Arts - Northside Arts Collective update - Northside Arts Collective update

The Northside Arts Collective (NAC) and the Minneapolis Foundation held ‘part two' of the Opening Eyes to the Northside series of events on January 22 at the Capri. Northside performing artists focused on the positive, creative, and often overlooked work happening in North Minneapolis.  Northside music producer/engineer/ multi-instrumentalist and NAC member Scott Nieman coordinated a diverse showcase of eclectic performers for this event.

    Entertainment included traditional African drum and dance team Voice of Culture Drum and Dance. Musical performances included the 13-piece Latin orchestra Caribe directed by Andres Sanchez, the smooth jazz sounds of Urban Cadence, and a special Klezmer tribute to the historic Northside Jewish community by the world-folk band Machinery Hill. SPARK Theater + Dance provide an energetic, physical theater performance, and Hollywood Studio of Dance created a special dance journey entitled Change is Gonna Come highlighting the African American evolution from slavery, freedom from slavery, civil rights movement, to the celebration of newly elected President Obama. Providing seamless segues were poetry and spoken word by Rebecca Stack, and short pieces from the NorthSide Writers Group including George Roberts, Julie Landsman, Julie Pfarr, Debra Stone, Laura Jean and Colnese Hendon.

    The NAC has also been awarded a $75,000 Mcknight grant to fund artist-designed business façade improvements along the Near North business corridor of historic West Broadway Avenue. The plan, developed by neighborhood business owners, residents and city planners, is entitled "West Broadway Alive: A Revitalization Plan for North Minneapolis' Main Street." The design improvements are intended to build toward a street that is distinctive among city commercial districts for its flare and artistic flavor. Bright colors, unique three-dimensional shapes and the use of historic and contemporary expressive language are proposed to be threads of design connectivity in an environment infused with artist-designed elements. The planners hope that West Broadway would ultimately be branded as "Art Street." And wherever possible, ways will be pursued to allow Northsiders to personally contribute to the visual environment on West Broadway.

    It is in this context that the NAC has an opportunity to work with West Broadway Alive planners and help further the community objectives for West Broadway by offering a program that supports the creation of artist-designed façade elements. The West Broadway Art Street (WBAS) program would be complementary to a façade improvement program currently being administered by the West Broadway Coalition (WBC). The primary objective of the WBAS program is to infuse art into the increasingly dynamic visual environment of West Broadway. Secondary objectives include providing an additional incentive for business and property owners to improve their building facades, creating opportunities for local artists to impact their own community and building collaborative partnership relationships between NAC and community organizations and businesses.

            NAC's program coordinator, Denise Dumas, will soon send out RFP's to West Broadway businesses and develop a registry of NAC artists who can do this kind of work. The façade work is projected to be complete by July. For info contact 612-643-2050 or info@nacarts.org, www.nacarts.org.