Set in Joseph Stalin’s Russia, this engrossing new American play was inspired both by Stalin’s real-life efforts to remove any hint of “aberrant” sexual behavior by Russia’s most famous composer from the history books and the idea that government intrusion in the private lives of citizens threatens everybody’s most basic freedoms. The Letters has received rave reviews from Time Magazine, the Chicago Tribune, and the the LA Theatre Review.

Show times
May 2: 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
May 3: 7:00 pm
May 4: 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
May 7-9: 7:30 pm
May 10: 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm
May 11: 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
May 14-16: 7:30 pm
May 17: 3:00 pm and 8:00 pm
May 18: 2:00 pm

The show is 75 minutes. Tickets can be purchased at cardinalstage.org.

From April through November, farmers and vendors fill Showers Common with locally grown produce, annual and perennial plants, and freshly baked bread for the Saturday morning Market. Local musicians perform while thousands of people find their way among the corn and tomatoes, local dairy products, and warm scents of fresh herbs. The Market often feels like equal parts shopping, socializing, and treasure hunt. Come early so you can amble among friends as you seek out that dried lavender or fresh basil you have been dreaming about.

The Market is open every Saturday, April through September, from 8 am until 1 pm and Saturdays in October and November from 9 am until 1 pm The season ends with the Holiday Market on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, from 10 am – 3 pm.

May is National Preservation Month and the Monroe County Historic Preservation Board of Review and the Bloomington Historic Preservation Commission continue the month’s activities with the 3rd Annual Old-House Expo and Architectural Cake Contest. The Expo is designed to raise awareness of historic preservation and to put owners of old houses in touch with qualified tradespersons and professionals. This year the restoration of historic windows will be featured with presentations by Jack Patchin of ‘Ol House Experts in Madison, IN, and Bloomington’s own, Duncan Campbell, retired chair of Ball State University’s Historic Preservation Center. Patchin and Campbell will present in Council Chambers between 9 a.m. and Noon demonstrating best practices, preferred products, tips of the trade and the science behind window restoration. Their enthusiasm and un-complicated take on the issue will get anyone ready to tackle their own window restoration projects. In celebration of National Museum Month and to highlight the associated old house work of local entities, the Monroe County History Center, Farmer House Museum, Wylie House Museum, the Hinkle-Garton Farmstead and Bloomington Restorations, Inc. will also exhibit.

The Architectural Cake Contest further raises awareness of historic preservation by fostering an appreciation
of historic buildings, structures and sites through the fun and creative medium of cake and icing. The contest is open to all interested bakers with the stipulation that the cake represent an historic resource in Indiana. To view the cakes prior to cutting and to witness the judging process and announcement of the winners, visitors should arrive to the contest by 11 a.m. This year’s judges will be Chef Jeffrey Taber, Assistant Professor and Program Chair in Hospitality Administration at Ivy Tech Community College; Yael Ksander, writer and presenter at WFIU; and Mark Dollase, Vice President of Indiana Landmarks Foundation. For information about entering a cake in the contest, please visit http://cakecontest.wordpress.com Additional sponsors for this year’s event are Anonymous, Bloomingfoods, Bloom Magazine, Golden Hands Construction, Inc., Mark Longacre Construction, Inc., Monroe Furniture Restoration, NR Hiller Design, Inc., Revolution Bike & Bean, and Topo’s 403.

Numerous new exhibits will be available in the galleries of the Ivy Tech John Waldron Arts Center for the month of May:

Local Clay Potters’ Guild: “Showing Off!”
Gitlitz & Gitlitz: “Feeling Foodish”
Nakima Ollin: Recent Works
Ivy Tech Alternative Spring Break: Photo Essay 2014

Exhibits run through May 31. Galleries are open Monday – Friday, 9 am – 7 pm, and Saturday 9 am – 5 pm. Free admission.

The 16th Annual Spring Studio Tour features 18 artists and 12 studios throughout Brown County. This is a unique opportunity to meet artists doing what they love and to purchase art from its source. Collectors will enjoy the new work available especially for this occasion.

Studios help with funding the “Brown County Art Scholarship,” established by the tour organization in 2005. Each year, local students receive scholarships to further their art education.

The tour is free. A detailed map can be found at browncountystudiotour.com/tourmap2014.htm

“Featherspholio”
A photographic exhibition by Bloomington artist and avid birdwatcher Scott Evans featuring birds of North America. Runs through May 31.

