Lake Nokomis may become home to skatepark designed by skaters

City of Skate volunteers Bill Welk, Witt Siasoco, and Calvin Hafermann pushing for better skateboard parks in Minneapolis

by Tesha M. Christensen

Bill Welk started skateboarding 18 years ago on a cheap toy skateboard that snapped in half within a week. Today the Ericcson neighborhood resident continues to skate because “it’s a great release or escape from life.”

Welk added, “I can go skateboarding on my schedule and do not have to rely on anyone. While I enjoy the lack of organization or reliance on others, it can also be a great activity to do while socializing with friends that skateboard.”

Minneapolis resident Witt Siasoco is pushing 40 and has been skating for 25 years. “When I was a kid, I played lots of sports (baseball, basketball, football), but I loved skateboarding because it didn’t depend on a coach, teammates, or a game. I could pick it up and do it whenever and where ever,” Siasoco noted.

He likes to skate downtown Minneapolis. “But as an older skater, it becomes a bit of a odd situation when a police officer or security guard kicks you out of a spot,” Siasoco admitted. “So in my older age, I have retreated to public skateparks and the handful of private indoor skateparks in the area.”

At 17, Calvin Hafermann of Minneapolis has been skating for almost half his life.

There are two things he loves most about skateboarding. “One, it is a creative outlet unlike anything else,” said Hafermann. “To me, it is an interaction between architecture/one’s environment and oneself.  No one sees things the exact same way, and the possibilities are really endless. 

“Two, there is an amazing sense of community in skateboarding, particularly here in Minneapolis.  I have met most of my closest friends through skating, and people are really supportive of each other even if they do not know each other super well.”

They volunteer at City of Skate

Welk, Siasoco and Hafermann are three of the 13 volunteers who make up the non-profit organization City of Skate, a group pushing for better skate parks in Minneapolis.

According to Welk, the primary goal of City of Skate is to have high quality skateparks built in Minneapolis that are built and designed by skateboarders.

“There are a few skateparks in the area, but they are sub-par because they were built and constructed by non-skaters,” observed Siasoco. “At the time the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board (MPRB) viewed skateparks as playground equipment. In order to build a quality skatepark that has high usage, the builder has to approach the construction in a site specific/landscape architecture way - similar to the way a golf course is designed.”

Minneapolis has an incredible skate scene with a real sense of community, and Hafermann thinks they deserve better than what they have gotten in terms of skateparks and recognition.

“City of Skate gives skaters a voice where it matters,” said Haferman. “City of Skate has held community meetings where local skaters can come in and voice their opinions and work towards something they would actually use.” 

Hafferman added, “City of Skate is also working towards raising funds for skateparks, and awareness for skateboarding beyond the skate community.”

Currently, City of Skate is working with the MPRB to create a city-wide Skate Park Activity Plan.

“I want to see a high quality public skatepark built in the Twin Cities,” said Siasoco. ”Towns and cities that have less skaters per capita have way better parks than Minneapolis and City of Skate wants to see this change.”

Skate park planned at Lake Nokomis

One of the locations City of Skate is eying up for a skateboard park is Lake Nokomis.

A skateboard park is being including in the Lake Nokomis/Hiawatha Regional Park plan being developed. Funds have not yet been set aside for the construction of the skateboard park.

City of Skate members are excited about this proposal.

Welk pointed out that the skatepark will benefit the neighborhood by allowing a safe place for residents of all ages to participate in wheeled activities, and the city could capitalize on a new skatepark by hosting large events there. “In addition, it services an age group, particularly age 10-21, that are often overlooked,” commented Welk. “The neighborhood may also benefit by having park users patronize local businesses before and after trips to the skatepark.”

“As a regional park that is equipped to handle visitors, Lake Nokomis is perfect location for a skatepark,” agreed Siasoco. “Also the large number of families and kids in the neighborhood and surrounding area make the site ideal in terms of location.”

Hafermann observed, “The park is already a large, incredibly varied destination of sorts, and adding a skatepark would only increase the appeal.” He added, “Skateboarding is a healthy activity that challenges participants not only physically but also creatively. It can teach kids the value of persistence and become a focal point of the neighborhood.”

Skateboarders: a creative group

Many of the Generation X or younger artists and musicians often have memories of skateboarding in their youth or still continue to skateboard, noted Welk. “A number of these artists often cite skateboarding as a catalyst that pushed them down the art/music career path, and the city benefits by having a population of creative artistic people to contribute to it.”

