Mia McGill Archives - Arts Midwest https://artsmidwest.org/authors/mia-mcgill/ Mon, 25 Aug 2025 21:50:32 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 https://artsmidwest.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/cropped-AM–Favicon_Favicon-512x512-1-32x32.png Mia McGill Archives - Arts Midwest https://artsmidwest.org/authors/mia-mcgill/ 32 32 Catch an Outdoor Movie in the Last Month of Midwest Summer  https://artsmidwest.org/stories/outdoor-movie-drive-in-theatre-midwest/ Wed, 20 Aug 2025 17:14:46 +0000 https://artsmidwest.org/?p=12532 From drive-ins to park flicks, here’s a list of where to break out the popcorn (and out of doors) near you.

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]]> Outdoor movie theaters may have peaked in the U.S. in the late 1950s, but the Midwest is keeping the tradition of hot dog concessions and FM radio tuning alive. 

As summer winds down, here are some spots to enjoy open-air cinema, from drive-ins to park flicks, free to paid, and for young and old. 

South Dakota

South Dakota’s oldest drive-in theater opened in 1946. Many notable films like Armageddon were also filmed in South Dakota (maybe you’ll catch one of them at a screening!) 

An overhead view of people sitting outdoors for a movie. There's a city skyline with tall buildings in the background.
The Nightlight 21+ Outdoor Movie Series in Columbus, Ohio.

Indiana

With over a dozen drive-in theaters across the state, Indiana loves its movies. You can catch them while floating in a pool or on the plaza across the state. Others include: 

Ohio

Ohio might take the prize for the most outdoor movie options (we counted over 30!) DriveInMovie.com says Ohio hosted one of the first 10 drive-ins in the country and once had nearly 190 of them. It boasts the third-most drive-ins in the country, behind New York and Pennsylvania. 

Four people siting on top of a car near a field and smiling.
Photo Credit: Drive N’ Theatre Facebook
Drive N’ Theatre in Newton, IL, also called the Fairview Drive-in Theatre, opened in a rural cornfield in 1953 where it remains today.

Illinois

Illinois has half a dozen drive-in theaters across the state, some with additional events like corn mazes. But movies aren’t limited to car owners, with plenty of options across parks and even on rooftops. 

Michigan

We’re nicknaming this state Movie Michigan: From its handful of drive-ins and park showings, the state has your entertainment needs covered. 

North Dakota

Parks and movies (and farms, apparently!) have never paired better. Check out these spots for some North Dakota options. 

Wisconsin

There are several drive-in theaters in Wisconsin and one fly-in (part of an Oshkosh aviation event), plus outdoor movies across Milwaukee and the state. 

A person holding a hot dog in front of a large outdoor movie screen.
Photo Credit: Mia McGill
Outdoor cinema is about the movies, yes—but it’s also about the food. Many drive-in theaters offer concessions with classic popcorn, drinks, and other bites.

Iowa

Iowa is home to four drive-in movie theaters and plenty of options to bring out the folding chair and snack of choice. The Blue Grass Drive-In opened less than a decade ago and is still expanding (it has four projectors!) while others have been open for 75 years. 

 

Minnesota

Minnesota is full of free outdoor movies (our three favorite things!) and drive-in theaters across just about the whole state. And Minneapolis is home to the We Outside Film Fest in July. 

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]]> Meet the Minnesotan Org Centering Ancestors, Art, and Activism https://artsmidwest.org/stories/paper-lantern-project-minnesota-art-shows/ Wed, 09 Jul 2025 18:34:37 +0000 https://artsmidwest.org/?p=11685 The Paper Lantern Project creates accessible spaces and resources to break down stigmas against gender and reproductive justice in Minnesota’s Asian American community.

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]]> The idea that our generation of artists and changemakers are future ancestors is central to the work of the Minnesota-based Paper Lantern Project.

“We hold this role as a sacred duty to work to create a world our descendants can be proud of,” says Rae Rowe, co-founder and executive director.

As a community-centered mutual aid and arts movement with the health of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community at its core, The Paper Lantern Project’s work reaches far and wide.

Their programming centers gender and reproductive justice, focusing on culturally nuanced care and resources, and they’ve organized zines, art shows, and community care clinics.

“After the shootings in Atlanta, we saw a vacuum in Minnesota, because we realized people stopped paying attention here, as far as gender and reproductive rights were concerned,” says Rowe.

“They heard that Minnesota was a trans refuge state, and that Roe v. Wade had been codified here. They really thought that provided enough protection for us, while at the same time, we were hearing from members of our community that they didn’t know what reproductive justice was; that they were having trouble paying their bills.”

“We realized that sometimes the barriers and stigmas are so huge that people really don’t know how to access their own stories… but if you ease someone into it through the arts, it makes it more accessible for all of us.”

RAE ROWE
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PAPER LANTERN PROJECT

Though the organization came to be in the spring of 2024, Rowe and co-founder Lynn Nguyen had already been building the idea for years.

“When we started The Paper Lantern Project, we really viewed this as an opportunity to create new narratives by breaking down barriers and stigmas [around reproductive health] and providing accessible programming,” Rowe says.

Since its inception, The Paper Lantern Project has embraced art as a vehicle for their work. In addition to hosting workshops and shows, they also sell stickers with art designed by queer AAPI artists to support their mutual aid fund.

For them, it’s more about the process of art making than the product—it’s a way for the community to share their stories in a comfortable way. 

“We realized that sometimes the barriers and stigmas are so huge that people really don’t know how to access their own stories… but if you ease someone into it through the arts, it makes it more accessible for all of us,” says Rowe.

“We want people to really take time to develop their own stories. We like art to be slow and intentional. In that trust building process, it’s been really, really important.”

