Local Cultural Steward: Chef Yia Vang

Article by Becky Fillinger, photo provided 

We have a bounty of celebrity chefs in our area. One of the busiest and more awarded is Chef Yia Vang. He is innovative, energetic, determined, approachable and has telegenic charm. You won’t believe all the projects he has in the works – keep reading!

Q:  What a year for you - 2022 James Beard Foundation Best Chef - Midwest semifinalist; 2022 James Beard Foundation Best New Restaurant for Union Hmong Kitchen semifinalist; Two new TV shows – Stoked and Feral; New restaurant opening – Vinai; permanent restaurant stand at the Minnesota State Fair; Host of TPT’s Relish - Have I missed anything? Five years ago, could you have imagined a year such as 2022 for you?

A:  One of the new projects that we've been working on is our podcast "Hmonglish" - the interconnection between Hmong culture and American Culture. Many of us Hmong kids who grew up in America or were born here have been asking questions like “How can I be Hmong and American at the same time?” We get to dig into that question in this podcast.

In each episode of Relish, Chef Yia Vang takes viewers inside the home kitchens of local chefs as they serve up an ingredient or dish that has personal and cultural meaning to them.With that being said, I feel totally blessed to be in the position that I am in today. I always think about it this way...I'm a simple Hmong kid who grew up in central Wisconsin, loves watching the Packers play on Sundays and grilling with my dudes. I never would have seen all of this. Truly I've been blessed to be given a platform that I get to dig into my own cultural heritage and speak about it through the foods that we make. I get to talk about how a mother and father who courageously struggled and fought for each one of their kids. I get to tell their story because the truth is my story is boring...I only have a voice because they gave me the voice. I only have a story because at the end of the day it's their story and I'm merely an editor...I get to move a few commas around and switch a few letters here and there but it's about them. So, 2022 is their year and I get to show our community, our people and the world their story of grace, courage, and grit!

Q:  What a beautiful statement of gratitude. Let me shift to your new restaurant - Is there an opening date set for Vinai? Please give us up to date info on the restaurant and what we can expect once we step into your new Northeast Minneapolis establishment.  

A:  There's no open date yet...right now we're going through a few financial institutions for help to finish some of our funding. The hardest part of this process is when things move fast, they move very fast but when they slow down it becomes a crawl. We're hopeful to be able to give a clear answer in 2023.

Q:  Please tell us the premise of Stoked and Feral. How may we watch?

A:  Stoked is basically Hmong Cooking 101 over wood fire. It's a show on the Food Network that talks about the philosophy of Hmong food. We break down all the dishes to help tell the story of our people. In Stoked I draw from the memories of my father teaching me how to cook over an open fire at home. For the Hmong people cooking over wood fire is as simple as turning on a knob for your oven at home. Our people have been cooking over the fire for many generations and we wanted to be able to dig into that part of our food culture. As for Feral I can't say too much about it, but the word will be out very soon and I'm so excited to share more about the show with everyone.

Q:  How are you as one person able to manage all these projects? 

A:  The only way I'm able to manage all these projects is because I have an incredible team back at home that's managing the restaurants, catering group, and event projects. I've learned that if you surround yourself with people who believe in the vision, mission, values and goals of what you do, then it sets up everyone for success.

Q:  You must be pleased with the surge of interest in Hmong cuisine – especially since you’re leading the movement. What are the reactions you hear from the Twin Cities’ Hmong community?  

A:  Overall, I don't see myself as someone who's "leading a movement"... I believe that was going to happen no matter what. It was only a matter of time before our people had a chance to show the world what we're capable of. If you look at the history of our people, every few decades there's a movement of our people being challenged to progress forward and in those movements there's a few people that rise as "stewards" of these movements. I use the word "stewards" because I truly believe that a "steward" is someone who looks over and handles the challenges of a movement and makes sure that they leave it better than it was given to them so that the next "stewards" will be able to progress that movement forward for the betterment of the community or people.

As for the reaction of the Hmong people in what we're doing...it's mostly great reactions and comments. Many encouraging messages from them. But with every movement there will always be haters and "keyboard warriors" giving their opinions and comments. 

Q:  Please tell us how to follow all your exciting news.  

A:  You can follow us on social media on Facebook or Instagram @unionhmongkitchen and @vinaimn or on my personal ones @yiavang70 or our podcast at @hmonglishpod.

Winter is Coming

Submitted by Ric Rosow

I took this photo the morning of October 20 from the bottom of the bluff along the road leading to the Lower Lock and Dam.

Winter is Coming

Eagles and Red-Tailed Hawk at the River

Submitted by Ric Rosow

On Wednesday the 19th of October I watched and photographed two eagles and a falcon over the course ninety minutes. At first there was an eagle (the first eagle) on a rock in the middle of the river and another eagle (the second eagle) in a tree at the side of the river. After a while the second eagle flew to the rock and literally chased the first eagle away. The first eagle flew to its nest, likely the nest of both eagles, on the other side of the river in the cottonwood tree below the back of the Metal-Matic building.

In this first photograph (above) the second eagle is jumping from the tree to the rock. I have purposely darkened the area around the eagle for you to see it more easily against the water. For a long time it was splashing around in the water hunting for fish. I have a number of photos of one or the other eagle going into the water for fish, but because of the distance between me and the eagle it is hard to see the details of any of the fish they caught.

While photographing the two eagles a red-tailed hawk flew into my line of view. The second photograph (above) is of the hawk. The hawk flew upriver close to the fence on the top of the bluff and then turned to go down river over the bluff. As the hawk flew by the second eagle on the tree limb, either the hawk or the eagle cried out a loud audible screech. I'm guessing it was a warning and not a casual hello.

On Thursday morning I spotted an eagle in a tree overlooking the Mississippi River. This time I went out down by the river to see if I could get a good image from ground level. Fortunately, the eagle was still in the tree, at least for the next 47 seconds. This is the first photo I took that morning. As I was taking a fourth shot, the eagle apparently did not like the sound of the shutter and initiated flight out of the tree. The last five images I took are of the eagle launching out of the tree. Of course, my camera shutter speed was set for a "still" bird, not one in flight.

You can see more of my work ricrosowphotography.com and Tres Leches Art Gallery. Art Attack is coming up on November 2-4 at the Northrup King Building. Stop in and see some fine art in the Tres Leches Art Gallery.

Ivalas Quartet to Visit MacPhail for Weeklong Residency, Free Performance October 29

October 29th 7:00pm concert is free and open to the public. All are welcome - RSVPs are requested to reserve space.

The Ivalas Quartet, Julliard’s 2022-23 Quartet in Residence, will visit MacPhail Center for Music October 23-29 for a week as Madeline Island Chamber Music’s Emerging Artist Quartet in Residence.

Composed of violinists Reuben Kebede and Tiani Butts, violist Aimée McAnulty and cellist Pedro Sánchez, Ivalas Quartet is challenging the status quo of the classical world as they dedicate their artistry to the celebration of BIPOC voices and composers. During their time in Minneapolis, the Ivalas Quartet will visit MacPhail’s location in the Mill District, along with a number of MacPhail’s school partnership locations and a pre-forum concert at Westminster Presbyterian Church, as they connect with students and the community. The weekend culminates with a concert in Antonello Hall entitled “First Light.”

