MN Shortlist is the MPR News weekly roundup of arts and culture recommendations. This week’s picks include “Paris Couture” at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Meander Upper Minnesota River Art Crawl and “Harvest Howl” at Wildlife Science Center and more.

‘A Star Full of Skies: The Values Play Experience’ at Wonderlust Productions in St. Paul — through Oct. 11

Wonderlust Productions creates original plays by picking a topic of social importance, then holding listening sessions to hear people’s stories. For this show, they wanted to explore what it means to be living in democracy when people are polarized. They sat down with almost 400 people on the full range of the political spectrum, living in both rural and urban Minnesota. This show is a fictional story that gets at these different viewpoints.

Wonderlust co-artistic director Alan Berks says the play feels like “’Our Town’ on fire.” Like Thornton Wilder’s classic play, a chorus of characters speak to the audience, but there’s nothing placid about this show.

Leaning even further into the democratic experience, the audience gets to vote on the order of the scenes in the first act, so every performance is different.

“A Star Full of Skies: The Values Play Experience” runs through Oct. 11 at the Frey Theater at St Catherine’s University in St Paul. The Oct. 10 show will be livestreamed. (Emily Bright)

The Meander Art Crawl in the Upper Minnesota River Valley — Oct. 2-4

There’s a whole lotta art happening in the southwest corner of Minnesota or, more specifically, the Upper Minnesota River Valley. More than 40-area artists are participating in the Meander Art Crawl, which has been around since 2004.

One of the organizers, Granite Falls-based watercolor painter Bradley D. Hall, will open up his home studio that was converted from a church built in 1889.

“You're stopping at a lot of the artist studios where they live and work throughout the year, so it's really interesting, and we do demonstrations of our work,” Hall said.”It's very well attended and a lot of fun: My wife makes cookies, my mom makes cookies, my sister makes about 30 dozen cookies. Please stop by.”

The tour is free and self-guided (maps are available online and along the crawl) with stops ranging from the studio of silversmith Jean Menden in Clinton downriver to the Prairie Arts Center in Madison. (Alex V. Cipolle)

‘Gods & Monsters’ at Otherworldly Arts Collective in Minneapolis — Oct. 2-3

A Halloween-themed group art show is celebrating the dark arts and horrors of all kinds. The exhibit will feature work from more than 100 artists inspired by horror films, ancient mythology and more. In addition to the art on display, visitors can play spooky bingo, get a tarot reading and enjoy food and drink from Norseman Distillery and FoxCakes Bakery. The show runs Oct. 2 and Oct. 3 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. (Annie Russell)

‘Harvest Howl’ at Wildlife Science Center in Stacy – Oct. 3

Wildlife Science Center in Stacy invites the public to enjoy the autumn weather with local shopping, food and spending the day surrounded by nature at this Saturday’s “Harvest Howl.” The annual event holds educational demonstrations and a market featuring local artisans and vendors. Organizers encourage visitors to explore the Wildlife Science Center’s grounds, including its wolves, bears, cougars, raptors and other resident wildlife.

“Harvest Howl” runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets can be found on the center’s website in advance or purchased at the door. (Chandra Colvin)

’Paris Couture’ at the Minneapolis Institute of Art — Oct. 4-Jan. 17

A new exhibition from Paris tells the story of haute couture, from its origins in the 19th century through the Belle Époque, the World Wars and postwar period to the 1980s and today. In fact, the most recent piece of fashion history in the show is from earlier this year and it captured the imagination of Max Bryant, Mia’s associate curator of European decorative arts and sculpture.

“It's an evening dress and jacket, and it's made of these 27,000 organza ovals,” Bryant said of the garment, which was designed by Matthieu Blazy, artistic director at Chanel. “Applying them by hand took 2,000 hours of work. The effect of this piece is really extraordinary, and you can really see the labor that goes into a garment like that, and how different it is from ready to wear.”

Haute couture is, after all, the highest level of dressmaking, sewing and craftsmanship. “Paris Couture” will also feature more than 80 designs from Dior, Balenciaga, Schiaparelli, Grès, Imane Ayissi and more. Très chic. (Alex V. Cipolle)

‘On Relationship: What Connects, What Divides’ at M.E.T. Projects in Red Wing — Oct. 4-Nov. 1

This exhibition at the new Red Wing contemporary art space M.E.T. Projects features artworks spanning three decades of mindbending sculpture from Tom Lane, who taught art at the University of Minnesota for 44 years. Imagine chairs fusing together (like a modernist twist on the props in the 2025 horror film “Backrooms”) and disembodied porcelain fists pumping out of walls. There will be an opening reception with Lane at 3 pm Sunday, Oct. 4. (Alex V. Cipolle)

Cine Latino Film Festival — Oct. 7-11

The Main Cinema in Minneapolis will host the MSP Film Society’s 14th annual Cine Latino Film Festival. Cinephiles can expect five days of movies, parties and cultural events, opening with “La Bola Negra.” Directed by Spanish filmmaking duo Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, the cast includes Penélope Cruz and Glenn Close.

Beyond the screenings, the weekend includes flamenco dancing, a pop-up market featuring local Latine artists and businesses, and a food and wine event with Caribbean bites and live music. The festival closes Oct. 11 with the Brazilian bank-heist comedy “Old Bandits,” starring Fernanda Montenegro and Ary Fontoura. (Annie Russell)

Collected from Minnesota Public Radio News. View original source here.