A person with long black hair wearing a traditional Vietnamese ao dai hanging gallery signage.
Photo Credit: Pader Xiong
Paper Lantern Project co-founder and COO Lynn Nguyen setting up for the Alternate Routes show at Xia Gallery & Cafe.
A person in traditional Hmong clothing in the middle of a dance routine in a gallery space.
Photo Credit: Pader Xiong
Hmong American artist Alivia Lor performing an original dragon dance routine at the Alternate Routes opening.
Six people holding drinks at a table with a charcuterie spread.
Artists and organizers at the Cut Fruit gallery show opening reception at Queermunity.
A crowd of people in a brewery space.
Paper Lantern Project tabling at a community event at Arbeiter Brewing Co. in Minneapolis.
Two smiling people of medium light skin tone sitting at a table.
Photo Credit: Aaron Nesheim / Sahan Journal
Paper Lantern Project co-founders Rae Rowe and Lynn Nguyen.
A person in a white dress looking at a piece of art on a gallery wall.
An attendee at Paper Lantern Project’s Alternate Routes show at Xia Gallery & Cafe.

Fifty years since the first Southeast Asian families settled in Minnesota, The Paper Lantern Project is honored their roots this summer with the opening of a groundbreaking art show; Alternate Routes, which ran for the month of June at St. Paul’s XIA Gallery & Cafe.

A celebration of queer Southeast Asian (SEA) creativity and curiosity, it featured paintings, poetry, video art, and more. Although the show was conceived in honor of the milestone year for the Minnesotan Southeast Asian community, it featured work from artists from around the country and world.

This was their second art show in as many months, with May having seen a gallery presentation of a queer reimagining of their inaugural “Cut Fruit” zine.

To Rowe and Nguyen, these opportunities for artistic expression have always been intrinsically tied to the mutual aid movement itself.

“When people are confident in their own gender and reproductive justice stories, we can advocate for the care that we deserve.” says Rowe.

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]]> Shakespeare for All in Rural Appalachia, Rooted in Soil and Soul https://artsmidwest.org/stories/barter-theatre-shakespeare/ Fri, 02 May 2025 17:36:37 +0000 https://artsmidwest.org/?p=10737 Nestled in the rural mountains of Southwest Virginia, the nearly century-old Barter Theatre helps actors and creative staff to put down roots and build connections in their community.

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]]> After almost a hundred years running, Barter Theatre is still a hub of creative exchange in Appalachia.

Founded during the Great Depression, they got their name from their policy of allowing theatregoers to “buy” admission with fresh produce, livestock, or dairy—in its early days, 4 out of 5 patrons traded their way to a ticket, valued then at 35 cents.

Even though times have changed, the theatre hasn’t—everything Barter does continues to be rooted in community, and their philosophy that theatre is for everyone.

It remains the beating heart of Abingdon, a rural town in Southwest Virginia. It’s one of the country’s oldest professional resident repertory theaters—meaning their plays throughout the season are performed by has their own full-time, paid theatre troupe based out of Abingdon itself.

A brick building with signage reading, "Barter Theatre; State Theatre of Virginia"
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Barter Theatre
In 1946, Barter was named the State Theatre of Virginia, making it the first in the country to receive the distinction.
A theatre performance on a small stage being projected onto a big screen at a drive-in movie theater.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Barter Theatre
When pandemic restrictions halted theatre across the country in 2020, Barter worked with the local Moonlite Drive-In to stage socially-distanced plays streamed live-to-screen so people could still enjoy performances.
Three people sticking their heads out of the window of a bus, with signage reading, "Barter; now on tour"
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Barter Theatre
Touring has long been a big part of the Barter experience—the Barter Players travel across multiple states in the Appalachian region, taking their shows on the road.
A group of people with livestock and produce outside the steps to a building with signage reading, "Barter Theater"
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Barter Theatre
In the theatre’s early days, many community members traded their way to a ticket with fresh produce, dairy, and more—which, in turn, helped Barter keep its performers and staff fed.

Their current production of Hamlet, funded in part by Shakespeare in American Communities, is a perfect example—while their performances are open to all, Barter has long-standing connections with the region’s schools to bring in hundreds of students to performances every year.

“Because of this partnership, almost every kid who’s grown up here has seen Shakespeare,” says Producing Artistic Director Katy Brown.

Every show opens with a lightning round-style summary of the show with the cast explaining major plot points and characters, without spoiling the final act.

What started as a teaching aid for their student matinees eventually became so widely requested by their adult audiences that it’s now baked into all of their Shakespeare performances.

“I think there’s some sort of idea that [Shakespeare is] broccoli, and that’s never the experience that people have,” says Brown. “He wrote for everybody, and our goal from the beginning has been to make sure people know that Shakespeare is theirs.”

Three people dressed in theatre costumes embracing on stage.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Barter Theatre
Actors Paris Bradstreet, James Hendley, and Libby Zabit in Barter Theatre’s 2025 production of Hamlet.
Three people standing on a thrust stage addressing an audience.
Photo Credit: Mia McGill
Actors Sam McCalla and Libby Zabit, and director Sarah Van Deusen participate in an audience talkback during a student matinee of Hamlet.
Two people sitting on stage, as one of them holds a prop skull.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Barter Theatre
Actors Garrett Houston and Sam McCalla as Horatio and Hamlet in Barter Theatre’s 2025 production of Hamlet.
Actors Libby Zabit and Sam McCalla as Ophelia and Hamlet in Barter Theatre's 2025 production of Hamlet.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Barter Theatre

Students and adult audience members alike can participate in talkbacks after every show with the director and cast members, which further brings the text to life.

“I’ve had grown-ups speak to me and say, ‘I thought that I was too dumb for Shakespeare, but I understood absolutely every word,’” says Brown.

But what makes Barter special is that the place is just as important as the people—as a company, they’re successful not despite being in small-town Appalachia, but rather because of their unique rural setting.

They not only keep Abingdon alive and thriving in terms of tourism—bringing in over 120,000 visitors a year to a town with a population of around 8,500—but also provide an incredibly rare opportunity for their performers and creative team to make a real living out of their work.

With Barter presenting around 20 shows per season, their company is kept plenty busy; during their peak in the summer, they have as many as five shows running at a time. 

“You might be in Shakespeare while you’re rehearsing the musical, while you’re rehearsing a new work,” says Brown. “So many times when you work in theater, you move and move and move, and you don’t get to put down roots—but our artists get to have a life, a home, and a family here, and really get to know the people that we’re serving.”

Shakespeare in American Communities is a theater program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. It provides grants of up to $30,000 for programs that connect young people across the country to Shakespeare’s plays.

