River Arts Alliance

WAC Fall Film series: Alam
2025-09-19 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | Winona Arts Center, 228 E. 5th St., Winona
Friday, September 19 | 7:00
The Winona Arts Center
228 E 5th Street
Cost: $5/door

The Winona Arts Center is pleased to begin our fall film series with Alam, a film from France, Tunisia,Palestine, Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Friday, September 19 at 7:00. Cost is $5/door. Alam weaves together a tale of love, friendship,and freedom under the iconography of the flag. Tamer, a Palestinian teenager in Israel , leads a typical high school student’s life until the arrival of Maysaa. Drawn to her and her activism, he decides to join an operation to covertly raise the Palestinian flag and disrupt the celebrations planned for Israel’s Independence Day, a time for mourning for Palestinians
Directed by Firas Khoury
Arabic and Hebrew with English subtitles
Our international film series is made possible by a grant from SEMAC (Southeastern MN Arts Council). For more information about WAC, please visit our website: winonaarts.org
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/.

Commonweal Theatre Presents King Lear
2025-09-19 19:30 - 21:30, 2025-09-20 19:30 - 22:00, 2025-09-21 13:30 - 16:00, 2025-09-25 19:30 - 22:00, 2025-09-27 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.

Frozen River Film Festival Celebrates 20 Years with New Film Series
2025-09-20 - 2025-09-27, 2025-09-21 - 2025-09-28, 2025-09-22 - 2025-09-29, 2025-09-23 - 2025-09-30, 2025-09-24 - 2025-10-01, 2025-09-25 - 2025-10-02, 2025-09-26 - 2025-10-03, 2025-09-27 - 2025-10-04
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.

Cellphone Photography with Peter Mutschler
2025-09-20 10:00 - 12:00 | Winona Arts Center, 228 E. 5th St., Winona
September 20 | 10:00-12:00
Winona Arts Center
228 E 5th Street
Cost: $25

Winona Arts Center welcomes Peter Mutschler for an introduction to Cellphone Photography! Class will be held Saturday, September 20 from 10am to 12pm. Cost is $25. Students will learn the basic skills needed to improve their photographs using cell phone cameras. Instead of requiring the participants to bring a traditional camera we will be using the camera that comes with your phone. Pete Mutschler is a Certified Professional Photographer based in Winona, MN. To register contact Jen jsbenson50@gmail.com.

Max class size is 15

For more information about the Winona Arts Center, visit our website: https://winonaarts.org/
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/.

