Podcasts about juxtaposition arts

FX's hit show “Reservation Dogs” is coming to a close this week but in its three seasons it has been a breakthrough for Native representation in mainstream media. That's thanks, in part, to creatives who are members of Indigenous communities in Minnesota. Dallas Goldtooth, Migizi Pensoneau and Bobby Wilson, who are actors, writers and producers on the show, all hail from Dakota and Ojibwe communities in Minnesota, urban and rural. They're also all close friends and collaborators who have performed together for more than decade in the comedy group The 1491s. They spoke to Minnesota Now host Cathy Wurzer.Fans can see Wilson on Oct. 2 at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, where he will host an artist talk at 6 p.m. in the Great Hall. For the full conversation, click play on the audio player above or read the transcript below. The transcript has been lightly edited for clarity. Note: This interview took place during the writer's strike, so the three did not talk about the show specifically. You lampoon Indian stereotypes fostered by the dominant culture and you are dead-on funny. For folks that are not familiar, describe Indian humor.Migizi Pensoneau: I think it's just humor. Indian humor is just people's humor. Bobby and I were just talking about this earlier today — because Indian country is so wide and vast, our experiences growing up in Minnesota are very different than the experiences we have written in “Reservation Dogs.” A part of that though, the reason why there is a connection all across Indian country is really we all have a similar relationship to white America … we have a lot of shared experiences with colonization in this country. So a lot of that is kind of, sardonic, Black humor, laughing in the face of genocide — that whole thing.Bobby Wilson: I shouldn't call it always in opposition to, but it is often critical of the interactions with non-Indigenous people, as Migizi said, in colonization and things around that.How did growing up in Minnesota play into your comedy, in your storytelling or your experiences? Dallas Goldtooth: I claim that I grew up both on the south side of Minneapolis during the summers with my dad and Migizi and everything, but in the school year, I lived down in southwest Minnesota. A lot of our comedy is heavily influenced by how we interact with the greater settler society.I grew up around farm kids. It was a bunch of Indians surrounded by a bunch of white farm kids in southwest Minnesota and the constant interaction with “Minnesota Nice” and how uncomfortable white folks get in Minnesota about certain issues is hilarious to me. I think that it has influenced me and has encouraged me to always be willing to push the buttons because I imagine what would make a white Lutheran in central Minnesota uncomfortable and let's go for that.What do you mean by that?Dallas Goldtooth: Having grown up in Minnesota, I feel like there's a certain expectation about what can be talked about in the public space and what shouldn't be talked about. We as Native people in Minnesota are on the fringes as it is. Whether we're invisible or we're the tourist icons that people like to go visit up north for their summer cottages, either way, we're not seen as a part of that mainstream and so I feel like I have greater liberties to critique, make fun or tease the culture that I'm surrounded by. Bobby Wilson: This is why I love the creative consortium that the three of us have — additionally with some of our other friends who aren't from Minnesota — is the differences in the spaces we grew up in. For me, I grew up around the Twin Cities, bounced around a lot of shelters, lived in a lot of people's basements on some air mattresses, you know.My interactions with white settler society across the Twin Cities has predominantly been systemic. I was sentenced to a boy's home for a couple of years and I had the privilege of writing about it for “Reservation Dogs” season two. That Minnesota nice thing is always a — I hate it. I hate it so very much because I always associate it with a state trooper beating my face in and then kind of blaming me for it and being like, well, you know, “I'm not the bad guy here.” And simultaneously also just as an artist working within a lot of the art spaces around the Twin Cities, Juxtaposition Arts, COMPAS arts, over most of my youth — it really influenced sort of the way that I can interact with it. Dallas Goldtooth: I never realized this, but between the three of us we have a commonality of having lived in Minneapolis or the Twin Cities area and we have family who lives there. I predominantly grew up in southwest Minnesota, Migizi is northern Minnesota, Bobby is in the Twin Cities. We all pull from many different references, right? So it's I think that's the advantage of all of us. Like we really do represent Minnesota. You guys are welcome. You're welcome, Minnesota.Whether it's for your personally or for your community or for your society, what are some of those barriers you think you guys have broken?Migizi Pensoneau: We've done it together as a group and that's one of the interesting things. So we have the two that aren't from Minnesota in our group, they are from Oklahoma … but we've managed to stick together as friends and so far … we'll see what happens, talk to us in a couple of years. But we've managed to continue to work together in a way that's incredibly positive. And a lot of that, especially as we're getting into like our “Reservation Dogs” stuff these last few years, a lot of this was led by our friend Sterlin Harjo. We did it all the time with like, you know, prayers in the morning, prayers before we started songs, like we did everything in the ways that we were sort of taught and some of those things that sort of bring us together as Indian people are some of these traditions, like walking forward in the work that we do in a thoughtful and spiritual way.I don't know that anybody else is doing the same thing, at least to that sort of level. What I'm saying is that we are spiritually better than everybody else. And we've broken that barrier pretty hard. But no, I mean, we've tried to maintain spiritual and cultural integrity in everything that we do. We joke around all the time, but