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]]> From Hughes to Hallmark: Your Midwest Holiday Movie Roundup https://artsmidwest.org/stories/midwest-holiday-movies-2024/ Tue, 17 Dec 2024 23:35:04 +0000 https://artsmidwest.org/?p=8620 Dreaming of a white Christmas? Cozy up in front of these films with deep Midwestern roots.

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]]> Make some hot chocolate, bake some cookies, and pick out your favorite warm blanket because it’s time to talk Christmas movies! For decades, cheesy movies have been a staple of the holiday season—and I’m talking real Christmas movies (no, Die Hard isn’t one, and I’ll die on this hill). From the Indiana-set classic A Christmas Story (1983) to the Duluth hockey rom-com Merry Kiss Cam (2022) or the obscure Keanu Reeves and Drew Barrymore-fronted made-for-TV gem Babes in Toyland (1986), the Midwestern holiday film canon certainly has something for everyone.

A screengrab from the film Jingle All The Way of a person inside a shopping mall, jumping over a Duplo blocks set.
Arnold Schwarzenegger in Jingle All The Way, at Minnesota’s iconic Mall of America.

A Minnesota Classic

Although arguably one of the more popular movies set in Minnesota, the city where Jingle All The Way (1996) takes place doesn’t really exist. Rather than being set in Minneapolis or St. Paul, the film finds its home in… Twin Cities, Minnesota. (Apparently, since filming locations ranged from both cities to their suburbs, it was easier for logistical purposes to treat the two as one city, but come on.)

The film takes Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad all over the metro—from the Mall of America to Mickey’s Diner (now newly reopened). Many Twin Cities landmarks make an appearance throughout the movie (as my dear friend and Minnesota movie expert Chaz Kangas broke down so nicely last year).

A screengrab from the film The Polar Express, of a child in a blue robe speaking top a conductor outside of a large train.
Even though the twists and turns of The Polar Express, it’s set in Michigan.

The Animated Midwest

It’s not just live-action films—two of the most beloved animated Christmas films are both set in the Midwest. The fan-favorite The Polar Express (2004) (which I’m refusing to believe is 20 years old already) is set in Michigan, the home state of the author of the book the film is based on: East Grand Rapids’s Chris Van Allsburg.

Minnesotans may already know that Peanuts creator Charles Schulz is from the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but may not be aware that Charlie Brown and friends are from the state (as referenced in not one, but two daily strips from almost 75 years ago). So, it stands to reason that the ’60s classic A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) is, in fact, set in Minnesota.

A screengrab from the film Home Alone of a child standing in front of a Christmas tree, while a man looks in the window behind him.
Home Alone, written by John Hughes, was set in the suburbs of his beloved Chicago.

A Specific Chicago Connection…

If you’ve ever wondered why so many holiday movies are set in Chicago, you might be interested to know that ’80s director extraordinaire John Hughes—known for classics like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) and The Breakfast Club (1985)—was also the writer behind major holiday hits like Home Alone (1990) and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989).

Having moved to Chicago as a teenager, many of Hughes’s films are a love letter to the Windy City, and he frequently spoke incredibly fondly of the people of Chicago and how living there inspired the human stories he wrote and directed. (Hughes once explained why he preferred Chicago to California—living in Hollywood, “you get cut off from regular people,” he said.)

Two people sat at a table coloring with crayons, next to an image of two people standing at a piano and smiling.
Hallmark hits like Rescuing Christmas (2022) and A Christmas Melody have small town charm aplenty with their Midwestern settings!

No Shortage of Hallmark Movies!

Hallmark Channel movies are a classic Christmastime guilty pleasure, and there are plenty of them set across the Midwest. The holiday romances Five Gold Rings (2024) and Rescuing Christmas (2023) are both set in Minnesota—and the latter even stars Minneapolis native and rom-com icon Rachael Leigh Cook (of She’s All That (1999) fame) herself!

One of the channel’s newest films, A ’90s Christmas (2024), is set in Milwaukee, a city the director chose to capture the charm of the aforementioned John Hughes Chicago stories without being too on the nose. While filmed in Cincinnati, the fictional town of Silver Falls, Ohio, is the setting for A Christmas Melody (2015), which features some serious star power as the directorial debut of the so-called “Queen of Christmas,” Mariah Carey. Playing former high-school-rivals-turned-PTA-mom-rivals, Carey stars alongside Lacey Chabert, who previously played Midwestern queen Gretchen Wieners in the original Mean Girls movie back in 2004.

For a watchlist of these films, and to learn more about films with Midwest connections, keep an eye on the Arts Midwest Letterboxd page!

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]]> More than Cabbage—This Kimchi Festival is Rooted in Adoptee Sovereignty https://artsmidwest.org/stories/kimchi-festival/ Wed, 02 Oct 2024 20:58:25 +0000 https://artsmidwest.org/?p=8224 Minnesota-based nonprofit and service organization Adoptee Hub is helping Korean adoptees build connections to their culture—and each other.

The post More than Cabbage—This Kimchi Festival is Rooted in Adoptee Sovereignty appeared first on Arts Midwest.

]]> For three full days leading up to the last weekend of September, volunteers spent hours making hundreds of pounds of kimchi in preparation for Adoptee Hub‘s 2024 Kimchi Festival.

This year’s festival saw hundreds of attendees converge on Wolfe Park in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, just outside of Minneapolis—there, they were met with food trucks, demonstrations, performances, and tasting opportunities.

This was Adoptee Hub’s second iteration of the festival, with the 2022 edition being the first-ever Kimchi Festival in Minnesota.

It comes right in the season of the Korean harvest, just a couple weeks after Chuseok, the mid-autumn harvest festival—kind of like Korean Thanksgiving—when the cabbage is in peak season and ripe and ready to be preserved.

What is Kimchi?

Kimchi is Korea’s national dish. It’s eaten as a side dish, or banchan, with almost every meal, and is commonly used as an ingredient in fritters and stews.

Even though the traditional preparation is napa cabbage and radish with gochugaru (Korean pepper flake), technically any preparation of fermented vegetable can be considered kimchi—there are literally hundreds of different types eaten in Korea and around the world.

