August 2011 InTown
Papergirl
As summertime winds to a close and the livin’ ain’t so easy anymore, remember those lazy hazy days with a bathymetry cutout of your favorite lake. Marnie Karger is the Shorewood artist behind Crafterall, an Etsy-based shop featuring topographic paper cutouts. She spends hours poring over maps to create clean, bold papercuts of shorelines. Be it Minnetonka, Manhattan, or Mozambique, Karger wields her X-acto blade like a magic wand, deftly sculpting the most intricate of topographies and turning mere paper into something lovely. Later this summer she’ll be expanding her collaboration with Kendra Zvonik to create CrafterAlt, a line of art, cards, and bookmarks using the scraps from her bathymetry projects—stay updated by checking out her blog at crafterall.blogspot.com
Art Party
Throw together games, a raffle, local artwork, and a dash of State Fair-inspired madness and you wind up with the zany cocktail that is Art Perchance, a combination mini-carnival, art sale, and fundraising party thrown by the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Stop by on the third Thursday in August to play art-inspired games for naught, or donate $10 for the chance to win work by local artists. A cash bar and live music by honky-tonk hot shots Trailer Trash ensures this party will be a rockin’ one. Become an Art Perchance Patron for VIP access and exclusive packages. Thursday, August 18th at 6:00 p.m.; more details at artsmia.org.
Get Greener
The State Fair is fast approaching and with it the Eco Experience. This is the place to take a break from deep-fried-on-a-stick, and sample Minnesota’s freshest fare while you gather nature-friendly ideas for your home and garden. The Progress Center exhibit offers lots of DIY-friendly info, plus access to experts in rain gardens, organic farming, renewable energy resources, and energy-efficient homes. We’re especially excited to visit Green Crossing, an eco-friendly mini-neighborhood built inside the Eco Experience. More info at mnstatefair.org/entertainment/eco_experience.html
Lost Homes Found
Minnesota architectural historian Larry Millet has done it again. His latest book, Once There Were Castles, is a fascinating and sweetly nostalgic look back at the Twin Cities’ turn-of-the-20th-century mansions that didn’t last into the 21st. With page after page of weathered photographs and captivating stories, Millet wends his way through tales of Minneapolis and St. Paul’s lost castles. Whether you’ve got a Gilded Age fantasy or just an appreciation for architecture, this book deserves a spot on your coffee table. Available in September from University of Minnesota Press.
Reserve the Date:
AIA-MN's Homes by Architects Tour, Sept. 17 and 18, homesbyarchitects.org
.jpg)
.jpg)
6 ISSUES (1 YEAR)
Comments may be edited for length, clarity, or appropriateness.