“There is a lot more to skateboarding as a culture than just the act of skating, and I think better parks will help foster this side of skating, too,” added Hafermann.

“Skaters are incredibly creative people and channel that creativity through art, photography, music or anything else one can think of. Better skateparks will provide a gathering place for skaters and a place for skaters to be exposed to each others creativity beyond skating.”

Learn more at www.cityofskate.org.

SIDEBAR

Where should the skate park at Lake Nokomis be located?

- Bill Welk: “The superior location is the location that allows for the most square footage for a skatepark. It is my understanding that the rec center location allows more square footage, making it a better location. If the skatepark is in the busy location near the beach, you are likely to have a large number of users confined to a small area. Imagine 50 people trying to play basketball on one court. Skateboarders will go to the skatepark in either location, so the better location for all park users is to move the skatepark to the rec center area to avoid congesting a popular beach area. Additionally, by placing a skatepark near the rec center, it will make it easier for the park district to use the skatepark for rec center activities such as instructional skateboard camps.”

- Calvin Hafermann: “Many people like the idea of the park near the beach.  It would be very picturesque, and breezes coming off of the lake would be nice in the spring and summer.  While I would prefer the lake setting the rec center location would also be nice in terms of convenience for park staff and use of the rec center by skaters.”  

- Walt Siasoco: “I would like to see the skatepark by the beach, but the site near the Rec Center would be great in terms of oversight of the skatepark and proximity to bathrooms and parking.”

CAC recommends Rec Center location

At its Sept. 23, 2014 meeting, the Community Action Council for the Lake Nokomis/Hiawatha Regional Master Plan recommended that the skate park be located next to the rec center. The CAC recommendations will next go to the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board. The full Master Plan document will be available for open public comment for 45 days. It is expected the 45-day comment period will open on Nov. 5 and close at the earliest on Dec. 22. A public hearing on the plan will likely be held in January 2015.

This story was published in the November 2014 Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger.

Rainbow closing Nov. 9

Community interest high regarding future of site

by Tesha M. Christensen

Rainbow Foods at 2919 26th Av. S. in Minneapolis will be closing its doors on Nov. 9, 2014.

The news of the closure comes just four months after the store was purchased by Jerry’s Enterprises as part of a 27-store deal that reshaped the Twin Cities grocery scene. The Rainbow at 1660 S. Robert St. in West St. Paul will also be shut down.

Both of these Rainbows are located next to Cub stores also owned by Jerry’s. The two stores employ about 25 full-time workers and 60 part-time employees.

Jerry’s, located in Edina, operates about 40 stores in Minnesota and Florida.

According to Ed Anderson, the manager of the Minneapolis Cub store at 2850 26th Ave. S., the Rainbow was underperforming while the Cub store was doing well.

“The decision was made to remodel the Cub Foods and serve the area better,” said Anderson.

The produce department and deli have both been remodeled this fall. Work on the frozen food and dairy section began in mid-October,  and will be followed by the bakery. The interior work should be done by the end of January 2015. Then this spring, the outside will be redone to look more contemporary.

Jerry’s has owned the Cub store for over 20 years. It leases both the Cub and Rainbow property.

According to Anderson, Cub is adding more natural, organic and gluten-free items, in response to customer requests.

“We’re growing with the neighborhood,” said Anderson.

NEIGHBORHOOD INTEREST IN SITE

“There has been a lot of interest in the neighborhood about the future of this site,” observed Longfellow Community Council Executive Director Melanie Majors. “We have mainly heard from residents through E-democracy where people have been discussing their own ideas for how it should be redeveloped. LCC is tracking this.”

Residents have suggested many uses for the space online at both E-Democracy and Hoodstarter, including: bouncy castle playland for kids birthday parties, drop-in day care, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Lunds, community farm co-op, Pump It Up, indoor mini-golf, bike track, expanded Harriet Brewery, space for Midtown Farmers Market, Planet Fitness, LA Fitness and an indoor community pool.

Majors added, “The LCC Neighborhood Development Committee (NDC) has also briefly discussed ideas of redevelopment for the site. We have not heard from any businesses about interest in relocating there.”

Lake Street Council Executive Director Allison Sharkey  said, “We look forward to working with the community and all of the players to help find the best new use for the site.”

