Northern Spark 2017 is Along the Green Line

From sunset on June 10 to sunrise on June 11, Northern Spark 2017 is a free all-night art festival exploring the effects of climate change through participatory projects happening in neighborhoods along Metro Transit’s Green Line.

Northern Spark 2017 will illuminate and draw audiences to neighborhoods and public spaces all along the METRO Green Line, connecting Minneapolis and St. Paul. Experience the largest Northern Spark yet, with nearly 70 art projects organized around neighborhood nodes: Cedar Riverside/West Bank, Weisman Art Museum/East Bank, Little Africa/Snelling, Rondo/Lexington, and Little Mekong/Western. In downtown Minneapolis the festival moves from its usual river location to The Commons, the new green space at Portland and 5th, and culminates in Saint Paul at Union Depot, the Green Line terminus in Lowertown.

Northern Spark Launches Andrea Carlson’s Train Wrap In Partnership with Metro Transit

Andrea Carlson Water Is Life Metro Transit train wrap

To kick off Northern Spark 2017, Northern Lights.mn and Metro Transit have partnered to commission a spectacular full-color train wrap created by artist Andrea Carlson, which will run through June 10. Carlson has taken as her theme a water panther on one side with the Dakota words Mni Wiconi (water is life). On the other side of the train is a thunderbird with the words Nibi gaa-bimaaji’iwemagak (water gives life) in Ojibwe.

In an urban context, paved streets are like tributaries feeding rain and runoff into nearby rivers of the watershed. According to Northern Spark Co-Director Steve Dietz, “Carlson’s design is both a memorial to the power of water and a plea to honor it in all our uses, especially as human activities lead to increased risk of droughts, severe weather events, melting ice caps, sea level rise, and ocean acidification as just some of the water-related effects of climate change.”

Carlson says of her design,”we have the tools to make sure that Dakota and Ojibwe don’t disappear… because that tool is our minds. Anyone can learn it, so we can save these languages. And I feel like the planet is in the same situation. We have the tools to make sure this doesn’t happen.”

Carlson is an internationally recognized painter and media artist who lives and works in Chicago, IL and Saint Paul, MN. Her Anishinaabe (Ojibwe), French and Scandinavian heritage provides a rich foundation for her investigations of cultural consumption, history and identity, and the intrinsic power of storytelling. Her work is in prominent collections including those of the Weisman Art Museum, the British Museum, and the National Gallery of Canada.

The train is a reflection not only of Northern Spark’s connection to the transitway but of Metro Transit’s commitment to sustainability.

The Green Line construction project included several stormwater management features that help prevent runoff from entering the nearby Mississippi River, including tree trenches and rain gardens. The Green Line’s Operations and Maintenance Facility in Lowertown also has a stormwater capture system that helps provide water for irrigation and restrooms at CHS Field.

“This partnership is a great opportunity to not only bring our community together but also to highlight our organization’s strong commitment to sustainability in all its forms,” General Manager Brian Lamb said.

Metro Transit is among just a few transit agencies to earn Gold Level certification through the American Public Transit Association’s Sustainability Program.

You can read more about Andrea Carlson’s train wrap design in her interview with NL’s Assistant Curator, Elle Thoni.

Free passes will be available to download for travel on Metro Transit the night of Northern Spark.

Catch-A-Train Photo Contest – Win two tickets to the Northern Spark Launch Party!

Andrea Carlson Water Is Life Metro Transit train wrap

Andrea Carlson’s stunning design is currently speeding along the tracks on the Metro Transit Green Line train between Minneapolis and Saint Paul. We challenge you, talented and creative friends, to capture a photo of our train–and we’ll select the best one to go in our April newsletter, on our website, and shared amongst our social media accounts. The winner will receive two tickets to our highly anticipated Northern Spark Launch Party with musical guests ZuluZuluu, and delicious complimentary food and drinks!

To submit to the contest, simply hashtag your photos on social media with #catchatrainNS. Submissions must be posted to social media by March 31st, 2017. Winner will be announced the week of April 3rd.

The juror of the Catch-A-Train Photo Contest is Yasufumi Nakamori, new curator of Photography and New Media at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

*By submitting your photo to the Catch-A-Train Photo Contest, you give permission to Northern Lights.mn to share and reproduce your photo on any of its media platforms for non-commercial purposes.

Announcing Northern Spark Artists and Partners!

Avatar design by Sara Fowler for Collective Action!, project by Ben Moren, Tyler Stefanich, and Sara Fowler

Northern Spark Artists

Northern Lights.mn is proud to announce the participation of the following artists in Northern Spark 2017: Monira Al Qadin, Aniccha Arts, Background Stories, Christine Baeumler, Nick Barsness, Julie Benda, Todd Boss, Rachel Breen, Susan Brown, Malia Burkhart, Valentine Cadieux, Andrea Carlson, John Colburn, Shá Cage, Craig David, Preston Drum, Randy Duerr, Deborah Elias, Field Practice, Kate Flick, Sara Fowler, GoodSpace Murals, Ruthann Godollei, Bill Gorcica, David Hamlow, Annie Henly, Hmong Tattoo Crew, Hope Risers and Company, Ross Hutchens, Nooshin Hakim Javadi, Rachel Jendrzejewski, Jon Mac Cole, Wu Chen Khoo, Kenny Lee, Kimberly Long Loken, Meena Mangalvedhekar, Ifrah Mansour, Mary Jane Mansfield, Kathy McTavish, Beth Mercer-Taylor, MINN_LAB, Rebecca Montgomery, Ben Moren, Mystery Spot Books, Roger Nieboer, Sheronda Orridge, Sami Pfeffer, David Pisa, Rebekah Rentzel, Nickey Robare, Angela Robbins, Areca Roe, Mohamed Samatar, Saint Cloud State Art Department, Sara Yezih Art Group, Aki Shibata, Tyler Stefanich, Tony the Scribe, Twin Cities Transition Artist Team, University of MN Making Sense of Climate Change class, UW-Stout Transmedia Studio, Wavelets Collective, Tara Weatherly, Clarence White, Khamphian Vang, May Lee-Yang, Yes, Let’s!, Cameron Young, Marina Zurkow

Northern Spark Program Council

This year we’re excited to introduce the first Northern Spark Program Council, a leadership group of artists working with Northern Lights.mn and our Neighborhood Partners to inspire participation from artists and residents in cultural communities along the Green Line. In 2017 the Program Council is organizing artists in Little Mekong, Little Africa, Rondo, and on the West Bank to present projects at Northern Spark that respond to climate change from culturally diverse perspectives. We thank them for their insight and participation: Adan Dirie, Sara Endalew, Graci Horne, Filsan Ibrahim, Pa Na Lor, Brittany Lynch, Sagirah Shahid, Aki Shibata-Pliner and Ahmed Yusuf.

Northern Spark Neighborhood Partners

Our overall partner in bringing Northern Spark 2017 to the Green Line is Twin Cities LISC(Local Initiatives Support Corporation), an umbrella organization supporting neighborhood cultural and economic development organizations in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Twin Cities LISC’s work “brings together key players to address community challenges.” They worked with us to develop the original vision for Northern Spark on the Green Line, an area where they have served as an important force for the health and benefit of small businesses and communities throughout the Green Line Transit Corridor construction project.

African Economic Development Solutions’ (AEDS) mission is to generate wealth within marginalized communities and communities of Black heritage in the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota. Access to key resources, supportive institutional frameworks, and nourishing environments are all necessary elements for creating financial success within marginalized communities. Based in AEDS confronts economic disparities in the communities they serve by providing customized financial literacy training, micro-entrepreneurship training, and by providing homeownership education. Little Africa is an initiative of AEDS in partnership with the Little Africa Development Group, focusing on African immigrant economic assets in three nodal points around primary transit corridors– in St. Paul the district’s core is at Snelling and University. The mission of Little Africa is to leverage the rich and diverse businesses, art, and cultural assets of Minnesota’s growing African immigrant populations to build sustainable wealth within the African immigrant communities.

Asian Economic Development Association (AEDA) was created to expand opportunities for economic success for low-income Asian Americans in the Twin Cities. AEDA’s programs help lift people out of poverty and achieve economic stability through small business development, financial education, arts and culture programs, and social justice advocacy. An initiative AEDA, Little Mekong is the Asian business and cultural district in St. Paul between Mackubin and Galtier streets along University Avenue. The district’s name derives from the Mekong River, which flows from China through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, and connects the cultures of Southeast Asia.

Aurora St. Anthony Neighborhood Development Corporation (ASANDC) is based in St. Paul’s historic Rondo neighborhood, and with Neighborhood Development Corporation launched the Rondo Arts Cultural Business District in 2013. Today ASANDC hosts a variety of social, economic, housing, and commercial development programs for Aurora St. Anthony, Frogtown and Summit-University residents of all ages, with a mission to foster positive relationships within and between the neighborhoods we serve and to support our members in affecting the quality of life in their communities.

The West Bank Businesses Association (WBBA) exists to engage the business community in the responsible economic development of the West Bank district while preserving the unique character and heritage of the Cedar Riverside neighborhood in MInneapolis. WBBA is dedicated to preserving the neighborhood’s strengths while identifying and helping address the neighborhood’s changing needs, bringing positive improvements to all while serving as a resource for all of the business and commercial property owners on the West Bank.

Climate Rising Collaboration Partners

The Climate Rising Collaboration, made possible with the support of the McKnight Foundation, pairs artists with organizations working directly on issues concerning energy, environmental justice and climate change.

Climate Rising Collaborations partners include Climate Generation, MN350, Neighborhoods Organizing for Change (NOC), Take Action, Minnesota Center for Energy and Environment (CEE), and Conservation MN. In each collaboration, artists work with partner staff and volunteers to creatively connect their artistic practice and interests to the organization’s focus areas. Partners contribute resources and expertise to help each project reach its zenith at Northern Spark 2017.

We at Northern Lights.mn believe that in order to develop realistic and hopeful maps for the future in the face of real and growing climate chaos, artists, scientists, policymakers and activists will need to collaborate. These projects are incubators for what we hope will be more collaborations to come.

