Education and Community Programs

Most of the time I don’t have any reason to blog, but last week I often said to myself “ boy, I am lucky to work here.” In addition to working with the Walker Art Center Teen Arts Council (WACTAC), I get to tag along with the artists that WACTAC invites to the Walker. Last week I had the pleasure of playing chauffeur to the founders of Giant Robot, Martin Wong and Eric Nakamura. Wong and Nakamura were here to present at the Walker’s Student Open House, a free night of films by Cameron Jamie, musical performances by Birthday Suits and MUte ErA, and video games sponsored by WACTAC.

The 3 day Giant Robot adventure consisted of a non-stop tour of my favorite places in the Twin Cities – galleries (First Amendment Gallery, SOO VAC, Intermedia Arts), cafes and restaurants (Nye’s Polonaise, The Modern, Seward Café, Moose and Sadie’s, One on One Bicycle Studio, Lindey’s, King and I Thai), new and used stores (Robot Love, Big Brain Comics, Unique Thrift Store and Salvation Army).

I asked Eric and Martin for their top 5 twin Cites moments. Here they are.

Eric Nakamura’s Top 5 Twin Cities Moments:

1. Talking at the Walker and its aftermath, hearing comments, talking to people, and being there. I’d do it again and again.

2. Eating a hot dog at the Twins game – I was hungry and it was good. The steak (at Lindey’s) was good too, but the hot dog was the best. (Eric actually mentioned the swastika in the Metrodome roof, but never read the City Pages article pointing it out)

3.Speaking with a Minnesotan accent and overhearing others speak it.

4. Thrifting and seeing the locals and shit that Minnesotans buy and discard.

5. Big Brain Comics at 2am and realizing that comics are still great.

Martin Wong’s Top 5 Twin Cities Moments:

1. Hideo from the Birthday Suits wearing a J Church shirt.

2. The metal-inspired art at the bottom of Jamie Cameron’s labyrinth installation at the Walker

3. Seeing someone in a Prince baseball cap at the Seward Cafe in between radio interviews

4. 2 AM sausage party with Michael, Wes, and Witt at Big Brain Comics

5. Being Asian with (karaoke in our blood) yet being lectured by a drunk customer for not singing at Nye’s piano bar.

I don’t have a top 5, but my favorite moment was watching Eric and Martin “ MacGyver” our busted muffler with a thrift store belt.

Anyway, sometimes you forget how much cool stuff there is to do in the Twin Cities until you have someone from out of town to show it to.

Check out an interview with the Giant Robot guys on the Current here.