This issue has…

• A Busy Week at the Phipps
  Friday was nuts and here’s why

• Fringe Recommendations
  you’ve got some choices to make

• Busby Pics
  my dog is pretty cute y’all

PROGRAMMING

Busy and fun go hand-in-hand

Ever have one of those weeks where everything that could go wrong does go wrong? That was us last week at the Phipps.

I’m being a dramatic. Nothing major happened, but we had lots of little fires to put out, and by the end of the week the staff here at the Phipps was definitely ready for the weekend.

The payoff was Friday, though, when we had one of those magical Phipps days where the building is buzzing and people are having a great time and exploring art and catching up with one another, etc etc etc. It was lotsa fun.

In a single day, we had…

• the conclusion of a week of Summer Arts Camps: kids sharing their newfound talents with family members, which is always a delight.

• the opening of a new exhibition in the galleries: so many folks stopped by to share in the newest works being displayed by some amazing regional artists.

• a contra dance workshop: the good people at Tapestry Folkdance Center brought a contra workshop to our black box. I was able to find time to poke my head in once or twice and it looked very fun. I’ll definitely be trying it the next time it comes around (sooooon).

• The Drowsy Chaperone rehearsal: the building was so busy, our Drowsy actors were relegated to the Music Room (not really a relegation when the room is as nice as our Music Room, but you get my point).

• a sold-out Mo Pitney concert: need I say more?

Friday’s building energy was awesome. Can’t wait for the next super-busy week! 😄 

SPECIAL EVENTS

The Fringe selections have been made!

I know I talked a lot in last week’s issue about the MN Fringe Festival and the upcoming encore week at the Phipps, but I can’t resist mentioning it again, as now we actually have the 5 productions that will be taking part. Here they are in order of performance:

Many folks have been asking me for my recommendation. This is an impossible task because all of these productions are wildly different.

If the Fringe sounds fun to you, I suggest seeing as many of these as you can. Make it a fun “collect ‘em all” thing for the week. The shows are, at most, 60-minutes long and I think we’ve priced them well.

Love dance? Wednesday’s show.
Have kiddos to please? Thursday’s show is for you.
Want a well-done classic? Check out Friday.
Into amazing solo shows? Swing by on Saturday.
Enjoy the quirky but impactful? Sunday’s matinee is perfect.

No matter your choice, remember: the Fringe by definition isn’t mainstream. Like all good art, these pieces may challenge you. That’s a good thing! Embrace the challenge and you’ll have a great time.

And as always, share your opinions with me next week. I always want to hear from you.

👆
my favorite gallery piece of the week
I really like how much this one has to take in.
Get to Gallery One and check out Jacob’s work.

PERSONAL STUFF

Busby is in the house

In addition to recently becoming an Olympic breakdancer-in-training, I’m also a very happy dog guardian. My wife, Amanda, and I have a Bernedoodle and his name is Busby.

We’re 3 issues in, so I just thought you should know.

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Talk to you next week!