Kids, this July 4th is our Fantastic Fourth Free First Saturday. Join us in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden for a huge 4th of July party including music, artmaking activities, movement workshops and a bike parade! Bring your decorated bicycle for a parade at noon. Prizes will be awarded for best decorated bikes. Call 612.375.7600 for more info. Save the date, and remember to bring your decked-out bikes!
For those of you who are curious about Tango dance and music, come to the third in our series of SkyPesher concerts and hear local aficionados Mandrágora Tango Orchestra heat up the James Turell’s sculpture. There will also be lessons taught by local instructor Lois Donnay before the concert begins. High heeled shoes, neckerchiefs, red roses and hats all not required for attendance but encouraged! The concert starts at 8:30pm, but lessons begin at 7:45pm.
I had some questions about the origins of Tango so I turned to Lois for answers. Read on. And, if you want a little sampling of Tango music, watch the YouTube video of an old Carlos Gardel movie. He’s considered one of the greatest Tango singers of all time.
Hope to see you Thursday!
What is the history of Tango dance?
Tango was born in Buenos Aires. Argentina was undergoing a massive immigration during the later part of the 1800s and early 1900s. Most immigrants were single men hoping to earn their fortunes in this newly expanding country, and make enough money to return to Europe or bring their families to Argentina. The evolution of tango reflects their profound sense of loss and longing for the people and places they left behind. Most likely the tango was born in venues attended by compadritos, young men, mostly native born and poor, who liked to dress in slouch hats, loosely tied neckerchiefs and high-heeled boots with knives tucked casually into their belts. The compadritos danced in various low-life establishments: bars, dance halls and brothels. It was here that new steps were invented and took hold. Although high society looked down upon the activities in the barrios, well-heeled sons of the porteño oligarchy were not averse to slumming. Eventually, everyone found out about the tango and, by the beginning of the twentieth century, the tango as both a dance and as a form of popular music had established a firm foothold in the fast-expanding city of its birth. It soon spread to provincial towns of Argentina and across the River Plate to Uruguay, where it became as much a part of the urban culture as in Buenos Aires.
What are the basic techniques of the dance?
Unlike ballroom tango, there are no basic patterns. It is all lead-follow. It is danced in a close embrace, and there is on the emphasis on the legs and feet.
How is it different from say Flamenco? People often get the two confused.
Tango is the dance of “one heart, four legs”. It is always danced in the “abrazo” or embrace. It truly does take two to tango! There are some similarities to the music or flamenco, and you can hear a little of the habañero rhythm in tango music. Many people confuse ballroom tango with Argentine tango. The competitive dance of ballroom tango is very different from Argentine tango-even the music is different, as is the posture. We often say that Argentine tango is during the honeymoon, and ballroom tango is after the divorce!
Who is your favorite Tango singer?
Often, people prefer not to dance to songs which have singers. They prefer to listen to these tangos. The music of tango is very rich, and you can hear the innovations that the tango orchestras made through the decades referred to as the “Golden Age of Tango“, the 30’s 40’s and 50’s. Some of the big orchestras are Di Sarli, D’Arienzo, Calo, Troilo and Fresedo. A very important element of any tango orchestra is the bandoneon, the accordion-like instrument that gives tango its mournful, pulsing quality.
A central theme in the exhibition The Quick and the Dead is the expansive idea of time. Represented by watches, a flip clock, a time capsule and various other forms, musings on the passage of time are found in several works in the show. Tony Conrad’s Yellow Movie 2/28/73 (1973) consists of white paint on white paper that slowly yellows over years of exposure to light. Rivane Neuenschwander’s digital clock titled 00:00 (2007) sits inconspicuously on the wall above a gallery entrance mechanically flipping to zero over and over again.
Stephen Kaltenbach uses a delightfully familiar symbol of a culture’s time passing in his piece Time Capsule (OPEN AFTER MY DEATH) from 1970. The directive of the work found in the title addresses another monumental subject tackled by this exhibition: our own inescapable ends.
These two fundamental notions–the nature of time and the inevitability of death–are key forces in the life and career of Dr. Ronald Mallett, a theoretical physicist who will speak at the Walker in July in conjunction with the exhibition.
Dr. Ronald Mallett
When he was just ten years old, Mallett’s beloved father died of a heart attack. A year later he stumbled upon a comic book based on H.G. Wells’ A Time Machine, the famous science fiction tale of time travel originally published in 1895. Inspired by the seemingly magical ability to travel backwards in history, Mallett formed a secret plan that he hoped would one day allow him to reunite with his father. Decades later, as a tenured professor in the physics department at the University of Connecticut, he has developed his childhood dream into a working theory of time travel.
