Arts | Midway Como Frogtown Monitor

Como resident Charlotte Tracy (above) is a part of the city’s only professional ballet company and school, the Ballet Co.Laboratory, as are her sisters, Isabelle and Hazel. (Photo by Alexis Lund)

As the school year draws to a close, most high school students are focused on final exams, proms, and preparations for graduation. Como resident Charlotte Tracy, a trainee dancer with Ballet … more

6/26/22

Former NEMAA president, Carmen Gutierrez-Bolger, readies her Casket Art studio for Art-A-Whirl 2022. (Photo by Susan Schaefer)

Art-A-Whirl and the Creative Class:

Art-A-Whirl spans neighborhoods and disciplinesWhatever corner of the Twin Cities you live in, chances are you or someone close to you has participated as an artist or a guest in what Anna Becker, … more

By SUSAN SCHAEFER | 6/26/22

FilmNorth® marks 35th anniversary with move to permanent home

FilmNorth® will move from its current leased space to a new home in an historic building designed by renowned architect Clarence Johnston at 2441 University Ave. FilmNorth will purchase and … more

6/26/22

The concessions counter at the theater on 115 SE Main was remodeled. New carpeting was installed on the stair to the second floor, and the second-floor concession stand was removed. The old bulb-illuminated exterior “Main” sign remained, but the marquee below has been remodeled to include the MPS Film Society name. (Photo by Terry Faust)

Ukraine, women-directed films highlighted in 41st MSP Film Festival

Welcoming its patrons back to a fresh look, the MSP Film Society opened the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival (MSPIFF) on May 5 at the theater on 115 SE. Main. Formerly the St. Anthony … more

By JAN WILLMS | 5/11/22

Black Garnet: self-empowerment and emotional strength

Dionne Sims has loved books since before she could read, when her mom would read out loud to her. Once she could read, books were a consistent refuge whenever the world felt too overwhelming. They … more

By CHLOE PETER | 5/11/22

View of Katherine Kierland Herberger Gallery / Community Commons / Gallery 110 with objects installed for the exhibition "Racism as a Public Health Crisis: Youth and Professional Artists Respond" at Minneapolis Institute of Art.

Exploring ‘Racism as a Public Health Crisis’

As an art teacher at St. Paul’s Como Park High School, Sydney Willcox seeks to connect student creations with their own lived experiences.A recent collaboration with local artists allowed that … more

By ERIC ERICKSON | 3/17/22

MSP Film reimagines St. Anthony Main Theater

A long-time dream of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Film Society (MSP Film) is about to come to fruition. The site of the MSP Film Society at St. Anthony Main Theatre, 115 SE Main in Minneapolis, has … more

By Jan Willms | 2/10/22

Carmen Gutiérrez Bolger & Richard (dik) Bolger: Longtime Como residents, together 42 year

LIFELONG VALENTINES

With its mid-month Valentine’s Day holiday, February is synonymous with love. And countless couples seal their love by entering committed relationships, whether marriage or domestic … more

By SUSAN SCHAEFER | 2/10/22

“This museum is not just for the Hmong people, but for everyone to come and learn more about Hmong history, art and culture,” said Txongpao Lee, executive director. It is located at 375 University Ave. (Photo submitted)

Hmong Cultural Center Museum expands

The Hmong Cultural Center Museum at 375 University Ave. in St. Paul is not trying to be the Hmong Smithsonian, according to Mark Pfeifer, director of programs at the Cultural Center. Instead, he said … more

By Jan Willms | 1/11/22

YWCA St. Paul will display and house an art piece commissioned by St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter reflecting the city’s People’s Prosperity Pilot, an economic program initiated in 2020. People’s Prosperity Pilot supports St. Paul’s low-income families of color with a goal to create a model that addresses monetary inequities. As part of the People’s Prosperity Pilot, Carter selected Alan and Nicole Milligan, owners of the Milligan Studio, to create a piece of art reflecting the intention of this economic program. The work aligns with the YWCA mission of eliminating racism. “We are excited to have been selected to share this beautiful artwork, Altitude, with our community,” said YWCA St. Paul Chief Executive Officer Gaye Adams Massey. The artwork will be on display permanently in the window on the second floor allowing people to view this as they walk through the neighborhood. The Milligan Studios had Danny Diamond, a friend and musician, compose and play a musical piece to accompany the art. A QR code will allow viewers to hear this melody simultaneously. (Photo submitted)