Northern Spark Presenting Partners

As with every iteration of Northern Spark, we are grateful to our numerous presenting partners: Altered Aesthetics, Arts Culture and the Creative Economy of the City of Minneapolis, Danza Espanola, Forecast Public Art, Hennepin County Library, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Minnesota Museum of American Art, Minnesota Sacred Harp Singing Convention, Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light, Mizna, Motion Poems, Patrick’s Cabaret, Printland Press, Public Art Saint Paul, Somali Museum of Minnesota, Saint Paul Saints , St. Cloud State University Art Dept., Saint Paul Public Library, Textile Center and Weaver’s Guild of Minnesota, The Southern Theater, TPT, Twin Cities Union Depot, UW-Stout School of Art and Design, Weisman Art Museum, Zeitgeist

Northern Spark Community Partners

Many other partners have contributed to Northern Spark this year, including: Brian Coyle Center, Capitol River Council, Cedar Cultural Center, Cedar Riverside Neighborhood Revitalization Program, Frogtown Neighborhood Association, Hamline Midway Coalition, High School for Recording Arts, Hmong American Partnership, Midway Chamber of Commerce, Mixed Blood Theater, Spring Board for the Arts, Union Park District Council

Water Is Life

Andrea Carlson, design for “Water Is Life” Metro Transit train wrap

It’s a simple fact. Without water, we would not be able to live. Water is life.
We are thrilled to announce that for Northern Spark 2017 (June 10), Andrea Carlson is designing a special “train wrap” for a Metro Transit light-rail car, which will be running along the Green Line beginning in March. Carlson has taken as her theme a water panther on one side with the Dakota words Mni Wiconi (water is life). On the other side of the train is a thunderbird with the words Nibi gaa-bimaaji’iwemagak (water gives life) in Ojibwe.

In an urban context, paved streets are like tributaries feeding rain and runoff into nearby rivers of the watershed. Carlson’s design is both a memorial to the power of water and a plea to honor it in all our uses, especially as human activities lead to increased risk of droughts, severe weather events, melting ice caps, sea level rise, and ocean acidification as just some of the water-related effects of climate change.

Special thanks to Metro Transit who helped support Carlson’s work and will be providing free passes the night of Northern Spark. Look for this train car coming soon to a Green Line station near you. We will be announcing the full artist line up for Northern Spark when the train wrap launches toward the end of the month.

AAA Returns!

Mizna cover art by Monira Al Qadiri. Detail from “Alien Technology,” 2014.

After a brief new year hiatus, AAA: Anthropocene Awareness Association is back! Join us at these upcoming programs to sharpen your knowledge of the nuanced effects of climate change across the globe.

This month, long-time Northern Lights.mn partner Mizna will release the winter edition of their critically acclaimed journal of writing and visual art by Arabs and Arab Americans. The focus of this issue is the environment — a topic less commonly associated with the Arab world.  This is a subject Mizna began exploring through their projection project Confluent for Northern Spark in 2014. As Executive Director Lana Barkawi and Program Manager Moheb Soliman wrote that year: “Confluent, seeks to immerse Northern Spark audiences in communal, environmental, and other commonalities—confluences—between here and there [Iraq].” Read the full text here.

Fast forward three years and their full volume of visual and literary work takes on the theme of the nature and the environment in the Arab world and it’s intersections in Arab America.  At this joint journal release and AAA, dig into these issues with guest editor Gary Paul Nabhan, the internationally-celebrated nature writer, agrarian activist, and ethnobiologist, and local contributors Tami Mohamad Brown and Dawud Mulla, Moheb Soliman, and Canadian Arab writer and thinker Joe Kadi. Video work by Monira Al Qadiri will also be on display.

Details:
Mizna’s Environment Issue Journal Launch + AAA  
Thursday, February 23, 7-9pm
Studio Z, 275 4th St E, Ste 200, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55101

RSVP at the Facebook event.

And just as spring begins to arrive, mark your calendars for these events:

Thursday, March 23, 7 pm: Discussion on the social and political repercussions of climate instability with Shiloh Fetzek from the Center for Climate and Security.

Friday, April 7, 7 pm: Robin Wall Kimmerer. Mother, scientist, professor and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation speaks on her broad ranging work to connect indigenous wisdom and scientific knowledge through explorations with plants. Presented in partnership with Milkweed Editions and the Institute for Advanced Study at the University of Minnesota

MINN_LAB wins the 2017 Creative City Challenge 

We are pleased to announce that MINN_LAB has been selected as the winner of the 2017 Creative City Challenge with their piece Orbacles. Orbacles is a triad of spherical structural environments that connect to tell a story of climate change by focusing on birds of Minnesota and the language of our senses. The orbs communicate the recorded and anticipated shift of birds from 2017-2080 due to species loss and species migration related to climate effects, and the interconnected transformation of terrestrial and aquatic environments.

Orbacles will be installed on The Commons across from U.S. Bank Stadium and will be unveiled at Northern Spark on June 10, 2017. It will remain up through the end of July.

You may remember MINN_LAB’s work from their past Northern Spark projects: Weather Report in 2016, CityScope in 2015, and POSTography in 2014.

Introducing the AOV9 Fellows

Eric F. Avery, 67 simple operations, AOV7, Photo: Rik Sferra

Northern Lights.mn is pleased to announce the five Art(ists) On the Verge (AOV9)fellows: Maxwell Hoaglund, Meena Mangalvedhekar, Areca Roe, Stephanie Lynn Rogers, and Ziyang Wu.

These five artists were selected from pool of applicants by a jury of artists and arts professionals that included Christopher Atkins, Curator of Exhibitions & Public Programs, Minnesota Museum of American Art; Steve Dietz, Co-Director, AOV; Kimberly Loken, Assistant Professor of Game Design, UW-Stout School of Art and Design; Tia-Simone Gardner, Artist; Piotr Szyhalski, Co-Director, AOV; and Xavier Tavera Castro, Photographer.

Art(ists) On the Verge is an annual, intensive, mentor-based fellowship program for 5 Minnesota-based, emerging artists working experimentally at the intersection of art, technology, and digital culture with a focus on network-based practices that are interactive and/or participatory. The AOV9 fellows will have their work featured in a group exhibition in the spring of 2018.

Art(ists) On the Verge is generously supported by the Jerome Foundation.

Launch Party where? Thresher Square!

Northern Spark Launch Party, Northern Spark 2016. Photo: Dusty Hoskovec.

The Thresher Square Building, a prime example of Minneapolis innovation and style, will host the 2017 Northern Spark Launch Party. It is one of numerous local buildings designed by architect Frederick Kees, who is also known for Minneapolis City Hall, First Baptist Church, and the Hennepin Center for the Arts. The Launch Party is a celebration for everyone who makes Northern Spark’s innovative art possible – all you have to do is buy a ticket! Thresher Square is just steps from The Commons, so at 8:58 p.m. as the sun sets and the festival begins, you’ll be able to head directly from the kick-off to the opening celebrations.

Join us at Thresher Square for the Launch Party with ZULUZULUU

Warming the Winter with Public Art at B-Lectric and Nicollet Mall

Words for Winter, poetry by 17 local writers, photo by Max Haynes

Northern Lights.mn braved the late-January chill to celebrate the winter season with public art projects at the B-Lectric festival and along Nicollet Mall.

B-Lectric, a celebration of art and light with partner Barbette, was a festive evening along Lake and Irving in Uptown on January 29th. Guests stayed warm by sipping warm beverages around barrel fires while viewing Northern Lights’ artist projections on urban surfaces and three custom-built ice walls. Colorful whimsical projections by Marina Zurkow and Miko Simmons were juxtaposed with Joshua McGarvey’s sensory Ice Fall – Feel the Change and Graci Horne’s curated collections of images from the ongoing resistance to pipeline development at Standing Rock, ND. Lively contributions from Art Shanty Projects and Inflammati Fire Circus rounded out a fun-evening of outdoor celebration.

The same weekend, Northern Lights.mn kicked off its collaboration with The Great Northern festival, debuting Piotr Szyhalski’s sweeping seven block long installation of Living Banners which transformed Nicollet Mall from a construction zone into a monument of poetic phrases.

Its accompanying project, Words for Winter, caused passersby to do a double-take at 4 road construction signs scrolling with poetry from 17 local writers in homage to winter. Both reverent and playful, this project caused quite a buzz with downtown dwellers snapping photos and sharing readily on social media. Words for Winter poets included: Brave Crow, Heid E. Erdrich, Sarah Fox, Hassan Hussein, Sarah Myers, Miss Brit, Moheb Soliman, Lara Mimosa Montes, LianiRey, Lula Saleh, Sagirah Shahid, Sun Yung Shin, Mary Austin Speaker, Elle Thoni, Joel Turnipseed, Elisabeth Workman, and Ahmed Ismail Yusuf.

The week of public art projects on Nicollet Mall opened on January 30th with a sound and light show by Tesla Works, to a soundtrack by the Minnesota Orchestra. 

Want to read more about the artistic process? Click here to read a conversation between Northern Lights.mn Artistic Director, Steve Dietz and Living Banners artist Piotr Szyhalski. An excerpt from the conversation below:

“Something magical happens as we bring two words together, and Living Banners thrives in that energy…At this scale, in this particular environment, the language, the words, and all the ideas they imply, begin to feel more like a place than a story. A point of convergence where our own interpretations and thoughts connect and weave a large complicated narrative unfolding in multiple directions simultaneously.” 
– Piotr Szyhalski

Thank you to all of our artists, partners, sponsors and attendees for making both these inaugural winter events a success! These projects could not have happened without the generous support of the Minneapolis Foundation, Minneapolis Downtown Council, DID Minneapolis and Barbette.

Food Truck Vendor Application Now Open

Food Trucks at Northern Spark 2016. Photo: Max Haynes.

On June 10th, Northern Spark 2017 expects to draw 50,000 people to 7 nodes of activity along the Metro Transit light-rail Green Line. We’re seeking food trucks and local restaurants who would like to take this opportunity to showcase their menus and gain word-of-mouth buzz in addition to strong sales.

