Art Hounds: Galleries at Bloomington's Artistry busy with three shows

Updated: 2:55 p.m.

St. Cloud-based concert pianist Mark Ochu is looking forward to an eclectic evening by vocal and musical trio Partly Tame, presented by the Granite City Folk Society.

The trio consists of the group’s founder Mariénne Kreitlow, violinist Cristina Seaborn and Susan Schleper, vocals.

“All three musicians are authentic performers … comfortable in multiple genres ranging from classical to folk, to slap stick comedy, to the introspective and spiritual,” Ochu said, adding that he never knows quite what will be on the program. He said Kreitlow, a composer, is an intuitive performer, shifting to incorporate poetry, jazz improv, and more as the mood of the show requires.

The one-night show starts at 7 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in St. Cloud.

Art lover Doris Rubenstein of Richfield is excited that after several difficult years, the Artistry Theater and Visual Arts is in full swing. This week galleries will feature visual art shows by local artists, which Rubenstein says makes March a good time to discover or rediscover the Bloomington Center for the Arts.

Landscape photography by Marc Ye of Lakeville, whose subjects and photo shoots range all over the world, opens his fine art show in the Atrium Gallery. An artist reception Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. is free and open to the public. The exhibit runs through April 23. 

In the Inez Greenberg Gallery, Roshan Ganu, Chris Rackley and  John Swartwout’s show uses art made both by hand and through technology to explore memory. Their show, “Hyper Memory,” runs through April 7.

Artistry also helped mount an exhibit at Confluence Gallery, located at the Minnesota Valley Wildlife Refuge, of the wildlife paintings by Kat Corrigan. “Wild and Precious Life” runs through April 5.

Sarah Prindiville, director of fine arts in the Robbinsdale public schools, recommends “Once on This Island, Jr.” It’s a 60-minute version of the Broadway musical packed with songs created by the same music-and-lyric team behind “Seussical!” and “Ragtime.”

Set in Haiti, it’s the story of Ti Moune, a peasant girl, who falls in love with a wealthy boy from the other side of the island. Gods and goddesses are part of the story about class, culture, and the power of love.

The production at Stages Theatre in Hopkins is directed and choreographed by Twin Cities theater-maker Kelli Foster Warder. Prindiville says students, some from her district, are part of the ensemble.

“Once on This Island, Jr.” runs March 3 though March 19 and is recommended for ages 7 and up.

Correction: A previous version misstated where an exhibit connected to the Bloomington Center for the Arts was taking place. The above version has been updated.