Is anyone else wondering why so many Minnesota artists are getting offed of late? First, as covered here on Mnspeak, there was the MCAD grad student who, apparently, was murdered by her husband. Then, a few weeks ago, there was David Yurkew, the well-known Minnesota tattoo artist and organizer of the first national tattoo artists’ convention. And now, there’s Jeffrey Hettwer, an abstract painter from Nordeast who died in a recent car crash. We members of the MN arts community simply at this point have to ask, who exactly has it in for us?
Save a Sable, Kill an Artist?
Jun 16 2008 — 2:00am
31 Reader Comments
2:09 pm
My guess–it’s the work of a gang of serial killers.
Or it could be that there are a lot of people in the MN arts community, and death by murder, natural causes, or car accident can happen to anyone, regardless of occupation.
2:13 pm
Sad to hear David Yerkew died.
He did my tattoo back in 1993.
2:18 pm
Cary Grant: “Would you like to see where I was tattooed?”
Audrey Hepburn: “Yes! “
Grant: “Alright, we’ll drive around that way…”
2:23 pm
Jeff’s MNArtists profile.
2:26 pm
considering how big the arts community here is, I’m willing to bet that the death rate amongst artists is probably not any different from that of the population at large. it might even be lower, depending on the age/health demographic that makes art.
2:28 pm
I didn’t mean to be overly glib with the lead-in on this… I guess I was just thinking about what artists mean to us in Minnesota, what they contribute to our overall quality of life. Times being what they are, I’ve heard a lot of artists of late talking about packing it in–either by giving up their practice or moving out of state. One of my close artist friends just had her going-away party for an impending move to the West Coast. And then to read about these artists’ deaths, I guess I’m having trouble letting go…
2:30 pm
If a hydrogen bomb went off in MPLS, all that would survive would be the cockroaches, First Avenue and Scott Seekins.
2:34 pm
Ha, yes. Seekins does have a boit of an air of inevitability about him!
2:36 pm
considering how big the arts community here is, I’m willing to bet that the death rate amongst artists is probably not any different from that of the population at large. it might even be lower, depending on the age/health demographic that makes art.
There are a lot of artists in MN. According to a recent census report, MN ranks in the top ten per capita for the number of actors, designers, and musicians per 10,000 people.
2:36 pm
*bit of an air
3:03 pm
Ah, when art imitates life… or death…
3:05 pm
I think, generally, cool people die and uncool crabby people hang on for decades.
Thus explains your artists dying. Their only crime being inspiring cool people. Of corse they wouldn’t last! Cruel world…
3:10 pm
I think, generally, cool people die and uncool crabby people hang on for decades.
That bodes well for my longevity! Ha! Kidding! Sort of!
3:43 pm
Um, David Yerkew died a year ago of congestive heart failure. move along, folks. no conspiracy here.
3:45 pm
Arthappy didn’t mean to imply there was an actual conspiracy, hello. It was just a framing device to talk about several artists who have died.
3:53 pm
D’oh. How did it get to be 2008 already?
Well, the other two artists’ deaths were recent.
And, btw, did you hear that photography is dying as well? I heard it on MPR, so it must be true.
4:01 pm
I don’t think this topic deserves such a flippant post. For one thing, Kira was brutally murdered by her husband. To tie that into a cutesy framing device for a MnSpeak post is pretty callous and lame. What happened to her has nothing to do with her art, but everything to do with being the victim of serious domestic violence, which gets overshadowed when you turn it into a “trend.”
4:04 pm
Arthappy didn’t mean to imply there was an actual conspiracy, hello. It was just a framing device to talk about several artists who have died.
Yes, as a close watcher of the art scene, I find I often have a strong and sensitive reaction whenever “I” lose an artist–due to death, attrition, movement out of state. I even once wrote this massive-ass piece that took up nearly four months of my life about the phenomenon (which I would have linked to here, but I just now realized that the CP redesign apparently has scrapped the old articles from back in the before times; did you know about this, Max?)
Anyway, I guess I’m sayign you are all right to take what I say with a grain of salt. I’m a sap for artists…
4:09 pm
I don’t think this topic deserves such a flippant post.
Molly, I already pre-apologized for being “glib.”
I’ll take the heat for this. But you’ll note at least a few people have weighed in, whereas the last two times stories about Kira’s death werelisted on the site posters did not even take notice.
I’m truly sorry to the families of these artists for their losses. I’m just glad to have people commenting on the importance of artists to the community and the loss we take when we lose them.
4:10 pm
Hm. My old stories are still up, although a few links are broken. There doesn’t seem to be a function where you can click on a writers name and get their complete archive, as there used to be, but maybe I’m just missing it.
4:20 pm
There doesn’t seem to be a function where you can click on a writers name and get their complete archive, as there used to be, but maybe I’m just missing it.
Looks like the old archive is dead, replaced with just the names of authors they’re currently working with. At least some of the old articles are still online, but you have to know the title and author name to Google them. Why kill the archive, I wonder, if the articles are still online?… Seems a strange little thumb on the nose to the past.
4:22 pm
A shame. Jeff Shaw, what’s going on?
4:23 pm
whereas the last two times stories about Kira’s death werelisted on the site posters did not even take notice.
Not true.
Several people commented when her husband plead guilty in court.
4:26 pm
Several people commented when her husband plead guilty in court.
I guess I missed that post. I stand corrected…
4:53 pm
I know that I followed the Kira Simonson story closely, and I assume others did too. But what do you say when the husband pleads guilty? I told you so? Bastard?
People talked about the case on here, and it was all very respectful. There just isn’t a lot to talk about when everyone agrees. Even on here, no one thinks domestic abuse is something to debate. It is a sad topic that gets noted, then everyone moves on.
6:16 pm
Molly, I already pre-apologized for being “glib.”
I’ll take the heat for this. But you’ll note at least a few people have weighed in, whereas the last two times stories about Kira’s death werelisted on the site posters did not even take notice.
Yeah, I am not sure if this is an excuse for the glib post on something so tragic.
6:22 pm
Well thank god the tragedy police are here then…
6:28 pm
Just accept that some people found your posting melodramatic and move on.
8:52 pm
I knew Jeff. He was really cool guy. And when i found out he was killed, I just could not belive it cause he was so young.
10:11 am
And, btw, did you hear that photography is dying as well? I heard it on MPR, so it must be true.
Oh my! Well at least the blog is still alive.
11:30 am
Here’s some mid-summer art, in the flesh, from the Chanhassen Villager.
As God is my witness, I don’t know what that is all about. I was sending a news release to the editor when I stumbled across the page one photo spread…