Staffpicks

Feb. 11 - 12 Louisville Loves Mountains Week Heine Brothers’ Douglas Loop, Feb. 11 Frankfort State Capitol, Feb. 12 kftc.org, 589-3188 Free; 6-8 p.m. Wed., 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Thur. The coffee shop as a site of community organizing and political discourse. The mountaintop as a sacred site. Creativity — poetry and art — as means to envisioning and achieving a better world. Are you with me? If so, connect with Kentuckians for the Commonwealth at Heine Brothers’ on Douglass Loop Wednesday 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. to make posters for the 10th Annual I Love Mountains Day. On Thursday, take your message to Frankfort with some of the 7,500 members of KFTC as they march, rally and lobby Frankfort to end mountaintop removal and move toward a clean energy future that provides good, safe jobs and healthy communities. For info on the U of L bus and carpooling to the capitol, visit kftc.org. —Laura Snyder

THROUGH FEB. 14 ‘Surrogate Surface’ by Nathaniel Hendrickson Swanson Contemporary 638 E. Market St., 589-5466 swansoncontemporary.com Over the years, few artists have impressed me with their knowledge and understanding of art like local artist Nathaniel Hendrickson. He has a complex comprehension of the historical context of art and has proven that he can tackle difficult subjects through his paintings, sculptures and installations. In his newest show, “Surrogate Surface,” Hendrickson tackles his interest in the complexities of the mind, the political and subversive nature of art, and what he sees as “the nonthreatening tendencies of abstraction.” If art is a minefield for subversion, then Nathaniel Hendrickson is attempting to seed the field. Go see his new show, and don’t worry about where you step; subversive mines are good for the soul. —Chasson Higdon

THURSDAY, FEB. 12 ‘Through the Eyes of the Royals’ Kentucky Center for the Arts 501 W. Main St., 584-7777 speedmuseum.org Free for members, $10 general admission; 6:30 p.m. Anglophiles, start your engines. The Speed Art Museum is globetrotting again with “Through the Eyes of the Royals: the Queen’s Pictures from Henry VIII to Elizabeth II.” Attendees will probably be the closest they will ever get to Queen Elizabeth II and the current darlings of the British monarchy, Prince William and Duchess Catherine, as lecturer Desmond Shawe-Taylor is the Surveyor of the Queen’s Pictures, the person responsible for the art in the royal collection. The lecture has a lot of territory to cover. Spread out among the numerous royal residences, the over 7,000 pieces owned by the monarchy include works by Rembrandt, Gainsborough and the largest collection of drawings and notebooks by Leonardo da Vinci. —Jo Anne Triplett

Thursday, Feb. 12 Sayed Kashua Ekstrom Library, U of L 2215 S. Third St., 852-6842 louisville.edu Free; 3 p.m. What’s the relationship between humor and communities in conflict? That’s just one question for which Sayed Kashua can provide a definitive answer. An Israeli writer in many forms — novels, newspaper columns, television screenplays — Kashua sees the life of Jews and Arabs in Israel as a very human condition that’s ripe for satire. U of L’s Jewish Studies program is bringing in this very popular award-winner to give a talk entitled “The Foreign Mother Tongue: Living and Writing as a Palestinian in Israel.” He often writes tongue-in-cheek style in Hebrew — but can and will tell it like his sharp eye sees it in Arabic, too. He skillfully treads the ethnic divide to address potentially explosive topics such as assimilation. The talk is free, but reservations are requested: sayed-kashua.eventbrite.com. —T.E. Lyons

Friday, Feb. 13 ‘Who Says Romance is Old Fashioned’ Copper And Kings 1111 E. Washington St. whosaysromanceisoldfashioned.eventbrite.com $5; 7-11 p.m. Nothing says romance like chocolate, music, art and cocktails. All of these will be on hand at this enchanting Copper and King event. Woo your valentine while you enjoy in the music of Dane Waters and French Lounge, the sights of the new art exhibit in the Distillery Gallery featuring historic photos of our beloved Butchertown, and the flavors of Rye on Market’s light hors d’oeuvres as well as delightful Brandy Chocolate Chiméres from Art Eatables. A “Build Your Own Old Fashioned Bar” will be featured to allow your creative spirit to impress your sweetheart with mixology skills. The music performance will take place from 8:30-10:30 p.m. —J. Cobb

Through Feb. 28 ‘The Nightmare Before Valentine’s Day’ Art from the Heart Gallery 902 E. Washington St., 314-8410 facebook.com/ArtFromTheHeartPublishing Art from the Heart Gallery is presenting a Valentine’s Day themed art show that envisions a whimsically dark, alternative view of the sweet and flowery holiday. The exhibit features the works of two lovely couples — Ryan and Bridget Case of Sink or Swim Art Studio and Tony and Jada Lynn Dixon. For both couples, art is a way of life, and it shows in their vibrant and prolific works. The Case’s work focuses on iconic imagery and poetry to make a social commentary, while the Dixons utilize classical mythology to tell warped stories of love and relationships. The opening reception will be 7-11 p.m. on Friday the 13th (perfect day.) The Gallery is open Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and by appointment. —J. Cobb

