State of the Arts: June 16, 2009 Archive

Three artists, three enduring visions

Posted at 6:58 AM on June 16, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Funding, People

Last night the Bush Foundation announced this year's recipients of its Enduring Vision Awards. They are (from left to right above) flutist and hoop-dancer Kevin Locke, storyteller Mary Louise Defender Wilson, and local showman and puppeteer, Michael Sommers. They'll each receive $100,000 spread out over the next three to five years.

I sat down with each of the award winners after the ceremony to talk about what exactly they plan to do with the money. What sets this award apart is that it's given to artists with at least 25 years of working experience. It's a late career boost for people who are, as Defender Wilson said, often viewed as ready to "be put back on the shelf."

Kevin Locke said the money will allow him to document and archive Native American flute music that he's learned over the years from elders. Locke also spends a great deal of his time teaching traditional hoop-dancing to children in schools. He's also concerned with what it means to be a citizen in a global age, and how his own Lakota culture can contribute.

Mary Louise Defender Wilson will use the award to help her continue the work she's already doing, learning bits and pieces of old stories from different tribal elders, and piecing them together. Her work is not just about preserving Dakota heritage, but also about honoring those elders who are often living in poverty and poor health.

Michael Sommers feels a pull to go deeper with his puppetry and theater; to create darker, more intimate work. But he's also interested in creating moments of pure joy. He's just back from China where he performed puppet theater out of a suitcase all over Beijing. At one point he was completely surrounded by children fascinated with what he was doing, pressing in on him and the puppets. Sommers started laughing at the situation. He looked around and saw that the children and the adults standing behind them were all laughing too. Sommers says he wants more of that.

Images courtesy of Ixtlan Artists Group, Preston Wright and Larry Lamb

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What's the future of the arts?

Posted at 9:46 AM on June 16, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Education

20under40 is a project to collect unique perspectives on the future of the arts and arts education. If you're involved in the arts in any way, are under 40 years old, and have an opinion to share, they'd like to hear from you.

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Vatican declares St. Paul Cathedral national shrine

Posted at 2:54 PM on June 16, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Architecture, Culture

The Vatican has designated the Cathedral of Saint Paul to be the first national shrine in honor of the Apostle Paul. This will be the first national shrine in the State of Minnesota and the only national shrine in North America dedicated to honor Saint Paul.

According to canon (church) law, "The term shrine signifies a church or other sacred place to which the faithful make pilgrimages for a particular pious reason with the approval of the local ordinary (bishop)."

As Twin Cities Archbishop Nienstedt pointed out to the vatican in his request for the shrine designation, tens of thousands of people already visit the Cathedral every year. Of course with the new designation, the Cathedral staff are expecting the numbers of visitors to increase further.

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When should arts funding be cut?

Posted at 9:53 PM on June 16, 2009 by Marianne Combs (7 Comments)
Filed under: Funding, Public Art

Governor Tim Pawlenty took a shot this afternoon at Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, saying "Minneapolis has been on an unbroken streak of 8 percent increases in property taxes, funding things like $50,000 artistic fountains." This just after the governor announced $2.7 billion in "unallotments" to balance the state budget.

Interestingly enough, Pawlenty didn't make any noticable cuts to the arts today. His strategy mainly affects local government, education and health and human services. But he does raise a good question: when is it inappropriate to fund the arts? Should arts grants be cut before funding for social services for the disabled or homeless? Is saving lives more important than funding art? If that were the case, it would seem we could always find places to put public money before allowing it to trickle down to artists.

The money for Minneapolis' ten new drinking fountains comes from a designated public art fund. And it's supposed to draw attention to issues surrounding clean drinking water, not just look cool. But considering the recession we're in, could the half-million dollars be spent more wisely?

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