The Quartet notes, “Whether watching movies like Star Wars, reading books like Dune, stargazing, or visiting the planetarium, our quartet has always felt fascinated by outer space. In fact, a few decades ago our violist Aimée’s grandmother completed sketches and illustrated materials for the Voyager, and today we are proud to contribute to the conversation with our own craft, aided by the music of three amazing composers. We’re thrilled for you to join us in this voyage to outer space and help us think about these questions as we perform Tenebrae by Osvaldo Golijov, Eleanor Alberga’s first string quartet, and Beethoven’s op. 130.”

Must See Exhibit: Botticelli and Renaissance Florence: Masterworks from the Uffizi

Article and photos by Becky Fillinger

Botticelli and Renaissance Florence: Masterworks from the Uffizi

October 16, 2022 - January 8, 2023 at Mia

Dr. Katie LuberDr. Katie Luber, Mia’s Director and President, opened the new exhibit and called the occasion a red letter day for Mia and the nation. She was visibly touched to introduce the exhibit and called it a high point of her life. She noted that the collaboration points to the prestige of Mia to work with international partners on a new level. Why is it so important?

Mia worked extensively with the renowned Uffizi Galleries of Florence for two years to bring 45 items on loan to the exhibit.  The works include paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, decorative arts and ancient Roman marble statues, displayed in five different thematic galleries.  Some of the pieces are exhibited for the first time ever.  It is the largest and one of the most comprehensive shows on Botticelli ever staged in the United States, featuring works that rarely leave the Italian museum. Several of the works were restored for the new exhibit, unveiling hidden or obscured imagery. One drawing will only be displayed for six weeks, as it is quite fragile and must be put in dark storage again.   

The exhibit also includes works from Sandro Botticelli’s circle from 15th Century Florence – Italian Renaissance painters and sculptors, and also intersperses works from Mia’s extensive Renaissance collection.  The artwork portrays mythological creatures, religious subjects, portraits and an inner glimpse of Florentine households during the Renaissance.

Eike Schmidt 

Eike Schmidt, Director of the Uffizi Galleries, likens the exhibit and the Renaissance to a cultural collision.  Greek and Roman antiquities and philosophies are rediscovered and collide with Italian sensibilities– which produces a new course of world art, knowledge and culture. He believes that even the U.S. Constitution owes a debt of gratitude to the broad thinking of the Renaissance – where all religions and all philosophies are recognized and become important. 

Dr. Luber’s hope is that the exhibit will delight loyal and new audiences. I hope you attend, no matter your status. I was delighted! It’s magical and compelling – if you need one reason to visit – the centaurs are mesmerizing. Get a ticket and enjoy!

Pallas and the Centaur

Ancient Roman Centaur

Torso of a Dancing Faun

Gamut Gallery Announces 11th Annual Raging Art On Event

Raging Art On is Gamut Gallery’s annual holiday pop-up, featuring artwork and handcrafted gifts made by over 50 Minnesota artists!

In Person December 1 - 23 (Available online through January 10, 2023)

.

Gamut's 11th annual holiday market Raging Art On (RAO) is back again to deck your halls! Since the inception of Raging Art On in 2011, the Gamut team has hand selected the artists, leaving it up to them to choose their best of the best for the holiday pop-up shop. Always sourced locally, Gamute welcomes over 50 participants this year, some names and faces you may be familiar with from past RAO’s, plus 22 new artists. With the gallery walls filled from floor-to-ceiling showcasing original works of all price points and mediums, tick off everyone on your list in a single shopping trip at Gamut. Whether it's pottery, fiber art, paintings, prints, apparel, jewelry, or homegoods that catch your eye, everything in the collection is ready to take home with you that day.

Members of the gallery are invited to preview the festivities on Thursday, December 1st from 5pm–9pm, followed by four weeks of in person shopping open to the public. RAO will be shoppable online at gamutgallerympls.com for those who are not able to attend in person. All work will remain online to shop through January 10th.

Featured Artists: 

 Aaron Schmitz, Amit Michael, Ashtyn Sibinski, Astralchemy, Barret Lee, Bekah Worley, Benja Wuest, Black Daze, Bruno Press, Catherine Brinker, Carter Casmaer, Cassie Garner, Destiny Davison, Eli Libson, Emily Floyd, Emily Forbes, Emily Quandahl, Evan Weselmann, Genessis Lopez, Heather Renaux, Hilary Greenstein, Jorie Kosel, Josh Katzenmeyer, Juliana Ferguson (Hello Cross Stitches), Kate Johnson, Kathryn Flora, Keya Hutchins, Jenna Murphy, Jovy Rockey, Lauren Strom, Leeya Rose Jackson, Lindsee Boyer, Linnea Maas, Liza Ferrari, Madison Rubenstein, Malleus Pottery, Marne Skusa (Prajna Bodyworks), Martzia Thometz, Melissa Sisk, MK Metten, Monica Helland, Nichole Showalter, Nina Perkins (Pompa Goods), Phaedra Odelle, Rachel Schroder (Ms. Stitch), Russ White, Sander Kolodziej, Sara Kahn (Imaginary Conservatory), Sari Lennick, Scott Seekins, Sydney Newman, Tiffany Lange, and Travis J. Collins. 

Member Preview Night - Wednesday, December 1, 5-9pm

Don’t miss first dibs on your favorite pieces!

Not a Gamut Gallery member? Become one today.

•         Must be a Gamut Gallery Member to attend

RAO Pop-Up Dates: (717 S 10th St) December 2nd - December 23rd

•         In person shopping

•         Wednesdays - Saturdays, 11am- 6pm

Online Orders - December 2 - January 10, 2023

•         Shipping available nationally

•         Shop featured artworks at gamut-gallery.myshopify.com/

.

Follow on Facebook and Instagram for further details and information regarding the event. Join the Facebook Event Page. Official hashtags: #RagingArtOn # RAO2022

A few photos from the 2021 Raging Art On event:

The Gamut Gallery

.

Jason DeRusha

.

Nichole Showalter 

Changemaker: Barbara Bridges, Founder and Director, Art to Change the World

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos supplied

Barbara BridgesBarbara Bridges is a true changemaker in our community. She’s a sculptor, a mentor, an educator and a motivator. While she has been an artist and a teacher/college professor for over 40 years (her sculptures have been exhibited in Maine, Miami, the Virgin Islands, Maryland, Chicago, Mexico, Spain, Canada, and throughout Minnesota), it’s her work with Art to Change the World that demonstrates how one person can make a huge difference in one person’s life or in a community. She inspires me – how about you?  

Q:  I read on the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association (NEMAA) webpage that you're an intervenor - that any object already has a story to tell. Please tell us about your art practice as a sculptor and intervenor.

A:  I have always been attracted to objects with a history. Perhaps the patina acquired by an object which has survived for a long time in our world is a comforting contrast to the current impermanence of our digital existence. As artists, I believe we find objects already holding a story (this includes, paints, stone and inks) and then we re-combine and arrange these objects to create a new narrative. In my practice, I also like to fancy I am saving these objects from landfills by becoming the intervenor as I re-purpose, re-cycle and re-create.

Q:  You're the Founder and Director of Art to Change the World. Please tell us the history and mission of your organization. What are some of your programs?

A:  I am an intervenor in my artist life but in my professional life, I am an educator (which is just another kind of intervenor!). I was an art teacher for 20 years and then I served Bemidji State University as a professor for 20 years where I designed the first online/hybrid teacher licensure program in the nation. It is still going with over 200 students and 12 professors. I trained teachers - in a very different way. On retirement, I knew I needed to be busy and I wanted to use the skillsets I had acquired in my journey.

