Weekend Best Bets: June 10-13

Photo by Mike Krivit

Art Exhibit on Systemic Racism

What: The Absence of Justice
When: Running through December 31, 2021
Where: Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery, 1256 Penn Ave. N., Minneapolis

Open as of this month, this mixed-media exhibit at the Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery—featuring paintings, tapestry, ceramics, and video—examines racism and the history of its systemic application through the works of Faith Blackstone, A. Drew Hammond, Sean Garrison Phillips, and others.

Local Art Launch

What: 100% Natural at Artistry
When: Opening Thursday, June 10, 6:30-8 p.m.
Where: Bloomington Center for the Arts, 1800 West Old Shakopee Rd., Bloomington

Artistry presents the work of St. Louis Park artist and illustrator Marty Harris in a show that “strives for images that break apart and come back together again and again.”

Lowertown Music Fest Returns

What: Lowertown Sounds concert series
When: Starting Thursday, June 10, 6-9:30 p.m., and running through August 26
Where: Mears Park, 221 Fifth St. E., St. Paul

The Lowertown Sounds concert series is back in St. Paul, bringing local acts like Annie Mack, the Flamin Oh’s, New Standards, and others to Mears Park. Expect food trucks and local beer and wine, with the lineup kicking off with Lady Midnight, Allie McIntosh, and Chris Holm on June 10.

Minnesota Dances Again

What: Spring Season 2021
When: Friday, June 11, 7:30 p.m. (and on demand through June 13)
Where: Virtual

Minnesota Dance Theatre is back at the Goodale Theater, although viewers will have to join them virtually. The livestreamed concert features excerpts of choreography from founder Loyce Houlton and artistic director Lise Houlton, plus a world premiere by Elayna Waxse, who returns to the dance company with a third commission.

Pride Month: Giving Back in Golden Valley

What: Golden Valley Pride 2021: Food and Necessities Drive
When: Saturday, June 12, noon-4 p.m.
Where: Brookview Park, 300 Brookview Pkwy. N., Golden Valley

Golden Valley Pride is seeking donations to PRISM in place of its in-person festival. Drive through, bike, or walk up to Brookview Park. Find requested items here.

Pride Month: Hastings Fest

What: Hastings Pride 2021
When: Saturday, June 12, 5 p.m.
Where: Brookview Park, 300 Brookview Pkwy. N., Golden Valley

A Pride march in Hastings goes from Roadside Park to the Riverwalk, with a family-friendly festival that includes music, chalk art, speeches, and more.

Record Store Day Returns

What: Record Store Day
When: Saturday, June 12
Where: Various stores

It’s Record Store Day on Saturday, so look here for deals and exclusives at Minnesota record stores.

New Spark

What: Northern Spark
When: Starting Saturday, June 12, through June 27
Where: Check the schedule for in-person locations

Typically, the Northern Spark festival populates the streets with interactive art, creating nightlife action via public installations, video projections, dream-like performances, and other activities. This year will look different. “In light of COVID-19 and ongoing racist violence in our communities, the 2021 festival takes new forms,” the website says. That means participants will engage with art projects online, through the mail, and at smaller in-person events in St. Paul.

Helping to kick off two weeks of programming, on June 12, artist Lelis Brito works with collaborators on “You Change Me,” a chain-like dance performance that starts with one person and “mutates through different bodies, celebrates the Rondo neighborhood, and flows in dance caravans through the neighborhood bringing dance nourishment.” As well as virtually, it takes place in person starting at Central Village Park before proceeding to Springboard for the Arts and Victoria Theater Arts Center. Register here and find the other shows (including a three-day run of an Ananya Dance Theatre performance that begins Friday) here.

Minneapolis Market for AAPI Makers

What: L.A.M. (Little Asia Market) Pop-Up
When: Sunday, June 13, noon-5 p.m.
Where: Arbeiter Brewing Co., 3038 Minnehaha Ave., Minneapolis

Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander artists at Arbeiter Brewing in southeast Minneapolis, where a craft market (indoors and outdoors) will “show the resilience and steadfastness of the community,” a press release states, in light of the recent rise in anti-Asian hate crimes. Makers include Coconut Whisk (for vegan and gluten-free food), Hclou Art (for mixed-media art), Romi Apothecary (for sustainable health and beauty), Spinning Wylde (for cotton candy), and more.

Music in the Bandshell

What: SPCO at Lake Harriet
When: Sunday, June 13, 2 p.m.
Where: Lake Harriet Bandshell Park, 4135 W. Lake Harriet Pkwy., Minneapolis

The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra continues a series of summery outdoor performances with a free concert at Lake Harriet Bandshell Park. (Space is limited, so the website advises coming early.) The program starts with a string quartet by Pulitzer-winning composer Caroline Shaw and includes Beethoven’s “Sextet for Two Horns and Strings” and Vivaldi’s Summer violin concerto.