River Arts Alliance

Commonweal Theatre Presents Lone Star Spirits
2025-10-04 13:30 - 16:00, 2025-10-03 19:30 - 22:00, 2025-09-29 19:30 - 22:00, 2025-09-27 13:30 - 16:00, 2025-09-26 19:30 - 22:00 (America/Chicago)
Commonweal Theatre Company
208 Parkway Ave N, Lanesboro, MN
commonwealtheatre.org

Join the Commonweal Theatre Company for Josh Tobiessen’s small-town comedy, Lone Star Spirits. A trip home gets wildly out of hand when Marley introduces her fiancé to her estranged father. Learn more.

Voices From the Past Cemetery Walk
2025-10-04 12:00 - 16:00, 2025-10-02 18:00 - 20:00
October 2 • 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Indoor Accessible Performance at History Center
October 4 & 5 • 12:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Cemetery Walk at Woodlawn Cemetery
Admission: $10 Adults, $5 Students,
$3 Youth 12-4 years old
The Winona County Historical Society autumn fundraiser event, The Voices From the Past Cemetery Walk is coming up the first weekend in October!
Enjoy performances by community members portraying people from Winona County’s past. Each year a new theme ties different storied lives together. For the 2025 Voices from the Past we will hear about those who experienced Disasters! From floods and fires to storms and illness, learn about the resiliency of Winona County communities. Sites will feature cyclones; the Armistice Day blizzard of 1940; rescue, recovery, & prevention; local life during the Great Depression; fires; floods; pandemics; and accidents.
Not all disasters in Winona County have had tragic outcomes. But some came close! Back in 1941, five-year-old Jack Gockley was on his first unsupervised trip away from home, proudly pulling his steel coaster wagon across the tracks at the Wilson Street crossing. Suddenly, a Milwaukee passenger train slammed into his little wagon, leaving it a twisted wreck and terrifying Jack. The train immediately stopped, and the trainmen picked up Jack’s wagon and took the time to comfort him. A picture of a sad but wiser Jack and his ruined wagon ended up in the newspaper.
In 1903, a tornado ripped through St. Charles in Winona County. Several houses were demolished – including the DeLaney home. Mrs D. had just taken a bath. She made her way to the cellar. The house was torn from its foundation. She was plastered with mud & drenched with rain. As a result, she suffered from a severe cold and needed another bath.
Come learn more about these stories and many more, including about a farmer who was saved by his unknowingly heroic Holsteins.
The Walk takes about 90 minutes and sites can be visited in any order. A map and information booklet is provided with admission at the gate. Acting begins at 12:00 and ends at 4:00 p.m. The sites will perform at the History Center if the weather is severe. Prepaid passes (no refunds) can be purchased online, otherwise admission is taken at the gate/door. Find more information at winonahistory.org or call 507-454-2723.
This event is proudly sponsored by Merchants Bank, celebrating 150 years!

Frozen River Film Festival Celebrates 20 Years with New Film Series
2025-10-04 - 2025-10-11, 2025-10-03 - 2025-10-10, 2025-10-02 - 2025-10-09, 2025-10-01 - 2025-10-08, 2025-09-30 - 2025-10-07, 2025-09-29 - 2025-10-06, 2025-09-28 - 2025-10-05, 2025-09-27 - 2025-10-04 and 2 more dates
frff.eventive.org
This year the Frozen River Film Festival (FRFF) will be celebrating 20 years of bringing documentary films and filmmakers to Winona. The festival begins Sunday, February 9, (You can still get home in time to watch the Super Bowl!) and runs through Sunday, February 16. This year’s event will feature the World Premiere of FRFF’s self-produced documentary, Beneath the Ice: The Frozen River Film Festival Story. Learn more.

