Featured Stories

Don Mitchell, Seitu Jones and Chancee Martorell

A confab on Hennepin's future wraps up with a question: Who owns public space?

Camille LeFevre Wednesday, June 13, 2012

In the final Talk-It Hennepin forum on the redevelopment of Hennepin Avenue, experts touched on some touchy subjects, like the purpose of public space, who gets to use it and how, the role of memory in placemaking, and how to celebrate diversity without creating ethnic Disneylands.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, diversity, Strong Local Economy

Downtown

Grassroots and Groundwork: Escaping poverty by blending tech and tradition

Julie Kendrick Wednesday, June 13, 2012

At the Grassroots and Groundwork anti-poverty conference--held at Mystic Lake Casino, of all places--attendees heard about ingenious ways to build wealth in struggling communities by adapting old-school immigrant self-help tactics to the digital age.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, diversity, Philanthropy, Regionalism, Strong Local Economy

The gorilla yogis: instant philanthropy on a mat

Julie Kendrick Wednesday, June 06, 2012

They show up in unlikely places around town--scores of yoga practitioners practicing their poses and tossing charitable contributions into a kitty. It's rogue yoga and grassroots philanthropy, and as it grows in popularity, the three women who started it want to keep it unpredictable.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy

The Big Picture 12: Dessa of Doomtree

Jon Spayde Wednesday, May 23, 2012

We check in with the literate, stylistically adventurous singer, rapper, writer, and Doomtree hip-hop collective member to get her take on the Twin Cities as a creative community and a nurturer of bold DIY music.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife

A Line or Two: The Walker Performs

Jon Spayde Wednesday, May 23, 2012

In A Line or Two, I share some of my discoveries and enthusiasms as I make my way around the Twin Cities. Call it an editor's note as blog entry. This week: a preview of what the Walker has in store for its stage.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Nightlife

Downtown

Can "design thinking" create a community of innovators?

Karen Olson Wednesday, May 16, 2012

"Design Thinking" isn't just about planning an object and making an image of it. It's a process of innovation that emphasizes engagement with real human issues--and it's arrived at CoCo, the local coworking space, in an educational initiative aimed at helping tech entrepreneurs and other freelancers open their minds even wider.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Higher Education

Downtown, Downtown/Lowertown

Charles Landry in Minneapolis: From art in the city to the city as art form

Camille LeFevre Wednesday, May 16, 2012

In town to talk about the Central Corridor, Hennepin Avenue, and other local nodes of city planning, lauded urbanist Charles Landry called for an approach that integrates the cities' diverse cultures into a rich, essentially artistic, mix--and makes everyone feel appreciated and included.

Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, diversity, Transit Oriented Development

Downtown

A Line or Two: Okay, I'll Bike!

Jon Spayde Wednesday, May 09, 2012

In A Line or Two, I share some of my discoveries and enthusiasms as I make my way around the Twin Cities. Call it an editor's-note-as-blog-entry. This week: National Bike Month, with its galaxy of two-wheel events and promotions, has the potential to get me out from behind the computer.

Coordination/Collaboration, Sustainability, Transportation

Candy Chang asks: "What do you want In Minneapolis? What do you want in St. Paul?"

Camille LeFevre Wednesday, May 02, 2012

The New Orleans-based public artist, known for whimsical, low-tech projects that get people talking about the intersection between their cities and their lives, was here to kick off an inquiry into the transformation of Hennepin Avenue and the future of our towns.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Strong Local Economy

Downtown

A Line or Two: The City 2.0 and the real world

Jon Spayde Wednesday, May 02, 2012

In A Line or Two, I share some of my discoveries and enthusiasms as I make my way around the Twin Cities--call it an editor's-note-as-blog-entry. This week: Let's get our towns deeper into The City 2.0, the exciting urban-idea initiative promoted by TED.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership

Geoffrey Canada in Minneapolis: "Get Ready for Your Moment"

Julie Kendrick Wednesday, April 18, 2012

From books to documentaries to television appearances, Geoffrey Canada has earned accolades as an education reform leader and the head of Harlem Children’s Zone. Last week he was in Minneapolis to speak to a convention of youth and educators involved in the service-learning movement, where he told them "you never know when you'll be needed."

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Philanthropy, Talent Dividend

Downtown

Connecting two continents with teeshirts

Nancy Crotti Wednesday, April 11, 2012

The teeshirts bearing the brand Forgotten are articles of faith as well as articles of clothing. The fledgling company was created to help the Ugandan farmers and cotton spinners who create the shirts and the inner-city Minneapolis teens who screen-print them. Now a major rock tour is set to take Forgotten gear to a new level.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Philanthropy

Tech bloggers weigh in on Minnebar 2012

Graeme Thickins and Mark Gritter Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Minnebar, our annual, semi-structured geek get-together, is becoming a tradition and a real force in the local tech community. This year's conference happened on Saturday, April 7--and two experienced tech bloggers gave their views of the confab soon after. Here are some excerpts.

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, High Technology, Strong Local Economy

Mike Derheim, Mark Malmberg, and Mark Hurlburt

Geeks Doing Good: The Nerdery Overnight Website Challenge

Julie Kendrick Wednesday, April 04, 2012

Fueled by ice cream, pizza, and rivers of Red Bull, hundreds of nerds recently gathered at the University of Minnesota’s St. Paul campus to help “good nonprofits with not-so-good websites.”

Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, Design, Emerging Technology, Entrepreneurship, High Technology, Philanthropy

Midway

Karen Washington tells local urban gardeners: to go permanent, get political

Susan Klemond Wednesday, April 04, 2012

What do you do when the urban garden you've struggled to create gets sold out from under you? At the recent Community Garden Spring Resource Fair, New York gardening advocate Karen Washington told local growers that if they want their gardens to be really sustainable--i.e., permanent--they'd better get savvy about the political system.

Coordination/Collaboration, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Green Jobs, Regionalism, Sustainability

West Side

coordination/collaboration : Featured Stories