MN Shortlist is your weekly curated roundup of recommended events from MPR News, highlighting standout performances, exhibits and gatherings around the region.
‘Rhythms of Ukraine’
June 13-14 — If you’re looking for a high-energy dance show, join the Cheremosh Ukrainian Dance Ensemble this weekend for “Rhythms of Ukraine.” At Hamline University's Drew Fine Arts, they will be showcasing traditional folk dances from across Ukraine.
The ensemble is part of the Ukrainian American Youth Association, which works to preserve Ukrainian culture through dance and cultural enrichment activities. The performances, which feature 60 dancers aged four to 24, include dances from the Carpathian Mountains to central Ukraine. (Anika Besst)
‘Alebrijes: Keepers of the Island’
June 14 — There are giant Mexican folk-art beasts all over Raspberry Island in St. Paul for the exhibition “Alebrijes: Keepers of the Island,” a public art installation by the Minnesota Latino Museum. Alebrijes is the term for the wildly colorful handmade papier-mâché creatures that are about the size of small dinosaurs.
There will be a community celebration on the island with live music and dancing. Visitors can also help paint an alebrije. His name is Xolo, and he stands about 15 feet tall with a glossy black coat, red paws, and pointy blue ears.
"There's a specific kind of pre-European dog that was common in central Mexico called the Xoloitzcuintle,” says museum director Aaron Johnson-Ortiz. “This dog here, dog alebrije, is based on a Xolo." (Alex V. Cipolle)
Cornbread Harris & Friends
June 14 — The Twin Cities is lucky to call itself home to a gaggle of musicians, but few reach the same legendary status as James Samuel “Cornbread” Harris Sr. In his nineties, he has been bringing music to shows locally and worldwide for 70 years.
After briefly taking up the piano at age 13, and then finding his joy for it again a decade later, his music now infuses blues with a constantly evolving repertoire influenced by jazz and his first inspiration: country. His latest performance will be held at Minneapolis’ Hell’s Kitchen. (Anika Besst)
Somali Summer Festival
June 15 — The Somali Museum of Minnesota hosts a free outdoor Somali Summer Festival at 812 E. Lake Street in Minneapolis (near the museum’s new location at the Midtown Global Market). The event includes traditional music, art-making stations, and a Somali artist marketplace. (Alex V. Cipolle)
Mary Cutrufello
June 15 — Mary Cutrufello is a St. Paul singer-songwriter who, throughout her 30 years, has created a fierce sound combining rustic vocals and acoustic mastery. She brings a fresh and raw perspective to classic American music that reshapes it into something modern.
As a performer, she creates a bubble of empathy, leaning on an interdisciplinary background developed through her experiences as a FedEx Ground driver and Urban and Regional Planning student. She’ll be at Hell’s Kitchen. (Anika Besst)
The SOTA Movement: Minnesota's Street Dance Festival
Through June 15 — Over the course of three days, The SOTA Movement festival will include dance workshops, musical performances, and a krump dance battle.
“We'll have a celebration of women in hip hop, for everybody to come and celebrate,” said Maia Maiden, one of the organizers of the event. “And elevate all the elements of hip hop, because dance is not the only element of hip hop!”
However, dance will be a major focus of the festival, including a performance titled “Rooted: Hip Hop Choreographer’s Evening,” which will feature different hip hop dance styles. The festival runs June 13–15 at Park Square Theatre in Saint Paul. (Jacob Aloi)
“Stop Kiss” at Theater Mu
Through June 29 — As Pride month gets underway across the state, Theater Mu is presenting “Stop Kiss,” a dramatic queer love story. The show won a GLAAD Media award when it premiered in the 90s and follows two friends on the verge of a romantic relationship — but a hate crime changes the trajectory of their lives.
In addition to being a timely story about LGBTQ+ discrimination, the show will also feature performances from former Theater Mu artistic director Lily Tung Crystal and Guthrie favorite Emjoy Gavino. “Stop Kiss” runs June 12-29 at the Gremlin Theatre in Saint Paul. (Jacob Aloi)
A Culture of Pots 2025
Through July 25 — If you missed the St. Croix River Valley Pottery Tour this spring (one of the biggest handmade pottery gatherings in the country), you’re in luck. The White Bear Center for the Arts is showing “A Culture of Pots 2025,” which features the wares of artists from the tour, through July 25. The 2017 book and exhibition by the Weisman Art Museum also inspired the exhibition that celebrated the tour's 25th anniversary. (Alex V Cipolle)
Nemeth Art Center
Through July 26 — The Nemeth Art Center in Park Rapids is hosting its second summer series of exhibitions featuring the Chicago-based artists Nate Young and Phyllis Bramson. The dual-ing shows create a lovely juxtaposition with Young’s beautifully moody and minimalist graphite works on paper and Bramson’s colorful maximalist and Rococo-inspired paintings.
There will be an artist reception on June 28. (Alex V. Cipolle)
Avant-garde Architecture of the Soviet Era
Through Oct. 12 — William Brumfield is an American historian of Russian architecture. He has been photographing Soviet architecture, from the Urals to the Far East, for five decades. A selection of Brumfield’s work is on view for the exhibition “Avant-garde Architecture of the Soviet Era,” June 14 through October 12 at the Museum of Russian Art in Minneapolis.
Images include buildings like the brutalist House of the Soviets in St. Petersburg and the Futurist Gosplan Garage in Moscow. (Alex V. Cipolle)
