This Week in Geek (8/17/20–8/23/20)

Welcome to This Week in Geek, your guide to events of interest to the Minnesota geek community for the week of Monday, August 17, to Sunday, August 23.

Please note: Due to risks from the global COVID-19 pandemic, and in following current health guidelines recommending both social distancing and limited travel, this column will exclusively share virtual events that can be enjoyed from the comfort and safety of home. During this time we will be including local, national, and international events, as well as separating them into weekly and daily categories. As time goes on and guidelines change, in-person events may be reintroduced.

One-Time and Weekly Events

The Unicorn Art Show 6: A Fantasy Art Show

What: Arts
When: Monday, August 17, at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Facebook Live

This virtual event will focus on fantasy art, bringing the event originally planned by the Otherworldly Arts Collective and Artspace online due to COVID. This event will be a livestream on Facebook with artists and sponsors. Check out the event listing for up-to-date details.

Street Show–Live Performances

What: Music
When: Tuesday, August 18, at 12:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via StreetShowMPLS

Live performances on busy streets are a hallmark of summers past, but in the time of COVID, physically attending such performances is risky. So, this event brings street performances to you, and will continue through August 18, with the last performance in the series coming from Doug Collins.

Online Board Game Afternoon for Teens

What: Gaming
When: Tuesday, August 18, at 3:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Zoom

Teens are invited to take part in a weekly Zoom-based board-gaming session put on by the Ramsey County Library. This is a free event intended for teens, and preregistration with an email address is required in order to receive an invite to the Zoom meeting. This is a great opportunity for young board-game geeks to make new friends and try new games during the quarantine.

Twin Cities Playtest

What: Gaming
When: Wednesday, August 19, at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Twitch

This online only playtest event ran by the Twin Cities chapter of the IGDA seeks to highlight in-development games by streaming them to Twitch, and by allowing participants to test them with a service called Parsec. In August, the event will highlight games from 2D Con Online. See the event for details on how to participate.

Atlas Obscura: The Secret Arts: Building a Magic Library

What: Educational, Arts
When: Wednesday, August 19, at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Zoom

The Secret Arts, a new weekly event from Atlas Obscura, delves deep into the hidden knowledge of one particular craft. This week, the host will be meeting with Siegfried Tieber to learn about the art and importance of building a magic library. Tickets are $10.

Merlins Rest Pub Quiz

What: Trivia
When: Wednesday, August 19, at 8:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Facebook

Merlins Rest will be presenting its weekly pub quiz via Facebook! Get ready to quiz and have some fun with pals from the safety of your own home. Karina will be running the quiz.

National Air and Space Museum Live Chat

What: Science & Tech, Arts
When: Thursday, August 20
Where: Virtual via Facebook

Join the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution for a live chat with one of their experts every Thursday. Ask questions and learn about different topics with subject-matter experts. This series will continue until the museum reopens; check the Facebook page for up-to-the-minute information.

CONvergence Online

What: Conventions
When: Thursday, August 20, through Sunday, August 23
Where: Virtual via multiple platforms

CONvergence, the annual Twin Cities science-fiction and fantasy convention, has been postponed thanks to COVID-19, but during what would have been this year’s event, the con will be offering a slate of online programming. This is a great opportunity to enjoy the con spirit from the comfort of home with a variety of panels, musical performances, cosplay, gaming, and community. Watch the CONvergence website for event schedules and other official announcements.

Outfest

What: Movies
When: Thursday, August 20, through Sunday, August 30
Where: Virtual via multiple platforms

Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival will be going virtual this year due to the pandemic. This event will bring 160 films and 35 film premieres to people across the country. This year will celebrate talent including (and not limited to): Steve Zahn, Jillian Bell, Ann Dowd, Sasha Knight, Big Freedia, Rachel Sennott, Dianna Agron, Fred Melamed, Hong Khaou, Henry Golding, Ali LeRoi, Zackary Drucker, Lily Tomlin, Jane Wagner, Cheryl Dunye, Effie Brown, Brandon Stansell, and Scott Turner Schofield. See the website for scheduling information and passes.

Virtual Third Thursday: Creative Entrepreneurship

What: Arts
When: Thursday, August 20, at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Mia’s website

Minneapolis Institute of Art’s Third Thursday event has gone online. This month, Mia is focusing on Creative Entrepreneurship in order to discuss the rewards and challenges of creative business. There will be presentations from Precious N. Wallace, Leeya Jackson, Nina Belton, Gabrielle Roberts, and Kelsi Sharp. This event will include real-time captioning, and will be recorded and shared to Facebook and Vimeo.

