Bruce Hecksel Exhibit Opening: WAC
2025-09-21 13:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | 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.

Commonweal Theatre Presents King Lear
2025-09-21 13:30 - 16:00, 2025-09-25 19:30 - 22:00, 2025-09-27 19:30 - 22:00, 2025-09-28 13:30 - 16:00 | 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.

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.

Frozen River Film Festival Celebrates 20 Years with New Film Series
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, 2025-09-28 - 2025-10-05, 2025-09-29 - 2025-10-06 and 2 more dates | MN
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.

RAA Art Call for Driftless: A Curated Exhibit
2025-09-22 08:00 - 2025-11-09 23:00 | MN
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 | MN
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 | MN
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, 2025-09-29 19:30 - 22:00 | MN
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/.

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

SEMAC Business Workshops
2025-10-01 18:00 - 21:00 | MN
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
