Leif Brush was a pioneering sound artist based in Duluth since the mid 1970s. His Terrain Instruments were just some of the audible sculptures that isolated and emphasised the sounds of otherwise natural phenomena. KFAI’s Ben Heath celebrates the work of a remarkable Minnesotan. 

Support for MinneCulture on KFAI comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

The Sonic Legacy of Leif Brush and His Terrain Instruments

In the early 1970’s, Native American youth were experiencing discrimination in the Twin Cities public schools that created turmoil and high drop out rates. This lead to the creation of an alternative accredited educational place named The Red School House. KFAI's Dixie Treichel filed this report. 

"Being at Red School House, you didn’t have anyone telling you you couldn’t be who you are," said Dorene Day, a former Red School House student. "We were encouraged to delve into every aspect of our life as a Native person."

The Red School House began in February of 1972. The idea was hatched by concerned parent Charlotte Day alosngside St Paul American Indian Movement Executive Director Edward Benton-Benai. Day and Benton-Benai then developed the concept with members of the community. First Person Radio interviewed Edward Benton-Benai  in 1976.

"So our relationship with the public school system of St. Paul has not been one of  romance. They had threatened to pick all the kids up from school and  charge them with truancy at one time. When that call came, we sent out a call to the Indian community.  In about 40 minutes  there were about 250 Indians that surrounded the building and dared them to come and get the kids. And we knew too that we had a responsibility to live up to an that was the maintaining and enlarging of the school."

This work is funded in part by the Minnesota Humanities Center with money from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund that was created with the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008. 

Photograph Courtesy of the American Indian Movement Interpretive Center

First Person Plural | Self-Determination and Other Teachings of the Red School House

This summer on the MinneCulture Podcast, it's all about Minnesota History. As we kick-off Season 5 during Pride month, we celebrate one of the first well-known venues in the Twin Cities exuberantly claimed by gay men, a nightclub called The Gay 90s in downtown Minneapolis.

The Gay 90’s hasn’t always been gay. The bar began as a supper club for a straight crowd. It opened in the 1950s and the name was a reference to an earlier decade, the 1890s.

Then, in 1975, the vibe changed in a big way. The owners of the Gay 90s bought a disco ball, hired DJs, and turned the 90s into a club catering to gay men. 

In this episode, we share an original KFAI documentary, “Fly Robin Fly: The Story of that Disco-Crazed Moment when the Gay 90s Came Out of the Closet and Embraced Its Name,” by KFAI's Todd Melby. You'll hear a history of the bar featuring some of the people who worked, danced and connected at the Gay 90s. 

Theme music by Xavier Santiago. Other music by J. Melby. Even more music supplied by the Blue Dot Sessions on the Free Music Archive. 

Thanks to the Tretter Collection at the University of Minnesota for photography and oral history audio. 

Support for the MinneCulture Podcast on KFAI comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultual Heritage Fund.

Ep. 28: When the Gay 90's Came Out

Anishinaabe-Dakota hip-hop artist KITTO is set to release his new album "1999" later this summer. The new album riffs on themes of personal loss, social justice, and healing. In this candid interview with KFAI’s Dixie Treichel, KITTO speaks about the past year, and what it means to him to live for the moment.

Photo: KITTO
Courtesy of KITTO

Support for MinneCulture on KFAI is made possible by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

KITTO: Living for the Moment

In July 1981, the New York Times published an article about a mysterious illness plaguing gay men in New York City. After reading the article, Bruce Brockway, a gay activist and publisher of the Twin Cities' first LGBT newspaper, turned to his partner and said, "I think I have that." That was AIDS and Bruce was right. Numbers-wise, Minnesota was never a hot zone of infection. But for the Minnesotans living with HIV/AIDS, the struggles were the same: to stay alive and to fight the homophobia that wanted to ignore an epidemic dismissed as a gay man's disease. This is their story, reported and narrated by KFAI's Britt Aamodt.

Photo: Bruce Brockway and Rene Valdes. Support for MinneCulture on KFAI comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

Ep. 29: Generation AIDS

Anthony Brutus Cassius was questioned by the FBI, fought to be the first Black person in Minnesota to get a liquor license, and his famous greasy burgers were once mentioned on the Johnny Carson show. But above all, starting in the 1930s, Cassius created space for the Twin Cities Black community to eat, drink, organize and connect. Even today, there are hardly any Black-owned bars or restaurants in the Twin Cities. Cassius' story helps us to understand how we got here.  

