Despite the fact that the parking scenario seemed to work out exclusively for those opting for the valet option, an enthusiastic trickle of people steadily streamed past the Surly Brewing Festival Field gates on Sept. 14 to either claim their spot before the stage or queue up for a beer ticket (or two).

First up, Australian-born indie-folk artist Indigo Sparke took the stage as the evening’s opener. From the slight swing of her floral blue midi skirt to the dark shades she donned for the first half of her performance, the Adrianne Lenker-cosigned artist had a sort of effortless cool-girl vibe on lockdown — and an ethereal voice to match.

“You guys are a good kind of people,” Sparke declared. Having spent a year in Minneapolis, she fondly described the evening as being like her American hometown show.

Even for those in the crowd who may have been unfamiliar with her discography — of which there were many based on the lack of audience members singing along and opting instead for the oh-so-midwestern, overtly polite nod-along — it appeared hard not to at least slightly enjoy the soothing tones of songs from her 2021 album, “Echo.”

The National’s Aaron Dessner joined Sparke on stage to play a song from her upcoming album, “Hysteria,” which he produced. By the end of Sparke’s eight-song set, the field had filled out significantly. The crowd swayed older, as I anticipated. However, a later wander through the masses gave way to the occasional tote-bag-wielding twenty-something in a corset top and sunglasses (despite the lack of sun). The 46-year-old Dessner, who somewhat-surprisingly collaborated with Taylor Swift on two albums in 2020, showed a recent willingness to service younger pop listeners on occasion.

The National kicked things off with “Don’t Swallow the Cap,” arriving on stage to a set of enthusiastic cheers from the audience.

They cruised through their nineteen-song set smoothly, minimally interjecting for a bit of banter. On one such occasion, lead singer Matt Berninger lept just a bit too far ahead of schedule and attempted to introduce “Slow Show” as “Ice Machines” — a mistake Dessner was all too quick to catch, initiating a running joke among the band and audience for the rest of the evening.

These guys have an ease about themselves when it comes to audience interaction, seemingly comfortable to just do their thing without any concern for how it might be going. The crowd swayed to the slow angst of love songs like “Pink Rabbits” and “England.” Dessner and his twin brother, Bryce, joined in on a few guitar solos throughout the night while brothers Scott and Bryan Devendorf held down the bass and drums, respectively.

Berninger, dependable baritone and all, made his way into the crowd on multiple occasions, drifting among the masses while someone on stage held the never-ending length of cord for the mic in his hand. After making a not-so-grand exit from the stage, the band walked right back out for an encore featuring their recent Bon Iver collab, “Weird Goodbyes.”

Those spending a night at The National’s concert probably know what they like — and they’ve established a trust of sorts that the band will deliver at least something pleasing from one of their eight albums. There’s no denying the group can play a solid show. Although after over twenty years of playing together, it appears The National’s go-to rhythm now opts for the routine, not the exciting.

If you’ve experienced a summer in the Twin Cities, however fleeting they may be, it’s hard to deny the sort of Midwestern magic that accompanies them. From the fireworks of the Stone Arch Bridge Festival to an evening ride on the Betty Danger’s ferris wheel, there’s a multitude of experiences that embody that summer experience. Cap off your summer at one of these events.

1. August Lawn Party at the American Swedish Institute

Play some lawn games, browse the museum galleries and listen to East European folk-rock band Slovczech at the American Swedish Institute. Find festival food for purchase from FIKA. $20 admission per person. Aug. 12

2. Vintage On A Dime

Tandem Vintage founder Amanda Baumann is hosting her sixth annual Vintage On A Dime sale this month. Stop by if you’re in the mood to dig through a carefully-curated backyard garage sale. Other vendors include Bekah Worley, Rare Press, Glam Diggers Vintage, Salty Vintage and There’s A Party In My Plants. Aug. 13

