I call a taxi at 7pm Saturday July 25th to take me to Stinson Blvd, which is somewhere in Minneapolis.  I’m still tired from the yacht party.  All I know about the art show at First Amendment Arts is that Attitude City is playing, it looked interesting on the Facebook invite and I need something to do to close out my first Minneapolis experience.

Mara has been moving all day.  I don’t expect to hear from her.  I uploaded pictures from the yacht and also from my walk.  I realize how great it has been to have my borrowed laptop with me and the high speed Internet provided by Marriott.

The taxi driver whose name is Scott is talkative.  He’s asking me where I am going and wondering what’s going on that takes me to Stinson Blvd.  He tells me there are fireworks on tonight because of a celebration that I was not aware of taking place in Minneapolis.  He also thinks I really should be going to some of the major museums in town if I like art.

I am sure those art galleries are great but I have an agenda.  I am here for a short time and I am here to connect with artists.  We arrive shortly at a non-descript, almost dilapidated building – a warehouse in a business district full of old factories and office buildings.  There are no signs outside indicating I am in the right place.

Scott is trying to talk me out of staying.  He thinks I must be mistaken.  I am a tourist and got taken in by some hoodlums who said there was an art gallery on Stinson.  We circle around back and the loading docks are empty and ominous.  Even I am beginning to doubt myself.  Still, I persevere.

Scott is so worried that he won’t let me go up to the building myself and insists on walking with me to the stairs leading into the building.  At the top, I am able to see the Burlesque Design logo on the list of inhabitants and I finally know I am in the right place for sure.  I pay Scott and he gives me his phone number because he doesn’t think I will be in there very long.

As I walk back in the building, I meet a happy looking couple who are clearly headed in the same direction as I.  Finally – I am not alone.  I’ll call them Mr. & Mrs Art.  Mrs. Art immediately wants to make a friend out of me and tells me her husband has been to see Mike Cina before but that it’s a first time for her.  We weave around and down some stairs.  There’s not much to indicate we’re going in the right direction – the walls are plain and there are various things stored here and there and no signs.  Mr. Art though knows where he is going so we follow dutifully.

We realize we went the wrong way when we come up against a barricade placed in the hallway to stop people from wondering around.  We climb around it and we’re upon the door to the studio.  I am already thinking to myself – would this work for my Sacred Rose Center?  Hmm….

Mr. and Mrs. Art are the kind of people you want to tour art galleries with.  They have interesting things to say and make friends easily.  Mr. Art and I attempt to interpret the wall map.  Mike’s work hangs all over the main wall – most of it is smaller than 8-1/2×11 paper so the map shows blocks and numbers with a pricelist.  We soon realize we like all the most expensive pieces.  Mr. Art is my kind of guy.

Mrs. Art finds a small piece she loves, removes it from the wall and brings out the checkbook.  These guys are serious and mean business.  I want to go over to their house, share a glass of wine and talk art all night.

About an hour in, I decide to head back out and call Scott.  Attitude City must have over-slept or something, there’s no sign of them.  I call Scott – he tells me to hang tight for fifteen.

Soon after I hang up with Scott, Mara calls.  She must be on the psychic airwaves again – we’ve already decided we are the same person, different bodies.  She wants to know what I am doing and if I need a ride somewhere.  She agrees to come on over.  I call Scott and cancel.

In the meantime, a man, who was working the art show, comes up from the basement studio for a phone call.  I ask him how he’s involved with the studio and he introduces himself as Ben,  one of the artists associated with Burlesque Design.

We’re chatting about the art scene in Minneapolis and my visit when who should arrive but King Attitude himself Jeff Dubois sporting a ‘just woke up from bed’ do.  We do some sort of French hug thing and he jets off downstairs.  I feel like I should break out in a song from Grease.

Jeff: Summer lovin’ had me a blast

Gina: Summer lovin’ happened so fast…met a boy cute as could be

Ben:  Wella wella wella ooh tell me more, tell me more – does he have a car?

*cough cough ahem*

Back downstairs…sans the soundtrack.   I point a few of the cool, small pieces out to Jeff – the ones Mr. Art and I talked about before and he tells me Mike does this to alleviate frustration.  Looking around I realize my frustration alleviation doesn’t lead to fine art.  Much later though, I notice Jeff eyeing the framed ones with the special names like “Carmel Ocean” and “Wine and Roses.”  We won’t go into the price tags on those pieces…let’s just say Mr. Art, Jeff & I have much in common.

I listen to Jeff & Karl do their thing – this time in the down tempo beat mode rather than the disco frenzy of the night before.  I am “catatonic.”  So is Jeff, I think but I realize how small a scene this is – people who were on the yacht last night are now showing up in droves to see Mike’s art.

I sit on my throne – the stage and chat with people as they speculate.   I chat with Mike Cina and introduce myself.  He also believes in getting people past their blocks and working at their gifts and talents.  He obviously enjoys his work, his life, the friends who have come to support his art opening.

They are taking silly pictures of someone’s chest in the middle of the room.  Jeff finishes and runs off – like Cinderella at midnight.  Wait it is 10:30 but feels like midnight!  And Jeff does have quite a car – I see him speeding off down Stinson like James Bond.  The wind picks up my hair and I am left in the silhouette of the lone streetlamp.

Mara is running late from her family events.  Mike leaves with Ben and worries about me standing around.  I might be lost or asleep…not sure.  I wave them off. My adventure just doesn’t seem to end.  Mara comes, finally and we grab a quick bite at McDonalds.

I sleep – deeply.  Leaving home won’t be as easy as coming to find it…

 www.burlesquedesign.com

www.firstamendmentarts.com