Manga and anime at MCAD: Taking cartoons seriously
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The influences of manga and anime are everywhere, even if they’re not always identifiable. Continue Reading
Japanophilia at MCAD
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Speed Racer ran Sunday afternoons. My brother and I never missed an episode. As far as I know, this was the only Japanese animation I watched as a kid, and I was enthralled. Continue Reading
Book note: New tome on Minnesota’s historic bridges
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Over one year has passed since the collapse of the I-35W Bridge over the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis. Before that, I didn’t think much about bridges. Continue Reading
(10 seconds x 100 films) + beer
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In recent years, the possibility of recording anything, anytime, cheaply, and conveniently has led to the capturing of countless everyday moments. Chris Pennington—high school teacher by day, artist and rogue filmmaker by night—amassed a sizable collection of ten-second snippets using the video feature on a new digital camera and began wondering if others had similar gems to share. “We built a crappy little Web site,” Pennington wrote in an e-mail, “and signed up for a Ten-Second Film Fest Gmail account, and then begged and pleaded with the masses to send their little movies to us!” That was in 2004. 150 films were submitted, and 100 were shown that year. Thus was born the tradition of the Ten-Second Film Festival, the fourth annual iteration of which will take place this July 4 at the Soap Factory. Continue Reading
Bending circuits, subverting consumer culture
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Squeaks, squeals, blips, and borps emerged from every corner. Techno music was the soundtrack. Computerized voices, farm animal sounds, and well-known childhood melodies rang out. Continue Reading
The world coming to St. Paul
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Have you ever tried a pocky? Do you know the difference between kimbap and sushi? Do you know how to make a yurt? How about a hardanger? Continue Reading
The Bent Festival, a toy (horror) story
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If genius and insanity are often fused, so are creativity and destruction. Continue Reading
On the bus: public moments, personal stories
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A woman exposes her breast to feed her infant. A pedantic, self-appointed social and fashion critic disparages four pony-tailed men. Overly energized frat boys mock a Dale Earnhardt fan by chanting “Dale is Dead.” A kooky old man wears a mousetrap on his ear. Have you ever ridden on a city bus and had similar tales to tell? Rett Martin, originator of BusTales.com, encourages you to express yourself and share stories of your encounters while riding on city buses around the Twin Cities. Continue Reading
Book note: “The Latehomecomer,” a stirring family journey
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If you type the word “Hmong” into a Microsoft Word document, the spell check dictionary underlines it with a squiggly red line. Continue Reading