“The Godfather of Black Space in Minneapolis” traces Cassius’ life and impact as a labor organizer, civil rights leader, and entrepreneur. This episode of the MinneCulture Podcast was produced by food writer and chef Mecca Bos and audio journalist Nancy Rosenbaum. It’s the first installment in the Hidden Black Foodways of Minnesota -- an audio documentary and podcast series that will spotlight untold and under-told stories of Minnesota’s Black food makers and pioneers.

Special thanks to the Minnesota Historical Society for the A.B. Cassius oral history audio in this episode. Thanks also goes out to Katie Myhre, Brandt Williams and Brian Lozenski. 

Find more work by Mecca Bos at meccaboswrites.com and Nancy Rosenbaum at nancyrosenbaum.com.

Support for the MinneCulture Podcast comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the Hennepin History Museum. 

Photo courtesy of the Hennepin County Library and the children of John Glanton. Find more photos from the John F. Glanton Collection here: https://bit.ly/2T449bY

Ep. 30: The Godfather of Black Space in Minneapolis

The art of writing a good joke welds a lot of power. A good joke can drive the plot of a TV sit-com, can spark political controversy … or, in this case, sell an oil change. KFAI’s Matthew Schneman spoke with a few auto mechanics about how they’ve made writing jokes part of their business. KFAI's Matthew Schneeman has the story.

Support for MinneCulture on KFAI comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

Mechanics Expound on the Perfect Roadside Quip

The Minnesota Twins aren’t short on iconic players who have won the hearts of fans over the years. One of them is Tony Oliva, who overcame obstacles in making his way from his home in Cuba to Major League Baseball, where he became a fierce hitter in the team’s early years, eventually receiving one of the sport’s highest honors. Sportswriter Thom Henninger has written a biography about the Twin’s Great, “Tony Oliva: The Life and Times of a Minnesota Twins Legend.” Mike Moen talks with Henninger about Olivia’s life and career.

Photo: In 1965, Tony Oliva became the first player ever to win batting crowns in his first two full seasons. 
Photo Courtesy of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

MinneCulture on KFAI is supported by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

From Cuba’s Farm Diamonds to MLB Glory, the Twins’ Tony Oliva Carves Out a Long Path to Cooperstown

The tiny Bluff Country town of Houston, Minnesota, nestled on the Root River in the southeast corner of the state, is home to a scientific education and research center that focuses wholly on owls. The International Owl Center is the only one of its kind in the United States.

The Center had an unlikely start 25 year ago when Biologist and Falconer Karla Bloem took the helm of a project to build a Nature Center at the Root River Bike Trailhead. She received advice that it would be best to develop a program for the public before opening the actual building. While looking for the main attraction, an injured and non-releasable Great Horned Owl named Alice came int her life.  

Beautiful and commanding, Alice was a star from the start. Karla had two goals in mind: to attract tourists as well as to focus on environmental education. So she came up with the idea of a “hatch day” party for Alice which grew into an annual Festival of Owls, bringing in top experts and owl lovers from all over the world.

Today, the Center is housed in the former Skifton Department Store on Houston’s main drag, but a capital campaign has just started to build a more comprehensive facility. It will include biological and cultural displays, a rotating exhibition of children's owl art from around the world, program rooms plus aviaries on site for the ambassador owls including Alice. 

Outside in the park, there will be six walk-through naturally vegetated enclosures. These are designed to use the owls natural instincts to create a singular experience for the visitor with nothing between them and the owls. KFAI's Alison Young spoke with Karla about the Center's origins and it's future.

It started with Alice

Before Shaft, badass movie detectives were white. Shaft starred Richard Roundtree as a Black detective, prowling New York City's tough streets, saving lives and taking no guff, especially from 'The Man.' Directed by Gordon Parks, who spent part of his youth in Minnesota, Shaft was a huge hit in 1971. This seminal film turns 50 this year. KFAI's Todd Melby reports. 

Photo Courtesy of MGM, left to right: Gordon Parks, Isaac Hayes, Ernest Tidyman. Support for MinneCulture on KFAI is made possible by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund

Can You Dig It? Shaft Turns 50

Performance artist Emily Michaels King has a new production called ‘Digital,” which invites the audience into the bedroom, into the computer screen, and into the body, for an immersive, tangible virtual experience for the zoom era. KFAI’s Sheila Regan spoke with King about nostalgia, family history, and something she calls "bloodline."

Support for MinneCulture on KFAI comes from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

Emily Michaels King and Her Digital Detritus for the Zoom Era

MinneCulture is KFAI’s award-winning audio storytelling program. We produce audio documentaries exploring Minnesota’s art, culture, and history — stories about musical sensations, small town heroes, cultural icons, local lore, and everything in between.

It started with Alice

KFAI's MinneCulture

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