THE ART SHANTY PROJECTS ARE ONLY IN THEIR FOURTH YEAR, AND ALREADY THIS FESTIVAL ON ICE has become a beloved midwinter tradition. This ephemeral artistic community offers an ingenious reinterpretation of the great Minnesota pastime of ice-fishing and, specifically, the temporary (but often elaborate) shelters the fishermen use to house themselves on the frozen lakes. ASP began as the brainchild of artists Peter Haakon Thompson and David Pitman and has evolved into a creative extravaganza they describe as "part gallery, part residency, part social experiment". This year 61 artists constructed a couple dozen fanciful, sometimes gorgeous, but always fun “art shanties”, and put them on Medicine Lake. And they've opened their shanty doors to us, inviting us to join them there. If you take these artists up on their offer and head out to Medicine Lake, a family-friendly wonderland awaits you: you can learn how to knit, investigate pinhole camera photography, relax in the Vista Shanty’s living room, see art cars, hang out for story time in a shanty devoted to kids, sing a little karaoke, and much, much more.

In honor of the festivities, a+E asked the co-founders of Art Shanty Projects, Peter Thompson and David Pitman to keep a personal diary of the opening weekend of this unusual arts event. If you’re anything like us, when you read their dispatches, you’ll hardly be able to wait for the weekend so you can head out with the kids to Medicine Laketo see this inspired shanty-town for yourself. Here's another reason not to wait too long —the art shanty community will only be around until February 17.

Peter Thompson’s Diary from the Art Shanty Projects: The first weekend

 Day One: Saturday, January 13

We’re on the lake! After consultation with the Water Patrol we determined there was 9” of ice—enough to get us off the beach and onto Medicine Lake. We had been prepared to move to the beach if we had to, but it was depressing. Of course, it got brutally cold just before the opening, making it harder for the artists to finish their setup. The weather reminded us that the lake is a harsh environment, something that has to be felt to be believed.

The first day was a bit of a blur, the way openings can be sometimes. I talked to a million people—none for very long—and answered countless logistical questions and gave directions on the shanty hotline. It all makes me long for the days I’ll be able to just hang out in my shanty during the week, have a few visitors, and read books.

Here are impressions that stand out from opening day:

Hearing the news that, at one point, there were 18 people packed into Mike Hoyt’s Norae Shanty singing karaoke. Watching Andy Sturdevant’s “Medicine Lake History Tour,” complete with marching band, and hearing them finish with a group rendition of Battle Hymn of the Republic. Seeing people lying on the ice in contorted positions as they were traced by the artists of the Soft Lake Shanty with food coloring… (Click here read the rest of Peter’s diary on mnartists.org.)

David Pitman’s Diary of Opening Weekend : 

There are two places out here on the ice. This morning I walked out into one with the dog, Bell.

We set out across the frozen expanse with a ball, in no particular direction. The snow was at our back as the ball launched in a more or less northerly direction.

The other place out here on the ice echoed in my mind as we walked.

The day before the sky was blue and the sun visually warm, and the Art Shanty Projects was alive.

I recall sitting in K-ICE Studios, looking out the window and seeing a boy, about six, walking by with a piece of ice. It was almost too large for him to carry. He was with some adults on his way to the OurBrr Shanty. It was like he wanted to take part of the lake with him…(Click here to read the rest of David’s journal on mnartists.org)

Read the rest of the diaries Peter and David kept from opening weekend at the Art Shanty Projects on mnartists.org. For this issue's Mashup collection, we've consolidated all the pertinent Art Shanty Projects info in one place for you! Click here to browse through all the relevant articles, event information, and collections on the site involving anything Art Shanty-related.

And, finally, on a related note: photographer and Shoebox Gallery founder Sean Smuda has a wonderful slideshow chronicle of this year's events, artists, and ice-shanty explorers. Click here to see Sean's wonderful slideshow from the happenings on Medicine Lake.

