The daily digest of Twin Cities culture | Secrets of the City

Art by Tom Kaczynski

LECTURE
MOMENTUM: The New Comics Gallery Talk

If you've yet to check out the Minneapolis College of Art and Design's recent comic art exhibit, tonight is the perfect excuse. A retrospective of artists published in Mome, a highly revered quarterly comic art anothology, the MOMENTUM exhibit features such well-knowns as Jim Woodring, R. Kikuo Johnson, Sophie Crumb, Dash Shaw and more. Also included, are two hometown boys, Zak Sally (of Low and La Mano fame) and Tom Kaczynski (of Transiberia mini-comic fame), who will be on-hand this evening for a special gallery talk, in which they will discuss the show, their work, and the colorful world of comic art. Exhibit runs through April 17th.

6:30 p.m., MCAD, 2501 Stevens Avenue, Minneapolis, Free

ART
Excess

Mari Richards's bulbous, intestinal installation art is part whimsical, part guilt-inducing, and part brilliantly disgusting. Colorful interspersion of plastic bags and refuse from retail stores and consumer packaging are crushed into an organic-looking membrane to create large-scale, multi-hued oddities.  A testament to how much we waste and consume, Richard's work speaks on a social level;  perhaps a shout out to American gluttony in all its icky glory. Becca Shewmake's work follows a similar environmental theme, with images of "polluting bio-machines, acid rain clouds, and radioactive robo-plants." A show with a message, most definitely, but also a fun, mildly creepy feast for the eyes. Excess will, at the very least, remind you to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Not to mention, tonight's opening reception will include tasty treats courtesy of eco-hippie fave, Common Roots Cafe. Runs through May 17th.

Opening Reception 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Larson Art Gallery, U of M Campus, 2017 Buford Ave, St. Paul, Free

SPECIAL EVENT
Vino Vinyl

Sometimes you just want a relaxing evening at a neighborhood bar, listening to good tunes and enjoying reasonably priced adult beverages. Well, Grumpy's Northeast is a destination worth investigating if the above statement appeals to ya. Each Thursday night, bring in your favorite record -- you know, one of those black spinny things from the olden days -- and hand it off to Pat the barkeep to play for the crowd. In exchange, you'll even get a free cocktail or glass of wine! Grumpy's also boasts the best frozen pizza ever served in a dive bar in Minneapolis (really!), so you've got all your bases covered for an enjoyable, and affordable, evening out.

8 p.m., Grumpy's Northeast, 2200 4th Street NE, Northeast Minneapolis, Free