Friday December 13
Zen and the Art of… Art
WHAT: Through a Zen Lens: Seasons in Japanese Gardens
WHERE: Traffic Zone Center for Visual Art, Mpls.
WHEN: 9 a.m.
Artist Rebecca Pavlenko has spent the last fifteen years looking at Japanese Gardens throughout the United States through a camera lens, and it’s time to check out the results of her work. Through a Zen Lens: Seasons in Japanese Gardens opens at the Traffic Zone Center for Visual Art with an exhibit featuring more than twenty images from Pavlenko’s series, and it’s also the debut of her book of the same title. Learn more at trafficzoneart.com.
Friday December 13
Deconstructed
WHAT: James Conaway’s Construction/Reconstruction
WHERE: Groveland Annex, Mpls.
WHEN: 12 p.m.
Celebrate an idealized Minneapolis with former Hamline professor James Conaway. Now a full-time artist, he’s created a series of vibrant modified landscapes exploring the interplay between the Mississippi River and Minneapolis. Though the physical spaces may not exist, the spirit behind them certainly rings true. Learn more at grovelandgallery.com.
Saturday, December 14
Tickling the Ivories
WHAT: Lorie Line’s Born in Bethlehem
WHERE: The State Theatre, Mpls.
WHEN: 3 p.m.
Nothing says Christmas like listening to Lorie Line’s carols on the piano, and with more than 10 holiday albums under her belt, this Minneapolis musician has plenty of experience with the season. She and her Fab Five will be performing yuletide favorites as well as new songs from this year’s Born in Bethlehem album; it’ll be almost impossible not to feel the holiday spirit. Learn more at hennepintheatretrust.org.
Saturday, December 14
A Lesson in Architecture
WHAT: Gingerbread House Workshop
WHERE: Lake Calhoun Whole Foods, Mpls.
WHEN: 2:30 p.m.
It doesn’t get a whole lot better than holiday decorations that you can eat—and the gingerbread house is one of the prettiest and tastiest treats come Christmastime. Grab the family and head to the Gingerbread House Workshop at Whole Foods, where there will be hot chocolate and a chance to work together to construct the perfect little palace. (Then try to get it home in one piece!) Learn more at wholefoodsmarket.com.
Sunday, December 15
Holiday Scandal
WHAT: An Eventually Christmas: Holidays at the Mill
WHERE: The Mill City Museum, Mpls.
WHEN: 5, 6, and 7 p.m.
A progressive play for Yuletide: This production is performed in the Flour Tower elevator ride, and lets audiences follow the Ghost of Mill City Past through a set of scenes based on real stories from the 1920 Washburn Crosby holiday party. Stop on different floors of the mill to meet dynamic characters wrapped up in tumultuous romances and complex marketing schemes, and see why the ’20s at the mill were so enthralling. Learn more at millcitymuseum.org.
Sunday, December 15
Cold Days, Hot Tamales
WHAT: Tamalada
WHERE: El Burrito Mercado, St. Paul
WHEN: 3 p.m.
If you don’t think that tamales are a killer holiday food, it might just be time for a mindset readjustment—because among other virtues, good tamales supply welcome heat when the temperatures plunge. El Burrito Mercado owners Maria Silva and Milissa Silva-Diaz offer two classes in which participants will sip cocktails, nosh on Mexican food, and learn how to make enough tamales to keep them toasty until the new year. Learn more at elburritomercado.com.