I dreamed of an arts organization which was inclusive of everyone. I dreamed of a social justice organization which would use Art…well…To Change the World! Currently, we have almost 500 members ages 19-103. We are a positive, non-competitive, collaborative community that supports equity practices across disciplines, cultures, age, race, economics and abilities. Our members include both established and emerging artists.

ACW is committed to recruiting youth, underserved and BIPOC members and providing them access to stipends and leadership roles. Glitter Renaissance is a new divergent under-40 group within the Art to Change the World collective.

A GoFundMe page is set up to support young ACW members and their 2022/2023 projects. Every $10 helps!

We have so many examples of programs!

2021/2022 Coaching Project for a Better World. Three youth candidates were assigned one artist and one scientist coach. Each team of three works symbiotically to develop and implement a social justice ACW project which will engage 50-100 community members. Three teams. Participants are paid $1,200 each.  $3,000.00 per team for project supplies. The power of art and science to change the conversation – and the world.

In 2019 COMPASSIONATE ARTS was ACW-facilitated artmaking project between the police, and students and faculty of South High School. SOUTH’S HEART project created a family engagement center with students, Somali and Latinx community members, administration, and school counselors. The participants were 90% BIPOC.

In 2019 we hosted INVENT/PRESENT, a “Healing from Trauma” workshop for 20 BIPOC high school age participants offered at Homewood Studios.

In 2018 ACW hosted SEE.SAY.DO. We had 700 attendees, nine performances, seven workshops, 20 artists and 20 expert voices over a two-week period. All participants were paid $250 and the event was free to attend. Artists worked with their experts to explore their art topic and 200 action promises were collected.

Q:  ACW is in the middle of a collaboration with Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO) - One River's Trash/The Same River's Treasure. Could you please tell us more about the project?

A:  Our MWMO’s Stewardship Fund Program grant leads 10 people (diverse culturally and by age) to meet, collect trash along the Mississippi and participate in an immersive curriculum unit and then create a sculpture which will be collaboratively created by Barbara and the participants themselves. The participants are: Frances Bates, Amada Marquez Simula, Greg Volker, Margo Ashmore, Annie Merrell, Neil Granlund, Katherine Boyce, Alexis Schramel, Kelly Frankenberg and Kevin Reich. Read More about the MWMO project here.

Photos from the September trash collection day:

Barbara, Kelly and Annie on the Northeast RiverKeepers boat during trash pick up day.

Q:  What's the schedule for the project?

A:  In September we collected ‘trash’ on the Mississippi River. This month, we create the artwork. In November and beyond, we show the work. Homewood Studios, 2400 Plymouth Avenue N, will premiere the work on November 11, 2022 5:00-8:00 PM. The public is invited to this ACW Happening – we can’t wait to show the works of our participants. ACW is famous for our creative snacks and beverages. This sculpture will be highly interactive and informational. Insider Tip: It is taking on a very throne-like look. There is a metaphor buried in there, I am sure!

We are seeking 1-2 month installations in public areas. The work is highly interactive and elegant and there is no fee to the venue to exhibit the works. Please spread the word on this program, and email info@arttochangetheworld.org if you would like to participate.

Q:  This project echoes your ethos to "recycle, repurpose and create." Do you hope the participants carry your beliefs forward?

A:  Absolutely. The MWMO participants will be encouraged to submit a proposal to the ACW Task Force. This is how all ACW projects start.

Q:  How may we follow your news?

A:  Please do follow our news and come to our events! Our Events and Projects page always lists ongoing projects. We’re on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

All members of planet earth are invited to receive our monthly Newsletters FREE - send a request to info@arttochangetheworld.org. Check out past Newsletters. Please note - we do not use our Newsletter list for recruiting or any other commercial purpose.

October 15 at the Mill City Farmers Market

Remember Billy Joel's song, New York State of Mind? At the October 15 Mill City Farmers Market we were in a pumpkin state of mind, starting with Market sponsor Cindy Froid's annual pumpkin give-away, which included copies of Brenda Langton's Ginger Pumpkin Soup recipe. These beauties were grown by Jeff Nistler.

This large pumpkin was for sale at the Prairie Hollow Farm stand.

A long line at Rudy's - always! Best bagel breakfast sandwiches, made to order.

 

Spoke & Weal Expands Full Service Hair Salon to Minneapolis

Article and photos by Becky Fillinger

With nine locations across the country (and soon to add Austin, TX and London) and press reviews by the oldest and best fashion and style publications, Spoke & Weal arrives in our community with a known pedigree and well deserved accolades. We attended the Grand Opening and spoke to owner/celebrity hair stylist Jon Reyman about his philosophy and why Northeast Minneapolis/Marcy-Holmes is perfect for his salon.

Q:  I am observing you work with five clients – and simultaneously teaching your staff and interns about cut and color. What is your philosophy about education?

A:  Learning was very important to me as I entered the hair and beauty industry. Making money wasn’t what drove me in the beginning. Now, I have been very successful and I very much want my stylists to be successful, but it all has to be based on a solid base of knowledge. I wanted to know (and still do) everything there was to know. I require that the quality of services at Spoke & Weal be excellent and we do that through training and career-long learning.

Client consultation

Jon with stylist Christy Hannibal

Q:  There are many hair salons - what will make Spoke & Weal stand out from other salons in Minneapolis? 

A:  We work as a team – decisions are made as a team. Perhaps other salons in Minneapolis operate on those principles as well. We will spend our time with you as a client discussing your hair – Do you love your hair every day? Do you understand your hair’s density, texture and shape? What do you want to accomplish with your hair? What is the function of your hair products – are they hydrating, moisturizing or a polymer? We won’t spend your time here discussing your dog or your vacations. You visit us for a hair consultation and we are professionals who respect that relationship. I teach our teams how to sit with a client and have a truly meaningful discussion about their hair. We take education and team work very seriously. We have weekly classes and quarterly day-long and multi-day long classes. Our team members run the salons together – in fact, we grow our salons together. Team members from New Jersey wanted to expand to Minneapolis.

Q:  Why the name Spoke & Weal?

A:  The spoke implies that we operate as a team and weal because our welfare, well-being, and prosperousness is all tied to our successful teamwork.

Q:  You’ve worked as a hair stylist for fashion runway shows around the world and red carpet events for years. Might you be involved in our local fashion events?

A:  It could happen, yes! Minneapolis is on the cutting edge of the North in terms of fashion, music and influencers. Our team members felt this was a perfect spot for our expansion.

Q:  Could you give us a few tips to help support our hair habits right now?

A:  Get a good cut, appropriate for your hair type. Narrow down your products to ones that work great for your situation. You can have healthy hair that you love every day. Talk to us – we have suggestions!

Spoke & Weal, 514 2nd Street SE, Suite 130, Minneapolis 612.463.5832

Minneapolis Central City Tunnel Project Update and Tunneling Progress Update

Project Overview

The City of Minneapolis Public Works Department is constructing a new parallel storm tunnel, enlarging a portion of the existing storm tunnel, and constructing a new tunnel access in Downtown Minneapolis. This project is anticipated to be completed summer 2023.

The new tunnel is being constructed parallel to the existing tunnel located under Washington Ave S between Nicollet Mall and Chicago Ave. The existing tunnel under Chicago Ave between Washington Ave S and the Mississippi River is being expanded to handle the increased stormwater capacity. The purpose of this project is to reduce pressure in the existing tunnel, provide more room for future growth, and to reduce the need for future repairs and tunnel failures.

