Sustainable Design: Guthrie Theater Summer Camp for Middle Schoolers

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided

Photo: Eric Melzer

Art to Change the World, in partnership with the Guthrie Theater, invites students entering grades 6–8 to attend Sustainable Design — a new Guthrie summer camp about making art from recycled and found materials.

Do you know young people interested in theater or saving the environment? That may seem like an odd combination, but keep reading. The Guthrie Theater has a new offering in their summer camp line-up this year – Sustainable Design. Over a one-week period from July 10-14, the students will collect materials from the Guthrie’s backyard along the Mississippi River that would otherwise end up in a landfill or compromise our clean drinking water, and use them to create costumes, props and scenery. We spoke to Alli St. John, Education Program Manager at the Guthrie, and Barbara Bridges, Founder and Director of Art to Change the World, about this innovative summer program.

Q:  What was the impetus to create the Sustainable Design summer camp?

Alli St. JohnAlli:  As we began planning our 2023 summer youth experiences, we wanted to expand our offerings from last year. Our performance camps for middle schoolers are very popular, but we didn’t offer any non-performance-based camps for the age group. After meeting with Barbara Bridges and Kelly Frankenberg from Art to Change the World (ACW) to learning about their goals and values, we identified a summer camp as an opportunity to serve both organizations’ goals. Our inspiration came from the original Broadway production of Peter and the Starcatcher, which won multiple Tony Awards for its sustainable design work in its costumes, props and scenery. Our Sustainable Design camp will run in tandem with a middle school musical theater camp, creating production elements for those students to utilize in their final sharing at the end of camp. We know there are many young people passionate about climate change solutions, so we are excited to offer an opportunity to merge that initiative with the Guthrie’s mission to create exceptional theater with a commitment to our home in Minnesota.

Q:  Can you please tell us more about Green Theater? Will the Minneapolis Green Theater Alliance participate in the summer camp?

A:  Our lead teaching artist for the camp, Sadie Ward, is the Executive Director of the Minneapolis Green Theatre Alliance (as well as a member of ACW). While the alliance itself is not directly involved in the camp, Sadie brings with her invaluable experience as a theater designer and community organizer around the Green Theatre movement. Green Theatre, as a practice, prioritizes sustainable efforts to limit the creation of waste in the theater-making process. The goal is to use found or recycled objects or to provide a second life to previously used theater materials which would otherwise been thrown away

Sadie WardQ:  Do students need any background in theater or environmentalism to participate?

A:  All of our summer youth experiences are accessible for first-time theater-makers! While no experience is necessary to participate in Sustainable Design, we hope students will come with an interest in learning more about how to be cognizant of our individual and collective impact on our environment while gaining experience in theatre design fundamentals.

Q:  How will the week be structured?

A: Barbara and Kelly from ACW will join us the first day of camp to facilitate a workshop about their previous sustainable art projects. This will give students inspiration for what is possible before they go down to the Guthrie’s backyard which features the Mississippi River. Students will learn how to safely collect items from the river and riverbank that will be cleaned and used as crafting material for the week. The rest of the week will invite students to think creatively about how “trash” can become art. Another middle school camp, Making a Musical, will run in tandem with Sustainable Design. These camps will collaborate with each other, and by the end of the week, our design students will see their creations on the Guthrie stage in the final performance of the musical theatre camp.

Q:  What is your desired outcome of the week?

A:  Our hope for this camp is that students will feel empowered to make sustainable choices as artists and citizens of the planet. I also feel that it’s valuable to offer technical theater education opportunities. I hope that our students find an appreciation for the technical elements of the theater-making process- it takes more than actors to make theatre!

Q:  How do students register for the program?

Students can register by visiting the Summer Camps page on the Guthrie website. We also offer the option to add on a boxed lunch, as well as scholarships. I’m also happy to help families register directly if they need assistance or have any questions. Email me at alli.stjohn@guthrietheater.org.

Barbara BridgesWe also wanted to hear from Barbara Bridges on the project.

Q:  Congratulations on partnering with the Guthrie on Sustainable Design! When I read the program name, I knew that Art to Change the World must be involved. Please tell us how ACW will be involved in the summer camp.

Barbara: The Mississippi Watershed and Management Organization Stewardship Fund Community grant supported 10 people selected from the larger MWMO neighborhood population, to meet, collect trash along the Mississippi and participate in an immersive curriculum unit which was collaboratively developed by me and the participants themselves. So, we have experience in this type of creative, sustainable activity.

ACW will join the Sustainable Design Guthrie summer camp and talk about the making of the Mississippi River Pearl. Kelly Frankenberg will lead a Land Message in a Bottle activity and a river pick up. The middle school participants will collect objects to incorporate in their stage and costume camp during the week of July 10-14.  

Q:  Will these students be the youngest you’ve worked with at ACW? 

Barbara:  Yes, the Sustainability Design project will be ACW’s first programming project with middle schoolers. I was a K-12 art teacher for 20 years, and Kelly was also a teacher. We are excited to discover sustainable design possibilities with the Guthrie summer camp students.

Q:  Do you have other partnerships on the horizon?

Barbara:  Oh yes, ACW is a collective. We currently have partnership projects in motion with Haven Housing, Harriet Tubman and Emma Norton Transformational Housing facilities, Solar Arts Studios, Grand Hand Gallery, the Mississippi Watershed and Management Organization (MWMO), and are in design stage discussions with several others. Follow our calendar of events at Art to Change the World. 

Minneapolis’ Mounted Police Unit

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided

A discussion with MPD Mounted Police Executive Director, Sgt. Adrian Infante

Have you seen the mounted police officers in downtown Minneapolis or at community events? The horses are striking and unflappable. We were curious about the history of the mounted unit and talked to Executive Director Sgt. Adrian Infante to learn more.

Sgt. Adrian InfanteQ:  How many years has Minneapolis had a police equestrian unit?

A:  Before modern times, Minneapolis obviously used mounted patrols. In early 1992, the Minneapolis Police Department started to discuss having a unit for special events. In 1994, we assembled the first unit, and 1995 was our first riding season. 

Q:  When are the mounted patrols utilized?

A:  Policing on horseback continues to be one of the most effective crime fighting tools. The Mounted Patrol Unit helps with large crowd control, crime control (on horseback, an officer is at least 10 feet tall which helps deter crime over a large area). Horses can go quickly where a squad car cannot, we help with search and rescue and can last longer than officers on foot in search and rescue situations.

However, our unit is used for much more than crime control. People are drawn to the horses and we know that they definitely break down barriers between the police department and the community. Kids love seeing the mounted patrols. You’ll see us at the Aquatennial, we’re downtown in Spring, Summer and Fall – we’re at large concerts, sporting events, parades, senior homes and at National Night Out.

MPD Detective Maurice Salmon, 1930Q:  How many horses are in the MPD equestrian unit? Are there minimal standards for the horses? Where are the horses stabled?

A:  We have 12 horses in the program now. We stable them in the West Metro in the Maple Plain area. There are standards for our horses – they must be at least 15.3 hands in height and they must have a calm demeanor. Maintaining composure is vitally important for these horses. The horses must also have a great deal of stamina.

Q:  How many officers are assigned to the mounted patrol? Do they serve full time as mounted officers?

A:  We have two full time police officers assigned to the mounted unit. They train and take care of the horses and help train new mounted officers. The MPD has another 15 part time riders that are available for specific events. Seven new part time officers were just trained in for the mounted unit.

Q:  Could you tell us about the training for newly appointed mounted riders?

A:  Yes – it is intensive! Some officers tell us that it is much more strenuous than SWAT school. Officers interview for the patrol and take a practical assessment. Then, if accepted, there is a 6-week mounted class - 80-90% of the training is done in the saddle. No prior horse or riding experience is needed. Our trainers work with the officers to learn elements of confidence, dressage and etiquette. I never thought that I would be a "horse cop" – but I joined the unit in 2017 and I absolutely love my assignment.

Q:  How do your officers in the equestrian units stay current on strategies and best practices for mounted police?

A:  This is one of my primary concerns. We are members of professional associations, which provide extraordinary initial and refresher courses for our officers and horses. We also have ongoing good conversations between units with larger mounted units – such as New Orleans or New York City – we learn from their experiences and we share ours with them. 

Q:  How may we support your department?

A:  The Minneapolis Police Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that was founded to provide ongoing financial support to the Mounted Police Unit. Follow us on Facebook and check here for other ways to donate and be involved. 

In the community:

 

Get to Know Ben Shardlow, Director of Urban Design at minneapolis downtown council & Downtown Improvement District

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided

Ben ShardlowBen Shardlow has a lot to teach us about Minneapolis’ plans for innovative urban design, placemaking (keep reading to learn what that is) and community engagement around all of it. And, he welcomes the opportunity to meet downtown residents. Many of our readers have ideas to improve our downtown – set up a coffee meeting with Ben.  

Q:  What’s a typical day like for you as Director of Urban Design for the Downtown Improvement District (DID)?

A:  Every day is unique! The projects I work on and my role in them vary quite a bit. Sometimes I’m leading one of our projects, sometimes I’m advocating for our goals to be met in another organization’s effort. Either way, it’s collaborative. Almost everything we do is through partnerships, whether it’s working with the City on transportation, Park Board on trees, or arts and cultural partners on placemaking. That makes relationship building very important, which means lots of meetings. Heaps. Fortunately, I’m one of those oddballs who prefers meetings to just sitting at my desk.

Q:  You presented recently at the Minnesota Design Team's Annual Retreat, on the topic of community engagement through the lens of art and placemaking. Please tell us all about this notion.

A:  My presentation focused on the form of community engagement I enjoy the most: learning together by doing.

Traditional community engagement is necessary but challenging. You need a process that brings together technical experts and stakeholders who know the local context to agree to a shared definition of a problem, a potential solution, and the expected result. It’s possible for community members to disagree with any of the three, and for the process to devolve into speculation and mistrust. Please be nice to urban planners, it’s not as easy as it looks!

Placemaking offers alternative strategies. If you’re curious about the term, I’d encourage looking up Project for Public Spaces – they do a better job describing placemaking than I will here. The gist of it is that people and how they experience places should be at the center of how we design and run our cities. That might sound obvious, but you’d be surprised! Another key premise of placemaking is that successful places tend to have a recipe of features and activities that you can follow to make your own place(s) better.