Applications are now open, and more information can be found on our website. Submissions are due February 28, 2017. Notifications and contracts will be sent to accepted vendors before the end of March. Questions should be directed to foodtrucks@northern.lights.mn.

New to Food Vending in St. Paul? Come to the Food Vendor Workshop to learn more about permit processes in St. Paul and Zero Waste / Reduced Waste initiatives. February 13, 2017, 5:30-7:00pm, Griggs Midway Building, Room S330, 1821 University Avenue West, St. Paul, MN 55104. Please RSVP to ensure there are enough materials for everyone.

Climate Change in Your Neighborhood

Marina Zurkow, Cranes awaiting assignments. View from the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, Queens, New York, 2016

“North Brooklyn and SE Queens are in the midst of a seemingly endless building boom. The proximity to Manhattan, the preponderance of small lots, eager developers, old-time residents willing to sell, and new clients willing to pay high rental and condo prices, as well as the lifting of some zoning restrictions, are contributing to a maxed-out  neighborhood in which the rate of transience is high, and therefore environmental citizenship is low.”
– Marina Zurkow

View more images on our tumblr by photographers from around the world documenting climate change on a local level.

B-Lectric

Northern Lights.mn sees winter as a defining key to our cultural imagination, one that must be cherished even as its existence is threatened by global climate change. That’s why we’re teaming up with Uptown’s French bistro, Barbette, to host B-Lectric, a winter celebration of art and light this January.

During this one-day winter street festival, Northern Lights.mn will construct custom ice walls that, at sunset, will become projection screens for a variety of light-based projects. Highlights include Joshua McGarvey’s Ice Fall-Feel the Change, a favorite of Northern Spark 2016, which allows audiences to feel glaciers calving as they lean back into sound beds. A documentary compilation by local curator Graci Horne showcasing new footage from the ongoing pipeline resistance at Standing Rock, North Dakota will be joined by short films from Wapikoni, a mobile recording studio that travels to First Nation communities in Canada.

In addition, Art Shanty Projects will transform surfaces into creative community spaces that are part art gallery and part social experiment. To round out the afternoon, there will be DJ sets, performances, and mini obstacle courses, along with delicious food and warm cocktails. B-Lectric is a proud part of the Great Northern festival.

Date: Sunday, January 29th

Time: 4:30 – 9pm (projections light up at 5:30pm)

Location: Outside at Barbette, 1600 W Lake Street Minneapolis, MN

Cost: Free (food and beverage available for purchase)

Bringing The Great Northern to Nicollet Ave

Photo courtesy of Piotr Szyhalski

Join Northern Lights.mn as we team up with The Minneapolis Foundation and the Downtown Council to bring Living Banners by Piotr Szyhalski to Nicollet Mall. This sweeping, poetry-inspired art installation will be on display Jan. 30 – Feb. 10, “wrapping” Nicollet Ave between 5th and 12th streets, along with short poems about winter by local writers flashing across electronic road construction signs. These word-laden works will kick off with a spectacular recorded sound and light show in partnership with the Minnesota Orchestra and University of MN student engineers on Peavey Plaza Monday, Jan. 30, with four showings throughout the evening. Everyone is invited to bundle up and join the musical magic as part of The Great Northern festival, celebrating all things winter in Minneapolis and Saint Paul.

Date: Monday, January 30 – Friday, February 10
January 30th, opening sound and light shows, Peavey Plaza, 5:20, 6:20, 7:20, 8:20pm

Location: Nicollet Mall between 5th and 12th St in Downtown Minneapolis

Cost: Free

Finalists selected for Creative City Challenge 2017

Three teams have been selected as finalists for the 2017 Creative City Challenge. This year artists were asked to propose projects following the theme of Climate Chaos | Climate Rising. Later this month these teams will present their full proposals to a jury, which will select the winner to install their project on The Commons and to be unveiled at Northern Spark on June 10, 2017.

Christine Baeumler with Backyard Phenology Team and the Illuminated Reef Collective / BareBones Productions, Multi-Species Menagerie: An Urban Adventure in the Anthropocene

Christine Baeumler with Backyard Phenology Team and the Illuminated Reef Collective / BareBones Productions proposes the Multi-Species Menagerie, an exploration of the presence and absence of species in the urban environment of the Anthropocene. The project includes a phenology trail that provides opportunities for people to observe species in the urban core, and makes visible the species that have or could disappear from Minnesota while symbolically welcoming back species through participatory performance, storytelling, and dance.

MINN_LAB, Orbacles

MINN_LAB’s Orbacles, is a triad of anthropomorphic spheres that interact with visitors around climate change through the language of our senses. The orbs change the space around them through light, sound and projection in response to natural and human inputs, spurring recognition, contemplation, familiarity, questioning, conversation, and response.

Wil Natzel, Thinning Arctic Ice Pavilion

Wil Natzel’s Thinning Arctic Ice Pavilion is inspired by the effect of climate changes on the arctic ice sheet. This spectacular and immersive architecture pavilion provides visitors with an experience that will inspire them to perceive and contemplate the thinning Arctic ice caused by rising temperatures.

Save the Date: AAA and Mizna Journal Release

Meraj Chaya, Dubai from the air, is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

On February 23, 2017 we’re teaming up with long-time Northern Spark partner Mizna to present a panel discussion on the often overlooked topic of the environment in the Arab world and its intersections in Arab America. Led by Gary Paul Nabhan, the internationally-celebrated nature writer, agrarian activist, and ethnobiologist, this event serves as the release party for the Winter edition of Mizna’s journal, also edited by Nabhan and focused on this topic. Hosted by Studio Z in Lowertown, St. Paul.

Read more about past Anthropocene Awareness Association events here, and how to become an AAA member!

The Launch Party kicks off Northern Spark with ZULUZULUU

Image courtesy of the artists

Dreaming of summer concerts? Come to the Launch Party on June 10 from 7-9pm to hear one of the most highly-awarded local musicians of 2016.

ZULUZULUU is Minneapolis-based collective of artists MMYYKK, Proper T, Greg Grease, DJ Just Nine, ∆RT P∆RTÉ & Trelly Mo. They come to the stage armed with various synths, drum machines, and instruments set out to bring an exploratory modern sound influenced by the greats of funk, soul, and jazz with electronic excursions, hard grooves, Afro-futurism and soulful melodies.

Launch Party tickets are on sale now!

Due Soon: Northern Spark Artist Opportunities

Robin Garwood, Wishing Well (one of the many projects that we selected from last year’s open call process) Northern Spark 2016 Photo: Max Haynes.

Last call for Northern Spark artist project proposals! On the night of June 10th, the Light Rail Green Line will become the creative spine of the festival, uniting neighborhoods in Minneapolis and Saint Paul under the banner of Climate Chaos | Climate Rising. All along the Green Line, neighborhoods will light up with participatory art projects, weaving global questions about climate change into the fabric of community celebrations.

Our artist calls for Northern Spark 2017 are currently open, but the deadline for submissions is swiftly approaching. Make sure to check out all of our available opportunities and apply before 9pm on Monday, January 16th! Check out our Artist Opportunities page for the full list.

Due Soon: Art(ists) on the Verge 9

Asia Ward, Subterranean, AOV4 Photo: Rik Sferra

The call for Art(ists) on the Verge 9 (AOV9) is now open. AOV9 will take place from March 2017 – April 2018.

Art(ists) On the Verge is an intensive, mentor-based fellowship program for 5 Minnesota-based, emerging artists or artist groups working experimentally at the intersection of art, technology, and digital culture with a focus on network-based practices that are interactive and/or participatory. Links to past AOV programs and fellows’ work can be found here.

Find out more about application criteria and read the call here.

Deadline is approaching soon:  Monday, January 16, 2016, 9:30pm, CST.

AOV is generously supported by the Jerome Foundation.

Food Truck Vendor Application Opening Soon

As a festive addition to Northern Spark 2017, Twin Cities based food trucks are invited to participate in the festival taking place Saturday, June 10, 8:59pm – Sunday, June 11, 5:26am. With an expected 50,000 people participating in 7 nodes of activity along the Metro Transit Lightrail Green Line, vendors will have ample opportunity to showcase their menus and gain word-of-mouth buzz in addition to strong sales.

Applications will open in mid-January from a link found on our website. Submissions are due February 28, 2017. Notifications and contracts will be sent to accepted vendors before the end of March. Questions should be directed to foodtrucks@northern.lights.mn.

Climate Change in Your Neighborhood

Marcus Neustetter, Night Creatures

“Photographed during a performance by Marcus Neustetter in collaboration with researchers studying the flammability of plants in the Eastern Cape (South Africa) in a research station with five diverse biomes that have shifting data based on climate change…”

View more images on our tumblr by photographers from around the world documenting climate change on a local level.

Projects We Like

– The City of Minneapolis Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy program is seeking three artists/designers or teams (maximum of two artists/designers per team) to participate in Creative CityMaking Minneapolis (CCM), a program that pairs staff in City of Minneapolis departments with experienced community artists/designers to advance the City’s goal of eliminating economic and racial disparities. Read the complete call for artists on the website here or this pdf.

Apply for Art(ists) on the Verge 9

Joshua D. McGarvey, Soap Antenna for the Sun, AOV7 fellowship. Photo: Rik Sferra

The call for Art(ists) on the Verge 9 (AOV9) is now open. AOV9 will take place from March 2017 – April 2018.

Art(ists) On the Verge is an intensive, mentor-based fellowship program for 5 Minnesota-based, emerging artists or artist groups working experimentally at the intersection of art, technology, and digital culture with a focus on network-based practices that are interactive and/or participatory. Links to past AOV programs and fellows’ work can be found here.

We will be holding open office hours (optional) where you can get feedback on your proposal next Tuesday, December 13 (RSVP here) and Thursday, January 5 (RSVP here), at 6:00pm. Office hours will be held at the Soap Factory, 514 2nd St SE, Minneapolis, 55414.