Photo credits: Artist Karen Kasel in front of The Shanty of Misfit Toys (top), photo by Sean Smuda; Karaoke enthusiasts (including Thinking Souls' Shannon Gibney) at the Norae Shanty (middle), and shanty designer Jeffrey Kalstrom puts the final nail in mnartists.org's 10,000 Artists on a Lake Shanty (bottom), both photos appear courtesy mnartists.org.

Minnesota Stories presents mnartists: Scott Stulen

Film still from Carrie on my Wayward One by Scott Stulen (above) and photo of the artist (below) courtesy mnartists.org

Multidisciplinary artist (and Rochester Art Center’s Education Director) Scott Stulen is the latest profile subject in this fantastic video series collaboration from Minnesota Stories and mnartists.org.

PLUS: Coming right up, you’ll also be able to catch Stulen’s work at the Walker Art Center and at the Art Shanty Projects.

What: A performance installation in which the artist will compose an original audio piece from samples, live recordings, and sounds of the frozen lake environment which can be experienced through a web of headphone stations

Where: Art Shanty Projects, Medicine Lake, at mnartists.org’s 10,000 Artists on a Lake Shanty

When: Saturday, January 27, from 1 to 5 pm

What: Mixed-up Memories, in which the whole family can make a multimedia collage based on favorite memories and mementos led by Scott Stulen

Where: Walker Art Center, Minneapolis

When: Saturday, February 3, from 10 am to 3 pm

Some Assembly Required

Some Assembly Required: All new episodes of this popular podcast are starting up, beginning with this week’s episode with mashups and sound collage, including some mashups from The Freelance Hellraiser and some provocative cut-ups from B’O’K.

Radio mnartists: Zeitgeist

Radio mnartists: The most recent installment of this collaborative broadcast series features KFAI producer Marya Morstad’s interview with members of the new music ensemble, Zeitgeist.

Dance

Lurid Thoughts and Lucid Visions

Wicked Sister Dance Theatre and Red Eye present Lurid Thought and Lucid Visions: a cozy parlor with an oversized chaise lounge, a futuristic frontier littered with bicycle carcasses, an underworld inferno with bodies scaling a chain wall, and a contemplative garden of eggs. It’s a quest for the marvelous, a celebration of the hallucinatory landscape of the sub-conscious mind. The production is created and directed by David DeBlieck and the dance is set against a dreamy backdrop of live music on the accordion and saw performed by Dreamland Faces.

Where: The Red Eye Theatre, Minneapolis

When: Show January 25-28, 8pm Thursday-Saturday, 4pm Sunday

Tickets: $16 General, $14 Students/Seniors, (to reserve tickets, call 612-870-0309)

Film

Fearless Filmmakers: Screening the Viral Market

Many filmmakers are taking advantage of what YouTube and Myspace can offer as DIY distribution outlets, and there are a select few who have managed to successfully manipulate the Internet to create income, obtain employment, and sign with Hollywood agents—all through clever use of “viral” marketing.  The newest event in the Fearless Filmmakers series pulls together a few of those resourceful filmmakers along with media-types from the ad world, public relations, and film production to talk about the phenomenon and what it means for the future of movie-making. Prior to the discussion, films by Melody Gilbert, Sleepy Eye, and other innovative filmmakers will screen along with the world premiere of Ryan Woods’ eagerly anticipated sequel to his very funny viral film phenom, Fear of Girls 2.

Where: The Oak Street Cinema, Minneapolis

When: Wednesday, January 31 at 7:30 pm; an afterparty begins at 9:30 pm at Stub and Herb’s with free food and drink for event-goers.

Tickets: $9 ($7 students, $5 MN Film Arts members)

Literary Events

Raking Through Books: Local Literati Read on Lust and Love

It’s a cavalcade of local literati reading about lust, love, hate, and whatever moves their pre-Valentine’s Day hearts for this installment of the popular Happy Hour Book Club co-sponsored by the Loft Literary Center and The Rake. Readers include Antay Bilgutay, Todd Boss, Cindra Halm, Phebe Hanson, Michele Heather Pollack, Faith Sullivan, and Katrina Vandenberg.