The Living Bus Shelter project

Using placemaking strategies, you can try small experiments in public space to test a theory in a local context, see what happens, and get feedback from the community on actual experiences versus hypotheticals. It’s prototyping, essentially. We’ve used this technique throughout downtown. As one example, there was a bus stop on 7th Street that had high ridership and no bus shelter. The dialogue around a permanent shelter wasn’t very productive, so we got permission to place a temporary, artist-designed shelter and gather feedback. People liked it, and it opened the door for the really high-quality Bus Rapid Transit shelter at that site today.

Q:  You designed the Tactical Urbanism Initiative (TUI) for Minneapolis. How was it implemented? Can you bring us up to date with the Initiative? Is the City still collaborating with the partners?

A:  That initiative was the genesis of a lot of the placemaking projects we did from roughly 2013 - 2017. We used placemaking tactics to address sites of special concern for real or perceived safety – looking for underlying reasons why those sites weren’t successful and tried experiments to improve the experience people had in those places. We assembled an advisory committee – mainly with representatives from government agencies whose approval we needed to do the experiments, but also from social service and neighborhood groups.

The Alley Project in the 900 block of Hennepin

It was a lot of fun. We did a lot of experiments and learned a lot about ways we can positively improve the physical environment downtown and address localized concerns. The bus stop above is one example of a “TUI” project, but there were many more. We eventually stopped using that framework to do these kinds of projects because we had learned enough about how to work this way, and now we just engage adjacent stakeholders around individual projects. For example, we’re leading The Alley Project, a beautification and activation of the alley behind The Chambers Hotel, FAIR School for the Arts, and the University of St Thomas. We’re doing that project in partnership with Modern Day Me, Helping Hand Companies, Hennepin Theatre Trust, TENxTEN, and many others. The DNA of that project is very much aligned with how we approached TUI, but it’s a new context with new partners, and it’s informed by the years of work that preceded it.

Q:  What is the downtown council’s Intersections 2025 Plan?   

A:  The minneapolis downtown council has produced a visionary plan for the future of downtown every 10-15 years, with the 2025 Plan being the most recent. It was published in 2010 and includes ten major initiatives for downtown. I was in grad school at the time, and I remember being really inspired by the plan. I took it as a clarion call for downtown to grow and become a more livable, beautiful, connected, and humane place. Honestly, it became a major reason why I sought out work at mdc/DID, and I’ve been fortunate enough to work on implementing many of the initiatives in the plan. The plan has held up surprisingly well and is still a useful reference point for evaluating proposed changes to downtown. You can see how the green corridors idea has come to life on streets like Hennepin and the goal of leading the nation in transportation options has led to building out a network of protected bikeways for people biking of all ages and abilities – including a spot that I love at 4th and Hennepin where two such bikeways intersect. Really exciting.

With that said, it’s almost 2025 - that date no longer sounds futuristic! There will be announcements about a new planning effort before too long, and I’m excited for that.

Q:  How may citizens participate in your group’s initiatives?

A:  One, if you haven’t stopped into the DID’s Nicollet Office at 651 Nicollet Mall, Suite 105 - please do! We run a community space on the ground floor of Gaviidae, and it’s a great resource for getting information about what’s going on downtown. A number of us office there, so it’s normally pretty easy to get connected with the person working on the topic you’re interested in.

Second, we’re partnering with downtown residents on monthly Service Saturdays and other programs through the warmer months of the year so that neighbors can get acquainted and we can all contribute to a greener and cleaner downtown. We’re working on some fun incentives, too. If you’re interested in that, please check our volunteering calendar as the season ramps up or just reach out to me.

Q:  How may we follow your news?

A:  I’d suggest following Minneapolis DID on Facebook and Instagram, signing up for our newsletter, or just reaching out to me personally at bshardlow@mplsdid.com. I regularly have coffee meetings with downtown residents and love to make new connections.

Small Business Spotlight: Twin Ignition Startup Garage

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided

Left to right - Scott Aubitz, Ben Rasmussen and Seth Peter

Sometimes an entrepreneur needs some advice in areas outside of his or her product or concept design – areas like management, finance, strategy, and marketing among others. That’s where Twin Ignition Startup Garage in Northeast Minneapolis can step in and provide the expertise necessary to bring the dream to life. We talked to co-founder Scott Aubitz about the genesis of Twin Ignition, their portfolio of success stories and one very fun reason (you’ll be surprised) to visit their business.

Q:  Please tell us a brief history of Twin Ignition Startup Garage. 

A:  Seth Peter, Ben Rasmussen, and Scott Aubitz came together in 2018 with a shared vision to support a thriving startup ecosystem in the Twin Cities through a tailored approach to startup incubation. We all saw the need to help bridge the gap between a community of innovative founders and access to the resources, support and capital they needed to succeed.

While Seth had acquired the building that is now known as Twin Ignition Startup Garage at 1317 Marshall Street NE in 2017, we weren’t able to move in until late in 2019, so we started meeting with companies every Wednesday at Sip Coffee Bar in Northeast. What we quickly learned is we all agree you just need to start “doing” to make things happen, and that our different experiences and approaches to startups worked well together.

With the opening of the garage in 2019, we confirmed that the Twin Cities has a growing community of first-time founders that need various components of the pillars of our offering - the space to work, capital to invest and advice to grow. Since those beginnings we have invested in over 20 start-ups in the Twin Cities area, with an average of 8-10 new and follow-on investments a year. We have also partnered with several funds, angel organizations and other startup investors to expand our reach and impact to create a thriving startup community in the Twin Cities.  

As we have seen our startup companies grow and expand, we realized the need to provide additional office options as they become too big for our founders’ space in the Startup Garage. As a result, in 2022 Twin Ignition purchased the Keg House building at 34 13th Avenue NE on the former campus of the Grain Belt Brewery. This 45,000 square foot building gives us more options to provide space to grow as businesses gain traction in their markets.

Twin Ignition common area

Twin Ignition garage area

Twin Ignition kitchen area

Q:  What’s a typical day for Peter, Ben and you, the founders of Twin Ignition? 

A:  We typically meet with 1-3 companies a week to hear investment pitches. We also meet with 2-3 advisory clients typically on a biweekly basis. There is a standing weekly "internal" meeting on Monday where we discuss pitches we've heard the week before, any follow-on investment opportunities we have, as well as operations of our buildings. As a result, we are meeting as a team most mornings each week, with afternoons dedicated to various other aspects of the business.

Individually, Seth focuses much of his time on ensuring the buildings are operating smoothly. He also is actively meeting with prospective businesses and others in the start-up community. Ben devotes most of his time to networking within the community to identify new opportunities both for investment as well as for candidates to office out of the Garage and Keghouse buildings. I focus more time on the financials of our investment portfolio and the building operations.  

Q:  Twin Ignition Startup Garage is a technology incubator AND it also houses a woodworking studio - that must keep the environment interesting and full of beautiful art.  

A:  Being located inside the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District was an important factor in determining our location. We believe the process of creating a work of art is similar to creating a technology offering. It’s about putting your creative energy into something entirely new, bringing an abstract idea to reality, and presenting that concept to an audience. We also believe that being surrounded by beautiful physical creation is inspiring to those working on their virtual technical creations. We have found that entrepreneurs in our space often have an artistic side to them.

Q:  In September of 2021, Twin Ignition told the Star Tribune that the goal was to “invest and mentor companies that would collectively create 100,000 jobs across the Twin Cities in the next 20 years.” We’re just two years into that timeframe, but have you seen your portfolio companies start to hire?

A:  Our portfolio companies have definitely been in expansion mode over the last several years. Every one of our portfolio companies has hired additional staff to varying degrees. We have companies anywhere from 2-4 employees up to 30+ employees, depending on their stage of growth and their cadence with capital raising.

With our mission to support a thriving tech startup community in the Twin cities we think Minnesota has a great opportunity to create 100k+ jobs in new growth over the coming decades. Our hope is to be one catalyst to ensure that happens.   

Q:  May a client just purchase access to your collaborative workspace – perhaps as a way to get started with Twin Ignition’s services?  

A:  The Startup Garage is a collective workspace for founders to utilize and collaborate with each other. Per our goal of creating a thriving tech startup community, we want to create a place where founders can plug into a broader community of like-minded people, experiencing similar issues and help support each in their growth. We're hoping to reduce some of the isolation of starting a business while providing support as they grow.

The space is designed to grow with businesses from "soloprenuers" up to businesses of 8-10 people. If a founder has started a business and is looking for office space on a part-time or full-time basis, they should definitely reach out to info@twinignition.com to arrange a time to come try out the space.

Q:  Can you share some of your success stories with us?

A:  We've been investing in very early stage companies for over 4 years now, but have seen some great traction with our portfolio companies. A great indicator of the success of our businesses and our strategy is we've had 3 different businesses gain enough traction that they needed to move out of the Startup Garage because they had become too big for the space - two of those have been moved into our Keghouse building. We've had a business exit within 2 years of our initial investment. Several of our portfolio companies have been listed as "startups to watch" in the Twin Cities in 2023 by the Business Journal (Turnsignl, ProsperStack, Omnia Fishing). Two of our businesses were MN Cup Divisional Winners (Turnsignl & Carbon Origins) with Carbon Origins being runner up for the grand prize. One of our businesses, Big Wheelbarrow, won a $500k investment in the 43 North startup competition in Buffalo, NY. Many of these businesses have benefited not just from our investment and advice, but from the community we were able to plug them into within our ecosystem.  

Q:  Great results – congratulations! Have you considered expanding your business to other cities with rich startup cultures?

A:  Our commitment is really to the Twin Cities and Minnesota more broadly. This is an area that has provided so much for each of us individually, we really see our work as a way to give back and make Minnesota a destination for startup activity. We think there is plenty of opportunity to keep doing what we are doing and grow this ecosystem into something really special.

Q:  How may we follow your news?

A:  Please feel free to follow Twin Ignition on LinkedIn. We tend to repost news about our portfolio companies as well as post for any upcoming events with which we may be associated. We also post more social events on our Facebook page as well. For example, make sure to come join us for Art-A-Whirl in May!

Elevate Hennepin - A Discussion with Community and Economic Development Director Patricia Fitzgerald

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided

Were you aware that small businesses in Hennepin County can tap into a wealth of no-cost business support services? Elevate Hennepin, in its third year, has supported over 2300 businesses with consulting and other support services. We talked to Patricia Fitzgerald, Community and Economic Development Director for Hennepin County Housing and Economic Development, to learn more about this all-encompassing business support program. 2 Dope Chicks – a tasty gem of a downtown restaurant – told us what participating meant to their business. 

Patricia FitzgeraldQ:  What's the origin of Elevate Hennepin?

A:  The initiative started in 2020 as an emergency response to the pandemic but has grown to be an innovative model of long-term business support. 

