workaround

Welcome to Minnesota: A Conversation about Immigration and Human Rights

May

25

workaround

Crystal Erickson

About me

Crystal Erickson (batdanceandneonshoelaces@gmail.com) is a freelance writer and photographer, with preoccupations in hip-hop, art, and bicycle anarchy.

Personal Web site:

Batdance + Neon Shoelaces

Facebook profile

Column:

Tornadoes + Bikes

workaround

Minnesota State Fair featured special Art Dolls exhibit

By Crystal Erickson, TC Daily Planet

"Art of the Doll" is an exhibit held at this year's State Fair. Nineteen local doll artists had works on display, providing a variety of interpretations on the form.

Dolls have always been a part of our culture. What separates the art doll from the mass-produced toy is what makes this art form so provocative. MORE »

Growing up in Wadena

By Crystal Erickson, Tornadoes + Bikes

I'm not going to lie—I hated growing up in Wadena. I couldn't stand a thing about being a kid (except: Fear Street, Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, Daria and the X Files) but I kind of feel this is the plight of youth.MORE »

Greater Frogtown CDC celebrates urban farming, community spaces

By Crystal Erickson, TC Daily Planet

The Greater Frogtown Community Development Corporation (CDC) celebrated the opening of its community garden on July 23 with a garden party (see video above.) Many groups contributed to building the garden, including Bolder Options, Urban Farming, and high school students enrolled in a construction program, who built a fence and plant stands and will continue to build a gazebo. According to Boa Lee, "The garden is open for residents to come and take food home for their families. It has cilantro, spinach, carrots, tomatoes, collards, basil, sweet peppers, cabbage, squash and more." MORE »

VISUAL ARTS | Metro State rededicates art gallery to pioneering African-American photographer Gordon Parks

By Crystal Erickson, TC Daily Planet

Metropolitan State University's Third Floor Gallery will be renamed the Gordon Parks Gallery in a ceremony taking place this Friday, May 21, from 4-8 p.m. A range of activities will include a ribbon cutting, a talk by photographer Wing Young Huie, and a jazz performance by Debbie Duncan. Screenings of the legendary artist's films will include The Learning Tree and Shaft; also screened will be the documentary Half Past Autumn: The Life and Works of Gordon Parks. The event will showcase a travelling exhibit of Gordon Parks's work, titled Crossroads.MORE »

MUSIC | Shuga Records gets into the Art-a-Whirl spirit with a three-day showcase of local bands

By Crystal Erickson, TC Daily Planet

The former home of the Minnesota Center for Photography will be an Art-a-Whirl hot spot once again this year with Hoolie Fest, a three-day music and art festival taking place May 14-16 at Shuga Records. 70 musicians and artists have been summoned for the free, all-ages event, which will feature art, live music on indoor and outdoor stages, vintage clothing, and—of course—tons of vinyl for sale.MORE »

MUSIC | Adam Olenius and Shout Out Louds put good "Work" into a thoughtful, passionate show at the Varsity

By Crystal Erickson, TC Daily Planet

Shout Out Louds performed Tuesday night at the Varsity Theater in support of Work, the band's third album. The band is touring without bassist Ted Malmros, who is back home awaiting the birth of his child. I spoke with frontman Adam Olenius before the show.MORE »

VISUAL ARTS | RAN ART targets General Mills with satirical posters and "scathing rock-and-roll"

By Crystal Erickson, TC Daily Planet

Substance, a local nonprofit combining music and activism, teamed up with the Rainforest Action Network to organize RAN ART, an art show designed to select a campaign poster for RAN and raise public awareness. RAN ART will take place May 1st at Tarnish & Gold Gallery. Rogue Citizen, a local artist collaborative, is co-sponsoring the event, which will also feature music from Kill the Vultures, Bouncer Fighter, and Phantom Tails. Doors for the event are at 7 p.m., with music starting at 9 p.m. Tickets for the event cost $7—or $5 for bicyclists.MORE »

MUSIC | Rachael Cantu and Garrison Starr play an intimate—sometimes awkwardly intimate—set at the BLB

By Crystal Erickson, TC Daily Planet

Rachael Cantu and Garrison Starr performed at the Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater last Thursday night, in an awkwardly intimate performance by two singer-songwriters who have shared the stage with legendary musicians. Cantu will be opening for B.B. King at three shows this week, two of those at Chicago’s House of Blues. Starr has opened for Melissa Etheridge and Mary Chapin Carpenter. Cantu is currently supporting her second album, Far and Wide, released this year, while Starr is touring and working on material with Among the Ash, her roots band with Josh Joplin.MORE »

MUSIC | Major Lazer whips First Ave into a craze

By Crystal Erickson, TC Daily Planet

I had no idea what to expect going into the Major Lazer show, partly because watching DJs spin can be a bit of a bore (especially if you are not going to dance, but to report). But I was more concerned with the fact that Major Lazer is a fictional animated character, depicted as a Jamaican commando who lost his arm in a zombie war.MORE »

MUSIC | Watson Twins, Sue McLean, and others talk about being women in the music industry

By Crystal Erickson, TC Daily Planet

Students from the music business program at Globe University/Minnesota School of Business organized an event called "Celebrate Women in Music," held April 6 at the Fine Line Music Cafe. The event, which was the first-ever of its kind sponsored by the college, comprised two parts. First, there was a panel discussion with women holding various roles in the music industry, including Sue McLean, who was awarded an honorary degree from the college. The second part of the event was a concert featuring the Watson Twins.MORE »