Where: Kieran’s Irish Pub, Minneapolis

When: Tuesday, February 13, 5:30 pm

Tickets: FREE

MN Poet Laureates Carol Connolly and Bart Sutter Read

Photo of Carol Connolly (left) courtesy of Intermedia Arts; Image of Barton Sutter (right) courtesy Boa Editions.

Carol Connolly is poet laureate of St. Paul. In conjunction with SASE, Carol runs monthly readings at the University Club and is a regular columnist for Law and Politics Minnesota. She is the author of the much praised and much reprinted poetry collection Payments Due. Bart Sutter, Duluth's poet laureate, teaches at the University of Wisconsin at Superior. His most recent book of poetry is Farewell to the Starlight in Whiskey. Unfortunately Minnesota's largest city, Minneapolis, has not selected a poet laureate. Perhaps one will be named in time to participate in this gala reading.

Where: Magers and Quinn Booksellers, Minneapolis

When: January 27, 7 pm

Tickets: FREE and open to the public

Performance

Studies N Black

Photos of Sha Cage (from Tru Ruts) and Douglas Ewert (at right) appear courtesy D Underbelly

Baraka de Soleil presents Studies N Black: a black history month performance experience by Baraka de Soleil's D Underbelly. Now in its tenth year, D Underbelly is an underground network of artists of color, and this production honors that landmark anniversary. Like all of D Underbelly's productions, this show reflects the traditions of the African diaspora as they're interpreted through the lens of urban contemporary reality. Studies N Black is a multimedia show, featuring work from installation artist Leann Johnson; multi-media work from Tru Ruts; kinesthetic compositions by dancer/choreographer Bernard Brown; and performances from interdisciplinary artist and group founder, Baraka de Soleil along with the sonic creations of musician/composer Douglas Ewart & The Inventions and the moving images of performance/dancer Stefania Strowder.

Where: Patrick’s Cabaret, Minneapolis

When: February 9-10, shows start at 8 pm.

Tickets $8

The Mystical Arts of Tibet

Photo courtesy the Mystical Arts of Tibet

The famed multiphonic singers of Tibet’s Drepung Loseling Monastery, whose sellout performances in Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center received national acclaim, will perform Sacred Music, Sacred Dance for World Healing at Saint John’s University as part of their international showcase The Mystical Arts of Tibet.

Where: Saint John’s University, Stephen B. Humphrey Theatre, St. Cloud, MN

When: Friday and Saturday, February 2 and 3. Friday’s show begins at 8 pm, the Saturday matinee performance starts at 2 pm.

Tickets: $20 (some discounted tickets are available for CSBSJU students, youths, and seniors)

Visual Arts

We Drove, We Saw, We Ate: Mike Elko Explores the Family Vacation and Wish You Were Here: The Great American Family Vacation Show by TalkingImage Connection

In this unique collaboration between the visual arts and performance, Jim Coppoc, Geoff Herbach, Haley Lasché, Beth Mayer, Ace Moore, and Alison Morse will unpack stories and poems about that famous oxymoron (family vacation) in response to the Mike Elko’s sculpture, drawing, and print exhibit, We Drove, We Saw, We Ate. The artwork is quirky and witty, the writers, comedians, and performers promise to be the same. What could be better?

Where: The Susan Hensel Gallery, Minneapolis

When: Performance on Saturday, February 17 at 7 pm. The Mike Elko exhibit runs through February 28 at the Susan Hensel Gallery.

Tickets: FREE

Kramer’s Ergot

Untitled by C.F., 2004. Courtesy Macalester College Gallery.

Art Spiegelman raves: “If there's a future for comics, Kramer's Ergot seems to have bottled it. It’s the first really new paradigm for an avant-garde comix anthology since RAW. A lavish package where the whole is even greater than the sum of its parts!” Having published the sixth volume in 2006, Kramers Ergot continues to exist in a unique cultural spot where narrative, comics, contemporary art, and the avant-garde collide. This exhibition features a selection of artists from the acclaimed comic art collection. (P.S.: a+E got a rare enthusiastic note from La Mano 21’s publisher Zak Sally tipping us off to this show. That’s reason enough reason to check this exhibit out, in our book.)

