Article and photos by Becky Fillinger The 40th anniversary of Mia’s Art in Bloom (AiB) Festival opens today, April 25, and runs through the 28th.  Admission is free and open to everyone. As you wander from gallery to gallery, you’ll be delighted to see how over 100 local floral artists interpret artworks chosen by a Mia curator. Perry McGowan with his floral arrangement to accompany Portrait of a Girl by Georg Pencz We spoke with Perry McGowan, and greatly admired his interpretation of Portrait of a Girl by Georg Pencz in Gallery 342. McGowan has been a participating floral artist at ..read more

Lidia and Sean by Water Works Pavilion with the 3rd Avenue Bridge in the background. Photo credit Owamni Italian-American cooking icon Lidia Bastianich was recently in town interviewing Sean Sherman for her special Lidia Celebrates America: Changemakers. Sean talked to Lidia about indigenous food knowledge, how his nonprofit, North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NĀTIFS), is uncovering, collecting, and disseminating that knowledge, and how understanding these very different ways of gathering food and eating can benefit everyone in our society. Mark you ca ..read more

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided A Discussion with Jay Goede, returning as of Frog A Year with Frog and Toad returns to Children’s Theatre Company, April 23 - June 16. We spoke to Jay Goede, our Frog, a role which he originated in CTC’s 2003 world premiere and the subsequent Broadway production. He describes the joy in collaborating with fellow actor Reed Sigmund and in delighting audiences with the characters’ friendship played out against the changing seasons of the year. Get your tickets here because this one is a delight and a favorite for all ages. Q:  What draws you to t ..read more

Submitted by Ric Rosow The tug boats are doing yeoman work on the Stone Arch Bridge repair project. Above, a tug boat is pushing and guiding a new barge, the third, into place. Note the eagle perched atop a tree branch in the bottom center of the second image watching over the project. Below, a tug boat returns from one of the barges ..read more

Image: ReUse On the Range, mixed media sculpture by Layl McDill, 55"x100"x9", 2023 Grand Opening May 10, 6:00 - 8:00pm Mixed media sculptor Layl McDill is expanding her gallery and studio. The newly renovated storefront space at Lowry and Monroe will showcase Layl’s sculptures of all sizes and shapes. The Grand Opening is May 10 from 6:00 to 8:00pm. There will be door prizes and snacks, and an opportunity to play with some clay, too!  Check out her latest teapots that have transformed into birds and whimsical worlds. Take your time searching the bead collection to find just the ..read more

Inspector Billy Peterson and the entire MPD 1st Precinct staff cordially invite you to the 1st Precinct Open House, taking place Tuesday, May 14, 11a-2p at 19 N 4th Street.   ..read more

June 2, 3pm Westminster Presbyterian Church Sponsored by The Dakota The Classical Music Project, launched in 2023, seeks to offer audiences intimate and thought-provoking musical experiences that highlight the beauty and complexity of classical music of the 17th-19th centuries. As a member of the Incubator Program at Springboard for the Arts, the project is committed to exploring new and creative approaches to presenting older music in a modern context. . The first concert of the 2024 season promises to be a captivating exploration of love, revenge, and the beauty of Italy through the music o ..read more

Puccini’s Suor Angelica will be the first-ever opera to be performed at The Basilica of Saint Mary - June 26-29 TICKETS Out of the Box Opera, which designs productions that get to the heart of what makes opera exciting, is a pioneer of popup opera. Past production venues include Uppercut Boxing Gym, Weisman Art Museum, A-Mill Artist Lofts and Canopy Hotel. For this historic first, The Basilica of Saint Mary is acting as co-producer. Few places in the Twin Cities can rival the Basilica’s power to stun. The iconic building is a place of beauty, mystery, and drama - the perfect co ..read more

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided Sarah creating a felted vagus nerve Bringing People, Plants and Place together through interactive art works Sarah Nassif is Artist in Residence at Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO), where she developed her Weaving Water Workshops. Keep reading to learn about this workshop where you can share personal connections to textile traditions, bodies of water and the Mississippi River. That’s just one of the programs that Nassif has created in the local area. We talked to Sarah about her amazing nature-based projects in the Twin Cities and ..read more

Ladder 260 is a six-story, 82,225-square-foot low-rise apartment building, featuring 90 affordable housing units.  Now pre-leasing - learn more at Ladder260.com Sherman Associates has completed Ladder 260, a new $34 million affordable housing development located at 260 Portland Avenue in the Mill District neighborhood. Kraus-Anderson (KA) is the general contractor for the multi-phase project for Sherman, which is redeveloping most of an under-utilized city block at Washington Avenue and Portland Avenue. The first phase of the overall $161 million development project was a new $12 mi ..read more