Calhoun

To the barricades…or something like that. So say the organizers of the UnConvention, the multi-faceted string of cultural activities that is taking place in tandem with the Republican National Convention (RNC) in St. Paul. As forward-thinking and inclusive as the UnConvention proffers to be, though, it isn’t for every creative type. In fact, some of the most interesting activities will be independent, renegade affairs that may or may not be noticed. Collectively, they constitute a sort of UnUnConvention. MORE »

There are approximately 9,600 objects in the Walker Art Center’s permanent collection, yet only seven percent of the collection is currently on display. Now, a vitrine in the Walker’s Bazinet lobby contains the newest additions: a locked suitcase, a pregnant Barbie, and a copy of 50 Cent’s Get Rich Or Die Tryin’, among others. This small collection, created by the Walker Art Center’s Teen Arts Council (WACTAC), is the product of a concerted effort by the program’s artists-in-residence to make the teens think about the nature of the institutions that display art. MORE »

If you’re in the mood for a good chuckle sometime, do a Google image search for the phrase “art collector” and see what turns up. What you’ll see is a few dozen pages of photos of laughing matrons in suspiciously expensive-looking cowboy hats, smug bank presidents in very well-tailored suits standing in front of enormous abstract expressionist canvases, shots of nouveau-riche celebrities you might recognize from the august pages of US Weekly, Turkish rug-strewn oaken interiors, programs from that annual “culture and social highlight of the Americas” that is Art Basel Miami, and a number of black-and-white photos of unsmiling 19th Century robber barons with impressively waxed mustaches and countenances that seems to say “release the hounds.” Terribly funny, but not the sort of thing you particularly associate with your everyday life—most people tend to think of “art collectors” as occupying the same mythical, rarified space as Greek shipping magnates, suave tuxedoed international assassins, and other people you tend not to run into in the express lane at Cub Foods. MORE »

Singer-songsmith Meredith Fierke, an extraordinary talent, is, to the benefit of discerning music lovers, making her presence known. She emerged on her home ground of Northfield, Minnesota, solidifying a following with appearances at area nightclubs and winning such honors as “Best Female Musician” from Northfield Entertainment Guide and being listed as a Top Ten Minnesota Artist by BroadJam.com. Things stepped up a notch in early August with the release of her album The Procession, launched with a special gig at Northfield’s Grand Theater. While maintaining her core following, Fierke has broadened her audience, performing in Minneapolis and St. Paul at such venues as the Acadia Café, the Varsity Theater, the Loring Pasta Bar, the Uptown Bar, and Station 4. For good measure, she followed the release of The Procession with a guest appearance on MTN’s Spectator. MORE »