mnartists.org, a project of the Walker Art Center and the McKnight Foundation, has awarded $5,000 to Marya Morstad, cultural producer and radio host of KFAI Radio’s weekly program “Art Matters,” to create “Radio mnartists.org: The Artists of Here. Now.,” a weekly series of radio interviews with Minnesota artists. Morstad’s winning proposal was selected for the Innovate mnartists.org Award from dozens of proposals submitted. “Radio mnartists.org: The Artists of Here. Now” launches Friday, September 16, on KFAI and on mnartists.org. Composer Ken Brahmstedt will assist in the production of the series.
“Radio mnartists.org: The Artists of Here. Now” features 20 conversations with a diverse group of Minnesota artists from around the state. Says Morstad: “The series is meant to create a larger picture of the diversity of artists working throughout the state and will provide arts enthusiasts and anyone interested in the arts with a compelling entry point into the broader Minnesota arts culture.” The Innovate mnartists.org Award is designed to expand awareness of the mnartists.org Web site to a broader audience, increase participation on the site, utilize the site’s technology in unique ways, promote diversity, and connect artists with audience. Morstad’s complete series will be presented as an audio collection on mnartists.org in January 2006. Morstad was the recipient of the 2004 National Federation of Community Broadcasters “Golden Reel” award for best local documentary for Art and Spirit Matters: Arts and Religion in the Twin Cities.
“Radio mnartists.org” will launch the series of audio-interviews with the following artists:
- Dave King: Avant-garde jazz drummer for Happy Apple and The Bad Plus
- Gao Hong: Chinese contemporary/classical composer
- Chris Monroe: Violet Days cartoonist from Duluth, MN
- Yuri Arajs: Minimalist artist and curator/gallery owner of Outsiders and Others
- Mankwe Ndosi: African-American vocalist and multidisciplinary performance artist
- Kathryn Haddad: Playwright and co-founder of the Arab American arts organization Mizna
-Jane Evershed: South-African artist and activist
mnartists.org is a free Internet resource for Minnesota artists working in a variety of disciplines—visual, performing, literature, design, and architecture—and is the most extensive self-generated directory of arts practitioners in the country. It’s a place for artists to gather, and where arts enthusiasts can find out more about Minnesota artists. Currently over 6,000 artists and arts organizations from around the state have registered. mnartists.org is a project of the McKnight Foundation and the Walker Art Center.