Marc Bamuthi Joseph upends the phrase “think globally, act locally,” striving to inject core community values into his work as an international hip-hop artist. “I’m not a stereotypical emblem for what hip-hop culture is or how it gets broadcast around the planet,” he says. “Hip-hop is definitely in my body, but I also don’t have a gold grill in my mouth, don’t have rims on my car, I pay my taxes, I have a…

January can be to the performing arts as the midnight hours are to television—repositories for the weird, the risky, and ultimately, test patterns. In that vein, nobody knew what to expect in 1989, when the Walker Art Center and Southern Theater defrosted their January calendars by clustering a program of new, experimental, and under-the radar work. Today, the Out There series is an annual bedrock of…

Backstory “If there’s any politics about my work, it’s to put individuals at the center of the discussion rather than treating them like sheep.” Talking one-on-one with Faustin Linyekula makes you realize how much we are led by appearances, and how misleading appearances can be. As is probably the case with so many people he meets (black, white, brown—on whatever continent he may be), this powerful man…

OK, it goes something like this: there are four of them and one is Hero (although later on he decides to be the Villain), one is the Location Scout, one is the Publicity Agent, and one is the Casting Director, and it all starts at the end, when you’re in the bar before the show has really started and you get given these sparklers and streamers and you’re asked to welcome the performers back into the…

An interview conducted in Japanese and translated into English by Kyoko Yoshida, Director, U.S./Japan Cultural Trade Network of Arts Midwest on behalf of Pomegranate Arts for the 12-City North American tour of __Kagemi. © Yoshida: All rights reserved Yoshida: Sankai Juku was founded in 1975, more than 30 years ago. For all these years, you have consistently created new works and toured extensively…

In September, as Marshall Field’s becomes Macy’s, the company reintroduces its corporate giving program as Macy’s Gives. While the store’s name changes and its green stripes become a chic new red star, Macy’s corporate giving philosophy will remain deeply rooted in diversity and inclusiveness, and it will continue Marshall Field’s long history of supporting the arts and cultural organizations such…

Headlining the 30th anniversary of Summer Music & Movies, Duluth’s Low is fronted by singer/guitarist Alan Sparhawk. He’s also a father of two (married to Low drummer/singer Mimi Parker) and runs the indie record label Chairkickers Union. Sparhawk took time recently to answer some of life’s most—and possibly least—pressing questions. Who is your favorite villain of fiction? The shark in Jaws. Relentless…

Time, as the saying goes, is of the essence, especially when it comes to Elevator Repair Service’s theatrical production of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. But unlike traditional adaptations of Gatsby, which pay painstaking attention to the historical authenticity of flapper dresses and Rolls Royces, their GATZ instead focuses on another aspect of time—how long it takes to read every word of…

The artist recently took a moment to answer some of life’s most—and possibly least—pressing questions. What’s your most vivid memory from childhood? Receiving a metal motorboat made out of military meal cans, bought on a street somewhere in Korea; a gift from my father, returning from that war. If you could ask one question to every person on Earth, what would it be? Is joyfulness unbecoming? What is…