We kicked off 2008 with a bang: January's highlights included a featured forum on the state of arts criticism in MN and articles on innovators in both traditional and avant garde art forms along with a PR toolkit for dancers and choreographers.
Glowmobile by Scott Stulen
"Glowmobile" by Scott Stulen, in front of ARThouse. (Photo courtesy ARThouse 2007)
"Glowmobile" by Scott Stulen, in front of ARThouse. (Photo courtesy ARThouse 2007)
Here at mnartists.org, as we busily planned for the new year and reflected on the changing arts landscape, we found ourselves wondering: what kind of arts coverage best serves the needs of artists and audiences? Click here to read an archive of the lively month-long community-wide dialogue on the subject in our forums. Table of Contents Features Capturing Relationships: JoAnn Verburg
MPR's Euan Kerr spent a few hours with JoAnn Verburg just before her big show opened at the Walker. They talked about her camera, how narrative fits into her evocative shots, and the power of the lens to capture an ongoing relationship with the viewer. From Human Voice to Human Ear: The Rose Ensemble, Ruth MacKenzie, and the Trio Mediaeval
Dean J. Seal delves into the vocal artistry and enduring attraction of early a capella music, with a focus on those composers and musicians whose calling is to preserve and reinvigorate the art form. Culturenauts Land on the Planet of St. Paul
Jay Gabler investigates the story behind the Arts and Culture Partnership of St. Paul's creation of a new website, "St. Planet," which aims to capture a hip, young online audience on behalf of cultural organizations in St. Paul. A One-Stop, Indispensable PR Cheatsheet for Dancers, Choreographers, and Alternative Performance
Choreographers and dancers, this article will tell you how to get press coverage in venues from mnartists.org to the Star Tribune, Minn-Post to Minnesota Monthly. Deadlines, press releases, email addresses—critic Lightsey Darst has all you need to know right here. access+ENGAGE Issue 25.2: Everyone's a Critic
For this a+E, we're focusing on the present and future of art criticism in Minnesota; a short, insightful essay on the topic and some examples drawn from mnartists.org's own archives of terrific writing make for powerful testimony that the form ain't dead yet.
Check out an essay on the decline of art criticism by arts writer and provocateur Michael Fallon and read through a collection of such writing done well he's curated for us. The House the Art Built: New London's ARThouse
Artist and Rochester Art Center curator Scott Stulen gives an inside look at the story behind ARThouse, the sometimes gallery space that doubles as home for New London artists Andrew Nordin and Lisa Bergh. In Performance On Location: The BodyCartography Project Talks About the Importance of Place
Just as their dance series launches at the Bryant Lake Bowl, Camille LeFevre chats with Olive Bieringa and Otto Ramstad about how the essence of a location figures into BodyCartography performance, and she reflects on ambiguities of "site-specific" dance. Queen Compromises, Playwrights Hold the Line: "God Save Gertrude"
Actor Marc Halsey caught up with the principals behind the punk opera send up to Patti Smith and Shakespeare, God Save Gertrude, a new production by the innovative new playwright-driven theater company, the Workhaus Collective. Dancing a Bridge: New York City Comes Uptown
Critic Lightsey Darst reflects on the dance collaboration extravaganzas, featuring work from NYC and Twin Cities performers, that have been gracing the stages of both the Bryant Lake Bowl and the Walker Art Center this month. Radio mnartists: Said Salah Ahmed
Producer Marya Morstad continues the “Radio mnartists” series of podcasts and KFAI radio interviews with Minnesota artists. Listen to her interview with Somali poet and playwright, Said Salah Ahmed. In the Galleries
A Gumbo of Ideas: Rico Gatson at the MCAD Gallery
Mason Riddle offers a nuanced analysis of this provocative, multi-layered (and multimedia) exhibition by Rico Gatson, whose work challenges us to re-imagine race relations and our shared cultural histories. Sculpture Designed to Be Used
Functional Sculpture, highlighting Upper Midwestern furniture designers, is a new show at the Carleton Art Gallery in Northfield. Co-curator Glenn Gordon offers this lovely essay by way of introduction to the artists' work. The exhibition runs through 3/10. We Come From Everywhere
Matt Konrad took in the group show at Altered Esthetics, highlighting work from people around the world who've made the Upper Midwest home. He found both the richness of the variety and the universality of themes to be exhilarating. Profiles The Renegade: Pranks, Performance, and Billy X. Curmano's Idea of Fun
A new issue of 10,000 Arts: Minnesota's Creative Quarterly (co-published by The Rake and mnartists.org) is on stands this week. This issue's articles, devoted to performance, will be published throughout February in their longer, linkier versions on mnartists.org. We're beginning with a profile of maverick, Winona-based performance artist Billy X. Curmano, best known for swimming the length of the Mississippi River. Curmano chats with Matt Konrad about the artistic impulse that has driven his long career of daredevil feats, political chutzpah, and making art his own damn way. Winning Friends and Influencing People as an Experimental Filmmaker: A Chat with Coleman Miller
Give a listen to Allison Herrera's funny, illuminating conversation with Coleman Miller on the glamorous life of an up-and-coming filmmaker. Zoom In: The Coleman Miller collection
CLICK HERE to watch a couple of Miller's films (including the acclaimed Uso Justo) and see a sampling of his visual art in this collection on mnartists.org. What Light: This Week's Poem What Light: This Week's Poem: Cary Waterman
Read this week's winning poem, The Mice by Cary Waterman, selected by What Light judge, Leslie Adrienne Miller What Light: This Week's Poem: Sun Yung Shin
Read this week's winning poem by Sun Yung Shin, Pyongtaek, selected by Leslie Adrienne Miller. What Light: This Week's Poem: James Henderson
This week's poem by veteran What Light winner, James Henderson, entitled Go Fish, was selected by acclaimed poet Leslie Adrienne Miller. What Light: This Week's Poem: Joseph Rizzo
Read We Have Cashmouth, this week's winning What Light poem, selected by poet Sarah Fox. Also, we're taking your poetry submissions for the next competition cycle: deadline is February 16. The Weekly mnSpin Playlists mnSpin: playlist of the first three winning tracks by Alison Rae, The Sexy Bang, and Stacy K
mnartists.org is launching mnSpin, a quarterly music contest for Minnesota musicians. This week listen to a playlist of the first three winning tracks by Alison Rae, The Sexy Bang, and Stacy K, and get more info on this groundbreaking music competition. mnSpin: This Week's Playlist: Zhalman Harris, Popcycle, and Ellis
mnSpin, a quarterly music contest for Minnesota musicians. This week listen to a playlist of the third three winning tracks by Zhalman Harris, Popcycle, and Ellis, and get more info on this groundbreaking music competition.