Once Upon a Shore Weekend at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum
2025-09-20 10:00 - 17:00
Friday, Sept 19, and Saturday, Sept 20
Minnesota Art Museum
800 Riverview Drive
Winona, Minnesota 55987
The Minnesota Marine Art Museum (MMAM) will host a two-day event around the exhibition Once Upon a Shore, celebrating the artists, authors, and illustrators of the exhibition.
On view now through January 4, 2026, Once Upon a Shore is curated by Heid E. Erdrich, and includes the work of Cole Redhorse Taylor, Tashia Hart, Jonathan Thunder, Courtney M. Leonard, and Minnesota’s Poet Laureate, Gwen Nell Westerman. The multidisciplinary artists of this exhibition are all members of Native Nations and who have strong relationships to bodies of water. Once Upon a Shore creates a meeting place where authors, illustrators, and artists gather to tell stories.
The weekend of programming begins on Friday evening with Shorelines and Storylines: An Artist Gathering from 6 to 9 p.m., presented in partnership with the Minnesota Humanities Center and the Friends of the Winona Public Library. Guests will enjoy a panel conversation moderated by exhibition curator Heid E. Erdrich, featuring artists Tashia Hart, Cole Redhorse Taylor, and Gwen Nell Westerman. The evening will also include book signings, passed appetizers featuring recipes from Tashia Hart’s The Good Berry Cookbook, beverages available for purchase, and outdoor fireside connections. General admission tickets are $20, the MMAM member rate is $15, and there is also a “pay what you can” option.
On Saturday morning, visitors are invited to participate in the Once Upon a Shore: Gallery Walk and Talk from 10 to 11 a.m., where artists including Heid E. Erdrich, Cole Redhorse Taylor, Gwen Nell Westerman, and Jonathan Thunder will share insights about their work in an intimate guided conversation. Advance tickets are recommended, with tickets set at $12, or $10 for MMAM members. At 11 a.m., visitors will have the opportunity to purchase the books from Once Upon a Shore at a 10% discount, and have their books signed in the museum atrium.
The afternoon will also feature two additional programs. At 1 p.m. in the Oberton Education Room, curator and poet Heid E. Erdrich and artist Jonathan Thunder will present The Poem Films of Heid E. Erdrich and Jonathan Thunder, a series of collaborative poetry and animation projects created between 2011 and 2015. Admission to this program is included with regular gallery admissions, and no pre-registration is required. Also at 1 p.m., in the Once Upon a Shore gallery, Mdewakanton Dakota artist Cole Redhorse Taylor will host a Circle Chat, a casual and informal gathering to explore the visual language of ledger art and its ongoing role in contemporary Indigenous expression. Seated together in a circle, participants will hear directly from the artist about his creative process, his storytelling through image, and the evolution of his multimedia practice, including illustration. This program is also included with gallery admission and open to all.
“We are excited to welcome visitors for this immersive weekend that highlights the intersection of visual art, literature, and storytelling,” said Heather Casper, Curator of Engagement, Learning and Impact at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum. “The Once Upon a Shore Weekend offers a unique opportunity to connect with artists and authors in meaningful ways, from f ireside discussions to film screenings and gallery talks.”
The Once Upon a Shore exhibition project is presented by the Minnesota Marine Art Museum. MMAM gratefully acknowledges support from our members, Friends of MMAM, our docents and volunteers, and sponsorship support from Wisconsin Public Radio.
About MMAM: The Minnesota Marine Art Museum is a nonprofit art museum that creates meaningful art experiences that explore our relationship with water. Located in Winona, Minnesota at 800 Riverview Drive, the purpose-built museum is located on the banks of the Mississippi River and boasts six galleries, an educational and events space, and a destination retail shop on its seven-acre riverside campus. It is through this surprising diversity that MMAM is not only describing what marine art is, but pushing the boundaries of what marine art can be. MMAM’s literary arts exhibition program features some of today’s most inspiring and thought-provoking book projects, authors and illustrators that intersect with water and waterways.

Octopus Mug Clay Workshop
2025-09-20 13:00 - 16:00 | Island City Clayspace, 275 E 3rd St, Winona, MN, 55987, United States
Saturday Sept. 20 |1:00 – 4:00
Island City Clayspace
275 E 3rd St, Winona, MN 55987
Create an Octopus mug (or a regular mug), following step-by-step instructions! Clay, use of tools, underglazes, bisque firing, glaze, and glaze firing all included. Mug will be food-safe. Recommended for intermediate student (i.e. with some experience), but beginners can easily build a regular mug, or may successfully build an Octopus mug. A $15 Materials Fee is paid directly to the instructor at the beginning of the workshop.A $15 Materials Fee is paid directly to the instructor at the beginning of the workshop. Register at https://winonaschools.arux.app/course/68/fall-2025/clay-octopus-or-regular-mug
Island City Clayspace Workshops are for adults & teenage 14+. Functional ceramic projects are food-safe and can be put in the dishwasher, microwave, and oven. Clay, use of tools, underglazes, bisque firing, glaze and glaze firing are all included, as applicable. Workshops include detailed demos, and participants practice clay-working skills. Workshops are suitable for both beginners & experienced clay artists. Fired project pick-up by arrangement.
Anne Scott Plummer is a member of the River Arts Alliance. To learn more about the benefits of membership, please visit: riverartsalliance.org/membership/.

Bruce Hecksel Exhibit Opening: WAC
2025-09-21 13:00 - 16:00 | Winona Arts Center, 228 E. 5th St., Winona
Sunday, September 21 | 1:00-4:00
Winona Arts Center
228 E 5th St, Winona

The Winona Arts Center (228 E 5th St) is excited to showcase The Landscape of Guitar: Paintings by Bruce Hecksel on Sunday, September 21 from 1:00-4:00pm. His show will run through October 18. For more information about the Winona Arts Center, please see our website (winonaarts.org)

Terra Guitarra® (Landscape of Guitar) is the original painting style of Bruce Hecksel. Bruce’s stained-glass like, vibrant, highly textured style is acrylic paint on canvas & board using a combination of dry brushing, stippling, impasto, smudging among other techniques. “Composing paintings with guitar trees, mountains, rivers, lakes, clouds, birds, I’m suggesting that all of our reality has a voice. The whole world is literally singing. Once we realize this we then choose to sing in harmony with it or make up our own song.”