3. Gimme Gimme Disco at the Varsity Theater

Shake it out to ABBA’s greatest hits at the Gimme Gimme Disco, a disco party inspired by the Swedish band. Tickets start at $17. Aug. 13

4. The Decemberists at Festival Field

Baroque pop band, The Decemberists, is set to play old hits and tease some new tracks at Festival Field. Tickets start at $45. Aug. 14

5. Wild Nights at the Minnesota Zoo

Have you ever wanted to explore the zoo after-hours? Here’s your chance. Wild Nights, the Minnesota Zoo’s 21+ festival series, offers attendees the opportunity to wander the grounds, listen to live music and grab a drink. Tickets start at $40. Aug. 18

6. Irish Fair

Head on over to Harriet Island Park for the craic of it and celebrate the good ol’ Irish at the Irish Fair of Minnesota. Admission is $20. Aug. 12-14

7. Sounds for Silents

Grab a blanket and head to the hillside of the Walker’s Wurtele Upper Gardens to soak in Sounds for Silents, an event of live music and films from the Ruben/Bentson Moving Image Collection. Food trucks on site. Free admission. Aug. 18

8. Market After Dark

Browse the Northeast Farmer’s Market at night, hosted every fourth Tuesday of the month from May to October at Bauhaus. Grab a drink, check out a variety of local vendors and jam to DJ sets by the Ring Toss Twins. Aug. 23

9. Leon Bridges at the Armory

Neo-soul singer-songwriter Leon Bridges, perhaps best known for his 2015 hit “Coming Home,” is in town for The Boundless Tour with Little Dragon. Tickets start at $67. Aug. 25

10. Portugal. The Man at the Grandstand

Feeling it still? If so, catch Portugal. The Man at the Minnesota State Fair. Other guests include Manchester Orchestra and local trio Bad Bad Hats. Tickets start at $27. Aug. 27

What do a ski jacket from the 2000s, a pair of mid-century modern chairs and a tampon all have in common? The answer is more obvious than you might think — they’re all made up of plastic.

The Goldstein Museum of Design’s (GMD) latest exhibit, “Plastic Rapt: A History of Designing Forever,” invites viewers to examine the constant presence of plastic in our everyday lives through a display of around 75 objects whose origins span the course of the last century. The exhibition highlights the dual nature of plastic as an awe-invoking material that aids in the ease of everyday life but also as a mass-produced material that pollutes the world around us.

“Plastic has become such an integral part of our everyday lives that we don’t even notice it anymore,” Colleen Pokorny, Ph.D. candidate in the College of Design and GMD collection assistant, said.

Pokorny said the exhibition was designed to make people reevaluate their consumption and remove plastic from the fabric of our daily lives. According to the National Resources Defense Council, 300 million tons of plastic are produced each year — an amount equivalent to the weight of the human population.

“Despite all of the detrimental qualities of plastics, you can’t deny how amazing it is that plastic can be designed to mimic such a wide variety of materials,” Pokorny said. Plastic originated as a cheaper alternative to more expensive materials like silk and metal, according to Pokorny.

The exhibition was pulled together in around eight months, according to interim director and associate curator Jean McElvain. Typically, it takes about a year to assemble a collection-based exhibition, according to McElvain.

“One of the most interesting little sections to me is the communication devices and how reliant those are on plastic,” McElvain said, regarding the inclusion of certain objects in the exhibition. “From vinyl records to film to compact disks — all of those rely on plastic as a way to deliver entertainment.”

The exhibition highlights how plastic has been used to aid communication, create everyday apparel and form the foundations of toolboxes, among countless other uses.

“All of these objects we take for granted are possible through plastics,” Pokorny said, speaking about another highlight of the exhibition. She helped curate the rainbow assortment of objects showcasing the material’s versatile nature from its use as the hangers in our closets to the bandages used on our bodies.

“It’s in everything that we do, everything that we have, everything that we wear,” McElvain said. “Once you start looking, you can’t escape.”