we are absolutely serious about making sure that the work that we put out in the world is thoughtful and is not flippant, even though, you know, the stuff we say off the cuff definitely is. But the things that we deal with, both in our sketches and in the work that we do on “Reservation Dogs,” is very heavy and there are people that are, you know, some of the subject matter is really intense and we don't go into that lightly. So having that sort of cultural and spiritual grounding to make sure that carries across through all of what we do, I don't know anybody else that does that … we've maintained our integrity in the work that we do.Dallas, do you agree with your friend, Migizi?Dallas Goldtooth: Yes, I do. I think that maybe one other aspect is that through the process of writing “Reservation Dogs” and also working on other projects now, we've broken that barrier of, like, we've been told that one, in many ways, whether it's direct or indirect, that our stories as Native people don't matter.I think that we as writers are breaking that barrier, saying, no, Native stories told by Native people, acted by Native actors and actresses not only have impact for us as community, but are meaningful to everybody. People really can enjoy them and that they are worthy of investment and worthy of support.Growing up in a dominant culture, we're often taught that, hey, you have to change your ways to fit to the mold that is the mainstream, that is colonization. What we're trying to do is say, I was gonna use a four-letter word, a sacred four-letter word, and I'm not gonna say it, but F that, you know, we are gonna be doing it on our own, in our own terms. And has maybe even, it has a greater impact than anything that could else be said.What have you heard from folks both inside and outside the Native community about the impact your work is having?Bobby Wilson: I've heard a lot of really fantastic positive reception, all the stuff that we've been doing … I think it is really quality work. And putting it on like a larger platform, really an international platform. I mean, I've got a homie in Germany that texted me that he was watching “Reservation Dogs” with his family and I was like, God dang, you know? Like, that's wild, it's really fantastic.I also love hearing folks who haven't watched the show at all and just tell me that, you know, it's on the list. I get that a lot. ‘Ah, I heard really good things about that.' So people are hearing good things. The most important thing for me is if we're all satisfied with the work. I think probably every artist feels that way, though. People keep telling us it's really great and I love that, I love to hear it. But, you know, we're always trying to hold ourselves to as high a standard as possible.This might be a stupid question, but I'm gonna ask it anyway. When will you guys know you've made it?Migizi Pensoneau: Here's what I know, here's how I know that I've probably made it enough, is that my own community up in Red Lake hasn't asked me to come be a part of anything yet. And I think if they ever ask me to come be a part of everything and to like come and speak to the youth up there, I will know then that I've peaked and I'm past my prime, that I'm obsolete. Your own community should not be asking you to do anything. Right now I'm hated enough and that's fine. Do you have any worries on what's next for Indigenous representation after the SAG-AFTRA strike ends? Bobby Wilson: I mean, for me, I was worried about it before it even started, you know? I hate to break the momentum but it took like 150 damn years since the invention of the camera to give Indians a TV show. I'm always worried about it but I think we have to be. There's still stuff coming out that's written by non-Native people, that's acted by non-Native people, that's supposedly about us. There's always a space for it and for us to go in there and to do our own work together and also collaborate with all the other amazing, phenomenal Indigenous talent. There's some really amazing people working on stuff.Dallas Goldtooth: No matter what, we're still part of a colonial project. We gotta remain vigilant at all times. Minnesota may change the name of Sibley Park, but they're still going to do some racist stuff. And so we're always going to be on the edge.I have a worry that the studios are gonna say “hey, we don't have enough money as much as we did before because we got to pay you guys a living wage now,” and oftentimes it's those on the margins, right, the Indigenous folks, Black folks, other communities of color who end up getting the cut first. So that's the worry I got. But I believe that we've proven that we can tell good stories that people are invested in and I have a lot of faith in them.

Bobby “Dues” Wilson is a Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota artist, dad, and comedian based in Phoenix, Arizona. Bobby was born and raised in the Twin Cities, back when you could still smoke at Ember's Family Restaurant. Bobby's family bounced around motels, apartments, Powwows and shelters through his childhood but there's an olde saying amongst the Siouxan nations: shit happens. Wilson attended the Creative Arts High School where his interests in painting and poetry were heavily encouraged. He participated in youth art programs COMPAS arts in St. Paul, then rode the 16 (94 if you're cashy) to Minneapolis where he trained mural painting like a champ under Roger and Peyton at Juxtaposition Arts. He painted several murals around the Twin Cities and enough graffiti to catch a couple cases. His visual art work can still be seen at the Minnesota Historical Society (I think) and the Chippewa Tribes building on Franklin.  After some heavy life changes that we won't get into it here (go watch Smoke Signals or something), Bobby found himself alongside the 1491s comedy troupe, traveling all accrosst Indian Country making fun of himself for money. Now Bobby works as a writer/producer on television series like Rutherford Falls, Echo (some MCU stuff?), and the Peabody award winning series, Reservation Dogs. He lives with his family, surrounded by the O'odham nations and urban Navajos who make really good tortillas! Did you know O'odham homies call frybread, “popovers?!” What even is that?!