Project Map

Get an inside look of tunnel mining

CBS Minnesota recently released a story on the Minneapolis Central City Tunnel project. Check out the WCCO story to learn more about the project.

Latest Project News

2nd Ave

• Crews continue tunneling the new parallel storm tunnel under Washington Ave from the new tunnel access shaft in the southbound lanes of 2nd Ave S, just north of the Washington Ave intersection.
  • The sidewalks remain open on both sides of the road.
  • The crosswalk at the Washington Ave and 2nd Ave S intersection remains open.
  • 2nd Ave S remains a single lane in each direction using the northbound lanes between Washington Ave and 1st St S.
  • Access to driveways off 2nd Ave S remain open. There may be short-term access delays while crews move equipment and materials around.

Portland Ave

• Tunneling the new parallel storm tunnel under Washington Ave continues from the existing tunnel access shaft at the northeast corner of the Washington Ave and Portland Ave intersection.
  • Pedestrian access is being maintained during this work. Please follow any posted detour routes.
  • There may be short, periodic traffic delays while crews move equipment and materials around.

Tunneling Progress

Long Term Closures/Restrictions

• The north westbound lane, bike lane, and parking lane remains closed on Washington Ave between Portland Ave and Park Ave. These closures will remain in place until the project is completed. This is necessary for the contractor to utilize the existing shaft to connect the existing tunnel to the new tunnel.
  • During this closure, pedestrians can still use the sidewalks along Washington Ave.
  • Crosswalks across Washington Ave and Portland Ave will remain open.
  • Bicyclists will share the traffic lane.
  • The existing left turn lane on Washington Ave at the Portland Ave intersection will temporarily become a left turn and through lane.
• The north sidewalk along Washington Ave remains restricted between Hennepin Ave and Nicollet Mall. The contractor will resume tunneling from the existing tunnel to the new tunnel in fall 2022.
  • During these restrictions, pedestrians share the bike lane on Washington Ave.
  • The crosswalks at the Washington Ave intersections of Nicollet Mall and Hennepin Ave remains open.

• The sidewalk on the east side of 4th Ave S remains restricted through the end of the project. The dewatering well and pumps are installed in this area.
  • Pedestrians can use the sidewalk on the west side of 4th Ave S.
  • The crosswalk at the Washington Ave and 4th Ave intersection remains open.
  • Access to driveways off 4th Ave S remains open.

• The west sidewalk of Portland Ave south of Washington Ave will remain restricted to pedestrians around the dewatering well and pumps until the project is completed.

Coming Soon

Hennepin Ave

• Later this fall, crews will resume work at the Hennepin Ave site. They will continue tunneling the new parallel storm tunnel under Washington Ave.

Mississippi River Portal

• Crews will soon resume work at the Mississippi River portal site expanding the existing storm tunnel. The parking lot and trail will be closed.

What to Expect

• Expect additional noise, dust, and vibration as crews complete work.
• Schedule is tentative and subject to change due to weather and other unforeseen circumstances.

Stay Connected

Visit the project website for more information and to sign up for project updates: https://www.minneapolismn.gov/government/projects/central-city-tunnel/

Email the project team: info@mplscentralcitytunnel.com

Contact the project hotline: 612-888-9418

Posters for Parks October 22 Event Benefits Organizations and Communities

Posters for Parks is an annual show featuring limited-edition posters inspired by Minneapolis Parks. The event is a joint venture of LoveMplsParks and the Minneapolis Parks Foundation. Your poster purchase directly benefits the local community, with 50% designated for the Parks Foundation’s People for Parks Fund to protect and preserve the award-winning Minneapolis park system and 50% going directly to the artists.

Saturday, Oct. 22, 4-8pm / Royal Foundry, 241 Fremont Ave N

Tickets are free, register on Eventbrite - Posters $45 each

.

Following the in-person show, the remaining stock will go on sale online beginning Monday, October 24 - only at PostersForParks.org.

.

In 2021, Posters for Parks raised a record $36,000, which helped the Parks Foundation make community-based equity-aligned grants throughout Minneapolis in 2022, including Minneapolis Slow Roll, swimming lessons at Webber Natural Swimming Pool and Wirth Lake, and Afro Cardio/Yoga classes at North Commons.

Local Author: Anne Ursu

Article by Becky Fillinger

Our local Minneapolis author and educator Anne Ursu has been nominated for the prestigious literary Kirkus Prize. We talked to her about the award, teaching adult writers to find the magic in their craft, the causes she supports and her feline support system.

Anne UrsuQ:  You’ve been selected as a finalist for the 2022 literary Kirkus Prize for The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy. Our collective fingers are crossed that you win this month at the Austin TX awards ceremony! Did you feel like a ‘troubled girl’ growing up, like Marya your main character, who is sent away to conform and learn to accept secondary, obedient roles in society?

A:  Thank you so much. I tried very hard to please people when I was a kid, and I definitely felt off—like I was somehow too weird, too much. It felt like just being in the world was a troubled girl’s school. Marya is very much based on the way I felt and still feel. I am very glad to see her resonating with readers.

Q:  What will winning the Kirkus award mean to you?

A:  I am just so excited to be nominated. This book means a lot to me. It really is designed to help girls see their value in the world, and to have every kid examine what the stories power tells about itself and about them. It was an incredibly difficult book to write - with both an intricate world and a mystery plot line and it took a lot of drafts to get it right.

Q:  I love the fact that you took criticism of your work – you were called an "Obscure children's book author with three cats and a murderous rage.” by a Toronto Star reporter, and made that phrase part of your Twitter bio. Do you counsel your students to face criticism head on – learn from it – but don’t let it make you cower?

A:  I confess I would probably dismiss any book reviewer that described a book of mine having a murderous rage! That feels like the sort of comment that’s more about them than the book. This particular line was actually in reference to a joke I tweeted about a new Jonathan Franzen book that I found particularly sexist, and a book reviewer wrote a column about my comment and other such criticism that I found to be hilarious, especially as there was no murderous rage in my tweet. I don’t think book reviews themselves are really for the author; they can tell me what one person thinks of a book I wrote (for better or for worse), but that doesn’t help me with the next book. The way I get better as a writer is by reading a lot and by doing the hands-on work of revision, guided by my brilliant editor and readers, and this is what I counsel my students to do. That is the work that makes us grow as writers. 

Q:  I’ve read that you have three cats, an ‘ever-growing number of cats,’ and copious numbers of cats. How many felines make their home with you?

A:  It’s actually been holding steady at four for almost ten years. The e’er-growing part came when it went from three to four (one died and we ended up getting a bonded pair) but I like to keep the door open in case more find us! (Perhaps literally.)

Q:  You’ve been teaching at Hamline University's low-residency Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults program since 2008 and have probably inspired countless other nonstudents as well. You’ve been quoted as saying, “Magic allows us to live in the land of metaphor. There are so many more stories you can tell if you use magic.” Do you help your students learn to find their own form of magic in their storytelling?

A:  One of the wonderful things about teaching is students tend to come in with magic; you just have to help them harness it. I’ve worked with such incredible writers over the years and they’ve taught me so much about what fantasy can do. I highly recommend my former student and fellow Minneapolis resident Brita Sandstrom’s brilliant debut middle grade Hollow Chest as an example.

Q:  I admire you for creating a survey in 2018 that allowed professionals in the children’s literature industry to report on sexual harassment. You didn’t do it to expose individuals, but rather to allow a spotlight to shine on unspoken truths in the industry. Have you noticed that changes have happened – for the better – since you published your survey results? 