During the pandemic, Hennepin County convened a diverse Business Advisory Council that represented the diversity of the business community to help maximize the impact of pandemic recovery funds. One of the biggest things we heard from them is that businesses needed technical support to recover from the impacts of the pandemic, but also to build for future success.

In response, Hennepin County contracted with a team of professional business advisors and consultants with a range of specialties to work with businesses to help them rebuild and position them for future success. These services were completely free to businesses. The impact and value were immediately evident, and Elevate Hennepin was born.To date, Hennepin County has invested more than $6 million in Elevate Hennepin, with additional investment of $2.5 million annually over the next two years. Over 90 percent of that funding goes directly to business advising costs. 

Elevate has quickly been embraced and will continue to improve and refine to meet the needs of the business community as we evolve.

Q:  Your website mentions that the program offers a business support ecosystem. Can you please talk to us about what that encompasses?

A:  Elevate Hennepin amplifies our region’s ecosystem of small business support. Hennepin County is fortunate to have a wide range of nonprofit, mission-driven organizations and community-based lenders serving entrepreneurs. Elevate Hennepin supports those organizations, and has added a diverse group of specialized consultants, and created a resource hub that facilitates access and networking. Our focus, and the focus of Elevate Hennepin’s advisor network, is on serving local businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs located in Hennepin County.

Through Elevate, businesses in Hennepin County can access free expert consulting and technical assistance from more than 20 professional business advisors who specialize in a full range of business services, including legal, accounting, financial planning, marketing, business planning and strategy, and much more. And, you can access up to 25 hours from each consultant. We are finding that many businesses are working with multiple advisors, and that advisors are connecting businesses to each other to address unique needs. For instance, one advisor might work on financial planning, then connect them to another advisor to work on marketing. So, there’s a new ecosystem of advisors and businesses and government agencies taking shape that is really exciting.

As one of our advisors, Henry Blake, said, “You can get just about every kind of service you need to establish and run a viable business.”

The other aspect is that elevatehennepin.org is a hub of curated events and resources from a variety of sources. In addition to events and resources from Elevate advisors and the county, there are also resources from numerous other trusted business-support sources like the Small Business Administration, the state of Minnesota, cities, and other partners. The idea was to create a central hub, curated for aspiring entrepreneurs and small businesses to access a wide variety of business-support resources and assistance in one place.

Q:  How is the no-cost consulting structured? Does it cover multiple aspects of business ownership?  

A:  Consulting is one of the key aspects of the Elevate Hennepin initiative - more than 90 percent of the overall investment goes directly to one-on-one business consulting and cohort training programs. Hennepin County has intentionally selected more than 20 professional business advisors and organizations who represent the diversity of Hennepin County businesses and specialize in the full range of subjects and services a growing business might need.

We try to make it as simple of a process as possible for the businesses. A business owner can either connect to one of Hennepin County’s business navigators to discuss their needs or directly to an advisor through the Elevate website at ElevateHennepin.org.

Each business owner can access up to 25 hours of free consulting from each of more than 20 advisors. It covers a whole range of business needs, including:  

• Legal questions

• Marketing strategy

• Business planning and strategy

• Access to capital

• Accounting and finance

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So far, more than 1,400 businesses have tapped into Elevate Hennepin for more than 9,500 hours of this one-on-one technical assistance or back-office support. From there, the advisor just invoices the program and Hennepin County pays the advisor for their services. 

Q:  How many businesses have taken advantage of Elevate Hennepin?

A:  As of year-end 2022, more than 2,300 businesses have engaged with the online resource hub, accessed technical assistance, or participated in a cohort-learning program. Of those, 1,400 have utilized the one-on-one consulting and received more than 9,500 hours of advising. 

Businesses looking for guidance on where to start with Elevate Hennepin are encouraged to email Hennepin County Business Navigator Tashie George at economic.development@hennepin.us.

2 Dope Chicks cofounders Rhonda Caldwell-Heard (left) and Jamis Rodriguez

We also wanted to hear from a business that has benefited from Elevate Hennepin. 2 Dope Chicks is owned by Jamis Rodriguez and Rhonda Caldwell-Heard. The business is located at 300 S. 6th Street in the Hennepin County Government Center. We asked Rodriguez what it meant to participate in Elevate Hennepin. Here's what she had to say:

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"Hearing about the program was inspiring for me - it gave a boost in motivation when things were feeling stagnant due to financial roadblocks. Participation in the program has brought awareness to so many resources and other business beneficial programs. It has even earned 2 Dope Chicks a few new customers! Being a new business, partnering with Elevate made sense. It was an extremely useful step in setting our business up for better success - with support in all aspects, from business planning to marketing to bookkeeping - we are very grateful."

Q:  How may we stay up to date with the program's news and success stories? 

A:  So many ways to follow our news - sign up for our newsletter or follow our social media channels:

Newsletter signup link

Elevate Hennepin website

Elevate Hennepin Facebook

Elevate Hennepin Twitter

Hennepin County Economic Development website

Hennepin County Economic Development LinkedIn 

Dushani Dye, 2022 CFO of the Year in the Government Category

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided

A Discussion with Chief Financial Officer, City of Minneapolis, Dushani Dye

CFO Dushani Dye was recently awarded CFO of the Year in the Government Category by the Minneapolis-St Paul Business Journal. We talked to her about being recognized for her work and how it differs from the CFO role in private enterprises. Dye is also a committed community volunteer – learn about her approach to work and giving back below.  

Dushani DyeQ:  Congratulations on being named CFO of the Year in the Government category by the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal. What did winning this award mean to you?

A:  It is a great honor to be recognized, especially as a CFO for the government sector. The last two years have definitely been a challenge for many CFOs, and City of Minneapolis was no exception. The entire finance team, including other leaders throughout the City, rose up to the challenges and was resilient through revenue losses and civil unrest the City experienced. I was recognized for the efforts made by the Finance Department, but there were many others who contributed to my successes. Our work is not complete, but this recognition means that we are on the right track.

Q:  You’ve worked in municipal finance for almost 30 years. Why does it appeal to you? 

A:  Early in my career, I have had the opportunity to work in multiple areas of local government including social services, property management, public works and the attorney’s office. I was able to see the direct correlation between finances and service delivery. Being able to have input into projects and programs and making budget decisions that affect the public we serve was extremely rewarding. As a county budget director, I had the opportunity to find solutions to budget challenges, and seeing the impact the decisions had in the community, was fulfilling for me. As the CFO, I enjoy working towards priorities of the City that affect all residents and visitors rather than making a profit for a company. Some say public service is a calling. That’s definitely true for me.  

Q:  You oversee departments that manage the City’s money – a daunting job that covers so many areas.  One of the tenets of your department, listed on the website, states that your department engages enterprise partners in decision-making to uphold the City’s lasting vibrancy and strength. Can you talk about this idea a little bit – which enterprise partners and how can your department contribute to Minneapolis’ vibrancy and strength? 

A:  It is extremely important to ensure the City can endure unexpected financial challenges. The pandemic is a good example of that, and the City was able to close the last two years with surpluses. This couldn’t have been accomplished by Finance Department alone. As the CFO, I can make recommendations or caution against making certain decisions, but ultimately all leaders of the organization, including elected officials, have to work together to make the best financial decisions for the City. It is also important for me to have the bond ratings agencies acknowledge the financial strength of the City. This evaluation affects the cost of borrowing for the City to complete capital projects and gives the investors’ confidence that the City is financially well managed.

Dye working with Michael Goenner, an Accounting Technician at City of Minneapolis

Q:  In my opinion, your job is so much more difficult than a CFO of a private corporation. How do you stay centered and focused on the tasks to be accomplished each day? 

A:  I start each day with a plan for the day. Most days, the plan is just a plan and I stay flexible to attend to situations as they arise. I have a great team that I get to work with every day, and everyone on it is willing to step in as needed. The decisions made by a City CFO is different than of a private company CFO. Financial decisions made by the City may impact every resident and visitor to the City, and that is a responsibility many private company CFOs don’t have.  

Q:  You’re on the board of Guild Services. Why is it important to you to support their mission? 

A:  Guild Services offers community-based mental health services and also helps individuals find safe housing and employment. Guild fulfills the unmet needs of the community and does amazing work. I see the intersection of my work with the community as the CFO for the City and the role Guild plays in social services. I find it rewarding to be able to offer my expertise as a financial professional and assist the organization to be successful. With mental health issues having been escalated since the pandemic, Guild Services’ dedicated staff has stepped up to find solutions. I am committed to playing a supporting role in the organization as I believe in supporting those struggling with mental health.  

Q:  How may we follow your department’s news?

A:  Finance Department news and all City news can be found at https://www.minneapolismn.gov/news/.

Expand Your Outlook: Queer Ecology Hanky Project at Quarter Gallery, Regis Center for Art thru April 22

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided

Queer Ecology Hanky Project (QEHP) is an ongoing traveling exhibition with over one hundred and twenty artists from across North America organized by V Adams and Mary Tremonte. The exhibit showcases a diverse array of artist responses to Queer Ecology—an emerging area of inquiry that unites the study of biology, environment, and sexuality with a framework of queer theory—and celebrates a wide spectrum of print mediums and methods.

I remember being in college at Virginia Tech in the 1970s and the original queer hanky code came into being – it was a means for gay men to subtly communicate sexual desires to include different bodies, identities, and activities.  The bandana was worn in a back pocket for the purposes of sexual signaling. The color of the bandana was associated with a specific sexual practice or fetish, and the wearer’s sexual role was indicated by which back pocket the bandana resided in (tops wore bandanas in their left pocket; bottoms wore bandanas in their right pocket). Any other people out there remember the hanky code which lasted into the 1980s?

But enough about my ancient history and back to the exhibit! It won’t be in town long – only until April 22. I spoke to Professor Corinne Teed of the U’s College of Liberal Arts, one of the artists whose work is displayed in the exhibition.

Q:  What inspired you to create a submission for the exhibit? Had you studied salamanders before?

A:  The hanky that I made is about spotted salamanders and their gay night life in vernal pools. Male salamanders gather together in summer puddles and masturbate each other, filling the pools with their sperm. Wildlife biologists have historically classified this activity as a necessary labor in a heterosexual reproductive system. In 2014, I made an experimental documentary called "Mounting Evidence" about the prevalence of queer sexuality and transgender individuals within non-human animals. During a Visiting Artist talk I gave at Bowdoin College, I shared clips of the video piece and a biologist spoke in the Q&A saying she had studied this behavior for decades and it had never occurred to her that the salamanders might be experiencing homoerotic pleasure. My hankie celebrates the queer pleasure of salamander bodies during their amphibious encounters of group sex.