Commonweal Theatre Presents King Lear
2025-10-02 19:30 - 22:00, 2025-09-28 13:30 - 16:00, 2025-09-27 19:30 - 22:00, 2025-09-25 19:30 - 22:00 | Commonweal Theatre, 208 Parkway Ave. N, Lanesboro, MN, United States
Preview Dates
Saturday, Sept 13 | 7:30-9:30 pm
Sunday, Sept 14 | 1:30-3:30 pm
Thurs-Fri, Sept 18, 19 | 7:30-9:30 pm
Full Run Dates Listed on RAA Event Page
Commonweal Theatre Company
208 Parkway Ave N, Lanesboro, MN
commonwealtheatre.org

Join the Commonweal Theatre Company for William Shakespeare’s legendary classic, King Lear. From one of the greatest writers of all time comes the ultimate family drama. As age overtakes Lear, he divides his kingdom amongst his daughters. Misjudging their loyalty, he finds himself stripped of all that defined him. Learn more.

SEMAC Business Workshops
2025-10-01 18:00 - 21:00
Sept 3, Oct. 1, Nov. 5 | 6:00 – 9:00
Virtual
THE SOUTHEASTERN MINNESOTA ARTS COUNCIL (SEMAC) ANNOUNCES NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH SPRINGBOARD FOR THE ARTS TO OFFER BUSINESS SKILLS WORKSHOPS
SEMAC is excited to partner with Springboard for the Arts this fall to offer three of their Work of Art: Business Skills for Artists workshops virtually for individual artists and culture bearers living in SEMAC’s 11-county region. These workshops are FREE to attend, and you can sign up for one, two, or all three.
Springboard’s Work of Art program is a professional development curriculum designed to teach business skills to artists and culture bearers in all disciplines – visual, performing, and literary arts. It starts with career planning and moves through topics such as pricing, marketing, funding, and business plans. Work of Art can be helpful if you are just starting your creative career, or if you need a refresher as you advance your work.
The curriculum is available as a free workbook (in English and Spanish) and downloadable from the Springboard for the Arts website as a helpful reference during or after the workshops. To download the workbook and for more information about Springboard’s Work of Art program, go to springboardforthearts.org/professional-growth/work-of-art-program/.
The three workshops being offered this fall by Springboard in partnership with SEMAC are:

Career Planning
Where do you want to be both artistically and professionally? Learn how to define your values, identify key choices and develop a plan to achieve your career goals.
Wednesday, September 3, 2025 | 6:00-9:00p CT
To register: springboardforthearts.org/events/work-of-art-career-planning-semac/
Time Management
Discover analytical and tool-based approaches to managing your time. These tools will help you tackle hurdles related to efficiency, flexibility, and structure to help you reach your artistic goals.
Wednesday, October 1, 2025 | 6:00-9:00p CT
To register: springboardforthearts.org/events/work-of-art-time-management-semac/
Portfolio Kit
Your portfolio is the core of your promotional materials and serves as your professional calling card. Focus on the essential elements: sharpening your artist statement, tailoring your artistic resume, and curating and formatting your work samples.
Wednesday, November 5, 2025 | 6:00-9:00p CT
To register: springboardforthearts.org/events/work-of-art-portfolio-kit-semac/

Please note that these sessions will not be recorded. Automated Zoom captions will be available. Contact sharon@semac.org, (507) 281-4848, 711 TTY with questions, and use Springboard’s registration form for accessibility requests.
This activity is supported in part by the State of Minnesota through a grant from The Office of Small Business Development, Department of Employment and Economic Development.
SEMAC serves Region 10, which includes Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasha, and Winona Counties, including the Prairie Island Indian Community.
SEMAC’s activities are made possible by the voters of Minnesota through grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
For more information, visit semac.org or contact the office at 507-281-4848.
Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council, Inc – Rochester, MN
CONTACT: Jacqueline VanRavenhorst, Communications Manager
608-792-6831 | communications@semac.org

