Art Hounds: Celebrating the Mississippi

This week Art Hounds offer up two events that celebrate the Mississippi River, plus a summer festival from Skylark Opera.

Florence Brammer is an ardent theater-goer, and for her the Skylark Opera's annual festival is one of the highlights of summer. This year Skylark is presenting Stephen Sondheim's music revue "Putting It Together" and Puccini's operetta "La Rondine." Performances run through Sunday at the E. M. Pearson Theatre on the campus of Concordia University in St. Paul.

Keith Williams says it's worth a trip to check out "The River Project" at MacRostie Art Center in Grand Rapids. The exhibition features the prints of James Boyd Brent and Rick Love alongside the ceramic art of Daryn Lowman. The three have created a series of works inspired by the Mississippi, from its more developed side in the Twin Cities, to its rolling expanse up north. Williams says it's an earthy, thoughtful reflection on life along the river.

Diane Moncrieff is both excited and a little sad for this weekend, which marks the 19th and final "Solstice River" performance by the Stone Arch Bridge in downtown Minneapolis. Dancers appear on rooftops, balconies and riverbanks, creating a site-specific performance that spans the width of the river and celebrates the longest day of the year. The project is ending due to the closure of the lock.