(relaxed piano, electronic tones) - [Announcer] Funding for this program is provided in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.

- "R-Town," the show about Rochester learns about a new multicultural community Recreation Center.

We also catch up with what's new at the Rochester Art Center and find out what's in your earbuds.

We also check out the work of a fluid artist.

All that coming up next on "R-Town," the show about Rochester.

(upbeat jazzy trumpet music) Coming to you from 125 Live in Rochester, Minnesota, "R-Town."

(upbeat jazzy trumpet, guitar music) - We're joined today by Executive Director of the Rochester Art Center, Pamela Hugdahl.

Pam is here to catch us up on what's next and what's new at the Art Center.

Welcome to "R-Town," Pam.

- Thank you for having me, I'm so pleased to be here.

- We always love catching up with you.

There's always so many things happening at the Art Center and you've had a pretty busy sort of last season.

There are some exhibitions that are closing.

Can you tell us a little bit about some of those exhibitions that we should be checking out before they close?

- Absolutely.

We have had the pleasure of having "Rochester Looking At Climate Change" on view for the past few months and it closes this Sunday.

It was organized by local artist Layne Nozer and curated along with Pat Dunn-Walker and they did a fabulous job.

They brought in 28 artists and it's just been a wonderful, kind of community-spirited program and exhibition and so this Sunday, we're closing the program with an album release party that Layne also coordinated.

The album features several bands from Rochester and so we're just really excited to be able to play their record in the galleries and we'll have hot cocoa and activities at the Art Center from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

So it's just a very family friendly event.

1:00 to 3:00 will be a great time to meet artists and be in the gallery before it's closed.

- Awesome, that sounds like a great way to spend a snowy weekend.

(laughs) - [Pamela] Yes.

- So you've got also some great upcoming exhibitions.

Are there some that you're particularly excited about?

- Yeah, well we just opened Niki Havekost's exhibition.

She's a local artist and her exhibition, "Matriarchate" is kind of an evolving show that she started at Mia last, in 2021, it was on view there and she will be giving an artist talk and tour Saturday February 4th at 1:00 p.m. and then she's also gonna be returning for a really fun workshop that she offered last year called Frankenstuffy Family Class.

So families, people of all ages can come in and create their own stuffed animal out of parts from other stuffed animals.

So it's very much in line with what you might see in the galleries except a little bit more playful rather than focused on the female form.

So it should be really fun.

- That sounds like a lot of, ooh, go ahead.

- Yeah, no, (chuckles) the other exhibition that's coming up that we're all very excited about is "The Nexus of Well-Being" with Anne Labovitz and you can see we just finished installing yesterday in the atrium this beautiful installation that drops 53 feet from our atrium skylights and we're so excited for this exhibition.

It'll be opening, the formal exhibition will be opening in the main gallery on February 18th and there will be a preview party.

Tickets are on sale now on our website and the party is from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. - Wonderful, it's a beautiful view from where I'm sitting here and I was wondering if you could just tell us a little bit about just kind of what the theme around the exhibition is a little bit more.

- Yeah, "The Nexus of Well-Being and Art" is really trying to bring together the ideas of wellness.

Especially with the healthcare, so much healthcare happening in Rochester, we really wanted to focus on that.

So Anne, she's been working with this wellness aspect in her practice for many years, bringing communities together.

So there's an interactive component in the exhibition and then just kind of that color fields I think is a big part of it.

Just like, you know, I mean she cried when she saw this installation finished and just like, but tears of joy.

- [Nicole] Right.

- Because it is so immersive and when you walk through the mezzanines of the second and third floor and kind of absorb the colors and the light, right now when everyone's vitamin D deficient, this is exactly what we need.

And we're really excited to be in partnership with the Mayo Humanities in Medicine to bring in Stuart Pimsler Dance Company on May 13th.

They're gonna be doing a Families in Motion and RDA is also supporting this project.

So we're really excited to have people be able to come into the space.

We'll probably be working in this space doing physical kind of improvisational movement with families and with people of all ages trying to work through whatever wellness they want to achieve in that time.

- Awesome, well thank you so much for joining us, Pam.

We look forward to catching up with you next time.

- Thank you, have a wonderful day.

(upbeat jazzy guitar music) (steady tempo drumbeat) (upbeat jazzy guitar music continues) - Be sure to stick around.