Fox & Beggar Theater to bring "Tigre! Tigre!" to Winona
2025-09-28 19:00 - 20:00 | Two Fathoms Brewing, 65 E Front St., Winona, MN, 55987, United States
The Fox & Beggar Theater, a fusion of puppetry, circus, dance, theater, and folk opera based in Minneapolis will bring “Tigre! Tigre!” an original hour-long operetta to 2 Fathoms Brewing September 28 at 7 p.m.
“Tigre! Tigre!” features a live band and classically trained vocalists, lavish puppetry and scenic design, and a delightful whirlwind of clowning and physical theater, all performed atop our mobile double-decker theater stage. The show studies humankind’s darkly absurd relationship to technology through the strange intersection of three different major technological revolutions.
The show is unticketed, but donations are welcome.
For more information www.foxandbeggar.org/tigre

The Band Patina performs its Celtic and original music on Saturday, at Peter's Biergarten
2025-09-27 18:00 - 20:00 | Peter’s Biergarten, 54 E 3rd St., Winona, MN, 55987, United States
Saturday, Sept 27 | 6:00 pm
Peters’s Biergarten
Winona
The Band Patina will perform its Celtic and original tunes at Peter’s Biergarten on Saturday, September 27th at 6:00pm. Patina is a fiddle, whistle, bodhrán, accordion, banjo and guitar band that plays mixed Celtic and original music.
Visit https://patinatheband.com/ for more information

Greg Peterson is a member of the River Arts Alliance. To learn more about the benefits of membership, please visit: riverartsalliance.org/membership/.

French Straw Marquetry Class with Megan McCarthy
2025-09-27 10:00 - 12:00 | Winona Arts Center, 228 E. 5th St., Winona
Saturday, Sept 27th | 10:00-Noon
Winona Arts Center
228 E 5th St, Winona
Cost Free Pleaser register with Jen jsbenson50@gmail.com

Please join Emerging Artist SEMAC Grant recipient Megan McCarthy, for a free workshop exploring the enchanting 300-year-old art of French straw marquetry on September 27 from 10:00-noon at the Winona Arts Center. Discover this timeless decorative technique, rich in history and expression. You’ll learn the basics and design your own one-of-a-kind keepsake. Create a unique piece that highlights your creativity! This event is Free but registration is required with Jen jsbenson50@gmail.com. For more information about the Winona Arts center please visit our website: winonaarts.org

Frozen River Film Festival: Four Souls of Coyote
2025-09-26 19:00 - 21:00 | Winona Arts Center, 228 E. 5th St., Winona
Friday, September 26, 2025 | 7:00 – 9:00 PM (doors open at 6:30 PM)
Winona Arts Center, 228 E 5th St, Winona, MN 55987
Frozen River Film Festival invites the community to a screening of the film Four Souls of Coyote, a breathtaking animated feature by acclaimed Hungarian director Áron Gauder. The event will take place on Friday, September 26, 2025, at 7:00 PM (doors open at 6:30 PM) at the Winona Arts Center, 228 E 5th St, Winona, MN.
Four Souls of Coyote is a powerful tribute to a humiliated and destroyed nation. “As Long as the Grass Grows” is an alternative, ancient and humble creation story, where man is not the crown of the creation, but the weakest of all creatures. The film takes us back to the beginning of time, where Old Man begins to create the world out of a handful of mud. Everything he creates is new and nameless, and affects the rest of the world. Even feelings and desires are unknown and when they emerge, the world becomes more and more complicated.
Blending myth, art, and social commentary, this 103-minute feature invites viewers to reflect on humanity’s place within nature and the interconnectedness of all living things.
For more information, visit frff.org or contact the Illy Diaz, the Managing Director, at director@frff.org
Frozen River Film Festival is an organizational member of the River Arts Alliance. To learn more about the benefits of membership, please visit: riverartsalliance.org/membership/.