This story was published in the November 2014 Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger. 

Students, local artist Randy Walker collaborate on outdoor sculpture at Roosevelt High School

Connection Gallery installation comes on heels of front door mosaic. More art work coming later this year.

by Tesha M. Christensen

 

The Connections Gallery on the front lawn of Roosevelt High School is located just blocks from sculptor Randy Walker’s home. It’s a piece of art he’s excited to have in his neighborhood, one he brings his family to on the way to the library or Baker’s Wife. His two-year-old son seeks out a picture of a dolphin found in one of the collages every time they stop. It’s part of the neighborhood, and part of their daily lives.

It isn’t only Walker who feels like that. So do the student artists that also worked on the sculpture over the past two years.

And the number of artists involved with the piece will only grow, increasing the connections fostered by this one piece of public art.

“I think it will be fascinating watching the piece change over time, seeing how it's engaged and what the contents will be as classes and collaborators change,” said Walker.

The sculpture consists of 14 steel frames that radiate outward from a circular concrete bench.  Each of these screens is broken down into divisions that are variations of five typical sizes, all based on a 8-1/2x11 piece of paper.

“No two screens are alike,” observed Walker.

Like a rice paper screen or stained glass window each metal frame is divided into a smaller cells of acrylic panels. Within these panels students are able to insert pictures, words – anything that they can create on paper. Finally, each of the acrylic divisions is joined by strands of fiber that are routed to the top of each screen and across the central space of the sculpture. 

“By doing this, we were able to conceive of a space to be in, rather than an object to look at,” explained Walker.

“The Connections Gallery is a wonderful tool for teachers to use in interdisciplinary units with arts integration,” said Roosevelt’s International Baccalaureate Diploma Program Coordinator Candida Gonzalez. “The ability to physically make the connections using the fibers provides another avenue for students to deepen their learning in a holistic way. The Gallery is also a powerful symbol of our commitment to growing the arts program at Roosevelt.”

IT CHANGED HER PERSPECTIVE

Two years ago, Standish resident Lee Cygan was a freshman at Roosevelt. Her English teacher encouraged her to get involved in this art project. She began attending meetings, and the students (along with Forecast Public Art) selected Randy Walker as their artist.

Next they began learning about the concept of public art from Walker, recalled Cygan. They talked about permanence, impermanence, meaning, how an artwork relates to its site and community. 

They gave input on Walker’s design, suggesting that the screens have different sized patterns within the grid format. They were also part of the Kickstarter campaign that raised $8,583.

“I learned so much about the process and everything that it takes to develop a public art piece,” said Cygan. “It gave me a great perspective on what goes into it.”

And even more than that, it provided her an experience she won’t forget. There’s a piece of artwork in her own neighborhood that she helped create.

Now a junior at Perpich Center for Arts Education, Cygan intends to study some form of art at college.

“I was most surprised at the depth of thought and level of sincerity displayed by the group of students I worked with at Roosevelt,” observed Walker. “As we explored what public art could be, (i.e., not just a bronze statue), the students really embraced the possibilities and took off with them.  They had never been exposed to the idea of public art as an open-ended experiment where anything is possible. It made me wonder about what other areas might hold the possibility of sparking their imaginations.” 

OPEN TO CURIOUS COMMUNITY MEMBERS, TOO

One of the key decisions students helped make was deciding where the Connections Gallery should be located. Cygan noted that they scouted locations throughout the school property, but finally settled on a space in the front along 28th Ave.

“The fact that we placed this structure front and center on 28th Avenue was not accidental,” said Walker. “We wanted the sculpture to be visible and accessible to the community. The activity of the street with the library across the way, the bus stop right there, and the high pedestrian and car traffic was the perfect setting to create a place where curious members of the community might approach and enter the space.”

A LOT OF PEOPLE MADE IT REAL

Once the group was sure of the big design moves, Walker produced detailed digital construction drawings that would eventually be reviewed by a structural engineer and fabricated locally. 

“Because each of the 14 screens was unique, this process was time consuming and left no room for error,” said Walker.  He pointed out the grids that form each of the screen are interlocking individual parts with notches and holes laser cut so that they would fit with a tolerance on the order of thousandths of an inch that would not require any welding at all. “You can imagine what a mess would result in just one notch being off,” Walker said.

