Art Hounds: Trudy Johnson, Post-Traumatic funk, and an art fest on the Continental Divide

"Look Both Ways" by Trudy Johnson (Image courtesy of The Spirit Room)

Western and central Minnesota is the Art Hounds domain this week as the hounds uncover a young artist who tells her life story in vivid, abstract paintings, a funky, classic rock oriented classical concert and an art festival in one of central Minnesota's artsiest communities.

When Fargo artist Emily Wheeler went to see fellow painter Trudy Johnson's exhibition "Tell-Tale Art," at the Spirit Room gallery in Fargo, she didn't read Trudy's artistic statement until the end. Emily promptly went back through the show with a new understanding of the dramatic, at times disturbing auto-biographical story Trudy was telling through her vibrantly colorful paintings. On view through Aug. 31.

Did you know New York Mills, Minn. is right on the Continental Divide? No? New York Mills artist Pam Robinson suspects there's more about this central Minnesota arts enclave you don't know, so she's recommending the Continental Divide Music & Film Festival, Aug. 17-18. The festival will feature a free corn feed, music, including acts such as Eric Koskinen, Haley Bonar and The Cactus Blossoms, a puppet pageant, printmaking, and locally made films.

This Tuesday evening, Aug. 21, The Fargo-Moorhead-based Post-Traumatic Funk Syndrome will be laying down a groove alongside the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra in the beautiful clean air of the Bluestem Amphiheater, and Margie Bailly plans to revel in the rock and funk. The concert is called "Symphony Rocks." Margie, the recently retired executive director of the historic Fargo Theater, says you can expect renditions of Mozart, Procol Harem, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Peter Gabriel, among others.

For more Art Hounds' recommendations, check us out on Facebook and Twitter. Art Hounds is also available as a podcast on iTunes. Art Hounds is powered by the Public Insight Network.

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