North Minneapolis residents have lived for decades with cycles of economic boom and bust. Over the years, excitement over new grocery stores, coffee shops, small businesses and other pillars of neighborhood life often gave way to frustration as storefronts shuttered and food deserts grew.The area took a hit in February when Aldi closed its grocery store at Penn and Lowry Avenues, forcing longer bus rides or walks for many residents and leading some to worry another pendulum swing, a new era of community instability, was at hand.This time, though, a corps of professionals, many with ties to north Minneapolis, intend to rewrite the economic story of north Minneapolis. They're making plans to invest and build in ways they say are equitable and sustainable long term.They include entrepreneur Timothy Childs, who said he intends to raise $100 million in public and private funds to expand his four technology companies in north Minneapolis over the next two years. One company, TLC Precision Wafer Technology, counts NASA, the U.S. Air Force and aerospace giant Lockheed Martin as clients. Childs said he expects to create at least 300 jobs among his companies.“I consider north Minneapolis a place of great resources and talent that is overlooked and a lot of times mischaracterized,” he said. “But when people really look into Minneapolis … I think one would have to step back and realize the north side is not only a state resource but a national resource."The Black-owned Twin Cities-based aerospace company Ion Corp. is also expanding into north Minneapolis and expected to create 100 jobs, said Warren McLean, president of the nonprofit Northside Economic Opportunity Network (NEON). “Successful entrepreneurs are committing resources to north Minneapolis intentionally ... which has never happened, not to my knowledge,” he said. “Particularly not to the scale that is happening, with the sophistication that's there.”McLean said he hopes to turn north Minneapolis into a Silicon Valley for local entrepreneurs.“We want to help change the culture. It's a change of mindset that says we have the capacity … we have the wherewithal to, and we have the creativity to create things in north Minneapolis,” he said.‘Been through this multiple times'Conversations about life in north Minneapolis are punctuated by stories of good times and bad.In his teen years in the 1980s, Roger Cummings worked with young people painting murals in north Minneapolis. The gig placed him in a community where the street scene filled him with wonder and a cultural life that included the Young Brothers barbershop, an Elks Lodge and the Phyllis Wheatley Community Center, which was known for attracting drum corps from around the country.“King's market was on Plymouth. That was a big place that people would go. There was a graffiti wall on the back of King's that people used to do their pieces on,” he recalled. “You would walk up and down Plymouth just to hang out just, you know, see girls, see people driving up and down the street with the nice cars,” he said. “Plymouth was popping.”Drugs changed the area in the mid to late 1980s, said Cummings, now the chief cultural producer and co-founder of Juxtaposition Arts. “King's shut down … McDonald's went away … Plymouth Avenue started to kind of atrophy a little bit,” he said. “It didn't have the energy that it once had.”Civil upheaval and riots during the late 1960s contributed to the flight of white business owners and residents. Economic disinvestment followed the exodus. Advocates say local government has sometimes been a hindrance to making things better in the decades since.The city has poured tens of millions of dollars into public and private ventures meant to spur economic development on the north side. But challenges posed by socioeconomic disparities and crime persists in sections of north Minneapolis. For years city and business leaders have pondered a chicken-and-egg type of question: which comes first economic development or public safety?Empty properties owned by the city or Hennepin County have been commonplace since the 1967 riots, said Kristel Porter, executive director of West Broadway Business and Area Coalition.“You know, I'm now in my 40s … I remember being younger than 10 and seeing some of those same properties where there's nothing going on there still to this day,” she said. “I never quite understood it. And actually, I thought it was my community's problem when I was a kid, like,  why can't we just get our act together?”Porter says the goals of city programs that offer land rights have fallen short of expectations. The byzantine steps can overwhelm newcomers to the lengthy process. And the city's attempt to help with the process by offering technical assistance courses are challenging to some who are opening their first business.Then there's the difficulty of obtaining a business loan from banks wary of investing in the north side. She says most of the 79 businesses along West Broadway have not relied on loans. They rely instead on saving up or using tax refunds to invest in their enterprise, Porter explained. Feasibility studies in north Minneapolis are nonstarters for some banks.“I'm not going to get a loan, because they're going to look at the market, they're going to look at the area median income, and they're going to say, it's just not going to be profitable,” she said.Erik Hansen, director of economic policy and development at the city agency Community Planning and Economic Development, cited the Two Percent Loan program as one that's making a difference. That initiative, in which the city spends $2.2 million annually to absorb some of the loan risks, helps businesses obtain capital.The agency also has a fund that helps developers and businesses in Minneapolis's hardest hit areas to buy and own real estate, Hansen says. About 70 percent of the programs' participants are Black, Indigenous and entrepreneurs of color, he adds.