Art

On a recent sunny Saturday afternoon, friends Cara Heneberry, Brittany Stephens and Katie Griffith examined wedding gowns, gazed at photos of smiling couples and chatted about their own future nuptials.

In preparation for an upcoming art show, artist Amy Rice spent hours fashioning miniscule shoes and handbags out of polymer clay. When she was done, she promptly put the pieces where she thought they belonged - in the garbage.

Esther Park doesn't look the part of a small- business owner. She is 23 years old but appears even younger; she stands less than 5-feet tall, her hair is long and black, and at the crown of her head a small tuft stands straight up, like the uncooperative cowlick of a small boy.

Tucked away in downtown Minneapolis, the fourth annual Red Hot Art Festival took place last weekend in Stevens Square Park - the same weekend as the upscale suburban Edina Art Fair.

Every rap crew says it's as tight as family. G-Unit? Cohesive. The Roots? Solid. Doomtree, though, is like a vise-grip. Most of its members even live together.

Sometimes, Quiana Perkins will wear gobs of make-up and bind her breasts in cloth.

With everything from watercolor paintings to wax statues, "Mideast-Midwest: A Tessellation of Artists" showcases art media as varied as the artists themselves.