The majority of my work is on concepts of queer ecology. I use a queer reframing of how we understand other species and nature-cultures to contradict the hetero-patriarchal and settler colonial concepts that underpinned the development of western colonial science.

Professor Teed is just one of the 120 artists who contributed to the show. Plan your visit to this special, fun and free of charge exhibit!

Location - Quarter Gallery, Regis Center for Art, 405 21st Avenue S

Days/Times -

Tuesday and Friday, 11 am to 5 pm

Wednesday and Thursday, 11 am to 7 pm

Saturday, 11 am to 3 pm

200 Films to be Presented at 42nd Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided

The festival kicks off April 13 and runs until April 27 at The Main Cinema, 115 SE Main Street, with additional screenings at the Capri in North Minneapolis and the Landmark Center in St. Paul. The full schedule and movie descriptions are worth perusing. Parties, panels and other events fully round out the festival. Everyone who attends an opening night movie is invited to the MSPIFF42: Opening Night Party at Machine Shop, 300 2nd Street SE – great food, music and movie visionaries!

Festival organizers expect pre-pandemic audiences of about 40,000 people to attend. Attendees come from all over the world for the film festival, so let’s be sure to show local support for this major event. We asked MSPIFF staff for suggestions.

Jesse Bishop, Program Director, offers these three for your consideration:

A Compassionate Spy is the latest film from renowned documentarian Steve James, maker of Hoop Dreams, and brings to life an unlikely true story about the youngest physicist to work on the Manhattan Project who turned over secrets to the Russians. It's an incredible morality tale and love story wrapped into one.

Other People’s Children by Rebecca Zlotowski from France is one of two films in the festival that stars the amazing Belgian actress Virginie Efira (the other is REVOIR PARIS). It's a beautiful and engaging study of a woman's bond with her lover's child, and the longing to have a family of her own.

Mamacruz is a fun and irreverent Spanish dramedy about a devoted churchgoing grandmother who stumbles across an explicit website and finds herself exploring long buried desires. It's a fantastic story about retaking control of one's life, important at any age!

Kelly Nathe, Programmer & Publicity Manager, has one outstanding recommendation:

King Coal is a beautiful exploration of the many ways coal industry has been woven into the fabric of life in Appalachia, both positively and negatively. 

And here are my personal two top picks:

The Hamlet Syndrome. The Guthrie Theater is staging Hamlet in April, their 60th anniversary of the first production. I can’t resist seeing a movie also about Hamlet, just across the Mississippi River at the festival.  Plus, the heartbreak of the Ukrainian invasion needs to stay fresh in our minds. Movie Description: The Hamlet Syndrome is a powerful portrait of a vibrant young Ukrainian generation, the first one born after the collapse of the Soviet Union, shaped by the Maidan Revolution of 2013, empowered by political change and scarred by war. A few months prior to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, five young women and men participate in a unique stage production that attempts to relate their war experiences to Shakespeare’s Hamlet. For each of them, the stage is a platform to express their grief and trauma through the famous question, “to be or not to be,” a dilemma that applies to their own lives.

Gold Run. I’m a fan of historical movies, especially about World War II. If you enjoyed Atlantic Crossing on PBS or Narvik on Netflix, I think you’ll want to see this movie about the Nazi invasion of Norway. Movie Description: On April 9th, 1940 the Nazis invaded Norway. Based on true events, Gold Run tells the story of how a brigade of ragtag Norwegians, including a bank secretary, a famous poet and a female veteran of the Spanish Civil War, smuggled 40 tons of gold bullion out of the national bank vault in Oslo to safety with the Allies.

Get your tickets:

MSPIFF42 All-Access Festival Passes are $400 for Members/$500 for the General Public; individual tickets are $10 for Members/$15 for the General Public; and Six Packs are $50 for Members/$75 for General Public. Please visit mspfilm.org for more information.

We Shall Someday - World Premiere at Theater Latte Da

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided

A Discussion with Harrison David Rivers, Book and Lyrics Writer

Harrison David RiversThe world premiere of We Shall Someday is in rehearsals now at Theater Latte Da. We spoke to Harrison David Rivers about his creative process, finding an inspired home in the Twin Cities and taking individual actions against injustice.

Performances run April 19 through May 14 at the Ritz Theater. Tickets are on sale now at Latteda.org or by calling 612-339-3003. 

Q: Your artistic statement includes this passage:

I write
[in my own words]
In hopes of ushering in a kinder,
gentler,
more equitable,
more accepting,
more courageous,
more compassionate,
more loving,
world. 

Your latest play, We Shall Someday, covers three generations of inequality, violence and oppression. Do you give us advice or guidance in the play about how to usher in a more equitable and loving world? Or how we might commit to creating real change?

A:  One of my favorite things about We Shall Someday is how each of the characters - Julius in 1961, Ruby in 1988 and Ben in 1992 - has a moment of realization about the significance of their role in the betterment of the world. Julius realizes that the most revolutionary thing he can do to “usher in a more equitable and loving world” is to be the best father to his daughters that he can be. Ruby realizes that she must be honest with her son about the realities of being Black and male. And Jay realizes that fear, both of physical harm and of distressing his mother, shouldn’t keep him from doing what he believes to be right - protesting injustice.

We Shall Someday cast members Roland Hawkins II, Ronnie Allen, and Erin Nicole Farsté. Photo by Lucas Wells.

The musical posits that real change starts on an individual level - it starts as a personal choice - and that the actions undertaken once one has made that choice, no matter the size or scale, are meaningful, significant, vital.

Q:  Your resume is impressive – we could spend an entire interview focusing on any one of the many aspects of your career, which includes teaching, publishing, honors, awards, residencies, fellowships, playwriting and more. You could live anywhere. Why are the Twin Cities home to you?  

A:  First, thank you. So often it feels like you’re running in place, that you’re working super hard, but nothing’s really happening. It’s nice to be reminded that that’s not true; nice to be reminded to be kinder to myself.

I moved to the Twin Cities in 2014 for a fellowship at the Playwrights’ Center and fell in love with the community here. I found artistic homes at Theater Latté Da, Penumbra and History Theatre, and incredible collaborators.

I’d been living in New York City for nine years and had gotten used to the frenzy – I’d sort of internalized it. I thought I needed the hustle and bustle and the pressure and the constant noise and motion, but it turned out that I was wrong. I realized very quickly upon arriving in the Twin Cities that I could have a robust creative life and do it on my terms — a little slower, a little quieter and less expensively.

Q:  We Shall Someday pays homage to the civil rights anthem, We Shall Overcome. Although I haven’t seen your play yet, I feel that the title reflects the sentiments expressed by Cheryl Bistani who wrote this for MLK Day 2023:  

There is a dance step called the tripudium. It is three steps forward and one step back. It matches the words, the rhythm, and the meaning of the song we sang as we touched the spot of spilled blood and marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday. 

“We shall overcome, we shall overcome.
We shall overcome someday.
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We shall overcome someday.” 

Will we see your characters experiencing progress through a tripudium of three steps forward and one step back? 

A:  I’m not sure that We Shall Someday adheres to that exact math, but I do think that inherent in the idea of progress is failure — are setbacks and opposition — and, on the flip-side, reassessment and reactivation and perseverance.

I believe that all of these elements are present in the musical.

Q:  Music is very important to your creative process – you’ve said in earlier interviews that many lyrics and tunes of popular music are in our DNA. Did you structure We Shall Someday as a multimedia production, including music, as shortcuts to the audience to trigger a certain time and place?   

A:  Ted Shen (composer) was actually the first artist on the project. He had already created what was then called “Just One ‘Q’” with another writer. I was brought in later to write a follow up to Part 1, and then later to re-write the existing Part 1 and to add Part 3.

The piece was conceived as a musical so it has “sung” since the beginning. Any multi-media component at Theater Latte Da is owed to our brilliant director and design team.

Q:  Will you give talks or lectures in conjunction with We Shall Someday? Are there other ancillary events planned to accompany the play? 

A:  I imagine so! Honestly, we’re early days with the production so a lot of scheduling things are still being worked out. I’ll have to get back to you!

Q:  Please do keep us posted on events. How may we follow your news? 

A:  I’m on Instagram and my website is harrisondavidrivers.com – of course, now I’ll need to update it.

Learning from Place: Cedar-Riverside Immersive Experience, April 29 1-5p

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided

The Minnesota Humanities Center has partnered with the Brian Coyle Center, Augsburg University and the West Bank Business Association to produce their latest Learning from Place Program. We spoke to Eden Bart, Program Officer and Amano Dube, Director, Brian Coyle Community Center/Pillsbury United Communities, to learn more about the innovative program and how to register. Don’t delay – there are only 40 spots available to tour the "Ellis Island of the Midwest."

Eden BartQ:  The Minnesota Humanities Center describes Learning from Place as an immersive experience that brings people to sites of great significance. 

A:  That’s right - our Learning from Place experiences bring participants into community and sacred spaces to hear the unfiltered stories that are often overlooked or unknown by the general public. These co-created experiences can be transformative in helping to close relationship gaps.

Q:  Why was Cedar-Riverside/West Bank selected for the program? 

A:  Cedar-Riverside/West Bank was selected for this program because of its incredible cultural diversity and history of settlement, activism, and the arts. We are excited to be partnering with Pillsbury United Communities/Brian Coyle Center, Augsburg University, and the West Bank Business Association.

Abdirizak BihiQ:  How will the 4-hour program be structured?   

A:  Participants will meet at Brian Coyle Center for introductions and a historical overview of the neighborhood. We will then go on a 50-minute walking tour led by Abdirizak Bihi (known as Bihi), host of KFAI’s Somali Link Radio. We will return to Brian Coyle Center for a sampling of food from local restaurants and story sharing from several community members who will share their personal stories and connection to the neighborhood.

Q:  What will be highlighted during the program?   

A:  Stories from diverse cultures; insight into the economic, arts, and cultural vibrancy of the area; and the deep history of being a place that welcomes newly arrived immigrants and refugees.

The Cedar Cultural Center, a West Bank mainstay for decades.

Samiya Clothing Store, Riverside Plaza

Q:  Who will benefit from attending the program?   

A:  This is open to anyone who would like to build their cultural understanding of the neighborhood. All are welcome.   

Q:  Will it be accessible for those with mobility concerns? 

A:  There will be about 50 minutes of walking. Email registrations@mnhum.org with questions.

Q:  How do we register for the program? 

A: Visit https://www.mnhum.org/event/lfp-cedar-riverside/. 

