ARTSHARE

2011-03-31T20:42:00.001-07:00

2011 Season Opener!

Hi! We just had a fantastic fund raiser/season kick-off this past week at Sen Yai Sen Lek. The attendance, contributions, and support were overwhelming! We fielded a lot of questions about, well, What's next?
Short answer, in chronological order, is:

*Art-A-Whirl (May 20-22) - We'll have a space set-up in the Thorp Building on Central Ave. where you can chat, sign-up to be part of our NE Parade Float/Mask-Making Workshops, and try out the brand-spankin' new release from our Audio-Guided Walking Tour, the Noon Whistle Tour !

*Fund-Raiser/Party at Grumpy's NE - we're finalizing this still but if you attended last years festivities, you know! We plan on having several bands, great grilled food, tons of silent auction items and services to bid on, and just a great time. It'll be on a Sunday in May...more soon.

*Free, Open-to-all Workshops for the NE Parade (June 21) - For the 3rd year, ArtShare will be hosting free workshops to give the opportunity for ALL Northeasters to be part of the 82nd Annual NE Parade. This is traditionally a great parade to watch but one that not everyone can join in on. We've turned that notion on it's head and are making sure that if you want, you can make a personal float, a mask, a costume for your bicycle or skateboard, etc... and march with us in the Parade!

*Who knows!..ArtShare is dedicated to Creating Shared Art Experiences for the Northeast Community. It's what we do. And we continually engage with people from all walks of life in our NE communities to come up with new projects and ideas.

2011-03-31T20:41:00.000-07:00

(update to 2009 posting...)
Thank you to everyone who came to this event! We will be launching the newest Walking Tour at Art-A-Whirl, May 2011

WALKING TOUR RELEASE CELEBRATION!!!

Bottineau Park Gym

August 29th 2009 from 10am to Noon

Come and celebrate the release of the Bottineau Neighborhood Audio-Guided Walking Tour, Never the Same River Twice!

Listen to a sample tour, eat brunch, play games, listen to music, be with your northeast neighbors and have fun!

The Audio-Guided Walking Tours will be accessed by downloading podcasts from our website or by reserving an Mp3 player. Look for our new website-to be launched by the release date! http://newalkingtours.com

The Tours will show Northeast as a collective of many experiences and a vital neighborhood with a past, present and future!

HOW YOU CAN BE A PART OF THIS!!!

Tell us northeast story/record interviewed

Contribute your musical talents, your band's sounds, your great speaking voice, and NE poetry/writings etc.

Share your Northeast knowledge: Architecture or Business's history, I was there when…

Involve us in an event you would like immortalized on an audio walking tour? Wedding, graduation, business openings!

Follow the development of these tours on this blog.

COMMENTS WELCOMED BELOW!

Audio-Guided Walking Tour Kick-Off!

2009-08-16T18:53:00.000-07:00

That's right - we are kicking off the Audio Guided Walking Tour project this month! This has been a long process which, we're happy to say, has involved a ton of people from all ages, cultures, and walks of life. People who work in, live in, or have memories of NE neighborhoods. If you haven't been directly involved in this project, you probably know someone who has.
The three Audio Tours will guide you through three distinctively different NE Minneapolis neighborhoods as you listen through headphones and stroll on a tour that blends lore and history, stories and song, humor and fact. We will be launching the Bottineau Neighborhood tour on Saturday, August 29th followed by the Trolley Tour which takes you down 13th Ave. and through the colorful and growing Logan Neighborhood and also the Noon Whistle Tour which will explore some little known eccentricities of the industrial areas by Broadway and Central, Beltrami Park and an area that boasts some great culinary lunchtime delights.

We hope you will join us at the Launch Party on August 29th from 10am-12n at Bottineau Park - listen to live music, brunch buffet, take a sample of the Bottineau Walking Tour, and be part of this most excellent NE community.

Jennifer and Allan recording some narrative for the Bottineau neighborhood Walk.

More recording and editing for the Walking Tours

2009-06-27T10:44:00.000-07:00

We are still recording interviews and have been editing recorded sounds, songs, and interviews down into useable bites for the Walking Tours. We also have an office space where some of the editing and work is now being done. Our hours there are flexible but we hope to be very available if ArtShare participants would like to do some work there or if anyone just wants to see what's going on with the project. We're located at 2516 Central Ave. NE (in the Holland Neighborhood Improvement Association building).
Also, I was able to go see (and record) the implosion of the Lowry Bridge - an important part of NE Minneapolis and what was a very beautiful bridge steeped in local history. Here's a couple shots I took from my view of the implosion and a link to a youTube shot of the event (brace yourself at the 58 second mark...I was in the white building on the left-side of the screen).

