The Minnesota Valley Chapter of the Izaak Walton League is hosting an open house Sunday, Aug. 9, from 1 to 4 p.m. at its chapter house, 6601 Auto Club Road, for a new photography exhibit called "A River Runs Through It: The Mississippi in the Urban Core."
The show, by St. Paul photographer David Wheaton, focuses on the stretch of river between downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul, capturing what organizers describe as imagery that's "at once urban and unexpectedly wild." Wheaton is a retired vice president for administration and finance at Macalester College.
The exhibit hangs at the chapter's Kouba Gallery, an all-volunteer space that puts on a new show most months, mixing photography, painting and sculpture around themes of conservation and the human relationship with nature. Regular open houses fall on the second Sunday of each month; visitors can also arrange a private viewing by contacting the gallery directly.
The chapter itself sits along nearly a quarter mile of Minnesota River frontage in Bloomington, and its mission leans hard into that geography — members describe themselves as a mix of conservationists, educators, scientists and artists working on everything from fen restoration to youth environmental programs. A river-themed photo show fits squarely into that wheelhouse, even if this particular river is the Mississippi rather than the one running past their own back door.
There's no admission charge to walk through the gallery during open house hours.