Hours: Mon-Sat 9:30 am-5 pm, Sun 1-5 pm

In this exhibit, Bloomington based photographer, Kyle Spears showcases his most recent body of work from Prague, Czech Republic. Kyle says this about his photography;

Primarily, most of my inspiration comes from traveling and discovering new places/things to shoot. No matter where or what I photograph, I want to capture the beauty I see and somehow communicate that with the viewer. As a photographer, I am attracted to the absence of light, just as much as the presence of light. I love how the night can change the atmosphere and mood of a scene that wasn’t evident during daylight.

“The Life and Times of Local Author, Ross Lockridge”

Ross Lockridge, Jr was born in Bloomington, IN 1914 where he attended Bloomington High School and Indiana University and aspired to write the next great American Novel. He began writing Raintree County in the mid-1940s. The 1,060 page novel was published in 1948. The novel explored nineteenth-century Midwestern history, folklore, and landscape all set in a single day, July 4, 1892. The exhibit explores his life before writing Raintree County and after, including the Midwestern iconography that inspired his book. Runs through May 31.

“Cracking the Code: Quilt Pattern Meanings”

In the past many thought that Quilts made during the mid-to late part of the 19th century were created to aid travelers on the Underground Railroad. Now, research shows that there is no documentation regarding quilt patterns as a form of communication for Underground Railroad Travelers. This exhibit will examine different patterns and their purported meanings. The show and exhibit are on the bus route and FREE with IHQS wristband or hand stamp,during quilt show only. Runs through August 1.

“Living in Color”
Local artist, Avi Katz, has taken historic photos of Bloomington and turned them into colorized, painted, masterpieces. Runs through September 6.

Community Voices Gallery: “Monroe County United Ministries”
The Community Voices Gallery gives local organizations the opportunity to tell their story. Monroe County United Ministries is a a nurturing organization serving working families and those in distress by assisting those with emergency needs and subsidized childcare. We provide quality education and a safe place for children, basic needs assistance for the poor and community service opportunities. Runs through July 31.

Hours: Tuesday – Saturday: 10:00 – 5:00 p.m. Sunday: Noon – 5:00 p.m.

Spanish Painting in the 1960s: Works from the Collection of Doris Steinmetz Kellett
May 6–September 7, 2014
Gallery of the Art of the Western World, Doris Steinmetz Kellett Endowed Gallery of Twentieth-Century Art, first floor
Works by members of the Catalan-based group Dau al Set and artists associated with the avant-garde Galeria Juana Mordo in Madrid are featured.

New in the Galleries: ‘Max Beckmann’s Woodcuts’
Gallery of the Art of the Western World, Doris Steinmetz Kellett Endowed Gallery of Twentieth-Century Art, first floor
February 4–June 22, 2014
Although the German Expressionist artist Max Beckmann was a prolific graphic artist (producing 374 prints during his lifetime), he created fewer than 20 woodcuts. Most were produced during the 1920s, when Germany was experiencing a revival of interest in the medium. Seven prints from this period will be featured in this installation.

Special Exhibition: Matisse’s Jazz and Other Works from Indiana University Collections
April 2–June 29, 2014
Special Exhibitions Gallery, first floor
In addition to highlighting the IU Art Museum’s rare complete suite of twenty color stencil prints from Jazz—Matisse’s last and greatest book project—this exhibition will include more than thirty other works by this modern master from the holdings of the Art Museum and Lilly Library. Special attention will be paid to the artist’s works on paper and book illustrations from the 1920s through the end of his career.

Special Exhibition: Francesco Solimena: Picturing the World for an Eighteenth-Century Royal Wedding
April 2–June 29, 2014
Judi and Milt Stewart Hexagon Gallery, first floor
Through a selection of pieces coming from the Getty Research Institute, the IU Fine Arts Library, the Lilly Library, and the IU Art Museum collection, this exhibition focuses on one of the IU Art Museum’s masterpieces, Francesco Solimena’s Allegory of the Four Parts of the World, highlighting the painting’s history, patronage, and iconography. This exhibition features a thirteen-minute documentary, The World around Solimena.

JERRY UELSMANN + MAGGIE TAYLOR, A retrospective collection presented by Pictura Gallery In celebration of our 6th anniversary, Pictura is thrilled to present a retrospective collection of Jerry Uelsmann and Maggie Taylor’s work. This exhibition coincides with Jerry Uelsmann acceptance of the Distinguished Alumni Award from the IU College of Arts and Sciences. Please join us in celebrating the work of these two seminal figures of the photographic world. Show runs through May 28th.

Pictura Gallery is open Tuesday – Saturday, 11 am – 7 pm.