MinneCulture | Jaida Grey Eagle: Creating Community Through Photography

Jaida Grey Eagle is an Oglala Lakota photographer focusing on the lives and stories of people of color in the Twin Cities and beyond. As a photojournalist, her work empowers local communities through representation. Her fine art celebrates Native women while intertwining the personal stories of her subjects with greater themes of history and traditional culture.

Jaida has been researching Native photographers, past and present, in preparation for an exhibition that she is curating at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. KFAI’s Ben Heath spoke to Jaida about her work and the upcoming show.

Visit jaidagreyeagle.com to see more of Jaida’s photography
Special thanks to Bazille for the music, check out baztk.com for more.

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Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

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KFAI Welcomes Soul Craft Radio to Tuesdays & June Schedule Changes

SOUL CRAFT RADIO

Coming to Tuesdays 2-4pm starting on June 13th is a familiar personality you may remember. It’s David Jeffries, formerly the co-host of Stone on Bone, and his new program “Soul Craft Radio”. Here’s a message from about his new program:

“Come fly the soul craft with DJ, and ride the sounds of R&B, soul, hiphop, blues and jazz as your vehicle! Listen in from 2 to 4pm on Tuesday’s with an occasional audio story from the people.“

Soul Craft Radio follows The Conversation With Al McFarlane, and will lead into Songs of the Soul.

Here are more schedule changes involving some of your favorite programming here at KFAI taking place on June 13 & 14;

NO NAME IN THE STREET

Hosted by D.A. Bullock, No Name In the Street remains on Tuesday moving from 2-4pm, to 8am-10am, following Cedar Sunrise.

PARDON MY DUST

Hosted by Mason Butler, Pardon My Dust moves from Wednesdays 2-4pm, to Tuesdays 10am-12pm, leading into Democracy Now.

EAST OF HERE, WEST OF NOW

Hosted by Nicholas David, East of Here, West of Now moves from Tuesdays 10am-12pm, to Wednesdays 2-4pm following The Narrative, and leading into House Party.

A BIG THANK YOU TO MICHAEL J. CYRS AND NEW LIKE WHATEVER

As of May 30th, Host Michael J. Cyrs, has retired his program, New Like Whatever, after nearly 6 years of being on the air. You can catch the 5/30 farewell in the archives, and although NLW won’t be around, you can catch MJ Cyrs sitting in other KFAI programs as guest hosts. A big thank you to MJ for always bringing new music to Tuesdays!

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MinneCulture | Mudluk Pottery and the healing power of clay

Mudluk Pottery Studio is more than just a place for making pots. The new South Minneapolis art center is a place for healing, sanctuary, and building community. With classes, a membership model, public events, and a gallery boasting the talent of self taught artists, Mudluk is a place for communities to come together and find fellowship, growth, and resilience.

Mudluk’s three founders are deeply rooted in community and arts education. Founders Sayge Carroll, Keegan Xavi, and Katrina Knutson are exploring ways that the arts can support community. KFAI’s Sheila Regan spoke with the founders about their vision for their new space on Bloomington Avenue and Lake Street.

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Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

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MinneCulture | Take a road trip across America’s queer history with Zaylore Stout

Zaylore Stout (he/him) is a gay, African American attorney and author of “Our Gay History in Fifty States.” He was inspired to write “Our Gay History” while he was on a cross country road trip. Passing through Laramie, WY, he was reminded of Matthew Shepard, the gay student who was tortured and left to die in Laramie in 1998. Stout wanted to honor Shepard and other queer Americans throughout history.

“Our Gay History in Fifty States” is an award-winning illustration of queer American history on a state by state basis. Zaylore is currently working on his second book, “Our Black History in Fifty States.” KFAI’s Dixie Treichel spoke with Zaylore about his work and some of the Minnesotans who most inspire him.

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Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

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MinneCulture | A Tale As Old as Tom: Getting to Know the Tom of Tom’s Popcorn Shop

Nostalgia can be hard to pin down. What exactly makes something feel old school? What makes it feel like you’re ‘stepping back in time’?

In South Minneapolis, Tom’s Popcorn Shop has that effect. The store has a retro 60’s-esque logo and an old school candy shoppe feel. But reporter Matthew Schneeman found the biggest element may just be Tom himself.

