Art Hounds: Peeling back the brick walls of Theatre in the Round

Muralist John Pugh is finishing up his mural on the Theatre in the Round
Muralist John Pugh is finishing up his "trompe l'oeil" ("to fool the eye") mural on the exterior of Theatre in the Round in Minneapolis. The mural appears to peel back the brick walls of the building to expose the theater being made inside.
Courtesy of Jack Becker

Forecast Public Art's founder Jack Becker was walking by Theatre in the Round the other day and was delighted to come across muralist John Pugh. Pugh is finishing up work on a massive "trompe l'oeil" — or "to fool the eye" — mural on the exterior of the theater. Becker says the brick walls appear to peel away, revealing a glass sphere with actors performing inside. "Theatre in the Round," indeed.

Minnesota Center for Book Arts' board member KC Foley attended the opening of "Rose and Melvin Smith: Remembering Rondo" at the Weisman Art Museum, and she wants everyone she knows to go see it. Foley says the husband and wife capture the vitality of the African-American neighborhood at its height, before Interstate 94 was built right through the middle of it. The sprawling exhibition includes paintings, collage and sculpture. On display through Sept. 8.

Props master Brooke Nelson paid a visit to Duluth recently, where she took in a performance of Renegade Theater Company's production "Sylvia." In it a middle-aged man falls in love with a dog — played by a beautiful young woman — much to the consternation of his wife. Nelson says the show is great fun, but not appropriate for children due to a very foul-mouthed dog. Performances run through Saturday.

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This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.