The Next Steps (...are big ones, and really exciting too)

2009-06-08T19:48:00.000-07:00

Mary and Zahra listening to interviews

We had our last full group workshop on May 26th. With a potluck, we celebrated a really amazing process that gathered, on the surface, 23 NE community members together to create Audio-Guided Walking Tours of NE Minneapolis neighborhoods. It really has been, is, and will be - so much more! We've met tons of NE residents, business owners, and those who just pass through our eclectic little corner of the world. We've uncovered little known nuggets of history and shined a light on new and emerging things happening all around our neighborhoods that, quite soon, will become history.

It's all in the making right in front of us.

Hopefully, as you are able to listen to and experience the Walking Tours we are creating, you will see the streets you drive, walk, and bike everyday in a new light, learn something new, and maybe find an excuse to say hello to someone new or check out that corner store you've always noticed but always passed by, and to appreciate some of the rich layers of history that makes NE the uniquely special place that it is.

The ArtShare Audio-Guided Walking Tours will be going live via the web, iTunes, and pre-loaded, free-to-borrow mp3 players this August!

Interviews and Recording Sessions!

2009-05-09T09:03:00.000-07:00

We are in the final weeks of our workshops already! It seems we have a lot to do so it's a good thing that there's a lot we're doing. There have been a lot of interviews going on and capturing different sounds - in cafes, stores, by the sides of train-tracks, gallery openings, all over NE we've been sticking microphones at people and getting some great stories and histories.
and you know what?...

Sculpture outside the Northrup King building

We are still doing interviews and hope to do some editing and splicing of the collected sounds before our workshops are finished. We also plan on being around Art-A-Whirl quite a bit...interviewing people attending, recording the scene, and generally supporting the local artists and musicians. If you're out and about and see us recording, say hello!

If you have any ideas or would like to contribute your stories about NE, go ahead and comment below. Thanks for looking.

Check Out the Tours on a Google Map!

2009-04-23T15:06:00.001-07:00

View ArtShare NE Walking Tours in a larger map

Workshop #6-Working on our Walks!

2009-04-15T06:58:00.000-07:00

We returned from Spring Break motivated to work on the tours and connect with northeasters!

The creators of the tours have walked their routes and are preparing to conduct interviews and collect sounds. They are making connections with people and places on their tour now.
NOW is the TIME to contact ArtShare and the collaborators to be involved in the
Northeast Audio Walking Tours!

The 3 Tour Groups:
#1: E Squared-Central Avenue (from Broadway to Lowry)
#2: Bottineau Walk-Lowery Bridge, down Marshall, through Bottineau Park, up University and back to the bridge.
#3: Trolley Tour-13th Avenue (from Monroe Street to 2nd Street)

We began our workshop with a writing exercise. Writing exercises allow us to explore the narrative, narration and story-telling. We read them as they were written to delve into narrative further and to have the opportunity to be a listener.

Writing Exercise: Pick a place on your walk with historical relevance. Go back to that time. What would make you curious? Who would you see there? What would you ask? How would that conversation go?

some of the writings/readings......

-Thoughts on the factory buildings along Quincy - early 1900s (Northrup King built 1917)
Talk to the architects, the builders - how did they envision the building and its place in the
neighborhood? What is special about the building?
Talk to the laborers working on the building - Can they relate to the idea of the building? Do
they live in the area?
Talk to the people working in the building - Do they see any of the vision the architect had?
How do they experience the building, its surroundings? What stories do they have?
Talk to everyone - How do they see this building in the future? Do they imagine themselves
later in life returning here and reminiscing?
What does the area feel like? Does it evoke emotions? Who are these individuals? How have
they imprinted themselves on the space?

