In the Twin Cities art scene this weekend, Pillsbury House and Theatre will celebrate the grand opening of its new community arts campus at the annual Inside Out Block Party. Meanwhile, St. Paul’s Art at 967 Payne gallery is hosting a youth-driven exhibit that explores Black identity, motherhood, and homelessness in Minnesota. In Minneapolis, a three-day West African music and dance series brings together artists from across the diaspora for performances and workshops.

And in Bloomington, Nature Fest returns with Latin music, Indigenous dance, bird walks, archery and more. 

Young artists reflect on Black identity, motherhood and mental health

“What We Carry,” a new exhibit at Art at 967 Payne, explores what it means to grow up Black in Minnesota through photography, film, poetry and painting by four young Black artists.

Presented by Atlas of Blackness, a grassroots group supporting Black youth in the Twin Cities, the show features work by the group’s research and film fellows alongside a photojournalism fellow.

Naomi Gbor’s project, “How Death Teaches You How to Live,” explores the deeper lessons found in grief. Saint Grim’s photo series examines Black identity and mental health experiences. Majah Barnes’s project, “Nothing Was Ever the Same,” uses digital art and photography to reflect on Black motherhood and postpartum depression.

Precious Murray, a photojournalism fellow from Documenting MN, presents “In Plain Sight,” a black-and-white photo series documenting unhoused individuals, mental health struggles and addiction at the intersection of Dale Street and University Avenue in St. Paul.

A journey through West African music

The Minneapolis-based Duniya Drum and Dance Company will host Fakoly, a three-day West African drum and dance workshop series at the Center for Performing Arts. Led by Guinean drummer and Duniya’s artistic director Fode Bangoura, the weekend features classes taught by artists from Guinea, Haiti and Nigeria. On Saturday at 7:30 p.m., the artists will perform “Cultivate,” a journey through West African music traditions.

A new home for theater professionals and storytellers

The Pillsbury House and Theatre will host its annual Inside Out Block Party on Saturday, celebrating the grand opening of the Pillsbury Creative Commons, a new community campus focused on arts, media and technical training in south Minneapolis. 

The block party will feature an artist market, live music, food trucks and public tours of the new campus, which houses the Technical Arts Training Program rooted in the core principles of theater production. 

“The Pillsbury Creative Commons actually started a very long time ago. It was the hopes and dreams of community who saw a need for more access to training and jobs around the technical trades inside of theater,” said Signe V. Harriday, artistic producing director at Pillsbury House and Theatre.

The program will offer hands-on training in scenic carpentry, sound, welding and lighting, and connect students with apprenticeships at local theaters and arts organizations.

The campus will also be home to KRSM 98.9 FM, a radio station amplifying south Minneapolis voices. During the 2020 uprisings, KRSM’s previous location was inaccessible, cutting off an essential platform for community storytelling. 

“It was a moment of real pain for the hosts because that’s exactly the time when you want to be most connected with community,” Harriday said. “If we’re really trying to be about radical accessibility and meaningful amplification then we need to have access.” 

KRSM will operate out of two of the three new soundproof studios, with the third reserved for future use by podcasters, voiceover artists and theatermakers in need of quiet space. 

“As a director, I’m always thinking about space and proximity,” Harriday said. “There are so many times when an artist has a vision and idea of something they want to do but they don’t have a place to make it happen.”

The new campus aims to fill that gap. The first floor includes three studios, coworking space and a multi-use room equipped to host everything from technical training sessions and staff meetings to community forums and film screenings. Upstairs, two short-term artist residences provide housing, a shared kitchen and communal space for collaborators. 

“Oftentimes, people are like ‘Oh, you can get by because you’re creative,’ but those days are done,” Harriday said. “We deserve to have what we need to do our best work.”

Harriday said she hopes the campus will eventually include a public plaza to host theater performances, shared meals, concerts and community forums. The idea was inspired by their outdoor production of “What to Send Up When It Goes Down” in 2021, which invited community members into the creative process of theater-making.

“Pillsbury United Communities values and sees the role of artists as leaders in community,” said Harriday, an artist and organizer who also serves as interim head of social enterprises at the nonprofit. 

She said the new campus carries forward that vision — one in which Twin Cities artists not only create, but also lead and build.

Latin music, Indigenous dance at Nature Fest

Nature Fest, formerly Latino Conservation Week, returns to Bloomington on Saturday with live music from Mariachi Estrella, Colombia Live and DJ QueenDuin, who will spin cumbia, hip-hop, reggaeton and dancehall music. The festival also features dance performances by Baila Venezuela, Kalpulli Yaocenoxtli, Yali Cuzcatleca and Rueda de Samba. Food trucks will serve empanadas, tacos, ice cream and plant-based dishes. The first 250 attendees will receive a free meal ticket. Activities include face painting, watercolor painting, screen printing, Lotería, archery and a bird walk.

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