We have other Learning from Place experiences that include: Bdote, Hmong St. Paul, St. Paul’s Little Africa, LGBTQ+ History in Downtown Minneapolis, and North Minneapolis. For more information about Learning from Place experiences, visit https://www.mnhum.org/events/category/immersive-experiences/learning-from-place/ .

One of the leaders of the program is Amano Dube – we had a few questions for him as well: 

Amano DubeQ:  We spoke to you last fall about the annual Cedar Riverside Multicultural Dinner. You’ve now partnered with Augsburg University, the West Bank Business Association, and the Minnesota Humanities Center on a Learning from Place program. What do you want attendees to learn and remember from the program?  

A:  We want attendees to learn about the rich history of the West Bank, including its vibrancy as a business corridor with lots of restaurants, cafés, music, theater and arts, but also its diversity and immigration history as a welcoming landing place for generations of immigrants. We also want attendees to hear firsthand information from each speaker about their real-life experiences in this neighborhood/country including what it means to be an immigrant who came very young or was born and grew up here, raised families, own a business and/or spent most of their adulthood lives in this community.  

Q:  At one time you were the Executive Director of the Oromo Community of Minnesota. Please tell our readers more about the Oromo people. 

A:  The Oromo are a Cushitic ethnic group native to the Oromia region of Ethiopia and parts of Northern Kenya, who speak the Oromo language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They are the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia constituting more than 40 million of about 110 million Ethiopian population.  

Outside of their home country, Oromos live in many parts of the world, including in the United Sates, Canada, Europe, Australia, Middle East, other African countries and some in Asia. In the U.S., Oromos live in most of the states although the number varies. But the largest concentration outside of their home country is here in Minnesota, roughly estimated at more than 60 thousand.  

The arrival of Oromos in United States and Minnesota might date as far back as 50 plus years, primarily as students and their families. The largest influx as refugees occurred over the last 20-30 years. Today, in Minnesota and elsewhere, Oromos have established number of institutions including the Oromo Communities, many Churches, Mosques, varieties of small to mid-size businesses and more becoming part of the American dreams.  

Q:  How may we stay up to date with Cedar Riverside/West Bank news? 

To stay up to date with the West Bank neighborhood, please access the West Bank Business Association (WBBA) website, and follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

The Guthrie Theater’s Born with Teeth: A Discussion with Director, Rob Melrose

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided

Rob MelroseBorn with Teeth is at the Guthrie through April 2 – don’t delay in getting tickets. Yes, you could stay home and stream the latest video on Netflix, but you would miss the immediacy and vibrancy of two actors giving their all for 90 minutes with no intermission. We talked to Director Rob Melrose about why the play is relevant today and I can attest that you’re going to love the action, danger and betrayal. 

Q:  For people who shy away from Shakespeare productions, what would you tell them that might entice them to see Born with Teeth? 

A:  Although the play is set in Elizabethan times, the design and the language have a distinctively contemporary almost punk feel. So, it is not at all like hearing a Shakespeare play and not understanding some of the words. Also, the play is 90 minutes long with two actors and is packed with acting and action. There is a palpable tension between the two actors from the start of the play and it never lets up, right to the very end. Audiences do not need to know anything about Shakespeare or Marlowe when planning to see the show. I've had friends who are non-theater people come see it and it. I think there is just something undeniable about seeing two wonderful actors acting their hearts out.

Dylan Godwin (left) playing Will Shakespeare and Matthew Amendt playing Kit Marlowe

Q:  You do your research. For a production of Coriolanus you spent a week researching in DC at the Folger Shakespeare Library. Did Born with Teeth require research on your part? 

A:  Ha! Becky, how did you know that about Coriolanus? That was during my freelancing years when I had the luxury of spending a week in DC going to the Folger Shakespeare library. Now that I am the Artistic Director of the Alley Theatre in Houston, I have to spread out my research over a longer period in much smaller bursts. Part of my research is really a lifetime of studying, directing, and seeing plays by Shakespeare and Marlowe. There were a number of books I revisited specifically for this production, they were extremely helpful: Will in the World by Stephen Greenblatt, A Year in the Life of Shakespeare: 1599 by James Shapiro, The World of Christopher Marlowe by David Riggs, and The Reckoning by Charles Nicoll. 

Q:  Why is the play relevant for 2023 Minneapolis audiences? 

A:  The play is about being an artist during divisive and dangerous times. Playwright Liz Duffy Adams was inspired by a contemporary performance at the Belarus Free Theatre dealing with life under an authoritarian government. It made Liz think about the Renaissance Faires with turkey legs, dancing and beer drinking as being somewhat of a Disney-fied view of the time. People were split between Catholics and Protestants, and you could be executed if you were the wrong religion at the wrong time. There was spying and plague and riots and betrayal at every turn. I think that danger makes the play more immediate and makes it feel closer to our own uncertain times. There is nothing old-timey about it! 

Minneapolis Attorney Leads Team Exonerating Louisiana Death Row Inmate

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided

Michael and Ed upon Michael’s release in February, 2023Ponchatoula, Louisiana native Michael Wearry spent the last 25 years in prison. He was charged with murder in the 1998 death of a 16-year-old pizza delivery driver and sentenced to death. Wearry spent 14 years on Angola Prison’s death row in an 8 by 9-foot cell in solitary confinement.

The U.S. Supreme Court reversed his conviction in 2016 after ruling that prosecutors failed to disclose evidence that could have helped his defense. The court stated that prosecutors should have turned over evidence casting doubt on the credibility of a prison informant and another witness who testified against Wearry.

The court also said the state failed to disclose medical records raising questions about a witness' description of the crime. Mr. Wearry’s case drew national attention.

Ed CassidyQ:  What does this have to do with Minneapolis?

A:  A lot. The attorney who led his death row exoneration is Edward Cassidy of Fredrikson & Byron. Cassidy spent countless hours as lead counsel, and Counsel of Record at the United States Supreme Court on Wearry’s case. For his pro bono efforts, he was named 2016 Attorney of the Year  from Minnesota Lawyer.

Q:  Why is this news now?

A:  Michael Wearry finally walked out of the Hunt Prison in Louisiana as a free man on February 15, 2023. Attorney Cassidy was there to greet him.

The path to overturning wrongful convictions is long and exhausting – for the wrongfully accused and the attorneys who take on the cases. Fredrikson took this case in 2009.

“I’m incredibly pleased with the outcome of this case and to see Michael finally leave the prison as a free man,” said Cassidy. “He is getting his life back and is able to reconnect with his family, including grandchildren.”

John Koneck“This case represents Fredrikson’s commitment, against all odds, to pro bono work,” said John M. Koneck, president of Fredrikson. “We applaud Ed and his team for the tremendous time, effort, and excellent skill and legal work to bring this case to a successful conclusion, given the many challenges over such a long period of time. We encourage our attorneys to take on pro bono work, and our attorneys and staff contribute thousands of hours in pro bono services to individuals in need and nonprofit organizations throughout the local and national community.”

We salute you, Ed Cassidy and Frederickson & Bryon, for your social justice work!

A Discussion with Ben Johnson, Director, Minneapolis Department of Arts and Cultural Affairs

Article by Becky Fillinger, photo provided

We welcome Ben Johnson back to the Twin Cities, specifically to Minneapolis as Director of the newly formed Department of Arts and Cultural Affairs. He has some wonderful plans to promote Minneapolis as a leader in the arts world and to collaborative broadly to achieve his goals.

Q:  Congratulations on your new position as the first director of Minneapolis’ recently created Department of Arts and Cultural Affairs! Do you have an immediate to-do list or will you have time to tackle long term visionary projects – or both?

A:  Thank you! It is a very exciting time for the City of Minneapolis, and I am thrilled that they are prioritizing arts and culture as an important value for the city. Aside from getting settled, I think I need to understand the priorities of the city by connecting with cultural communities, neighborhoods and stakeholders. I also think it is important to start building trust with the staff, City departments and diverse community coalitions. From there, we can set the stage for building the department and affect real cultural change for the City of Minneapolis.

Q:  You’ve said, “Minneapolis is such an important arts city, both nationally and internationally, and it is a symbol of creativity and leadership throughout the world.” Please tell us a bit more on your thoughts about Minneapolis’ place in the arts world.

A:  Since I’m from Minnesota, and have previously worked at the Ordway Music Theatre and Northrop Concerts and Lectures, I know first-hand the reputation of Minneapolis and where it fits within our national and international networks and cultural ecosystems. I want to ensure that the creative communities are supported and are allowed to thrive, as I feel it is important to have Minneapolis be at the forefront of progressive arts ideas and leadership. I’ve always felt that Minneapolis was the North Star for social justice, innovation and experimentation, and I want it to be a symbol of creative inspiration for everyone in Minneapolis and the world - so a lot of our energy will be placed in developing support programs to sustain and position our community in the best ways possible.

Q:  What is one program you implemented in Los Angeles that might be easy to replicate in Minneapolis?

A:  Many of my ideas of how to implement deep and meaningful work stem directly from my time at the Ordway Music Theatre, where I was able to form four cultural advisory communities based within the African American, Chicano/Latiné, Native American and Asian/Pacific communities. Like the work at the Ordway, much of the work we will do at the City of Minneapolis will be informed by working directly with the community and through working in partnership and collaboration as much as possible. These initiatives will be designed and tailored to each community and the surrounding neighborhoods. One such example from LA is when I founded the Performing Arts Alliance of South LA, which was represented by an informal coalition of 50 African American artists, arts organizations and cultural spaces. This group was formed at the onset of COVID to find a way to have a monthly check-in with the cultural leaders of this community. Each month, we focused on the needs and challenges of the community, and the members were able to share information and communicate about upcoming projects and opportunities. Often, the members were able to build collaborations and identify shared and new resources to continue to work and to sustain their spaces and arts practices. For me, this is an ideal way of working and one that I hope we can replicate in Minneapolis.

Q:  Do you have ideas on how you’ll gather input from the local arts community, and also the local business community, in terms of supporting and nurturing the arts? 

A:  At this point, we will be building on the good work that has already been done by the department, and we will do everything within our power to insert the arts and culture conversation into the future work of the City. We will be proactive in engaging with a diverse spectrum of the arts, education, business, and diverse communities. Community building through arts and culture is an iterative process, and it happens person by person, project by project, and over years. I hope this represents a new way of working within the City, one that showcases a demonstrable and positive collaborative spirit to the citizens of Minneapolis.

Q:  How may we follow your department’s news?

A:  Arts and Cultural Affairs news and all City news can be found at news.minneapolismn.gov.