-The landmark on our walk would be the Ideal Diner. I have this weird fascination with old-fashioned diners, and this one is just so cute and friendly. I odn't really know when it's prime time was, but it looks very '50/'60's.
I would go in and ask why the owners decided to cram this little diner in with a whole bunch of factories. I would ask how many factory workers came in there and ate. I would ask what people were like in that time. I suppose that people weren't really different, but it seems like in a place like that, people would act differently to each other. I think people would converso with each other and be friendlier. It is such a small place that you would be forced to interact with those around you.
More than that, though, I'd be most interested in sitting down at the counter, eating, and watching what happens. I would get to immerse myself into that world and see what it's like. I would order pancakes, because you can judge the quality of a diner by the quality of their pancakes. I would tell them that.
Before I left, I would want to know what their best/favrite dish is.

The Bottineau Walking Tour-Group #2

2009-04-11T09:42:00.000-07:00

A Stop on The Bottineau Walking Tour

22nd Ave. Station A Gentleman's Club?

Some call it 22nd Ave. Station, some call it the Double Deuce or Deuce, Deuce. Some call it a shame and others see it a fulfilling a neighborhood need. What do you see? A strip joint, a family business, a slice of history? Is there a zoning loop-hole that allows a strip joint in a residential neighborhood? Questionable city ordinance?

"Looking to hang out at strip club, but don't have more than five bucks? The 22nd Avenue Station—or the "Deuce Deuce" as it's better known—has cheap cold beers, a chance to win on an awesome peg wheel and coconut-scented strippers who take the stage for singles. And if that sounds a little skeezy, it is. But the Deuce is also a entertaining time for men and women, and is a Northeast institution."

Quote from Metromix http://twincities.metromix.com/bars-and-clubs/adult_clubs/22nd-avenue-station-northeast/331723/content

Hmmm? Any thoughts on this?

Workshop #5

2009-04-02T16:37:00.000-07:00

There's a cemetery just off Broadway...at least there was.

Maple Hill Cemetery was located at Broadway & Fillmore NE. Established in 1857 and closed in 1890. In 1935, the area was called Folwell Playground. This area has also been called Maple Hill Park and is currently known as Beltrami Park. Most graves were removed to Lakewood Cemetery or Hillside Cemetery. (italics mine)
*Published information includes "Maple Hill Cemetery (Now Known as Beltrami Park),Minneapolis, Hennepin County," by Alfred J Dahlquist in Minnesota Genealogist 9:4 (12/1978), p 152, and "Maple Hill Cemetery, Hennepin County, Minnesota," by Barbara Sexton and Lauraine Kirchner in Minnesota Genealogist 12:2 (6/1981), p 73-77.

This is one cool tidbit that we talked about at Tuesday's meeting. We spent much of the evening in our three Walking Tour groups defining the area our walks will take, checking in about what each walk might be missing, and filling in specific places on the walks we want to for sure include.
The three areas of the Audio-Guided Walking Tours are pretty much figured out now. We will be walking each route over the next week to see how long they actually are and see what landmarks we might have missed as we've talked about them. We hope for each walk, in it's final form, to last about 30 to 45 minutes.

Another cool thing we did during the meeting was learn the basics of how to record an interview and how to use the recording device and microphones. We will begin to set up interviews with people in the NE community in the next week or two and to research buildings, areas, and stories from our Walk routes so we can have informed interviews, know what kind of questions we have, and what we know already and want to know more about.
The 'Trolley Tour' group was thinking about it as the 5 W's: Who, What, Where, When, and Why? Start to fill in the answers to those questions and you will be left with what info. you still need to get from interviews or more research.

Still snowing? C'mon!

Please leave a comment or question below and thanks for checkin' out the ArtShare blog.
P.S. Reminder that there's no workshop meeting next week (Spring Break - April 7).

Workshop #4: Focusing the Walks

2009-03-25T20:01:00.000-07:00

We met on a very rainy night for the fourth Audio-Guided Walking Tour Workshop...all wishing for Spring.
We started the evening with Announcements. A chance for everyone to share things they've heard about in the NE community that may dovetail with, or hold interest for the ArtShare Walking Tour group. We'll post links to some of the events that are brought up in Announcements (such as art openings, other projects, or specific events). Here's a few of the Announcements that were made this week:

Altered Aesthetics - an artist-run gallery at 1224 Quincy St. NE has a call for artwork out (due March 31). They are looking for photography-based work about NE Minneapolis - past, present, or presumably, future. We hope to show up at the opening reception in May to check it out and get some audio recordings of the opening, artists talking about their work, etc...

