Can art be democratic? Pangea World Theater thinks so.

Posted at 3:56 PM on November 6, 2009 by Marianne Combs (2 Comments)
Filed under: Culture, Theater

"Bridges" performers run through one of their collaborative pieces.

Usually when we think of art, we think of one person's vision. That person could be a painter, a choreographer, a playwright or a director. Their idea is transferred to a canvass, or in the case of theater, to a group of actors and staff charged with carrying out the artists' vision.

The founders of Pangea World Theater think that model needs to change. For three years now, Pangea has hosted what it calls "Bridges" - an intensive program in which artists from different backgrounds work together on a performance. The actors have as much say as the playwrights. Artistic Director Dipankar Mukherjee says Bridges is about coming up with a new way of creating art.

Because the current way is mainstream, and in 'the mainstream' many voices are missing. Financially privileged Euro-American white voices form the centers of most artistic conversations. It's not that artists with marginalized voices stopped creating work - they've always created work. The question is, can we create a circle in which the work is in the center, and that work is dynamized by everybody's participation?

The "Bridges" project provides a pretty heady environment for performers, filled with discussions and workshops in addition to rehearsals. For three weeks they've debated the responsibilities and privilege of being an artist, and the've created work. The results of their collaboration is onstage this weekend at Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis.

"Bridges" curators Dipankar Mukherjee, Meena Natarajan and J. Otis Powell!

The results of their work border on the abstract, which curator Meena Natarajan says is to be expected since they've had so little time to collaborate. But the process they've undertaken will stay with them in future projects, and perhaps lead to new work, and new insights.

Still, the idea of "democratic art" seems cumbersome. Is it practical to make art as a group? Curator J. Otis Powell! says it is:

It is practical that we practice freedom, it is practical that we practice democracy it is practical that we practice listening to each other. Unless we practice we're never going to get better at it. If we keep saying "too many cooks spoil the broth" then we're going to continue to get the same result, because we say "oh yeah, that's right - I've heard that all my life, so it must be true." We're saying that must not be true. It must be true that we can have a better world if we actually paid attention to everybody who's speaking instead of just certain people who are speaking.

As is often the case with art, these performers are trying to create a microcosm of what they want to see in the world. And for that, they're willing to be patient, and keep working.

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Meet a man who had a man who stares at goats stare at him

Posted at 6:18 PM on November 5, 2009 by Euan Kerr (0 Comments)
Filed under: Books, Film

George Clooney (left) and Jeff Bridges star in the new film adaptation of Jon Ronson's book "The Men Who Stare at Goats." (Image courtesy Overture Films)

Jon Ronson says initially it didn't occur to anyone that there was an irony in hiring Star Wars star Ewan McGregor to play a role in "The Men Who Stare at Goats."

The movie is based on Ronson's non-fictional account of efforts within the US military to train soldiers to develop paranormal powers and become what the military called Jedi warriors.

"Nobody had sussed it out," Ronson said to me during a phone interview today. "Only after Ewan had been offered the role did he mention it. Total coincidence. May God strike me down if I am lying," he laughed, and then quickly admitted he doesn't believe in God.

It's just one of the many strange things about Ronson's story. He is a writer and documentary maker who began his explorations into the psychic soldiers shortly after 9/11 when he ran into the infamous silverware bender Uri Geller who had long claimed to be a psychic spy.

When Ronson asked him about it, Geller would only say a) that he had been 're-activated' and b) he would deny making his first statement if Ronson told anyone.

This set Ronson off on a series of adventures meeting some of the people who had tried to do such things as pass through walls, make clouds disperse, make people forget about what they were thinking (especially if that thought was about killing you,) and yes, trying to kill goats, and possibly people, by staring at them.

Ronson knows people will be skeptical about the story. "My own skepticism is utterly intact," he says. "I firmly believe that all the things I say happened in the book did happen, but what I don't believe for a second was that any of this paranormal stuff actually worked."