Some other common preparations include cucumber, bean sprout, green onion, or (my personal favorite) sweet potato stems as the base.

A paper plate stacked high with plastic ramekin cups filled with various varieties of kimchi and a lump of rice.
Mia McGill

While the festival celebrates kimchi and the fall harvest, that’s not the only purpose.

Since its 2018 inception, Adoptee Hub has done the great work of providing resources to Korean adoptees (or KADs) in Minnesota, which is home to the largest population of Korean adoptees of any state in the country.

For years, they’ve been offering events like panels, cooking classes, film screenings, workshops, and other events to share and educate the community on Korean culture, and adoptee-specific programming like birth search services and wellness events.

Festival attendees had the opportunity to stop by booths to learn more about Adoptee Hub’s Hope Registry project to connect birth families, in addition to giving feedback to help shape future programming.

A lot of adoptees, myself included, grow up feeling really disconnected from and not having many opportunities to learn about their culture, so having opportunities like this to meet other adoptees and learn more about Korean food and traditions is incredibly valuable.

Adoptee Hub doesn’t exist in a vacuum, either—it’s part of a whole circle of Minnesotan organizations like Jangmi Arts and AK Connection that also provide artistic, cultural, and social opportunities for KADs to connect.

Three smiling women, one holding handfuls of bright red kimchi, stand around a green bucket of kimchi.
Photo Credit: Adoptee Hub
Adoptee Hub volunteers prepare buckets of kimchi for the 2024 Kimchi Festival.
A person with long brown hair wearing glasses hand-mixing a large metal bowl of kimchi.
Photo Credit: Mia McGill
Volunteer Jen gives a kimchi-making demonstration to attendees at the festival.
A pile of bright red napa cabbage kimchi inside of a metal bowl.
Photo Credit: Mia McGill
Fresh kimchi, made of the traditional blend of napa cabbage and Korean radish, made on-site during a demonstration at the kimchi festival.
Two plastic-gloved hands holding a wedge of whole-leaf napa cabbage covered in kimchi sauce.
Photo Credit: Mia McGill
Festival attendees had the option to sign up for a kimchi-making session, where they could get their hands dirty and prepare their own wedge of kimchi.

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]]> Everything’s on a Stick at the Great Minnesota Get-Together https://artsmidwest.org/stories/everythings-on-a-stick-at-the-great-minnesota-get-together/ Thu, 29 Aug 2024 19:19:44 +0000 https://artsmidwest.org/?p=7853 The Minnesota State Fair is in full swing, and there's still time to stop by the Great Minnesota Get-Together for your share of crop art and deep fried ranch dressing.

The post Everything’s on a Stick at the Great Minnesota Get-Together appeared first on Arts Midwest.

]]>

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One unmissable part of a Minnesota summer is a visit to the State Fair. Sure, every state has pride in their fair, but ours is arguably the best, with the numbers to prove it. Minnesota boasts the title of the country’s largest state fair in terms of average daily attendance (and we’re second in the country in terms of total attendance, only behind Texas, whose fair runs twice as long as ours).

This year, the fair’s 12-day run is August 22 through September 2, with the first two days of the 2024 fair already breaking attendance records.

Fair Food (on a Stick, and Otherwise)

The fair annually posts some of its new foods ahead of opening day to build the anticipation, and this year’s menu ranged from the predictable to the unbelievable—there were some tame (but delicious) new additions like Paella Depot’s paella (which they dub “the Hotdish of Spain”), and then some real out-there bites like Blue Moon Dine-In’s Sweet Corn Cola Float and the (in)famous Deep-Fried Ranch Dressing from LuLu’s Public House (the latter of which I was not brave enough to try).

Two foot-long corn dogs, one with mustard and one with ketchup.
Photo Credit: Mia McGill
One of the perennially heated debates of the Minnesota State Fair is the Pronto Pup vs corn dog rivalry. The (far superior) Pronto Pup (left) is made with a pancake-like batter, whereas a typical corn dog has a sweeter cornmeal batter.
A large steamed bun with a green sauce, and a sticky rice dish with watermelon radish, cilantro, green onions, and mushrooms.
Photo Credit: Mia McGill
Union Hmong Kitchen returned to the fair for the third time, with delicious galabao (steamed pork bun) and purple sticky rice.
A paper bowl of yellow rice with vegetables and two forks.
Photo Credit: Mia McGill
Paella Depot (dubbed “the Hotdish of Spain”) made its debut at the fair this year, with this flavorful and perfectly crispy chicken and chorizo paella.
A fair food booth with signage reading "Ole Lena's Hotdish on a Stick."
Photo Credit: Mia McGill
Hotdish… on a stick? What? How? Why?
Several chunks of grilled chicken on a stick, with a brown teriyaki glaze.
Photo Credit: Mia McGill
I finally tried Chan’s chicken on a stick and even though it’s a fair standard, it may have been my favorite thing I ate all day.
A plastic cup of cola with a scoop of yellow ice cream, whipped cream, and a small piece of caramel, with a pink straw and long white spoon sticking out of it.
Photo Credit: Mia McGill
The holy grail: the new Sweet Corn Cola Float from Blue Moon Dine-In was not to be missed.
Two hands holding a cup of milk and a cup of cookies with the Sweet Martha's logo.
Photo Credit: Mia McGill
Of course, every fairgoer knows that ending your visit with Sweet Martha’s is a non-negotioable.

Meet the Animals of the Fair

Between the fair’s livestock barns, fish pond, and even larger-than-life mascots, there are plenty of opportunities for fans of all ages to meet all kinds of animals at the Great Minnesota Get-Together! In fact, many of the animals you’ll see at the fair’s livestock buildings have been bred and raised by youth in local FFA and 4-H programs.