A:  A lot of conferences changed their codes of conduct and instituted other reforms. I was quite glad to see it. The conversation around sexual harassment also seemed to center on the perpetrators, but I really wanted to put the focus on the consequences to the people who were getting harassed. There were so many writers and artists who simply stopped creating and suffered severe mental health consequences; I wanted to focus the conversation on them in hope that would create some structural change.

Q:  Will you ever revive your popular sports blog about the Minnesota Twins called bat-girl.com?

A:  Unfortunately, no. It’s hard to maintain a baseball blog and be a mom! It was a wonderful experience though and I’m still friends with some of the people I met.

Q:  Do you have any book events scheduled – signings or readings – in our area? How may we follow your news?

A:  My website is anneursu.com. Watch for updates next year on my new book, which should be out in early 2024.

-   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -

For all the cat lovers out there, Anne has shared photos of her current feline family:

Hazel

Hex

Petra

Bartleby

Kolman & Reeb Gallery Announces November 3rd Opening of Color Finds Form: Paintings by David Moore, Jr.

 Color Finds Form: Paintings by David Moore, Jr.

November 3, 2022 - January 7, 2023 

Artist Receptions November 3 and November 5

Artist Talk December 1

. 

Kolman & Reeb Gallery is pleased to welcome emerging Minneapolis artist, David Moore, Jr., to the gallery for an exhibition of his abstract paintings. The show, Color Finds Form, opens with an artist reception from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on November 3, 2022, during the Northrup King Building’s monthly First Thursday. A second artist reception will happen on Saturday, November 5, 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., during the second day of Art Attack, the Northrup King Building’s fall open studio weekend. Moore will talk about his show on December 1, 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., during December’s First Thursday. The exhibit will run through January 7, 2023. Moore will donate his sales proceeds to The Minneapolis Foundation.

Moore, a retired theater artist and philanthropist, initiated his current series of paintings in 2017 after assembling everyday objects into an evolving tableaux: old fabric, bits of lumber, plumbing, packaging, ironwork, abandoned mechanical parts, toy soldiers, and plaster reproductions of iconic figures, including a large bust of Napoleon. “These arrangements often remind me of the scale models I built decades ago when designing stage settings for theatrical productions. I incorporates a ‘set’ from this detritus, and then transcribe what I see into paintings. In the activity of rendering, I’m always checking to see if what’s happening feels true to me. I have mishaps all the time, which are stimulating for their abstract results. As my spatial and visual experience has grown, so has my rendering of color.” All of Moore’s paintings are acrylic on canvas or on paper, matted and framed.

Still Life Southwest Corner 15

For three decades Moore worked professionally on the East Coast and in the Twin Cities in theater and performing arts, starting as a stagehand and later as manager and independent producer. He moved to the Twin Cities in 1987 to lead the Playwrights’ Center. In 1996 he formed 3 Legged Race New Theater & Performance, a multi-disciplinary company premiering more than sixty original works by rising and established artists from New York, Minnesota, and elsewhere. Of the hundreds of writers and artists he has supported many today number among the most recognized and influential in the field.

Since 2007 Moore has exhibited his visual work regionally in several group shows. Previous exhibitions include, Persistence of Vision, a two-person exhibit with the late Fred Larson, at the University of Minnesota, 2015; Armature at Traffic Zone Center for Visual Art in Minneapolis, 2017; and Searching High and Low, 2019, at The Woman’s Club of Minneapolis. In 2023 he will assist the University of Minnesota’s Quarter Gallery with an exhibition celebrating Fred Larson’s work, life, and influence.

A graduate of The Putney School, Moore earned an AB in Visual and Environmental Studies from Harvard College, initially studying scenic design before switching to drawing and painting with Dimitri Hadzi and Flora Natapoff.  t the Yale School of Drama, he studied dramaturgy and dramatic criticism under Richard Gilman, Leon Katz, Stanley Kauffmann, and Lloyd Richards, for whom he served as dramaturg for Yale Repertory Theatre’s world premiere of August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. He has studied drawing and painting with Graham Nickson at the New York Studio School. At the University of Minnesota’s Department of Art, he has studied with Hartmut Austen, Meg Bussey, Sean Connaughty, Lynn Gray, Diane Katsiaficas, Alexis Kuhr, Joyce Lyon, Avigail Manneberg, and Clarence Morgan. Among Moore’s current mentors is the artist, Lisa Nankivil.

Still Life Southwest Corner 14

Moore is active in arts, education, and other nonprofit activities. He serves currently as a trustee of the Guthrie Theater, whose government affairs committee he chairs, and on the boards of the Walker Art Center, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Camargo Foundation. He is a member of the National Council for the American Theatre (Theatre Communications Group) and a former trustee of the Minneapolis College of Arts & Design and the Highpoint Center for Printmaking.

“We’re excited to open our doors to a pillar of our arts community, David Moore, Jr., who is also a thrilling, emerging artist,” says Anita Sue Kolman, co-founder and co-partner, of Kolman & Reeb Gallery. “The way in which David approaches painting is so intriguing and demonstrates that one can initiate a creative undertaking at any point in life and achieve success. We invite our gallery visitors and collectors to enjoy exploring David’s abstract works.”

Kolman & Reeb Gallery is located in Studio 395, Northrup King Building at 1500 Jackson Street NE. For more information, please visit kolmanreebgallery.com or call 612-385-4239.

Tenth Annual Cine Latino Film Festival, October 13-20, to Include Inaugural Bright New Voices Jury Competition

Article by Becky Fillinger

The 10th Anniversary Cine Latino Film Festival will be held October 13-20 at the MSP Film at The Main. The event is the Midwest’s largest showcase of the best new films from the U.S LatinX, Latin American and Iberian cinema. 

Hebe TabachnikWe talked to Hebe Tabachnik, Artistic Director for the festival, about what we can expect to see and experience at the festival, and her favorites from the twenty-five films to be screened. 

Q:  Please give us an overview of the Cine Latino Film Festival at MSP Film.

A:  This is the 10th Anniversary of the festival and we think it will ‘blow the roof off’ in terms of lively films featured, engaging filmmaker conversations and exciting parties to engage the Twin Cities’ growing Spanish-speaking populations and vast community of global cinephiles. This year's selection reflects that wealth of creativity, diversity and imagination that continues to make the region one of the richest filmmaking traditions in the world. We invite you to celebrate this milestone year with us as together, we continue fostering avenues of understanding, empathy, and respect through a shared love of film.

Q:  What is new this year?

A:  The festival will host for the first time the Bright New Voices Jury Competition, reflecting Cine Latino’s commitment to supporting and helping in the development of emerging voices of the region. This inaugural edition will feature eight debut features from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador and Spain. This year’s members of the jury will be: Juan Carlos Arciniegas - anchor and movie critic for CNN en Español's Ojo Crítico, Effie Brown - multi-award winning producer of Real Women Have Curves, Dear White People, and many others and Jayro Bustamante - Guatemalan director of the Oscar-nominated film Ixcanul, La Llorona, and many others.

Q:  Do you have favorite films from the line-up?