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Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

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MinneCulture | Rudos in the ring, técnico in the community

Lucha libre is a style of Mexican wrestling that blends acrobatics, combat, and classic narrative tropes of good and evil to engage audiences. One local company, Rudos Promotions, brings lucha libre to northeast Minneapolis once a month. They also provide training to new wrestlers during the week.

Owner Jesus De La Torre hopes to inspire the next generation of luchadores in Minnesota. KFAI’s Julie Censullo spoke with De La Torre and some of his wrestlers in today’s story.

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Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

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KFAI’s Metal Meltdown Turns 5 🎉 ☠️
The METALHEADS are gathering to take over the KFAI airwaves to play nothing but METAL METAL AND MORE METAL on TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2023.

For the FIFTH year in a row, the ROOT OF ALL EVIL crew will power the station with 24 CONSECUTIVE HOURS of metal in honor of the late great and much beloved Earl Root.

Not only will they burst eardrums from midnight ’til midnight, but local bands Loki’s Folly and Visceral Reaction will PERFORM LIVE ON AIR.

So, tune in to KFAI 90.3 FM in Minneapolis or listen online from anywhere at KFAI.org or with the KFAI app, and help us keep the station metal as all hell!

(…pssssst! The legends foretell that if you toss some coin to your Witcher—ahem, donate to the station—during the Meltdown, you can get some awesome and totally unique Metal Meltdown swag!)
ICYMI: BIRTHDAY BROADCAST TRIVIA
We’re celebrating our 45th birthday with an interactive trivia game over the airwaves!EVERY WEDNESDAY in MAY, during Pardon My Dust (2-4 pm) and Radio Pocho (8-10 pm), listeners hear a trivia question about KFAI’s history. Each correct answer is an entry to win a collection of handpicked 45s from five local record sellers and a new portable scratch switch record player—The Sccrrraaaattcchhh Paaaaaack!Submit your answers to hello at kfai dot org or call (612) 887-5070 to leave your answer as a voice note.

If you missed the clue, you can catch it through the archive at kfai dot org or check for details on KFAI’s mobile app.

A warm thanks to our record store friends for contributing to The Scratch Pack!
🎂 Agharta Records at 2512 University Ave W, St Paul, MN 55114
🎂 Barely Brothers Records at 783 Raymond Ave, St Paul, MN 55114
🎂 Down in the Valley at 8020 Olson Memorial Hwy, Golden Valley, MN 55427
🎂 Hymies Records at 3820 E Lake St, Minneapolis, MN 55406
🎂 White Bear Lake Records at 4775 Banning Ave, White Bear Lake, MN 55110

Active volunteers, board members, and staff are not eligible for the drawing.
CHECK OUT THE KFAI APP!
YOU’RE INVITED to the May Board Meeting!
This is a virtual meeting; participants can participate online or by phone.
It’s Nora’s Birthday, so be sweet and drop in to wish her well!If you have questions about the meeting or wish to add an agenda item,
please email board@kfai.org before the meeting. In addition, the Board roster, contact information, previous board minutes, and financials are available at kfai.org/board.KFAI Board meetings are open to the public, and everyone interested will be encouraged to attend. The meeting begins promptly at 7 pm.

Meeting Details
Monday, May 22, 2023, starting at 7:00 pm (CT).

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqcemgqTksH9Mi4MeC2_uO1UPXSAoYLRFv

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

The packet of public documents for this month’s meeting can be found at: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14qZch4HrRbkeBlH_sqHEEJd5Q-GVmfvv?usp=sharing

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Minutes for May 22, 2023 meeting of the Fresh Air, Inc. Board of Directors

Minutes for May 22, 2023 meeting of the Fresh Air, Inc. Board of Directors

01. 7:00 – Call to order and roll call
Appoint Timekeeper

Members in attendance: Chris, Jacque, Michael, Kevin, David, TJ
Members absent: none!
KFAI Staff present: Nora, Ciara Cagemoe
Public guests: Michael Senay

Happy Birthday, Nora! (Happy Birthday also to Mason!)

Kevin called the meeting to order at 7:07, read the mission statement and land acknowledgement. Jacque volunteered to serve as timekeeper.

02. 7:05 – Welcome and opening remarks

Kevin thanks us all for our commitment to KFAI! This is a very exciting time with many evolving things.