Pillsbury Elementary School is starting an Archeology Unit for their 4th and 5th graders. They're interested in studying local and regional history and archeology and may be interested in what we're doing also.

There will be an exhibition for the catchy-named SPARGEX (Spiritual Art Guild Exchange) Show, March 29 - April 3. It is the 9th Annual NE Mpls. Juried Spiritual Art Show and will be on view at the Kolbe Center of Pope John Paul II School, 1630 4th St NE Minneapolis (1block east of University Ave and 17th Ave).

We then did a short writing exercise where everyone wrote, and then shared, about an experience they've personally had at, or near, Edison School or Holy Land Restaurant. We ended up with some great fodder for audio tours, good stories, and seeing that every person and place is filled with different stories, perspectives, and ways of being seen and of seeing.

The rest of our workshop evening was spent in the three groups that will soon be creating the actual Audio-Guided Walking Tours.
We'll post some specifics about each group's walk and what they talked about by tomorrow evening (Thursday, 3/26).
If anyone from the groups wants to add in what you talked about or things you're excited about for the project...go ahead and comment, we'll add it in.

E2 (Eccentric/Eclectic) Walk - Group #1 (Macy, Darius, Mary, Pete, Sienna, Abby, Monica, Jonathan)

We were all still very excited about the general area of NE we had begun to focus on last time we all met together (Central/Broadway intersection going up Central as far as feasible and including a block to each side of Central in some areas...with at least a view of the Beltrami area). Macy and Monica had some images from Google Maps and from the MN. Historical Society website. These were great for getting us going about places we'd want to include and some places we already had stories about. We had some great suggestions flying around the table for audio recordings we could incorporate (a few fun ones were: boxing sounds from Uppercut Gym on Quincy, diner sounds and patron interviews from the Ideal Diner on Central, wood-saws from Aaron Carlson and Sons Woodworking mill, interviews and crowd sounds from the May Altered Aesthetics opening reception, trains, baristas and motorcycle folks from Diamonds Coffee Shop, and there were tons more ideas...).

We also talked about how we might want to narrate the Audio Walk...whether there should be one consistent person guiding the listener/walker or several guides who 'pass the audio baton' as people walk from one part of the walk to the next. This led us to think about acknowledging the accents and cultures of some of the people who live in this area and who used to live here as well as how to show the listeners when they are hearing something from the past vs. present (an echoey sound to the voices and noises, scratchiness, etc.). We really had a good time brainstorming and have a great focused direction for continuing with the project.

Bottineau Walk - Group #2

We started our discussion about the walk with coming to grips that we have too much on our walk (but we also have time to work that out). We also had an initial discussion about Marshall Street’s walk-ability. Marshall has sooooo much on it, but it is a straight walk and one member of the team thought it a heavy trafficked street and therefore a bit dicey for an audio work. There was strong opposition to this idea! Perhaps weaving in and out of Marshall and the near-by streets might be a good option for breaking up the walk.

Last night we just concentrated on the intersection of Marshall and Lowry (the alleged “top” of the walk). We looked at the Lowry Bridge and looking up towards Siwek’s and Psycho Suzie’s. We talked about the Edgewater Inn and using recorded sound from the Edgewater 8 (if there is any). Then we thought we could walk to the California building and look at the community Garden, the Silos and talk about Art-A-Whirl (and use sound from the event). There is also Gluek Park and the Super Fund Story. And is there or was there really a tunnel from the Sample Room (Formally the Polish Palace) to the old Gluek Brewery? We also thought about Meat Raffles and the best way to view the river on the walk. We are now thinking about people to interview regarding these sites.

More ideas, wrestling, pairing-down and expanded thinking to come!

Trolley Tour-Group #3 (Dawn, Kris, Zhara, Misty, Mary, Eden, Bee, Sara)

We decided first that we had a big list of tour topics/places and a large area to cover on the map. Since most of the sites the group is interested in are on 13th, we eliminated some of the other sites that are too far from there. (Boom Island and Elsies). We realized that we could reference those places on the tour with out actually going there.
The walk is taking shape to go up on down 13th-from Monroe (4 churches) to 2nd-(2 Barber Shops). This is a dense area with much to cover. We will meet on Sunday to take the walk to check out sites and the pace/timing of the tour, and think about sounds.