A:  This is a hard question to answer, but yes. Here are my picks:

ARGENTINA, 1985 Directed by Santiago Mitre, Argentina/USA, Fiction, 2022

Argentina, 1985 is inspired by the true story of Julio Strassera, Luis Moreno Ocampo and their young legal team of unlikely heroes in their David-vs-Goliath battle in which, under constant threat, they dared to prosecute Argentina’s bloodiest military dictatorship against all odds and in a race against time to bring justice to the victims of the Military Junta. It won the FIPRESCI Prize, 2022 Venice Film Festival and Audience Award at the recent San Sebastián Film Festival, and has been selected to represent Argentina at the Oscars.

.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

MY EMPTINESS AND I (Mi vacío y yo) - Directed by Adrián Silvestre, Spain, Fiction, 2022

French millennial Raphi (Raphaëlle Perez) struggles to find love, acceptance, and her place in a world not ready for the reality of being trans in this searingly honest, emotionally raw feature from writer/director Adrián Silvestre. Winner of the Maguey Award at FICG 2022 and the Outfest Grand Jury Special Mention Award for Performance in an International Feature. Raphaëlle Perez is scheduled to attend and present this film.

.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

SEDIMENTS (Sedimentos) - Spain 2021

This is a documentary about a group of six lively trans women who enjoy a scenic vacation in the Spanish countryside. It was during the shooting of this documentary that Adrián Silvestre, met Raphaëlle Perez and got inspired to do My Emptiness and I.

.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

THE PREACHER (El Rezador) - Directed by Tito Jara H., Ecuador/Colombia/Spain, Fiction, 2021

Veteran con artist Antancio di Felice meets his match when he befriends a girl with special gifts - as well as her equally unscrupulous parents - in this sharp new thriller from writer/director Tito Jara H. This is the film’s North American premiere! Tito Jara H. is scheduled to attend the festival to present the film.

.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

MIÚCHA, THE VOICE OF BOSSA NOVA - Directed by Liliane Mutti & Daniel Zarvos, Brazil/USA, Documentary, 2022

This is a lively, buoyant portrait of legendary singer/songwriter Heloïsa Buarque de Hollanda, a.k.a. Miúcha, who was taught to sing by the legendary Vinicius de Moraes, who was Chico Buarque’s sister, the longtime partner of fellow legend João Gilberto, and forever the self-made Voice of Bossa Nova. You’ll enjoy this one!

.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

FLY SO FAR - Directed by Celina Escher, El Salvador/Switzerland, Documentary, 2021

After serving ten years behind bars for her miscarriage, considered by her government to be an act of aggravated murder, Teodora Vásquez becomes a spokesperson for the other 16 Salvadoran women behind bars for the same “crime” in this story of sorority, resilience, and solidarity. Winner of the Ibero-American Grand Jury Prize, 2021 Seattle Int’l Film Festival. Director Celina Escher is scheduled to attend the festival to present the film.

.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

WALLS CAN TALK (Las paredes hablan) - Directed by Carlos Saura, Spain, Documentary, 2022

From the cave paintings of Altamira and Lascaux to the graffiti-covered walls of Barcelona, the new documentary from legendary director Carlos Saura (Cria Cuervos, Flamenco, Blood Wedding), takes us on a vivid and colorful trip through humankind’s timeless desire for expression and the massive stone canvases that make it possible. This is the film’s North American premiere! 

Q:  These films sound so wonderful. How do we purchase tickets and stay current on news about the festival?

A:  Purchase tickets here. We look forward to seeing you at the festival! Follow news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

All-Indigenous Team Creates Operatic Film to Honor Zitkála-Šá

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided

Perhaps you are unfamiliar with Zitkála-Šá? I’m going to venture a guess that most of us are unaware of this trailblazing person in U.S. history. Well, get ready to learn more. October 14 is the debut of an original film, Mináǧi kiŋ dowáŋ: a Zitkála-Šá opera (“My Spirit Sings” in Dakota), to honor her life and legacy. The work was born through a conversation between director/artistic producer Sequoia Hauck (Anishinaabe, Hupa) and Kelly M. Turpin, founder of the local company, An Opera Theatre (AOT). The project is produced and presented by AOT.

Sequoia (they/them) shared the following information about Zitkála-Šá and how this project will honor her.

Sequoia HauckThe question always is, why this project, why now? We created this and picked Zitkála-Šá because some people were unaware of her life and legacy; I didn’t even know who she was before this. We realized that if they knew of her, it was as the first Native person to write an opera, full stop. Yet I feel strongly that defining her by this one artistic act is short-sighted. To show her as a whole person is important, and doing so is a way of acknowledging that Native people are still here, will always be here, and will continue to be here. We just hope to celebrate Indigenous people and indigeneity from now until the end of time.

Zitkála-Šá, meaning Red Bird, was a Yankton Sioux Dakota writer, editor, translator, musician, educator, and activist. She wrote several works chronicling her struggles with cultural identity, and these were some of the first to bring Native American stories to the white majority culture. She performed in the Oval Office in 1900, premiered an opera in 1913, co-founded the National Council of American Indians in 1926, and is actually buried not far from JFK. She is noted as one of the most influential Native Americans of the 20th Century. Our creative team believes that her story should be more widely known and celebrated today and not be allowed to pass away over time.

Mináǧi kiŋ dowáŋ: a Zitkála-Šá (“My Spirit Sings” in Dakota) - the original operatic film debuts on October 14 at Water Works Park in Minneapolis. The following week, three more screenings will take place at Indigenous Roots Cultural Center. The underlying opera was created by an all-indigenous team.

Jaysalynn Western Boy (singing artist) in a still clip from the film shown walking next to the Birch Lodge at Prairie Island Indian Community

We made the creative decision to turn the opera into a film so that it will be easier to share this story with communities far beyond these Twin Cities premieres. We’re proud of the stunning cinematography, visual illustrations, and music that complement the operatic storyline. Additionally, almost a third of the libretto is translated and will be sung in Dakota because we are committed to preserving the language. As an indigenous team, we created this piece using our own process, not the linear, prescriptive ways Western culture dictates we should, so this is a truly unique expression of our culture, values, and way of being in community in more ways than one.

Zitkála-Šá’s writing and advocacy paved the way for contemporary Indigenous people. It continues to uplift Indigenous leadership, arts, and culture and underscores its important impact.  Our intention is that audiences will learn the inspiring ways in which Zitkála-Šá’s art and actions reflected her desire to leave the world a better place than the one she was born into and will leave feeling inspired to let others know about this important person and her powerful story. More background and info can be found at www.anoperatheatre.org.

Event Information: 

Water Works Park, 333 1st Street S 

- October 14, 7:30 pm (no tickets required) *ASL interpreted.

- Guests are encouraged to bring blankets, chairs, and a picnic.

.

Indigenous Root Cultural Center, 788 E 7th Street, St. Paul

- 75 pay-as-able tickets are available per show. Performances presented in English and Dakota with closed captioning and translations.

- October 21 and 22, 7 pm: A community festival with food and art vendors,  music, and artist roundtables and 8 pm screening.

- October 23, 4 pm Community festival, 5 pm screening *ASL interpreted.

.

Artistic Team:

· Sequoia Hauck (Anishinaabe, Hupa), creative producer & director

· Lyz Jaakola (Fond du Lac Anishinaabe), composer

· Hannah Johnson (Anishinaabe-Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe), librettist

· Moira Villiard (Fond du Lac direct descendent), visual artist

.