03. 7:10 – Approve consent agenda
Meeting agenda
Minutes of April 2023 meeting

By unanimous consent, agenda and minutes were approved.

04. 7:12 – Introduction of guests

Michael Senay from Voice of Ethiopia is on the call.

Board Business

05. 7:15 – Update on Strategic Planning Process (Jacque)

7:12 Jacque, Nora and Sam Choo have been playing email tag to schedule followup meetings. They will take place on Mondays on which there aren’t board meetings. Looking at first Monday of the month, to allow us a week to perform the strategic planning work to bring to these meetings. Looking at about an hour on the Zoom. Identifying future candidates to recruit for board membership will involve a few different actions we need to start to dive in and take on. (for example: script, talking points, invitation sheet)

Nora added that if anyone feels they know a good candidate NOW, you certainly don’t have to wait for this other work to be completed – start that conversation as soon as you can!

Nora said we’re still negotiating Sam’s fees. Jacque says we have an initial budget in mind – we would like to see how many hours that gets with Sam and then decide if we should continue after we’ve exhausted that initial outlay. Jacque would also like to look for grants to supplement this budget, too. Initially we’re thinking about six months of work and see where things are then. The board was in agreement about the timeline, scope and budget. Our first meeting on this schedule would probably be June 5th.

7:22 Our new underwriter Ciara Cagemoe joined us for a brief intro

Business Reports

06. 7:30 – General Manager’s report (Nora)

Nora’s report is in the board packet.

7:25 The official search for our Volunteer and Member Engagement Coordinator will begin next week (June 1)! The position’s “snapshot”/job description took some time to be extensively rewritten with equity in mind. The position will be open for 30 days or until filled. A board member or two may be recruited to help out during the second round of interviews. Volunteers/program hosts will definitely be part of the interview process. “I’m open to suggestions.”

Nora will start emailing her monthly reports directly to program hosts in an attempt to drive engagement.

There’s a meeting tomorrow to discuss the audit process – we’re a couple weeks behind but hope to catch up fast.

Nora hopes to announce a new independent contractor to work on evaluating KFAI through the lens of equity and social justice and suggest future strategic action, possibly through the CAB.

We’re working with Dan Zimmerman to make sure our EAS hardware is still working correctly.

We’re looking to replace the CD players and studio monitors in Studio 4. Programmers should be mindful of ongoing fundraising efforts towards this equipment.

Metal Meltdown V is tomorrow! (Tuesday 5/23)

Pride programming (Thursday 6/22) outreach is going very well

Kevin asked how she thought the anniversary celebration at the Hook & Ladder went. Nora was happy to see many generations of volunteers and listeners in attendance.

Chris asked for more about the feedback on Turtle Island takeover and shared some of the feedback he personally had received, notably that there was frustration at the lack of a schedule shared in advance. Nora stressed the importance of leaving the leadership to the organizers and the challenge of striking the proper balance between offering help without encroaching on the vision of the organizers.

07. 7:50 – Treasurer’s report for April (Jacque)
08. 7:55 – Update on start to Budgeting process (Jacque)

Jacque’s report is in the board packet.

7:50 Everything looks pretty good! Nora has been working on the Past Due Accounts Receivable and we’re pretty well caught up through April. Our CSG Grant money gave us a big chunk. Something to watch for the future is that we are now moving out of a pandemic phase of grants and spending.

Big picture planning stuff ahead! Should we be moving our reserve into a CD? Where do we see our location in the future and how do we afford any decisions there?

Jacque is investigating more help in planning future budgets, whether that be more input or getting us more knowledge via low cost or free online courses/help. Steve Wilson is still helping out the Finance Committee and we appreciate his counsel!

You can’t start too early.

09. 8:00 – Preview goals for next month’s board meeting (Kevin)

8:04 After the next Finance Committee meeting, we should have some more updates on the budgeting process. We’ll also get a debrief from our next meeting with Sam Choo.

10. 8:05 – Public comment (three-minute limit OR one question/followup each)

TJ asked if the Zoom link could be a little more prominent. Chris promised to place it at the top of the agenda going forward.

11. 8:10 – Adjourn

8:09 A motion to adjourn was unanimously accepted.

Respectfully submitted,
Christopher R. Zimmerman
Secretary

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