Augustus F. Sherman: Ellis Island Portraits, 1905–1920
While working as a registry clerk at Ellis Island, amateur photographer Augustus F. Sherman documented families, traveling groups, and individuals as they were being processed by customs. Though blandly labeled—“Greek woman,” “Moroccan men and boy”—many of the 100-some images in this exhibit are of immigrants in ornate national dress, their faces revealing everything from loss and anguish to excitement and hope. July 4–September 20, $10, Minnesota History Center, St. Paul, 651-259-3000, mnhs.org/historycenter.
Trisha Brown Dance Company: Early Site-Specific Works
An icon of postmodern dance, Trisha Brown returns to the Twin Cities with her New York company to perform some of her outdoor work from the 1970s. These are quiet, unassuming movement experiments that put Brown on the avant-garde art map and are rarely performed. One, “Group Primary Accumulation on Rafts” was originally staged on Loring Pond. In it dancers perform Brown’s luxurious, repeating movement while lying on their backs floating in the water. In other works, they spiral around trees or walk down buildings. It’ll be one of the summer’s premiere outdoor art events. July 5, free, Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and Loring Park, 612-375-7600, walkerart.org.