Douglas K. Amdahl Public Attorney Career Achievement Award Caps Off a Successful Law Career for Mill District Resident Ric Rosow

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided by Ric Rosow

Ric with his son Michael and wife Vicki at the award ceremony. 

In 2022, Mill District resident Ric Rosow was awarded the Douglas K. Amdahl Public Attorney Career Achievement Award by the Minnesota State Bar Association in recognition to dedication and commitment to public service and the public practice of law.

Q:  Congratulations! Please tell us more about the award and your years of law practice that led to the award.

The award is named after Justice Douglas K. Amdahl, a Minnesota Supreme Court Justice. Justice Amdahl’s career involved 34 years of public service including being the Chief Justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court.

Most of the attorneys who receive the Justice Douglas K. Amdahl Award are attorneys who have worked as employees for governmental entities or for non-profit entities. My situation as an attorney in private practice was different. I was nominated by the General Counsel of the League of Minnesota Cities who asked a partner in our firm to co-sponsor the nomination with her. Both were familiar with my career and public service.

January 31st was my last day as an attorney in my law firm. On that day I sent out an email on the City Attorney listserv announcing my full retirement I received many responses to my announcement. I have selected one to share with you, the response from the General Counsel of the LMC touched my heart. She wrote:

"Ric - We are all sad to see you "fully retired from the practice of law" but very excited for you as you dive more deeply into your other passions of photography and travel. An "icon" of the municipal law community is a term bestowed on a select few. As you see from the comments today made by Minnesota's city attorneys on this forum, you have earned that title. Congrats! On behalf of the entire legal team here at LMC – thank you, thank you, thank you and all the best."

My public service included service to variety entities. I served a term as president of both the Environmental Law Section and the Alternative Dispute Resolution Sections of the State Bar Association. I served a term as president of the Minnesota City Attorney’s Association. I represented on a pro bono basis several non-profit entities including two fire fighter associations, a non-profit that provides aid to two townships in South Africa and a non-profit formed by me and my wife that provided aid to people living in a province in a country in Asian.  

In addition to the non-profit work, I assisted other City Attorneys in Minnesota. I was recognized at a city attorney conference as the city attorney making the most responses from faraway places around the world. The most remote response location was from Asia while in a Nomad tent. I respond with such frequency that some city attorneys would contact me directly to seek my advice, rather than submit the question to the group.

Ric in the South Africa township of Malungeni, traveling with Arm in Arm in Africa to distribute food and clothing, and provide financial assistance to the township. 

In North Minneapolis with the Mobile Loaves and Fishes truck delivering food to first responders on the day the tornado tore through North Minneapolis. The MLF team and a pizza delivery service were the first to bring food into the area.

My public service extended beyond my work as an attorney. I was elected twice to the Minnetonka School Board and was Chair of the Board for 3 years. I served on the Finance Committee for our church for 10 years and was chair for about 6 years. I also assisted in making Mobile Loaves and Fishes Minneapolis a reality in Minneapolis. Our involvement in Mobile Loaves and Fishes led me to recommend to my law firm that in place of giving fruit baskets to our clients as a holiday gift in December, that we take the same amount of money and donate it to Mobile Loaves and Fishes. As a law firm we have donated over $30,000 to Mobile Loaves and Fishes. The firm continues making this donation.

Ric and Vicki on their first trip to Tibet, where they stayed in a 500 year old mud home with a family. In this photo they are wearing clothing provided by their host.Finally, my non-legal work in the non-profit area would not be complete without telling you about the non-profit Vicki and I formed “Companions In Compassion.” In 2009 Vicki and I traveled to the country in Asia where the Dalai Lama is from, our guide was a woman Vicki met in an art class three years before. Our guide worked with Buddhist monks in Dharmsala, India who had fled their home country, helping them write grants for improving their living situation. We were in the country for two weeks and spent one of those weeks in a small village in a mud home. Many residents came to thank our guide for her support. We were guests at both a monastery of Buddhist monks and a convent of Buddhist nuns. We stayed over-night at the convent. The nuns told us they wanted to learn English. When we returned to the U.S. Vicki and I both took classes in teaching English as a second language. Vicki volunteered for two years teaching English as a second language at two schools. In preparation for our return trip, we acquired through donations 12 laptop computers, two iPads, one desk computer, paper, pencils and materials to teach English, clothing for 100 children and funds to pay tuition for children’s schooling. With this assistance one young person in the village completed school from elementary to a Post Graduate Degree. We returned with our guide in 2011. We attempted 5 different routes to get to the city we visited in 2009. Four times we were stopped by the police after six hours or more of driving and sent back to our starting point. The fifth time we were allowed to stay in a village where we had been stopped. My most memorable experiences were riding a horse through the mountain grasslands and spending the night in a tent with a nomad family and 24 baby yaks. Vicki joined with villagers in sewing prayer flags onto thick ropes to be placed high up on the mountain overlooking the village.

Q:  You were also recognized by the Minnesota Firefighter Initiative. You received the Fireman’s Axe which is inscribed with “We appreciate your tireless dedication to improving the lives of Minnesota’s firefighters. Many thanks for everything.” Please tell us about your work on behalf of firefighters.

A:  I was asked by the Eden Prairie Fire Chief if I would provide pro bono services to form a new non-profit, Minnesota Firefighter Initiative (MnFIRE). The purpose of the organization is to provide firefighters with the tools to prioritize and protect their health, specifically in the areas of Cardiac, Cancer and Mental Health. After forming the non-profit and obtaining Federal 501(c)(3) status I served as legal counsel on a pro bono basis. 

Q:  You’re retired now from the practice of law. Are you still involved in supporting firefighters?

A:  Yes. Subsequent to receiving the award, a fireman from Chanhassen, Doug Foote, volunteered to walk in fire gear from the southwest corner of the State to the Capital grounds in St. Paul to raise funds for and awareness of MnFIRE and its mission. I volunteered to photograph the last three days of his walk. The very first city did not have a big turnout of firefighters to greet him but the fire chief’s wife walked with him to the next city. At each succeeding city there was a larger turnout. At the end of the walk Doug was awarded the Firemen’s Axe. See news report on the walk at this link.

Taking photographs in the Dolomites in July, 2022.

Hiking in Zion National Park and taking photographs.

Q:  I first knew you as a talented photographer, supplying many fabulous photographs to the Mill City Times. How may we follow your news as a photographer?

A:  I post my new work to my photography website, the Tres Leches Art Gallery website, my professional page on Facebook, and on Instagram. I also display my work at the Tres Leches Art Gallery, Studio 173, located in the Northrup King Building in NE Minneapolis. Tres Leches Art Gallery is open Friday from noon to 4 pm; Saturday from noon to 5 pm; and the first Thursday of each month from 5 pm to 9 pm.

At a fund raiser for Peter Yorrow’s Anti Bullying Foundation where his donation was rewarded with signatures on his guitar by Peter Yarrow and Paul Stokes of Peter, Paul and Mary.

CEO Now – Free Program Available to Eligible Hennepin County Entrepreneurs

Article by Becky Fillinger, photo provided

Zack AvreDid you know there’s a program available for Hennepin County CEOs to grow their businesses, connect with coaching experts and meet local peers in the same business growth stage? We spoke with Zack Avre, Senior Economic Development Analyst for Hennepin County, to learn the details of CEO Now.

Q:  Who may apply for the CEO Now program?

A:  To be eligible, business owners must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Be incorporated or operating in Hennepin County
• Have two years of operating history
• Employ at least one person other than the owner
• Report between $250,000 and $2 million in revenue
• Have a demonstrated desire to grow their business
• Be receptive to coaching, mentorship and collaborating with peers
• Prepare to commit up to 10 hours each month through the 7-month program

Q:  What is the cost to participants?

A:  Thanks to investments from Hennepin County, CEO Now is completely free for eligible business owners. The only cost is the time businesses choose to invest in their business.

Q:  What is the length of the program?

A:  The curriculum lasts seven months and includes 40 hours of in-class time led by an executive training coach, speakers and other advisors. Participants will also spend about 12 hours working with peer CEOs in the program to share experiences, learn from each and build a trusted network. The program will be offered three times between 2023 and 2024.

Q:  What is the genesis of the program? 

A:  This is a new program from Hennepin County. It comes out of the heritage of CEO Next, an ongoing regional program that caters to midsize or second-stage companies. Hennepin County’s Department of Community and Economic Development saw a need for that kind of executive-level training for younger businesses, too. It was designed to empower those growth-oriented business owners to reach the next level. Much of the program is focused on tools and skills needed to scale your business and helping owners approach their business systematically and strategically.

When owners leave the program, they will have a three-year strategic growth plan, a network of peers and local advisors, and the confidence to follow that strategic plan.

Q:  Who will advise the cohort?

A:  The program is facilitated by Interise, a national business executive training firm, and it builds on their StreetWise ‘MBA’ training program. The lead educator is Dr. Stephen Crawford, an experienced executive coach here in the Twin Cities. Participants will also learn from other professional advisors who will share their expertise in finance, marketing, procurement and other topics with the group. The peer network established through the program also serves as a layer of peer-to-peer advising.

Q:  Do you have businesses who are sponsoring CEO Now?

A:  There are no financial sponsors for this program. This program is funded completely by Hennepin County to help businesses grow, and to spur economic activity across the county.

Q:  How may we follow news of the program?

A:  To keep up with CEO Now and all business resources and programming from Hennepin County Economic Development, connect with the county via our website, newsletter, and social media:

CEO Now program page
Elevate Hennepin website
Hennepin County Economic Development website
Hennepin County Economic Development LinkedIn
Newsletter signup link
Our February newsletter and January newsletter featuring CEO NOW

Small Business Spotlight: Little Tijuana Neighborhood Lounge

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided

Travis SerbusTravis Serbus is co-owner of the revamped Little Tijuana, and he invites you to plan a visit to the new location at 17 E 26th Street. We talked to him about his interest in the restaurant business, the vision behind the restaurant’s rebirth and a drink you must try!

Q:  You’re owner or part owner of two Minneapolis restaurants, Petit Leon and Little Tijuana. What prompted your interest in restaurant ownership? How did you get your start in the restaurant business?

A:  I started working in restaurants when I was 15 years old. I started in the back of house washing dishes and line cooking before moving to front of house. I enjoyed the fast-paced environment, camaraderie, new friends, providing hospitality to guests. What prompted my interest in ownership was probably mostly hubris. As I got older my interest in ownership became things like providing well-paying restaurant careers and adding something unique to the culture of our city.