BRIEFLY December 2021

Center for Social Justice United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities has received a grant of $1,000,000 from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish a Leadership Center for Social Justice that … more

12/11/21

Dancing together through a pandemic

On Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021, Ballare Teatro dance instructor Molly Breen (at left) and her Cardio Funk dancers gave a live performance every 15 minutes through the early evening.They danced against a … more

>> Photo series by Margie O'Loughlin | 10/17/21

Captured at on 25 Aug, 2021 by Alex Carroll Photography

Ribbon cutting for Rice Street Library Children's Area

Leaders and friends from PNC Bank, Saint Paul Public Library, Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, and Saint Paul Council President Amy Brendmoen gathered to celebrate the library’s new … more

10/7/21

A NEW DALE STREET BRIDGE

In her dream, a young girl was walking down Dale Street with her mother, who pushed a stroller. She was reading a poem on the sidewalk. “Look, mama, you can read it both ways,” the girl … more

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN | 9/16/21

ANIMATE, is a fictional, eight-scene moving theatrical experience performed on the Como Zoo grounds that repeatedly asks the question: “Does the good of the many supersede the good of the individual?” In an extravaganza that begins with a helicopter landing and ends with a sea lion jumping, audiences travel in small groups throughout the mythical Jackson Kennicott Zoo - to the primate house, the giraffe grotto, the big cat building, polar bears, the tropics, and culminate at the seal and sea lion habitat- to witness the Twin Cities greatest actors explore race and philanthropy through a lens of species preservation and conservation. The host of characters includes primatologists, zoo directors and curators and keepers, elected officials, activists, and more. ANIMATE has one preview, September 16, and opens September 17 for a two-week run, closing September 26. All performances are at 6:30PM. Reservations can be made at www.mixedblood.com

PLAN IT September 2021

Meet police at resource fair Meet the Saint Paul Police Department Community Engagement Specialists at Information and Resource Fairs this month. Learn about crime trents, prevention tips and ongoing … more

9/16/21

Frogtown Art Festival set for Sept. 25

On Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021 the Frogtown Neighborhood Association (FNA) and the Victoria Theater Arts Center (VTAC) will co-host the annual Frogtown Arts Festival. This annual festival celebrates the … more

9/16/21

Ten Thousand Things Artistic director Marcela Lorca said, "This is a very difficult time, but it has required all of us to learn many new things." (Photo by Margie O’Loughlin)

What is role of artists in community?

Marcela Lorca is the artistic director of Ten Thousand Things (TTT), a theater company whose work has been grounded in practices of inclusion, equity, service and accessibility since in its founding … more

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN | 8/12/21

Alan Berks (left) and Leah Cooper (right) are co-artistic directors of Wonderlust Productions, located in Frogtown. Their 2016 play about the experience of adoption has been adapted into graphic novel form. (Photo by Margie O’Loughlin)

In my Heart: the Adoption Story Project

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN Seven years ago, Wonderlust Productions co-artistic directors Alan Berks of Merriam Park and Leah Cooper began inviting people from the adoption community to share their … more

8/12/21

Como resident and author William Kent Krueger focused on the various relationships in his main character’s early life in this newly released prequel. (Photo by Jan Willms)

Newest Cork O’Connor book coming Aug. 24

By JAN WILLMSFor his 18th novel in the Cork O’Connor series, Como author William Kent Krueger has written a prequel to the adult life of his Irish-Ojibwe private investigator. In … more

By JAN WILLMS | 8/12/21

2021 CHROMA ZONE MIDSUMMER ‘HAPPENING’ EVENT

Discover the people, places, and murals near Raymond and University avenues at a free, outdoor event on July 24. This family-friendly midsummer “happening” will celebrate the 2021 Chroma … more

By MARGIE O’LOUGHLIN | 7/23/21

Frogtown author Kathryn Nuernberger, who teaches creative writing at the University of Minnesota, has written a book that examines how the use of medicines and potions meant to heal were instead attributed to the power of evil, and the healers then accused of being “witches.” The book is titled, “The Witch of Eye.” (Photo submitted)

Women of mystery, power and honesty focus of ‘The Witch of Eye’

Hags, crones, cunning women and witches – terms that have been used throughout the ages to describe women of power, of honesty and mystery. Frogtown author Kathryn Nuernberger, who teaches … more

By JAN WILLMS | 7/23/21