“So there's a number of projects that are on the north side that the city helped support.”Aldi's closure in February rekindled the trauma of past losses. “We've been through this multiple times. And it begs the question for me, why aren't our lives valued in north Minneapolis, in the same ways they're valued in other parts of the city?” said food justice advocate DeVon Nolen. “Downtown Minneapolis has 56,000 people and four full service grocery stores. We have one for over 67,000 people.”Food, art and jobsThose working now to make sure north Minneapolis doesn't end up in another economic roller coaster ride envision success on multiple fronts. Jobs are important, they say, but so are food and cultural life.NEON will break ground in October to construct a building for its commercial kitchen and food business incubator, an investment McLean values at $18 million to $20 million. The project aims to help food entrepreneurs with the business side of launching an eatery or food truck.The Black-led Juxtaposition Arts will hold an open house June 2 to welcome the public to its new three-and-a-half story building. The project's costs came to about $13 million.  Related reading Earlier Helping north Minneapolis rebuild — and putting businesses on more solid ground 2009 Developers hope new project spurs business in north Minneapolis 2010 Mpls. commercial kitchen an incubator for food-based small businesses The nonprofit organization Appetite for Change hosts garden plots across the north side. Fruits and vegetables harvested on these plots are sold at the West Broadway Farmers Market. Another Appetite for Change program emphasizes cooking education, ideas for healthier food options.Childs is raising funding for $100 million expansion from private and public sources. He said he will seek a grant from the Small Business Innovative Research program, a federal effort that funds innovative technology. The company is also raising equity through sales of shares.Childs says he's applying for funds from the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, the federal law intended to boost semiconductor research and manufacturing in the United States. TLC Millimeter Wave Products have patented chips that are manufactured abroad.“So we would like to bring that back onshore, back into Minnesota,” he said. “And that'll even bring more jobs and opportunity into Minneapolis, but also funding for us to expand.” The talent and people of north Minneapolis are ‘tremendous,' Childs said. He said they have been leaders in music, business and other fields. But, he said, confidently, that north siders will soon lead in high tech and artificial intelligence.

Sheletta starts the hour by speaking with Laurie Levine of the Cottage Grove Chamber of Commerce and sharing info about how small business owners can visit Sheletta tomorrow for some free advice on growing their business. Later, Gabrielle Grier of Juxtaposition Arts joins to discuss their work bring art and beauty to the lives of children in Minneapolis. Plus, is it considered cheating on your spouse to hide some money just for yourself?

P.J. Hill is a graduate of North Community High School, played basketball for Ohio State University and continued to play professionally for close to a decade afterward.Today P.J. works as a financial advisor, owns a real-estate company, and coaches basketball. He is committed to dismantling racism in his community and recently helped organize the “Take the Knee” rally and the “10K March.” P.J. serves on the Juxtaposition Arts board of directors as their treasurer and as a finance committee member.After George Floyd's murder in May 2020, P.J. was inspired to step up and help his community demand change. He talks with Freddie Bell and Chantel Sings today.

As we approach the one-year anniversary of performance spaces going dark under the coronavirus pandemic, Art Hounds this week recommend three different spaces — two virtual, one physical — where performers, songwriters and visual artists can come together. Christopher David Hanson, a singer-songwriter in Babbitt, Minn., first encountered Minneapolis singer-songwriter Sarah Morris as he assembled his weekly radio show. Hanson’s program for WELY features all Minnesota musicians. An avid supporter of Minnesota’s musical scene, Morris invited him to join the Singer Songwriter Songwriting Challenge group on Facebook. The group offers a songwriting prompt once a week in the summer and every other week in the winter. Members share their new music and offer encouragement and feedback. Hanson said the challenge of writing songs from regular prompts has transformed his writing practice and connected him with a community of fellow songwriters across the state. He singles out Morris, calling her a  prolific and talented songwriter, and active member of the songwriting challenge group who give valuable creative feedback. For more of her work, he recommends watching the performances Morris films from her #biggreenbathroom. Artist Katherine Story-Sutter of St. Louis Park looks forward to the grand opening Thursday of Walrus in Minneapolis’ Camden neighborhood. The new gallery is a space to buy and sell local art as well as vintage pieces. Story-Sutter loves the physical space inside an industrial building that looks like a castle — with high beamed ceilings and chandeliers. “When I first walked in, I was stunned by the variety of art on the walls already,” said Story-Sutter. They are excited to volunteer in a space that celebrates local artists, Story-Sutter among them. Courtesy of Michelle Courtright | Walrus Walrus is located on Lyndale Avenue in Minneapolis. Walrus was founded by Michelle Courtright of Fig + Farro restaurant. Ten percent of net profits go to Juxtaposition Arts, a youth-staffed center in north Minneapolis. Like other performers, Minneapolis-based singer-actor Ann Michels misses being on stage. In the absence of live theater, she appreciates the ongoing “Meet the Artist” series from the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. Every two weeks, there’s a new conversation with actors and theater-makers who have connections to Ordway productions, past and planned. The artists are nationally known; the hosts are local. Ordway artistic director Rod Kaats co-hosts the conversations with a rotating cast of Minnesota theater artists. The free conversations each stream on one night. The conversation Tuesday features Brittney Mack, who played Anne of Cleves in “Six,” co-hosted by Twin Cities actor China Brickey. The conversation on March 23 features Tamara Tunie from the Ordway’s 2019 production of “42nd Street,” co-hosted by Twin Cities actor and community organizer T. Mychael Rambo.

