Tim’s Picks: A ‘Favorite Things’ edition
Tim’s Picks: A ‘Favorite Things’ edition
Lee Brice at Loeb Stadium. Global Fest No. 29 in downtown West Lafayette. ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ at Elliott Hall. Art openings in downtown Lafayette. Five prime things for your Greater Lafayette week.
This edition is sponsored by the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette, presenting Art on the Wabash. The juried art fair will be 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, at Tapawingo Park in West Lafayette. Admission is free. For more, check out Art on the Wabash here.
And now, with five suggestions for your Greater Lafayette week, it’s …
By Tim Brouk / For Based in Lafayette
“Pothole Poetic” by Grant M. Brownlow opening reception, 6-9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, The Bindery, 511 Ferry St., Lafayette — The Rust Belt is a more vibrant place as portrayed by Michigan-born artist Grant M. Brownlow, who opens his Lafayette debut solo exhibition this weekend. “Pothole Poetic” features new paintings and lithographs by the 2024 Purdue University Master of Fine Arts graduate. Brownlow works in a collage style full of action and color. The pieces are inspired by his Grand Rapids upbringing and his current city, Detroit. His experiences around industrial spaces like plastics factories, auto body shops and half-abandoned warehouses, confront ideas including class, identity and inherited self-destructive tendencies within the region and his experience. The works from this exciting young artist will hang through Oct. 26.
“My Favorite Things” by Sherri McGlothlin opening reception, 6-9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, Artists’ Own, 518 Main St., Lafayette — The prolific and emotionally powerful local artist Sherri McGlothlin will present many of her “Favorite Things” this weekend through Nov. 1 at Artists’ Own in downtown Lafayette. Just four months after her excellent Bindery exhibition, “Roses,” which focused on a still life in many different media, McGlothlin changes up the subject matter in this show of paintings, drawings and monoprints. The “Things” that have inspired her include Indiana skies, fields, her cats, the flowers in her garden and watching people, trying to capture a look or gesture. “Creating is the way I make sense of my world,” McGlothlin said. “I work through complicated thoughts and feelings in the studio. I make pictures of things that lift my spirits. These are some of my favorite things.”
Lee Brice with Scotty Hasting and Wilder Blue, 6:50 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, Loeb Stadium — Pop country music filling a baseball field under a late summer night sky — sounds almost like the premise of a pop country song. Lee Brice, a Grammy nominee and holder of nine No. 1 country music singles, will make his long-awaited Lafayette debut, touring under the stars this weekend. On the radio, Brice’s tunes have included “A Woman Like You,” “Hard to Love” and “I Drive Your Truck,” and as a writer, he’s penned songs for country music royalty in Garth Brooks, Jason Aldean and Kenny Chesney. His latest album, “Hey World,” is platinum-selling, a huge feat in today’s streaming world. Opening for the star will be Scotty Hasting, a country singer from Cincinnati whose recording debut was only months ago, and The Wilder Blue, a new country folk-rock band that has received comparisons to 1980s Alabama and The Eagles. $45-$95. Tickets.
Global Fest, 3-10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, Chauncey Village/downtown West Lafayette — West Lafayette’s annual free celebration of international culture will once again take over Chauncey Village for an afternoon and evening of nonstop eats, beats via Purdue Convocations and cultural treats. It’s the 29th edition of the festival, which started at the Morton Center but has found a new home out on Northwestern Avenue. Exotic aromas from food from around the world will fill the air while Purdue performance groups Black Voices of Inspiration, Purdue Chinese Performing Arts Troupe, Okinawa Yuyukai and Purdue AAARCC Lion Dance Team will put on shows throughout. Music headliners this year will be Brazilian singer Bia Ferreira (5:30 p.m.), Yemen Blues (7:30 p.m.) and Balkan Paradise Orchestra (9 p.m.), an all-female brass, woodwinds and drums band from Barcelona, Spain. Admission is free.
“Dear Evan Hansen,” 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, Elliott Hall of Music, Purdue — Winner of six Tony Awards in 2017, including the Olivier Award for best musical, “Dear Evan Hansen” is a heart-stirring show that beautifully captures the struggles of adolescence, mental health and the search for connection in the digital age. It brings raw emotion and authenticity, making every song resonate deeply with the audience. Its relatable story and powerful messages about belonging and self-acceptance leave a lasting impact long after the final curtain. The touring production will make its Greater Lafayette debut next week in the Purdue Convocations event with a stellar cast that delivers the show’s award-winning score with captivating energy. $39-$84. Tickets.
Correction from last week: I regrettably got my wires crossed by initially writing Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette’s current production of “Clue” was a musical version. It is not. The play version is an excellent farce that continues 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Sept. 19-21; 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 21 and 22, and 7:30 p.m. Sept. 26-28. If you like musicals, Civic’s following show is the hit comedy “School of Rock,” which opens 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14 and runs Nov. 15-17 and Nov. 21-23.
Tim Brouk is a longtime arts and entertainment reporter. He writes here (almost) weekly, tracking things to do for Based in Lafayette.
Thanks to this edition’s sponsor, the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette, presenting Art on the Wabash. The juried art fair will be 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, at Tapawingo Park in West Lafayette. Admission is free. For more, check out Art on the Wabash here.
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Tips, story ideas? I’m at davebangert1@gmail.com.