Find out more about application criteria and read the call here.
Deadline:  Monday, January 16, 2016, 9:30pm, CST.

AOV is generously supported by the Jerome Foundation.

Support Northern Spark

Aniccha Arts, Census, Northern Spark 2016. Photo: Max Haynes

“Northern Spark this year provoked more reflecting and connecting than it has in past years for me. I also think that there is significant potential for art to powerfully impact the way that people feel about climate change, and that this year’s Northern Spark was a powerful example of that.” –Northern Spark 2016 attendee

As you consider your year-end giving, help us meet our goals for Northern Spark in 2017, either through a donation or through advance purchase of tickets to the Northern Spark Launch Party.

This year with our partners at West Bank Business Association, African Economic Development Solutions, Asian Economic Development Association, and Aurora St. Anthony Neighborhood Development Corporation, we will be bringing Northern Spark – and you – to the West Bank, Little Africa, Little Mekong, and Rondo neighborhoods along the Green Line, as well as The Commons in Minneapolis, Lowertown Saint Paul, and the Weisman Art Museum. An epic journey awaits, with more than 75 artist projects exploring the effects of climate change and what we can do about them.

We have secured generous support from The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Bush Foundation, the Carolyn Foundation, the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Cultural STAR Program, the City of Minneapolis, and from our sponsors, but we are counting on individual support to raise an additional $25,000 and sell 400 tickets to the Launch Party Fundraiser.

AAA Takes Off!

Kathy Jetnil Kijiner, Ahmed Yusuf, Brittany Lynch and Tom LeBlanc AAA: Words for a Warming Planet. Photo: Climate Generation

Our third installment of the Anthropocene Awareness Association, Emergent Ecologies, was characterized by cold beer and warm conversations. Our featured speaker, Eben Kirksey, took his audience on an anecdotal journey to resilient communities in the Costa Rican rainforest, where he conducted his anthropological research in emergent ecologies. Instead of leaning into the doomsday narrative of climate change, Kirksey pointed to a hopeful future where opportunistic plant, animal and human networks will flourish symbiotically. The timing of his talk made the message all the more uplifting to hear.

On November 29 we gathered again to listen to Words for a Warming Planet, a poetry reading and discussion with four poets speaking to issues of care for the earth and all its inhabitants. Ahmed Yusuf, Brittany Lynch and Thomas LaBlanc recited works both personal and historic about their cultural connections to climate, nature, humanity and the sacred. Marshall Islands-based poet Kathy Jetnil – Kijiner followed with two powerful pieces and talked about her own pathway to climate awareness that began –and continues– with a fight for her homeland to stay above water.  Brittany Lynch moderated an inspiring conversation with the poets and attendees.

A huge thanks to our partner Climate Generation for bringing Kathy to town and to All My Relations Gallery for hosting. All AAA memberships sold on Nov 29 are being donated to the water protectors at Standing Rock.

We’re working to nail down the details of the next AAA coming your way in early 2017. Stay tuned.

Climate Change in Your Neighborhood

Ash Adams, from Kivalina series

“These images are from a long-term project I’m working on in the village of Kivalina, Alaska, the place where my father-in-law grew up and one of the villages in the Arctic experiencing the harshest consequences of climate change. I decided to start working in this village because of what I haven’t seen covered well on villages like Kivalina–the slow, rich, beauty of this kind of pastoral life. The slow, quiet, non-sensationalist violence of climate change. The postcolonial sheen over beautiful places like this that indicate that this is not the first time their culture has needed to make decisions to survive a powerful force.

Lucy Adams, 83, moved to Kivalina in 1943 from Point Lay. Her family was one of the prominent whaling families in the village. ‘People in Kivalina can’t go out whaling like they used to,’ Adams says. ‘It’s too dangerous.’” – Ash Adams

View more images by photographers from around the world documenting climate change on a local level.

Northern Spark Artist Opportunities

Riley Kane and Mike Haeg, The Change Booth, Northern Spark 2016. Photo: Dusty Hoskovec.

Our artist calls for Northern Spark 2017 are open for submissions! Deadlines are swiftly approaching in January – make sure to check out all of our available opportunities and apply soon!

On the night of June 10th, the Light Rail Green Line will become the creative spine of the festival, uniting neighborhoods in Minneapolis and Saint Paul under the banner of Climate Chaos | Climate Rising. We are now seeking artists proposals for multiple calls. Check out our Artist Opportunities page for the full list.

If you have questions about the artist calls or the specific sites available for Northern Spark, we encourage you to join us at one of our last two information sessions that we have coming up:

– Tues, December 13th 7-8:30pm. For Artworks in Any Medium, Lowertown, and Climate Rising Collaboration Northern Lights.mn office: The Soap Factory, 514 2nd St SE, Minneapolis – Facebook event

– Thurs, January 5th 7-8:30pm. For Artworks in Any Medium, Lowertown, and Climate Rising Collaboration Northern Lights.mn office: The Soap Factory, 514 2nd St SE, Minneapolis- Facebook event

We’re Hiring!

We are looking for applications for two open positions for Northern Spark 2017.

– The Assistant Producer for Northern Spark helps to support the production team, working closely with the Producer and Technical Director and managing crews on the night of the festival. View more information and apply for the Northern Spark Assistant Producer position here.

– The Technical Director for Northern Spark is responsible for electricity, A/V, projection, staging, and lighting for the festival. View more information and apply for the Northern Spark Technical Director position here.

A Message From Our Staff

Dear Reader,

You could say that Tuesday night we experienced the political equivalent of a 1,000 year storm, a storm that seemed to come out of nowhere but that in reality is something we made. It is dismaying to contemplate a government that acts as if climate change is a hoax when we can see it in our everyday lives – a longer growing season, first frost, last bloom, invasive species overwintering. We can lament what is happening politically and environmentally – and we do – but we must also consider when to resist, how to mitigate the effects, adapt to the reality of the situation, and, frankly, Make the Best of It.

This is why artists are so important. They – you – help us all think and see and feel differently about the world we are in. And inspire us to change. But while individual action is critical to combatting climate change, it will never be enough. We need to hack systemically and act together to create a hopeful chorus of collective action. It’s not just the climate that is rising, we are.

–Northern Spark 2017 staff
Molly Balcom Raleigh, Leslie Barlow, Dawn Bentley, Steve Dietz, Emily Janisch, Ady Olson, Sarah Peters, Matthew Rezac, Sara Shives, Tyler Stefanich, Elle Thoni, Teeko Yang

AAA: Emergent Ecologies November 17th

Tokyo Skytree by IQRemix [Flickr] is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

AAA: Emergent Ecologies
November 17th, 7pm
Fulton Taproom
414 6th Ave N, Minneapolis
Facebook event

On November 17th join Eben Kirksey, author of Emergent Ecologies, for a conversation about how we can reject climate change doomsday scenarios and instead find possibilities in the symbiotic associations of opportunistic plants, animals, and microbes now flourishing in unexpected places. Emergent Ecologies uses artwork and contemporary philosophy to illustrate hopeful opportunities and reframe key problems in conservation biology such as invasive species, extinction, environmental management, and reforestation.

Emergent Ecologies is a part of our monthly Anthropocene Awareness Association meetup series. AAA is a sometimes club, sometimes support group, always happy hour to discuss issues related to the core ideas of Climate Chaos | Climate Rising, led by invited speakers from various related fields in art, science and their intertwinings.

AAA: Words for a Warming Planet November 30th

Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner, courtesy of the artist

AAA: Words for a Warming Planet
November 30th, 7pm
All My Relations Gallery
1414 E Franklin Ave, Minneapolis
Facebook event

How does poetry give voice to climate change?

Northern Lights.mn and Climate Generation: A Will Steger Legacy is proud to present a special evening of poetry and discussion on that very topic. Marshall Islands spoken word artist Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner will perform poems inspired by her people’s experience of climate change: rising tides, forced migration and adaptation. Twin Cities poets will join Kathy to share their words and then discuss ways to represent the complex issue of climate change through the creative word. As with all AAA gatherings, this event is free and open to the public.

Water Quality Support Group and Dance Party November 19th

Plotform, Water Quality Sing-Along, Mill Ruins Park, Northern Spark 2016. Photo: Max Haynes.

Water Support Group & Dance Party
Saturday, November 19th at 7pm
Water Bar and Public Studio
2516 Central Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418
Facebook Event

Plotform, the artist collective behind the 2016 Northern Spark project Water Quality Sing-Along, will be hosting a Water Support Group followed by a dance party at the Water Bar in Minneapolis. The event will feature an evening of storytellers who will share personal short stories of nitrate-affected water that highlight water crisis, failure, challenge, solution, and more. The goal: to paint a rich and varied picture of all of the ways that we are agents as well as victims of the nutrient pollution that impacts the health of freshwater throughout the state. Come and hear stories, drink water and dance!

November’s Northern Spark Book Club

Hennepin County Library staff with Jon Mac Cole, Olli Johnson, David Pisa, Nico Swenson, Michael Torsch, and Rhiana Yazzie, The Night Library, Northern Spark 2016. Photo: Jayme Halbritter.

Sci-Fi Book Club
November 19th, 12:30 p.m.
Sheridan Meeting Room – Pierre Bottineau Library
Facebook event information here

Join us on Saturday, November 19th at 12:30pm, for our third and final Northern Spark Book Club meet up! This fall three library book clubs continue to investigate the 2016-2017 Northern Spark theme of Climate Chaos, Climate Rising, which was explored in detail at The Night Library. In this continued partnership, the book clubs discuss climate change in literature as it relates to the books they have selected.

November’s selection is the novel Dune by Frank Herbert.
“Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who would become the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib. He would avenge the traitorous plot against his noble family–and would bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream.”–Dune, Frank Herbert

Give to the Max Day – Schedule Your Gift

You know that Northern Lights.mn is a catalyst for innovation and creativity in public space — we support artists working on the frontiers of technology and new media, encouraging them to speak to issues relevant to our time, including global climate change.