Such was his confidence in this he actually submitted to being a subject by one of the 'goat-starers.' The man said he would enter Ronson's mind and make him so fearful that when he touched him Ronson would fly across the room.

"And indeed that's what he did," Ronson says.

However on reviewing the videotape he had made of the interaction Ronson saw something different happening. He described the soldier in question as 'an enormous Special Forces martial arts trainer.' he describes himself as being quite small. On the tape he saw that the soldier actually hit him quite hard and it wasn't surprising he flew through the air.

"It was an interesting lesson in a kind of pragmatic application of paranormal techniques, which was basically freak somebody out and they will be debilitated and you'll be able to have your way with them," he says.

The movie based on Ronson's book opens with a declaration "More of this is true than you would believe." The film takes Ronson's true tales of paranormal experimentation and builds a fictional story of a mildly hapless journalist Bob Wilton (McGregor) who stumbles across the remnants of a disbanded supersecret psychic soldier group, including Lyn Casady (George Clooney) who takes him into Iraq. Along the way Casady relates the history of the First Earth Battalion and its founder Bill Django (Jeff Bridges.) Things don't go terribly well, all in all.

Ronson says he was advised by his friend Nick Hornby that he should just relax and not worry about the whole film making process. He decided to just enjoy the adventure.

"I think they have made a really nice film," he said. "It's a very sweet, funny warm film that I think people will engage with. Even though my book is quite dark, the film is light. And I think that is fine."

"Because I am such a sceptic, I don't believe for a second that people could actually have these paranormal powers, " he continued. "But I loved that the movie toyed with it: that you don't really know at the beginning of the movie whether its going to change into a kind of X-Men and these people will have these amazing powers and they kind of toy with that possibility in a very funny engaging way."

The movie opens this weekend across the country, and anyone eager for a brush with stardom can meet one of the goats used in the film at the Mall of America this evening. Word is you can try to 'drop the goat' yourself if you are so inclined.

But Jon Ronson isn't holding his breath.

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Mpls Mayor declares "The Suicide Commandos Day"

Posted at 3:08 PM on November 5, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Music

Here's Mayor Rybak's proclamation, in all its glory:

WHEREAS, in the words of "indie" music industry shaker and mover, Peter Jesperson at New West Records, "The Suicide Commandos are THE Granddaddy's of the Minneapolis/St. Paul music scene that later bred The Suburbs, Husker Du, The Replacements, Soul Asylum and The Jayhawks;" and

Whereas The Suicide Commandos put the Minneapolis Music scene on the map; and

Whereas The Suicide Commandos carved a path where there was none before. Many of the Minneapolis bands that went onto big success may not have done so without the Commandos having done so; and

WHEREAS The Suicide Commandos, like other rock bands of the late '70s, such as The Ramones in New York, and other "punk bands," like The Sex Pistols in England, helped shape a rock 'n roll renaissance by peeling back to the basics with a swell sense of humor and rock history; and

WHEREAS The Suicide Commandos helped propel the commercial viability of new, independent labels by taking risks on non-major labels and meeting a hunger in the market for a new rock spirit among fans and music entrepreneurs alike; and

WHEREAS The Commandos, as they were known fondly by fans and media alike, indulged in consistently producing entertaining nights out in now-legendary downtown bars, such as The Longhorn, with, what The Commandos called in their own original rocker, "Complicated Fun; and

WHEREAS this loud, fast trio was among the earliest subjects of pioneering rock video filmmaker Chuck Statler (Devo, Elvis Costello, et al.) with its song "Burn It Down," thus helping to expand the rock video genre (even though the house in the video was one they rehearsed in....); and

WHEREAS drummer Dave Ahl, bassist Steve Almaas and guitarist Chris Osgood have continued to contribute to music culture through their professional careers by teaching (Almaas), creating studios (Ahl) and working with musicians and artists at Springboard for the Arts and students and McNally Smith College of Music (Osgood); and

WHEREAS The Suicide Commandos continue to ROCK special occasions and events for the benefit and enjoyment of the people-- 30-plus years after their initial reign!