A person dressed in a mascot costume as a gopher wearing a green and white striped suit and boater hat, posing with fans as a member of the mascot security team takes a photo.
Photo Credit: Mia McGill
Minnesota State Fair mascot Fairchild hops in for an impromptu meet and greet with fans.
A sizable pond filled with various freshwater fish, with people looking on from behind a fence.
Photo Credit: Mia McGill
The Department of Natural Resources fish pond is always a hit with fairgoers—they do fish talks throughout the day, but many folks (like myself) love to just come by and enjoy the fish swimming around.
A person wearing black shorts and a green shirt holding a hand fan in the shape of a gopher's head, posing with a person in a mascot costume of a gopher wearing a football uniform.
Photo Credit: Ryan Oak
Got to fulfil a years-long dream of meeting Goldy the Gopher, the University of Minnesota’s mascot.
A person reaches out to pet a turkey standing in front of a cage inside a building.
Photo Credit: Mia McGill
My friend Ryan excitedly told me he had “always wanted” to pet a turkey, so we had to document the historic moment.

Celebrating Minnesotan (Agri)Culture

One of my favorite parts of the Minnesota State Fair is the opportunity to get to see so much local talent. Traditional arts competitions like the Amateur Talent Contest and Fine Arts awards are always a highlight, but the fair also importantly spotlights the state’s agriculture. Competitions like the crop art and scarecrow exhibits, homebrewing, and various produce growing highlight the creativity rooted in the farming culture of the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

Photo Credit: Mia McGill
This year saw an unprecedentedly large crop (haha) of seed art at the fair—my favorite was, of course, Croppell Roan.
A scarecrow with a photo of Naz Reid's face taped on, with a paper jersey reading, "Wolves; 11"
Photo Credit: Mia McGill
Naz Reid makes an appearance at the fair—sort of. Philip Gentry’s entry into the scarecrow competition pays homage to the hero of this year’s NBA season—Wolves Back!
Trays of different colored apples, pears, and grapes lay on a shelf.
Photo Credit: Mia McGill
Award-winning fruit grown by local farmers in the Agriculture and Horticulture Building.
A green lip balm tube reading, "Rhubarb Crisp" in front of a building reading, "The Minnesota Star-Tribune; The Heart and Voice of the North"
Photo Credit: Fiona Robinson
Every year, the Star Tribune releases a funky new flavor of limited-edition lip balm for the year’s State Fair giveaway. Past years have seen homages to fair staples like french fries, cheese curds, and even the concept of crop art, but this year, they went with a much less polarizing flavor—Rhubarb Crisp!

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]]> This Minnesota Museum Draws in SPAM Lovers from Around the World https://artsmidwest.org/stories/spam-museum/ Thu, 11 Jul 2024 15:16:41 +0000 https://artsmidwest.org/?p=7380 Did you know that this SPAM-tastic museum is free to visit and less than two hours from the Twin Cities?

The post This Minnesota Museum Draws in SPAM Lovers from Around the World appeared first on Arts Midwest.

]]> Love it or hate it, SPAM is kind of iconic. First introduced in 1937, the canned meat grew in popularity after its use as a diet staple in World War II. Now, it’s ubiquitous in the native cuisine of countries around the world, appearing in such dishes as Hawaiian spam musubi, British spam fritters, Korean army stew, and beyond. However, for all its international fame, the humble can of SPAM has its origins right here in the Midwest—in the small city of Austin, Minnesota, home to the one and only SPAM Museum.

Inside the museum, there are interactive stations where you can do everything from a personality quiz to find out what kind of SPAM you are, to a timed game where you can find out how quickly you could package a can of SPAM yourself.

Two smiling people standing in front of a building with big yellow signage reading, "SPAM Museum"
Photo Credit: Mia McGill
The 14,000 sq ft SPAM Museum is in the heart of downtown Austin, Minnesota. Having gone through several different iterations and locations over the past 33 years, the museum has been at its current location since 2016.
A wall of SPAM cans of various flavors, with a sign reading, "There are over 10 SPAM varieties."
Photo Credit: Mia McGill
That’s right—there are 11! Flavors include classic, chorizo, teriyaki, and more—SPAM’s newest flavor, Maple SPAM, was just introduced in 2023.
A tablet screen showing a personality result reading, "You're SPAM Hot and Spicy!"
Photo Credit: Mia McGill
Inside the museum, the first of many interactive exhibits was a personality quiz to find out which variety of SPAM you are—I, of course, was SPAM Hot and Spicy!
A photo op with images of SPAM cans stacked on top of one another, with large text reading, "How many SPAM cans tall are you?"
Photo Credit: Mia McGill
Photo ops all around provide plenty of Instagrammable (Insta-SPAM-able?) moments, and can answer the age-old question of “how many SPAM cans tall are you?” (I personally was 20 cans tall!)
A person sliding a label onto a toy SPAM can, at a game with signage reading, "You CAN make SPAM!"
Photo Credit: Ben Weiner
Unfortunately, a job at Hormel isn’t in the cards for me anytime soon—packing those cans is harder than it looks!

The museum and its exhibits draw around 100,000 visitors per year, and since opening in its new location in 2016, the museum has seen visitors from all 50 states and over 70 countries. Some lucky international visitors can even see their countries represented in the museum’s Global Marketplace exhibit, where SPAM history, recipes, and customs from around the world are highlighted at different stalls.

A pub sign with a winged pig, with the word "SPAM" above it.
Photo Credit: Mia McGill
The museum’s Global Marketplace features information on SPAM history and customs across Australia, the UK, Asia, and more!
A sign reading, “SPAM was introduced to Japan following World War 2 and gained popularity outside of the mainland, as well as to other islands in the Pacific. During the launch of SPAM into the mainland Japan market, the SPAMMY character was introduced in 2010 with his "COOK IT AS YOU WANT" TV Commercial that stole the hearts of moms and children. The most popular SPAM meal in Okinawa is SPAM Champuru, a stir fry dish. SPAM Musubi is now sold in all 16,000+ FamilyMart convenience stores throughout Japan.”
Photo Credit: Mia McGill
Informational displays at each of the stalls at the Global Marketplace tell about the history, usage, and spread of SPAM in different countries all over the world.
A small display with several cans of Hawaiian SPAM, with a miniature surfboard engraved with the words, "SPAM brand"
Photo Credit: Ben Weiner
The Hawaii section at the Global Marketplace shows off some of the different collector’s edition Hawaiian SPAM can designs from over the years. The 2024 collector’s can was designed by Hawaiian artist Kamea Hadar.
A display labelled "South Korea" with cans of SPAM, ramen boxes, and additional signage in Korean.
Photo Credit: Mia McGill
Like in many Asian cultures, SPAM is huge with Koreans—we eat it in army step, kimbap, and bibimbap, among other dishes!