Places, People and Ideas so far:
4 Churches on Monroe, Logan Park, Art-A-Whirl, Architecture on Adams, Trolley History, Auto Repair Shop, Ritz Theater, House with metal sphere sculptures in yard, Easel Street Gallery, Slim Whitman Gallery, Rogue Buddah Gallery, previous EuroPol-now Northeast Society and that building, Mayslacks, Modern Cafe, 331 Club, Eyewear Store, Children and Family Service Center, New City School, Erte' and Business Bldg, St. Cerils Church, Matchbox, Behind Bars, Art of Chiropractic, Frank Stone Gallery, new furniture shop, Barber Shop, Becky's Beauty Salon.

What we already know:
Our group has visited, patronized, driven by, heard of, or have close connections with the people and places on our list. Northeast is known for industry and immigrant heritage. There are many churches (and bars). Diversity of culture, race and religion. Retail space has turned over on 13th and storefronts are used as commercial and residential space. 13th is full of history and current activity.

What do we want to know:
What people have experienced with the changes in the neighborhood?
What are some experiences from the churches that have been here for a long time?
What is the trolley history on 13th?
How do people feel about the change over of corner stores-commercial and residential? (EuroPol-Northeast Society Restaurant, etc.)
What is the art history of area?
Why did eye shop move 3 blocks up 13th?

Together, we look forward to researching these questions and asking more.

It was a fun night and felt like we got a lot accomplished during the workshop session. Thanks for checking out the blog and for commenting below!

Workshop #3-Listening To Other Audio Walks

2009-03-17T19:55:00.000-07:00

Walking in Jackson Square Park and listening to the Janet Cardiff Audio Tour on St. Paddy's Day evening.

Thank you Andy Dayton for the photo!

Thank you collaborators for another workshop full of engaging discussion and challenging, brilliant ideas!

We realize that it may have been difficult to put the development of our audio tours on hold to listen to the examples we experienced this week... The inspiration they seemed to provide and provoke was evident as we discussed and critiqued them after listening. How did these examples influence your ideas or shape your visions for our own walking tours?

Our St. Patrick's evening went a little like this.......
We listened to two audio-guided walks, had a writing exercise, and some great discussion.

The Chinatown Tour:
What did we see just by listening to sound? (Some feedback from our workshop):

-Overstimulated by all of the sounds. Could be difficult to actually experience and see.
-Softer ambient sounds may be more effective.
-It is confusing to envision people in a place where they are not.
-The sound of the gongs are unbelievable and unrealistic...sort of cheesy and over the top.
-"I could smell Chinatown."
-The woman's voice moves all around me-confusing and unrealistic.
-Afraid this much sound would be confusing on a real walk...especially combined with all the real-time, actual sounds.
-This felt more like an armchair walk...a way to experience a place you may not actually visit.
-The use of different voices is effective.
-Used the listener's imagination to provide a historic perspective and experience.

The Janet Cardiff Walk:
How did you like the sound? What did you experience? (some workshop feedback):

-The sound and background noise are very realistic - beautifully recorded and edited.
-This sound had punctuation - one sound of water bubbling vs. the over-all wash of sounds. It wasn't ambient like the Chinatown walk and the unexpectedness of, for example - dogs barking or kids laughing - made the sounds more effective and 'noticed'.
-Sound to create the past (ex. the Carriage Wheel sounds brought us back in history).
-Ques, auditory clues, and beeps helped to signify a transition - a shift of time and space - and made it easier to follow along with spatial, geographic, and historical shifts that happened in the recording.
-Some thought it was boring and they lost interest, esp. about the more personal or self-referential parts.
-Music was really effective in setting the mood.
-Some folks found themselves unconsciously walking while listening...not really paying attention to where they were going but taking an 'in-your-head' journey.
-As we walked outside through the park and along the streets, most noticed that physically being outside can really effect the experience in many ways.
-Some thought she was 'too cool for school'. I'd prefer just the facts.

Check out these websites for more works by audio makers:
http://www.thislife.org/radio_archives.aspx
http://www.wnyc.org/shows/radiolab/episodes

Each week, we suggest an Exploration for the upcoming week - something to do or think about that may enhance the workshop for you and those with whom you are working.

Exploration:
Collect images of places on your potential walk, either historical or present day. Drawings, photos, journal entries of your own are good to explore. We will share these next week.

Please contribute your comments to this blog!
(just click on Comments directly below...no need to register if you don't want, or you can...Thanks!)