But you may NOT know about Give to the Max Day: it’s our final goal on the road to realizing the Climate Chaos | Climate Rising curatorial project at Northern Spark 2017. We’re asking for at least 75 people to support Northern Lights.mn on Thursday, November 17 for Give to the Max Day.

You can contribute $40, $100, or whatever you’d like — Every dollar you contribute supports climate-focused artist projects at our biggest festival yet — Northern Spark 2017.

Please put Northern Lights.mn on your Give to the Max Day list and consider scheduling your gift now!

Deadline approaching for the Creative City Challenge

Christopher Lutter, Heid E. Erdrich, Coal Dorius, Kim Ford, Paul Tinetti, Karl Stoerzinger, and Ian Knodel, Wolf and Moose — 2016 Creative City Challenge winner, Northern Spark 2016. Photo: Jayme Halbritter.

The deadline for the fifth annual Creative City Challenge has been extended and we are accepting entries now through December 5 based on the theme Climate Chaos | Climate Rising.

The Creative City Challenge is a competition for Minnesota-resident architects, landscape architects, urban designers, planners, engineers, scientists, artists, students and individuals of all backgrounds to create and install a temporary, destination artwork, which acts as a sociable and participatory platform for 2 months of onsite programming. The Commons is located at 521 East 4th Street. across from the US Bank Stadium. The winning Creative City Challenge proposal will receive a $50,000 fee to execute the project.

The deadline for proposals is December 5. You can view the Creative City Challenge call, along with our other artist open calls, on our Artist Opportunities page.

Our Creative City Challenge Info Session is scheduled for next week!
Tuesday, November 15th, 6 – 7:30pm
The Soap Factory
514 2nd St SE, Minneapolis

AOV9

Jessica R. Henderson, here i am am i here, AOV7 fellowship. Photo: Rik Sferra

We are pleased to announce a call for a ninth round of Art(ists) on the Verge commissions (AOV9), which will take place from March 2017 – April 2018.

Art(ists) On the Verge is an intensive, mentor-based fellowship program for 5 Minnesota-based, emerging artists or artist groups working experimentally at the intersection of art, technology, and digital culture with a focus on network-based practices that are interactive and/or participatory. Links to past AOV programs and fellows’ work can be found here.

We will be holding two information sessions (optional) for this call on Tuesday December 13th 6-7pm and Thursday January 5th 6-7pm at the Soap Factory, 514 2nd St SE in Minneapolis.

Find out more about application criteria and read the call here.
Deadline:  Monday, January 16, 2016, 9:30pm, CST.

AOV is generously supported by the Jerome Foundation.

Northern Spark 2017 Artist Opportunities

Yes, Let’s!, Climate Carnival, Northern Spark 2016. Photo: Dusty Hoskovec.

Our artist calls for Northern Spark 2017 are now open for submissions! On the night of June 10th, the Light Rail Green Line will become the creative spine of the festival, uniting neighborhoods in Minneapolis and Saint Paul under the banner of Climate Chaos | Climate Rising. We are now seeking artists proposals for multiple calls, so be sure to check our Artist Opportunities page for the full list.

We encourage you to join us at one of our upcoming workshops or info sessions. We’ll dive into the details of the open calls, answer any questions, and have information about specific sites available.

– Mon, November 14th 6pm-8pm West Bank / Cedar Riverside Open Call  Brian Coyle: 420 15th Ave. S, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55454 – Facebook event

– Tues, November 15th, 6 pm-7:30pm Creative City Challenge  Northern Lights.mn office: The Soap Factory, 514 2nd St SE, Minneapolis – Facebook event

– Tues, December 13th 7-8:30pm. For Artworks in Any Medium, Lowertown, and other opportunities Northern Lights.mn office: The Soap Factory, 514 2nd St SE, Minneapolis – Facebook event

– Thurs, January 5th 7-8:30pm. For Artworks in Any Medium, Lowertown, and other opportunities  Northern Lights.mn office: The Soap Factory, 514 2nd St SE, Minneapolis- Facebook event

Climate Change in Your Neighborhood

Annie Griffiths, Aerial View of the Colorado River Delta in Baja, California

“By the time it reaches the Sea of Cortez, the mighty Colorado River has been siphoned off by so many sources that it’s little more than a trickle.” –Annie Griffiths

Annie Griffiths is a photographer for National Geographic and the executive director/founder of @rippleeffectimages. Help a Woman | Help the Planet

View more photographs on our Neighborhood Climate Change tumblr.

We’re Hiring!

Are you someone who loves to get people excited about volunteering? Join our team! We’re looking for a Volunteer Coordinator to recruit, schedule and train Northern Spark festival volunteers. Find out more information here. Applications are due Monday, November 21.

In The News

Congratulations 2016 Upper Midwest Emmy® recipients, including our friends over at The Lowertown Line, who won an award for their Twin Cities PBS episode featuring Cloud Cult at Northern Spark 2015! More details on the event and winners here.

Projects We Like

Dream Disaster: The sinking ship of love in the anthropocene is a performance and sales pitch for a destination wedding that explores the contradictions of capitalist consumption in an age of environmental collapse. This exhibition at the Soap Factory runs Nov. 12 – Dec. 18, with an opening reception and performance Nov 12, 7-11pm. Email Joni if you’re interested in being a volunteer performer: joni@soapfactory.org

Announcing the Fifth Annual Creative City Challenge

Christopher Lutter, Heid E. Erdrich, Coal Dorius, Kim Ford, Paul Tinetti, Karl Stoerzinger, and Ian Knodel, Wolf and Moose — 2016 Creative City Challenge winner. Photo: Jayme Halbritter.

The Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy Program of the City of Minneapolis in collaboration with The Commons and Northern Lights.mn and the Northern Spark festival, announce the fifth annual Creative City Challenge based on the theme Climate Chaos | Climate Rising.

The Creative City Challenge is conceived as a showcase for local creative talent, Minneapolis community identities and a tangible symbol of the complex narratives that make up the many stories within our urban landscape. The Challenge is a competition for Minnesota-resident architects, landscape architects, urban designers, planners, engineers, scientists, artists, students and individuals of all backgrounds to create and install a temporary, destination artwork, which acts as a sociable and participatory platform for 2 months of onsite programming. The Commons is located at 521 East 4th Street. across from the US Bank Stadium. The winning Creative City Challenge proposal will receive a $50,000 commission to execute the project.

“Creative City Challenge has established itself over the past four years as an inspiring example of Minneapolis artists’ innovative spirit and talent,” said Mayor Betsy Hodges. “Heading into the fifth year, I’m excited to see what the creative people of Minneapolis come up with this time.”

Entries are being accepted now through November 28, 2016. You can view the Creative City Challenge call, along with our other artist open calls, on our Artist Opportunities page.

Also – Save the Date for our Creative City Challenge Info Session!
Tuesday, November 15th, 6 – 7:30pm
The Soap Factory
514 2nd St SE, Minneapolis

Climate Rising Collaboration Open Call

Robin Garwood, Wishing Well, Northern Spark 2016. Photo: Max Haynes.

Northern Lights.mn is excited to announce that we are now seeking artist proposals for the Climate Rising Collaboration projects for Northern Spark 2017 on June 10th. For this opportunity, artists will team up with one of 6 Partner Organizations to address a local, national or global climate change issue related to their specific mission through the creation and presentation of a Northern Spark project. For more information about this opportunity, and to view our complete list of open calls, please visit our Artist Opportunities page.

Additional Artist Open Calls for Northern Spark 2017

Robin Schwartzman and Desiree Moore, Minnesotan Ice, Northern Spark 2016. Photo: Dusty Hoskovec.

In case you missed our newsletter a couple weeks ago, our artist open calls for Northern Spark 2017 are now live!

The night of June 10th, the Light Rail Green Line will become the creative spine of the festival, uniting neighborhoods in Minneapolis and Saint Paul under the banner of Climate Chaos | Climate Rising. We are now seeking artists proposals for multiple calls, so be sure to check our Artist Opportunities page for the full list.

Upcoming Workshops / Info Sessions for Open Calls

Illuminated Reef Collective, The Illuminated Reef, Northern Spark 2016. Photo: Max Haynes.

Planning to submit to one of our artist open calls? We encourage you to join us at one of our upcoming workshops or info sessions. We’ll dive into the details of the open calls, answer any questions, and have information about specific sites available.

For West Bank, Little Africa and Little Mekong Open Calls:

– Wed, November 2nd, 5:30pm-8:30pm in Little Africa district – Facebook event
– Wed, November 9th, 5:30pm-8:30pm in Little Mekong District – Facebook event
– Mon, November 14th 6pm-8pm in West Bank / Cedar Riverside – Facebook event

For updates on locations, sign up here.

– Tues, November 15th, 6 pm-7:30pm Creative City Challenge Northern Lights.mn office: The Soap Factory, 514 2nd St SE, Minneapolis – Facebook event

– Tues, December 13th 7-8:30pm. For Artworks in Any Medium, Lowertown, and other opportunities Northern Lights.mn office: The Soap Factory, 514 2nd St SE, Minneapolis – Facebook event

– Thurs, January 5th 7-8:30pm. For Artworks in Any Medium, Lowertown, and other opportunities  Northern Lights.mn office: The Soap Factory, 514 2nd St SE, Minneapolis – Facebook event

We’re Hiring!

Are you a people person who loves to get people excited about volunteering? Join our team! We’re looking for a Volunteer Coordinator to recruit, schedule and train Northern Spark festival volunteers. Find out more information here. Applications are due Monday, November 21.

Climate Change in your Neighborhood

Areca Roe, Wandering (Self as Maple), 2016

“Climate change is shifting the borders of biomes, necessitating the movement of plants and trees as well. These trees can’t move and adapt as quickly to change as creatures with legs, but they still manage to migrate slowly via their offspring. Many tree species in my state of Minnesota, such as maples trees, are already shifting their ranges due to climate change. In this photo I imagine a maple tree uprooting itself, traveling to a new range and plopping down, then taking root in a more comfortable clime.” –Areca Roe

What are the signs of climate change that you notice when you are riding your bike to the grocery store or walking your dog in the evening or in your garden out your back door or that place you’ve always vacationed for the last decade? What are the steps your friends are taking to limit their carbon footprint? What are some of the actions you see neighborhood organizations taking to mitigate climate change?

