16 WED • ART 101up — First-time gallery owner and newly graduated CCS alumnus Mark Sengbusch has something else in mind when it comes to art exhibition. Displaying 101 of his own paintings per week, for 20 weeks in a row, Sengbusch has taken on the multitask of creating, displaying and promoting all his latest works. Described as a technique that explores the “push and pull of positive and negative space” these masked-off stencils are a thoughtful approach to a unique style of painting. Check it out at 101up (2233 Brooklyn, No. 114, Detroit). Call 313-961-6133 for appointments.
16 WED • ART Critical Graphics from the Weimar Period — Not unlike the climate of the world today, pre-World War II Germany experienced a period heavy with confusion and internal conflict. The period, known as the “Golden Twenties” (1918-1933), was characterized by a rapid change in social and political attitudes; not surprisingly, local art began to mirror the confused state of affairs. Deliberately agitating, these works are angry and charged with visceral reminders of a time when Germany’s future was unsure and its past embittered. Represented artists include: Otto Dix, Max Beckmann, George Grosz and Käthe Kollwitz. At the Art Gallery of Windsor (401 Riverside Drive W., Windsor). Call 519-977-0013 for more information.
17 THU • ART/ISSUES & LEARNING Carolee Schneemann —When is a body much more than a body? When it becomes a hot-blooded emblem, a nude icon, a fleshy medium, an art object and a cause célèbre, all in the work of performance artist, filmmaker and feminist Carolee Schneemann. This pioneer of “body art” has been raising public consciousness about a range of sexual issues and cultural taboos for the past four decades. She’ll discuss the development of her work as part of the Woodward Lecture Series at 7:30 at the Wendell W. Anderson Jr. Auditorium in the Walter B. Ford II Building, College for Creative Studies (John R and Kirby, Detroit). Call 313-664-7800 for more info. Free.
18 FRI • MUSIC Audra McDonald — New fans who’ve only seen her as high-powered senatorial aide Jackie Brock on “Mr. Sterling” ought to hear her adopt a new character for every song in an evening on stage. Political gold-digger, elated mother-to-be, bereaved widow, enchanted lover, wistful ex-lover, vengeful ex-lover—the three-time Tony winner sings ’em all in a repertoire that draws on Ellington and Gershwin along with lesser-knowns pushing the Broadway and art-song boundaries. She’s with her jazz trio and guest vocalist Celia Keenan-Bolger at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor at 8 p.m. Call 800-221-1229.
23 WED • THEATER Kinsey Sicks — Seems that a happy-go-lucky brand of hilarity is where it’s at this week. “America’s Favorite Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet” will grace metro Detroit with their explosive brand of gender-bending song-styling. With intelligent lyrics, dead-nuts harmonies and fiery stage presence, this troupe has enchanted critics everywhere — “Get thyself to Dragapella” says gossip columnist Liz Smith. Hey, if it’s good enough for Hollywood busybodies, it’s good enough for us … or something like that. At Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle (269 E. Fourth Street, Royal Oak) for a 10th anniversary celebration for Between the Lines newspaper. Call 248-542-9900 for more info. They’re also at the Ark in Ann Arbor on Thursday, April 24. Call 734-761-1451 for details.
