Open Studios and Closing Reception for Art-A-Howl, featuring Laura Hugo and the Secret Izz
Bella Luna Studios at the Wolf House proudly presents an evening of badass, female artists and musicians. Come celebrate the 14 female visual artists who have taken over the walls at the Wolf House over the last month and enjoy some beautiful, powerful music by Laura Hugo and the Secret Izz.
Open studio 10am–2pm // Doors at 7pm // Performance at 7:30pm
$10 advanced tickets, $15 at the door
Visual art by:
Laura Bennett, Stephanie Birch, Kim Bahmer-Rada, Paula Cisewski, Kordula Coleman, Kate Erickson, Venus de Mars, Nichole Pelarine, Becky Sims, Annette Schiebout, & Michelle Templar
LAURA HUGO is an Indigenous singer/songwriter from Teec Nos Pos, AZ located in the Navajo Nation. She moved to Minnesota in 2010 to pursue her music and has since played all over the Twin Cities and around the Midwest. She has used her experiences with grief, mental health and general confusion about her place in the world to write honest and relatable songs.
STEPHANIE WAS’s songwriting emerged from the 90’s downtown NYC spoken word scene, a forever-love of power-pop, and ruminations over the Mississippi River. Her song ‘Wife’ was featured at the end of the 2017 indie short ‘Pinebox’, and 2024’s single release ‘The Fall of Rome’ –featuring ‘THE SECRET IZZ’: CHRISTOPHER THOMPSON, keys/bass and JOEL BLUM, drums/vocals– can be found on all major streaming platforms. The trio’s live shows deliver a unique blend of musicality, theatricality, poetry and dance party.
THE ARTISTS:
KIM BAHMER-RADA is a multi-talented artist and singer-songwriter whose creative expressions span both music and visual arts. As a musician, her soulful melodies and heartfelt lyrics invite listeners into a world of emotion and introspection. In addition to her musical talents, Kim is also a dedicated visual artist, dabbling in line drawing and zentangle art. Her drawings, often meditative in nature, explore themes of playfulness, movement, and joy, offering viewers a sense of calm and whimsy. Through both sound and visuals, Kim creates a unique, reflective space for connection and creativity.
LAURA F BENNETT is a Minneapolis based artist and drummer. She is currently in a local band called HOT PRESS. Laura works at Lucky Cat Records. Laura has lived in Minneapolis since 2001 and decided to make it her home. She was drawn to the cities by her memories and frequent trips to First Avenue in the 90s. Laura’s art reflects what she thinks music looks like. Her drumming emulates what her art sounds like. The paintings/drawings you see here are a reflection of how she sees her environment.
STEPHANIE BIRCH is an American artist whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Philadelphia Enquirer, and numerous other publications and blogs. She received a Bucks County Mill Award for outstanding landscape, as well as a Mint award for her illustration work. Her passion for music, particularly the scene in Minneapolis, has inspired a series of portraits of distinguished musicians from the community.
PAULA CISEWSKI’s hybrid book, Ceremonies for No Repair, is newly released, and her sixth poetry collection, The Becoming Game, is forthcoming from Hanging Loose Press in spring of 2025. She makes print and collaged objects, serves as book designer and co-editor/publisher of Beauty School Editions, LLC, and curates poetry for The Waves quarterly poetry and experimental music series.
KORDULA COLEMAN grew up in a small town in Germany, and became a ceramic apprentice after graduating high school in 1987. After her journeyman exams, she went on to study graphic design and got her graphic design bachelor in 1995. Kordula then worked as an art director for five years. After immigrating from Germany to Minnesota in 2000, she rekindled her childhood love for figurative sculpting with clay. Kordula has been a regular participant in the Northeast Minneapolis ArtAWhirl, starting in 2008. In 2021 she was an artist in residence at the 2021 Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition. Kordula frequently shows and sells her work at local galleries and events and had her first national exhibition at Arc gallery in San Francisco earlier this year. www.kordulacolemansculptures.com
KATE ERICKSON (they/them) is a local maker living in St Paul. They work on projects focused on queerness, disability pride, getting outside, and making the world a better place.
DEXA FRANKS earned her B.A. degree in Art and Sociology from the University of Minnesota, specializing in acrylic painting, mixed media collage, and drawing. As a figurative artist she focuses on themes that pertain to body representation and identity. Studying sociology directly influenced her art by providing a knowledge base and curiosity to develop allegorical images and various interpretations regarding the concept of “the body” and the ways bodies are used to express emotion, shape cultural norms, and convey an identity that is multi-faceted, fluid , and changeable.
NICHOLE PELERINE is a Minneapolis painter, mother, cat-lover and all around creative spirit. When she’s not painting you can find her on her yoga mat, singing with friends, floating in her kayak, reading a good book, or hanging out with her teenage daughters. Nichole is drawn to the abstract painting process and the conversation that develops between painter and canvas. She credits Bob Ross for giving her permission to make a lot of mistakes, and her teacher Lockie Chapman for teaching her how to turn those mistakes into happy accidents.
ANNETTE SCHIEBOUT is a consultant, freelance writer and project manager. She runs Bella Luna Studios at the Wolf House – an artist residency, AirBNB and performance venue. She has participated in literary and musical performances throughout the Twin Cities and Los Angeles, including TIC, Saint Paul Almanac, Poetry Circus – LA, Cracked Walnut, Kith + Kin Chorus and Prairie Fire Choir. Annette is the recipient of the Loft Literary Center Mentor Program and an Intermedia Arts SASE Mentee. She has received residencies from WritingXWriters, Sirenland, and Squaw Valley Community of Writers. She is published in rps, Honeypot Literati, F’Jords Review, Ó Bhéal and others. Annette received an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Hamline University. She calls Minneapolis home.
BECKY SIMS is a Minneapolis-based painter who explores how vibrant even the smallest of everyday moments can be. Her work inspires curiosity and play with expressive colors and brush movements — inviting us to feel something happy and wonderful as we slow down and are present, together.
MICHELLE TEMPLER a stained glass artist located in the Twin Cities. I love the precision this medium requires, the full use of color and textures the glass provides. Trained in the Tiffany method, I am influenced by abstract art.