Now, Therefore I, R.T. Rybak, Mayor of the City of Minneapolis do hereby declare Saturday, November 7, 2009 as:

The Suicide Commandos Day in the City of Minneapolis

By the way, The Suicide Commandos are playing twice on Saturday, first at the Walker Art Center's Free First Saturday program, and then later in the evening at the Dakota.

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Art Hounds: La Crosse Chamber Chorale, Ruined, Bruce Tapola

Posted at 12:33 PM on November 5, 2009 by Marianne Combs (1 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds

An installation by artist Bruce Tapola

This week the 'hounds' lead us to La Crosse for some homegrown choral music, a play that exposes the horror and humanity in the Congolese civil war, and a serious artist with an absurdist take on life.

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Paul Dickinson teaches writing at St. Cloud State University and National American University. He's also a former art gallery owner and hosts the Riot Act Reading Series at St. Paul's Turf Club. Dickinson is drawn to the absurdist paintings, sculpture and mixed media work of St. Paul artist Bruce Tapola. Tapola's has a show at Art of This Gallery in Minneapolis which opens Saturday, November 7th.

Harry Waters Jr. is a professor of theater and dance at Macalester College and is also a Twin Cities actor, director and dramaturg. Harry was absolutely riveted by Mixed Blood Theatre's production of "Ruined." It's set largely in a brothel during the Congolese civil war, and takes an unflinching look at the horrific violence and brutality of that conflict, especially against women. Harry says somehow the play also managed to be entertaining and uplifting at the same time. "Ruined" is on stage through Nov. 22 at Mixed Blood.

Eric Heukeshoven is a music instructor at St. Mary's University in Winona, a musician, and an ardent fan of the La Crosse Chamber Chorale in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The nearly all volunteer Chorale is performing Saturday, Nov. 7th at 7:30pm at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in La Crosse and Sunday, Nov. 8th at 3pm at English Lutheran Church, also in La Crosse. Eric says the chorale stands out, even in a region bursting at the seams with choral music.

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Your Weekend Arts Forecast

Posted at 6:50 AM on November 5, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Events

The choices for your weekend will have you all tied up in knots...

Minnesota Dance Theater presents Carmina Burana, it's physical interpretation of Carl Orff's music, which itself was inspired by the poems of vagrant monks. The dance was originally performed with Theatre de la Jeune Lune, and features the vocal performances of Bradley Greenwald, Justin Madel, and Jennifer Baldwin-Peden. Shows run tonight through Sunday at the Lab Theater in Minneapolis.

The Northrup King Building in Northeast Minneapolis hosts its annual "Art Attack," in which all its resident artists (they number 130+) open their studio doors to the curious. Those studios feature everything from fiber art and ceramics to architecture and poster art. The fun begins Friday from 5-10pm, and continues Saturday from noon-8pm, and again Sunday from noon-5pm.

Bryant Lake Bowl has a couple of fun shows on its cozy little stage this weekend. First, there's "Quickies," a series of comedic shorts put on by four different companies. Think of it as speed-dating for your perfect theater... Performances run for the three Fridays at 7pm.

Hardcover Theater returns to the BLB with its latest literary incarnation, this time ripped from the pages of H. Rider Haggard's 1887 novel, She. In it, pith helmet sporting Brits make their way through the wilds of Africa, and stumble across a society that worships a powerful and irresistable woman. Hardcover has described it as being "like an Indiana Jones movie onstage, but with interesting characters and provocative themes." (Hmmm... can that work?)

So don't hold back on us - what are you doing this weekend?

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Arts 101: What do you want to know?

Posted at 2:59 PM on November 4, 2009 by Marianne Combs (1 Comments)
Filed under: Arts 101

Have an arts related question you've always wondered about, but have been too embarrassed to ask? Never fear, "Arts 101" is here!

I have noticed the tendency of a few friends to take me aside when no one else is around, and say "Can you explain (fill in the blank) to me?"