Feb. 13-14 ‘Val Caniparoli’s A Cinderella Story’ Louisville Ballet Kentucky Center for the Arts 501 W. Main St., 584-7777 louisvilleballet.org $32+; 8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sat. It’s about time that Cinderella got a wardrobe change. Forget the dusty, dingy Ella of the past, with a ball gown supplied by her fairy godmother and a glass slipper that won’t stay on her foot. “A Cinderella Story,” choreographed by Val Caniparoli (who also did “Spaghetti Western,” “The Seasons” and “The Brown-Forman Nutcracker” for the Louisville Ballet), is an updated version set in the 1950s with Richard Rodgers music, vintage-style costumes and mid-century modern sets. Even the names have been modernized. Cinderella is now Nancy, who meets her prince, Bob (really — Prince Bob?), at an Arthur Murray Dance Studio. The result is a musical “Mad Men” on Broadway, with plenty of ballet and ballroom dancing to make it a swingin’ performance. —Jo Anne Triplett

SATURDAY, FEB. 14 The Apache Relay Zanzabar 2100 S. Preston St., 635-9227 zanzabarlouisville.com $10-$12; 9 p.m. The Apache Relay mixes the past and the present of sugary folk-rock, sounding something like if My Morning Jacket’s gentle psychedelia was stylized for early-60s American Bandstand. They’re not doing anything that hasn’t been done, but they don’t sound redundant either, kind of fitting into an odd-ball scene that’s just familiar enough, but far enough away to feel fresh — or at least something we could use more of. They’ve opened for Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers and Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, but these guys are doing something that feels more authentic and impactful than any of those bands. So, go see them in a small venue. —Scott Recker

SATURDAY, FEB. 14 ‘Art of Love’ The Little Loomhouse 328 Kenwood Hill Road, 367-4792 littleloomhouse.org Free; 12-4 p.m. Every couple hopes their love is as permanent as a tattoo. Love and ink are the themes of “Art of Love,” an exhibition of tattoo-inspired “love art” by Suzanne Edds and Gary Bell of Liberty Tattoo and Art Parlor. In addition to the artwork, visitors can also enjoy a chocolate bar and get free, non-permanent henna tattoos from painter Beth Amos. “Art of Love” is part of an artist-of-the-month series The Little Loomhouse is hosting throughout 2015. The art will be on sale at the organization’s gift shop for a month, but the artists will only be available to discuss their work on opening day. Not a bad way to start off Valentine’s Day. —Michael L. Jones

Feb. 15-21 A Taste of Yoga Rainbow Blossom Natural Food Market 3046 Bardstown Road, 498-2340 rainbowblossom.com Free; times vary Finding (and attending) the right yoga class will change your life for the better. I leave my class feeling like I’ve had deep tissue massage, a powerful cardio and strength-building workout and psychotherapy. For others, the takeaway may be a simple feeling of happiness and connection with the world around them. For those who might be overwhelmed with the options or too stressed out and tired to find the right class, Rainbow Blossom is offering a sampling of the styles of yoga offered in Louisville with 20 free classes. Classes offered will range from those for beginners to advanced students, prenatal to toddlers, seniors and caregivers, yin to sridaiva. Full schedule is at rainbowblossom.com. Try one or all. Om! —Laura Snyder

Monday, Feb. 16 Trivia for Planned Parenthood Zanzabar 2100 S. Preston St., 635-9227 zanzabarlouisville.com $7; 7 p.m. Anyone can play Trivia Crack on their phones, or Trivial Pursuit at their kitchen table. But this is Zanzabar, and there will be sexy trivia only Planned Parenthood can provide. In full disclosure, I am on the Planned Parenthood Board of Directors and find it to be one of the most valuable organizations around, one that serves thousands of people with sex education, health and preventative health services, and primarily those who need the most help and guidance. This is an opportunity to have a lot of fun and give a little support that will go a long way for Kentucky. It’s Monday night. There’s no basketball on, nobody that matters to the Cards or Cats anyway ... good night to play some adult-rated trivia and support Planned Parenthood. — Aaron Yarmuth

TUESDAY, FEB. 17 Billy Goat Strut Revue The New Vintage 2126 S. Preston St., 749-4050 newvintagelouisville.com Free; 8 p.m. Whether it’s a careful croon or blazing swing, Billy Goat Strut Revue seems to always radiate charisma. Their style — which they describe as “bourbon jazz” — leans heavily on New Orleans-style Dixieland, but it has strong undercurrents from those geographic roots-music sensibilities that seem unshakeable — and they’re all the better for it. They’re a fun band to watch live, because each members playing seems to tell a story. They clearly have different musical backgrounds. Different interests. You know, the things that make bands more interesting and less predicable. —Scott Recker