We invite you to send us your photographs of climate change in your neighborhood. We will select the best to join with the other photographers already invited to participate.

Send the following to: NCC@northern.lights.mn

• Image

• Artist name, Title, Date

• Caption/text

• One sentence “bio.”

• Your Instagram account or website

All photographs will be published with a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.

October AAA: What is the Anthropocene?

Photo: Beyond Neon, Worried Snow Monkey, [Flickr] is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

AAA: What is the Anthropocene?
Wednesday, October 19th, 7-8pm
Fulton Taproom
414 6th Ave N, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401
Facebook event

Perhaps you’ve heard of our new club AAA: Anthropocene Awareness Association, and maybe you’ve been at a party and overheard someone using the descriptor “anthropogenic.” (Or you yourself have boldly spoken of such.) What do these terms really mean?  What do we make of a new scientific era, who created this term and why, and use does it have in a broader understanding of our relationship to the rest of the world?

Toss back a Fulton brew and join the discussion with three area scholars who will share their take on the meaning — and value — of the anthropocene.

Matthew Tucker is a designer with a strong background in ecologically and culturally sensitive site design that is informed by the changing patterns and processes of place.

Roopali Padke’s research and teaching is at the nexus of environmental studies, international development and science and technology studies with current research on private and public development of water and energy resources.

Kyungsoo Yoo studies genesis of soils. His research goal is to understand interactions among minerals, organic matter, and organisms as they move in soils and across landscapes and to understand how these interactions have been altered by humans.

Jessica Hellman directs the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota and researches global change ecology and climate adaptation.

Become a member of AAA and receive your bonafide club patch! Available along with a Fulton beer of your choice for only $10 at the event.

Save the Date for the next meeting of AAA: November 17th, 7 pm with Eben Kirksey, author of Emergent Ecologies.

Announcing Artist Opportunities for Northern Spark 2017

Cedarside 2016 Artists with Muna Ahmed, Blessing the Boats. Photo: Dusty Hoskovec.

Northern Lights.mn is thrilled to announce the launch of our artist open calls for Northern Spark 2017. The festival, which will take place on Saturday, June 10th, will be the culmination of a full-year of urgent & imaginative programming around the theme of Climate Chaos | Climate Rising. The Light Rail Green Line will act as the creative spine of the festival, spanning US Bank Stadium in Downtown Minneapolis and CHS Field Stadium in Lowertown, Saint Paul. All along the Green Line, neighborhoods will light up with participatory art projects, weaving global questions about climate change into the fabric of community celebrations. Even trains themselves will be animated by artists throughout the night, making the entire festival experience feel like one unforgettable ride.

This year, we have several open calls ranging in medium and scale, and focusing on different communities. Please note that deadlines vary by call. Basic descriptions are listed below, to read our calls in full, please visit our website. Submissions links will also be posted there.

Open Call Categories:

Artworks in Any Medium – projects in any medium that relate to Climate Chaos | Climate Rising, to be presented at selected stations – due January 16th, 2017

West Bank, Little Africa and Little Mekong – projects in any medium by artists of color and indigenous artists with cultural connections to West Bank, Little Africa and Little Mekong neighborhoods – due January 16th, 2017

Lowertown – projects in any medium designed for sites in the Lowertown neighborhood – due January 16th, 2017

Stay tuned for more artist opportunities coming soon.
If you are planning on submitting a proposal and would like to receive relevant open call updates, please e-mail submissions@northern.lights.mn.

Northern Spark Workshops for Artists

Northern Lights.mn and our festival partners are conducting workshops for artists who are interested in submitting proposals to Northern Spark 2017 Climate Chaos | Climate Rising. Each workshop will include information on climate change and a walk through the open call process with tips for more successful artist submissions. Workshops will be located in the vicinity of our core partners’ business district.

Workshop dates:

– November 2nd, 5:30pm-8:30pm, Little Africa District: African Economic Development Solutions (AEDS)

– November 9th, 5:30pm-8:30pm, Little Mekong District: Asian Economic Development Association (AEDA)

– November 14th, 6pm-8pm, West Bank: Cedar-Riverside Neighborhood: West Bank Business Association (WBBA)

Please sign up here for updates on locations and additional information.

Northern Lights.mn is excited to welcome our first-ever Northern Spark 2017 Program Council!

When we received Knight Foundation support to site Northern Spark 2017 along the Green Line, Northern Lights.mn decided to work in a different way to plan the festival: we wanted to engage neighborhoods and cultural communities directly.

In the spirit of forging these new relationships, we’ve assembled Northern Spark’s first-ever Program Council, made up of 9 artists with cultural connections to neighborhoods on the Green Line where the festival programming will take place: West Bank, Little Africaand Little Mekong. Their role is to work with Northern Spark staff to shape the open call process, jury projects, and encourage greater participation and neighborhood engagement. We are incredibly lucky to work with, support, and partner with such great visionaries. Please find their brief bio and photos below, with more info here on our website.

Adan Dirie
Adan is a poet who writes in his native Somali language. He is an active member of his community and a full-time student. Connect with Adan on Facebook.

Sara Endalew
Sara was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and attended Addis Ababa University Fine Arts School with a degree in sculpture and painting. She has participated in several exhibition shows with various local and international institutions in Ethiopia. She moved to the U.S. in 2006 and has continued her artistic pursuits.

Graci Horne
Hapistinna Graci Horne, better known as Graci, was born and raised in MN. Her bands are the Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota people and Hunkpapa Lakota/Dakota people. She holds a degree in Museum Studies from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, NM and is an expert in exhibition design, planning, and curation, as well as educational programming. Connect with Graci at hgracihorne@gmail.com.

Filsan Ibrahim
Filsan is a environmentalist, community organizer, and an instigator for change. She hopes to use her voice to improve lives of those in her community, especially on the importance of being engaged in the entire process of democracy. Connect with Filsan on Facebook.

Pa Na Lor
Pa Na Lor is a storyteller working in an array of multimedia and experimental animation to tell her stories – grand or miniscule. Currently, she is creating an experimental animation through digital collaging, hand-drawn and paint-on-glass animation, printmaking and painting. She currently resides in Saint Paul, MN. Connect with Pa Na on Facebook.

Brittany Lynch
Brittany Lynch is a poet, TV/radio personality, actress, entrepreneur, creative consultant and community organizer. Star Tribune declared her one of the “Most Influential Black Young Leaders of the Twin Cities.” Her skills are truly limitless. Connect with Brittany through twitter @heymissbrit.

Sagirah Shahid
Sagirah Shahid is a poet by way of Minneapolis. She is a 2015-2016 winner of the Loft Literary Center’s Mentor Series Award in poetry. Sagirah’s work has been published widely, including in Mizna, Alyss, Qu and The Fem Literary Magazine. Sagirah is an editor at the Saint Paul Almanac and is currently at work writing her first book of poetry. Connect with Sagirah through twitter @sagirahs.

Aki Shibata-Pliner
Aki Shibata was born in Tokyo, Japan. She moved to the U.S. for her arts education, and graduated in 2007 with a BFA in Photography from the College of Visual Arts in St. Paul, MN. Shibata states that she “creates more places and ways to let people meet their peace.” Her artworks are an examination of her body and mind in public and gallery spaces. Connect with Aki through twitter @chibataki.

Ahmed Yusuf 
Ahmed is a writer and storyteller using his artistic work to highlight his community with his book Somalis in Minnesota, published by Minnesota Historical Society Press as part of the “People of Minnesota” series. He came to the U.S. in the late 1980s, and – despite not knowing his age – holds two degrees and is one of the Somali community’s most eloquent writers and representatives. Connect with Ahmed on his Facebook.

Northern Spark 2017 Partners Update

Let’s give a very warm welcome to our Presenting Partners for this year’s Northern Spark! Northern Spark actively engages with amazing organizations and institutions every year. Their programming contributions make the festival the vibrant night it has become.

We want to extend a special thanks to our core Green Line Neighborhood Partners:

• African Economic Development Solutions
• Asian Economic Development Association
• Twin Cities LISC
• West Bank Business Association

Here are 2017’s Presenting Partners; stay tuned as the list grows!  If you are interested in partnering with Northern Spark, send a note to partnership@northern.lights.mn

Presenting Partners
Ananya Dance Theater, ArtSpace, Bedlam Theater, City of Minneapolis – Creative City Challenge, Hennepin County Library, MCAD Sustainability Design MA, Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light, Minnesota Museum of American Art, MN Sacred Harp Singers, Patrick’s Cabaret, Saint Paul Saints, Saint Paul Public Library, Southern Theater, Studio Sendero, Studio Z, Textile Center, Twin Cities Public Television, Union Depot, UW-Stout School of Art and Design, Weisman Art Museum, Minnesota Public Radio

Climate Rising Collaboration
Center for Energy and the Environment, Climate Generation, MN350, Conservation MN, Neighborhoods Organizing for Change, TakeAction Minnesota

Climate Change in your Neighborhood

Photo: Elin O’Hara Slavick, A persimmon tree in an exclusion zone / contaminated area near Iwate Village, Fukushima, 2015

“The fruit can not be harvested or eaten. An A-bombed persimmon tree in Nagasaki that survived the 1945 A-Bomb and still bears fruit, 2016. Both trees are damaged – one invisibly, the other dramatically – but both survived the invisible and deadly levels of radiation (from a bomb in 1945 and the nuclear accident at Dai’ichi in 2011).” – Elin O’ Hara Slavick

Elin O’Hara Slavick is a conceptual photographer focusing on the invisibility of radiation and all that is lost (and what remains) as a result of nuclear weapons, power and accidents.

See more photographs at the Neighborhood Climate Change tumblr.

Plotform to Host Water Support Group and Dance Party

Plotform, Water Quality Sing-Along, Mill Ruins Park, Northern Spark 2016. Photo: Max Haynes.

