The Twin Cities art scene this weekend makes space for art in motion. Witness the creation of a new Mexican opera where local singers bring to life a story about a Mexican immigrant who meets Death. 

Get crafty at a zine and collage workshop, and dive into more than 200 films at the Minneapolis St. Paul Film Festival exploring collective histories of resistance within communities of color.

The making of an opera

A new opera in development, “Ofrenda,” will receive its first public piano-vocal workshop this Sunday at the Center for Performing Arts. The workshop, hosted by the Opera Reading Project, provides an opportunity for performers and creators to experiment, revise and adjust their work in front of an audience. Attendees will have the chance to witness the collaborative process and offer feedback in real time.

“Ofrenda” follows Macaria, a Mexican immigrant who works as a custodian in a hospital and frequently witnesses death while her daughter, Pina, deals with the pressure of college applications and rejection. 

When Macaria meets Señora, a personification of Death, at the hospital, she shares her turkey sandwich with Señora. 

“Death is moved by this act of kindness. She puts her tears in a plastic bottle and gives it to Macaria. And now this liquid has healing powers,” said Jorge Sosa, a New York-based composer originally from Mexico. “The story, in the end, is about healing.” 

Sunday’s workshop features a cast of local singers, including Victoria Vargas, Jill Suzanne Morgan, Madison Holtze, Andrew Wilkowske and Jess Felton. The performance is musically directed by Lara Bolton, with Jordan Buchholtz on piano. 

Composed by Sosa and written by John De Los Santos, “Ofrenda” incorporates traditional Mexican music, including Xochipitzahua, a song and ritual dance from the Nahuatl language that is performed during the Mexican holiday, Día de los Muertos. The bilingual opera also draws on huapango music from the Huasteca region, as well as bolero and salsa dance styles.

“We want these songs to really showcase the dimensionality of the characters,” Sosa said. “Not just archetypes or stereotypes of who we are, but a story that talks about our relationships to each other, our communities, the country as a whole.”

In a world reeling from loss, “Ofrenda” asks: What does it mean to truly see someone, even Death herself? And what happens when kindness cracks something open?

Macaria knows. She watches as Death weeps, gathers healing in her hands, and offers it to the living.

Zine and collage workshop

Artist Baki Porter, in collaboration with Queermunity MN, is hosting “Zine Extravaganza,” a hands-on zine-making workshop with collage materials, including magazines, newspaper clippings, scissors, glue and printer paper. Sponsored by the City of Minneapolis’ Cultural District Arts Fund on East Lake Street, the workshop will take place from noon to 3 p.m., followed by a zine-sharing session from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. 

The first 50 attendees will receive a free zine-making kit.

BIPOC stories on screen

The 44th annual Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival, which kicked off on Wednesday, features more than 200 films screening at the Main Cinema, Capri Theater, Landmark Center and Edina Mann Theatre. The lineup features Latin dramas, Somali and Chinese documentaries, a film on Hmong identity, and a documentary on Black liberation in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020, among others. 

In partnership with the Minneapolis American Indian Center, MSP Film is offering a 25% discount for select Indigenous films using the promo code “MAICMSPIFF44” at online checkout. Eligible films include “Singing Back the Buffalo,” which follows efforts to restore buffalo herds in the Great Plains; “Bdote: A Birthing Island,” exploring the Dakota people’s sacred connection to the Bdote River; and “Gigiigemin Baaga’adoweyang (We Are Healed by Stickball),” documenting the revival of stickball in Ojibwe communities. 

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