We have much more coming your way on "R-Town."

We follow Danielle Teal as she finds out what's in your earbuds and we also hear about an ambitious new community Recreation Center and compassionate services for a beloved pet.

But up first, we explore the limitless possibilities of fluid art with artist Kay Fox in this week's Art Culture segment.

(relaxed guitar, piano music) - I'm Kay Fox and I'm a fluid artist here at Gallery 24.

I work with acrylic paint and mix them to make paint flow over the canvas and by doing that, I can move the fluid in a way that creates trees and feathers and butterflies and other things that are found in nature.

I was just turning 60 when I chose to start this medium in my life, I had drawn in pencil before.

Here at the gallery, I have a piece that I did in my 20s.

So I have always been an artist in some form.

My son gifted me some paint, then I started painting.

So I started watching what I was doing in terms of what made the paint flow best for me, what made the results turn out like I had planned them to be.

I can control what I do by the intensity of the color, by the viscosity of the paint and really what kind of an area or flow one paint is versus another.

There's a chemical reaction between metallic paints and standard acrylic paints and that creates something we call cells and we always are excited about things called cells if you're looking for some interesting depth in your piece.

I can make the birch trees happen with a little help of a string and layering the paint so that it moves all at one time.

If you're frustrated with whatever you're doing, use it as a learning experience rather than the quitting point.

So I try again and usually it works out better.

I can see what happened and what can be improved.

It's a lot of waiting in between but I have a couple of nice shelves that are set up so that I can put in a slot of the next day's painting and the next day painting and the next day's paintings.

My medium does take a long time to dry.

It has to actually dry and then cure.

So because I'm adding paint conditioner which actually levels out the paint on my paintings, it needs about three to four weeks to dry fully, to cure.

The paint has to cure before you seal it and then you seal it so that it doesn't run, should it come across moisture again and the backs are left open.

They shouldn't be framed, they shouldn't be behind glass so that they can breathe.

Then once I can finally get it out, so I've waited a month from the time I was happy with my painting to the time that now, it's ready to go.

Recently, I was asked to paint a dragonfly and it brought to mind the son that they lost.

So whenever she sees a dragonfly, that's a good memory for her and she wants to remember her son.

I created some for my mom, who is blind which is interesting because she can feel but she can't see.

I can make paintings out of the dried paint skins as well.

So I can basically adhere those paint skins to a canvas and she can feel the flowers that I made for her, the garden.

That was one of her favorite memories and so she can actually feel the garden on the canvas.

The ring pours are more meditative.

I look at those and I imagine myself in the center of that ring.

Where am I going?

What kind of land am I exploring at that point?

With the feathers, to me, they're light and airy.

So it's a matter of conjuring up that kind of windblown softness.

So in my gift of the painting to others, in my production of that art, hopefully I'm giving something that provides them happiness and comfort and hopefully they're receiving and I'm receiving happiness because they're happy.

- [Announcer] For more information about this story and other "R-Town" features, connect with us on Facebook, Twitter @KSMQ #RTown or ksmq.org/rtown.

(upbeat jazzy guitar music) (rhythmic rattlers shaking) - Hi, I'm Danielle Teal with "R-Town" Spotlight and today we have our guest, Gilmore from Hanai Pet Cremation.

Welcome Gilmore.

- Hey, thanks for having me.

- We're so glad to have you and please share a little bit more about your business and why you came up with the name.

- Absolutely, so several years ago, I had a horrendous experience when my dog passed away.

I didn't know what to do, so like many people, I just got online, got on Google and tried to find out what are my options.

Once I did that, I thought I found a reputable place, went to go visit there and I couldn't have been farther from the truth.

At first I thought I was trespassing and then when I filled out some paperwork just on a bench, I asked what to do next and they said, "Well, go ahead and get your dog."

And once I did that, it started the rain outside, they put the tailgate of a pickup truck down and said "Go ahead and leave him here."

- Oh.

- You know, is this right, is this the norm?

I don't know and so I did that and I asked for a few minutes to say goodbye and they said "Absolutely."

But they never left me and they stayed there and talking about sports or the news, I don't recall but I just never got that sense or that ability to say goodbye either.

So I decided, you know, if you can't do this right, then I will.

So I created Hanai and "Hanai" is Hawaiian.

It actually means "the informal adoption of one by another."