GMD was founded in 1976 and is the Upper Midwest’s only museum that specializes in designed objects. While the museum is located on the University of Minnesota’s St. Paul campus, tucked up on the second floor of McNeal Hall, both McElvain and Pokorny shared that they don’t see as many visitors as one might expect. Museum employees are available to provide guided tours of the collection or provide information about the museum’s history with advanced notice. And the best part? Admission is free.

The dinner party isn’t dead, even if it no longer resembles more formal affairs of the past (think etiquette enthusiast Emily Post’s dinner party tips). There’s an art to the modern dinner party, a gathering meant to be thrown with a certain degree of abandon in an era of tableside technology.

Sure, most of Gen Z might not spend their time throwing themed soirées complete with five-course tasting menus and elegant wine pairings. But some of them do, and the rest of them could be doing something that looks a little bit like that — or maybe not even remotely like that, depending on your preference.

Consider these loose guidelines for the next time you decide to host a dinner party.

Theme
First things first, you’re going to want to figure out a theme (if that’s your thing) and create a menu. The simpler these aspects are, the less stress you’ll feel. I like to choose a broad cuisine — American, Greek, French, etc. — and then move from there to a theme. Cuisine type will easily guide the complexity of your menu, decor and overall ambiance. Paging through a cookbook (or referring to the Internet and its multitude of readily-available recipes) tends to spark ideas for me if you’re drawing a blank.

Shopping
Determine whether you’re dealing with any dietary restrictions as soon as you decide who’s coming over. Come up with your grocery list and get what you need within a few days of your party. Keep it cheap and shop where you’re going to get the most for your money; odds are, no one is going to care where exactly the bag of rice or box of pasta you’re serving in a dish came from. Buy what works for you.

Take the shame out of the pre-made game — for example, buy your baklava in bulk because it’s easier and will taste just as good as the painstaking process of phyllo dough prep you’d undergo at home. If the Aldi cheese selection won’t cut it, head to Whole Foods and snag something from the odds and ends bin in the cheese section. Take a step up from a Total Wine trip and stop at Henry & Son, where you can grab a nice bottle of wine from their sale shelf. I’ll always advocate for a trip to the Minneapolis Farmers Market because there’s a chance you’ll find reasonably priced produce, and you can also pick up a cheap bouquet of fresh flowers for your tablescape.

Aesthetics
Speaking of tablescapes, keep that simple too. Cover the table in a bed sheet if you want, or take the liberty of using mismatched plates and napkins if that’s what you have on hand. I tend to like consistency and a certain degree of symmetry in settings; think opposite settings mirroring one another, similar size plates, etc. Head to the thrift store for a funky vase or pitcher to shake things up a bit. Take a page from TikTok dinner-party guru Mya Gelber, who hosts monthly dinner parties for her friends and family, and try your hand at designing your menus.

Final touches
Ask yourself the question your future self will always thank you for: what can you do ahead of time? Whether it’s slicing some veggies, setting a table or getting your dining area clean, do what you can. It’s worth saving yourself the day-of stress.

Take a deep breath — you’re a 20-something university student, not a highbrow socialite under any sort of pressure to put together a picture-perfect evening. The only necessary bit of cleaning that I tend to adhere to is the leftover rule — put away the perishables and wrap up the bits that can survive on your kitchen counter for the rest of the night. Dishes can sit in the sink until you’re ready to face them. Let yourself enjoy the food, revel in your chosen company and take a photo or two if you please.

In my years of cooking and dining out with friends and family, I’ve found that tomatoes tend to be rather polarizing. I once had a roommate who used to claim she was allergic to tomatoes (she wasn’t) because she despised them that much. Another friend was dead set on their status as a fruit, not a vegetable (disclaimer: they’re both).

I, for one, have never felt even a hint of dislike for tomatoes — I’ve mostly felt the opposite of that. In fact, my mom likes to tell stories about how I used to pluck them from the vine and eat them like apples as a kid in our suburban Minnesota garden.

