‘Arts’ Archives
LOST AND FOUNDRY
By DAVE MOORE I picked up a brick from the edge of the demolition,carried it home and set it on my porch,one small piece of that hated Smith Foundry. Forty years of smelling its burnt iron reek,closing windows in summer, eyes smarting,hearing my sensitive partner coughing::::Talked to pollution agency ginks,went to meetings, marched in protest,the whole neighborhood wheezing with asthma.Finally resigned to accepting the horrible stench,either live with the bitter fumes or move.And then:::: and then::::after decades of violations,initialed regulators finally heard us.Smith Foundry shut down. With barely any notice::::heavy scoops began to batter the walls,pouring water on noise and concrete as it crumpled.Now its tall stack lies smokelessly sideways::::Spring air carries the last remnants of dust. So I picked up the brick and brought it home,As if I had torn it out with my own hands.The air, of course the air is still dirtyfrom combustion engines whizzing past the site,but [...]
Thrones Eye View- Part IV The East Bench
The East Bench. Photos by Laura Hulscher The city has announced it is dismantling Touchstone Plaza at Peavey Park due to deterioration and safety concerns. Also known as “The Thrones,” the Phillips landmark sits at the northeast corner of the park, at the intersection of Franklin and Chicago. The sculptures were the product of a multi-year collaboration between the late artist Rafala Green, community members, and more than 80 local youth employed by the project in the 1990s. “Thrones” is a reference to a poem by Louis Alemayehu mounted on a plaque near the entrance. As a goodbye, the alley is featuring photos of each of the Plaza’s sculptural elements every month through June.
The Trouble with Jessica
from the series Movie Corner... By HOWARD MCQUITTER II Howard McQuitter II If you suffer from any claustrophobic issues, this dark comedy may just not be the movie for you. It all centers in an elaborate home when Beth, her husband Richard, and Jessica visit Tom and his wife Sarah. Jessica is the uninvited guest coming to their dinner. Tom and Sarah have deep problems of their own, mainly financial troubles. One problem is that Tom and Sarah are having to deal with an enfant terrible like Jessica. Once everybody sits down to eat, some unlikely and disturbing topics are talked about. A moral dilemma arises for Tom, Sarah, Richard and Beth. What do they do? Their situation doesn’t get any easier. Will they be discovered or not? Generally this is a relatively funny dark comedy, although the profanity is unfortunately heavy and profuse. The film is from The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival 44 and was screened at The Main Cinema (formerly known as St. [...]
