EVA material with speaker and mic opening at the bottom and volume/on/off control by pushing on case. Regularly price at $24 each, the ArkHippo iPhone case is $12 on Target Free Thursday Nights in December. Special price can’t be combined with other discounts.