Acrylic panels were laser cut and drilled at a separate facility. Once the metal was laser cut, it was fabricated by Hans Early Nelson at his Longfellow workshop Primitive Precision. Roosevelt students toured Nelson’s workshop last winter to see firsthand how he works.

“Another great part about working as a public artist is that you never work completely in isolation,” pointed out Walker. “While you may come up with an idea on a personal level, it takes a lot of people to make it real.”

COME BY AND DRINK COFFEE ON THE BENCH

Throughout the spring of 2014, students and staff worked to create works of art for the first installation of the piece. Artist Keegan Xavi worked with students to create collages for the first exhibit inside the Connections Gallery. The collage project was another way for them to see connections—this time between text and image. Students created Dada poems where meaning is separated from word, and they “painted” with colors and images they tore from magazines.

The Gallery was officially unveiled at the Aug. 28, 2014 Back to School event at Roosevelt.

“The Connections Gallery is more than a sculpture, it’s really an outdoor gallery,” said Walker. “It is a gathering place where students and teachers can display their work in a public setting. The material content that will be displayed and the way it is organized will be up to the students and teachers of Roosevelt. There is no final, finished installation. I hope this open-endedness creates dialogues and interactions, as well as reveals previously hidden connections.”

“We hope to give community multiple opportunities to engage with the school in making art to be displayed in the Gallery. It has added another element of beauty to the neighborhood. Come on by and drink your coffee with friends on the bench!” encouraged Gonzalez.

“Thank you to the community for all the support they have given us with this project!”

-30-

SIDEBAR #1

True, serious play by a professional artist

Although Randy Walker is the professional artist associated with the project, his name isn’t the one on the Gallery. “The students and I came to the conclusion that the work should not really be attributed to any single person, but might be more interesting as a framework where many people might be able to contribute in the future,” Walker explained.

The concept of using fibers to show connections is one that Walker has experimented with for some time. Originally trained as an architect at the University of Oregon, Walker left the field when he decided he wasn’t having any fun.

“I started experimenting with sculpture by wrapping found objects like saw blades with sewing thread,” he recalled. “I had no plan, no big idea, and was not trying to achieve anything in particular. It was true, serious play.”

Over years, he began to wonder why the small pieces he had created in my studio couldn’t be made as bigger – much bigger – installations that could be experienced on an architectural scale. One of those larger pieces is “Return Journey,” the rocket ship at Bracket Park in the Seward neighborhood.

He has created artwork throughout the United States. Walker’s “Sky Portal” at the Anderson Abruzzo International Balloon Museum in Albuquerque, N.M. is located on a much larger piece of ground than the Connections Gallery, “but some of the same ideas about creating a welcoming gathering place where people can interact with each other in a public setting were explored in both installations,” Walker commented.

What does Walker enjoy about creating sculptures?

“Mostly, I like the fact that each project is a new experiment that comes with its own set of challenges. It’s like marching into the unknown, and you can never know what paths you will need take to make a project real,” said Walker. “Being a public artist requires you to remain open to re-framing problems and continually seeking or inventing new solutions.”

See more at www.randywalkerarts.com

SIDEBAR #2

MORE ART PROJECTS AT ROOSEVELT

1) Roosevelt drawing classes have been commissioned by Northwest Equity Partners in the IDS to do two works with artist Greta McLain that will be finished in November.

2) Work will soon begin on a huge new mural for the arts wing with Greta McLain (lead artist), Claudia Valentino and Katrina Knutson. Knutson has been working with the DCD (developmentally/cognitively delayed) classrooms doing visual arts through a grant from MRTI.

3) An adaptive dance class for DCD has started -- and added dance as an option for all with the new dance studio!.

4) The Minneapolis Public Schools arts department has awarded  Roosevelt additional arts funding to support arts integration in core content classes through residencies with local artists – the "Connect Project". Health II classes are doing an ongoing unit with artists Lori Brink and Tish Jones, and English 9 classes will soon start work again with Keegan Xavi.

5) The school’s first Art Crawl held in October was a success. A second is planned for Feb. 27, 2015.

This story was published in the November 2014 Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger.

Trailblazers: Meet Owners Behind Only Tea House In Twin Cities To Get Tea Direct from Growers (Part 1)

Find the story here: http://blog.redcurrent.com/2014/10/06/trailblazers-meet-owners-behind-only-tea-house-in-twin-cities-to-get-tea-direct-from-growers-part-1/