Putting my personal passion for tomatoes aside, it’s worth acknowledging that they’re objectively quite good for you. While tomatoes have a high water content, the 5% of their composition that isn’t water is primarily made up of carbohydrates and fiber. They come in a wide variety, including beefsteak, cherry, heirloom, roma, san marzano and campari, among others.

The optimal season for tomatoes in Minnesota is July through September. However, the best time to toss them into your weekly rotation is midseason, according to Ted Rolf of Rolf’s Produce, the Minneapolis Farmers Market stalwart.

Whether you find yourself faced with the abundant fruits of your summer garden, you’re getting ready to host your next dinner party or you’re just craving that juicy tomato goodness, move beyond the traditional caprese and consider one of the following.

Pan con Tomate

Pan con Tomate, with origins in Northern Spain’s Catalonia region, really is as simple as it sounds. It’s quick and works with whatever type of tomato or bread you’d like.

Ingredients:
1-2 tomatoes (heirloom, beefsteak, roma, etc.)
Crusty bread (sourdough, French, etc.)
1 tbsp. olive oil
Pinch of sea salt
1-2 cloves garlic

Directions:
1. Start with the tomato of your choice, slice it in half and grate each like you would a block of cheese. Expect to be left with a palmful of shriveled skin — feel free to discard this.
2. Season the pulpy, juicy tomato remnants with a pinch of salt and set aside.
3. Toast the bread, preferably in the oven, drizzled with a generous glug of olive oil.
4. Once toasted, rub your garlic along the bread while still hot.
5. Spread the tomato on each piece and you’re done. Feeling fancy? Enjoy with a light glass of Verdejo, a Spanish wine similar to Sauvignon blanc.

Heirloom tomato & feta salad

Rolf shared that his favorite way to enjoy tomatoes is in a salad, tossed with some lettuce and whatever else happens to be in season at the time. There’s no lettuce in this tomato salad, but I promise it’s just as satiating.

Ingredients:
3-4 heirloom tomatoes
1 block feta
1 medium shallot
Juice of one lemon
1-2 tbsp. olive oil
Pinch of salt & pepper
1 tbsp. hot honey (optional)

Directions:
1. Slice the tomatoes into thin rounds and set aside.
2. Slice the shallot into thin rings.
3. Arrange tomatoes & shallot on a plate.
4. Sprinkle generously with feta (crumble the block yourself, don’t buy the pre-crumbled stuff).
5. For the dressing, whisk together the juice of one lemon, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a pinch of salt & pepper and an optional tablespoon of hot honey.
6. Drizzle the desired amount of dressing over salad and you’re all set. You can serve immediately or let it sit in the fridge for a bit so the flavors of that dressing have the time to soak in.

Bucatini with burst cherry tomatoes

Remember the great bucatini shortage of 2020? I wish I didn’t. The good news for you is that bucatini has been back on shelves at grocery stores for quite some time, just waiting to be picked up and put to good use.

Ingredients:
12 ounces bucatini
3 cloves garlic
1 medium onion
2 tbsp. olive oil
Pinch of salt, pepper & red pepper flakes
12 ounces cherry tomatoes
Burrata (optional)

Directions:
1. Finely dice an onion and a couple of garlic cloves.
2. Toss them in a large skillet, along with the cherry tomatoes, on medium-heat and let soften.
3. Start boiling your bucatini.
4. While the bucatini’s boiling, add the olive oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to the onions, garlic and tomatoes.
5. Let it all cook for 1-2 minutes. Feel free to give your tomatoes a little bit of a firm push, bursting a few open while they cook.
6. Remove pasta from heat and drain, reserving one cup of pasta water.
7. Place the pasta in the skillet, adding a splash of pasta water at a time until you’ve come up with a sort of sauce to coat the noodles.
9. Plate while hot and, if you’re feeling up to it, tear apart that burrata and mix a little bit into your pasta.