Q:  Little Tijuana was recently awarded “Best Comeback Bar“ by the 2022 Eater Awards – congratulations! The award mentions that you and your partners brought the restaurant roaring back to life with “scrappy panache.” Can you share with us the vision and philosophy your team had for revamping of Little Tijuana?

A:  We knew the previous history of Little Tijuana and wanted to hold true to some of the soul of the previous business but also put our own little twist on it. We wanted to ramp up the quality of the food and beverage programs but keep the relaxed atmosphere. We wanted co-owner Dan Manosack to have a platform for his cooking; we're really excited about his future. For the interior I tried to design it to feel like a southwest dive bar. Every aspect of the startup was totally DIY. I was the general contractor and designer, and did a lot of the interior work myself. I'm not qualified to do any of those things. Ultimately, we wanted to honor Little T's past while re-creating it for a new generation and provide something for the city that we didn't think existed anywhere.

Q:  Several articles about you mention that you are a cocktail aficionado. Do you agree with that label? How do you design a cocktail menu for your individual restaurant properties?

A:  I don't know about that label. I think I have a pretty decent palate and know how to set up a bar fairly well. I design each cocktail menu based on the restaurant concept and what the space of the bar allows. Things like the food offerings, how much we want to spend on labor, and beverage price points all factor into the cocktail menu. Little Tijuana was really fun to create because we were so handcuffed. We have a tiny 6-seat bar with hardly any backbar space and very little cold storage available, and we didn't have money to spend on redoing the bar or adding new equipment. We wanted to make an enjoyable and nostalgic cocktail menu with drinks that we're quick and easy to prepare to allow for us to only have one or two bartenders working because you can't fit anyone else behind that cramped bar. We can be at full capacity at the restaurant and one talented bartender can make drinks for that entire restaurant. I'm really proud of it.

Q:  What’s your favorite cocktail from all of your restaurants? Would you share the recipe with us? 

A:  I like all of the cocktails for different reasons, but I'm really into one at Petite Leon called Verde. It has a lot of different flavors going on but they all shine in their own way without any of them bullying the other ingredients. It's well balanced and it's very easy to drink. Here's the recipe:

3/4 oz Luna Cupreata Mezcal

3/4 oz Ida Graves Aquavit

3/4 oz Pineapple Syrup

1/2 oz Ancho Reyes Poblano Liqueur

   1 oz tomatillo juice

1/2 oz lime juice

Shaken and strained over ice and then topped with cava/sparkling wine.

Q:  Sounds exquisite! What’s on the horizon for you in 2023?

A:  We're working on a few things. Nothing that we can officially say yet but there are a couple new projects on the way.

Q:   We are interested – so how may we follow your news?

A:   Stop into the restaurants and say hi! Or, check Instagram.

Small Business Spotlight: FRGMNT Coffee

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided

Sarah Roehl and Ben Banse

Ben Banse and Sarah Roehl are co-owners of FRGMNT Coffee. Their newest location is on Historic St. Anthony Main in Riverplace at 43 SE Main Street, and the business is coming to the Mill District, too! We spoke to them about getting started in the coffee business and their ideas on gorgeous interiors that complement their beverages.

 Q:  A 2022 article mentions FRGMNT replicates a model in which a relatively small footprint opens to a spacious public area and a whole world of coffee. Can you tell us more about this model and how you’ve used it in your three locations?    

A:  All three of the coffee shops operate in shared lobbies of various buildings – in the North Loop at The Nordic,729 Washington Avenue N, in the newly renovated Riverplace at Main Exposition Hall on historic St. Anthony Main, and in the One Southwest Crossing Building in Eden Prairie. This allows our guests to enjoy a spacious environment in a variety of different settings according to the buildings' designs. It also allows us to open our doors to more people and share some of the best coffees from around the globe with them. 

Above and below, FRGMNT Coffee in Riverplace

Q:  In addition to serving delicious coffee, your locations are aesthetically gorgeous. Do you use a designer to create your ambiance?   

A:  The buildings we are a part of have partnered with a few different designers to bring our spaces to life. The North Loop and Eden Prairie locations were designed by Studio BV, and the St. Anthony Main location was designed by Perkins & Will. We have loved working with each team and we are grateful for their attention to detail in these spaces.

Q:  How did you two get into the coffee business? 

Ben: I’m a veteran of the Twin Cities coffee scene. I was part of the opening team of several cafes (such as Bachelor Farmer Cafe, Northern Coffeeworks, and Parallel) in various different roles. All the while I kept thinking about opening my own coffee shop and started taking action toward that in 2019.

Sarah: I’m a long-time friend of Ben’s and when it came time to start FRGMNT, I answered a few questions about the business side of things and decided that I wanted to be a part of this venture. We’re now co-owners of three cafes and have more planned for the future. 

Q:  How do you procure your coffee and tea? Do you sell the coffee beans for home brewing? 

A:  All our tea offerings are from Spirit Tea out of Chicago; we have partnered with them for our tea since we opened our doors in 2019. Our coffees are a different story. We have an ever-growing roster of national and international roasters that we partner with to bring the best coffees in the world to Minnesota. We have partners all the way from the Czech Republic to Iowa. 

We do offer tea and coffee for home brewing, which can be purchased at any of our locations, as well as online for shipping.

Q:  What’s your favorite beverage on your menu? 

A:  It's an always-changing answer, but we do have a menu of rotating limited drinks and currently, the favorite is the Java Bird. It is made with cold brew, pineapple juice, red bitters, and lime. It's a nice treat that reminds us that warmer weather is coming. 

Q:  Do you have another location on the drawing board? 

A:  We do! We are planning on opening in the Mill District this Spring inside Open Book. This has been a long time in the making and we are excited to be bringing our offerings to this neighborhood.

Q:  That’s wonderful news! How may we stay up to date with FRGMNT coffee?

A:  You can follow us on Instagram at @frgmntcoffee to stay up to date on all happenings.  

Get to Know Old Town Minneapolis

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided

Get to Know Old Town Minneapolis - a Discussion with Executive Director, Scott Parkin

Scott ParkinQ:  For those of us new to the area, please tell us about Old Town Minneapolis.

A:  Our group is best described as a grassroots movement of established businesses and residents working to establish a unified name and brand for this neighborhood so we can effectively promote it. It’s hard to promote an area that has 15 different names! Because the area is so popular and has gone so long without a unified brand, the issue is somewhat controversial. After many years of research, outreach, and discussion, it’s clear that no one brand will ever organically arise to represent the area. 

We’ve chosen a brand that highlights the history of this area. It was truly the first part of the city to be developed into what we now know it as. It was truly an “old town” in that it was originally the Town of St. Anthony and later merged with Minneapolis. We have lots of work to do to highlight the many aspects that make this area significant. Suffice it to say that a neighborhood that includes the city’s oldest house (Ard Godfrey), oldest church (Our Lady of Lourdes), oldest street (Main Street) and 50+ preserved old buildings certainly has the credibility to call itself Old Town. I always encourage folks to read Penny Petersen's book Hiding in Plain Sight, Minneapolis’ First Neighborhood as a primer to understand how this area has been overlooked. As a friend and neighbor here says, “Cool neighborhoods embrace their history.” So many tens of millions of dollars and focus has been directed to the riverfront, that the amazing business district on East Hennepin has largely been overlooked and grouped into the huge neighborhood that is Northeast Minneapolis. 

We had our first monthly meeting this month with 30+ business owners in attendance to discuss our direction and generate ideas for good promotional efforts. Our working name currently is the Old Town Collective.

Q:  Are you an official Minneapolis designated neighborhood?  

A:  We aren’t technically the city-recognized business association. The Nicollet Island East Bank Neighborhood Association (NIEBNA) came close last year, after a huge outreach and branding exercise, to committing to moving forward with a brand for the business district, but eventually was unable to commit. We are taking matters into our own hands. This is controversial work and an uphill battle without institutional funding, but we have a lot of passion and lots of volunteers who are really helping spread the word. We get lots of opinions shared with us and we do have our dissenters, but we just march forward with a sincere smile and the knowledge that history is awesome, the businesses and residents here are amazing, and the neighborhood deserves a great name and brand.

Promoting the brand at the 2022 National Night Out.

Bringing neighbors together for a Spring Cleanup event.

Ribbon cutting event at HOTWORX in the Odin building.

Ribbon cutting event at Vellee in the NordHaus building.

Q:  You’ve been busy for some time now with events in the Old Town Minneapolis neighborhood. Can you tell us about some of them?

A:  We’ve done 9 ribbon cuttings for new businesses in the last year or so, we host National Night Out every year, we host a historic walking tour with Preserve Minneapolis, we completed two neighborhood cleanups, and we have plans to bring back the popular Dog Parade and other fun events. 

Q:  What’s on the radar to bring citizens together?  

A:  We will have monthly Happy Hours, a regular schedule of events, ribbon cuttings, a monthly newsletter, and will keep people informed on social media. We can’t wait to meet more local residents.

Sign up for our monthly newsletter here: https://www.oldtownmpls.com/home-newsletter. On social channels, we’re @OldTownMpls.

Do you have a business in the Old Town neighborhood? Request a window cling!

The Minneapolis Teamsters Strike of 1934 History Discussion with Local Artist and Designer, Keith Christensen

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided

Keith Christensen and Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds at George Floyd Square, September, 2021

The Minneapolis Teamsters Strike of 1934 was a pivotal event in both local and national labor history. Commemorative events around the 90th anniversary are in the planning stages. We spoke to Keith Christensen a Minneapolis artist and designer, about the history around the strike and a new exhibit “In Union, Native Engagements” which highlights the role of Native Americans in the 1934 strike and many other social change movements. 

Q: The 1934 Minneapolis Teamsters Strike made international headlines and showed other unions the way forward for decades to come. Could you please give our readers a synopsis of the strike and outcomes?

A: In 1934 a cloud enveloped the country during the Great Depression. Poverty, hunger, and fear blanketed the most vulnerable. Many were unemployed and those who did have jobs suffered with very meager wages. The haze created hopelessness, and many felt powerless. There wasn’t a path out of the gloom. Tension was in the air. Class resentment was growing.

In 1934 Minneapolis was under the control of the Citizens’ Alliance, an employers’ group that effectively banned unions. The city was an open-shop system; employers would not recognize unions. Workers were fired on whims and for any effort to organize when they tried to negotiate for better conditions. However, the General Drivers Local 574 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) organized workers of the trucking industry into an industrial union. This was a trade union that combined all workers, both skilled and unskilled, in the transportation industry. 