DeAnna and Roger Cummings founded Juxtaposition Arts twenty-five years ago in North Minneapolis to engage young artists in education and career development through creativity. As Chief Cultural Producer, Roger activates relationships between space and place through art, design, independent livelihood, and collective social enterprise. A few days after our conversation, DeAnna transitioned from Juxta’s CEO to Program Director of Arts at the McKnight Foundation. Learn more about DeAnna and Roger on our website (mcad.edu/ontopic)

In this bonus episode, brought to you by The Creepy Crawly Company, we are joined by our wonderful friend Kathy and we ask you to be our victim with 1992's Candyman. The Creepy Crawly Company won our "You Choose The Episode" auction from The Wishmaster Project's June auction for Juxtaposition Arts. Juxtaposition Arts is a teen-staffed art and design center, gallery, retail shop, and artist's studio space in Northern Minneapolis. Since uprisings in Minneapolis began, JXTA has played a critical role in building community alternatives to the police, led by Black, POC and other youth who are already building the abundant and just future they envision. The Wishmaster Project is a collective of indie makers offering a helping hand to those in need through auction-style fundraising. The Creepy Crawly Company is a Maine based horror (and other pop culture) shop that creates buttons, patches and many other collectables. Juxtaposition Arts: https://juxtapositionarts.org/donate/capital-campaign/ Instagram: @jxta_arts The Wishmaster Project: https://linktr.ee/thewishmastersproject Instagram: @thewishmastersproject The Creepy Crawly Company: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CreepyCrawlyCompany Instagram: @the_creepy_crawly_company Candyman was written and directed by Bernard Rose, based on "The Forbidden" by Clive Barker, and stars Virginia Madsen, Tony Todd, Xander Berkeley and Kasi Lemmons. If you enjoy the show, give us a subscribe/rating/review and of course, tell your friends! We have some sweet merch for sale over at : www.teepublic.com/user/we-are-horr…or-movie-podcast Visit us at wearehorrifiedpodcast.com

Updated: June 10, 10:50 p.m. Artists are both at the forefront of change and critical to the preservation of culture. Often their work involves envisioning new ways of being in the world. As the Twin Cities wrestles with the police killing of George Floyd, structural racism and community devastation, artists will be crucial in articulating a path forward. The Twin Cities is home to numerous Black-led arts organizations; typically such groups are chronically underfunded. Here’s a list of Black-led arts organizations in the Twin Cities that could use your support: Alanna Morris-Van Tassel Productions The mission of Alanna Morris-Van Tassel Productions is to produce solo dance works and global commissions that uplift and inspire our humanity; to produce educational programs that utilize the creative arts as a tool for self-development and to spearhead community-building initiatives that assist mid-career women creatives with resources to thrive. Arts-US The mission of Arts-US is to develop young leaders through the arts, culture and sciences of the African Diaspora. ARTS-Us provides cultural performances, art and art resources for educators, leadership opportunities for students, and consulting for community business and civic organizations through the lens of the African Diaspora. Note: Arts-US executive director Anthony Galloway is a co-host of Counter Stories, MPR’s regular podcast on race and culture. Blackout Improv   Maria Alejandra Cardona | MPR News Joy Dolo performs a dance solo, complete with an attempt at doing the splits, during a Blackout Improv skit. Blackout Improv is a mix of comedy, social justice and arts access. Blackout seeks to put more black performers on more stages, to create comedic dialogue around serious truths, and to provide improv access for Black students. Blackout is changing the face of comedy stages in Minnesota. Sept. 2017 At Blackout Improv, comedy wrestles with tragedy Feb. 2019 Blackout Improv, breaking barriers and busting guts Black Storytellers Alliance The Black Storytellers Alliance’s mission is to maintain the art of storytelling as a primary source for positive instruction and reinforcement of the rich beauty embodied in the telling of “the story” — as practiced by African people in the Diaspora. May 2019 Healing incarcerated women through storytelling and song Black Table Arts   Christine T. Nguyen | MPR News 2019 Artist and educator Keno Evol leads a volunteer meeting in August 2019 ahead of the "Because Black Life" conference that was held at the University of Minnesota's Rarig Center. The focus of last year's conference was healing. Evol is founder and executive director of Black Table Arts. The mission of Black Table Arts is to gather black communities through the arts toward better black futures. Black Table Arts offers professional development for institutions centered in education and the arts, and works with artists all over the state of Minnesota to collaborate on speaking engagements, performances, writing workshops and panel discussions. Aug. 2019 Healing front and center of ‘Because Black Life’ conference Black Women Speak Black Women Speak centers Black women’s lives by cultivating a community with Black women, giving voice to their experiences as a way to heal, find joy and move towards liberation on their own terms.  BLAQ BLAQ is a dance company dedicated to using art to liberate, feed, and love the Black community. Brownbody Productions Evan Frost | MPR News 2017 From left, Deneane Richburg, Steven Smith, Carrie Maultsby-Lute and Lee Graham rehearse for Brownbody Presents: CoMotion inside the Charles M. Schulz Highland Arena in St. Paul in May 2017. Grounded in African diasporic perspectives, Brownbody’s mission is to build artistic experiences that disrupt biased narratives and prompt audiences to engage as active participants in the journey. Brownbody accomplishes this through a blend of modern dance, theater, social justice and figure skating. May 2017 BrownBody uses rink as stage for black history, culture Carlyle Brown & Company Described by The New York Times as “one of America’s more significant Playwrights,” Carlyle Brown has a long and rich history of creating plays that dramatize historical events in a way that makes them accessible to present-day audiences. Carlyle Brown & Company was formed in 2002 around a constellation of culturally and ethnically diverse artists dedicated to the development and performance of his work in an atmosphere of collaborative co-creation.  