Nordic stav and sondan workshops and collaboration will explore the ancient roots of Nordic culture by integrating runes, stav, and Old Norse with dance forms preserved by Nordic immigrant ancestors, culminating in interactive community performances.
Rajasekar's project will focus on Nuances of Melody and Rhythm in Carnatic Music, the classical music of South India, through workshops (by a Minnesota artist and a visiting artist from India), performances, and mentorship.
Hesla will bring people to three Minneapolis parks to sing together, inspired by the incredible legacy of park singing in the early 20th century. These summer 2011 singing events, open to all, will build community and celebrate our diverse traditions.
The Cradleboard Project will revitalize a part of our Native American cultural knowledge that is an endangered tradition, by bringing family and community together to carry on the tradition of the cradleboard with traditional appliqué beadwork.
Minnesota Hungarians' project, a series of events over six days (lecture-demonstration, workshop, and concert involving community groups) is designed to provide opportunities for Minnesotans to learn about and participate in Hungarian folk dance and music.
NACDI, in collaboration with All My Relations Arts, will present Tradish: Contemporary Treatments of Traditional Dakota and Ojibwe Arts. Tradish will exhibit work by expert and award-winning American Indian artists who live and work in Minnesota.
Nordic Arts Alliance presents Ordinary Vikings by Minnesota artist Jill Johnson, creating traditional Scandinavian Bronze and Iron Age bog stav sculptures based on Nordic cultural stories. The work is expanded upon and interpreted by Icelandic folklore storyteller Ingibjorg Gisladottir. There will be an outdoor exhibition at Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve.
Minnesota Potters: Sharing the Fire will explore, promote, and honor Minnesota ceramic artists, their tradition of mentorship, and the ways in which they pass on their skills to new generations.
Southside Family Charter School will partner with artists focused on the folk music of African Americans, with a special emphasis on songs of struggle, and provide extended residencies for students in grades 2-8.
Dance Revels Moving History will work with local French and Metis (French-Indian) cultural specialist/interpreter Virgil Benoit, French Director Josette Antomarchi, and several French cultural groups to produce dance workshops, discussions about being bi-racial, and a dance theater show about the Metis founding father of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Pierre Bottineau and his multi-racial world.
The Hmong Arts Connection (HArC) promotes and inspires artistic expressions of Hmong culture through storytelling, in partnership with L’Etoile du Nord French Immersion School. Professional Hmong storytellers will connect with K-6 classrooms to perform and teach the art of Hmong storytelling.
The Irish Fair of Minnesota, which is conducted annually on Harriet Island in Saint Paul on the second weekend of August, is one of Minnesota’s largest ancestry-based outdoor folk and traditional arts and culture festivals.
