Secrets of the City

Just because we’re thousands of miles from an ocean doesn’t make Minnesotans any less capable of solving the problem of slowly disappearing breeds of fish. There are a handful of these entrepreneurs right in our backyard, and Dara Moskovitz Grumdahl sought them all out for her piece in this month’s Mpls.St.Paul Magazine.

A warehouse behind Cub Foods accommodating 10,000 perch and a forest of lettuce? Tiliapia swimming behind the walls of the abandoned Hamm’s Brewery? Piranha-like pacu beneath the Duluth Grill? Dreamers are making sustainable aquaponics systems a reality under our noses. They’re stocking lunchrooms and restaurants across the Twin Cities with Minnesota-raised seafood, taking pressure off the ocean systems that are so endangered.

Check out Dara’s story and ask your next server how far that lobster roll had to travel from ocean (or Twin Cities warehouse) to plate.

Everyone’s favorite little sticky notes have come a long way over the years. What started out as little yellow squares have grown and evolved into a variety of shapes and colors to personalize, not to mention organize, any person’s style. And now, 3M has introduced the newest line to it’s Post-it family: the limited-edition Post-it Signature series.

Aimed at attracting business from smaller, independently owned boutiques, these fancy notes feature 21 different design themes by 16 artists. The St.Paul-based company wanted to stick to its home roots, so six of the designs were actually created by MCAD students.

Artistic versions of aquatic scenes, geometric shapes, and even fashion are just some of the designs you can expect to see on sticky notes, list pads, and page-markers—all for $20 or less.

luciana achugar Photo: Gene Pittman, Walker Art Center

Today, the Walker Art Center announced its 2013-2014 music and dance lineup, complete with talent in dance, theater, and music from around the world.

The season is chock-full of impressive performers and artistic pioneers. Some of the Walker’s intriguing examples are CocoRosie, “Sisters Bianca (Coco) and Sierra (Rosie) Casady have developed an international following for their mystical fairy tale world created through elaborate costumes, sets, and uncategorizable music,” and Burnt Sugar, “the 19-member Afrocentric jazz/funk collective, lays claim to and subverts the Steely Dan songbook with curation and conduction by guitar hero Vernon Reid (Living Color).”

Local designers Jen Chilstrom and Kimberly Jurek (of international brand Kjurek) are opening up a new storefront on Lake Street this month: Showroom.

The space will act as a permanent storefront for independent artists; everything from furniture, jewelry, clothing, and visual art will be housed here, as a way for local artisans to grow their businesses cooperatively. Not only that, but a little birdy (okay, it was the Southwest Journal) mentioned that there will be a DJ spinning some tracks above the store as well.

Jurek and Chilstrom were inspired to open Showroom by the co-op business models they had seen. They wanted a place where artists and designers could work together to sustain their crafts, and funding a physical storefront together is much easier these days than going it alone. The grand opening isn’t until May 31, but several featured artists (including Tessa Louise, Marissa Bridges, Post, and Cocoon) are set to have their work on display before then.