Featured Stories

From Ken's forthcoming graphic novel, Bicyclopolis

Embracing the Creative Nexus of Bikes, Transit and Art

Brian Martucci Sunday, December 14, 2014

Ken and Roberta Avidor have been car-free since 2010. Union Depot is their jumping-off point for bike, bus and train trips around the Twin Cities—and beyond. They're also making a name for themselves in the Twin Cities’ urban-sketching movement.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, Transportation

Downtown/Lowertown

Forget Midwest. We Are North: Repositioning MSP's National Identity for the 21st Century

Camille LeFevre Wednesday, December 03, 2014

According to a recent panel discussion, we need to own our cold climate and our ingenuity in order to attract new talent, continue fueling the innovation at the heart of our economy, and create a new and authentic national identity. Shall we call ourselves the North?

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

The crowd for the Replacements at Midway stadium, photo by Nate Ryan, MPR

We On Some Nonstop! Why We're the Cities of Music

Ira Brooker Wednesday, December 03, 2014

From a fan's perspective, the Minnesota music scene feels like a uniquely supportive community. But he wanted to see if that's a viewpoint shared by artists who have come here from other environs. It is, despite the cold.

Arts and Culture, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife

Midway, Downtown

Equity, Empowerment: How Community-Driven TOD is Transforming Green Line Neighborhoods

Brian Martucci Wednesday, October 01, 2014

Four neighborhood initiatives along the Green Line demonstrate how the Central Corridor is becoming a local and national model for equitable and empowering community-driven transit-oriented development (TOD).

Affordable Housing, Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development

University, Cedar - Riverside/West Bank, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown

The Media is the Message: Minneapolis Artist Guante Uses Hip Hop to Engage Communities

NICOLE RUPERSBURG Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Kyle Tran Myhre, who performs under the stage name "Guante," is a hip hop artist, two-time National Poetry Slam champion, social justice activist, educator, and writer whose work is to examine the nature of performance – what it means for a culture, how it can serve a greater purpose.

Arts and Culture, Creative Leadership

Downtown

The Real-World Impacts of Creative Placemaking in MSP

Sheila Regan Wednesday, September 10, 2014

NEA, ArtPlace and others have poured millions of dollars toward creative placemaking projects in the Twin Cities in recent years. What are the street-level results of those investments?

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

University, Lake Street, North Side, Uptown/Lyn Lake, Seward, Longfellow, Powderhorn

Ta-coumba Aiken's Public Art Heals the Heart and Soul

Nicole Rupersburg Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Aiken is a painter, an illustrator, a graphic artist, a muralist, a lecturer, a curator, an arts advocate, and a community collaborator. This article is republished from Creative Exchange.

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

North Side, Downtown/Lowertown

Small Scale, Big Deal: An Innovative Idea Exchange at UIX

Matthew Lewis & Claire Nelson Wednesday, August 13, 2014

"What's next for your city?" That the question Urban Innovation Exchange (UIX) will explore at its first national convening this September 24-26, 2014 in Detroit.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy, Regionalism, Reuse / Rebuild, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability, Talent Dividend, Transit Oriented Development

Ward with one of her KidWind projects, Bucket Charger Race Cars, photo by Bre McGee

Artist/Educator Asia Ward: Creating the Unexpected Through a Singular Blend of Art and Science

Ann Klefstad Wednesday, June 18, 2014

The third in our series on Twin Cities artists who build community: Asia Ward integrates the arts and sciences in her public workshops, classes, interactive installations, presentations and artwork, to create the unexpected.

Arts and Culture, Creative Leadership, Entrepreneurship

Downtown/Lowertown

Photo by Phillip Hussong RedWire Creative for JXTA, courtesy of JXTA

JXTA + North Minneapolis Youth = Community and Futures

Sheila Regan Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Since 2010, JXTA has been providing paid opportunities for young people to gain skills in art and design. These youth make an hourly wage, between minimum wage and $10 per hour, while being trained in areas like graphic design and contemporary art.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, diversity, Talent Dividend

North Side

Marking alleys, courtesy Andy Sturdevant

Alley Activation: Pathways to Urban Revitalization

Eric Peterson Wednesday, April 23, 2014

From Seattle to Washington D.C., alleys are being reinvented as people-friendly spaces. Often perceived as dirty and dangerous, alleys are moving beyond garbage and garages to become havens for pedestrians, public art and small business.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration

Central Avenue, Phillips, University, Cedar - Riverside/West Bank, Downtown, Lake Street, Southwest, North Side, Uptown/Lyn Lake, Seward, Nokomis, Longfellow, Calhoun - Isles, Powderhorn

Call and Answer Project, courtesy Walker Art Center

St. Paul City Artist Amanda Lovelee Inspires Joyful Connections

Brian Martucci Wednesday, April 23, 2014

The second in our series on Twin Cities artists who build community: Amanda Lovelee, a St. Paul City Artist in Residence, uses big tables, wildflowers, square dancing and love stories to convert people to the power of interpersonal connection through public art.

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

Calhoun - Isles, Downtown/Lowertown, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown

The young women of Little Mekong, courtesy Little Mekong

Cultural Districts + LRT Stops: A Guide to the Central Corridor's Arts and Culture Hotspots

Jay Walljasper Wednesday, April 16, 2014

The Central Corridor is becoming the Twin Cities' new cultural hotspot showcasing local diversity, bringing communities closer together, and boosting economic opportunities.

Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Shopping, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development, Transportation

Union Park, University, Midway, Cedar - Riverside/West Bank, Saint Anthony Park, Downtown/Lowertown, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown

Creative CityMaking: Minneapolis' Model for Diversity in Placemaking

Brian Martucci Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Creative CityMaking, Intermedia Arts’ bold placemaking, problem-solving collaboration with the City of Minneapolis, recently received a three-year grant that promises to deepen the initiative’s reach in previously unimaginable ways.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Philanthropy, Transit Oriented Development

University, North Side, Uptown/Lyn Lake