>> CATHY: MINNEAPOLIS' MIXED SUMMER-LONG "SHOWCASE" OF ARTISTS FROM AROUND THE METRO.

THE PERFORMANCE SERIES, TITLED "TWELVE BY TWELVE," STARTED IN APRIL AND RUNS THROUGH THE END OF AUGUST.

EACH ARTIST WILL REPRESENT A DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOOD AROUND THE TWIN CITIES.

THE SERIES CULMINATES IN AN ALL-DAY FESTIVAL AT THE THEATER.

HERE WITH MORE, MIXED BLOOD THEATER'S NEW ARTISTIC DIRECTOR MARK VALDEZ.

AND THIS WEEKEND'S FEATURED ARTIST, POET AND MULTIMEDIA ARTIST, HAWONA SULLIVAN JANZEN.

WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM.

OH, MY GOODNESS, THERE IS A LOT TO TALK ABOUT HERE.

MARK, WHAT WAS THE SPARK FOR THIS -- THIS IS A BIG PROJECT.

WHAT WAS THE SPARK FOR IT?

>> THIS IS A VERY BIG PROJECT.

SO WE WANTED TO CELEBRATE THE TWIN CITIES.

THE WHOLE PROJECT IS ABOUT LOOKING AT THE DIVERSITY AND THE BREADTH AND THE JOY, ALL THE BEAUTY THAT IS HERE IN THE TWIN CITIES BECAUSE I JUST MOVED HERE AND SO I HAD NO IDEA -- I KNEW NOTHING, BASICALLY, SO WHAT I WANTED TO DO WAS TO IND A WAY TO METE ARTISTS AND GET TO KNOW THE COMMUNITY AND WHAT BETTER WAY THAN TO MAKE ART TOGETHER?

SO THAT WAS THE IMPETUS.

>> Eric: WHAT IS YOUR PARTICULAR CONTRIBUTION TO THIS?

[Laughter] >> WELL, I THINK I HAVE ABOUT TEN YEARS OF EXPERIENCE DOING SOCIAL PRACTICE ART AND BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER TO TALK ABOUT DIFFICULT THINGS.

>> Eric: WHAT WOULD BE AN EXAMPLE?

>> THAT A FREEWAY CAUSED YOUR GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE TO BE TORN DOWN, THAT THE PANDEMIC MADE IT REALLY HARD FOR YOUR TODDLER TO MAKE FRIENDS.

SO WE ALL HAVE THESE THINGS THAT WE HAVE IN COMMON BUT WE RARELY TALK ABOUT THOSE THINGS WHEN WE HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY.

>> AND SO HOW WILL THESE CONVERSATIONS AND HOW WILL THE COMMUNITY INTERACT?

WHAT WILL BE THE MICK NICE?

>> SO WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE'VE COMMISSIONED 12 ARTISTS TO WORK IN 12 COMMUNITIES, 12 DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS AND DIFFER COMMUNITIES AND THE IDEA IS THAT THEY WILL EACH ENGAGE IN OUR COMMUNITY PART NEST, WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH INDIVIDUALS IN EACH OF THESE COMMUNITIES AND THROUGH THE CONVERSATIONS, THROUGH WORK, THEY WILL TOGETHER MAKE A PERFORMANCE, A SHORT ART PIECE.

AND SO WHAT ENDS UP HAPPENING IS WE HAVE THE EVENTS WHERE E INVITE COMMUNITY TO COME TALK WITH US, TO COME TALK WITH THE ARTISTS AND AS HAWONA WAS SAYING, WE ASK QUESTIONS AND FIND OUT WHAT'S ON PEOPLE'S MINDS.

THERE ARE SOME GUIDING QUESTIONS, SOME THINGS THAT THE ARTISTS THEMSELVES ARE INTERESTED IN BUT IT'S REALLY JUST A SPACE TO JUST BE HEARD AND TO SHARE STORIES, AND THEN THAT WILL LEAD O THE ART THAT GETS MADE.

>> Cathy: HAWONA, YOU GOT TO HELP ME OUT HERE.

SO I BET YOU'VE GOT A TON OF THINGS YOU'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT.

SO WHAT WILL YOUR PART OF THIS LOOK LIKE?

WHAT WILL I FEEL IF I INTERACT WITH YOU?

>> OH, BIG QUESTION, CATHY.

WELL, INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, OF THE 12 ARTISTS, I AM THE ONLY ONE WHO IS DOING A TRADITIONAL PLAY AND BY TRAINING, I'M HISTORIAN AND SO I GREW WEARY OF THE ONE STORY ABOUT RONDO BEING THAT THE FREEWAY TORE THE COMMUNITY APART.

