MN Shortlist June 6–12: Country Queers, Plein Air and ‘Legally Blonde’
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MN Shortlist is your weekly curated roundup of recommended events from MPR News, highlighting standout performances, exhibits and gatherings around the region.
North American Odyssey Book Talk at Big Hill Books
June 8 — Outdoor enthusiasts Amy and Dave Freeman (who were the 2014 National Geographic “Adventurers of the Year”) have trekked across much of the continent for over two decades.
The couple details some of those adventures in their new book “North American Odyssey,” which also examines the impact of climate change. The Freemans will share some of their insights and stories from the comfort of Big Hill Books. (Jacob Aloi)
‘Country Queers Make Do, a Local Show’
June 11 — Local artists Emmy Woods, Lake Davi, Tomboyy and Pine & Fire have joined a local show at the Turf Club on Wednesday. Their music has roots in country but brings in influences of garage, punk, indie and blues. All musicians are based in Minnesota, and their songs are love stories to the state, inspired by their lives up north, in small towns and in the Twin Cities.
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Their music fuses themes of heartbreak, challenges and self-realization with the unique experience of stumbling upon or growing up in small towns in the Midwest. This event is hosted by KFAI. (Anika Besst)
‘Legally Blonde’ at the Ordway
June 10–15 — Valley girl vibes, Harvard snobbery and lots of pink will paint the Ordway stage in “Legally Blonde.” The musical adaptation of the 2001 comedy follows lawyer-in-training Elle Woods as she finds her footing at Harvard and takes on her first big criminal case as an intern.
The show is a shake-up to the Ordway’s original season, which was supposed to include another musical adaptation in its early summer slot — the touring production of “Mystic Pizza,” which was postponed earlier this year. (Jacob Aloi)
39th Annual Woodturning Symposium
June 12–15 — As the wood turns, these are the lathes of our lives: The American Association of Woodturners hosts its 39th annual Woodturning Symposium at the St. Paul RiverCentre.
Woodturning is the artisan practice of shaping wood with a lathe machine tool. According to the AAW, this is the “biggest woodturning event in the world.”
What does that mean? Expert woodturners from around the globe will descend on the city to demonstrate their skills at everything from bowls and platters to spindles and sculpture.
There will also be 30,000 square feet of artist and artisan exhibitions and a trade show full of jigs, tools and, of course, wood. (Alex V. Cipolle)
‘As History Repeats Itself’
June 6-July 25 — Northern Minnesota artist Nathan Bray shows his “human rights-themed” pottery in a solo exhibit, “As History Repeats Itself,” at the MacRostie Art Center in Grand Rapids.
Bray’s ceramic plates, platters and vases are reminiscent of graffiti, using pop color glazes and a loose script to shout phrases like John Lewis’ “Get in good trouble,” Woody Guthrie’s “This machine kills fascism” and Wilma Mankiller’s “The secret to our success is that we never, never give up.”
“I am using my art to do what I can, to bring awareness to the human rights issues that confront us on a daily basis,” Bray writes in his artist statement. (Alex V. Cipolle)
Red Wing Arts Plein Air
June 12- Aug. 24 — The season of painting in the great outdoors begins this month in Red Wing, Minn., as the Red Wing Arts organization hosts its 19th annual Plein Air event series.
The tradition of painting en plein air (French for “in the open air”) took hold with the advent of portable paints, canvases and easels in the 19th century, particularly in France. Red Wing Arts invites artists to paint the Driftless Region with the “dramatic bluffs, rolling hills, vistas and winding rivers that define our historic town.”
Events include “paint outs” at Flower Valley Orchards June 13 and Vino in the Valley June 14. There will also be a plein air exhibition at the Depot Gallery all summer. Also in Red Wing: Pride 2025 with a red carpet, hula hoop lessons and a community Pride mural painting on June 7. (Alex V. Cipolle)