Using Einstein’s theory of relativity which states that energy equals mass, Mallett’s machine uses circulating lasers to create loops or warps in time.* It’s a bit much to explain here (especially for a museum educator with a high-school physics education such as myself; this article does a better job), but luckily you can get it straight from the source.
On Thursday, July 9 Dr. Mallet will take the stage to give a lecture on his theories, including a basic introduction to scientific thinking on time-space. He’ll also read from his memoir, Time Traveler: A Scientist’s Mission to Make Time Travel a Reality and will be available to sign books.
Join us for an evening steeped in the mysteries of the universe via science and art. Gallery admission is free on Thursday nights from 5 to 9 pm–come early to discover the shapes of time found in The Quick and the Dead.
*It would be disingenuous to end this post without mentioning that Mallet’s time travel experiments are currently limited to sub-atomic particles, although he believes that with enough funding and research, human time travel can happen in this century. Now if someone can just figure out a sure-fire method for human cryopreservation we’ll all be back to the future!
When the idea of doing our summer art labs came up so did partnering with Twin Cities organizations that help people in need. I planned this art lab in the middle of winter and while it was hard to imagine people leisurely creating art outdoors in the FlatPak house, it was also hard to imagine people getting by without a winter coat in the permafrost we experience here in Minnesota.
During our first art lab of the summer, teens from Kulture Klub were on hand to receive clothing donations. The response was great. People brought in bags of clothing. Thanks!
This Thursday, I hope you feel warm and cuddly when I tell you that folks from Arc Greater Twin Cities will be here to take your gently used clothing and put it to good use. I contacted Laurel Hansen, their business director, to find out more about them. So, if you have some bags of clothing sitting on your front porch that you’ve been meaning to get rid of bring it on down to the Walker and give it to Arc Greater Twin Cities! Oh, and participate in our art lab as well with the dynamic duo that is Calpurnia Peach!
Describe what Arc Greater Twin Cities does and how it got started as an organization?
Arc is a nonprofit organization providing advocacy and support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Arc Greater Twin Cities was started originally in 1946, led by parents who wanted a better life and more opportunities for their children with disabilities.
Arc’s Value Village Thrift Stores & Donation Centers (www.arcsvaluevillage.org) are owned and operated by Arc. Arc’s thrift business provides 40% of Arc’s annual support. Arc’s Value Village has stores in Richfield, New Hope, and Brooklyn Center, and will soon open a St. Paul store.
How is your organization different from other community organizations?
Arc’s mission is to secure for all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families the opportunity to realize their goals of where and how they live, learn, work, and play. Arc serves people and families throughout the many stages of life. 70% of the people who work at Arc’s Value Village Thrift Stores are volunteers. Proceeds from the stores benefit Arc’s services. More than 3 million items are recycled and reused annually at Arc’s Value Village.
Have you seen an increase in demand for gently used clothes during this last year? If so why?
Thrift shopping is very “on trend” right now, and Arc’s Value Village provides a great way to shop smart, shop green, and shop local. It’s “Shopping with a Purpose” at Arc’s Value Village. While demand for used clothing is up, more donations to Arc are needed to support this demand. Donations to Arc are tax deductible and accepted daily; Arc provides a tax receipt. Arc also accepts accessories, household items, books, children’s items, select furniture, automobiles, and more.
I know that some kids, especially teenagers, might feel somewhat self-conscious wearing used clothing around their peers at school. How can people’s attitudes and perceptions of used clothing as being only for people in need change?
The movement to reuse and recycle is gaining momentum, and more people than ever are shopping at thrift stores. This is especially true of young people, who are leading the trend. Vintage items from the 1980’s and other eras are desirable to many shoppers, who crave a unique, one of a kind style that can be achieved by shopping at Arc’s Value Village Thrift Stores.
When customers shop at Arc’s Value Village, they appreciate that the store is clean,organized, and fun & easy to shop. Merchandise is high quality, diverse, and plentiful. Donations are accepted daily, so customers often shop and donate each time they visit. At Arc’s Value Village we love our customers and always say, “Keep on Thrifting!”
In anticipation of the Walker’s ‘Fantastic Fourth‘ free event taking place in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden on Saturday, July 4th, indie singer-songwriter Haley Bonar and hip-hop artist M.anifest share their thoughts about the upcoming holiday.
