This issue has…

• 🐶 Another Busby Pic
  they will never stop

• 🎟️ Some Ludus Hints
  you’ll be running the box office in no time

• 🤖 AI News
  the real stuff; no slop here

PROGRAMMING

Visual Arts comin’ atcha!

Have you been through the galleries lately? If not, this is a great time to plan a visit.

Coming soon is our Human x Machine: Exploring Art in the Age of AI exhibition, which explores how AI is shaping the creative process. Some artists are embracing and utilizing this new technology, while others are flat our rejecting it.

If you’re interested in learning more about this, there will be a panel discussion on Thursday, September 18th at 6:30pm in the PCA’s black box theater. Artists will share their perspectives and discuss the implications for the future of creativity. The panel will feature artists Staci Ludwig, Mat Ollig, Kurt Paulsen, and Sam Van Vo and will be moderated by Nicole M. Watson, director of the Catherine G. Murphy Gallery at St. Catherine University in St. Paul. Seating is limited, so RSVP YES by clicking here.

As if that wasn’t enough, we have the annual Spirit of the St. Croix Art Festival coming up on September 27th & 28th. This is a collaboration with the Hudson Chamber of Commerce, so check out their website for more info on that.

Let’s go, Team Visual Arts!

TIPS & TRICKS

It’s time to become a Ludus pro

Hey, Ben…what the heck is Ludus?
Great question, hypothetical Flying P reader!

Ludus is the ticketing system we began using at the start of the 2025/26 season. Did you notice a change? You probably did. And maybe you noticed because you were like “Ugh! I hate change!” I hope that’s not the case, but if it is, here are some tips and tricks to help you make the most out of this new-ish system.

First tip: THERE IS A CALENDAR

It’s true! When you click on “Events” at the top of the Phipps website, you’ll get to a page that lists ALL of our events. To the right of the search bar, you’ll see a little icon that looks like a tiny calendar (see pic above). Click on that and BOOM…you’ll see our whole season listed in calendar form. Click the little “x” in the upper right to go back to non-calendar view.

Second tip: YOU CAN “LEARN MORE”

Heading back to the “Events” page, you’ll see a little “Learn More” button just below the event artwork (see pic below).

Click on that to reveal a boatload of additional event info — stuff like descriptions, age recommendations, content warnings, artist photos, sponsors, etc (example below).

This is really useful for those events that are not Phipps productions (think a visiting musician or singer) because they don’t have a dedicated page on the PCA’s website.

Third tip: YOU HAVE AN ACCOUNT

I bet you’re super pumped for this one, right? Yaaaaaay. Another account. Another log-in. Another thing to think about.

Okay, so most of you likely won’t use this…but the point is IT’S THERE IF YOU WANT IT.

As you can see above, there’s a little “My Account” button on the Events page. Click on that and log in (no passwords needed; it simply sends you a log-in email) and you’ll have access to a bunch of useful stuff including your order history, a place where you can edit your personal information, you can see your volunteer hours, subscribe/unsubscribe from PCA mailing lists…it’s great!

But one of the most useful things is you can view upcoming events that you have tickets for (see pic above), click on “View Order”…

…and print your tickets, have them sent to your phone or Will Call, view your receipt, or even transfer the tickets to someone else. Wowie Maui!

Think how cool you’ll feel when your husband is like “Hang on, Cynthia, I have to call the Phipps box office because I can’t find our stupid tickets.” and you’re like “Harold, calm down…I just had them sent to your phone.” You’re gonna blow Harold’s ever-loving mind.

So anyway, those are my Ludus tips and tricks. Use them to make your PCA life easier or to blow minds…or both. It’s totally up to you.

👆
my favorite gallery piece of the week
Last chance to catch the current exhibition. Get in the car RIGHT NOW!

PERSONAL STUFF

Desk puppy

My wife and I painted ourselves into a puppy corner again last week, and I had to bring ol’ Busby to work. As you can see, he was NO HELP AT ALL. #lazy

At least mop the stage or something, Buzzy… sheesh.

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Talk to you next week!