Bruce was a professional guitarist who performed over 5,000 concerts in his duo Patchouli & Terra Guitarra. Bruce passed away peacefully July 28, 2025 from stroke complications after a 3 year battle with cancer. He was always generous with his joy and light and you can see and feel that in each of these featured Landscape of Guitar paintings in this special posthumous exhibit. In place of an artist’s talk, Bruce’s beloved partner Julie Patchouli will share a few words in his honor and present the animation of The Landscape of Guitar.

8th Anniversary Jazz Jam Supports Project FINE
2025-09-21 14:30 - 17:30 | Two Fathoms Brewing, 65 E Front St., Winona, MN, 55987, United States
Sunday, Sept 21 | 2:30 – 5:30
Two Fathoms
65 E Front St, Winona, MN 55987
On mild September day in 2018, H3O Jazz Trio began their monthly Jazz Jams shortly after Winona’s first craft brewery opened its doors. On Sunday, September 21 from 2:30 – 5:30 pm, the trio will celebrate eight years of their family-friendly “open mic for Jazz” by supporting Project FINE as the finale to its 2025 Welcoming Week. Find your spot on Two Fathoms’ spacious patio or in the taproom if it’s raining.
Project FINE is a nonprofit organization whose mission is “to create an inclusive community by
serving refugees and immigrants and building connections across cultures.” They serve as a bridge,
connecting refugees and immigrants to resources and bringing people together to build
understanding and create a more respectful and welcoming community. Learn more at
www.projectfine.org.
H3O Jazz Trio and Two Fathoms Brewing (formerly Island City) have helped support local nonprofits
with over $71,500 in total donations thanks to the generosity of Jazz Jam patrons! Last month’s Jazz
Jam contributed $3,385 to support the River Valley Raptors. In addition to H3O matching all
donations, Two Fathoms Brewing contributes 20% of their Jazz Jam Sunday profits!
Everyone wishing to sing, play, or cheer on their friends is welcome to join the H3O Jazz Trio at Two
Fathoms Brewing’s monthly Jazz Jam! Interested players can choose from a wide selection of songs.
Music is available from the Hal Leonard Real Book series, bring your own music, or just name that
tune!
Come early to enjoy a Two Fathom’s beverage and enjoy an afternoon of great music with H3O Jazz
Trio and friends … all while showing your support for our community!
An up-to-date schedule is always available at H3OJazz.com. The family-friendly Jazz Jam is free and
open to all – young and not so young.
Know of a group who needs some support? Nominate your favorite nonprofit
for a future Jazz Jam: http://H3OJazz.com/jazz-jams/non-profit-nominations.html
You can also email info@H3OJazz.com for more information.

RAA Art Call for Driftless: A Curated Exhibit
2025-09-22 08:00 - 2025-11-09 23:00
Submission Deadline:
Midnight, November 9, 2025
Entry Fee: $10 River Arts Alliance Members | $15 Nonmembers
The driftless region along the great Mississippi river has long been a source of inspiration for adventurers and artists, inspiring curiosity and shaping a multitude of perspectives — especially those expressed through the visual arts. Submit your work for consideration to show us how the “driftless” has inspired or shaped your work as an artist. Learn more.

Art Class with Dawn Tevis
2025-09-23 17:30 - 20:00 | Winona Arts Center, 228 E. 5th St., Winona
Tuesday, September 23 | 5:30-8:00
Cost: $45/members $50/non members
Winona Arts Center 228 E 5th Street

Contact: Jen jsbenson50@gmail.com
Join us in welcoming Dawn Tevis for a Suminagashi “Floating Ink” workshop on Tuesday, September 23 from 5:30 to 8:00pm! We will practice the meditative process of Suminagashi and learn the process of floating ink in dynamic patterns on water and printing the images on paper. Each participant will leave with a set of 5 notecards and envelopes. Cost is $45 for members and $50 for non members. Dawn is a librarian and paper marbler who has enjoyed Suminagashi as book art and contemplative practice for more than 10 years. To register contact Jen jsbenson50@gmail.com. Max class size is 15

For more information visit our website: winonaarts.org

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/.

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/.

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/.

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/.

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/.

Commonweal Theatre Presents Lone Star Spirits
2025-09-26 19:30 - 22:00, 2025-09-27 13:30 - 16:00
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.

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

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/.
