Art Hounds: Portraits of light at the American Swedish Institute

This week on Art Hounds: portraits of light at the American Swedish Institute, "Heart Songs" and "Root Beer Lady: The Musical."

Laura Westlund, managing editor of the University of Minnesota Press, is thrilled that Karin Broos' paintings are up at the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. Westlund describes the paintings as portraits of light as much as they are of people. While Broos is one of the most acclaimed painters working in Sweden, it's her first exhibition in the United States, and Westlund says it's a perfect summer treat. "Still Life" runs through Oct. 29.

Actor/writer/producer James Detmar recommends seeing "Heart Songs" this weekend. He says it's a tribute to the legendary women of country music, from June Carter on up to the Dixie Chicks. He says women sing about family and relationships in a way that men don't — a difference reflected in the show's name. Table Salt Productions presents "Heart Songs" this Friday and Saturday at North Garden Theater in St. Paul.

Sara Skelton, fine arts teacher at Vermilion Community College, is excited for "Root Beer Lady: The Musical," a new production based on the life of local legend Dorothy Molter. The legendary Root Beer Lady lived on Knife Lake in the Boundary Waters. When the Wilderness Act was enforced, she was no longer able to run a fishing camp, so she started brewing homemade root beer and offered it to canoeists for donations. The show runs Aug. 3-6 at Washington Auditorium in Ely.