AND SO AS I STARTED TO HAVE CASUAL CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE AROUND THE FREEWAY, I DISCOVERED THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF STORIES THAT PEOPLE HAVE ABOUT THE FREEWAY AND WOULDN'T IT BE INTERESTING TO COME TOGETHER AND, YES, TALK ABOUT THAT THING, THAT HISTORY, BUT ALSO TALK ABOUT ALL OF THE THINGS AND THE WAYS THAT THE FREEWAY HAS AFFECTED OUR LIVES AS A PEOPLE SINCE IT WAS BUILT HERE.

AND SO THE STORIES HAVE BEEN AMAZING.

THEY ARE EVERYTHING FROM THE MAN WHO, AS A LITTLE BOY, PLAYED IN THE AREA THAT THEY HAD DID YOU GO OUT FOR THE BUILDING OF THE FREEWAY TO THE WOMAN WHO EXPERIENCED ROAD RAGE WHEN SHE HAD HER KIDS ON THE FREEWAY AND SHE ACCIDENTALLY CUT SOMEONE FF, SO THESE STORIES I THINK ALLOW US TO COME TOGETHER TO PROCESS THE ROLE THAT THIS BIG THING HAS PLAYED IN OUR LIVES BUT ALSO IN AN INTERESTING WAY, IT REALLY MAKES US PAUSE AND BE TOGETHER DURING A TIME THAT MOST OF THE TIME WE DON'T WORK SO HARD AT THAT NOWADAYS.

>> Eric: I WAS GOING TO ASK THAT, MARK, BECAUSE POST-PANDEMIC, I WONDER IF THERE IS A NEED TO KIND OF GET THE ART COMMUNITY TOGETHER IN AN INTERDISCIPLINARY WAY, MAYBE?

>> ABSOLUTELY, I THINK SO.

I THINK WHAT WE VIEW AS THEATER IS EVOLVING AND EXPANDING.

THERE IS A LOT MORE INTEREST IN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES, SO SOME OF THE ARTISTS THAT WE HAVE, WE'RE WORKING WITH A SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING GROUP, A NICE SKATING COMPANY, A ATTOO ARTIST, A CHEF, YIA VANG IS WORKING WITH US, HAWONA IS A HIS TEAR YOU KNOW ARTIST, THERE IS A WIDE RANGE OF THINGS BECAUSE THE TWIN CITIES ARE SO IVERSE.

THERE ARE SO MANY INTERESTING THINGS HERE, AND MANY DIFFERENT WAYS THAT PEOPLE WANTS TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES, AND SO THIS WAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT.

>> Cathy: AS A PROUD NATIVE OF THE LONGFELT LOW NEIGHBORHOOD IN MINNEAPOLIS, I'M GLAD THAT YOU ALL ARE GOING INTO NEIGHBORHOODS THROUGHOUT THE TWIN CITIES.

I CAN SEE THIS IN GREATER MINNESOTA, THAT COULD BE KIND OF INTERESTING.

>> OH, YES.

>> WE'LL BE DOING A PROJECT IN THE IRON RANGE NEXT YEAR, SO DEFINITELY, YES.

[Laughter] >> Cathy: EXCELLENT.

>> Eric: WHERE CAN PEOPLE COME AND SEE YOUR WORK?

>> THEY THINK COME AND SEE T ON SATURDAY ACTUALLY AT THE RONDO COMMUNITY PLAZA.

>> Cathy: TOMORROW?

>> TOMORROW, 4:00 p.m., BUT IT WILL ALSO BE A PART OF THE 12 BY 12 FESTIVAL THAT WILL BE HAPPENING AT MIXED BLOOD AUGUST 19th AND 20th, AS WELL.

>> Eric: HOW DID YOU PICK THE PARTICIPANTS?

>> I ASKED PEOPLE.

I ASKED FOR RECOMMENDIZATIONS BECAUSE I WASN'T FROM HERE SO USUALLY WHEN I'M LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO EAT OR SOMETHING, I WILL SAY, OKAY, CAN YOU RECOMMEND A RESTAURANT?

IT WAS THE SAME IDEA, CAN YOU RECOMMEND AN ARTIST WHO IS SOMEBODY THAT YOU'RE EXCITED BY AND SO PEOPLE GAVE ME A LOT OF NAMES AND I GOT TO MEET WONDERFUL ARTISTS, SO IT WAS GREAT.

>> Cathy: SOUNDS GREAT.

WE WISH YOU ALL THE BEST.

WE'LL DEFINITELY HAVE TO HAVE YOU ALL ON, BACK, ABSOLUTELY.

>> Eric: OUT