By Mary O'Regan

News from the Moon
Jan. 3–31
Rosalux Gallery
1011 Washington Ave. S.
Free. Rosaluxgallery.com

The newspaper could be called “Celestial Times,” “The Daily Crater,” or “Rover Review.” Either way, local artists Jennifer Davis and Amy Crickenberger Oeth are bringing news from the moon in a new exhibit at Rosalux Gallery.

The creative team has been drawing inspiration from one another’s work since they met in college in 1994. Davis uses muted pastels, painting bizarre scenes of hunched, faceless people, space age bumper cars, and the top half of a girl’s body swinging in the breeze on a clothesline. In theory, her work seems twisted and surreal, but she softens the mood with gentle pinks and sweet animal cameos.

Crickenberger Oeth takes an abstract approach, brightening up her pieces with yellows and blues. Through heavy textures and strong shapes, each painting creates a vague sense of place, without pinpointing a precise activity. Similar to a child’s imagination or a messy dream,
Crickenberger Oeth creates a unique blend between tranquility and spontaneity.

In addition to their individual pieces, the exhibit features both artists’ paintings side-by-side, allowing visitors to see how two minds can make distinct, yet intimately acquainted work.



Tino Sehgal
Dec. 12–March 23
Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Ave.
$10. 375-7600., walkerart.org

How does one make art without using a single object? In a new show at the Walker Art Center, German artist Tino Sehgal uses people to create his installations. His subjects use their bodies and voices to interact with their surroundings like actors on a stage — except there is no stage and, according to Sehgal, we’re all actors.

The Walker exhibition will be Seghal’s largest production to date. It consists of five continuous “performances” using roughly 50 people — including Walker staff members and other locals — and takes place all over the gallery, starting in the lobby.


Avenue Q
Jan. 1–13
State Theatre
805 Hennepin Ave.
$27–$67. 673-0404.
hennepintheatredistrict.org

Many young adults suffer from wanderlust at one time or another, and for some, this includes dreams of moving to a big city, finding love, and becoming successful. We can’t all live the dream, however, but we can come close with Avenue Q, a Tony-award-winning musical making its Minneapolis debut.

The play centers on Princeton, a college graduate who packs his bags and moves to New York City. He ends up living on Avenue Q and meeting a host of hilarious characters. With catchy songs like “What Do You Do with a B.A. in English,” and an all-too-familiar sense of quarter-life crises, the show makes it easy to laugh at the ups and downs of city life.

Contact Mary O’Regan at moregan@mnpubs.com or 436-5088.