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In this Issue: The Year that Was — Performance, Books and Film

For this issue, mnartists.org is finishing out its four-part 2008 YEAR IN REVIEW series with some discipline-specific observations about high and low points of last year. We asked working artists of all stripes - performers, filmmakers, authors, directors, choreographers, musicians, and arts journalists - to weigh in with their selections for the notable moments in their own fields for 2008. I think you'll find their comments illuminating and, occasionally, surprising.

• 2008 YEAR IN REVIEW: Performance, Books and Film — memorable moments from the year in local art as selected by Minnesota artists working literature, film, dance, music, and theater
• HOMEPAGE: MnArts Magazine highlights include a new book of collages by artist David Coggins, Altered Esthetics' exhibition of visual art inspired by performance, and "questionable art" from Mad King Thomas
• NEWS YOU CAN USE: a selection of up-to-the-minute artist opportunities in every discipline, including the new call for the 2009/2010 McKnight artist fellowship program for photography
• YOU ARE HERE: a handpicked assortment of arts events drawn from mnartists.org's DIY calendar

PLUS: A whole year's worth of dates and deadlines for mnartists.org's full complement of artist series, including new programs to showcase local film and visual art, and Some Assembly Required turns 10!

Minnesota artists working in performance, literature, film and music weigh in on the notable moments from 2008, whose effects will linger well into the new year.

2008 YEAR IN REVIEW: Literature and Film

As many of our authors and readers have noted in our YEAR IN REVIEW roundup, 2008 has been especially kind to Minnesota's literary presses: Graywolf, Milkweed, and Coffee House have all had a very good 12 months, with acclaimed releases and nationally recognized authors represented on all their lists this year. It's also been a wonderful year for local poetry, especially for those poets and writers living in Greater Minnesota. And don't forget the 2008 launch of mnartists.org's flash fiction series, miniStories!

There have also been a number of notable happenings and releases in local film that deserve a nod: from the release of the acclaimed Listening Project documentary, to the ubiquity of affordable tools for DIY filmmaking, there are heartening trends afoot on the Minnesota film and video scene. Click the link below for the memorable moments and offerings of 2008 in local literature and film, as selected by local writers and filmmakers, publishers and readers.

CLICK HERE to read the notable moments in local books and films, 2008 YEAR IN REVIEW: Literature and Film, as selected by Minnesota authors and readers, publishers and filmmakers

2008 YEAR IN REVIEW: Theater, Music and Dance

Between the closure of the landmark Theatre de la Jeune Lune and the ruckus over Jeff Bartlett's departure from the Southern, the performance scene in Minnesota saw its fair share of turmoil. But the picture going forward is far from uniformly bleak. In fact, a number of companies saw their stars rise in 2008: Off-Leash Area, the spunky up-and-coming movement theater outfit responsible for the acclaimed shows staged in their garage, were awarded a sizeable chunk of change from the NEA this year, and they weren't alone in their good fortune. A number of other Minnesotans in performance recently got similar windfall shows of support: The Playwright's Center, The Guthrie, Ananya Dance Theater, The Children's Theatre, Flying Foot Forum, In the Heart of the Beast, Illusion Theater and a number of other worthies also received welcome recognition.

And what about the buzzworthy artists in the area music scene: does Bon Iver ring a bell? And consider Aviette's indefatigable frontwoman, Holly Muñoz: between her musical chops and entrepreneurial hustle, and after watching her rise to local prominence over the last year, this writer is sure she's destined for big things, and on a national stage. And let's not forget that mnartists.org launched a new series for Minnesota musicians in 2008: mnSPIN, a juried weekly playlist intended to showcase area talent (which, by the way, has an open call out for local musicians right now).

But enough of what we think: mnartists.org asked a wide swath of working theater artists, dancers, musicians, and their fans to weigh in with their own picks for the notable performance moments of '08. Below you'll find their thoughtful, sometimes surprising responses. Read on to see what they all said.

CLICK HERE for a collection of memorable performance highlights, 2008 YEAR IN REVIEW: Theater, Music and Dance, as chosen by actors and directors, choreographers, dancers, musicians, and audience members

Credits: Top right, The Talking Comes Later by Ben Weaver; top left, images from the film The Listening Project by Rikshaw Films. Bottom right, promotional photo for Hey Girl! by Romeo Castellucci (photo: Cameron Wittig for the Walker Art Center); bottom left, photo from the Twin Cities Chekhov Festival (photo courtesy of Rubenstein Photo)

You Are Here event listings are drawn entirely from the mnartists.org calendar, so if you want to improve the odds that you'll see your happening linked here, you'd better start posting your events!

We've made it super easy to begin: here's a step-by-step guide that'll show you how to promote your own events on the site's DIY arts calendar.

The mission of mnartists.org is to improve the lives of Minnesota artists and provide access to and engagement with Minnesota’s arts culture.