“Reflections on Reality: Drawings and Paintings from the Weisberg Collection,” currently on display at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA), displays University of Minnesota professor Gabriel Weisberg’s personal collection, gathered from years of experience in the art world. The exhibition is available until December 2023.

From his time as an educator at the University to a stint at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Weisberg has dedicated much of his life to the preservation of art history and objects. With decades of experience under his belt and a hefty donation to MIA in the works, Weisberg is ready to spread his art collection wisdom.

Weisberg began his venture into the art world as an artist before becoming an art history major in college. That’s when Weisberg decided he wanted to begin collecting works that meant something to himself and to his wife, Yvonne Weisberg.

Over the next half century, the two began to pick up pieces that tickled their fancy for 19th-century European art, particularly Realist and Naturalist works by French and Belgian artists.

“Most academics keep it in the classroom, write a textbook and head to sleep — we didn’t do it that way,” Weisberg said about the atypically large size and depth of their collection.

The Weisbergs’ 200-piece collection was forged through a passion and deep appreciation for the artwork, which motivated them to donate the entirety of their collection to MIA.

Weisberg said he and his wife noticed the museum was lacking in its collection of 19th century drawings, so they began to build their own collection more aggressively in recent years to resolve the issue.

“We have no heirs. A lot of people think we’re nuts,” Weisberg said regarding the decision to gift the collection. “But we want to do it this way.”

According to Tom Rassieur, curator of European prints and drawings at MIA, the addition of the Weisbergs’ collection will increase the museum’s assortment of French and Belgian 19th and 20th century drawings by about a third. Rassieur said the couple has “played a pivotal role” in recovering works from artists who would be otherwise forgotten.

“In a time when we are inundated by flashy images, these quiet objects invite us to pause and consider the lives of those depicted and to think about the skill and intentions of the artists who drew them,” Rassieur said of the often somber drawings, which depict the lives of ordinary people.

Weisberg’s advice for aspiring art collectors

“If someone is looking to acquire a collection, it’s not going to happen in ten minutes,” Weisberg said. “It’s going to take patience, looking and visits to different locations and museums.”

Cultivating a relationship with art is an important part of the process; it can happen through both appreciating the work itself or connecting with its dealer.

Weisberg described numerous occasions over the years when he was able to gain more information on an artist or form a connection with an artist’s family through the help of art dealers he met along the way.

“They respond to somebody who shows a sensitivity to a work of art,” Weisberg said.

The financial aspect of art collecting or simply purchasing a piece of art can be intimidating — but it doesn’t have to be.

“A piece of art will not and should not be deemed better than another simply because it costs more money,” Weisberg said. According to Weisberg, if you spend enough time studying works, you’ll realize the amount of money a piece may be worth is not the end-all-be-all indicator of its quality.
“We weren’t millionaires,” Weisberg said. “It takes money, but you can do it reasonably.”

Most importantly though, to acquire an art collection also calls for the willingness and ability to educate oneself on art itself.

“A student should train his or herself to constantly look at art, whether you find it in galleries, in museums or in studios of artists. Do not be afraid to ask questions either of the artist or of the dealer. Visit museums where you can gain a great appreciation,” Weisberg said.

Weisberg’s best piece of advice for aspiring art collectors? “Look and you will find.”

“Where the Crawdads Sing”, based on Delia Owens’ novel of the same name, follows Catherine “Kya” Clark (Daisy Edgar-Jones) as she stands trial in 1969 for the murder of Chase Andrews (Harris Dickinson), a plot that’s troublingly parallel to the author’s own life. Directed by Olivia Newman, the film features a beautiful Deep South backdrop and a series of unfulfilling performances.

Set in 1950s and 1960s North Carolina in the fictional town of Barkley Cove, the film jumps between present day and past as Kya’s life story is intertwined with the trial. As readers may recall, the plot-jumping in the book was at times confusing and choppy. Screenwriter Lucy Alibar had a chance to smooth the story out in this regard — but she didn’t. Scenes cut from present to past at random points, constantly disrupting the flow of the plot.