Audio Tour Workshop #2-Developing Tour Topics and Routes!

2009-03-11T16:41:00.000-07:00

It was exciting to meet again and share views and ideas about Northeast and this project. We discovered that the beginning stages of the collaborative process can be difficult. Big progress was made however, as we found our way to establish the 3 Walking Tour groups. The 3 groups discussed their selected topics and places and began to map out their tour.

The evening's happenings and progress...

Jennifer started our workshop with a brief talk about the collaborative process. She reminded us of issues like gaining trust, the strength of the entire group, individual strengths, the development of each person's role, patience, engagement, etc.

Some of our group discussion meanderings:

-History and Now: "new, cool and interesting now in NE", "now is gone", "3 weeks from now is history".
-What really stays here in NE? What moves on? How do we hold onto history and memories?
-Nobody knows about "Now" in NE...it is always now: changing and being created as we go.
-An objective of the tours is to engage people...

We reviewed the week's Exploration* and shared our thoughts, ideas and additional tour topics/places.
*look at NE through the 'eyes' of the potential Tour topics - journal about what you see. You can share on the blog, discuss with friends, or bring it to next week's meeting.

Additional Places, Concepts and Tour Topics we brainstormed:

-Edgewater Inn (by Super America on Marshall) - a hotbed of NE culture 'back in the day'...now gone. - There was a group of musicians/dancers called the Edgewater Eight. Maybe we could get some of the music for a tour (there's some available on YouTube). Kirstin's mom was in the group.
-Scandals of Northeast- the underbelly
-Central Avenue Tour- Start on Broadway/Central intersection by the International Symbols. Could include industrial history, art buildings, warehouses, etc.
-13th Avenue Tour- Art, Ritz Theater, churches - Architecture- Include the history of the late 1800's homes (Victorian Style with maroon and gold trim).
-What is new and cool? Interesting now? Stella Salon on Lowry near University Avenue. This is another old building that has turned over many businesses through the years. Why do some businesses make it? What does this say about NEasters and the culture here?
-Tattoo Shop on Lowry near Central Avenue-This is a new business that replaced, most recently, the Aardvark Record Store. Will it still be there when we go on the Tour? Is it ok if it is gone? This highlights questions about business turnover in NE. We discussed the concept of history and talked about how history is now, that this project is history in the making. We also noted that it is interesting to combine history with what is happening now in northeast.
-Small Business Tour - How history and Now intersect.
-Shopping Tour

*********

We established 3 groups who shared similar interests and met at tables with large maps, markers and our notes of tour topics and locations.

Group #1:
Broadway/Central intersection N. to 18th (& possibly further up). Going E. and W. off Central to include areas of interest (such as, possibly, view of Beltrami Park and the old cemetery there (Ghost Story possibilities), Train under/over-passes, the old cobblestone road of Quincy St. by Architectural Antiques, Industrial areas historically vs. now? ala' the Thorpe Building (Diamond's Coffee Shop, etc.), Aaron Carlson, General Mills, etc.
-Ideal Diner (and tons of other small, local businesses along Central Ave. corridor).
-The 'Eccentric NE' Tour
-Immigration/multi-cultural issues can be accessed many ways inc. through the international symbols art project (Central/Broadway intersection).

Group #2:
West Coast Area-roughly in between 2nd St. NE and the river- from 13th Ave. NE to Lowry Ave.
-Big sculptures by Zoran (metal and stone) by river
-Hobos and trains-interview Jewel (3-time National Queen of the Hobos who lives in this area).
-Grumpys and Senterz Grocery & Liquor (uniquely grandfathered-in to combine liquor sales in a grocery store).
-strong Somali-presence in this neighborhood
-Buddhist Temple-used to be Knewski's
-Eastside Neighborhood Services
-Skateboard Park
-'Asbestos' Park
-House boats on river
-Edgewater Inn (no longer there)
-Lowry bridge- still closed...
-Jax and Gasthaus

Group #3:
13th Avenue Tour- roughly from Monroe St. NE to the river.
-Churches, Art, Street-Car trolley route, historically and currently vibrant area.
- 4-5 churches on Monroe St., Holy Cross, Mosque, St. Cyril, Meditation Center
-Great area to demonstrate the variety of churches and diversity in NE.
-Catholic history...
-Large and thriving representation of the arts and small business on 13th
-small business turnover...