Usually, the museum’s employees (known affectionately as SPAMbassadors) will hand out samples in the museum itself, but I happened to visit the day before the 87th anniversary of SPAM’s release—so to celebrate the weekend, the mobile Tiny House of Sizzle was on-site giving out free SPAM sliders!

A person in a black raincoat receiving a slider from a person inside a tiny house through a yellow window.
Photo Credit: Mia McGill
SPAMbassador Gary hooked us up with some delicious sliders from the Tiny House of Sizzle’s mobile kitchen.
Two people in blue shirts stand in front of a tiny house with signs reading "SPAM Gift Shop" and "SPAM Tiny House of Sizzle"
Photo Credit: Mia McGill
SPAMbassadors Erika and Jessica were holding down the fort at the condiment table, where you could dress your slider to your heart’s content.
The side of a blue tiny house, with signage reading, "sizzle, pork, and mmm"
Photo Credit: Mia McGill
There’s been speculation that SPAM stands for “shoulder of pork and ham,” “specially processed American meat,” or simply, “spiced ham,” but the good folks at the SPAM Museum want us to know that it really just stands for “sizzle, pork, and mmm.”

The museum also offers free tours—they do about 70-80 virtual tours a year, and 200-250 in-person. One of my personal favorite things there was the 780-can-long conveyor belt running throughout the museum’s exhibits—on their Facebook page, you can even see a short tour of the museum from a can’s perspective!

The post This Minnesota Museum Draws in SPAM Lovers from Around the World appeared first on Arts Midwest.

]]> Catch a Screening at These Midwestern Film Theaters https://artsmidwest.org/stories/midwestern-film-theaters/ Tue, 14 May 2024 21:16:16 +0000 https://artsmidwest.org/?p=6755 With less than 10% of theaters in the country showing analog film prints, these Midwestern theaters are among the few keeping the art alive.

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]]> In an increasingly digital world, opportunities to see analog film screenings are becoming rare. Less than 10% of theaters nationwide still house film projectors, with the majority having switched to digital projection in the early 2010s—it became a necessity of the times in order to keep up with new releases. The rise of premium audio and visual formats like Dolby and IMAX cinema helped cement digital theaters’ dominance across the country as well.

For all the bells and whistles of digital cinema, however, there are still many across the country who are loyal to the analog formats. From college film societies to museums and nonprofit arthouse theaters, there’s still a small but mighty contingent of a couple hundred theaters in the U.S. dedicated to both the preservation and screening of 16mm, 35mm, and 70mm film—including several great options throughout the Midwest!

Doc Films

Chicago, IL

Based out of the University of Chicago with roots dating back to the 1930s, Doc Films is the nation’s oldest student film society. Student– and volunteer-run, they do the important and rare work of not only supporting analog film presentation, but also training new generations of young people on the logistics and practice of film projection and preservation. It’s also worth noting that they have a very talented design team that puts out a beautifully-designed program graphic to accompany the calendar every season. Doc’s unique offerings reflect the diversity of film taste among its volunteer programmers—I mean, where else could you see early Miyazaki, recent Academy Award nominees, and Paris Hilton starring in a low-budget Gothic rock opera all under one roof?

Doc Films' Spring 2024 calendar graphic, containing a Principal Components Analysis of the spring's programming, along with descriptions of all of the programmed series.
Photo Credit: Doc FIlms
The Spring 2024 Doc Films calendar.

Music Box Theatre

Chicago, IL

If you ask someone to name an arthouse theater in the Midwest, chances are they’ll say Music Box. Built almost a century ago and operating continuously since the ‘80s, it’s the perfect venue to find both current indie releases and repertory film screenings on the calendar. The theater is home to a variety of long-running series and festivals, including the local favorite Chicago Critics Film Festival. Some of their other offerings include gems as monthly midnight Rocky Horror screenings, silent films with live accompaniment, and unique one-off programming like the upcoming Godzilla vs. Music Box series. You can also try your hand at their weekly Music Box Movie Trivia every Sunday (as I did, unsuccessfully), but be prepared to square up against some teams of seasoned regulars with impossibly encyclopedic film knowledge.

A theater with signage reading, "Music Box".
Photo Credit: Music Box Theatre
Music Box Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.

The Historic Artcraft Theater

Franklin, IN

Prior to visiting the Artcraft, I’d never been to a film theater with as many families making up such a high percentage of the audience. A big part of promoting analog film presentation should be breaking the stereotype of high-quality film experiences being elite and highbrow, and the Artcraft’s offering of more popular films is a really refreshing take on the repertory cinema model. Like, yes, I actually do think it’s just as important to have film screenings of The Karate Kid and Night at the Museum as it is to show Hitchcock or Wenders.

The Artcraft’s affordable prices and enthusiastic volunteers create a uniquely welcoming and community-centric feel—anywhere you can get a ticket to a 35mm screening, a soda, and a popcorn for under $10 total is a stand-out in my book.

A theater building at night with bright red and yellow lights and signage reading "Artcraft".
Photo Credit: The Historic Artcraft Theater
The Historic Artcraft Theater in Franklin, Indiana.

Indiana State Museum

Indianapolis, IN

Did you know that Indianapolis is home to one of only 19 IMAX film theaters in the country (and one of only three in the entire region)? In fact, this spring, the Indiana State Museum was the only screen in the Midwest that theatergoers could see Denis Villeneuve’s critically acclaimed Dune: Part Two in premium, larger-than-life 70mm IMAX. Fans from all over the region and beyond (myself included) ventured out hundreds of miles to witness the spectacle on the museum’s six-story-tall screen, the largest in the entire state of Indiana. 

A tray cart carrying nine boxes, in front of a large display advertising Dune Part Two in 70MM IMAX.
Photo Credit: IMAX Theater Indiana State Museum
The IMAX Theater at the Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis receives their film print of Dune: Part Two.