Haley Bonar, Photo by Cameron Wittig
M.anifest, Photo courtesy the artist
Favorite 4th of July memory?
HB: Watching the fireworks from Star Village in Rapid City, SD with my sisters on a blanket drinking coke.
Favorite type of firework?
HB: The ones that feel like they’re getting really close as they grow bigger.
M: The type that goes ka-boom and sends colorful sparks sky high. You can tell I’m no expert in fireworks nomenclature :)
Sparklers or Snaps?
HB: Sparklers are more magical!
Best lawn game?
HB: Lying down and reading a book.
M: Football (or soccer as called in these parts)
Best grill food?
HB: Summer squash and sweet potato
M: Chicken and plantains. My friend Mandla in Brooklyn Park makes the best barbeque grilled chicken in Minnesota. I stand by it!
What’s this country mean to you?
HB: Except for the littering of chain restaurants and stores across the land, it is one of the most beautiful countries around. I love the Black Hills, Oregon, Wisconsin, the UP (Upper Peninsula, MI), Montana, Northern Minnesota, boundary waters… so many awesome places to see.
M: It means a lot of opportunities as well as many contradictions. The land of the free you know. It means the epicenter of world political power. It means diversity in a beautifully strange way. You can find just about any kind of person in America: black, white, broke-as-hell, rich-as-well, liberal, neo-nazi, preacher, organic food eating, gun toting libertarians, and the list goes on. Lastly it means a good part of my adult life and music life thus far.
What song do you associate with 4th of July?
HB: Born in the USA (even though I wasn’t!)
What song do you associate with independence?
M: “God bless our homeland Ghana.” I do dig the star spangled banner though…nice melody. I’m about to check Wikipedia to find out who wrote it.
What are you most looking forward to about spending your holiday at the Walker?
HB: Singing for you fine people.
M: Looking forward to seeing lots of people all coming out to have a good time. Good vibes and merry-making. We can forget about the recession for a day I suppose.
Where will you be watching fireworks on Saturday night?
HB: Not sure but hopefully somewhere with all my best friends and family.
M: Not quite sure yet, but I’ll be trying somewhere different this year. Preferably a less crowded location
A free outdoor Independence Day concert will be kicked off by Sumunar Gamelan Ensemble at 11 am, followed by Haley Bonar at 1 pm, and M.anifest at 2 pm near the Spoonbridge and Cherry.
Kids, this July 4th is our Fantastic Fourth Free First Saturday. Join us in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden for a huge 4th of July party including music, artmaking activities, movement workshops and a bike parade! Bring your decorated bicycle for a parade at noon. Prizes will be awarded for best decorated bikes. Call 612.375.7600 for more info. Save the date, and remember to bring your decked-out bikes!
Meet Calpurnia Peach. She’s the lovely, mischievous, free spirited young lady whose Minnesota adventures shape her youthful style!
Actually, meet the two ladies who make up this upstart clothing line right here in Minneapolis. Fresh off their Voltage Amplified success, they’re ready to wow Walker patrons with their unique designs and original prints for this Thursday’s art lab.
Luci Kandler and Ashley Wokasch will demonstrate the screen printing process on some of your old clothes. Public Programs intern Jamie Sandhurst talked to the dynamic duo about their process and Ms. Calpurnia Peach herself.
How and when did Calpurnia Peach get started? Where did the name come from?
Calpurnia Peach started when we were studying in New York and were thinking of applying to Voltage: Fashion Amplified 2008 in Minneapolis. We deliberated on the name quite a bit. Ashley liked Calpurnia because it was a childhood nickname of hers and peaches were a current infatuation of Luci, and bam! The two just worked together so well that we decided to not only use them but to create this little girl character with that name, to represent the brand.
What kind of imagery do you use on your clothing and accessories?
We mean to inspire adventure and youthfulness in our prints. They have ranged from New Zealand flowers, to daggers, to paper airplanes, to ceramic 1950’s quails. We have such a broad range of inspirations but we keep the prints wearable.
How was your experience at Voltage: Fashion Amplified?
Voltage is such a life-saver to Minneapolis fashion. We learned so much from our first experience with the show and it opened us up to the twin cities fashion scene so quickly and completely that we were able to move forward at a fast pace. Our second year with Voltage showed evidence that local fashion is improving just as quickly with some really great talents and an awesome support system.
What can we expect in the future for Calpurnia Peach?
We’ve talked about a variety of ways to extend Calpurnia Peach, but our main goal right now is increase production while maintaining the quality and keepsake feel of the line.
