In the Twin Cities art scene this weekend, the Festival de las Calaveras shakes up The Cedar with a lineup of local and national Latine DJs, rock and punk bands. St. Paul rapper Lt. Sunnie celebrates the release of her upcoming EP “Who She Think She Is?” while visual artists at the University of Minnesota reflect on their identity and the environment. 

In St. Paul, an Indigenous night market highlights local businesses, youth changemakers and Indigenous healing practices.

Rapper Lt. Sunnie headlines a night of music and comedy

St. Paul rapper Lt. Sunnie will present an event titled “Who She Think She Is?” to celebrate the upcoming release of her EP, which reflects her experiences growing up as a “queer, Black, big-bodied woman.”

“I always felt like I was an outlier anywhere I went. I never really fit in,” Sunnie said. “That’s why I’m so adamant about supporting young people and encouraging individualism within the community because I feel like if I could go back and tell myself to do anything, it’s to be yourself and be okay with sitting at the lunch table alone.”

Sunnie, born in St. Paul’s Rondo community, began performing dance in childhood talent shows, family gatherings and church praise dance groups. Her interest in rap emerged through her brother’s influence.

“I grew up in a Christian household so we couldn’t always listen to rap music,” Sunnie said. “I had to sneak and listen to my brother’s rap CDs, and I used to love 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks.”

“I used to go to this church where they had an all-night jam,” she added. “Me and my brother wrote this song, my sister danced and my mom sang the chorus. Low-key, my mom wanted us to be like the Jackson 5, but we never kept up with it.”

Her six-track EP, set to be released on April 12, is a celebration of Black female empowerment, featuring songs like “The Champ Is Here,” an anthem for standing out in authenticity; “Report to the Dance Floor,” a Missy Elliot-inspired dance song; and “Pop It,” where Sunnie speaks directly to the Black community about “how hating on each other is not conducive to our liberation,” she said. 

The event begins at 6 p.m. with a networking session featuring Black women-owned businesses offering baked goods, makeup, cosmetics, knitted clothing and more. DJ Smiles will spin a mix of ’90s classics and today’s hits. St. Paul artist Mizz Mercedez and Coach Twist of Rondo Double Dutch will lead an interactive jump-roping activity and comedy trio Docta, Brotha, Mista (Alsa Bruno, Linc Owens and Dorian Beal) will perform an improv set titled “Mid-Husbands.”

Latine rock, punk, and more at The Cedar

The Festival de las Calaveras, the annual Twin Cities Latinx music and arts festival, returns to The Cedar on Saturday with a night of alternative music. DJ Rey Azucar and DJ Fuerza Omega set the tone at 6:30 p.m. with Latin and tropical rhythms, followed by “punk and roll” band Los Outsiders. Headlining at 9 p.m. is Argentinian rock band Él Mató a un Policía Motorizado (which translates to “He Killed a Motorized Police Man), making a stop in Minneapolis on their world tour. Visuals by artist Boo McCaleb will light up the venue, with hosting by Larry Lucio. 

Indigenous market features film, food and healing

A “Native Night Market” at the Eagle and Condor Native Wellness Center in St. Paul, will feature a 7 p.m. screening on Friday of “Warrior Up,” a docu-series on Indigenous youth leading change. The featured episode follows Anishinabe and Cree host Joshua Odjick and 16-year-old former Roots Cafe employee Issac Garcia, who creates and distributes “blessing bags” filled with essentials for unhoused people in St. Paul. A discussion with Garcia will follow the screening. 

The event will also include a vendor lineup: tea from Roots Cafe, Indian tacos from Trickster Tacos; traditional Indigenous healing and hand-crafted self-care products from Eagle and Condor; and books, tea and wellness products from Blue Hummingbird Woman. 

On Saturday, the Eagle and Condor Native Wellness Center will host a healing gathering featuring Black, brown and Indigenous practitioners. Food from Trickster Tacos will also be available. RSVP here.

MFA artists explore identity, heritage and environment

The University of Minnesota’s Katherine E. Nash Gallery is hosting “see through love,” an exhibit featuring the work of seven artists completing their masters in fine arts. Among the highlights are Sarah Abdel-Jelil’s experimental film installations, which use kaleidoscopes and patterns to reflect her multicultural upbringing as a Mauritanian American artist. The exhibit also showcases acrylic paintings by Iranian artist Roya Nazari Najafabadi, whose work draws on her heritage and addresses environmental and social challenges faced by contemporary women. Through a combination of painting, sculpture, and video, Najafabadi explores themes of identity, environmental issues, and the female experience.

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