Summer Shakeups: What Do All These Changes Mean for the MN's Art Scene?

How can you get the citizens to attend? I wonder how average people perceived the WPA.
Hard times when the only marketable careers are nursing and engineering. Killing all of us elders is not the answer, maybe just some of us. The Republicans.

I have never been to the Southern Theater

Originally Posted by Unregistered

How can you get the citizens to attend? I wonder how average people perceived the WPA.
Hard times when the only marketable careers are nursing and engineering. Killing all of us elders is not the answer, maybe just some of us. The Republicans.

I have never been to the Southern Theater

Sorry that most of the dancers have danced away.

I have been gone to the Windy City with teeming Arts on every corner. And lot's of Arts Attendees to fill the seats. Could not get tickets to see a couple of shows of interest.

So to answer you: you need to make a better product in order to get them into the seats. It is that easy/hard/possible/impossible. We need the critics to stop with the hugs kisses and start to drive the tired artists with the bull whips(figuratively of course, although some people are into velvet). When you see what is on the streets in Chicago and then what we get all a buzz here you realize what the problem is. Quality. We must get the level of the quality of our Art to be compelling to the "citizens". That can only be done with fierce and aggressive art making. We are far too laid back and chummy here in Minnesota Nice Land to push ourselves beyond the average. Time to get tough and aggressive.

While there I invited every young person I spoke to to visit us and consider coming here to the Art Friendly State (AFS). We need new blood.

As for careers: those are being taken by people from the Asian quarter of the world and India who grow up with a real motivatoroverty, which is fast descending on us all.

Being an "Elder" is not a matter of age or time, it is about a selfless application of wisdom. We have not seen that idea here in the Twin Cities. What we have seen is endless adolescence and "me first "game playing. It cripples the community. It does not feed the young. It does not propel the Art forward.

The most adventuresome collectors are Republicans; go figure. Perhaps after the election we can have Patrons redirect their $ to a better cause.

Visit the Southern; it is a venue that everyone needs to go to. In the case you are snotty there are plenty of other small venues that would love you as both a performer and an artists. You need to make a commitment to support the smaller venues where the real creative stuff can foment and grow until it is strong enough for the bigger venues. Art in this town will not die; it will get stronger and smarter and better. It will or it will not survive.

So elder, get out there and support the artists of the future!

Coyote in a Boa "beep, beep"

Originally Posted by Scott Stulen

It has been a very rough summer for the arts in Minnesota with the sudden and highly controversial departures of leadership at the Southern and the Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program at the MIA and the abrupt closing of the Minnesota Center for Photography and Theatre de la Jeune Lune. The contributing factors to each of these events is unique, however it raises several questions as to the overall health of the local arts community.

1. Is shift in the local arts leadership occurring?
2. Is the economy beginning to claim victims amongst the local arts organizations? Is this is a natural cycle of change and renewal?
3. How do we measure the vitality of an art scene?
4. What is the most important feature of a vibrant arts community?
5. How do you view your own role in the local art scene?

This month’s Featured Forum will be a discussion of the current climate in the local artist community. What is feeling amongst local artists? The intent of September’s discussion topic is to raise concerns on the minds of local artists, and hopefully talk about some solutions as well. This is an open forum dialogue, no registration to the site will be required, please stay on topic and civil. I will be acting as moderator and removing off-topic and uncivil posts.

Scott Stulen
Project Director
Mnartists.org

Well Scott it seems you have made this the "killer" topic. It seems to have killed participation. I believe most of your writers are too afraid of having a record of what they think set down here. They lack the courage to venture out here onto the thin ice and fish for answers. Perhaps it is time they move to NYC or Florida. No affront meant; just a call out to stand up and support this venue before the coyote calls for it's de-funding. Perhaps it would be best to take the funds alloted here and use them in another venue. Something to think about.

So the Coyote will help you here. Let me throw out some solutions. Remember in my culture we begin the day with chile. I know it is a bit drastic, but reading the news about the economy is lot easier to take if you start the day breathing fire! I recommend starting with slivers and working your way up to the whole pepper.

First is to start throwing out people that have given up. MF has done the right thing-he fired himself. I applaud him for that. We need that to happen all across town. People who are not getting the job done need to leave. Next we need people who are willing to slog it out with the economy. It takes a lot of energy and soul to fight it out against poverty. They need to step up and take the tough jobs abandoned by MF and his generation. There were those of us who never expected Art to feed us. We came into Art prepared to feed it. It with be the kind of work that may kill them, but if it doesn't than they will be as steel magnolias. Who can shine in the winter sun here in Minnesota.

It is also a great idea to stop advancing the "dead" (ironic as many in my community are busy preparing for a day of the dead showings) art ideas and start shifting through the ruins for what really had value. Artists need to come together into "idea circles" and share the thoughts on what Art will look like from now on. It is the American way to hold town hall meetings and bring the community together to form the resolution to do something damn it!