Water Support Group & Dance Party
Saturday, November 19th at 7pm
Water Bar and Public Studio
2516 Central Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418

Plotform, the artist collective behind the 2016 Northern Spark project Water Quality Sing-Along, will be hosting a Water Quality Support Group followed by a dance party at the Water Bar in Minneapolis. The event will feature an evening of storytellers who will share personal short stories of nitrate-affected water that highlight water crisis, failure, challenge, solution, and more. The goal: to paint a rich and varied picture of all of the ways that we are agents as well as victims of the nutrient pollution that impacts the health of freshwater throughout the state. Come and hear stories, drink water and dance!

Projects We Like

– Hennepin County is currently seeking professional artists and technologists to volunteer to work with youth participants at What the Hack?, a one-day, free event creating opportunities for North Minneapolis youth ages 14 to 18 to learn, play and work with arts and technology. All are encouraged to join in sharing their passion and talent: Painters, programmers, inventors, illustrators, actors, sound, website and game designers, DJs, dancers, musicians, makers, 3D printers, and fashion and wearable tech designers. What the Hack? will take place Saturday, November 19, 2016 from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm at The Soap Factory. Interested? Contact Kelly Clausen with your availability and questions.

– INSTINT assembles an international roster of acclaimed creators to explore the intersection of art, technology and interaction. Located in New Orleans from January 22nd – 24th, INSTINT utitlizes presentations, discussions, workshops, show & tell, and social events, all to bring creators together in community and potential collaboration. Tickets are still available! Find out more information and register on their website.

Feeling Overwhelmed about Climate Change? Join AAA: Anthropocene Awareness Association

Image: Holbergsgade Cyclists by Tony Webster [Flickr] is licensed under CC BY 2.0

We’ve entered the Anthropocene — a new planetary age when human activities exert a dominant influence on Earth’s geology and ecosystems.

As a way of exploring (and coping) with this reality, Northern Lights.mn invites you to join the AAA: Anthropocene Awareness Association. It’s a sometimes club, sometimes support group, always happy hour to discuss issues related to the core ideas of Climate Chaos | Climate Rising: adaptation, deep time, interconnection, migration, and many others.

Our inaugural gathering will take place at 7pm on September 30th in the Art Commons of the Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center at Macalester College in St. Paul, as part of their International Roundtable on Sustainability. The Roundtable includes projects from Northern Spark by Christine Baeumler (Climate Chaser), Marina Zurkow and Valentine Cadieux (Making the Best of It), Shanai Matteson (The Water Bar), John Kim (Phase Change), and Greg Fitz (A Bend in the River). The AAA event will feature Dr. Christie Manning in a panel called “In/Action: Bridging the Science and Art of Change,” which will talk about people’s psychological and behavioral responses towards climate change and sustainability.

A little more about our presenter:

Dr. Christie Manning is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies and the Associate Director of the Educating Sustainability Ambassadors Program at Macalester College. Christie conducts yearly survey studies on Minnesotans’ attitudes toward sustainability and ecological behavior, collecting data at the State Fair in collaboration with fellow Psychologists at the University of St. Thomas.

Many thanks to our friends at Fulton Brewing for sponsoring!

Climate Reading

Our Climate Chaos | Climate Rising book clubs organized with Hennepin County Library launched earlier this month with a rousing discussion of Phillipe Squarzoni’s graphic novel Climate Changed: A Personal Journey Through the Science. Members of Nokomis Library’s graphic novel club generally agreed that the book was long on facts and short on story — falling into a common trap of over-focusing on science in a bid to change our behavior. Yet it did prompt a broader discussion on the morality, and the ethics of the decisions we make about our lives in regard to climate change.

Next month we’ll explore Barbara Kingsolver’s novel Flight Behavior, a story of climate and personal chaos as told through her intimate novel of personal journey and discovery, the intimacy of personal as told through characters in a rural Tennessee community. Check a copy out today and join us for the discussion on Thursday, October 13, 6:30pm at Oxboro Library.

IN Light IN

Jamie Pawlus, HAPPINESS. Photo: Hadley Fruits

On August 26th and 27th 27,000 people and over 2 dozen artists gathered along the banks of the canal in Downtown Indianapolis, IN, for IN Light IN, a two-night art festival in honor of the 100th anniversary of The Indianapolis Foundation. Northern Lights.mn co-presented the festival with the Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF).

Artists from Indiana, Minnesota, California, Kentucky, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Montreal presented projects in public spaces during the nighttime. Audience members were projected live onto water screens (Luke Savisky, ST/x) and their images danced across buildings (Daily tous les jours, McLarena). They basked in the glow of neon lights (Jamie Pawlus, HAPPINESS) and illuminated sculptures (Lauren Zoll, Kitsch’n Lights; Anila Quayyum Agha, Alhambra Nights; Owens + Crawley, 2058: the first September without ice; PROJECTiONE, PRISMAtique; Aphidoidea, Droplet’s Formation II) and interacted with enormous projections onto cathedrals, churches, and office buildings (YesYesNo, Night Lights / Funky Forms; Tiffany Carbonneau & Susanna Crum, A Place In Time), among numerous other live performances, music, and artworks.

Minneapolis-based artists and friends of Northern Spark were part of the action: Piotr Szyhalski presented the premier of Geophone, a project composed of live-mixed and archival recordings heard through 20 speakers buried under the ground. Robin Schwartzman and RADAR Collective presented Barter Boat, an artifact exchange point that grew from Minnesotan Ice, which premiered at Northern Spark 2016. The Illuminated Reef Collective was back with The Illuminated Reef, a great hit at this Northern Spark this year.

The night was sticky, and the crowds were awed by the energy of the IN Light IN experience. We are thankful to Joanna Nixon and CICF for allowing us to help create two great nights full of wonder.

Climate Change in your Neighborhood

Photo: Giovanni Zaffagnini, Appennines, 2016

“The total absence of rain in the summer of 2015 has almost completely drained the water course, allowing kids to play with river stones and the photographer to access areas that are generally submerged.” – Giovanni Zaffagnini

What are the signs of climate change that you notice when you are riding your bike to the grocery store or walking your dog in the evening or in your garden out your back door or that place you’ve always vacationed for the last decade? What are the steps your friends are taking to limit their carbon footprint? What are some of the actions you see neighborhood organizations taking to mitigate climate change?

We invite you to be a part of the Neighborhood Climate Change tumblr and send us your photographs of climate change in your neighborhood. We will select the best to join with the other photographers already invited to participate.

Send the following to: to NCC@northern.lights.mn

– Image
– Artist name, Title, Date
– Caption/text
– One sentence “bio.”
– Your instagram account or website

All photographs will be published with a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.

Presenting Partners Get On Board

We kicked off the festival-organizing season with an introductory meeting for Northern Spark Presenting Partners in early September hosted by Bedlam Theater. There are many ways to participate in Northern Spark as an arts, culture, or environmental-focused organization. For more info, contact partnership@northern.lights.mn

Northern Spark 2016 Report

MINN_LAB, Weather Report. Photo: Dusty Hoskovec

Remember your Northern Spark night back in June? We’ve compiled the best photos, stats, and your quotes from the festival into one sleek summary. Take a look at the report here.

In The News

An immense thank you to the Minnesota State Arts Board for awarding Northern Lights.mn an Arts Access Grant for Northern Spark 2017 along the LRT Green Line! Specifically, this grant will allow us to deepen our community engagement in three festival-featured neighborhoods: the West Bank in Minneapolis and Little Africa & Little Mekong in St. Paul. These are neighborhoods that, for generations, has been gateways for new Minnesotans, and to this day are teeming with cultural diversity and vibrance. Over the course of this year, we will create a Program Council, made up of a coalition of community stakeholders, to help us envision and enact what Northern Spark will look like in their neighborhoods. In the near future, we will also be putting out a call for arts projects specific to the West Bank, Little Africa and Little Mekong – stay tuned!
We would also like to offer exuberant congratulations to our friends and partners who were also awarded Arts Access Grants: The Cedar, Ananya Dance Theater, MSP Film Society, Minnesota Museum of American Art, and SooVAC.

Northern Lights.mn has received a Cultural STAR Grant from the City of Saint Paulto illuminate Lowertown with artists’ projects during Northern Spark 2017 along the Green Line.

INsite, a project by Luftwerk at the Farnsworth House in Plano, IL, that was commissioned by Northern Lights.mn, is covered in the Spring 2016 issue of Forum Journal in an article about Activating Historic Spaces. President + Artistic Director Steve Dietz is mentioned. Take a moment to read his captivating description of how INsite interacts with and highlights the features of the house.

Projects We Like

EDIT, a local nonprofit that empowers youth to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion, will present the Twin Cities Social Justice Arts Festival on November 5. They are currently seeking artists to participate in the festival in the areas of performance, art workshops, collaborative art stations, and films. Proposals are due TODAY, so get submit your application now.

IN Light IN

Northern Lights.mn is heading to Indianapolis! Check out IN Light IN, a historic “100 year event” in Indianapolis, August 26 and 27 from 9 pm to 1 am.

From interactive projection mapping of the largest Scottish Rite cathedral in the US to projected documentation of the oldest African American church in Indianapolis. From shadow sculptures recalling sacred Islamic spaces to illuminated floating droplets and icebergs along the canals of Indianapolis. Dance the “McLarena”, listen to 20 buried geophones, and experience a 75-foot participatory water screen projection by Northern Spark 2015 standout Luke Savisky. See all these projects and more from over a dozen artists from around the US and Canada. Northern Lights.mn co-presents with the Central Indiana Community Foundation IN Light IN, a free, two-day interactive light festival in honor of the 100th anniversary of The Indianapolis Foundation.

There’s Still Time to See Wolf and Moose!

Wolf and Moose on Vimeo. Video: Hamil Griffin-Cassidy

Wolf and Moose, winner of the 2016 Creative City Challenge, has been on display at the Minneapolis Convention Center plaza since June’s Northern Spark Festival. The interactive sculptures of a Minnesota wolf and moose have been a hit, and they’re still open for visits through October 17. Be sure to see them both in daylight and at night to witness their lighting effects.

