Connect with us

Minneapolis, MN

Review: ‘Giants’ at the Minneapolis Institute of Art delivers bold, big, colorful works

Published

on

Review: ‘Giants’ at the Minneapolis Institute of Art delivers bold, big, colorful works


Two effervescent paintings of Baltimore-based guys riding colorful dirt bikes, popping wheelies against a bright blue background, show “Black people doing stuff,” in the words of artist Amy Sherald. Giant paintings by Meleko Mokgosi cleverly use an 18th-century European history painting style to discuss gender politics, colonialism, class and power in Botswana. Jamel Shabazz’s candid street photographs of Black people in New York from the 1980s to the mid-2010s show youth on the subway, a mother wearing a gold chain, holding her child, who’s clad in a blue puffy coat.

The 2022 painting “Deliverance” by Amy Sherald is in the exhibition “Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys” at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. (Carlos Gonzalez)

These are just a few of nearly 100 works in “Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys,” a show that originated at the Brooklyn Museum and opens Saturday at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

The timing of this show is charged. It just missed Black History Month, but arrives shortly before the five-year anniversary of George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police. It speaks loudly to the current moment of the Trump administration’s withholding institutional and grant-based funding for exhibitions and projects by artists — including artists of color and queer people.

Advertisement

Photographs by Gordon Parks are in the last gallery of “Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys” at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. (Carlos Gonzalez)

The show ends with Gordon Parks’ pictures of racism, segregation and the long road to the Civil Rights-era giants, bringing it all back to Minnesota. The show also features artists of the global Black diaspora from South Africa, Mali, Botswana, Morocco, Jamaica, and Burkina Faso, among other countries.

There’s much to like in this beautiful show, but there are a few quirks. The Deans mostly collect figurative work — portraying figures and objects from real life. So, that’s the majority of work in the exhibit.

Brooklyn Museum Curator Kimberli Gant didn’t want people to assume that Black diaspora artists made only large figurative work, because they don’t, so she was sure to include abstract works, sculpture and more.

“I tried to look at ‘Giants’ as a thesis, look at ways of how could we play with that title,” Gant said. “When you say ‘giants,’ what could people understand of that?”

She organized the show into four sections: “Becoming Giants,” “Giant Presence,” “Giant Conversation” and “On the Shoulders of Giants.”

Advertisement



Source link

Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis salon mixes rock and roll with haircuts: Inside HiFi Hair and Records

Published

on

Minneapolis salon mixes rock and roll with haircuts: Inside HiFi Hair and Records


A Minneapolis salon is turning heads by mixing rock and roll with haircuts, creating a one-of-a-kind experience for music lovers.

A salon where music and haircuts go hand in hand

What we know:

Advertisement

HiFi Hair and Records sits on the edge of downtown Minneapolis, marked by a leopard print awning and a vibe that’s all about community through music. 

“I tried to model it after a barbershop,” said Jonny Clifford, owner of the salon. 

Advertisement

Clifford opened the shop in 2011, inspired by his father who introduced him to music and was battling terminal cancer at the time.

The salon brings together the hum of blow dryers and the sounds of rock and roll, with Clifford saying, “Music is the uniter. Most everyone who is alive today grew up on rock and roll.” 

He added a record store the following year, letting customers browse new and used vinyl and CDs while waiting for their appointment. 

Advertisement

“I jokingly refer to it as the coolest waiting room in the city,” said Clifford.

The shop is filled with memorabilia from music legends like Elvis, David Bowie and The Monkees. There’s even a wall dedicated to Minnesota’s local music scene. 

Advertisement

Clifford said, “We’ve got Bobby V who I think never gets enough credit for his contributions to music in Minnesota.”

Clifford’s journey from punk haircuts to community hub

Why you should care:

Advertisement

Clifford started cutting hair in the early 1980s because he and his friends in southwest Minneapolis couldn’t afford the punk haircuts they wanted. 

Now, he not only looks the part—”Ronny Wood, Jeff Beck, Keith Richards, I’m always like old Keith Richards or young Keith Richards”—but he helps others feel like rock stars too. 

“People are like make me look like a rock star and that is sort of a universal term right. Everyone wants to look like a rock star,” said Clifford.

Advertisement

His goal is simple:

“If I can make a living and raise my family, pay my bills, have a business and be a part of a community, that is important to me. I win. That’s everything,” said Clifford. 

Advertisement

He is passionate about giving a boost to local musicians, saying, “I think they need it more. I love Lady Gaga and The Rolling Stones, but they are doing fine. Our local people haven’t made it national yet. They could use a voice. They could use a boost, and they need to be heard.”

The salon’s rhythm is all about joy, music and community, and Clifford plans to keep it going. 

“Til I kick over. I’ll probably be back standing behind the chair. And someone will complain I didn’t finish their haircut,” said Clifford.

Advertisement

HiFi Hair and Records continues to be a place where music and style meet, giving Minnesota’s music scene a little extra volume.

Maury’s StoriesMinneapolis



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Minneapolis, MN

Edina shooting leaves 1 dead, suspects on run

Published

on

Edina shooting leaves 1 dead, suspects on run


A deadly shooting in Edina sparked a massive police response and forced a lockdown at nearby businesses at Southdale Mall on Wednesday as police are searching for the suspects.

Deadly Edina shooting

What we know:

Advertisement

Edina police responded around 12:30 p.m. to the report of a shooting along West 66th Street near Southdale Mall.

At the scene, officers found one victim with a gunshot wound. Officers tried to revive the victim but say they ultimately died from their wounds.

Advertisement

Local perspective:

Police say the suspects ran from the scene. As a precaution, they advised nearby businesses to go into lockdown. FOX 9 learned that MHealth Fairview also went into lockdown procedures as a precaution.

Aerial video from the scene showed the investigation appeared to be focused around an apartment building across from the mall. Police say the apartment building is described as a transitional housing.

Advertisement

Avoid the area

Big picture view:

Police are asking the public to avoid the area as the investigation is underway. Officers have blocked off West 66th for the time being.

Advertisement

Police say they are looking for more than one suspect involved in the shooting.

What we don’t know:

Advertisement

Police say some people were taken into custody at the scene but it’s unclear what their role was in relation to the shooting.

Law enforcement near the 3300 block of W. 66th Street in Edina.  (FOX 9)

EdinaCrime and Public Safety
Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Minneapolis, MN

Ellison, Minneapolis, St. Paul update lawsuit against Operation Metro Surge with new data

Published

on

Ellison, Minneapolis, St. Paul update lawsuit against Operation Metro Surge with new data


(ABC 6 News) – Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minneapolis and Saint Paul updated their lawsuit over Operation Metro Surge with new survey data on economic harm.

Researchers at the University of California San Diego conducted two surveys tied to the amended lawsuit. The lawsuit says the federal operation violated the Constitution and caused lasting economic damage.

The first survey was done between February and March and included nearly 1,400 residents. It found workers lost more than $240 million in wages during the operation.

A separate newly released survey of about 900 businesses found more than $600 million in lost revenue. The updated lawsuit from Keith Ellison and the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul adds that new data to its claims.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending