The Twin Cities arts lineup this weekend centers voices too often pushed to the margins. A North Loop art fair will put a spotlight on incarcerated artists, Mizna’s latest documentary screening follows Syrian musicians in exile, and a holiday comedy play will feature an all-Native cast.
Art fair spotlights incarcerated artists
A black-and-white sketch of Prince captures him in punk glamour, his face twisted into a grimace. “The Pain of Prince,” created by North Minneapolis artist Lennell Maurice Martin, is one of several works from Art From the Inside, a program connecting incarcerated artists at Shakopee, Faribault and Stillwater prisons with the public through exhibits across Minnesota.
Martin grew up immersed in Boston’s graffiti and hip-hop scene before moving to North Minneapolis at age 8. After studying visual communications as a young adult, Martin was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison at Stillwater, where his creative practice took root.
Art From the Inside will host its first-ever North Loop Art Fair on Friday, showcasing work by incarcerated artists like Martin and Jaik Elliott, alongside beadwork, paintings, photography and pottery from community artists…