Take a look at more Wolf and Moose images on Flickr.

Wolf and Moose was created by Christopher Lutter, Heid E. Erdrich, Coal Dorius, Kim Ford, Paul Tinetti, Karl Stoerzinger, and Ian Knodel. Creative City Challenge is presented by Minneapolis Convention Center, the Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy Program of the City of Minneapolis, and Meet Minneapolis, Convention & Visitors Association, in collaboration with Northern Lights.mn.

AAA: Stay Tuned!

We’ve entered the Anthropocene — a new planetary age when human activities exert a dominant influence on Earth’s geology and ecosystems.

As a way of exploring (and/or coping) with this reality, Northern Lights.mn invites you to join AAA: Anthropocene Awareness Association, a sometimes club, sometimes support group, always happy hour to discuss issues related to the core ideas of Climate Chaos | Climate Rising:  adaptation, deep time, interconnection, migration, perception, consumption and many others.

Join us for discussion salons, field trips, literature readings, and other events as we work towards collective and individual discovery of what it means to be human in the era of climate change.

Stay tuned for upcoming programs starting in September.

Climatic Change in your Neighborhood?

Photo: Greg Kahn, Hoopersville, 2016

“Water spills onto Hoopers Island Road, in Hoopersville, Md. during high tide. The Eastern Shore of Maryland has a rate of sea level rise that is twice the global average. The results are high tides that wash out roads connecting communities, and land that is slowly disappearing in to the Chesapeake Bay, taking with it a historic way of life. According to estimates, many communities along the Eastern Shore will be underwater in the next century.” – Greg Kahn

What are the signs of climate change that you notice when you are riding your bike to the grocery store or walking your dog in the evening or in your garden out your back door or that place you’ve always vacationed for the last decade? What are the steps your friends are taking to limit their carbon footprint? What are some of the actions you see neighborhood organizations taking to mitigate climate change?

We invite you to send us your photographs of climate change in your neighborhood. We will select the best to join with the other photographers already invited to participate.

Send the following to: to NCC@northern.lights.mn

– Image
– Artist name, Title, Date
– Caption/text
– One sentence “bio.”
– Your Instagram account or website

All photographs will be published with a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.

Keep up with our daily posts at Neighborhood Climate Change.

Northern Spark @ Summer 4Play

Yes, Lets!, Climate Carnival, Summer 4Play, Fort Snelling State Park, Photo: Leslie Barlow

On Saturday, July 30 Northern Lights.mn teamed up with Make It. MSP to bring back some of the most popular projects of Northern Spark 2016 to Summer 4Play, an afternoon at Fort Snelling State Park with the goal to connect native Minnesotans and new-comers alike with fun, seasonal related activities.

Projects we featured at Summer 4Play were: Christine Bauemler’s Backyard Phenology, Shawn McCann’s Live Chalk Drawing, Robin Schwartzman’s Minnesotan Ice, and Yes, Let’s! Climate Carnival.  Northern Spark @ Summer 4Play visitors cooled off by bartering for ice pops from the future, played climate-themed carnival games in the hopes to win their own seed bomb to take home, went on a scavenger hunt in search of new plants to identify and life cycle events to monitor, and simulated tubing down a snowy mountain in a chalk masterpiece. There was something for everyone and we enjoyed being a part of it! Thanks to the artists who brought their projects back to life and for everyone who came out to play.

Northern Spark Partner Announcement

Is your organization interested in being part of Northern Spark? We’re convening a Partners Meeting on Wednesday, September 7 at 3pm at Bedlam Theater Lowertown. Come learn about opportunities for participating as a presenting organization. This meeting is for formal or informal organizations; info sessions for individual artists are forthcoming.

If interested, please RSVP to Sarah Peters: sarah@northern.lights.mn

Staff Announcements

We’re pleased to welcome several new staff to Northern Lights.mn as we gear up for Northern Spark 2017 along the Green Line. Join us in saying hello to:

Sarah Peters, Co-Director  

Sarah has worked with Northern Spark since the beginning (in charge of curating the food trucks in 2011). In her expanded role, she will continue to focus on partners, outreach and communications as well as the conceptual direction of the festival. Sarah is also the Director of Public Engagement for Northern Lights.mn and before that was Associate Director of Education and Community Programs along with other positions at the Walker Art Center.  On summer weekends Sarah manages her public interactive art project the Floating Library.

Teeko Yang, Partnership and Outreach Coordinator

Teeko brings three years of community organizing experience to Northern Lights.mn as a Project Associate in Creative Placemaking at Asian Economic Development Association, where she led community advisory boards to organize artistic programming for the Little Mekong Night Market and other initiatives. Teeko also serves as the Art and Culture Coordinator at Impact Hub MSP and is finishing a MA in Arts and Cultural Leadership at the University of Minnesota.

Elle Thoni, Assistant Curator

Most recently Elle was the Volunteer Coordinator for Northern Spark 2016. Elle hails from the Twin Cities and recently returned from Montreal, where she was the Project Manager for The Water Shed, a live art installation by Porte Parole. At Northern Spark, she will have a wide range of responsibilities working with festival artists and maintaining the Northern Spark website. Elle is also a puppeteer and playwright working with Bedlam and In the Heart of the Beast among other local companies.

Leslie Barlow, Administrative Assistant

Leslie joined the Northern Lights.mn team in the last, hectic weeks leading up to Northern Spark 2016 and has been diving deep into projects since then. She is responsible for keeping us organized and for supporting all areas of the organization. Leslie is an active artist, who currently has a solo show up at Flow Art Space and had pieces commissioned for the new Vikings Stadium. She graduated with an MFA in Drawing and Painting from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design this spring, and she also spends her time as the Gallery Manager of Waiting Room art gallery.

We’re Hiring a Business Manager!

Northern Spark 2016. Photo: Jayme Halbritter

Help Northern Spark take care of business. We are looking for an energetic individual with good communication skills willing to sell the arts as critical to the region and help identify and implement ways for the Twin Cities community to support Northern Spark. From sponsorships to food vendors to merchandise to advertising, the Business Manager will be a key member of the Northern Spark team, helping to make this annual festival a successful and sustainable event. More information here.

Events We Like

Summer’s not over yet!

We’re excited to attend Little Africa Fest this Saturday, August 13, 3-8 pm at Hamline Park in St. Paul. Put on by a Northern Spark 2017 partner African Economic Development Solutions, this event features live music, dance, poetry, storytelling and of course, amazing food.

The River Balcony Prototyping Festival kicks off Saturday, September 10. Modeled on the successful Market Street Prototyping Festival in San Francisco, the Festival takes place from 10 am – 6 pm along Kellogg Blvd in downtown Saint Paul and is an exciting opportunity for local artists to prototype creative ways to bring the River Balcony to life and connect this major city corridor to the Mississippi.

In The News

Futures North, Phase Change, Northern Spark 2016. Photo: Max Haynes

Futures North’s project Phase Change, which premiered at Northern Spark 2016, has been named as a finalist in the SXSW Eco Place By Design Competition. Molly Reichert will be presenting the project to the jury at the conference in Austin, TX in October.

Visit Us at Summer 4Play @Fort Snelling State Park

Robin Schwartzman and Desiree Moore, Minnesotan Ice. Northern Spark 2016. Photo: Dusty Hoskovec

Northern Spark @ Summer 4Play

Saturday, July 30
at Fort Snelling State Park
11am – 4pm
More details on Facebook.

Northern Lights.mn returns to Fort Snelling State Park this July with a bevy of artist projects originally presented at this year’s Northern Spark festival. These interactive stations playfully engage you in serious subjects but who can tell, it’s a game!

Barter for an ice pop from the future, play games at the Climate Carnival, watch as a 3-D chalk drawing emerges on the sidewalk and hang out in a vintage trailer-turned-Climate Chaser recording studio.

Installations you’ll find:

Christine Bauemler, Backyard Phenology: Tracking Nature’s Cycles in a Changing Climate
Hang out in a re-habbed vintage trailer called the Climate Chaser and record your backyard or state park observations about your immediate environment. Pick up a Phenology Passport to use all year.

Shawn McCann, Live Chalk Drawing
Watch as McCann draws a 3-D world in chalk on the sidewalk over the course of the day.

Robin Schwartzman, Minnesotan Ice 
Visit a state-fair concession stand from a dystopian Minnesotan future; one where potable water is a special occasion. Follow the signs and barter for a treat that will rocket you into the ice age.

Yes Let’s, Climate Carnival 
Step up and try your hand a classic carnival games with a climate twist. Test your strength with Pedal Power, save the seals with Collateral Cleanup, guess waste metrics at the Guessing Booth, take a shot at Recycle Toss, or clean up the ocean with The Claw Cleaner.

Northern Spark @ Summer 4Play is curated and produced by Northern Lights.mn and presented by Greater MSP, Mississippi Park Connection, National Park Service, REI, and Wilderness Inquiry

Northern Spark in Pictures

Illuminated Reef Collective, The Illuminated Reef. Northern Spark 2016. Photo: Max Haynes

Photos from Northern Spark 2016 are now ready for viewing. Take a look back at your favorite projects and relive the moments from Climate Chaos | Climate Rising. And mark your calendar for next year’s festival along the Green Line on June 10, 2017.

While you’re at it, check out Make It. MSP.’s recap of Northern Spark projects.

Art(ists) on the Verge 7 Videos

Eric F. Avery, 67 simple operations, AOV7. Photo: Rik Sferra

Check out the videos of these AOV7 artists who presented projects at the Soap Factory this spring. You can see the AOV8 exhibition at the Nash Gallery in June 2017.

Call for Art Addressing Police Brutality and Racial Justice

At Northern Lights.mn we believe in the power of art in response to violence. In times when injustice is overwhelming and options seem limited, art can heal, question, bring people together, and open up possibilities for change. In this season of uncertainty and distress, it is important to create and share art addressing police brutality and racial injustice. Please consider contributing your artwork to Pollen’s call for art (due today), and let us know if you have additional opportunities we can share.

#blacklivesmatter #PhilandoCastile