By Kay Harvey

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Minnesota is at the forefront in recognizing that participating in the arts is good for older people. In a new twist on the Artists in the Schools concept, artists will share their skills in senior residences, care facilities, community education programs, senior centers and other places where seniors gather.

By Brian Voerding | Monday, April 21, 2008

John Hoff figured the best way to answer a call to adopt abandoned houses on the North Side of Minneapolis was to secure them. After the city didn't respond quickly enough to his calls about such properties in his neighborhood, he started boarding them up himself. And he blogs about it all in "The Adventures of Johnny Northside."

By David Hawley

Monday, April 21, 2008

The Old Log Theater is part of a disappearing breed: a for-profit, unionized theater. Hundreds of actors — including Nick Nolte and Loni Anderson — have worked there over the decades, but it has the reputation of being in theatrical Siberia. Don Stolz started running the place in the 1940s, and turned over the operation to his sons in 2006. Even so, Stolz, now 90, still gives the curtain speeches.

Democratic Senate candidate Al Franken rallied supporters at the state Capitol today, outlined what he sees as the key issues of the campaign and made clear how he plans to run against Norm Coleman: focus on the GOP senator's support of President Bush. Here's video of Franken's remarks. MinnPost will provide video of campaign addresses by Coleman and Franken's main opponent for DFL endorsement, Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, in the coming weeks.

By David Hawley | Thursday, March 20, 2008

Jon Hassler, considered one of Minnesota's leading contemporary novelists, died early this morning from complications of a degenerative neuromuscular disease that had ravaged him for more than a decade. He would have been 75 on March 30.

Just as people in their teens and 20s drove the music industry's switch to digital music, some in the MP3 generation are now giving an unlikely boost to vinyl records. They like the artwork and sound quality, among other things. 

VIDEO: Two local online vinyl record proprietors show off their wares

PHOTO SLIDE SHOW: Vinyl record cover art

By Molly Priesmeyer | Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Phil Hansen's 60-plus videos on YouTube have racked up tens of millions of hits since he started using cyberspace as an art gallery. Think pointillism in pixels, and you get the picture. But what this 28-year-old Eden Prairie artist really wants is to show his 9-foot-tall paintings in a physical place. 

By Judith Yates Borger | Monday, March 3, 2008

The University of Minnesota Elmer Andersen Library is taking custody of a major comic book collection. There were about 130 boxes, each holding maybe 250 comics. The comics are being catalogued and valued now, but the collection's worth is likely to be well into six figures. Who bought all of these comic books in the first place? My husband.

VIDEO: John and Judy Borger talk about John's comics collection and the decision to donate it to the University of Minnesota

SLIDE SHOW: A look at John Borger's memorabilia

By Linda Shapiro | Monday, Feb. 18, 2008

A growing number of experimental artists definitely dance to a different tune and muse in unlikely venues, even their basements and backyards in the Twin Cities. And their work is getting international attention.

By Sharon Schmickle | Friday, Feb. 8, 2008

When it comes to image, 2007 was a lousy year for China's image — marred by everything from toxic Barbie dolls to alleged indifference over Darfur's violence. A far different China is coming to your TV screen this year as Beijing gears up to host the Olympics in August. Watch for boldly modern office towers, girls sporting fashion boots and knock-off Versace bags and traffic jams with the occasional Jaguar idling alongside new SUVs and older sedans. Which China is the real China?

Slide show: China's Three Gorges