The Trylon Cinema

Minneapolis, MN

Living in the Twin Cities, I have such a soft spot for the Trylon. The 90-seat nonprofit theater in South Minneapolis hosts exclusively repertory screenings, and features a diverse mix of in-house programming along with monthly and quarterly series from groups like Tape Freaks, the Cult Film Collective, and Archives on Screen. They’re volunteer-run—not just the theater itself, but also its affiliated film blog Perisphere that invites local film enthusiasts to provide diverse commentary on the programming from each calendar. Of all the absolute treats of screenings that the Trylon hosts, my personal favorites fall on the October calendar—I’ve managed to survive their annual horror movie marathon, Horrorthon, the past two years, and I’m always seated for the late 35mm show of the Japanese camp horror classic House every Halloween night.

A mural reading, "Trylon Cinema" painted on the outside of a building.
Photo Credit: Mia McGill
The Trylon Cinema in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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]]> Meet Six Twin Cities Organizations Showcasing Creativity https://artsmidwest.org/stories/meet-six-twin-cities-organizations-showcasing-creativity/ Tue, 02 Apr 2024 13:42:28 +0000 https://artsmidwest.org/?p=6236 These six organizations in Minneapolis and St. Paul highlight the connection between creativity and community togetherness.

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]]> The Twin Cities are home to a bustling arts scene, featuring nationally-recognized theatre and live music venues, award-winning arts nonprofits, and a wealth of community-centric creatives. Minneapolis-based filmmaker Ryan Stopera showcases six of the cities’ hidden gems in this series of short videos.

PF Studios

Part of Minneapolis artist-led gallery and performance space Public Functionary, PF Studios in Northeast Minneapolis is providing a supportive artistic community and space for artists of color.

“It’s a space where artists can meet, collaborate and build their artistic practices,” explains painter Leslie Barlow. “We center BIPOC emerging artists as well as other artists that have experienced marginalization or different barriers to accessing affordable studio space and supportive community.”

In 2019 PF Studios began as one space, Studio #400, with the goal to increase access to affordable studio space and empower young artists with tools and knowledge to grow their practice + community. Currently, there are over 30 artists practicing in the PF Studios program, and PF Studios spans four unique spaces

“I see myself in many of the artists that I work with… It’s just really important for me to be able to see a space like this for emerging artists of color,” says Barlow.

Flava Café

More than just a place for coffee, Shaunie Grigsby has made St. Paul’s Flava Café a gathering place and support system for gender expansive youth.

Grigsby founded the Frogtown coffee shop as a community conduit, not only to serve up delicious coffee to her neighbors, but also to provide mentorship, coaching, and other career-readiness opportunities for young women, nonbinary, and transgender youth of color—they have opportunities to develop skills at everything from barista-ing to marketing and events.

The idea of bringing an upscale cafe to her neighborhood was an important part of Flava’s conception, to Grigsby. “I wanted to be in Frogtown because I knew the historical significance of being in this community—and I wanted to make sure that wherever this coffee shop was going to be, that it was tied to the Black community and minority communities as a whole.”

“I wanted to make sure that wherever this coffee shop was going to be, that it was tied to the Black community and minority communities as a whole.”

SHAUNIE GRIGSBY, FLAVA CAFÉ

Strangers Meeting Strangers

Strangers Meeting Strangers (SMS) is an immersive live event series in Minneapolis based around building new connections in front of a live audience, creating a rare low-stakes environment to organically meet new people in your community.

Through a variety of events since August 2022, Strangers Meeting Strangers has connected hundreds of people. These events, varying from standard “shows” to their special Valentine’s Day edition, allow attendees to connect on many different levels.

Equal parts performance and mixer, no two SMS events are the same—founder Liban Kano describes them as “a unique opportunity to witness the human connection unfold in real-time.”

Summer Cypher

Minneapolis-based Summer Cypher events provide free community space for creative expression through various mediums, from DJ’ing and graffiti art to historical education.

The variety in programming is community-driven, and purposefully leans into authentic, personal, and accessible art forms—”It’s not just murals, it’s real street activity,” says co-founder Teddy Grimes.

Co-founders Kimani Beard and Teddy Grimes aim to capture the “essence of street life at its finest,” and facilitate “person-to-person connection through the elements of hip-hop.”

“It’s from the streets. It’s for the streets.”

TEDDY GRIMES, SUMMER CYPHER

Konjo Treats

Ethiopian-American artist and pastry chef Yon Hailu is the creative force behind Minneapolis’s Konjo Treats, a cottage bakery currently in residence at PF Café.

With no prior baking experience, Hailu quickly took to it over the pandemic after getting a job at Minneapolis’s Patisserie 46, before founding Konjo with his own ideas and recipes.

He believes in the power of food as a way to bring people together, saying, “it’s a form of language, it’s a form of expression, it’s a form of connection.”

Cherry Pit

Founded in Madison, WI in 2019 and now based in Minneapolis, Cherry Pit is a community of artists and creatives passionate about impromptu collaboration across media.

Cherry Pit offers a unique and interactive live music experience that “blossomed from this connection between musicians and non-musicians creating sound together.” The lines between performers and audience blur to allow for one-of-a-kind jams.

The casual and accessible atmosphere is key to the entire essence of Cherry Pit—”We wanted to bring the house show to you,” says founder Marvelous Leonardo.

“We’re always going to have a jam session. Whatever event we have, it’s going to be an opportunity for people to collaborate.”

MARVELOUS LEONARDO, CHERRY PIT

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]]> Did You Know About Barbie’s Midwestern Roots? https://artsmidwest.org/stories/barbies-midwestern-roots/ Thu, 07 Mar 2024 17:10:34 +0000 https://artsmidwest.org/?p=6277 Meet the Wisconsinite leading one of 2023’s biggest blockbusters.

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If you saw a movie in theaters this summer, it’s more likely than not that you saw Barbie.

The 2023 Greta Gerwig film shattered several box office records, including highest-grossing film by a solo female director. It had a truly unprecedented impact on theater attendance by women across the country during its theatrical run, reflected by its win of the inaugural Golden Globe for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement.