Cast:

· Adrienne Zimiga-January (Oglala Lakota)

· Emmy Her Many Horses (Sicangu and Oglala Lakota, Citizen of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe)

· Jagger Ripley-Jaakola (Arikara/Anishinaabe/Santee descendant)

· Jaysalynn Western Boy (Bdewákhaŋthuŋwaŋ k’a Thíthuŋwaŋ/Thíŋta wíta oyáŋke) 

New Local Book: “When Minnehaha Flowed with Whiskey: A Spirited History of the Falls”

Article by Michael Rainville, Jr.

Above, Karen E. Cooper and the book cover of When Minnehaha Flowed with Whiskey: A Spirited History of the Falls. Graphic courtesy of Ice House MPLS

Front view of one of Robert E. Fischer's sand art works depicting Minnehaha Falls, courtesy of MNHSIn August of 2022, the Minnesota Historical Society Press published a book by Karen E. Cooper about the lively history of Minnehaha Falls, one of Minneapolis’ treasures. Cooper, once a resident of Minnehaha Parkway, is an avid collector of all things Minnehaha, including over 1,000 images of the falls and its surroundings. She has dedicated a great amount of time researching, studying, and giving tours about the history of the falls, its landscape, and the many people who have lived around and visited Minnehaha. This is evident in her new book. She leaves no stone unturned as she travels through time from the early 1800s when Fort Snelling was established through the beginning of the next century when the Minnehaha Park we all know and love was starting to take shape.

When Minnehaha Flowed with Whiskey is full of raucous, liquored-up stories that Cooper brings together to give readers a sense of what living in Minneapolis in the 19th century was like, the good and the bad. One of the stories I found particularly interesting is about sand art. While there are still many sand artist throughout the country today, that art form was very popular in the 19th century. One of the more popular sand artists was Andrew Clemens, who was born in Iowa and made breathtaking art that was coveted by many. In 1889, a dime museum in Saint Paul hosted a show featuring the work of Clemens, who also was on hand to showcase his work.

Back view of the same art piece, courtesy of MNHSMinnehaha Falls attracted many entrepreneurs and people who were trying to make a quick buck. Stands selling many types of souvenirs to the tourists at the falls were a common site in the later half of the 19th century, and one man decided to try his hand at making and selling sand art, perhaps inspired by the popularity of Andrew Clemens. That man was Robert E. Fischer, a onetime park policeman, park board member, and sand artist. Fischer learned the craft of sand art from a man by the name of Luther Melvin Hyde, also known as L. Mel. He would have attended the dime museum to witness Andrew Clemens create his art according to author Karen E. Cooper, and L. Mel in turn passed down his knowledge to Fischer.

Fischer claims to have created over 45,000 pieces in his day, including those of Minnehaha Falls that he sold as souvenirs. He eventually moved out west to create sand art of picturesque scenes around Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks, using sand found in those locations. If sealed properly, sand art can last for a very long time. However, it can be difficult to track down those works of art that have stayed in a good condition. Fortunately, local institutions have acquired some of his work, such as the Minnesota Historical Society and the Hennepin History Museum, which put on an exhibition on Fischer’s work from March 20th, 2019 to May 31st, 2019 titled “Robert Emil Fischer: The Sand Man of Minnehaha Falls.”

The story of Robert E. Fischer and many others can be found throughout this fascinating, new book, When Minnehaha Flowed with Whiskey: A Spirited History of the Falls. Karen E. Cooper has done an outstanding job at compiling the remarkable history of Minnehaha Falls and its surroundings. Saying this book is a page-turner is an understatement. If you’re a local history buff, want a glimpse into Minneapolis past, or love taking strolls along Minnehaha Creek, this book is a must-have.

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -   

About Michael Rainville, Jr.

A 6th generation Minneapolitan, Michael Rainville Jr. received his B.A. in History from the University of St. Thomas, and is currently enrolled in their M.A. in Art History and Certificate in Museum Studies programs. Michael is also a historic interpreter and guide at Historic Fort Snelling at Bdote and a lead guide at Mobile Entertainment LLC, giving Segway tours of the Minneapolis riverfront for 7+ years. Contact: mrainvillejr@comcast.net. Click here for an interactive map of Michael's past articles.

Quorum's 2022 National Coming Out Day Luncheon is October 14th, Featuring Keynote Speaker, Jack Jablonski

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided

Rebecca WaggonerNational Coming Out Day (NCOD) commemorates the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in October 1979. The first official celebration of NCOD was in 1988.  The day recognizes that homophobia thrives in silence and it is a time celebrate the history of the LGBTQ+ movement and its champions. Quorum, Minnesota's LGBTQ+ and Allied Chamber of Commerce, is holding its annual National Coming Out Day Luncheon on October 14. We talked to Rebecca Waggoner, Executive Director, about what to expect and how to get tickets.

Q:  Why is it important to still celebrate ‘coming out’?

A:  National Coming Out Day celebrations still matter because coming out and living your authentic truth still matters. Not just for me personally, but for all those who came out before me and will continue to come out after me. Coming out is an act of courage that needs to be celebrated and honored and is often a chance to stop hiding and start living. National Coming Out Day is an opportunity to celebrate who we are and who we love. We also come out to potentially help that person who is struggling with their sexual orientation or identity begin the journey to experience the joy of living their genuine and true self.

Q:  What can we expect at Quorum’s luncheon on October 14?

Jack Jablonski

A:  Every year Twin Cities Quorum hosts the National Coming Out Day (NCOD) Luncheon, the nation's largest event commemorating NCOD, with local and national leaders sharing their stories of coming OUT.

We know by honoring the stories of our community members, by listening, we build understanding. When we bring businesses to the table we build partnerships, we build allies, and we build a more beloved community.

This year Quorum is pleased to welcome Jack Jablonski as a keynote speaker. Eleven years ago, Jack brought Minnesotans together to pray for his swift and speedy recovery from a severe injury he incurred while playing hockey. As Jack continued along his path of recovery, he touched the hearts of countless Minnesotans with his perseverance and continued tenacity. Jack’s bravery in the face of unmatched adversity continues to impact the lives of many through the Jack Jablonski Foundation. We’re so pleased to welcome him home and hear his story of accepting himself and coming out proudly as a member of the LGBTQ community.

There are additional NCOD speakers too:

· Hildie Edwards, a trans actor/performer who advocates for affirmation and celebration of trans kids. (NOTE: She is 12 years old and adorable!)

· Chelsey Falzone, Minnesota Twins Manager of Youth Engagement

· Quinn Villagomez, Proud Transgender Latina broadcast journalist, LGBT media personality, host and MC

· Mike Marcotte, Executive Producer at KSTP-TV-Twin Cities Live

· B. Kyle, President/CEO, St. Paul Chamber of Commerce

Q:  What are the event details?

The Luncheon takes place Friday, October 14, 11:45am – 1:15pm, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, 1300 Nicollet Mall. Click here for Tickets.

Tickets - $60 members/$75 non-members

Vendor Tables - $150 members/$175 non-members (includes 1 Luncheon ticket)

.

Q:  Any closing thoughts for our readers?

A:  We hope you will join us as our community celebrates the strength, courage and wisdom of LGBTQ+ and Allied people who have braved their own unique journeys to now live openly and authentically...and with pride.

Fall Street Sweeping Begins Tuesday, October 18

Excerpt from the October 6 City of Minneapolis e-news:

Crews are preparing to sweep streets across Minneapolis this month and November to clean the streets before winter. Street sweeping keeps leaves and debris out of the storm drains and from ending up in our lakes and rivers as much as possible.

Minneapolis Public Works will begin the big task of curb-to-curb street sweeping throughout the city Tuesday, Oct. 18.

