Arts and the RNC

Wellstone!
The Sabes Center for Jewish Arts and Humanities timed its opening of Wellstone! to coincide with the Republican National Convention. The play tells the life story of former U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone, from his days as a student at the University of North Carolina through his tenure as a professor at Carleton College to his twelve years as the most unabashedly liberal politician in Washington. Sept. 2–21. Sabes Jewish Community Center, St. Louis Park, 952-381-3499

The Listening Project
From September 1–4, the Walker Art Center hosts a series of forums for a “free exchange of ideas” during the RNC. But before that, on August 28, the Walker will screen The Listening Project, part of its Cinema of Urgency series. The documentary attempts to find an answer to the question, “What does the world think of America?” Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Ave., Mpls., 612-375-7600

Hail to the Chief
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts is hosting a free exhibition of artworks that have a presidential theme. Billed as a “nonpartisan” view of the American presidency, the exhibit features more than seventy objects, including presidential portraits, sculptures, drawings, posters, candid photos of Presidents past, manuscripts, glassware, porcelain, and metalwork. Richard Avedon’s famous portrait of Dwight D. Eisenhower is also on display. Through Sept. 21. Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 2400 3rd Ave. S., Mpls.,612- 642-2787

Hindsight Is Always 20/20
Artist R. Luke DuBois is a New York composer, performer, and video artist who has put together a series of peculiar prints that look, at first glance, like a bunch of optometrist’s vision-testing charts. But they’re not—they’re really posters that represent State of the Union addresses of each U.S. President according to word frequency. The result is an ingenious glimpse into the subconscious priorities and obsessive themes occupying our Presidents’ mind at various times in history. 333 East River Rd., Mpls., 612-625-9494, weisman.umn.edu

Genus elephas
The Premier Gallery in Minneapolis has cobbled together an exhibition called Genus elephas, which features original artwork “by or about the elephant,” the Republican Party’s mascot/symbol. Though the gallery claims it is “politically neutral,” the exhibit does not include any donkeys. Just elephants—because, you know, the Republicans are in town. 141 S. 7th St., Mpls., 612-338-4541

CivicFest: A Very Minnesota Celebration
Shut out of the RNC? Can’t make it past the Secret Service? The Minneapolis Convention Center’s CivicFest brings you closer to the Xcel floor with its interactive exhibit focusing on Minnesotan and American history. Guests receive commemorative credentials, have their picture taken in the Oval Office, and watch casts of the convention proceedings. Plus, check out more than thirty-five exhibits featuring historic memorabilia and artifacts. Aug. 29–Sept. 4. 1301 2nd Ave. S., Mpls., 612-335-6000

Dr. Seuss for President
Ted “Dr. Seuss” Geisel never ran for President, but if you look deeply into his catalog of work—as Jean Stephen Galleries on Nicollet Mall has done—you can find some political and social messaging from his cartoon pulpit. Remember The Butter Battle Book, his treatise on nuclear proliferation? Yertle the Turtle, his tirade against fascism? We’re not sure there are any fans of Dr. Seuss’s politics in the Republican party, but if there are, Jean Stephen Galleries awaits them. 917 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., 612-338-4333

Salt and Pepper
John McCain is white, and Barack Obama is black, so what are the folks at Gallery 13 hawking? Hand-cast, kiln-fired, made-in-America salt and pepper shakers molded by actual artists in the images of McCain and Obama. You get one guess at who is salt and who is pepper. Price: $30. 302 13th Ave. NE, Mpls., 651-592-5503, presidentialshakers.com