Join legendary polar explorer and Minnesotan Will Steger as he shares memories from past expeditions and his experience in technical product design during a talk at the Bachelor Farmer on Tuesday, Jan. 28. The event (sponsored by Askov Finlayson) is free, but space is limited so RSVP here.
Source: Askov Finlayson
The director and president of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts shares how a childhood fascination with the mystery surrounding Easter Island led to a critical analysis over great objects being removed from their original contexts (such as this moai, or statue).
Source: Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Who needs scarves and gloves to keep warm when you have booze? We’re kidding — because there’s no way you’d be able to hold onto these 17 wonderful cocktails if you lose your fingers to frostbite. And that would sure be a shame when all the rest of your friends sip spiked hot chocolate and this punch you actually light on fire.
Source: Time Out Chicago
This lakefront home in Iowa puts a modern spin on the rustic cabins of our youth. Gone are the timber beams, replaced by sweeping windows and aluminum sides.
Source: American Institute of Architects Iowa
Please, please let us stay just one night in this amazing tower home. Designed to elevate the living areas, the home succeeds spectacularly. The view from the wide enclosing deck on top is to die for.
Source: Fresh Home
On an 11-acre site overlooking the St. Croix River, two architecture/design aficionados decided to tear down their poorly designed cabin and build this modern beauty. Read about their project here.
Source: Midwest Home/Paul Crosby
This Cincinnati home packs a lot of life into its boxy perimeter. Inside are high ceilings, wide open spaces and a flood of natural light.
Source: Fresh Home
We’ve rarely seen a glass house as inviting as this Minnesota lake home. Wood, stone and glass combine for a warm, earthy feel in a spectacularly airy design.
Source: Trendir
Minnesotans are known for sculpting unlikely materials (see: princess heads carved in butter), and this show at the Nash Gallery just adds to the reputation. “Made in Minnesota” features works made of bones, diamonds, gelatin, motorcycle parts, mousetraps and more. The show, which opens Jan. 21, includes a work of art more than 20 feet wide and comprised of 29 pieces of domestic and foreign wood.
Source: Katherine E. Nash Gallery
For three straight hours, Twin Cities artists will put their pens (or brushes) to paper for Midway Contemporary Art’s sixth annual Monster Drawing Rally this Saturday, Jan. 18. The night is broken up into three rounds, with each culminating in the sale of finished work at a flat rate of $35. Take a peek at the list of artists who are drawing this year, and get some tips if this is you’re first year navigating the rally.
Source: Walker Art Center
Artist, architect, philosopher and provocateur Pete Goché doesn’t just care about walls, he cares about what happens inside those walls. See what happened when he tackled his most recent project— an upstairs loft conversion in a 19th-century commercial building in the East Village of Des Moines.
Source: American Institute of Architects
How do you feel towards red? Blue? On Jan. 22, Raphaelle Ziemba will develop choreography exploring the body’s relationship to color and the mechanics of perception. Join her for this interactive dance and art experience called “A Moving Canvas.”
Source: Time Out Chicago
Craft brewers Jill Pavlak and Deb Loch will pour it on when their Urban Growler brewery and taproom in St. Paul opens in the spring. Among their featured brews: Cowbell Cream Ale. Check out their Facebook page.
Source: Pioneer Press
Everyday we hear stories of creative people upping the ante in Detroit. The culinary scene is no exception. Nathan Skid from Table Talk lists his top dishes of 2013 from metro chefs. We’re talking crispy braised Michigan pork belly, and this $7 meal that would make anyone happy.
Source: Crain’s Detroit Business/Andrew Templeton
Remember Mumble? He’s the ridiculously cheerful penguin with a penchant for dancing in the animated movie “Happy Feet.” The tuxedoed bird got his groove from hot shot dancer/choreographer Savion Glover. On Jan. 24, Glover will bring those slick tap dancing skills (see also: Bring in ‘da Noise/Bring in ‘da Funk), along with his energetic dance troupe to Chicago’s Harris Theater. Who’s got happy feet now?
Source: Harris Theater
Jack Schneider presents sculptural works that draw from product design tropes, such as ergonomic impression. Catch his work in the show “Everyone Needs Something to Hold Onto,” opening Jan. 23 in the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Gallery X.
Source: SAIC
The photographs, sculpture and art objects from Carson Fisk-Vittori’s show, “Women Weed and Weather,” will be on view at the Secrist Gallery in Chicago for an additional month.
The gallery extended the show – with its bright colors, “feminine” products, and parodies on store product displays and commercial advertising – through Feb. 1.
Source: Carrie Secrist Gallery
Where is the edge? Explore deeply personal themes through a series of work called OnEdge, which features genre-defying performance and experimental dance/theater from five solo artists and groups this month. Shows run from Jan. 11 through Feb. 1.
Source: City of Chicago
These teapots aren’t just short and stout. They’re also geometric, furry, patterned and bulbous. To mark its 50th anniversary, Craft Alliance is pulling out all the stops for its 14th biennial teapot exhibition, “Fif-TEA.” In addition to the requisite teapot, all of the artists in the show were also tasked with creating an accompanying teacup.
Source: Craft Alliance
In the market for a new home? Get a load of these architectural gems on the market designed by famous architects, including three Frank Lloyd Wright homes in Cincinnati and Chicago. Who cares about relocating when you have a Wright? Right?
Source: CBS
A pie a day keeps the doctor…wait, that’s not right. The beloved American dessert may do more for your waist line than your immune system, but that didn’t stop Carrie Shryock (one third of the team behind 1canoe2) from baking one a day for an entire year. From blue goose pie, to basil and goat cheese, see the entire year in review here.
Source: 1canoe2
Venture into the basement of the Chrysler House where dPOP! now takes up residence. The Detroit company will open its doors (behind which are historic bank vaults, an all-white conference room and international art) to host January’s Drinks x Design, a monthly get together for designers and creatives. RSVP here to nab a spot this Thursday, Jan. 9.
Source: Drinks x Design
The big top is coming to town for an unforgettable weekend of performances (Jan. 6-12) with feats of imagination and emotion. Dancing, music and acrobatics all come together for a contemporary circus that packs a theatrical punch.
Source: Chicago Contemporary Circus Festival
How about a little bacalhau or braised sweet-and-sour pork belly? The two dishes from Chicago restaurant Fat Rice received nods from the senior editor at the James Beard Foundation when the staff listed their favorite dishes and drinks from 2013. See what else made the list here.
Source: James Beard Foundation
Feast your eyes on the elegant arrangements of cakes and cookies, and overflowing piles of fruit at an Art Institute Chicago’s show that celebrates all things edible in art. But if you get hungry, don’t try to eat the canvas. Instead, pull out your mixing bowl and check out these vintage American recipes featured in the exhibition, along with new recipes from top culinary talent in Chicago. Bertha’s Famous Brownies anyone?
Source: Art Institute Chicago