During the four weeks of the comprehensive fall street sweep, crews will clean about 1,000 miles of city streets. To make sure crews can do the best job possible, temporary “No Parking” signs will be posted at least 24 hours in advance so streets will be clear of cars when they’re swept. The first signs will be posted Monday, Oct. 17, and sweeping will begin the next day. Anyone who parks on the street will need to follow posted parking rules or their cars may be ticketed and towed.

Learn more about street sweeping and how to stay informed. 

Third Avenue Bridge and Father Hennepin Bluff Park Projects Updates

Submitted by Doug Verdier

Excellent weather conditions enabled construction crews on both the Third Avenue Bridge and Father Hennepin Bluff Park projects to move along well.

The four tower cranes were removed from the bridge project a couple weeks ago, but smaller mobile cranes picked up the slack as additional concrete repairs on the bridge arches and one of the bridge bases continued. The photos that follow illustrate the sort of work being done in the past week.

Smaller and more mobile cranes were positioned in a variety of places on the bridge deck as needed for the work going on. Notice the red U-shaped steel device that is lowered by crane and inserted between spandrels to perform certain operations on the sides of the vertical spandrels and above where the lower section is inserted. Also visible in this image is the dried up spillway that has been created to permit work on the base of the pier above.

A closer look at the red platform being inserted between spandrels.

Temporary work platforms provide workers access to the underside of the bridge and arches so they can remove damaged concrete and make repairs. These also serve as the first layer of environmental protection, keeping debris from falling into the river while the contractors do their work. The area around the bridge pier base on the right in this photo is being prepared for a new reinforced concrete exterior to be constructed to a depth below the normal water line. Forms can be seen in place on a temporary crushed rock area surrounding the pier prior to being placed on the pier base over the steel reinforcing rods that have been put in place.

Meanwhile, at Father Hennepin Bluff Park, a variety of new trees are being planted as part of the overall landscaping plan.

With the new park outdoor pavilion nearing completion, a worker is putting mulch around the base of one of the many newly planted trees. More landscaping in this area continues. The side of the new performance stage is visible behind the worker planting the tree, while restrooms are in the back of the structure near the yellow door and worker in a yellow shirt.

New pathways are being installed throughout the park. This image shows a section of the path and a couple of new trees.

Unrelated to these two projects, but definitely worth sharing:

The brilliant red of the maple tree along Main Street near the iron bridge to Nicollet Island Inn jumps out at anyone passing by. Pedestrians, bicyclists, and even a couple vehicles stopped at the intersection to take photos. It’s a great relaxing place to just pause and enjoy nature and Fall in Minnesota.

Building Bridges of Communication: Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project

Article by Becky Fillinger

Jessica Belt Saem EldahrOn March 20th, 2003, U.S. forces invaded Iraq. The war and occupation came to an end when the last U.S. troops left on December 18, 2011. Over 4700 U.S. and allied troops died in the war and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians were killed, the exact number is unknown. The Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project (IARP) was formed in 2007 to build bridges and a more peaceful and just world. We talked to Jessica Belt Saem Eldahr, Artistic and Programs Director, to learn more about the mission and programs of the organization.

Q:  Please tell us the history and impacts of the Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project.

A:  Early in the war, a group of colleagues and local peace activists, started IARP as a way to build bridges of communication, understanding, and support between the people of Iraq and the people of the U.S. Working with an Iraqi nonprofit Muslim Peacemaker Teams, the group started protesting the war, hanging art (carried in suitcases from Iraq) across Minneapolis in coffee shops, and funding water filters for Iraqi schools.  When the group realized the overwhelming level of destruction of Iraq’s infrastructure and the devastating toll on its society after years of sanctions, war, and continuing occupation, they decided to incorporate as a nonprofit organization. They knew this would be a long-term commitment to the people of Iraq. In 2009, IARP worked with the City of Minneapolis to nurture a resolution, unanimously passed by the Minneapolis City Council, to become Sister Cities with Najaf, Iraq. Since then, we  have coordinated numerous exchanges and educational programs between Americans and Iraqis as part of the Sister City relationship with Najaf. More than 50 Iraqis visited Minneapolis through the relationship, including artists, teachers, students, medical professionals, business professionals, and government officials.

Attendees at the 2022 Sister Cities Day learned about other cultures.

Over the years, the IARP community has humbly attempted to address the horrors and injustices of the US-led war and occupation of Iraq and its continued legacy in Iraq today. Through the Water for Peace program, thousands of Iraqi children gained access to clean water. The program also involved hundreds of Americans in personal exchanges with Iraqis, through letter and photo exchanges at churches, schools and other organizations across the country.  Now Humanitarian Projects for Peace, this project continues to make an impact in Iraq through the distribution of hygiene kits, Ramadan food baskets, restocking of the bookshelves at the University of Mosul library, and collaborations with Iraqi nonprofits who are meeting the needs of their community.

Iraqi Voices Lab

IARP's Iraqi Art Project, born out of carrying artworks in suitcases, presents Iraqi and American visual art, film, music, poetry, bookmaking, and theater, bringing Iraqi and American artists, storytellers, and audiences together in meaningful dialogue. Exhibits featuring Iraqi and Iraqi American artists have reached tens of thousands across the Twin Cities, rural Minnesota, and the Midwest. The Iraqi Voices Lab, which gives Iraqi refugees and immigrants in Minnesota an artistic platform to share their stories, has harnessed the power of art to create spaces for dialogue, combat rising xenophobia and Islamophobia, and provides the Iraqi Minnesotan community access to artistic platforms to express themselves as individuals and as a community.

In the spring of 2016, we established the People to People program to respond the prevalence of dangerous public rhetoric against Muslims, refugees, and immigrants. The People to People program facilitates cultural, language, professional and personal exchanges, creating spaces for Iraqis and the general U.S. public to meet and learn from one another. The program also celebrates, preserves, and shares the richness and complexity of Iraqi culture. These have included cooking classes, the first Iraqi cultural booth at the Festival of Nations, and events featuring Iraqi food, music, dance, and more.

IARP is an organization led by and for Iraqis and Americans learning and working together to live in a peaceful and just world.

Q:  Your projects are so commendable – do you have upcoming events?

A:  Yes!

• Afro-Iraqi Rituals: Stigma, Discrimination, and Resilience, October 8, 11:00am: Afro-Iraqis have been subjected to oppression, racism, and discrimination. This panel, co-presented by IARP and the Lotus Cultural Women’s League, explores the significance of Afro-Iraqi rituals and Afro-Iraqis’ resilience in facing stigmatization and discrimination in Iraq. Interpretation will be provided in English and Arabic. Register here to receive the Zoom link.

• From our friends at the Jungle Theater: King Gilgamesh & the Man of the Wild will open at the Jungle on December 31, 2022 and run through January 8, 2023.  A collaboration between Toronto-based musician/actor Ahmed Moneka and actor/writer Jesse LaVercombe with Chicago playwright and director Seth Bockley, this two-man epic reanimates the world’s oldest written narrative with maqam-style Iraqi music and 21st century biography, highlighting Moneka’s own exile from Baghdad. King Gilgamesh fuses highly physical theatre, soul-filled musical expression, ancient text and intimate storytelling, illuminating the tale’s eternal mysteries of mortality and the universal balm of friendship.  It’s a short run but something you won’t want to miss!

Q:  How may we stay up to date with your events and programs?

A:  Please follow us on social media, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You may also sign up for our newsletter through our website.