For example, recently a colleague of mine and I had a chat about paintings. She wanted to know if a certain painting hanging on the walls of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts was "the original" or if the MIA simply owned a replica. So I explained that sometimes an artist will create a series of similar works - like Monet's haystacks - and that many museums may own an "original" that looks very much like some other museum's "original."

I have to tell you, I was thrilled that my colleague was willing to come to me with her question, and I was delighted to be able to provide her with an answer (face it, one of the great joys of journalism is being able to find out answers to people's questions - how useful!).

So consider this your "free pass" to ask any question you want about art. No question will be considered too simple! You will not be judged on the merits of your question, and I will do my best to find the right answer. And if it leads to some interesting fact-finding, it may even turn into a radio story.

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What is Obama's policy on the arts?

Posted at 12:32 PM on November 3, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)

President Obama has named his appointees to his Committee on the Arts and Humanities. The names include actors such as Forest Whitaker, Sarah Jessica Parker, Alfre Woodard, and Edward Norton, as well as the Editor-in-Chief of Vogue magazine, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, philanthropist (and wife of John Kerry) Teresa Heinz, and our own Senator Dick Cohen. Firlst Lady Michelle Obama serves as the committee's honorary chair.

The committee works directly with the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. But with all this talk about health care and the economy, you may not know just exactly what President Obama has planned for the arts (I certainly couldn't point to any projects off the top of my head).

Well I did a quick search and found this from his campaign trail days, when candidate Obama needed to have talking points on every issue out there.

In summary, our President has promised America the following:

- To reinvest in arts education, by expanding public/private partnerships between schools and arts organizations. He also, based on his work in Chicago, promised to create an "artist corps" consisting of of young artists trained to work in low-income schools and their communities. And he promised to be publicly champion the importance of an arts education.

- To support increased funding for the NEA. (Did that - restored NEA funding to its highest level since 1992 when he signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in February)

- To promote cultural diplomacy. By that he means put more money into U.S. embassy programs that send American artists on tour around the world.

- To attract foreign talent. Since 9/11 it's been difficult, if not impossible to get a visa to perform in the United States. President Obama has promised to streamline the visa process so artists and art students can make their way here more easily.

- To provide affordable health care to artists. (Because if you provide affordable health care to everybody, that includes artists. Two birds, one stone.)

- To ensure "tax fairness" for artists. Candidate Obama said he supports legislation that would allow artists to deduct the fair-market value of their work, rather than just the costs of the materials, when they make charitable contributions.

It's a pretty big list, and since Obama has only just named the committee meant to work on the arts, over ten months into his tenure, it will be interesting to see what they can accomplish.

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Writer Bill Holm to be remembered tonight

Posted at 11:31 AM on November 2, 2009 by Marianne Combs (1 Comments)
Filed under: People, Writing

Luminaries from the Minnesota literary world will gather this evening at Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis to remember Bill Holm and to read from his latest work (published posthumously), "The Chain Letter of the Soul."

Those reading from his new book will include Minnesota Poet Laureate Robert Bly, Holm's wife Marcella Brekken, Milkweed Editions' publishers Emilie Buchwald and Daniel Slager, and poets Phil Bryant, Phebe Hanson, Jim Heynen, Jim Lenfestey, Freya Manfred, Joe and Nancy Paddock and John Rezmerski.

Pianist Sonja Thompson will accompany the evening, performing selections of Hayden (one of Holm's favorite composers) and other classics.

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Teens honor Day of the Dead at the MIA

Posted at 4:45 PM on October 30, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Culture, Museums

Olga Guzmán checks out her ofrenda hanging at the MIA
Photo by Amanda Hankerson

Last night the Minneapolis Institute of Arts was filled with Latino-American families, there to see and celebrate the artwork of their children. The first floor gallery area and nearby social room was overflowing with little kids working on art projects, girlfriends and boyfriends chowing down on pork and chicken tamales, and parents taking pictures of their children next to their "ofrendas" or offerings, made in honor of Day of the Dead.

