A wave of emerging talent is making its mark in the Twin Cities art scene this weekend. A recent Augsburg University graduate uses her capstone project to explore Black hair and identity through a photography exhibit, while an actress and dancer makes her directorial debut at the Minnesota Opera, bringing the 1962 children’s book “The Snowy Day” to life. 

Hand-carved ice sculptures at the Minneapolis Institute of Art will light up the city, and at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona, Dakota and Ojibwe artists highlight the intersection of art and Minnesota waters.

Immersive show celebrates Black hair, culture

At Augsburg University’s Christensen Gallery, an intimate living room space takes shape — rocking chairs, a loveseat, shea butter hair products scattered around the table, and a TV playing clips of Malcolm X, rapper Foxy Brown, the sitcoms “A Different World,” “Moesha,” and more.

Using furniture from her childhood home, Minneapolis-based artist Nia-Symonne Gayle has transformed the gallery into the space where her mother styled her hair until she was 16.

The immersive installation “GOOD Hair” serves as Gayle’s capstone project at Augsburg, blending portraits, archival photos, and personal and collective storytelling, all centered on the significance of Black hair. 

“With these capstone projects, we have the agency and also the support of our mentors and of the faculty within the art department to really make this project what we want it to be,” Gayle said. “I wanted to go as big as I can as this is my first opportunity to establish myself as an emerging artist after graduation and a common theme is just take up space within the Black community.”

The title challenges the historical connotations of “good hair” within Black communities, which has often referred to looser, straighter textures as opposed to kinky or curly hair.

“Hair has always been a big part of my identity, as it is for most Black people, especially Black women,” Gayle said. “It was probably one of the first things about myself that I really fell in love with.”

The exhibit features nine portraits of Black individuals, each accompanied by a poem inspired by conversations about hair, lineage and societal expectations. The poems are recorded in the voices of the participants and can be heard through headsets available at the exhibit. 

Gayle’s family photos from her maternal side are displayed on the walls, and a video montage splices together scenes from Black television and film from the 1970s to the 1990s, highlighting historical representation of Black hair in media.

“It’s important for me to pay homage to not only Black culture but also the ancestors — my great-grandmothers, my mother, the people who came before me and taught me to love my hair and love being Black,” Gayle said.

“This project is a love letter to Black culture and Black people,” she said. “I want people to walk away with a deeper connection to their hair. Whatever shape and form it takes, it’s all good.”

Opera celebrates Black joy, childhood wonder

When “The Snowy Day” was published in 1962, it was both groundbreaking and controversial. Ezra Jack Keats’ children’s book, which follows a young Black boy named Peter as he experiences his first snowfall, was one of the first mainstream children’s books to feature a Black protagonist without centering racial struggle.

“It was controversial because he was a white man telling a story of a young Black boy,” said Eboni Adams, the stage director and choreographer of “The Snowy Day” adaptation at the Minnesota Opera. “He was questioned about why he wrote the book and he’s like, ‘I live in New York and when I look out the window, these are the people I see in my community.’” 

Adams, who has worked in various roles within the opera world — including assistant choreographer and assistant director — makes her directorial debut with this adaptation. Drawing from her experience as a dancer, actress and filmmaker, Adams encouraged the cast to bring their own perspectives to the story. 

In collaboration with composer Joel Thompson and author Andrea Davis Pinkney, the show expands Peter’s world by incorporating Spanish music and Dominican bachata, exploring his emotions, inner thoughts and relationships with his family and other characters of color.

“The biggest tragedy is that Peter collects a snowball that he wants to last forever and it doesn’t,” Adams said. “It really speaks to how fleeting time is and if we’re not paying attention to it, it will also melt away. We get to see the world again from a child’s eyes and revisit that perspective.”

For Adams, being present is about much more than “scrolling, looking at a screen, following, liking, subscribing.” Instead, it’s about embracing the moment and enjoying what is around you.

“That’s what Peter does,” she said. “He finds magic in the simple things that nature and the universe and God provides us. So, I hope people take away his sense of curiosity and joy.”

Indigenous artists explore connection to Minnesota waters

The Minnesota Marine Art Museum is hosting “Once Upon a Shore,” an exhibit curated by Minneapolis Poet Laureate Heid E. Erdrich that combines visual and literary arts. The show features paintings, beadwork, photographs, textiles, and digital and installation art by Dakota and Ojibwe artists, along with poetry, fiction, history, children’s books and cookbooks by Indigenous writers.

The exhibit highlights artists influenced by their connection to water. Dakota artists Gwen Westerman and Cole Redhorse Taylor reflect on the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers, while Ojibwe artists Tashia Hart and Jonathan Thunder draw inspiration from Lake Superior and other Minnesota lakes. Shinnecock artist Courtney M. Leonard’s work explores the universal connection between land, water and culture.

During the museum’s “Winter Seasonal Saturday” event on February 8 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., visitors can attend gallery tours, listen to live music by Covered Hotdish and participate in art activities. Artist Dameun Strange will also be present to collect local stories about the Mississippi River for an upcoming project.

Ice sculpture, live music, winter-themed drinks

The Minneapolis Institute of Art is hosting the “Institute of Ice,” an outdoor event featuring eight hand-carved ice sculptures inspired by Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara and sculptor Nick Cave. 

The event will include live music, guided tours, an ice bar offering cider, hot chocolate and winter-themed cocktails, and food from KCM Eggrolls. New pieces from “Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys” will also be on display.

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