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Public Address is a platform for wide-ranging discussion of innovative projects, and practices. Read here for news, announcements, and postings and sign up for our e-newsletter here.

Contemporary art is increasingly “untethered” and moves from the white cube of the gallery to any site – including the virtual – to engage the public in its own realm. Public art is an ever-expanding field of inquiry, with artists of all stripes exploring the public realm. Beyond murals, monuments, memorials (and the occasional mime) public art has become a vibrant and engaging practice. From the spectacular to the quotidian, permanent to ephemeral, sited to virtual, material to performative, conceptual to cinematic, we believe there are unprecedented opportunities for new art practices in our shared environment. This is the critical focus of Public Address.

Prairie Fire Lady Choir at Giant Sing Along
Author
mediachef
Post
08.24.2011
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I visited the State Fair yesterday to check out Giant Sing Along, the new “interactivate” project by Mouna Andraos and Melissa Mongiat. The simple wooden structures look beautiful at the top of Murphy Ave., and the field of brightly colored microphones beckons like a cornucopia of delectable somethings on a stick. Only, instead of consuming you are making beautiful music together. The microphones are connected to a sophisticated software systems that does some melding and tuning of your voice – even mine – to each song and amplifies the sound so that even a few people can belt out a rousing chorus. Choir karaoke indeed. Check out the vid below and the playlist at the end of this post.

Giant Sing Along is open all day every day during the Minnesota State Fair, but do join us for a special performance by the Prairie Fire Lady Choir at 5 pm on Saturday, August 27.

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Hold hands with a stranger
Author
mediachef
Post
08.23.2011
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Amanda Lovelee’s Call and Answer Project was an epic success at Northern Spark.

Call and Answer at Minnesota Center for Book Arts, Northern Spark, June 4, 2011. Photo courtesy the artist.

According to Amanda,

“We reached all our goals and went far beyond. In one evening we served over 400 pieces of pie in two hours, printed 2000 books, had close to 50 amazing volunteers who did everything from bake pie, photograph, cut pie, make coffee, run a letter press, greet people at the door, read their poetry, play in the band, and call a square dance! I think about 1,500 people came through the doors of the Minnesota Center for Book Arts and at least 500 strangers held hands!!!!”

Amanda is going for it again.

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Machine Project Summer Jubilee
Author
mediachef
Post
07.17.2011
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http://vimeo.com/26303179

LA-based Machine Project is coming to the Walker Open Field. You don’t need to choose between Tragedy on the Sea Nymph: An Operetta in Three Acts Starring an All-Dog Cast, Car Theft for Kids, the Apple II Beeptacular Spectacular or Mowing the Field – with bells on. It’s all happening during the Machine Project Summer Jubiliee July 19-29. Check out the line up and don’t miss at least 7 of the projects by this remarkable group during this limited engagement of limitless engagement.

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Giant Sing Along – vote by July 1
Author
mediachef
Post
06.26.2011
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Mouna Andraos + Melissa Mongiat, Giant Sing Along, Minnesota State Fair, 2011. Concept sketch courtesy the artists.

In order to have the best summer song list ever, we need your help! Submit tunes you love, can’t resist, need to share, or bring back memories. It could be a song that gives you that lovin’ feelin’, a dedication to a few of your favorite things, a traditional folk song, your choir’s best song, or something that makes you wanna rock and roll all night.

Vote now here by July 1.

Music Machine, Group Karaoke, DIY Choir, Electric Campfire

There is a new kind of “machine” coming to Machinery Hill at the Minnesota State Fair this August. It’s a “music machine,” and everyone is invited to take your vocal chords for a spin. With your friends. With your family. With your church choir. With total strangers. Step up to the field of microphones and belt out the words on the giant LED screen. Don’t worry, the 36 microphones are specially designed to “auto tune” voices – or add disguising reverb and other effects.

Giant Sing Along by Montreal-based artists Mouna Andraos and Melissa Mongiat is a giant sing along that puts the “together” in The Great Minnesota Get Together. It’s a machine that combines disparate voices to make common song. It’s group singing around the electric LED campfire karaoke style. It’s a make-your-own-choir opportunity. And yes, it’s song at the end of a stick – a field of stick-microphones inviting you to participate. Or watch as long as you can till you can’t resist participating.