Olga's ofrenda. Photo by Dan Dennehy

Olga Guzmán hasn't lost anyone close to her, so she made a more traditional ofrenda,
depicting skeletons dancing, singing and sharing a meal. This is her second year making an ofrenda at the MIA, and she really likes it.

"I'm really busy - working, going to school, writing papers - and I don't get a chance to be creative with art. So I really love when a chance like this comes along because I feel my creative side can come out."


All of the ofrendas were created in crates, used to symbolize the migrant workers who came to the United States looking to support their families.

José Miguel Guerrero stands next to his ofrenda.
Photo by Amanda Hankerson

The teens are all students of El Colegio magnet school in Minneapolis. As part of the process, they were given video cameras (provided by Best Buy) with which to document their projects, and talk about their work. Administrative Director David Greenberg says he's thrilled with the project and what it offers his students.

It's really a good deal for our students to see their work in one of the most important museums in the region, to know that their work, thoughts and experiences are valued and important. To just see them do those video blogs, and talk into the camera about their work and their lives, knowing that people are going to see that and care about it and respond to it...it just makes them reflect on who they are and know themselves better.

Tameka Boyce at the MIA reception with her parents.
Photo by Amanda Hankerson

18-year old Tameka Boyce chose to use her ofrenda to honor her grandmother, who died in 2004. The crate is filled with pink, her grandmother's favorite color, a poem she wrote and candles with the names of different family members. Boyce says she learned a lot, both about art and about video, in the process.

"It's great! It's surprising that my artwork's in the MIA. I can brag about it, it's very cool, my family's very interested and proud of me and so I like it."

Domini Guzmán with his ofrenda. Photo by Amanda Hankerson

MIA curator Joe Horse Capture organized the Young People's Ofrenda exhibition and he thinks the project has managed to accomplish a lot for everyone involved.

This is a type of artwork that normally our audience doesn't see. And so I think it's important, because we're an encyclopedic museum, for them to be exposed to that. Also this [Latino] community is really important to our larger community - and we'd like to see more of them here at the museum.

These small ofrendas are very powerful. You know this project has been successful when a parent comes to you and shakes your hand with tears in their eyes thanking you for creating this opportunity for their child because it has meant so much to them.

Young People's Ofrenda runs through November 15 at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

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Dan Graham on Bob Dylan's heart

Posted at 2:30 PM on October 30, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Music, People

A new exhibit at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis traces the career of Dan Graham. "Dan Graham: Beyond" includes examples of Graham's magazine pieces, films, sculptures and live performances that go all the way back to the 1960s. One of the subjects that Graham has been intrigued by throughout his career is pop music. He's written about the Kinks and the Rolling Stones, punk rock and the place of women in rock and roll. Graham came to Minneapolis for the opening of the exhibit and Minnesota Public Radio's Jim Bickal asked him what music he's interested in right now. Bickal found the response interesting, and passed it my way to share:

"I'm intrigued by Bob Dylan's new persona. On the album "Together through Life" his persona is that of an 80-year-old guy who has a romance in a nursing home and takes his new girlfriend or wife to Niagara Falls. It's 1940s or '50s songs, very trite. There's a lot of doggerel I think. He's using accordion and trumpets. And I think when he had his satellite radio program he got very involved in the '50s and '40s, but his persona is like an old guy now. I think ("Together Through Life") is a great album. It's all about cliches; it's very humorous. I think he's going back to his teenage years.

I think on the new album "Christmas in the Heart" he's trying to be like his hero, Dean Martin. He's always loved Dean Martin. Of course there's the whole idea of if he's doing things from the heart or not; he's dealing with the cliche of doing things from the heart. In "Chronicles" (Dylan's autobiography), he talks about being a normal family man, having a good marriage, but in fact he was cheating on his wife the entire time. So, I think he's trying to portray himself as somebody who has heart."

What do you think of Bob Dylan's image? Do you see an attempt to recreate himself, or to rewrite his history? Oh and if you haven't heard the new Christmas album, you must check this out.

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