Minneapolis, July 19, 2013—The Walker Art Center’s Target Free Thursday Nights in August feature a Chef-in-Residence event with Dennis Leaf-Smith (Thursday, August 1); Teaching Artist Handbook (Thursday, August 1) and the exhibition opening of Fritz Haeg: Domestic Integrities (Thursday, August 8). Target Free Thursday Nights in August also include a panel discussion for the McKnight Artist Fellowship for Photographers (Thursday, August 15), a Social/Brief event featuring a screening of Big Joy: The Adventures of James Broughton (Thursday, August 22), and Going Viral: Life as a Cat Video Creator, part of the 2013 Internet Cat Video Festival (Thursday, August 29).
Target Free Thursday Nights
Get inspired. Get in free.
August 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
Galleries open 5–9 pm; special events follow.
Thursday, August 1
Tastings with Chef-in-Residence Dennis Leaf-Smith
Gather by D’Amico, 5–9 pm
Thursday evenings at Gather by D’Amico feature $5 small plates and drink specials, and limited-edition dishes from a roster of stellar guest chefs who share tastings each month.
In August, we welcome chef-in-residence Dennis Leaf-Smith of 112 Eatery. Join him at the Walker for tastes from his small plates menu, exclusively at Gather this month.
Teaching Artist Handbook: Tools, Techniques, and Ideas to Help any Artist Teach
Walker Shop/Hennepin Lobby, 5:30–7:30 pm
Join authors Nick Jaffe, Becca Barniskis, and Barbara Hackett Cox for a casual celebration of their new book Teaching Artist Handbook: Tools, Techniques, and Ideas to Help Any Artist Teach. Peruse the new publication, which is available in the Walker Shop, grab a snack and a glass of wine, and connect with colleagues old and new. The authors will be on hand to sign books during this event.
A discussion with the authors continues online; look for a forthcoming post on the mnartist.org blog.
Thursday, August 8
Opening Day: Domestic Integrities A05
Walker Art Center/Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, 5–9 pm
Artist-in-residence Fritz Haeg and local gardeners, artists, and food producers host an evening of festivities celebrating ways that we make ourselves at home in the Twin Cities. Knitting, crocheting, bread-making, foraging, and other domestic activities will connect the Domestic Integrities A05 rug installation in the gallery and Haeg’s recently commissioned Foraging Circle in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.
At 7 pm, we’ll gather for the premiere of a short video about the first season of Edible Estate #15 and meet the Woodbury family whose front lawn was transformed into an organic edible garden involving neighbors, friends, and volunteers. Garden tea infusions, fresh breads, and local preserves and produce will be presented by Birchwood Café throughout the evening.
– 6pm: Presentation of breads and preserves, Foraging Circle
– 7pm: Edible Estates #15 video premiere, Walker Cinema
– 8pm: Teas on the Domestic Integrities rug, Medtronic Gallery
Be Part of the Exhibition
If you live in the Twin Cities metro area and have an edible garden in your front yard, take a picture and e-mail it to ecp.intern@walkerart.org along with your name (optional), your location, and a brief description of what you’re growing. Your photo and information will be included in the exhibition.
Thursday, August 15
Panel Discussion: McKnight Artist Fellowship for Photographers
Walker Cinema, 7pm
Since 1981, the McKnight Artist Fellowships have delivered significant financial assistance to individuals whose work demonstrates accomplishment and the promise of continued excellence. Awards are made in 12 disciplines through 9 arts organizations and presenters.
mnartists.org, the administrative home of the McKnight Artist Fellowships for Photographers, supports mid-career artists residing in Minnesota who use photography as a primary means of creative, personal expression. The $25,000 fellowships enable four artists to study, reflect, experiment, and explore over a 12-month period, which culminates in a presentation of their work—this year, a book project—and a public program.
Join 2012–2013 recipients Jenn Ackerman, Teri Fullerton, Jason Pearson, and Katherine Turczan for a conversation with Walker chief curator Darsie Alexander about the state of photography as a medium within contemporary art as well as the objecthood of artist’s books.