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TACTICAL ORGANIZING: The Instituent Art Practice of Public Matters
Author
Northern Lights.mn
Post
06.21.2011
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Public Matters, LLC, a self-described “rag-tag group of consultants”, is the artist-run initiative behind the production of the South L.A. Market Makeovers. Their goal, simply stated, is to “work with community members to create media about their neighborhoods…to develop in them a sense of ownership over these places and a belief that they can directly shape their neighborhoods’ future.
A post by Sue Bell Yank

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Northern Spark in some pictures
Author
mediachef
Post
06.18.2011
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Northern Spark, June 4, 2011. Photo Patrick Kelley courtesy Northern Lights.mn

Flaneurs along the Stone Arch Bridge, Northern Spark, June 4, 2011. Photo Aaron Marx

"Art Shanty Projects Disperse": Board Shanty, Snap Shot Shanty, ParaDICE, and Art Swap Shanty on Broadway St. in Lowertown.

Upper landing, Saint Paul. Photo courtesy the artist.

View from the Science Museum. Photo Jim Campbell.

View from the Science Museum. Photo Jim Campbell.

Water Power Park. Photo Patrick Kelley courtesy Northern Lights.mn

On Stone Arch Bridge. Photo Patrick Kelley courtesy Northern Lights.mn

On Stone Arch Bridge. Photo Patrick Kelley courtesy Northern Lights.mn

Lobby of the Science Museum of Minnesota. Photo courtesy the artists.

On Stone Arch Bridge. Photo Patrick Kelley courtesy Northern Lights.mn

Pedal powering projection on the Stone Arch Bridge. Photo Aaron Marx

Projection view from the Stone Arch Bridge. Photo Aaron Marx

Projection view from the Stone Arch Bridge. Photo Aaron Marx

Photo courtesy the artist.

View from Stone Arch Bridge. Photo courtesy the artist.

View from across the Mississippi. Photo courtesy the artist.

Photo courtesy the artist.

Participatory event with projection onto the Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Projection on North Tower of Landmark Center. Photo Michael Murnane

Projection on North Tower of Landmark Center. Photo Michael Murnane

Projection on North Tower of Landmark Center. Photo Michael Murnane

Observation deck W Minneapolis - The Foshay. Photo courtesy the artists.

On Stone Arch Bridge. Photo Patrick Kelley courtesy Northern Lights.mn

Silhouette from roof of The Soap Factory. Photo Patrick Kelley courtesy Northern Lights.mn

Presentation of the Colors: The First Surrender. Photo ©Robert M. Luna Photography

8.5 hour drawing projected at Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Photo courtesy the artist.

8.5 hour drawing projected at Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Photo courtesy the artist.

Jonathan Padelford, Harriet Island. Photo courtesy the artists.

The Jonathan Padelford, Harriet Island. Photo courtesy the artists.

Captain Andy Sturdevant. Photo courtesy the artists.

Thank you Twin Cities! We had an amazing time at Northern Spark on June 4. Lots of people did. About 25,000 people showed up in Saint Paul and Minneapolis to look at participate in and wonder about 100 projects at 34 different locations in collaboration with 50 organizations. Let us know if you have images to share and tag them with #NorthernSpark on flickr, YouTube, Vimeo and other sites.

Here and on next page are just a small sample of some of the pictures from the event. Much more to come.

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Meeting the city halfway
Author
mediachef
Post
05.27.2011
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Welcome to the inaugural Northern Spark, a free, all-night festival of public art and performances taking place outdoors and indoors in both Minneapolis and Saint Paul from sundown to sunrise. There is magic in the night, when the familiar, like the city skyline, becomes majestic, and a starry sky can transport the imagination. One’s senses […]

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All-night event a chance for Twin Cities artists to shine
Author
mediachef
Post
05.24.2011
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There’s nothing typical about the newest Twin Cities arts festival. From the time it takes place — sunset to sunrise — to the number of local arts organizations involved — more than 50 — Northern Spark has potential to be a monumental arts event. Inspired by the worldly ‘Nuit Blanche’ movement of nighttime arts festivals that originated in Europe, Northern Spark plans to turn the urban landscapes of St. Paul and Minneapolis into one giant art gallery early next month.

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Readings, storytelling, and lullabies at Northern Spark
Author
mediachef
Post
05.24.2011
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Storytelling is a time-honored way to ward off the evil spirits at night – or just plain drowsiness. Laurie Hertzel has a nice blog post in On Books about the Bedtime Stories project, which is organized by the Rain Taxi Review of Books as part of the Walker Art Center’s Nightshift program for Northern Spark.

There are many other opportunities for storytelling at Northern Spark.

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