MinneCulture's Most Memorable Stories of 2020, Pt. 1 - Airs Jan 6th

A New Territory Of Dance Party by Dixie Treichel.
DJ Shannon Blowtorch & Mpls Adonia have had years of experience working the crowds and pumping up the energy in the room. To keep their love for entertainment alive during Covid-19, they presented "Quarantine Live: Online Dance Party" on Tuesday nights. Delivered with an upbeat, raw energy, it was an interactive event which streamed live and somehow managed to keep homebound booties shaking.

Scarce Paper, Extreme Historical Phenomena by Sheila Regan.
Polish American artist Piotr Szyhalski turned to drawing during pandemic stay at home orders. Working in his basement, he responded to virus news reports by making incisive drawings that utilize sharply drawn humor to criticize America's response to the coronavirus crisis.

Taylor Seaberg and the Art of the Revolution by Sheila Regan.
Living just blocks away from where George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis Police, musician Taylor Seaberg wanted to enact change and turn strife into music and healing. Seaberg and fellow artists set out to create a safe outlet which could approximate community during the pandemic. They decided to perform a revolutionary, outdoor, socially-distant concert at the George Floyd memorial site. KFAI's Sheila Regan talked with Seaberg about the concert and a new single which features Kory LaQuess.

Freestyling with Grandma by Emily Bright.
When Tou Saik Lee started out as a hip-hop and spoken word artist, he thought he was forging something new as a Hmong-American creator. He soon realized his spoken word in English had a lot in common with his grandmother Youa Chang’s traditional song poetry in Hmong. They performed together, grandmother and grandson, for 10 years.

'Rock' Musical Excavates Muddy Truth Behind Runestone by Emily Bright. 
In the late 1800s, a farmer discovered a large stone carved with Viking runes in Kensington, Minnesota. It’s been the subject of debate ever since. The Runestone was either proof that a Scandinavian expedition reached Minnesota in the 1300s - or it was a hoax. Scholars and locals alike were split. It's still a source of debate but now it's even the subject of a new musical. Runestone: the Rock Musical, was set to make its world premiere in Minneapolis in May. With the coronavirus, it’s been postponed until next season, but it's still worth hearing about today.

Ep. 27: What Do We Do Now? from the MinneCulture Podcast.
When George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police on Memorial Day, pain and anger blasted like a shock wave across the Twin Cities and even the world. Floyd’s death was followed by a week of protests, marches, and sometimes violent unrest. In this episode, KFAI’s Melissa Olson takes us to the intersection of 38th and Chicago Ave, where Native jingle dress dancers offered a ceremony of healing. We also hear from Twin Cities hip-hop artist Tall Paul, who recounts his experience patrolling south Minneapolis and protecting local businesses during the uprising. Then we take a gritty walking tour of unsanctioned artwork, hosted by graffiti artist Peyton Scott Russell.

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