Kya is Barkley Cove’s resident outcast, dubbed “the marsh girl” by everyone around her. We’re led to believe that she somehow managed to raise herself in a shack with no electricity or running water after being abandoned by her family. Throughout the film, it’s evident that Edgar-Jones is the driving force here.

Edgar-Jones, Hollywood’s latest “it” girl, has been rising quickly since her role in another novel adaptation, “Normal People.” In “Crawdads,” Edgar-Jones plays Kya with a realistic dose of vulnerability and shyness that adds much-needed creedence to her character’s unconvincing backstory. However, her consistent narration feels less like a necessary plot device and more like a forced way to incorporate Owens’ dialogue straight from the book.

Much of the film’s two-hour runtime focuses on the whirlwind romances Kya finds herself entangled within. The first is with Tate Walker (Taylor John Smith), the dreamy nature-lover whose initial interest in Kya likely stems from a lingering childhood curiosity. Like many of the other characters, Tate lacks substance beyond some moments of brief and passionate chemistry on display with Kya. Chase Andrews, the town’s star quarterback and aforementioned murder victim, is Kya’s other main beau. Chase pursues Kya with dry intimacy and promises of marriage that anyone with a heartbeat knows he won’t be keeping. Dickinson, fresh off of the Cannes-winning dark comedy “Triangle of Sadness,” disappointingly plays Chase like justinlt23 on TikTok: a stereotypically pushy frat bro.
“Where the Crawdads Sing” shines strongest in two specific settings: within the walls of the courtroom and amid the Spanish moss of the marsh. Both environments highlight Edgar-Jones’ consistency and a strong supporting performance from David Strathairn as lawyer Tom Milton. The two engage in powerful dialogue as Tom defends “the marsh girl” to the Barkley Cove jury and help highlight Kya’s intricate relationship with the nature surrounding her.

Perhaps “Where the Crawdads Sing” may have had better success with a cast of further fleshed-out characters. Maybe it was doomed from the beginning. Novel adaptations have a track record and this one certainly seems intent on catering to a particular wine-drinking, book-clubbing audience, as one could assume after learning of Reese Witherspoon’s production credit. Think of the same murder-mystery loving crowd that “Big Little Lies” and “Little Fires Everywhere” targeted. Taylor Swift even wrote an original song for the film, for God’s sake.

In his 2017 review of “Big Little Lies,” The New York Times television critic Mike Hale was one of a few writers who observed a slew of clichés and well-trodden summer murder mystery tropes in that relaxed female-led drama. In the years since, Witherspoon has either simply ignored such criticisms or she has found a more valuable goal in her comfortable production formula.

Regardless, those in the mood to find themselves fantasizing about what lies “way out yonder, where the crawdads sing” and yearning for a Nicholas Sparks-like drama might just find themselves satisfied.

Gooey artichoke dip, funky bathroom mirrors, ornate tablecloths, the only living bottomless mimosa special in Dinkytown — these are the things we bid farewell to when beloved campus cafe Gray’s closed its doors on Sunday.

“It’s with a mixture of sadness and celebration that we announce Gray’s will be closing in July,” a post on Instagram from July 1 reads, announcing the closure. “We thank our amazing staff for their loyalty and hard work. We thank our incredible customers – our regulars, our irregulars, the beautiful freaks, the lovers, the maestros, the muses – and all our friends who made this place the heart of Dinkytown.”

While the news seemingly arrived out of nowhere, Gray’s did not go quietly into the night. Instead, the business’ final weeks of operation included two weeks’ worth of live music from a variety of local musicians alongside their regularly scheduled Salsa Saturday event.

“It was something that they [the owners] had been working through. I think they wanted to avoid it for as long as possible,” Samantha Campbell, a manager at Gray’s, shared. “Because of Covid, we closed for a month and we took a hit during that. It was harder to sort of pull ourselves back up after that period.”