Exploration for next workshop:
What do others in the community know about the sites on the walk? Does a plain street have a story we didn't know? What are you curious about?

Apologies if these notes have neglected or misrepresented anything.
Please add your comments to blog below! Click on Comments.

Audio Tour Workshop #1 !!

2009-03-03T21:16:00.000-08:00

NOTES FROM THE WORKSHOP:

We had the first workshop for the Audio-Guided Walking Tours on March 3rd. We talked about how we came to NE and what we were excited about for this project. By the end of next weeks workshop (Tues. March 10), we plan on having three themes for the three walks we'll be creating.

Here's a brainstormed list of some of our favorite/fascinating places or things about NE Minneapolis:

*Empty storefronts: lived in, old businesses? What used to be here and how do people use the space now?
*Replaced/converted spaces - ie. the warehouses that are now businesses or art studios. Vacant lots...what used to be here? Is there documentation and photos of the original spaces?
*Architecture - Grain Belt building, oldest houses in the area, churches
*St. Anthony Cemetery on Central Ave.
*Art buildings/warehouses - Casket Arts building - histories of these buildings
*Basin by Edison High School- there used to be homes in this area (spirit/soul of the missing homes, memories of those who lived there...), Used now to play in, show films and concerts in the summer
*Flood story...there was a big flood in this area and we want to know about it
*Churches - one block of Monroe Street has 5 churches: world record for most churches on a block?! Tons of beautiful churches all over NE for many different faiths
*Religions - lots of variety - Holy Cross offers a service in Polish! Tibetan temple in NE.
*Hollywood Theater - how was it when it was operating? What could it be like today?
*Restaurants - variety is amazing. Some are 'institutions', some come and go...
*Holyland
*Indian restaurants on Central
*Trains - sounds, hobos, the spans over the roads and the switching yard by Columbia Golf Course with the great view.
*Julianna Ray, 3x crowned the National Queen of Hobos lives in NE!
*Art-A-Whirl - get to see into artist's studio spaces, eat their snacks, buy their art
*Free crepes on Thursdays (donations appreciated). Yum!...where was this again?
*Bridges - esp. Hennepin Ave. (wonder how aerial photos of NE and the bridges look?)
*Grainbelt Bottlecap sign
*Elsie's Bowling - Supreme Omelet is the best ever! a NE institution
*Nicollet Island - land rights? (are the homes all leased, not owned? How come?)
*Boom Island - is it even an island? Was a RR switching station 40 years ago.
*NE had one of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes but the South-side stole it (Sandy Lake)! Some NEasters are still bitter about it. Aarrgh!
*Mayslacks
*B-Sharp (ever resilient)
*RR transfer station in Columbia Heights
*Bike paths - 7 ways to get to one place, short cuts and alleys. Great area to explore on bike and foot
*People just seem to end up here in NE...drawn here
*Howard Street - 1 house wide block- why?
*Zoning histories - streets that were trolley routes, how the blocks were designed, long alleys, residential vs. industrial/business
*Logan Park - history, sports, lots of varied use through the years
*Emily's Lebanese Restaurant
*Small business/shops (ie. a women' salon right next to a men's barber shop...his and hers by Matchbox Coffee).
*Northeast - northeast of where?
*150 years immigration history

We broke into three smaller groups to look over maps and discuss potential tour topics and areas that could become a Walk:

*The river area - bluffs, brewery, flour mills
(maybe incorporating a walk out onto a bridge and back into NE...like towards the Broadway Pizza train)
*Restaurants/business turnover and changes, histories of the businesses and buildings
*Basin (by Edison), the Firehall Museum, story of the flood that happened here
*Ethnic/cultural growth and diversity of NE...seems unique in NE.
*Churches - inroad to cultural influences, Ukranian Orthodox history, architecture.
*Little Italy/Beltrami/Dog Town area - built on a cemetery. Cemetary Street/Oak Cemetery, Delmonico's, RR exchange, Hwy. 35
*Ghost Stories
*Hwy. 35 NE ramp was stopped by big demonstrations and community activism. How has
*Quarry shopping area (built on a quarry? - geological history)
*Mysteries of histories - what we don't know about where we live.
*Churches and Bars - culture that made us have so many churches and bars, regions in NE
*Factories, industrial-ness
*NE from the perspective of neighborhood kids, skateboarding("am i bothering anyone with my skateboarding?"), summers in NE when there's no school...
*Fire in lumberyard
*P.Bottineau (owned tons of properties, library named after him), and other famous/infamous NEasters
*St. Anthony - Norwegian Hill
*1930's Windom Park - people, whole families slept outside in the park in the summer (to stay cool? community activity?). We hear there's a local woman still alive to talk about it?

