Art Hounds: A tribute to the prairie

This week the Art Hounds take us to a mural in Minneapolis, a film score fest in St. Paul and an artistic tribute to the prairie in Morris.

Beloved Minnesota poet and essayist Bill Holm once wrote "There are two eyes in the human head — the eye of mystery, and the eye of harsh truth — the hidden and the open — the woods eye and the prairie eye. The prairie eye looks for distance, clarity, and light; the woods eye for closeness, complexity, and darkness." Inspired by the essay, titled "Horizontal Grandeur," the Stevens County Historical Society is hosting an exhibition by the same name, featuring artwork inspired by the prairie. Poet Athena Kildegaard says the show, which runs through October 30, features artists seeking that same "distance, clarity, and light" in their work.

Artist Susan Gainen is charmed by a new mural on the side of Schatzlein Saddlery in Minneapolis. The mural, by Jason Najarak, shows what Lake Street looked like before cars, with horses everywhere, pulling carriages, carts and ambulances. Members of the Schatzlein family are depicted in period dress and you can also find three major Minnesota lumber barons in the mural: James J. Hill, T.B. Walker and H.C. Akeley. The Saddlery is located at 413 West Lake Street.

Art teacher and composer Ed Vogel is looking forward to the MNKINO Film Score Fest tonight. The festival pairs local filmmakers with local composers, and he says the results are amazing. If you go, you'll be treated to 21 short films, 18 of which will be accompanied by a live score performed by a chamber orchestra. The Film Score Fest starts at 7 p.m. at the Landmark Center in downtown St. Paul and it's free.

Music this week provided by Michael Maiorana.