Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/category/corrections/page/9/)
During the next few weeks Twin Citians will enjoy an unprecedented opportunity to view and read about the lives and media triumphs of people with disabilities – and how their stories are told in the media. Continue Reading
Not only has the world changed – universities presses are used to that – but the cosmos has shifted, calling into question the place of presses not just in the university – again, a familiar dilemma – but in a far more diverse, fast-moving, and increasingly decentered system of scholarly communications. The issue at hand isn’t simply print vs. electronic nor even “Open” vs proprietary, copy-left vs. copy-right. These are economic and thus solvable problems. It is, to my mind, the emergence of more informal, iterative, and collaborative scholarly communications vs. formal, fixed, and author centered-literally: authorized-scholarly publishing. ~~ Doug Armato, Director of U of M Press. Continue Reading
Artists, organizers, and community members convened in a unity gathering in downtown St. Paul’s Rice Park last Tuesday, to bring attention to what they see as racially offensive imagery and messaging in the play “Miss Saigon,” which was touring at the Ordway Theater earlier this month. A coalition of Asian American organizers and allies have brought together artists, activists and community members over the past several weeks to bring local, and even national, attention to the problematic play. The Facebook page for the event reads, “‘Don’t Buy Miss Saigon’ Coalition has been organizing against the stereotypes and misconceptions perpetuated by the production of Miss Saigon and the fact that it has come back to the Ordway for the third time. The Coalition has created the October 8 event as an opportunity for local Asian Americans and our allies to come together in solidarity and to share our own truth about what it means to be Asian American.”Above are some pictures taken by community organizer, Xay Yang, and the event’s photographer, Anna Min. Yang said the event was very well attended. “It was intergenerational and people were mobilized and energized. The organizers were strategic in their planning and had put in so much passion into this. Continue Reading
Alexander Fiterstein likely isn’t a household name in the Twin Cities; but in classical music circles, the 35-year-old clarinetist is gaining a wide following.This month he released his first album, Carl Maria von Weber (Bridge Records), which is comprised of two clarinet concertos and the Concertino in E-flat major, all penned by the German Romantic composer. In December, Fiterstein will perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., with his ensemble, the Zimro Project, in a concert of Russian Jewish chamber music that hasn’t been played publicly for nearly 100 years.The clarinet professor at the University of Minnesota also was named co-artistic director, with cellist Nicholas Canellakis, of the Sedona Winter Musicfest, which takes place in January, in Carefree, Ariz. And Fiterstein has an April date to perform in New York City with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Before heading east, he has two Minnesota Sinfonia concerts set for late March, and will play Weber’s Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in F minor, op. Continue Reading
It’s been a pretty depressing week, what with the government shutdown and the resignation of Osmo Vänskä from the Minnesota Orchestra. I have to admit that I haven’t exactly been a ticket-buying supporter of the orchestra. I think the last time I went to actually see a live orchestra concert I was in college. It’s not that I don’t like classical music—I actually can’t explain my lack of enthusiasm, other than there were other things that interested me more. Still, I think it’s a shame that such a revered institution is in such dire straits.Over the past six years, I’ve written about numerous catastrophes in the arts nonprofit world, from closings to internal strife to executive director ousters to evictions and financial crisis. Continue Reading
Approximately sixty parents and community members turned out to listen to Area A Assistant Superintendent Michael Thomas explain the Minneapolis Public Schools’ new five-year enrollment plan. The October 1 community engagement meeting was held at Anwatin Middle School in the Bryn Mawr neighborhood. The focus of this meeting was on Area A, Zone 1, which is in North Minneapolis. Changes under the plan will affect Sheridan, North High, the Davis Center, Cityview and Lincoln schools, as well as Hmong International Academy, Minneapolis College Preparatory and Pierre Bottineau French Immersion school. (See Zone 1 Recommended Changes – PDF document attached.)Thomas used a Powerpoint to introduce key points of the plan, taking a few questions from the audience as he went. Continue Reading
UPDATED 9/24 – see below • The International Justice Program doesn’t get to travel to Geneva very often, but thanks to the United Nations’ livewebcasts, we can usually see and hear all the U.N.’s human rights action as it happens.
Continue Reading
The year was 2005 and the first signs of the economic downturn, coupled with funding cuts to a Minnesota Film Board program that had brought movie jobs to Minnesota, were making it hard for Bob Medcraft to find a job. So, after a successful career making movies, music videos and commercials, Medcraft turned to his first love – trains. He opened Choo Choo Bob’s store on St. Paul’s Marshall Avenue, painting a colorful sign above the entrance and filling the front windows with train related models, toys and games. “It was a labor of love. Continue Reading
The first St. Paul edition of Open Streets kicked off on Sunday, September 15. University Avenue from Hamline Avenue to Marion Street was closed for all motor vehicles from 11 AM until 6 PM to promote healthier and eco-friendlier means of transportation. The event, which was organized as a fair, suffered the inevitable consequences of cloudy, cold and windy weather, which seemed to deter some families from enjoying a walk or a bicycle ride through the avenue.Despite that, the people who dared to visit University Avenue had the chance to approach a diversity of commercial, organizational and non-profit stands and activities, among which stood out concerts and those activities focused on children. Also, the event has been used as a forum for Midway neighborhood-related reflections and initiatives.Stands started closing before the scheduled hour, around 4 PM. Continue Reading
The Twin Cities is a great place to find a farmers’ market. They seem to be everywhere, and each seems to have its own character and set of devoted fans. The Kingfield Farmers Market, located in the Kingfield at 4310 Nicollet in Minneapolis, attracts loyal foodies from the neighborhoods around Southwest Minneapolis. At Kingfield, some of the most popular booths are those dedicated to selling unique foods available few other places.The prices might be higher than at some other farmers’ markets, but the quality is top of the line. The folks running the booths are the people who have caught, raised, or produced the products they sell. Continue Reading