‘Arts’ Archives
Artist Interview With Sha’Vontie Rose Juneau Jackson Hosfield
Youth Performance Company production of Ruby: The Ruby Bridges Story in February/March 2020. Cast is performing the song When the Saints Go Marching In. Sha'Vontie on the right.Photo credit: Photo courtesy of Youth Performance Company Sha’Vontie recording a song with her cousins in summer of 2021.Photo credit: Janelle Hosfield By MARY ELLEN KALUZA Sha’Vontie lives a few blocks away and she often walks by with her dad to visit her cousins near me. She always has a cheerful greeting when she passes. Makes me smile. Last summer I was invited to the cousins’ backyard for a concert the kids were putting on. That’s where I first saw Sha’Vontie sing and play piano. I was very impressed with her poise and confidence on the stage, on top of her lovely voice. I had no idea I only saw a fraction of her many talents and interests until we met for this interview. How old are you? What grade are you in? I’m 11 and in 5th grade Describe your main art form(s). I like [...]
Interview With Local Artist Orren Fen
by Mary Ellen Kaluza Last month the alley debuted a new feature highlighting young artists in Phillips. Within moments of having the idea of a regular featured artist, I knew I had to talk with Orren Fen. I first met Orren a few years ago, in pre-COVID times. I was visiting their home and they showed me a project they were working on: a puppet stage made out of cardboard, maybe 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide. I was blown away by the clever design, the creativity, the engineering — both structural and mechanical. Orren explained all the parts, moving and stationary, in great detail. Like I said, I was blown away! Lucky for us, Orren graciously agreed to be interviewed for the alley. How old are you? What grade are you in? Fourteen, and I'm a freshman in high school. Describe your main art form. I focus mostly on puppetry and performance art. What inspired you to take up your art? I grew up two blocks from In the Heart of the Beast Theatre, and participated in the [...]
“New Dawn” Sculpture Wins Greenway Contest
By Project Advisory Team members scottie hall and Tim Springer The winning design Artist Heather Doyle. Photo by Sharolyn Hagen. Voters selected Heather Doyle’s proposed “New Dawn” sculpture, a 17-foot-tall stylized spray of flowers, as their favorite design for a proposed light-emitting sculpture for the Midtown Greenway’s 18th Avenue entrance ramp. This is the result of a Call for Artists that resulted in proposals from around the United States. Finalists were selected by an advisory team, and then voted on by the public. Voting outcomes from three voter groups were weighed equally: (1) residents on the block where the sculpture will go; (2) greater Phillips residents; (3) Twin Cities residents who use the Greenway. Doyle is a founder of the Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center here in South Minneapolis. She designed New Dawn to recognize and celebrate our community’s resilience in dealing with so much trauma in recent years. Doyle commented “I am so thrilled to [...]