Feb. 2016 History Theatre looks at a tracker, a trial and a question of racial identity Catalyst Arts Catalyst Arts is a small arts incubator interested in the intersection of art, activism and artists who define themselves as change-makers. The Cedar Cultural Center  The Cedar’s mission is to promote intercultural appreciation and understanding through the presentation of global music and dance. The Cedar is committed to artistic excellence and integrity, diversity of programming, support for emerging artists and community outreach. CLIMB Theatre CLIMB Theatre creates customized plays, classes and workshops that build accountability, resiliency, empathy, advocacy and self-control. CLIMB inspires people to make the world a better place. Contempo Physical Dance  Nikki Tundel | MPR News file For Orlando Hunter, 22, "dance is an emotional and spiritual release." Recognized as a leader in Brazilian contemporary dance, Contempo performs work that challenges human physicality while invigorating audiences and translate our mission into groundbreaking new movement approaches, innovative choreographic design, and stunning performances. Dark Muse Performing Arts Dark Muse Performing Arts is a Black woman-owned arts organization established in 2020. We are dedicated to creating and sharing bold stories, unapologetically. Duniya Drum and Dance Duniya Drum and Dance believes West African rhythm and dance is for everyone. It lives out that mission by both offering classes and by presenting community concerts. Free Black Dirt Free Black Dirt is an artistic partnership formed by Minneapolis-based collaborators Junauda Petrus and Erin Sharkey. Committed to creating original theater and performance, hosting innovative events, organizing local artists, and promoting and supporting the emerging artists’ community in the Twin Cities, Free Black Dirt seeks to spark and engage in critical conversations. The Givens Foundation for African American Literature The Givens Foundation is dedicated to enriching cultural understanding and learning through programs that advance and celebrate African American literature and writers. Its resources include the Archie Givens, Sr. Collection of African American Literature, housed at the University of Minnesota, as well as Black Market Reads, a podcast featuring conversations with today's most exciting black literary voices.  Heart and Soul Drum Academy Heart and Soul Drum Academy builds bridges across communities by connecting youth with the art of drumming. The academy uses drumming to cultivate personal development, discipline, leadership and teamwork with respect for self and others that transfers into the classroom, community and the world. In Black Ink In Black Ink (IBI) seeks to create spaces where the intergenerational stories about Minnesotans of African heritage can be shared, documented, and archived. In Black Ink provides publishing arts initiatives and opportunities to communities that have been disenfranchised historically, and continue to be presently. IBI’s cultural literacy programming mitigates the damage of economic, educational, and cultural inequities that are the result of past and current prejudice and discrimination. Juxtaposition Arts  Courtesy of Theresa J. Malloy | ThreeSixty Journalism file Contemporary Art and Public Murals Lab Lead Jordan Hamilton works with Juxtaposition Arts' apprentices on the design of a new mural. Juxtaposition Arts is a teen-staffed art and design center, gallery, retail shop and artists’ studio space in north Minneapolis. Juxtaposition Arts develops community by engaging and employing young urban artists in hands-on education initiatives that create pathways to self-sufficiency while actualizing creative power. May 2018 Juxtaposition Arts has designs on a bigger, bolder future Maia Maiden Productions The mission of Maia Maiden Productions is to provide an equitable and engaging platform for Hip Hop, people of color, women, and youth through performing arts. Maia Maiden Productions is the force behind “Rooted: Hip Hop Choreographers’ evening” and “Sistah Solo | Being Brothas.” Million Artist Movement Million Artist Movement is a global vision and movement that believes in the role of art in the campaign to dismantle oppressive racist systems against Black, brown, Indigenous and disenfranchised peoples. Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery Nina Moini | MPR News 2018 The Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery on opening day in September 2018. The mission of the Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery is to preserve, record, and celebrate the history of African Americans in Minnesota. Sept. 2018 New African American Heritage Museum celebrates contributions More Than A Single Story More Than a Single Story is a series of panel discussions and public conversations where indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) writers and arts activists discuss issues of importance to them in their own words and in their own voices. The goal of More Than A Single Story is to empower voices that have long been marginalized by creating a public discourse, which in turn provides a forum for cross-cultural understanding. Mosaic on a Stick Mosaic on a Stick is a community art space created to promote mosaic art by selling quality supplies, teaching mosaic classes, and creating private and commercial commissions. Mosaic on a Stick is a values-led business that strives to be socially responsible, invested in the community and passionate about mosaics and the people that create them. NEW DAWN Theatre   NEW DAWN Theatre draws brilliance out of shadows by illuminating and supporting cutting edge works of overlooked, underrepresented communities of its theatrical landscape through innovative, exciting and excellent theater productions. From Art Hounds A 'Skeleton Crew' struggles to survive in working-class America Obsidian Arts Obsidian Arts seeks to be a new breed of Black cultural arts organizations suited for a socio-intellectual environment that maintains neither the strict barriers to nor the distinct pro-generators of what is deemed Black culture. Its focus is the use of art to invite the broader community to dialogue about issues that have been overlooked or shunned in the conversation-line of mainstream Black communities.  