Art schools need to retire the old guard and bring in the outsiders. It is the only way to refresh the spirit of the Artist/student. Artists themselves must reanimate the identity of the Artist as a vital person in the quality of life of the community in which artists live. We need to be less freaks and more net contributors to the wellbeing of the common citizen. We need to grow up and fit into our neighbor's world. We need to move to South Minneapolis.

mnartists.org needs to rethink itself as a part of the greater community and less as elite party central. It is time for Olga to send some of the Ivory-Tower-ists packing. Art ain't about cool parties; it is about "values" manifest in the objects and performances presented to the people. There is no Art without an audience. The super rich are in the process of finding out how poor the money in their possession really is; the Global economy is about to gobble up all of the market value of our consumer debt and our core economic strength in one swift swap of stocks. It is a good time to be an artist that makes American art. Because we about to become like Europe was for us at the turn of the last century.

You need to give up on the idea of spin writing and start looking at and practicing the art of journalism; the search for the facts, distill the resolution of truth and advance the recognition of actual leadership. Leave fashion to the Japanese and Chinese. Function over Form should be the mantra. Not handbags over paintings.

Make no responsive changes Scott. And your fate is as my good friend Michael Fallon. My sympathies to him but I will not grant him empathy that I save for the Y and all of the other outsiders who now will have more backbone and less ego to pick up the banner of Art.

Coyote with a warm and gentle purr

Hail fellow strugglers!
An updated version of the piece (with a Sept 15 postscript) that Coyote Whatsihoosi refers to above is now posted on The Thousandth Word arts writing blog (located on the Rakemag.com website at: http://www.rakemag.com/blogs/-thousa...ay-music-died). I'd love to hear your thoughts on the continuing struggle to make a life in the arts.

[Ray Rolfe]

My brother and I rocked the Southern Theater once upon a time. Guitar and drums.

Anyway I was just thinking... the southern is super close to the new i35W (Saint Anthony Falls Bridge) on-ramp. Do you think developers desire their historic building for redevelopment of "Washington BLVD", and so failed the organization within, in order to do an easy land grab?

I'm thinking it's fairly easy to fail organizations when they are dependent on higher level funding. Thus their existence is at the whim of development communities and inherently political/strategic, whether the stratagem be area enrichment or simply place holding for urban planners.... hmmm. Where is the opportunity in this dynamic?

Originally Posted by Ray Rolfe

My brother and I rocked the Southern Theater once upon a time. Guitar and drums.

Anyway I was just thinking... the southern is super close to the new i35W (Saint Anthony Falls Bridge) on-ramp. Do you think developers desire their historic building for redevelopment of "Washington BLVD", and so failed the organization within, in order to do an easy land grab?

I'm thinking it's fairly easy to fail organizations when they are dependent on higher level funding. Thus their existence is at the whim of development communities and inherently political/strategic, whether the stratagem be area enrichment or simply place holding for urban planners.... hmmm. Where is the opportunity in this dynamic?

One can not defeat the Medici while out side their palace.

And one must always be aware of the global political wars that will follow the wholesale selling of our national debt to the foreign super rich. Real estate is the only real currency left, and we will not be in control of it's ownership. Don't look for local bad guys; learn the lesson of the pasts we have given ourselves over to our creditors.

coyote

[Scott Stulen]

It seems this topic has not caught on with the same energy as the prior month. We will keep the forum open and perhaps, like last months featured forum, it will have continued lively discussion. Thank you for the engaging, civil discussions.

Next month's topic will be Politics in Art. In particular we will focus on a discussion of the The Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment on the upcoming election ballot. I anticipate another interesting debate of this timely topic.

Scott Stulen
Project Director
mnartists.org

Originally Posted by Scott Stulen

It seems this topic has not caught on with the same energy as the prior month. We will keep the forum open and perhaps, like last months featured forum, it will have continued lively discussion. Thank you for the engaging, civil discussions.

Next month's topic will be Politics in Art. In particular we will focus on a discussion of the The Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment on the upcoming election ballot. I anticipate another interesting debate of this timely topic.

Scott Stulen
Project Director
mnartists.org

Can you please start this topic off with a "critical" piece of writing? One that covers the angles pro and con. And please as the writer to do a little historical background on "amendments".

Coyote dancing in the rain.

[Ray Rolfe]

insert link to

Next month's topic will be Politics in Art. In particular we will focus on a discussion of the The Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment on the upcoming election ballot. I anticipate another interesting debate of this timely topic.

Here

Originally Posted by coyote in the den

Can you please start this topic off with a "critical" piece of writing? One that covers the angles pro and con. And please as the writer to do a little historical background on "amendments".

Coyote dancing in the rain.

Will the amendment keep Intermedia open?


Jimmy Longoria