Music to Our Eyes

What: Music
When: Thursday, August 20, at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual; link and reminders will be sent to those who register

This is a great opportunity to support critical research intended to cure diseases that cause blindness while listening to a concert from the comfort of your home. Sam and Casey Harris from X Ambassadors have partnered with Foundation Fighting Blindness and Two Blind Brothers for a livestream event featuring conversation and a concert. The event is free, but attendees are asked to contribute what they can to this important cause.

Zoom Life Drawing with a Model

What: Arts
When: Thursday, August 20, at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Zoom

Gallery Girls is a Los Angeles-based event organizer popular for their themed drawing nights, often featuring models in fantasy, comic-book, and science-fiction costumes. Now, due to the pandemic, they’ve shifted to online sessions that can be enjoyed by anyone, anywhere. This life drawing session is $7 and offers quick sketch posing.

Wizard World Virtual Experiences

What: Convention
When: Friday, August 21, and Saturday, August 22; various times
Where: Virtual via Twitch, Facebook, and YouTube

If you’re getting stir-crazy, and want to connect with fandoms, Wizard World’s Virtual Experiences may be able to help bring some of the convention experience to the comfort of your home. Check the website for details regarding particular events, but know that they include a free Q&A livestream and additional options for paid experiences. This week, there are events related to Tokyo Ghoul and Smallville.

Family Story Time

What: Books, Family
When: Friday, August 21, at 10:30 a.m.
Where: Virtual via Facebook

Library story time is live in your home with the Ramsey County Library. Expect story-time staples like colorful picture books, toy props, and large easels for learning fun. Videos of the streams are available for 24 hours, so you can watch it when it works best for your schedule, and have the opportunity to hit repeat on family favorites. Check the Ramsey County Library page for other virtual events as well.

GalaxyCon Live

What: Community, Conventions
When: Saturday, August 22, and Sunday, August 23
Where: Virtual via video chat

GalaxyCon, a convention for fans of various genre properties will be returning to live virtual events throughout the summer. These events are a great way to bring the convention experience home with panels, chats, autographs, virtual shout-outs, and more. Check the website for full details and pricing information, but this week includes events for fans of Jessica Jones, Bones, Doctor Who, Wil Wheaton, and Rosario + Vampire.

Saturday Night Space Opera: Sci-Fi Westerns

What: Gaming
When: Saturday, August 22, at 6:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Zoom

Local sci-fi RPG organizers Saturday Night Space Opera will be hosting a slate of games focused around the theme of sci-fi westerns. This is a great opportunity to dip your toes in a variety of tabletop-RPG systems. As usual, rules will be taught, and pre-generated characters provided, so all one needs to do is sign up and show up for the Zoom call. Organizers will be running Troika, Dark Trails, Star Crawl, and Firefly. This event is free; see the website for schedule details and the signup link.

Pitch Perfect: Everything to Know About Pitching Stories

What: Educational
When: Sunday, August 23, at 3:30 p.m.
Where: Virtual; register for link

Tim Herrera (of Freelancing with Tim) is hosting a conversation about the art of pitching stories. This event will help creatives think of the way to sell their ideas to an audience. Tim will be joined by the author of the newsletter Approved Pitches, Rae Witte. This is a free event, however the organizer encourages attendees who enjoy the panel to provide support by subscribing to his Patreon.

Daily Events

MSP Film Society Virtual Cinema

What: Movies
When: Daily, various times
Where: Virtual via video stream

The MSP Film Society is continuing to make independent films available to the community while theaters are closed and under reduced occupancy through their virtual cinema. Check out their website for full details, including current and upcoming films, as well as ticket pricing.

Met Opera Streams

What: Theater & Comedy, Music
When: Daily, at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Virtual via video stream

Even though the Metropolitan Opera in New York has gone dark in these challenging times, the show will go on. “Each day, a different encore presentation from the company’s Live in HD series is being made available for free streaming on the Met website.” This week’s performances include Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Hansel and Gretel. Streams will be available for a full 23 hours and can also be accessed through the Met Opera On Demand apps.

Get Your Pets

What: Community
When: Daily (most days), at 3:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual via Instagram

John Hodgman, humorist, writer, actor, and Webby Award-winning podcaster best known for his performances on The Daily Show and performances as “a PC” in Apple advertisements, has been hosting a pet-focused talk show on Instagram Live. On the show, participants will video chat with the host and allow him to chat with their pets.

So, which of these events will you be attending? What events would you like to see featured in the future? Let us know in the comments section below or contact us via email. And don’t forget to add your events to the Twin Cities Geek Community Calendar!