The Christmas tree, lights, and tinsel may be put away, but Jack Frost is here to stay…for a while. The early arrival of frigid sub-zero temperatures this season have made parts of December feel a lot like January. But no, we’ve only just begun, folks.Maybe the old saying, if you can’t beat it, join it is the best mindset to adopt when battling winter blues and cabin fever. Why not add a bit of outdoor winter fun to your fitness and social routine? Bundle up and try something new!Below we’ve compiled a few outdoor winter activities in the Twin Cities (and beyond), from cross-country skiing and ice skating, to winter festivals and sled rallies, that provide an incentive to get out in natural light and engage the snowy landscape. Continue Reading
As anyone who lives up in the God forsaken North will tell you—it’s not the cold that gets in the end. It’s not the snow, or the ice. It’s the darkness. That permeating darkness when you don’t know if it’s day or night, this time of Vitamin D deficiency and Seasonal Affective Disorder. To ease our suffering, Artists in Storefronts, the public arts project led by Joan Vorderbruggen, may offer some relief by providing a little bit of light, color and movement to brighten your night. The upcoming installment of the Artists in Storefronts project will only feature movies—a radical change in format from the visual displays of fine art that previously defined the project. Continue Reading
As an emerging artist who is still experiencing an unsettled change in style and content, I understand that this change is as exciting as it is terrifying—like a creative puberty. It is one thing to observe such a change while in its midst, but there is nothing quite as mesmerizing as viewing this metamorphosis as it happens to someone else.Sara Syverhus is an artist who is just now finding her voice both artistically and personally. From heartache to self-discovery, Syverhus’ work chronicles a road that all artists at some point must travel. The road in which we realize that sometimes the only way to express ourselves is to create a safer world where we can heal and grow without judgment. In the case of Syverhus’ solo exhibition Crystal Vision at the Fox Den Salon on Friday, December 13, her healing takes place in a world of be-speckled skies and creamy star trails.While her settings are often solemn, her heroines seem to be captured in the process of figuring out where they are, how they got there, and what they will do next. Continue Reading
On any given Sunday throughout 2014, photographer Guthrie Byard will be seeing the Longfellow neighborhood in a whole new way—through the eye of his camera lens. His goal: to snap a picture each week that will somehow capture the vibrant, diverse community in which we live.Byard is one of seven full-time photographers involved in Longfellow 365, a project that aims to take one photo of the Longfellow neighborhood every day over the next year. Each full-time photographer is assigned a day of the week and an area of the neighborhood to photograph, whether it’s Cooper, Hiawatha, Howe, or Longfellow. Twenty guest photographers will provide additional coverage as needed. The photographers—a diverse group that includes artists, students, teachers, and parents—applied in late October and were chosen by lottery in early November. Continue Reading
For 2014 holiday light displays see: Dazzling holiday lights and sights in Twin Cities (and beyond) Minnesotans don’t need to dream or wish for a white Christmas this year, as winter blasted in with early sub-zero temps and snow. If seeing all that white has you seeing red, check out the bright holiday light displays, which transform cold, bare streets into a joyful array of eye candy. Check out our list of light displays below, and help us add to it. For a fun and relatively inexpensive activity for the holidays, why not make a night of holiday light viewing? Load up the car with family and friends, pop in your favorite Christmas CD, and take a trip around the Twin Cities to see the various light displays and decorations. Several local companies offer limousine or bus tours. Continue Reading
In the world of minis, there are close encounters with bugs that seem prehistoric, adventures in far off places, and seemingly impossible tasks – like milking a cow. Photographer Kurt Moses and his wife, Edwige, began documenting the life of minis several years ago on their site Un Petite Monde (A Small World). But it wasn’t until Moses shared his photos with Longfellow resident and graphic designer Kelly McManus that the idea for the book Welcome to the Small World: A Book of Big Surprises! was born. McManus wrote little stories for each of the images and compiled them all into a book.
Viva Noel: A Holiday Cirque opened on November 29th at Mystic Lake Casino. Conceived by Q Production and directed by Fernando Quevedo, promotional copy explains that its a celebration of the holiday spirit. Perhaps. But as a celebration, it’s all over the map and the experience is more like watching a taping for a Spanish(?), Italian(?), French(?), Las Vegas(?) reality show. There’s some amazing talent represented (and without safety nets), but the sum of the individual cool parts doesn’t add up to a holiday-tradition whole.The confusion begins in the title. Continue Reading
With 13 years working in fashion under her belt, Samantha Rei is beginning a new chapter—one that will show an even wider audience that femininity and strength go hand and hand. After a fruitful career under the title Blasphemina’s Closet Samantha is branching out into new territory; crafting designs that extend beyond the gothic Lolita style she’s known for. Her garments are inspired by the stories of heroines whose soft charms are combined with power and intelligence. Who says you can’t look cute and save the world at the same time?What is your favorite creation; a piece you’ve made that you’re really proud of?Currently, it’s the three-piece coat collection that I made for the Union Depot show. I have a newfound love of wool and I’m going to be doing a lot of stuff with it in the future.If you could only work with one kind of fabric for the rest of your life, what would it be?My old standby is cotton. Continue Reading
A throwback to the 1980s and one of the most heartfelt ways to show someone you care is to make a mixed-tape, curating a collection of music from various sources, hand-selected for their personal significance. In the same vein of compiling songs, husband-and-wife choreographic team Chris Yon and Taryn Griggs have selected an impressive line-up of 10 local artists for the 41st annual Choreographers’ Evening at the Walker Art Center. Dancers, dance makers and dance enthusiasts alike can enjoy a post-turkey-dinner presentation of groundbreaking work that embodies the vast offerings of the Twin Cities dance community.Coming full circleGriggs says the opportunity to curate the evening came at the beginning of the summer via an email from Michelle Steinwald, who served as assistant curator for performing arts at the Walker from 2006 – 2013.“We were like, YES, that’s awesome,” says Griggs. The opportunity is particularly special for the duo because the first time they showed their work in Minneapolis was at a Choreographers’ Evening concert.A curated medley of dancesAccording to Yon, the initial inspiration for a mixed-tape line-up came from Kurt Vonnegut, who wrote each of his books with a particular person in mind. Infusing this sentiment into the evening, Yon and Griggs asked all of the choreographers to craft their pieces around a dedication—whether or not the artists chose to reveal this dedication in the program notes is up to the individual.While the concept provides a chance for artists to get really personal, Yon explains that “for some of them, it’s an opportunity to be even more mysterious.” Continue Reading
