Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/author/mark-peterson/)
Lowry Avenue in North Minneapolis hosted the season’s last Open Streets event. Photographer Mark Peterson was there to catch all the action. Check out the photos below. See you next year and enjoy the fall. Continue Reading
What does it take for someone, especially an adult, to leave the only land he or she knows as home, for a place where he or she knows few if any people, little about the culture and is rendered speechless by the new language? The four photographers (Jill Holslin, Selma Fernandez, David Maung and Jorge Santiago) featured in “Mexican/American/Mexican,” the current exhibition at Arts at 801 Gallery, have faced this decision, and their choice of place has informed their work in unusual ways. Laura Migliorino, a photography professor at Anoka Ramsey Community College, curated this exhibition, which examines the question: what does an immigrant see in a new country? Some years ago, Migliorino was working on a project in Tijuana, Mexico documenting the present-day use of recycled WWII workers’ houses that had been transported from San Diego after the end of the war in 1945. While there, she and her collaborator Anthony Marchetti met American artists who had moved to Tijuana from Southern California, many because of much cheaper rents, and became part of a burgeoning arts culture in the city. Continue Reading
With the Grito de Dolores (The Cry of Dolores), the Mexican War of Independence was declared on September 16, in 1810. In the small town of Guanajuato, the fight began to rid Mexico of Spanish Colonial rule. This national holiday is celebrated far beyond the borders of Mexico–including in Minneapolis, which has a large Latino population. The Powderhorn/Phillips neighborhood is full of Mexican and Latino-owned businesses, restaurants and shopping centers all eager to showcase their heritage. Minneapolis held not one, but two fiestas to mark the occasion on Lake street. Continue Reading
The recent unveiling and celebration of four major works of outdoor art on Snelling Avenue were the culmination of a year’s worth of effort by artists, business owners, foundations and the city of St. Paul. In 2014, The Knight Foundation named John Oppenheimer the winner of its inaugural Knight Arts Challenge St. Paul. He became the lead artist of the Midway Murals project, and was charged with forming a neighborhood public art workgroup, commissioning muralists, and coordinating the installation and long-term maintenance of the murals. Continue Reading
All photos taken by Mark Peterson
The opening weekend of the Great Minnesota Get Together was met with several hundred protesters from Black Lives Matter. Their goal: draw attention to the lack of people of color who run businesses in the fair and unfair policing. Black Lives Saint Paul, the organizers of last Saturday’s event, called on everyone to drop their “Minnesota Nice” and recognize the inequalities African Americans face on a day-to-day basis. Last Friday, Governor Mark Dayton said that while he understood the demonstrators message, he felt that protesting the fair was, “inappropriate.” Here’s a recap of the protest in photos:
Open Streets is still going strong. Last Sunday, downtown Minneapolis rolled out the red carpet for bikes and pedestrians to enjoy the delights of downtown. If you’ve missed any of the Open Streets engagements, there’s still time. University Avenue is next on September 20th. Until then, enjoy these photos of this fun day. Continue Reading
From Cedar to Chicago Avenue..sweltering humidity or not, folks showed up for another summer edition of Open Streets. This time the spotlight was on Franklin Avenue-home to the largest population of urban Native Americans in the country. Franklin Avenue is also home to one of the oldest libraries in the city and many Somali and East African folks. Open Streets brought them all together for a day of bicycling and walking down one of the most diverse places in the city. See for yourself… Continue Reading
Check out these great photos of a partnership with the “We Are Hmong Show” at the Minnesota History Center in Saint Paul, the Center included a night of Hmong Music in its “9 Nights of Music” series, which is held in the outdoor plaza space between the State Capitol and the Cathedral of Saint Paul. Continue Reading
The 25th Annual Festival of Fathers was held Saturday at North Commons Community Park in Minneapolis. Hundreds of Northsiders joined their neighbors to enjoy dance and band performers, scale the rock-climbing wall, enjoy pony rides, a petting zoo, an inflatable slide and food booths. The event also featured employment leads, free legal advice and health information. The annual event seeks to strengthen the positive role and perception of men, specifically fathers, in their families and communities. It honors the importance of fathers in the lives of their children and families. Continue Reading
If you attended the Little Mekong Night Market this year, you know that the exceptional food and performances made the festival a vibrant place to be last weekend. See below for exclusive snapshots of the event. All photos taken by Mark Peterson. Click here for more photos, video and information on this year’s Little Mekong Market. Continue Reading