While the film itself was undoubtedly a great time, the cultural moment surrounding this summer’s “Barbiemania” had everything to do with Barbie’s place in the homes and hearts of millions of American families over the past fifty years.

But did you know that Barbie herself has Midwestern roots, dating back to her earliest origins in the 1950s?

Barbie in the Badger State

Yes, you heard that right—the one and only Barbie is canonically a native Wisconsinite!

According to the original Barbie lore, both Barbie and Ken are from the fictional town of Willows, Wisconsin.

Although this was later retconned in the 2010s to state that Barbie moved from Willows to Malibu at age 8, where she later met Ken, her origins as a Wisconsinite are so important to her all-American image and cultural significance.

Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken from the 2023 Barbie movie in a pink hot rod car, photoshopped in front of a stock image of the "Wisconsin Welcomes You" state sign.

“Barbie’s creator, Ruth Handler, wanted to create a doll that let girls see themselves as adults and imagine the possibilities for their future,” says Abbie Norderhaug, State Archivist and Director of Acquisitions for the Wisconsin Historical Society. “I believe, that to allow girls to see themselves and their future in Barbie it was important to give Barbie a relatable origin and backstory.”

The Wisconsin Historical Society maintains a curated collection of Barbie dolls spanning decades, with a somewhat unique focus: rather than trying to collect dolls in pristine condition like the average collector, the Society’s collection focuses on well-loved toys that tell the stories of Wisconsin families over the years.

“If you look at our 1961 Barbie, for example, you can see that Beth Fox, the doll’s original owner gave the doll a French braid, changing the original ponytail style,” says Norderhaug. “Collecting items that have been used, rather than boxed toys gives insight into how these items were thought of and used in their owners’ daily lives.”

The town of Willows, and Wisconsin as a whole, are referenced at various points in Barbie’s history spanning decades—not only in TV shows and movies, but also in several dolls themselves.

One of Norderhaug’s favorite dolls in the Wisconsin Historical Society collection is the University of Wisconsin cheerleader doll, from the ‘90s “University Barbie” collection.

“[It’s] the most interesting to me, mainly because it connects back to Barbie’s Wisconsin roots,” she says. “It also seems to me like it’s a story that would feel relatable to lots of people who played with Barbies as children who may have grown up in small communities and attend a large state school for college.”

The Willows, WI Collection line of dolls featured Homecoming Queen, Soda Shop, and Cherry Pie Picnic dolls inspired not only by the fictional Midwestern town, but by things ubiquitous in American culture as a whole.

A Barbie, in a box reading "University Barbie" wearing a University of Wisconsin cheerleader uniform and holding red and white pom poms.
Photo Credit: Mattel
University of Wisconsin Barbie from the University Barbie collection.
A Barbie doll wearing a blue floor-length gown and a sash reading "Homecoming Queen," along with a flower bouquet and a poster reading, "Vote Barbie Willows, WI Homecoming Queen."
Photo Credit: Mattel
Homecoming Queen Barbie from the Willows, WI Collection.
A Barbie doll with pigtails wearing a cherry-pattened blouse and jeans, carrying a picnic basket.
Photo Credit: Mattel
Cherry Pie Picnic Barbie from the Willows, WI Collection.
A Barbie doll with a polka-dotted blouse and large pink poodle skirt, standing in front of a soda shop backdrop.
Photo Credit: Mattel
Soda Shop Barbie from the Willows, WI Collection.

“Coming from a small Midwestern town makes Barbie relatable to so many people. It reinforces Ruth Handler’s wish to let girls see themselves as anything; if a girl from a small Wisconsin town can go on to become an astronaut, anyone can.”

ABBIE NORDERHAUG, WISCONSIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Barbiemania and Midwestern Barbie Pride

While the 2023 “Barbiemania” started as hype around the record-setting film, it quickly became so much more than that.

Not only could you reliably see Barbie at even the smallest of theaters across the country and region, but the Midwest had no shortage of incredible ways to engage even more beyond the film.

In Wisconsin itself, you could (and can still!) stay in a one-of-a-kind real life Barbie Dreamhouse. The “Barbiecore Castle” is one of Brooke Fleetwood’s several “Pink Castle” rentals in downtown Hudson, WI, complete with pink walls, plenty of glitz and glam, and of course, lots of Barbie decorations.

In Minneapolis and Chicago, you could step right into Barbie’s world at the Malibu Barbie Café pop-ups, where Barbies and Kens alike could roller skate the day away and indulge in treats like a colorful and fresh cauliflower bowl or a perfectly pink beet hummus.

Six people dressed in pink and white outfits standing in and around a promotional standee shaped like a Barbie toy box, with signage reading, "Barbie: only in theaters July 21."
Photo Credit: Sarayu Patturi
A group of friends celebrate a night out to see the Barbie movie at Minnesota’s Plymouth Grand theater.
A completely pink-painted staircase with candles and a sign reading, "Life in plastic, it's fantastic."
Photo Credit: Fleetwood Rentals
Step into Barbieland at Fleetwood Rentals’ “Barbiecore Castle” in Hudson, WI.
A wall painted blue to look like a pool surface with rows of pink inner tubes hung up.
Photo Credit: Mia McGill
One of the many photo op walls at the Malibu Barbie Cafe at the Mall of America.
A colorful sign made up of six large letters spelling "Barbie," with different Twin Cities landmarks on each letter.
Photo Credit: Mall of America
Photo op at the Minneapolis Malibu Barbie Cafe, complete with homages to several Twin Cities landmarks like the Spoonbridge and Cherry, Weisman Art Museum, and First Avenue stars.

Something really unique about 2023’s Barbie cultural phenomenon was its universal accessibility. It was something special and communal that audiences of women across the country could participate in. It wasn’t about just going to see a movie, it was about celebrating community and joy and girlhood with the women in your life.

And perhaps most importantly, it was about a Midwesterner teaching a new generation of girls that you can be anything you want.

“Barbie has held over 200 careers, from her first as a teen fashion model to service in the armed forces to rock star to presidential candidate,” says Abbie Norderhaug. “I think she has shown children over the years that it’s important to dream big about their futures and that there are lots of possibilities open to them.”

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