Gray’s first opened in its most recent state as a cafe and restaurant in December 2020, although the team has occupied the space that was formerly the Loring Bar and Restaurant for the last five years. Since the rebranding, Gray’s had operated with a few core values in mind — sustainability, creativity, independence and the ability to source and support local. According to their Instagram, serving the University of Minnesota community was a tradition held in order to help students and community members “escape the sameness of fast food chains and corporate coffee shops.”

“We really were super busy during the school year. But once summer came around, we just couldn’t keep ourselves afloat,” Campbell said, citing rising costs across all industries as a factor. “It’s a hard time for a lot of restaurants.”

While business may have waned in warmer months with classes paused, the loss of one of the only coffee shops in Dinkytown will likely have an evident impact on students once classes resume.

“I feel like this was really unexpected, especially because it was so popular with students,” rising third-year University student Jessica Pilon said, emphasizing how shocked she was at the abrupt announcement. “I feel like there’s going to be a lot less study spaces now, for one thing.”

Rising third-year University student Krys Mustwillo said she would spend hours at the cafe every week alongside her friends.

“It was like my little pocket of the world where I could escape all the stress and noise of college,” Mustwillo said. “Gray’s has this castle-like aesthetic that really fuels my creativity.”

While Gray’s will cease to exist, there’s hope yet for the future of the space it once occupied. The historic Dinkytown building has yet to be purchased, although Campbell mentioned that potential buyers had expressed interest. And if you find yourself unable to scratch the itch for Gray’s elevated bar food, Loring Catering and Events will continue to operate.

On Sunday, June 27, on a patio near Lake Nokomis, Morgan Jaros, founder of Kava Bar Mpls, is the embodiment of calm as she rises to greet me in a flowing tunic dress. We’re here to talk about kava, the beverage behind her business.

Kava originated in the South Pacific centuries ago. Derived from the root of a pepper plant, kava is usually consumed once ground down to a fine powder, strained and mixed with water. Unsurprisingly, kava tastes peppery but that pepperiness can vary based on both the variety and age of the plant.

When consumed, it has a numbing, slightly tingling effect on the mouth, similar to that of alcohol, but without the intoxication element. While available medical research regarding kava’s impact on mood disorders, like general anxiety disorder, is slim, a 2019 Australian clinical trial found a significant reduction in anxiety symptoms when participants consumed kava.

“I have always been interested in food and nutrition and the idea of healing my body with food rather than medicine — taking away versus adding,” Jaros said of her personal interest in the wellness industry. “When I found kava, it all sort of clicked for me.”

Jaros first discovered kava on a trip to Jacksonville, Florida in June 2021 while visiting a friend. At the beginning of Jaros’ trip, her friend invited her to a bar in town. Jaros, who is sober, was initially hesitant to accept the invitation. After some convincing, she accepted the invite and ended up stepping foot into the place that would ignite her passion for kava — Wildcrafters, a booze-free bar serving tea and kava.

“I was blown away. It was such a magical moment. It was very lively with jazz music, people, beautiful drinks and glassware,” Jaros described the night. “This felt like an environment that I’d been missing for a long time.”

She spent the next two weeks of her trip driving around Florida in pursuit of other kava bars, the state being home to over 75 of them. Upon returning home, Jaros dedicated her free time to researching and learning as much as possible about kava.

Her next brush with kava was at the Suwannee Hulaween music festival in Florida, a couple of months after that first encounter. At the festival, Jaros worked alongside Wildcrafters’ Yhang Quintero to serve thousands of people the beverage out of coolers and tents.

Upon returning home, Jaros got to work on Kava Bar Mpls — the first and only kava bar in Minnesota. While her background is rooted in finance, an industry that occupies her typical 9-5, Kava Bar Mpls is her passion project.

