WHAT: WAMarchy! featuring Off With Their Heads and The God Damn Doo Wop Band
WHERE: Weisman Art Museum âÄî 333 East River Road
WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 4, 8 p.m.
COST: $16 for students and WAM members, $20 for the general public
Art galleries are not generally known for their punk shows, but the Weisman is not your typical art gallery. The Weisman will be shutting its doors to add five new galleries, but itâÄôs not going quietly. The final shebang will be a night of breaking the rules and loud music.
For one night only, partiers will be allowed to drink red wine in the galleries, consume tacos and hang up their own art. There will also be a participatory graffiti wall led by artists Rogue Citizen, Claire Monet, Biafra, Metrik! and Erin Sayer.
The Weisman will be shutting down the facility to build five more galleries, all designed by the original architect, Frank Gehry. The addition will match the existing aesthetics.
The Weisman is a celebrity of its own on campus with its mirror-like finish and curving lines. Completed in 1993, the museum has showcased modern art from around the country along with speakers, weddings and parties.
The 8,100-square foot addition will house five new galleries, more than tripling the number of objects that can be displayed at anytime.
âÄúThe Weisman has a vast number of pieces that generally do not get seen because we didnâÄôt have the space,âÄù Chistopher James, a Weisman manager said. âÄúWe wanted a place to show those, and this new expansion will allow the public to enjoy more of what we have to offer.âÄù
The party will be a send off to the museum before it reopens its doors in fall 2011. Minneapolis band Off With Their Heads, who were signed to Epitaph records last spring, will make a dynamic counterpoint to the hushed spaces of an art gallery. With a new album released in June and plans to release more material, fans will undoubtedly hear new songs of punk-laden power chords.
The Goddamn Doo Wop Band has been a Minneapolis staple for many years by playing that good old-fashioned rock âÄònâÄô rollmusic. The âÄúDwopsâÄù play an amusing brand of âÄô50s-inspired, harmony-laden rock with punk sensibilities.
For those that arrive early, there will be free Surly beer until supplies run out and free red wine tasting. There will also be an âÄúart creation station,âÄù where you can craft your own piece and then place in anywhere in the museum. Just donâÄôt expect it to be there when the Weisman reopens.
âÄúWeisman events are always wild, bringing in the art crowd, students and music lovers,âÄù James said. âÄúThis will be the capstone of these nights with a chance for attendees to do things they wouldnâÄôt otherwise get a chance to do.âÄù
While it may be mediated and will surely be demolished in the near future, spray painting a museum wall will undoubtedly fulfill the hunger pains for anarchy that so many of us feel.