Penumbra Theatre Company  Evan Frost | MPR News file From left, Michelle O'Neill, John Catron and Lynette R. Freeman rehearse a scene in Penumbra Theater's production of "The White Card" in St. Paul on Jan. 31, 2020. Penumbra Theatre creates professional productions that are artistically excellent, thought-provoking, and relevant and illuminate the human condition through the prism of the African American experience. Feb. 2020 Race, power and privilege at play in ‘The White Card’ Pillsbury House Theatre Courtesy of Rich Ryan file James A. Williams as Zachariah and Stephen Yoakam as Morris in Athol Fugard's "Blood Knot" at Pillsbury House Theatre. Pillsbury House Theatre’s mission is to create challenging theatre that inspires enduring change towards a just society. Through the Mainstage season and other community engagement programs, Pillsbury House Theatre illuminates the differences that make each person unique and the similarities that bring people together, within an artistic environment that promotes understanding and leads to positive action. May 2018 Pillsbury House Theatre brings evening of 'theatrical jazz' RARE Productions Since 2007 RARE Productions has been creating visibility and opportunities for arts of color.  Through engaging artists of color, and centering Queer and Trans artists of color,  RARE Productions seeks to unite communities and families in healing relationships and bridge cultural gaps via the vast mediums of art. SHAPESHIFT SHAPESHIFT dance collective was formed to create a fresh new innovative dance style which combines the lyricism of contemporary dance and hip-hop with other dance styles to illuminate the human experience and fuel social change. SHAPESHIFT’s powerful productions boldly tackle current issues of social justice, loss, love and human emotions. Soomaal House of Art Soomaal House of Art (Soomaal) is a Minnesota-based Somali art collective that provides studio space, studio critiques, artistic community, mentorships for younger Somali artists and annual exhibition space with educational programming. Somali Museum of Minnesota Jeffrey Thompson | MPR News 2013 Osman Ali displays two artifacts from Somalia, including a container that holds water for washing and drinking and a wooden slate used to teach writing, at his Minneapolis restaurant, The Bright Moon Cafe, in March 2013 Founded in 2011, the Somali Museum of Minnesota opened the doors of its public gallery in 2013 as North America's first and only museum devoted to Somali culture. At last update, the Somali Museum of Minnesota was the only museum of Somali culture anywhere in the world.  The Somali Museum is the home of Somali creativity in North America, and is a global leader in advancing and elevating the work of Somali artists, traditional and contemporary. June 2018 Exhibit looks at Somali life, from Africa to Minnesota Sounds of Blackness Sounds of Blackness performs and proclaims the music, culture and history of African Americans to audiences all over the world. From jazz and blues to rock and roll, R&B, gospel, spirituals, hip-hop, reggae and soul, Sounds of Blackness provides uplifting messages of hope, unity, love and peace for all humankind.  Classical MPR Sounds of Blackness partners with High School for Recording Arts Threads Dance Project The mission of The Karen L. Charles Threads Dance Project is to examine, expose, and celebrate the threads that connect us. Threads seeks to be a national organization that betters humanity through dance, education and outreach.  Truartspeaks Mary Mathis | MPR Poet Qalid Hussein in the Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser studio at MPR Truartspeaks works to cultivate literacy, leadership and social justice through the study and application of spoken word and hip-hop culture. It strives to counteract the dominant narrative surrounding youth and those most often rendered invisible in our society by providing platforms for them to be heard, fostering the personal and social change required for equity. From The Current Meet the poets from TruArtSpeaks Be Heard MN Youth Poetry Slam Series Tru Ruts Tru Ruts is an artistic organization based in Minneapolis with a history of high caliber artistic work ranging from films to theater performances, a record label to workshops and residencies. Tru Ruts projects include Freestyle Theatre, Foto Libre, Speakeasy Records and others. TU Dance Founded in 2004 by Toni Pierce-Sands and Uri Sands in St. Paul, TU Dance is a leading voice for contemporary dance. The 10-member, professional company is acclaimed for its diverse and versatile artists, performing work that draws together modern dance, classical ballet, African-based and urban vernacular movements. Underdog Theatre Underdog Theatre creates art for the underserved, underrepresented and unheard. Kory LaQuess Pullam, the artistic director of Underdog Theatre, said the company is all about what he affectionately calls “underdogs.” "We are specifically dedicated to lifting up new voices, voices of color, voices of the disabled, women, LGBTQ stories and communities and things like that," he said. "So, I think that by leading with that mission, that is what separates us and that is what gives us that energy that people are looking for." March 2018 For a young theater company, it's all about the underdogs Voice of Culture Drum and Dance Voice of Culture Drum and Dance is dedicated to the preservation of West African arts and culture. Walker|West Academy Jennifer Simonson | MPR News 2014 Thirteen-year-old McKinley West practices piano with his grandfather Grant West in March 2014 during a lesson at Walker|West Music Academy in St. Paul. Walker|West provides exceptional, affordable music education and enrichment rooted in the African American cultural experience, where people of all ages and backgrounds can gather, explore, and grow through music. March 2014 Walker West music school gets a new home without missing a beat Yo Mama’s House Yo Mama’s mission is to empower mothers by disrupting the devaluation of women’s invisible labor and showcasing their mastery of the art of mothering and the universal traditional women’s work that transforms into art making and economic security.

