David Beard Posts

Roller Dames First Loss of the Season

Last night, the Harber City Roller Dames earned their first loss of the season against Fargo.

What do the Cult, Bruce Springsteen, Garbage, Katy Perry, Coldplay and Run DMC have in common?

They were all available in special, limited edition releases for Record Store Day at Vinyl Cave.

Gallery Progressive

I only got to four sites in the Gallery Progressive, because I stopped to listen to the pickup group of musicians at Carmody on Thursday. Only recently did I learn that they now serve Real Food, including sliders and hot dogs of five varieties, which solves an age old problem. We can sit, enjoy the tunes, and relax.

Among the sites I visited, Friends of Industry was the site where art was most alive — art was being created as we speak.

Arrowhead Regional Arts Council Grants

The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council approved on March 15, 2012, grant applications totaling $87,925 to be awarded in Art Project Grants. The funding for these grants is made available by the Minnesota State Legislature and the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008 and an appropriation from the Minnesota State Legislature.

Twin Ports Arts Align

Last night I spent a few hours in the boardroom of the Duluth Art Institute, where artists, representatives of arts organizations, and hangers on like myself met to talk about ways to better align local arts. The result, Twin Ports Arts Align, is a group that is 85 percent energy so far — a webpage, a Gmail account, a Facebook page, all set up by Crystal Pelkey of Zeitgeist and an engine behind Nerd Nite — with Kristin Duckart of the DAI.

What would you want to see in a group whose primary mission would be the support and facilitation of local art? So much of the work is just getting the key players to the table; Arts Align should just be applauded for getting us this far. What is next? I’m thinking they need someone to get their hands dirty — about 1-2 PR interns. What steps would you like to see next?

Writing Life

I just finished a two-hour long open house in the Department of Writing Studies (where I work at UMD).

Toward a Humane Libertarianism

Last night, despite digestive distress and a body temperature over 100F, I crawled out of the tub (I soak when I get a fever — it makes me feel less clammy) to go hear Russ Stewart lecture at UMD about “Humane Libertarianism.”

Nerd Culture Update

A few Nerd/Geek Culture updates…

Eat Downtown!

Kate and I have been Eating Downtown lately, part of the annual promotion of downtown restaurants.

Learning to Sew

My wife is looking for the best way to learn to sew — nothing in the community ed calendar for this semester, but maybe for the future?

What other ideas might you suggest?

Who Loves Ya?

ARAC seeking new board members

The Arrowhead Regional Arts Council is currently accepting applications from individuals wishing to serve on its Board. ARAC offers grant support and technical assistance to individual artists and nonprofit arts organizations residing in the seven counties of the Arrowhead Region of Minnesota: Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, and St. Louis.

Happy First Birthday, Pineapple Arts

My wife and I love your demos, your helpful staff, and the fun vibe you bring to First Street.

Nerdigras

It was a duel for the ages, but eventually, my light sabre sliced off Steve Farnham’s metaphorical hand in the Spelling Bee at Nerd Nite Duluth, at the Zuccone.

McNair Event at St. Scholastica

There’s been a lot of heat on PDD, on the DNT, and apparently, even on NPR, about the “Unfair” campaign to raise consciousness about the existence of structures that result in white privilege. As a result, questions of race and class and gender are flaring to the foreground.

Just for a brief counterpoint, I want today to take a look at a program that “does it right” — that recognizes that race is one variable, an important one, but only one in a matrix of privilege and works to destabilize that matrix.

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