John R. Killacky’s new book “because art: Commentary, Critique, & Conversation” is a collage of writings about his life and work across the country as a performing artist, arts administrator, curator and legislator.
Prominent in the book is his time as the Performing Arts Curator at the Walker Art Center (1988-1996) in Minneapolis. This was a time of radical queer performance art, the AIDS Crisis, Reagan-Bush politics, culture wars of the time and attacks on the National Endowment for the Arts. Killacky is a gay, differently abled artist and is currently in the Vermont House of Representatives.
Included in the book are commentaries on a debilitating spinal surgery, Zen Buddhism, and censorship; critiques on such artists as Ron Athey, Eiko Otake, John Cage, and Keith Haring; plus interviews with artists Alison Bechdel, Trisha Brown, Janis Ian, Bill T. Jones, Tony Kushner, Meredith Monk and more.
KFAI’s Dixie Treichel spoke with Killacky about his life and work.
Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.
Sean Sherman, Oglala Lakota, has been a chef for 30 years. He is the CEO of The Sioux Chef, which he began in 2014 as a caterer and food educator in the Twin Cities. He is co-owner — with Dana Thompson — of Owamni by the Sioux Chef restaurant which opened in July, 2021 at OwamniYomni, the sacred site of peace and well-being for the Dakota and Anishinaabe people.
Owamni won the James Beard Best New Restaurant in America award on Monday July 13, 2022. Owamni is located inside the Water Works Pavilion in Mill Ruins Park, between 3rd Ave S and 5th Ave S. Photo courtesy of Owamni by the Sioux Chef.
Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.
For a few short years, St. Paul was the Blue Cheese Capital of the World. In the season 6 finale of the MinneCulture podcast, Tony Williams takes us on a tour through the secret history of moldy cheese in Minnesota. It’s a story full of twists and turns including libidinous sheep farmers, Nazis, and cave explorers.
Grab some crackers and join us! You can listen to the MinneCulture podcast on Spotify, Apple podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts, or right here on KFAI.
Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.
KFAI’s Sheila Regan talks to Red Wing Arts, an organization that recently opened its new Clay & Creative Center, as it keeps the city’s clay legacy alive. She also meets other arts advocates and pottery lovers in the city.
Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.
Dance instructor Mollie Krengel had grown tired of the judgement and competition pervasive in corporate health club classes. So she broke out of the gym and took her following of dancers outside, leading classes at the Walker, an animal sanctuary, a parking ramp in Minnetonka and other public places.
The result was Wildhive, a free-form group dance experience.
Unlike the gym classes where dancers follow along to the exact movements of the instructor, Mollie encourages dancers to move in their own ways, with the occasional suggestion.
“Wildhive is a form of dance therapy,” says Mollie. “It is igniting a sense of adventure and bringing community together through the conduit of music and dance.”
Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.
A series of wildfires made headlines across Minnesota during the drought-plagued summer of 2021. Among them was the massive Greenwood Fire. This wildfire burned nearly 27,000 acres and led in part to the closure of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
And while some view them simply as destructive forces of nature, wildfires played a significant role in shaping what are considered today to be some of the most stunning landscapes across the most visited wilderness area in the nation.
In this audio feature, producer Joe Friedrichs explores the history of fire in the Boundary Waters, and why a team of researchers are currently trying to learn from the past to help create a better future for the forests of this remote wilderness.
Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.
Annie Enneking has made her life in the performing arts since childhood, and finds that muscularity – both physical and metaphysical – is at the heart of all the art forms she is passionate about: teaching, songwriting, fight choreography, acting, and being the front woman of her rock band Annie and the Bang Bang. She quit acting six years ago, and has since embraced fight direction in theatre, and performing music in her band.
KFAI’s Cyn Collins spoke with Annie and her collaborator Sophina Saggau about consent, movement, and collaboration in fight choreography.
Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.
Meridel LeSueur was a writer and activist whose influence has long shaped the Twin Cities’ populist movements. Although the McCarthy era blacklist attempted to squash her distinctive, creative voice, she was later embraced by the countercultural wave of the 1960s and 70s, particularly the feminist movement.
LeSueur’s anti-establishment ethos was passed on to generations after her, and her work continues to have an impact. KFAI’s Sheila Regan talks to LeSueur’s family, those inspired by her, and scholars to explore the significance of the 20th century rabble rouser.
Support for MinneCulture on KFAI has been provided by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.
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