Arab Film Fest: NeitherHEREnorTHERE
2025-09-25 17:00 - 19:00
Thursday, September 25, 5:00-7:00pm

The Main Cinema, 115 SE Main St, Minneapolis, MN
NeitherHEREnorTHERE, created by Sharon Mansur & Meryl Zaytoun Murman, will be shown during the Mizna’s Twin Cities Arab Film Festival Sept 24-28, 2025
Minnesota Made: Shorts and Fragments + Post-screening discussion
Minnesota Made: Shorts and Fragments presents films from local Arab and SWANA artists working across artistic and visual media. This segment includes finished films, collaborations, and works-in-progress by image-makers from our local(ish) community.
For more information and tickets:
https://tcaff25.eventive.org/schedule/68a0ddcf6ea44addec6b45c5
NeitherHEREnorTHERE is an experiment created from a multimedia exchange between Arab American artists Sharon Mansur and Meryl Zaytoun Murman. A collaboration between their bodies and the different bodies of water they find themselves living in relation to over the course of one year, their video exchange examines the space between—beliefs, identities, the human body, and the more-than-human on the landscapes they traverse.

Sharon Mansur is a member of the River Arts Alliance. To learn more about the benefits of membership, please visit: riverartsalliance.org/membership/.

Spotlight with Terri Lieder
2025-09-25 16:30 - 20:00 | Winona Arts Center, 228 E. 5th St., Winona
Thursday, September 25 | 4:30-8:00
Winona Arts Center
228 E 5th Street, Winona
Cost: $15
Join us at the Winona Arts Center for our 3rd Quarter Spotlight with Terri Lieder on Thursday, September 25 from 4:30 to 8:00pm. You will get a hands-on gel plate printing experience where you layer colors and add texture using botanicals, stencils and other made objects. Arrive curious and ready to create! Cost is $15 per person. Space is limited so register today! Contact Jen at jsbenson50@gmail.com.
For more information visit our website: winonaarts.org or contact Jen at jsbenson50@gmail.com.

Winona Arts Center is an organizational member of the River Arts Alliance. To learn more about the benefits of membership, please visit: riverartsalliance.org/membership/.

Oil Painting Class with Casey Wicka
2025-09-25 10:00 - 12:00
Sept 2,9, 16,23, 30 | 10:00am -12:00
Winona Arts Center
$25 per class/$30 non members

Join us at the Winona Arts Center in a NEW weekly series exploring oil painting techniques & materials, hosted by artist Casey Wicka. Classes are held Tuesday mornings 10am to noon from September 2 through November 18 with each class having a different theme. All supplies will be provided. Classes will use zero paint thinners, turpentines, and/or mineral spirits. The class is for Adults age 18 and over. No experience necessary! $25 per class for members, $30 for non-members. Reserve your spot by Monday of each week’s class. Register with Jen at jsbenson50@gmail.com.

Winona Arts Center is an organizational member of the River Arts Alliance. To learn more about the benefits of membership, please visit: riverartsalliance.org/membership/.

Kitchen Lithography with Preston Lawing
2025-09-24 17:30 - 19:30 | Winona Arts Center, 228 E. 5th St., Winona
September 10,17,24 | 5:30-7:30
Winona Arts Center
228 E. 5th St, Winona, MN

Cost: $150 for all 3 classes

Preston Lawing, an award winning professor and collaborative printmaker, continues his Printmaking workshops at the Winona Arts Center with a workshop, “Exploring Kitchen Lithography: Technique and Expression”, on Wednesdays / September 10, 17, 24 / 5:30 – 7:30. This three week workshop will introduce participants to the exciting technique of lithographic printing, using household materials…and NO PRESS! Participants do not need to have strong drawing skills, but a willingness to explore different choices for this simple & elegant process. The workshops are open to students over 18, and are suitable for students of any level. Cost is $150 for all 3 classes. Register today with Jen at jsbenson50@gmail.co
Winona Arts Center is an organizational member of the River Arts Alliance. To learn more about the benefits of membership, please visit: riverartsalliance.org/membership/.