Tactical Urbanism refers to projects done without permission from the local government or with any formal planning – it is DIY, low cost, and temporary. Tactical Urbanism is a tool anyone can use to get the public to pay attention to something the community needs, like more parks or bike lines, or even just to add some fun to the built environment. On this episode, we explore all kinds of Tactical Urbanism projects and find out who it’s for, its possibilities, and its limitations. Then, I interview Roger Cummings, co-founder of the Minneapolis-based nonprofit Juxtaposition Arts, on the organization’s early adoption of Tactical Urbanism and how they’ve used it to engage community members that might otherwise be left out of the urban planning process. It’s a big, fun episode! You can view the Show Notes + related content on our website at IsntThatSpatial.net!

Lilli Hall is the president and CEO of KNOCK, a creative agency she found in 2001. Hall has served on the board of directors at The Enterprising Women Advisory Board, Juxtaposition Arts, and Italian Cultural Center of Minneapolis and St. Paul. In Lili’s interview she tells us about adapting to new cultures and the diversity within KNOCK.

Arts play a significant role in bringing the community together, creating a sense of place, and exemplifying well designed, successful placemaking. In this episode, we’ll explore ways planners can incorporate arts in planning processes, with Roger Cummings, one of the directors of Juxtaposition Arts.

Ep. 110:  Leslie Barlow is a practicing artist living and working in Minneapolis, MN.  Primarily an oil painter, Barlow's current work employs the figure and narrative elements to explore issues of multiculturalism, "otherness", representation, and identity. She investigates complex topics and social tensions through the use of the personal; often creating works depicting family, friends, and people in her community, and personal experiences, to reflect the subtle and not-so-subtle integrations of these ideas into individual lives and identities. Barlow received her BFA in 2011 from the University of Wisconsin- Stout and her MFA in 2016 from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Leslie Barlow has received great recognition from her home state of Minnesota. She appeared in the season 7 television segment of tpt's Minnesota Original, airing April 2016, was published in the "Best New Art 2016" list in Minnesota Monthly Magazine, and was published as "Artist of the Year" for 2016 in the City Pages. Recently she received a Third Place award in the Minnesota State Fair Juried Exhibition in 2015 for a large oil painting from her latest series. In 2014, another painting from the same series also received an Honorable Mention in the national juried exhibition at the Washington Pavilion Museum of Arts and Sciences in Sioux Falls, SD. Barlow actively exhibits her work throughout the United States and many of her pieces can be found in private and public collections. Her work can be seen at the new US Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis, where in 2016 she was commissioned by the Vikings team to create 6 portrait paintings of iconic Vikings players. Maintaining a vigorous studio practice, Barlow has also recently participated in artist residencies including the 3 x 5 Emerging Artist Residency at The Soap Factory (Minneapolis, MN) and she was the Artist-in-Residence at Whitworth University (Spokane, WA) for the month of October, 2016.  Her studio is located in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District.  In addition to her studio practice, Barlow currently works as an Assistant Instructor at Juxtaposition Arts, as the Administrative Assistant for Northern Lights.mn, and is a board member of the Minneapolis Art Lending Library.  Barlow has a keen interest in arts programming and organization management, and has over 400 hours of volunteer work with the Soap Factory, serving as the Public Relations Intern in 2011 and as Co-Director of the Volunteer Biennial exhibition in 2012.  Barlow has also worked as the Gallery Manager for Waiting Room, helped manage the Art Department at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, and during her undergraduate education Barlow helped start and manage an artist co-op gallery. Leslie Barlow is a 2016 Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant recipient. For more on Leslie Barlow, please see her website at: http://www.lesliebarlowartist.com/ For more on host, Alex Barnett, please check out his website: www.alexbarnettcomic.com or visit him on Facebook (www.facebook.com/alexbarnettcomic) or on Twitter at @barnettcomic To subscribe to the Multiracial Family Man, please click here: MULTIRACIAL FAMILY MAN PODCAST Intro and Outro Music is Funkorama by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons - By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/