It’s hard to believe that Art-A-Whirl 2012 is right around the corner. Reynaldo Diaz and I invite you to join us for an opening night party in our studio … 6 to 10 p.m., Friday, May 18. You can find us at Studio 211 in the California Building (2205 California Street, Minneapolis, MN 55418). Or … stop by anytime during the Art-A-Whirl weekend.

2012 Dates and Hours:
Friday, May 18th -  5 to 10 p.m.
Saturday,  May 19th -  12 Noon to 8 p.m.
Sunday, May 20th -   12 Noon to 5 p.m.

This past year Reynaldo has been prolific … creating many amazing paintings (acrylic on canvas). This past Saturday I begged Rey to do a video interview with me, and he agreed. Like many artists, he is hesitant to promote himself and his work. Well … I’m a marketer by profession … and I insisted we had to give all of you a bit more information about what he has been doing this past year in the studio.

Most of my time is spent working as director of the Capri Theater in North Minneapolis, but I have managed to squeeze in some time to create a few fun pieces out of clay. (If you are a cat lover like Rey and me … I think you will enjoy my new creations!)

And … we’re so pleased that my mom, Ruth Reichert, will be returning to Art-A-Whirl this year. As many of you know, my Mom has been at every Art-A-Whirl since we opened our studio in 2008 … except for last year, when she was being treated for cancer. We are so pleased that she is recovering well after six months of chemotherapy last year, and she is going to show her own creative work for the first time. During her recovery this past year, she discovered a passion for creating jewelry out of beads, and this year she will be selling her creations in our studio. I really believe that art heals … and my Mom is a wonderful case in point!

Every year my little brother Eli (Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities) presents a few of his creative works in Art-A-Whirl. I am anxious to see what he is going to show this year. Last year his sock monsters were a huge hit!

We hope to see you at Art-A-Whirl 2012. There is so much to see … and you will find that the California Building has a friendly and diverse community of artists!

In my work as director of the Capri Theater, we strived to implement all the green technology we could afford in our 2009 renovation of our venue … including the installation of LED theatrical lighting in our auditorium and replacement of all the incandescent bulbs in our marquee (as you can from my 2008 photo) with much more efficient (and expensive) LED bulbs.

As we begin planning for our second phase of development, which will include the addition of much needed dressing rooms, rehearsal space and classrooms for our youth arts programming at PCYC, we want to commit to more green practices … especially as the cost for green technology becomes more affordable.

You can read more about the upcoming conference in Finance & Commerce:

I’ve also seen a similar fountain (nearly 20 years ago) while visiting Sydney, Australia. I’m now curious: do these fountains in Minneapolis, New York and Sydney share a common designer?

A quick Google search doesn’t reveal much, so I’m on a quest to learn more. I will let you know what I learn!

Concert at the Capri: ‘It’s all baby steps, but it’s happening’

By Michael Anthony | Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2010

The sparkling marquee atop the renovated Capri Theater carrying the words “St. Paul Chamber Orchestra,” brightened up the corner of West Broadway and Logan on the North Side of Minneapolis Saturday night as people scurried into the lobby to pick up their tickets. Old-timers in the crowd could perhaps recall an earlier, busier day, from the late 1920s up through the ’60s when Broadway carried a touch of glamour and that same marquee blazed names like Charlie Chaplin and Barbara Stanwyck.

You might not think it these days, but West Broadway was something close to this city’s Great White Way, a bustling show-biz street rivaled only by Hennepin. The Capri, built in 1927 and originally known as the Paradise, was one of three movie theaters along Broadway — in all, one of 13 theaters that once dotted the North side. Much later, in 1979, Prince gave a series of three concerts — among his earliest local performances — at the Capri.

Those lights have dimmed in recent years. Boarded-up stores and empty lots now dominate the scene. But the Capri hopes to turn the lights back on. Owned and operated since 1984 by the Plymouth Christian Youth Center, an education and arts facility, the Capri began presenting concerts and musical plays three years ago, invoking the venerable notion that the arts can have a positive effect on the environment — and perhaps even stimulate some much-needed business development in the area. (Read more)

The torch songs are passed to a new generation as the Capri Theater’s “Legends” series begins its fourth season with “Blue: Songs on the Indigo Side” set for 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 9, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 10. Three young Minnesota natives – Katie Gearty, Nancy Harms and Rachel Holder – will perform an evening of jazz standards, plus some pop favorites in jazz-shaded arrangements. Single tickets are priced at $25 and $20 for groups of 10 or more. Tickets are available through OvationTix online or by calling 1-866-811-4111. Click on the show dates below to order tickets for a specific concert. (Click here for details about ticketing fees.)

