Weekend Picks: An evening with PJ Harvey; St. Paul Art Crawl; Franconia 5 Minute Film Festival

The St. Paul arts community rallies after the unthinkable violence of last week in this edition of Weekend Picks. Read on to get a glimpse of the goings on at the Art Crawl. Also this week, PJ Harvey stops by the Palace for her first U.S. tour in seven years, and pipa player Gao Hong unites with flamenco guitarist Ignacio Monteverde. I review Emily Michael King’s scorching solo show, “Star Keeper,” and let you know about AIR’s “Moon  Safari” concert and the Franconia Five Minute Film Festival.

An Evening with PJ Harvey 

The British singer-songwriter brings her theatrical flair to her tour, playing music from her Grammy-nominated album, “I Inside the Old Year Dying,” as well as music from her catalog going back to the 1990s. The recent album emerged from a book-length narrative poem Harvey wrote called “Orlam,” which mixes fantasy and autobiography. Recent concert reviews indicate Harvey performs the album in its entirety, with performative and movement elements incorporated into the show, before diving into her older work. Wednesday, Oct. 2, at 8 p.m. at the Palace ($69.50). More information here.

An Evening with Gao Hong & Ignacio Monteverde: Pipa meets Flamenco Guitar   

After releasing a fusion album, “Alondra” (Skylark), in February, flamenco guitarist Ignacio Lusardi Monteverde and Pipa player Gao Hong had to postpone their album release U.S. tour twice because of visa delays. Now, finally, Minnesota audiences get to see the virtuosic duo in action. The CD was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London and went on to win two gold medals from the Global Music Awards. Wednesday, Oct. 2, at 7:30 p.m. at the Cedar ($30). More information here.

The St. Paul Art Crawl 

It’s been a week since artist Carrie Shobe Kwok was murdered in the Lowertown Historic District in St. Paul in the middle of the afternoon. She had been working on an art project in the alley behind the Lowertown Lofts Artist Cooperative, where she was a member/owner, getting ready for the St. Paul Art Crawl this weekend. It was there that she was shot and killed by a random stranger for no apparent reason. 

Artists from the Lowertown Lofts, some of whom were there when Kwok was murdered, have just begun the healing process. As part of that, the cooperative will join the larger 2024 Fall St. Paul Art Crawl, run by the St. Paul Art Collective. The co-op will be completing the communal public art project Kwok had been working on when she was killed, and the Collective is dedicating this year’s Art Crawl to her. 

In times like these, it’s important to show up. This weekend, artists not only in Lowertown but also 10 other neighborhoods are going to be opening their studios, hosting pop-up shops, holding performances and generally making the city beautiful. This is a time to see what all of these artists are doing and show your support. In the alley behind Lowertown Artists Cooperative, you can pay your respects to Kwok and see the art she was working on. 

Here are a few other ways to experience the St. Paul Art Crawl, with a full list of events here. 

Union Depot 

Union Depot will have over 30 artists — including painters, photographers, mixed media artists, jewelry designers and apothecary creators inside of its vast architectural wonder. Live musicians get you in the mood to shop. You’re advised to bring cash, but other payment options are available. Friday,  Oct. 4, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 5, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 6, from noon to 7 p.m., at 214 4th St. E. More information here. 

Northern Warehouse Artist Lofts

Northern Warehouse will have over 40 artists and two galleries showing work throughout the weekend, with live music. Friday,  Oct. 4, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 5, from noon to 8 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 6, from noon to 5 p.m. at 308 Prince St. More information here. 

Schmidt Artists Lofts 

Seventy-five artists and makers will be on hand at Schmidt Artist Lofts, located in the Schmidt Brewhouse, and there will be live painting and art demonstrations on the rooftop. In the atrium, check out Art from the Inside, a nonprofit that highlights work by incarcerated artists, and Buna Coffee Cart will be on site. Nearby, check out Friedli Art Gallery and Great River Gallery as well. Friday, Oct. 4, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 5, from noon to 7 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 6, from noon to 5 p.m. at 900 – 876 West 7th St. Enter Door 1 on the North side of the building by the tall smokestack. More information here. 

F-O-K Studios

F-O-K Studios will have resident and guest artists showing work, as well as a lineup of musicians, across the three days of the festival, playing a mixed lineup of folk, jazz, Afro-fusion and more. Friday, Oct. 4, from 5 p.m. to  9 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 5, from noon to 8 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 6, from noon to 5 p.m. at 106 Water St. W. More information here. 

Gambit Brewing

Gambit will have seven artists showing work — offering a mix of styles from embroidery to mixed media to retro pop art and more, and there will be live music Friday, Oct. 4, at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 5, at 7 p.m., and a comedy show on Friday at 7 p.m. (you need to purchase tickets ahead of time for the comedy show — $15-$25) at 141 4th St. E. More information here.

Review: ‘Star Keeper’ by Emily Michaels King

My review of Emily Michaels King’s latest show comes with a content warning – sexual abuse/harm of a child. 

As I took my seat at the Red Eye Theater to watch “Star Keeper,” a new solo performance by Emily Michaels King, I found a stuffed animal on my chair. There were “stuffies” on many of the chairs in the audience, and I casually moved the one on my seat to the one next to mine, not thinking any more of it. 

Later in the performance, I noticed that other people in the audience were holding their stuffies for comfort and support to make it through the show. I can understand why. Emily Michaels King takes her audience on a brutal crash course through one child’s harrowing experience of sexual violence, and you just might need a comfort stuffie to get through it. 

Michaels King lists both her own name and her childhood name (Emily King) as the authors of the work. In the piece. She plays both child and adult looking back, with the adult voice allowing for some distance to examine intellectually the horrific things the child has experienced go through.  

Michaels King paints a saturated picture of nostalgia in her storytelling. She layers old movie musicals, 1980s TV franchises, bright colors and a soft, comfortable rug. This hazy aura is almost too cheerful, though. As the piece goes on, King unwraps the layers of whimsy and reveals a young person at their most vulnerable state. 

As a mover, King has tremendous faculty and specificity, and her timing, especially as she vacillates between memory and retrospection, makes the performance a nail-biter. Alice Endo makes bold, dramatic gestures in the lighting design, and Richard Hamson’s costume construction is terrific. This is a difficult show to stomach given the material, but it’s excellently done. Thursday, Oct. 3, Friday, Oct. 4, and Saturday, Oct. 5, at 7:30 p.m. at Red Eye Theater ($20). More information here.

Franconia 5 Minute Film Festival

Franconia Sculpture Park reveals the 15 finalists of its 5 Minute Film Festival competition, where the top winner will nab $500, three other filmmakers get $250, and the rest win $100. Creating films in a mix of genres — including video art, documentary, claymation, and more, it’s a foray into a film fest that’s great if you have a short attention span. The first screening is Saturday, Oct. 5, at 7 p.m. at Franconia (free with suggested $10 donation), and they will also screen Thursday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m. ($15). More information here. 

AIR play Moon Safari

French music duo AIR, made up of Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel, play their hit album from 1998, “Moon Safari” at the State Theatre on Sunday. “Sexy Boy” is the most famous song from that album, but really it’s “You Make it Easy,” featuring lyricist Beth Hirsch, that transports the listener to a new plane. Hirsch isn’t touring with the duo, so that song gets a synth auto tune treatment that re-invents itself. Godin and Dunckel are joined by drummer Louis Delorme for the performance in a show that’s high on spectacle lighting and fresh imaginings of the tunes. Sunday, Oct. 6, at 8 p.m. at the State Theatre ($65-$155). More information here.

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