The Last Art Happy Hour
at the Bedlam Theatre
August 25, 5 - 7 pm

For those of you haven’t heard, the Bedlam Theatre — home to Art Happy Hour since April, 2009 — will, as of September 7, be no more. Well, at least the current version of the Bedlam will be no more: The gang lost its least on its current space and is currently in search of somewhere new to hang its collective hat.

The Bedlam are good and talented theater folk, who mean a lot to this community — and do a lot for the community — even while presenting cutting-edgy, funny and entertaining theatrical art and providing lots and lots of bike racks at a gracious and welcoming space.

Now is a good time — a perfect time in fact — to show your support of the Bedlam folk by coming to the Last Art Happy Hour (at the Bedlam, on August 25), unclenching your fists, and spending a little of your hard-earned on beer and wine and kielbasa.

In other words, come to The Last Art Happy Hour at the Bedlam, and show your support to this uprooted local treasure.

Now, I know what you’re wondering: Where will I go to get my my art happy on once the Bedlam strikes the set? Will there be life for Art Happy Hour after the Bedlam leaves the West Bank? And the answer to that, is: I’m pretty sure I have the answer to that question.

But you will have to come to The Last Art Happy Hour (@ The Bedlam Theatre, on August 25) to find out what that answer is.

Come to the Last Art Happy Hour!

June Art Happy Hour

June 9, 5-7:30 pm
Bedlam

Art Happy Hour theme song - Courtney McClean & the Dirty Curls (*song used here by permission)

Hey all you Hootenannies and Hooteninnies! Get yourself on down to the Art Happy Hoedown!

Where: The Bedlam Theatre
When: April 14, 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm (*note new time)

Great deals on food and drink. Casual atmosphere to mingle and meet fellow artists, share some professional info and exchange business cards (and exhibition deets). And a great chance to practice your Slip-the-Clutch, your Acey-Duecey, and your Spin-Chain-the-Gears!

It is a
period of
great fear and
thirst across the
land. Harsh snow-
storms, striking from the
Albertan tundra, have sapped
the strength of a ragtag band of
Twin Cities artists. During the cold
snap, one brave rebel organizes a regular
slate of monthly gatherings, called ART HAPPY
HOURS, to provide hope to the discouraged artists.
Driven by despair from their dark caves and sad hovels,
the artists race to attend ART HAPPY HOUR, and thereby
save art and restore hope to the galaxy ….

WHEN?: Every second Wednesday of the month February through July
WHEN EXACTLY?: 4 pm to 7 pm (and often later)

WHERE?: The Bedlam Theatre
WHERE EXACTLY?: 1501 S. 6th St. on the WEST BANK, MINNEAPOLIS

AND THE NEXT ONE IS?: Wednesday, February 10, 4 to 7 pm

Art Happy Hour @ the Bedlam Theatre

Wednesday, August 12
4 to 7 pm

1.

I recently submitted to Andy Sturdevant’s fantastic and ever-entertaining blog, Southtwelfth, a Kentucky Derby-day cocktail recipe called The Bruitist Manifesto. I present the recipe here (cleaned of typos and slightly clarified) for your Art Happy enjoyment:

The Bruitist Manifesto

1. Ponder a confusion of noises, colours and spiritual rhythms.
2. Play your favorite recording of the essence of a tramcar with the yawns of Mr Smith and the shriek of brakes.
3. Order vermouth from a club in Berlin which you can join without any obligations (if preferable, you may consider clubs in Honolulu as well as New Orleans and Meseritz).
4. Now, as you are bound by no frontier, religion or profession, pour into a cocktail shaker several peace congresses, scuffles in the vegetable markets, social get-togethers, etc., etc.
5. Pause to read the paper as the Balkan express crosses the Nisch bridge and a pig squeals in the cellar of Mr Bones the butcher.
6. Add several jiggers of bourbon and, as bitters, several dashes of the unrequited tears of a novitiate of the order of Carmelite nuns. Shake well.
7. Recite in a foreign accent: “Down with the anaemic abstraction of Expressionism! Down with the literary hollow-heads and their theories for improving the world! Long live Dadaism in word and image! Long live the Dada events of this world! To be against this manifesto is to be a Dadaist!”
8. Pour into a rocks glass. Garnish with a page from a Proust novel. Enjoy.

2.

Reminder: The next Art Happy Hour takes place on May 13, at the Bedlam Theatre, 4 to 7 pm.
Includes: Art Trivia contest (with prizes).
Note: Art Happy trivia hints starting today, May 1, on Twitter.

3.

Save the date — June 3 — for the next Art Happy combine: “Stuck in Right Field” – An artists event at the Metrodome.

Stay tuned (to http://www.arthappyhour.com/; to “Art HappyHour” on Facebook; to /ArtHappyHour on Twitter) for the deets about when and where to meet up with your fellow baseball (and hotdog)-loving artists!

And please don’t forget: Down with the literary hollow-heads and their theories for improving the world!

Art Happy Hour!

At the Bedlam Theater (1501 S. 6th St., Minneapolis)
4 to 7 pm

Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday ( April 8 )

Consume food and drink. Enjoy a Dyngus Day buffet.
Mingle with fellow art lovers. Enjoy a relaxing happy hour.
Try your hand at the Happy Art Trivia contest (inaugural version, truncated). Maybe even win a prize!

More info for Facebookers.

Directions for the anxious: If you want to come to Art Happy Hour but are concerned about how you will manage to find the group, just follow these simple steps. 1. Go to the West Bank area of Minneapolis. 2. Enter the front door of the Bedlam Theater (1501 S. 6th St). 3. Look for people who are eating, drinking, smiling, possibly laughing. 4. In case you can’t seem to find the group you’re looking for, seek out a guy wearing a black jacket, gold shirt, and Roberto Clemente-era Pittsburgh Pirates cap (that’ll be Michael Fallon, a.k.a., Art Happy Hour).

See you there!

In just two weeks from today, Art Happy Hour will take place at its new regular time and venue: the 2nd Wednesday in April, 4 to 7 pm, at the Bedlam Theatre in Minneapolis.

This event will coincide with Bedlam Theatre’s Dyngus Day celebration. What is Dyngus Day? You ask. Well, Dyngus Day is a holiday that takes place on Easter Monday and is celebrated in countries of  Catholic bent, such as Poland (where it’s more properly known as Åšmigus-dyngus). According to Polish tradition, early in the morning boys awake girls by pouring a bucket of water on their heads and striking them about the legs with long thin twigs or switches. Fortunately, I’m fairly sure the Bedlam Theatre does not plan to reprise this particular tradition during their Dyngus Day revelry.

What the Bedlam does plan is to provide plenty of Dyngus Day treats and drinks, good spirits and fun, and much more. Plus, if it all works out, there will be a short Polish Art Trivia Contest (as a sort of test for May’s big trivia blowout), and some lovely prizes for the contest winners.

Come spread the Art joy at the April Art Happy Hour!

At the fabulous Bedlam Theatre (at 1501 S. 6th St. on the West Bank in Minneapolis).

Wednesday, April 8, 4 to 7 pm.

More details to follow in the next week or so. (You can also get details by friending “Art HappyHour” on Facebook.)