In addition, season tickets for the three-concert “Legends” series, under the artistic direction of Dennis Spears, are still available for $60 and include “Nancy Wilson & Peggy Lee: The Sultry Divas of Jazz,” with Ginger Commodore and Connie Evingson 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12, 20111, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011, and Greta Oglesby in a solo concert, “I Sing Because…” 7 p.m. Saturday, April 9, 2011, and 3 p.m. Sunday, April 10, 2011.

The planning For “Blue: Songs on the Indigo Side” began 18 months ago, when Gearty and Harms approached Twin Cities jazz great Arne Fogel about helping them put together a show for the “Jazz from J to Z” concert series produced by the Twin Cities Jazz Society. “Right from the beginning, they had thought that Rachel Holder would be a great third person for the show,” Fogel says. “After the first meeting, we had the theme down and had chosen a number of songs, and that’s how it came about.”

The show enables the three versatile vocalists to “cover a lot of ground,” Fogel says. The song list includes the title song from Harms’ debut CD from 2009, “In the Indigo,” which was a hit with both critics and fans and made several “Top 10” lists.

“Nancy also does the lead vocal on Blueberry Hill, that wonderful old rock ‘n roll song, and Katie and Rachel do back-up vocals,” Fogel says. “They do Blue Moon as a rock ‘n roll oldie. Rachel sings the standard Rogers and Hart’s Blue Room. Katie does Blue Prelude from the early 1930s in a very bluesy, wonderful way. Nancy performs a song called Blue Monk that she wrote the lyrics for. There’s a lot of variety.”

“When I saw the show, I knew it was perfect for the ‘Legends’ Series,” says Capri Theater Director Karl Reichert. “The music is the right jazz/pop blend, and the quality is what our audiences expect from the ‘Legends’ series.”

“I’m honored that Karl asked us to do the show as part of the ‘Legends’ series,” Fogel says. “The Capri just looks so cool. There’s a retro feel to it that I love. You walk in and you’re charmed.”

Ticketing Fees:

• $2.50 per single ticket
• $1 per ticket when you order 10 or more
• $5 per season ticket
• Please note: there is an additional $1 charge for phone orders.

Be Fee Free!

Pay no fees for single tickets when you are a season ticket holder! If you purchased season tickets, you can take advantage of this offer by going “old school” and ordering your tickets with a paper form and mailing payment to us. (Click here to download PDF order form.) If you have questions about season tickets and ordering additional concert tickets, contact Karl Reichert, Director of the Capri Theater, at kreichert@pcyc-mpls.org or 612-643-2024.

The 2010 Minneapolis Arts Commission’s Award for Community Involvement in Public Art was given to Reynaldo Diaz and Connie Beckers for their project “Awakening,” a stained glass window that celebrates the plants and animals of Loring Park. They received the award during a ceremony at the Uptown Art Fair Friday, August 6, 2010. Commissioned by Friends of Loring Park, the window is installed at the Loring Park Community Arts Center.

For a very thoughtful perspective about how the City of Minneapolis ranks nationally in its funding of the arts, read Minnesota Public Radio’s Marianne Combs State of the Arts blog post: Minneapolis bestows awards to artists, but no cash.

Awakening wins 2010 Minneapolis Arts Commission Award for Community Involvement in Public Art

We just received word on Thursday, July 16, from the Minneapolis Arts Commission that Awakening, the new stained glass window designed by Reynaldo Diaz and constructed by glass artist Connie Beckers (a.k.a. The Goddess of Glass) will receive the 2010 Minneapolis Arts Commission Award for Community Involvement in Public Art on Friday, August 6, during the Uptown Art Fair.

This window was commissioned by Friends of Loring Park and was installed last summer at the Loring Park Performing Arts Center. (Photo by Karl Reichert.)