Photo courtesy of www.themoth.org I’m noticing a lot of literary events that don’t look much like traditional readings – and it’s about damned time. There’s a frequent rotation of competitions these days: L.A.-based Literary Death Match has been making regular Twin Cities appearances for years now, and story and poetry slams are huge around here […]
Article · June 24, 2013 by Susannah Schouweiler
Midway neighborhood. Photo courtesy of Paul Dickinson I know what I’m doing this Saturday afternoon: “Punk Poet” Paul Dickinson (founder of the Riot Act Reading series) is hosting “Midway on My Mind,” an idiosyncratic cultural tour of St. Paul’s University Avenue. A native of the Hamline-Midway area, Dickinson will regale the group with stories from […]
Article · June 19, 2013 by Susannah Schouweiler
Installation view of “String, Felt, Theory.” Photo courtesy of the MMAA Walk in the door of Minnesota Museum of American Art’s new exhibition, “String | Felt | Theory,” and you’re assaulted by color. Just left of the entry way, Liz Miller’s “Sublime Retaliation Scheme” is suspended from the ceiling by thin wires — draped garlands of […]
Article · June 17, 2013 by Susannah Schouweiler
Minnesota Opera’s Opera Under the Stars concert performances of “La Boheme” will run June 14, 15 and 16. Minnesotans are in for a rare treat this weekend, weather permitting*. Minnesota Opera is offering an Opera Under the Stars series of free outdoor concerts, beginning with a performance on St. Paul’s Harriet Island Friday evening. Saturday […]
Article · June 12, 2013 by Susannah Schouweiler
Sketch by Chris Park, a selected artist in the 2011 iteration of the “Lowertown Sketchbook.” Photo courtesy of Springboard for the Arts Here’s an intriguing opportunity for St. Paul artists: Springboard for the Arts (a Knight Arts grantee) just announced a call for submissions of illustrations for “Lowertown Sketchbook,” paying homage to the city’s storied […]
Article · June 5, 2013 by Susannah Schouweiler
Have you heard of St. Paul-based writer Wang Ping’s “Kinship of Rivers” project? It’s an ongoing interactive public art endeavor intended “to build kinship among communities along the Mississippi and Yangtze, and bring awareness to the river’s ecosystem through art, literature, music, food and installations of river-flags made by river communities.” Spurred by a decade […]
Article · June 3, 2013 by Susannah Schouweiler
Twin Cities Public Television (tpt) recently announced the launch of Open Air, a new initiative intended to deepen audience engagement and diversity and to broaden the reach and variety of local programming – through original web-only and broadcast material, as well as live events. The station hopes to partner with the local arts community to […]
Article · May 29, 2013 by Susannah Schouweiler
Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra at the Ordway. Photo courtesy of SPCO Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (a Knight Arts grantee) returned home to the Ordway the weekend of May 24, 25 and 26, after several post-lockout concerts in neighborhood venues around the Metro area. The show featured a world premiere commission by German composer and conductor […]
Article · May 28, 2013 by Susannah Schouweiler
I’m going to swap my journalist’s hat for that of an advocate today, but it’s in the service of a good cause (and one, full disclosure, in which I’m a participant as part of my day job with mnartists.org): Northern Spark, the one-night-only, nuit blanche-style, public arts festival will be held in St. Paul’s Lowertown […]
Article · May 21, 2013 by Susannah Schouweiler
ArtPrize 2012 – overhead shot of the exhibition in Grand Rapids, Mich. last fall. Photo: Brian Kelly Photography In my experience, local artists are pretty savvy about tapping Minnesota-based resources for funding, creating and showing work. And that’s for good reason: thanks to our taxpayer-funded Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and a bevy of independent […]
Article · May 20, 2013 by Susannah Schouweiler
Minnesota History Center’s annual vintage dress-up party, RetroRama, is this week. This year’s shindig isn’t themed on a specific time period, but rather “classic” fashion: “a perfect pair of jeans, an heirloom hand knit sweater, a gorgeous belt burnished with age, or vintage khakis. …your grandmother’s little black cocktail dress, or [for him]… a great […]
Article · May 15, 2013 by Susannah Schouweiler