EXPLORATION for the week:

Look at NE through the eyes of the tour topics ideas - journal about what you see. Share on the blog or wait 'til next week and discuss this with friends (they can also add to the blog).

Thanks for checking out www.artsharewalkingtour.blogspot.com
...please pass this along to family, friends, even 'frienimies' (if they might have something to add)...we hope this can be an open dialogue space for anything about NE and the Audio Walking Tours we are creating.

Workshops to begin in March!

2009-02-15T19:31:00.000-08:00

Hello! Hope the glimmer of Spring (however fleeting) is helping you get through the grey and chilly-ness of February. The ArtShare group have been getting very excited for the upcoming workshops to begin. The Informational meeting last month brought more than 25 people together to talk about the project, share stories about NE Minneapolis, and fill the ranks of people participating in the workshops to full capacity! Thank you to everyone who attended and for those who aren't doing the workshops but want to be part of the project by sharing their stories, histories, or otherwise...we will be back in touch soon.

The workshops begin the first Tuesday of March (March 3rd) and we will be blogging about each workshop and all the things we are researching and thinking about in regards to the NE Audio Walking Tour project.

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Informational Meeting!

2009-01-19T15:23:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, January 20th, ArtShare and Holland Neighborhood Association will be hosting an informational meeting about the upcoming NE Audio Walking Tour Project. This is a chance for those who have signed up to participate in the workshops to meet, ask questions, and generally firm up the project. It's also a chance for anyone who just thinks it sounds interesting to learn more about it. There are many ways to be involved without committing to the 12 weeks of workshops that will ultimately create the Walking Tours and we hope that anyone who thinks this is up their alley can find a way to be part of the project (if you're reading this blog, you're part of it already and your comments and feedback will be welcome additions to the process).

When? : 6:30pm Tuesday, Jan. 20
Where? : Bill & Bonnie Daniels Fire Hall and Museum
664 22nd Ave. NE

Please call Jennifer Arave (612-432-1512) or Jonathan Hamilton (612-599-5393) with any questions. Thanks and we look forward to seeing you there.

Call For Participation!

2008-11-19T19:32:00.000-08:00

ArtShare and Holland Neighborhood Improvement Association are offering an opportunity to be involved in an exciting community project. We are looking for 10 Northeast teens and 10 Northeast adults to be part of a 12 session collaboration creating three Audio-Guided Walking Tours of NE neighborhoods.

ArtShare will guide the participants through a process of collaborative story-telling rooted in personal experience in Northeast, Northeast history, and (audio) recordings of Northeast sounds and people. We could choose to create a tour about the history and future of Northeast businesses, churches of Northeast, industry in Northeast, Northeast topography (the way it was and how it is now) or the streets of Northeast. We will start this process with collective and collaborative experiences to spark everyone’s creative energy and go from there.

It is our plan put together tours that show Northeast as a collective of many experiences and not a singular voice of the past, present or future. Therefore it is important that we have many people with diverse experiences to participate in the project: Old and new Northeasters, people of different age ranges, people who live here or people who just work here, anyone who contributes to the make up of a neighborhood. You don’t need to be a Minnesotan to be a Northeaster.

This project will result in audio-guided walking tours that can be accessed by downloading podcasts from the HNIA website or by picking up an iPod at various pick-up points (NE businesses and libraries), a website (linked to HNIA website) by which the neighborhood can follow the progress of the audio workshops and a celebratory podcasts release party.

If you would like to participate in this workshop please let us know. We are offering a $50.00 stipend for completed participation to adults. There is a separate stipend amount for teens. This workshop will be held Tuesday evenings and is slated to begin March 3rd. There will be an information and registration meeting for all interested in January.

Please contact Jennifer Arave (artsharene@gmail.com and 612-432-1512) for more information and to be put on the email list.

This project is a collaboration of ArtShare, Holland Neighborhood Improvement Association and Emma B. Howell YMCA funded by the Neighborhood Partnership Initiative Grant from the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA).