Art Hounds: Mark Manders, The Goondas, and finding art in a construction zone

Construction at the corner of University and Raymond in St. Paul (MPR Photo/Chris Roberts)

This week's hounds are reveling in "post-conceptual" sculpture, celebrating raw, seductive rock from some nice Minnesota boys and fine-tuning their powers of observation along the Central Corridor.

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Allen Brewer can't help it. The Twin Cities artist and instructor at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design sees unintentional art everywhere he looks; in mundane, everyday surroundings, and even light rail construction. Allen's St. Paul studio is near the Central Corridor on University Ave, where wild colors, piles of rubble and the detritus of a torn-up street make for eye-catching sculpture.

Award-winning set designer and Off-Leash Area co-founder Paul Herwig found solace and stimulation at the Walker Art Center's exhibition "Mark Manders: Parallel Occurrences/Documented Assignments." Paul says the acclaimed Dutch sculptor Manders is a thoughtful, clever artist who plays with the viewer's assumptions and perspective. The show is up through September 11.

Local poet and writer Laura Brandenburg has not one but two reasons to visit downtown St. Paul this Friday night. The first is a chance to preview the Amsterdam Bar and Hall, which will have a grand opening later this month, and the second is that the Goondas will help christen the new club. Laura says The Goondas, with their swampy, bluesy, all-out musical attack, have restored her faith in local rock and roll.

For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter. And you can get an early sneak peek at the Art Hounds' picks every week by texting the word ART to 677-677. Art Hounds is powered by the Public Insight Network.