And lastly, what can we expect for the upcoming Art Labs on June 11th and 25th?
It’s going to be a blast! Expect to learn the screen-printing basics quickly and then put them to use on any fabric surface you would like embellished, think outside the box! Here’s a few tips when picking your surface, pick something that’s smooth and doesn’t have a pile, the lighter in color the better but we can do dark fabrics too, choose something that can lie completely flat so that you get a smooth print.
Need an antidote to the recession blues? Wondering what to do on your summer stay-cation? Look no further than the Walker and Minneapolis Sculpture Garden where free-wheelin’ fun times await you on the 4th of July. From 10 am to 3 pm enjoy free gallery admission, a daylong outdoor concert, an art bike parade and contest, art-making activities, hula-hooping workshops, and a Wolfgang Puck garden grill to get your independent spirit soaring-all part of a special holiday edition of Free First Saturday, called “Fantastic Fourth!” Be sure to decorate your bike at home in red, white, and blue flair, and bring it with you to enter the bike parade that kicks off at noon near the Spoonbridge and Cherry. Winners will be announced at 1 pm at the main stage. All ages are welcome! In case that’s not a clear enough case for why the Walker should be your holiday destination, check out my top ten list of reasons why to take advantage of the all-access pass to summer fun:
1. You missed Rock the Garden? Catch another amazing musical line-up for FREE: Sumunar Gamelan Ensemble (11 am), Haley Bonar (1 pm), and M.anifest (2 pm)
2. This is way easier than a week-end camping trip up north
3. Rumor has it there may be dippin’ dots at the Garden Grill by Wolfgang Puck
4. Ever tried making spin art with a salad spinner? (Nope, we haven’t either, but we’re hoping this DIY project works out.)
5. Where else can you get a 1,200 pound cherry in the backdrop of your family snapshot?
6. Can’t afford air conditioning, come inside the building and enjoy ours (wow, and there’s art too!)
7. See Grandma hula-hoop like nobody’s business
8. There’s about 12 hours to kill before the fireworks go off
9. Discover the magic of aluminum foil: bike decor by day, grill grate cover by night
10. Because we’re the only art center in town holding a party just for you!
Courtesy the Duffalo family archives
Apparently, someone in the UK thinks that boys will only be interested in art if it involves computers — that there’s something about drawing and painting that repels boys. (How the past 2000 years of art history has been dominated by male artists, then, is a bit of a mystery.) Anyway, David Hockney offers a spirited response, arguing that “boring teachers”, not drawing and painting, are the problem.
In this article in the Guardian, Hockney argues that there’s a basic, human need to draw, and that while digital tools can be useful, there’s no substitute for drawing and paintings. And he says the school system is “swindling” the children — I love that characterization!
I’d argue, too, that using real materials is important — my boy needs small motor skills (drawing is good for that) and while he doesn’t like drawing from his imagination, he loves to reproduce all the details of a real thing, like an airplane. He also loves to do stuff on the computer, and taking digital photos. But I think his interest in things is lots more about what the project is about than what the tools are (he’d be more interested in drawing a 757 than a person, no matter what tools he was using). Any thoughts?
This post was written by Emmanuel Mauleon, Teen Programs Intern.
After working for over 50 hours in the last four days I have to say that as I walked away from Don’t Sleep On It I was extremely tired. But I found myself wishing about an hour after it finished that I was still in that small room in the California Building creating another three hour installation.
Don’t Sleep On It was a huge success. Aside from the issue of the time-lapse video going out for 12 hours, everything went off without a hitch. This was due in large part to all of the artists, and their commitment to keep all of our participants motivated through their sleep-walking/arting.
Thanks to Erin and Brett Smith for the convenience store, Chris Pennington for the cardboard city, Hardland/Heartland for the black hole (with help from M-Deathsquads), Burlesque for the BRLSQOTHEQUE (and the wall of bass), Kristina Mooney for the misty mountain landscape, Liz Miller for the felt and burlap oasis, Scott Stulen and Andy Ducett for the couch-fort/pastel-polygon, and lastly Broken Crow for the porcupine and spray paint free-for-all. Each of these installations were amazing and surprisingly different.
I’d also personally like to thank WACTAC for their commitment to staying awake and helping remove trash and debris while everyone else was making art. Nick & Shannon, word up.
Thanks to all of our participants, sponsors and funders. There will be a slew of photos in the upcoming days, so be on the look-out for that, but for now here’s the time lapse video.
I’m going back to bed now.
Admin edit: Added the corrected, longer version of the time-lapse video.
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