Do Not Dance, Nature Calls, (design for print) inkjet on canvas, 3’x 7’, 2022 Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds and Keith ChristensenWhen employers refused to recognize the union, its leaders called a strike. The details of the strike are complex as well as dramatic. The strikers endured a brutal police force, a hostile press, and resistance from the parent union. They published their own strike newspaper The Organizer to inform the public of the strike’s aims and to keep workers informed of developments. They gained the support of other unions and cultivated favorable public opinion. The strike had a contingent called the Women’s Auxiliary that helped feed strikers and nurse the injured. After the police violently attacked the strikers, the women marched on City Hall to protest the brutality. Thousands attended the funeral procession of strike martyr Henry Ness. 

The police and the National Guard were called in to guard trucks driven by scabs. The Citizens’ Alliance activated their local militia. The strikers countered with effective picketing and stoppage of commerce. Conflict escalated daily throughout May and reached a peak late in the month at the city market, where strikers clashed with police, who were trying to break the strike. Hundreds were involved in the battle that raged on violently for two days. Many were injured and several were killed. It was called the “Battle of Deputies Run” because the police and deputies were forced to flee. However, things changed when on July 20, 1934 police staged a revenge ambush, where scores of strikers were shot and two died from their wounds. The day became known as Bloody Friday. The strike continued even with the leaders arrested and imprisoned by the National Guard. It finally ended because of the strikers’ persistence, compelling President Franklin Roosevelt to step in and stop the turmoil. The President’s representatives pressured the banks by threatening to call in federal loans and so forced the employers to agree to a settlement. The strike ended on August 21, 1934. Minneapolis became a union town. The Truckers’ Strike marked a turning point in state and national labor history, opening the way for enactment of laws acknowledging and protecting workers’ rights.

Q:  How did the Teamsters Union break the strong anti-union Citizen’s Alliance? 

A:  They fought like hell. They knew what they were up against: an entrenched system that brutally suppressed workers. They won by having a strong, disciplined leadership and an amazing solidarity of the rank-and-file union members. They used tactics such as having school boys ride motorcycles throughout the city on the lookout for scab drivers trying to break the strike. They gained support of farmers by allowing them to sell produce during the shutdown. Local historian Bill Milikan has written a great book on this: Union Against Unions, The Minneapolis Citizens Alliance and Its Fight Against Organized Labor, 1903–1947. It’s the first book-length study of the Citizens Alliance, a union of Minneapolis business owners, detailing their use of financial and political power, as well as propaganda and brute force, in their campaign against organized labor.

Q:  What commemorative events are planned for the 90th anniversary? 

A:  The 90th anniversary will be in 2024. I’m sure there will be a street festival with music and speakers as well as a picnic. It will be a time to celebrate the success of the strike but just as importantly to relate to the present. As in the past there will be representatives speaking from union organizing campaigns and social justice groups. Descendants of the strike will be there to honor their relatives. It will take place in an election year and so there will be heightened interest in dealing with political issues and advocating for beneficial policies. The group Remember 1934 is a collective that advocates for equity as well as democracy. The problems of the world, starting with climate change, need to be addressed through a process of engagement by workers and all people.  

Q:  Can you tell us more about In Union, Native Engagements? How were Native Americans involved in the 1934 strike? Will the exhibit come to Minneapolis? 

A:  In Union, Native Engagements is an exhibition and book project that affirms the value of Native roles in social change. It has three components: the past, personal and present. The collaborative artwork is connected to family and the fight for rights. The book provides the facts of Native engagement in the historic Minneapolis Truckers’ Strike, a family’s participation in a union and the water protectors, an Indigenous-led environmental movement. The intention is to show a larger meaning of solidarity. We believe that the political problems need collective action as a solution in order for all people to survive.

Rebellion Leader Emanuel (Hap) Holstein, (design for print) inkjet on canvas, 3’x 7’, 2022 Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds and Keith ChristensenEdgar (Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds) and I have known each other since meeting in NYC in the mid 80’s and working together on various projects. I’m lucky to know him, he is an amazing person and artist. He was aware of my ongoing involvement with the Remember 1934 collective and the game project I created about the strike called Game Turn. I shared with him that at least two participants were Natives. He thought that was remarkable and felt that Natives have been so marginalized that they weren’t “a part of anything”. Edgar created monoprints that used expressive, personal letterforms. It included the names of the two strikers, Emanuel Gustav “Hap” Holstein and Ray Rainbolt. He also provided his word art about his union member father Charles Heap of Birds and a piece about protests. I created portraits and images that related to his work. We then had banners printed that combined our images.

This project is an attempt to use artistic means to convey the stories of individuals who were more than figures of a dead history. Its purpose is to connect the past to the present, demonstrating, as one point to another, that Natives were engaged in social change then and are doing so now. Indigenous people fought collectively before as they do today.

The IAM Union in Wichita, Kansas provided some meaningful support for a Cheyenne-Arapaho family in a time of estrangement and stress. It also was the means for connecting with other workers and the way to share power. The personal and granular view of a union household is recalled by Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds. 

Mike Alewitz knew some of the participants in the 1934 strike and shares his perspective on what the strike means today and going forward. 

The water protectors are changing the world. The pipeline protests in tribal lands in Minnesota are a recent manifestation of an intense political, social, and cultural activism. They have been led by Indigenous groups that include the Honor the Earth organization co-founded by Winona LaDuke. She contributes her views asserting that Native values are needed to transform the ecosystem. Filmmaker Keri Pickett shares her understanding of the issues with photographs of the protests. Macalaster professor and artist John Kim writes about the participants’ messaging and how it relates to international cultural action. And art historian Yates McKee makes connections between the artists’ work, the historical context, and the ongoing movement.

We plan on exhibiting the project at the Open Source Gallery in Brooklyn, NY, from February 11-March 24th. Edgar and I will attend the opening on February 11th and plan on participating in a podcast that will be broadcast shortly thereafter. We do hope that this exhibition and book project will be presented in this area soon. It is tied very directly to Minnesota and I know many here would like to see it because of its relevance.

Q:  How may we learn more and stay up to date with news around the 1934 Strike? 

A:  The Remember 1934 collective has established a website called Handing History Onward that will provide information about the strike commemoration.

See more on the IN UNION exhibition here.

The book, IN UNION, is available on Amazon.com.

Non-profit Leader: Patty Healy Janssen, Executive Director, Jeremiah Program

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided

Patty Healy JanssenFounded in 1993, Jeremiah Program is headquartered in Minneapolis with nine campuses across the country. Their work with single mothers is innovative and proven effective in breaking the cycle of poverty. We talked to Patty Healy Janssen, Executive Director, to learn more about this game changing non-profit and how we can assist their efforts.

Q:  Please tell us about the history and mission of Jeremiah Program. 

A:  Jeremiah Program (JP) is a nonprofit organization helping single mothers invest in themselves so they can thrive and take steps toward economic mobility. Our programs empower single mothers to gain ongoing access to higher education, affordable childcare, housing and the training they need to further their professional development.

Q:  It's so commendable that the Jeremiah Program is committed to breaking the cycle of poverty for single mothers and their children. In your 30th year, what outcomes have you seen in this goal? What is the return on investment that you've documented after 30 years of your program offerings?

A:  While JP was founded in 1993, the current model we use today with physical campuses and housing didn’t begin until the first building opened in Minneapolis in 1998, so this year we are celebrating our 25th anniversary! Today, JP is a national thought leader on generational poverty and the systemic barriers facing single-parent families. Our success lies in our commitment to meeting the moment, addressing structural inequities, and following the leadership of women most proximate to the issues of early childhood education, college access, income inequality and affordable housing. In 2022, our Minneapolis and St. Paul campuses served the highest number of families in our history, impacting 657 lives. Our family coaches delivered over 2,500 hours of coaching support to our moms as they navigated their college success journeys. Our teachers provided education and developmental support to 66 children from ages 0-5.

Over 25 years, we’ve supported nearly 200 single mother college graduates in the Minneapolis and St. Paul metro. Additionally, we’ve created a 529 college savings plan match program to jumpstart their children’s college going futures.

Q:  What type of volunteer opportunities are available here in Minneapolis?

A:  In 2022, JP launched the Career Volunteer Mentor Program (CVMP), a 4-week program that pairs JP Moms with career professionals. This program is available to all JP locations and due to the virtual nature of the program, our career volunteer mentors join from across the nation. By the end of the year, three sessions of the program were hosted during the months of February, June, and October, and over 100 JP moms and career volunteer mentors participated.

Participating JP moms learn to leverage their experiences to create powerful career profiles on LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, with the guidance of the paired career volunteer mentor and their professional insights. However, the larger goal of this program is empowerment. Empowering our moms to own their stories in an advantageous way that highlights their transferrable skills and empowering our career volunteer mentors to experience the success of coaching while simultaneously gaining a better understanding the systemic challenges single mothers face that impede economic mobility.

Q:  What programs and services are offered to your participants?

A:  The JP experience provides resources and support for moms to author life-changing opportunities for their families and their children. This is achieved through our five core pillars, which are anchored by personalized coaching to form a two-generational model. Our moms have access to support for career-track college education, quality early childhood education, safe and affordable housing, empowerment and leadership training, and a supportive community.

Q:  How does a single mother qualify to enter the program?

A:  To become a JP mom, you must be a single mother to at least one child and hold a high school diploma or GED. You also have to be ready to start or go back to college within 6 months of acceptance and must attend our virtual Empowerment and Leadership course weekly for 12 consecutive weeks. For Minneapolis mothers, we also require at least one child to be under the age of 5 and if you are applying for housing, all children must be under the age of 7.

Q:  Please tell us about the Empowerment course.

A:  JP’s signature Empowerment and Leadership course (E&L) is based on the premise that our moms are the experts of their lives and their families. Empowerment training is a 12-week course held virtually that is an admissions requirement for our program. In E&L, moms reflect on the arcane narratives placed on low-income women, especially women of color and mothers, and reassert their role as experts in their own lives and leaders in their communities. They begin exploring new possibilities and goals for themselves within a supportive community of other single mothers, including attending workshops to build capacity in career exploration, financial literacy, positive parenting, healthy living and more.

Q:  How may we support your efforts? Do you need donations of household items, in addition to cash?

A:  To learn more about how to support JP and our moms, check out our website. Encourage anyone in your network who can benefit from our program and community to apply, or consider giving a monetary donation to help support our work.

Q:  How may we follow your news?

A:  Check out our website. You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

Editor's Note:

Chef Gavin Kaysen is welcoming Chefs Nancy Silverton, Kristen Kish, Daniel Humm and John Shields to Minneapolis and the Spoon and Stable kitchen for the 6th annual Synergy Series. This year, the collaborative dinner and dialogue series will benefit the Jeremiah Program!