Where: Macalester College Art Gallery, Saint Paul

When: The exhibit runs from January 28 - February 25. Sammy Harkham, the editor and founder of Kramers Ergot will be present at the opening reception, which is scheduled for Saturday January 27 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm.

Tickets: FREE and open to the public

Sculpture Scene

This group show features new work by an eclectic array of Minnesota artists: Jeff Barber, Kristie Bretzke, Kate Christopher, Nick Legeros and Foster Willey Jr.

Where: Premier Gallery, Minneapolis

When: The exhibit continues through March 26. The gallery is open Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm.

Tickets: FREE and open to the public

Keiko’s Remix:

Prints by Keiko Yagishita

Print by Keiko Yagishita, courtesy Gallery 122

Keiko Yagishita’s whimsical, psychedelic prints make dog portraiture cool. Seriously. With their Japanese-inspired pop graphics and catchy design sensibility, I dare say even non-pet owners will find themselves itching to own one of these cheery, remarkably hip little gems.

Where: Gallery 122 at Hang It, Inc., Minneapolis

When: The exhibit will run from February 9 - March 2. There is an opening reception February 9 from 6-9 pm with music by D.J. Mike the 2600 King.

Tickets: FREE and open to the public

Painter Kara Hendershot and Photographer Joe Hendershot in a Father/Daughter Exhibit

Photo and painting appear courtesy the artists

This collaboration by painter Kara Hendershot and photographer Joe Hendershot features new works from both artists in this, their first ever father & daughter art exhibit. Between the understated loveliness of Joe’s evocative  photography and Kara’s impressionistic, moody character studies, seeing the works side-by-side promises to be intriguing.

Where: Black Dog Coffee and Wine Bar, St. Paul

When: The show continues through February 28. There is an opening reception planned for Thursday, February 8, from 6 to 9 pm.

Tickets: FREE and open to the public

The Art Emergency Series Presents:

The Art of Service

The quirky kid at your favorite coffee shop, the cute server that your friends always hit on, the crabby bartender at your nearby dive, the nurse at the clinic with the cold hands…  What are these people really like, and what do they do when they aren’t at work? You might be surprised to discover that a number of them are artists, working in the service industry to make a living while they create their artwork. How do their jobs affect them as artists? What do they think of their jobs, their employers, and what do they think of YOU?  In The Art of Service, 20 of these artists examine their work, themselves, and those they serve. An eclectic display of photography, poetry, painting, and sculpture offers a revealing look inside the lives of those working in the service industry.

Where: Altered Esthetics Gallery, Minneapolis

When: Show runs from February 1-22. Opening reception is Friday, February 2 from 7-9 pm.

Tickets: FREE and open to the public

Bring a friend and come join the party — celebrate the premiere with us!

Co-hosted by The Rake magazine and mnartists.org, publishers of

10,000 Arts: Minnesota's Creative Quarterly

Where: The Varsity Theater, Minneapolis

When: February 9, 8 pm to midnight

Tickets: Admission is FREE, and a cash bar will

be available

You'll hear live music from Chris Koza and see surprise art-in-action.

Your RSVP, required by February 2, should be emailed to 10000arts@rakemag.com. Please include both your full name and your guest’s with your reply. And hurry — because space is limited.

The logo above features Urban Reptile, a painting by Rochester-based artist Simon Huelsbeck.

The Peonies at Noerenberg by Paula J. Swenson, acrylic on board, 30" x 20", 2006.

Peonies at Noerenberg was part of a public art project called Sight/Seeing in which Swenson painted landscapes evocative of different geographic locations around Minnesota. This painting was inspired by the beautiful Noerenberg Gardens on the shore of Lake Minnetonka, and will be on display in the Bemidji Community Art Center's member exhibit in February. Additional paintings from the Sight/Seeing Project will be showing at the Great River Gallery in Bemidji in February.