For now, find Kava Bar Mpls at the Plant Based Pop-Up Market at Puris Foods on the second and fourth Sunday of every month. Jaros serves kava from her tent on a pay-what-you-can basis, a method she hopes will allow for greater accessibility when it comes to sharing the beverage with those who haven’t tried before.

Jaros has to import kava from outside sources because a wide amount of the varieties are found in the South Pacific. In order to offset the import process, Jaros conjures up one uniquely crafted drink per event using locally sourced ingredients. Past varieties have included the “Kava Greenie” (inspired by the famous Tony Jaros beverage, to whom she is distantly related), and her most recent creation, the “Calendula Kava” (calendula, hibiscus, lemon with locally sourced cherries and maple syrup).

“What’s such a treat about Morgan’s kava is that it’s so well-balanced and different every time,” Liz McAllister, a fellow vendor at the pop-up market, said. “Kava is this heady mixture of a buzz and a bit of mellowness — sort of like if CBD and caffeine had a baby, but better.”

Jaros ended up serving at the Plant Based Pop-Up Market by way of Heather Klein, owner of Root to Rise Kitchen.

“I was working with kava myself, and then someone told me about Morgan. She fit really well,” Klein said. Klein and Jaros are currently working on other projects together that could combine their respective passions into something beyond the pop-up markets.

“In this particular community, people are really open, enthusiastic and looking for new things that might be an alternative to the traditional way of being,” Jaros said regarding the plant-based community in the Twin Cities.

While kava fits well enough where she’s currently at, Jaros hopes kava will catch on in the community as an alcohol alternative.

“Throughout my life, I’ve had all of these creative projects that I’ve mostly joined in on. Helping a friend with the beginnings of a movie script in San Francisco, started a company — there’s been many times I’ve fallen in love with something and not done it,” Jaros said.

This time around is different, as she feels kava is not only good for her own recovery process but necessary to share with the community. And while a a brick-and-mortar location may be on the horizon in the near future, Jaros is determined to stay focused on the driving force behind her business — her passion for the plant.

The Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA) debuted two new exhibits on Saturday.

“Dressed by Nature: Textiles of Japan,” features over 100 pieces of clothing and various textiles spanning from 1750 to 1930.

“Not only is it all historically important, but it is in terms of craft and technique,” Thomas Murray, independent researcher and art collector from whom the collection was purchased and gifted, said in regard to the significance of displaying the textiles.

While Murray has been a long time figure in the world of art collection, acquiring this collection was something he did in secret. When he revealed what he had amassed over time, he said that a lot of people were astonished at its breadth.

This distance is conveyed through the set up of the show, which MIA curator Andreas Marks describes as being set up “like a journey.” Beginning in Siberia and ending in Okinawa, textiles of a common nature and those of a higher social class are on display, which serves as a reflection of the collection’s vast origins.

Materials used in various textiles include fish skin, nettle fiber, banana leaf fibers, paper, cotton and more. Some of the standout pieces featured in the exhibit include clothing traditionally worn by Japanese firefighters and a carp-adorned, shibori-dyed festival kimono, among others.

On the second floor resides the MIA’s other new exhibit, “Van Gogh and the Olive Groves.” The exhibit features MIA’s “Olive Trees” alongside three other paintings from the series, two landscapes and three works on paper. The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and the Dallas Museum of Art lended the works for the purpose of the exhibit.

Van Gogh’s Olive Grove series was completed between June and December 1889 while he was at the psychiatric hospital in Saint Rémy de Provence, located in the south of France. Nearly one year later, Van Gogh went on to take his own life.

Given the completion of these works so near the end of his life in addition to their creation at the psychiatric hospital, the collection has been the subject of scrutiny by many researchers eager to further understand Van Gogh’s methods. Most recent findings, according to the Van Gogh Museum, have allowed for insight into his process regarding composition, brushwork and material section.

“Dressed by Nature: Textiles of Japan” will run until Sept. 11 and “Van Gogh and the Olive Groves” will run until Sept. 18.