Book Signing: Walking Twin Cities
Hennepin Lobby, 6–8 pm
Walking Twin Cities: 34 Tours Exploring Historic Neighborhoods, Lakeside Parks, Gangster Hideouts, Dive Bars, and Cultural Centers of Minneapolis and St. Paul (2nd edition, published 2013, Wilderness Press) contains walks of varying levels of difficulty, built around the natural, architectural, and historical attractions of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The downtown areas of both cities are explored in depth, as well as many of the neighborhoods, scenic parks, and lakes that are scattered through the area. Whether you’re interested in art, culture, history, or nature, there’s a walk in this book designed for your interests, with hopes that it serves not only as a guidebook for (re)discovering the Twin Cities, but as a springboard for additional explorations. Meet the authors, Sherman Wick and Holly Day at this signing event.
Sherman Wick is a professional writer and photographer who lives with his wife and co-author, Holly Day, and their two children, Astrid and Wolfgang. He is a Minnesota native with a degree in history from the University of Minnesota. His previous books include Insider’s Guide to the Twin Cities, while his short writing has appeared in The St. Paul Almanac, Film Festival Today, and Cosmic Debris. Holly Day teaches writing classes for kids and adults at The Loft writing collective in downtown Minneapolis. Her book publications include Insider’s Guide to the Twin Cities, Music Composition for Dummies, Guitar-All-in-One for Dummies, and Music Theory for Dummies, and she is a recent recipient of the Sam Ragan Poetry Prize from Barton College.
Thursday, August 22
Social/Brief: Big Joy
Garden Café, 6pm
Express your hedonism in 20 seconds or less! In celebration of the film Big Joy: The Adventures of James Broughton, join some blissed-out writers in the Garden Café and compose short poetic snippets that relish all that’s good about life, love, sex, summer, and more. Don’t worry, our featured writers will help you fit your boundless glee into a small package. A bit later, you could be invited to read your brief reflection on the Walker Cinema stage before the screening. Copresented by Rain Taxi Review of Books.
Big Joy: The Adventures of James Broughton
Directed by Stephen Silha, Eric Slade, and Dawn, Logsdon; introduced by Stephen Silha
Walker Cinema, 7:30pm
“James Broughton’s epitaph says about all you need to know about him: ‘Adventure—not predicament.’” —SXSW Review
A lively documentary celebrates the 100th anniversary of poet and experimental filmmaker James Broughton (1913–1999), a central figure in San Francisco’s art world who played a role in creating the indie film scene that flourishes today. The entertaining collage of animated bits and excerpts from Broughton’s diaries, poems, and experimental films includes interviews with various people who knew him best, including his wife, son, long-time male lover, and former Film in the Cities director Sally Dixon. 2013, DCP, 82 minutes.
Co-director Stephen Silha will introduce the film at this event.
Preceded by a new print of Broughton’s The Bed (1968,16mm, 20 minutes).
Thursday, August 29
Going Viral: Life as a Cat Video Creator
Part of the Internet Cat Video Festival 2013
Walker Cinema, 7 pm
Since the debut of the Internet Cat Video Festival at the Walker last summer, interest in the phenomena continues to grow. On the day after second festival at the State Fair, join video creators Will Braden (Henri, le Chat Noir), Maddie Kelly (Kittens Inspired by Kittens), Paul Klusman and TJ Wingard (An Engineer’s Guide to Cats), and Internet Cat Video Festival producer Scott Stulen for a discussion about their experiences and the universal appeal of felines. And fear not: the program includes videos.
Target Free Thursday Nights Special in the Walker Shop
The Walker Shop offers a discount on selected items during Target Free Thursday Nights. The special for August is Bubblopes, flashy Velcro closure folder envelopes. Bubblopes come with reusable Velcro closures, UPC stickers on the outside and easy-to-use mailing labels on the inside. These colorful reflective envelopes are lined with tiny air cushioned pockets. Bubblopes are available in 10 metallic colors and are buy-one-get-one-free on Target Free Thursday Nights in August.