I thought it was very fitting because we adopt our pets and their family and sometimes we love them more than our actual family, so.

- It's so true.

It's so true, I have two fur babies myself.

They're both rescues and I can't imagine what that experience must have been like, Gilmore with your beloved pet, which like you said, they are family, they mean so much to us.

I think it's really special that you have this.

I saw some reviews that shared that the environment that people arrive in is really calming and that you have a process for kind of the intake and the humanity and decency related to it.

Can you share a little bit more about that?

- Yeah, absolutely.

I didn't want a sterile environment, like you walked into a dental office.

I wanted it to be more comforting, somewhat of a home feel.

I established, built a quiet room so that you can actually stay in there for as long as you need just to say goodbye.

If you told me your daughter was up in the city, is going to college and you just needed a little bit of time for them to get here, that's fine.

The room is yours just to be able to say goodbye.

We even put light switches in there with little indicator lights to let us know when you're done.

We won't go in there until that light is on.

So you have your privacy, you have your moment to say goodbye.

- Thank you so much, Gilmore.

This is Danielle Teal with "R-Town" Spotlight.

(upbeat jazzy trumpet music) (mid tempo drumbaet) - And this is Michael Wojcik with your "R-Town" Legislative Rundown.

As you know if you live in the Rochester area, we had quite a storm on Wednesday night, Thursday morning.

So I've dusted off my old COVID-19 audio and video equipment and I'm delighted to be back with you.

Now one of the great things about talking to viewers and supporters of public television is that we know there's absolutely no need to pander to you whatsoever.

We know that because besides for being better looking than most, you're also very, very smart.

With that in mind, let's get a little bit nerdy with an issue.

Let's talk about the taxes on Social Security income for retirees.

This was a big topic in the last legislative session.

This one, we're hearing a little bit less about it and that's because there's not consensus on what to do.

Most states actually do not tax Social Security income.

The cost for Minnesota doing that would be about $500 million a year.

That's actually a fairly sizable chunk out of our already big surplus and the benefits don't necessarily accrue in the way that you might think they do.

If you think about a person earning $20,000 entirely from Social Security, they're paying a low incremental tax rate and they would benefit some from this.

Now if you contrast that to a person who's earning $220,000, their income would be reduced to 200,000 and they'd actually see a far more substantial tax savings than the person earning 20,000.

So even though the idea of helping retirees by waiving Social Security income taxes might sound good, the benefits are actually going to accrue primarily to people who earn more than poverty level in the state of Minnesota.

That's why it's such a controversial topic and we'll see if there's any action that takes place this year.

An alternative to a straight across the board Social Security tax cut would be doing something like a targeted tax credit to those retirees most in need.

That could probably be done for a fraction of the $500 million annual total and might have more of a significant impact.

We don't know if anything's going to happen but it's not gonna be as likely as it was in the last session.

Transitioning to what's happened in the Legislature this week, a strong bipartisan bill to extend unemployment benefits to minors in Northern Minnesota has passed both the House and Senate, providing some relief there.

Governor Walz has announced his education proposal, which is a mix of additional new spending and tax credits that would help support things like increased school funding, universal free lunches and expanded mental healthcare for students.

There is a bill to require all energy companies in the state of Minnesota to have 100% clean energy by 2040 that advanced out of that committee on a party line vote.

And finally, a ban of conversion therapy is moving its way through House committees as well.

A number of states have already done this.

This is Michael Wojcik.

I look forward to joining you for the next Legislative Rundown.

(relaxed rock music) (steady tempo drumbeat) - This is Danielle Teal with "R-Town" Walkabout.

We're on Broadway, downtown Rochester in front of Cafe Steam.

The question of the hour, what's on your Air Buds?

Just curious, what are you listening to right now?

- Well right now, I'm listening to "The Long Way Around" by the Chicks.

- [Danielle] And what's your go-to genre when you're listening to music?

- Usually when I'm working, I like to listen to kinda like folksy and usually more like lower energy.

So a lot of Lumineers typically.

- [Danielle] What is your reasoning for coming to Cafe Steam?

- [Bella] I was actually just talking about this with my parents when I left.

I feel like I can be a lot more productive when I'm in a public space.

It's just kind of a nice, warm vibe and I find that I get more work done.

- [Danielle] What are you working on right now?

- I'm working on my thesis.

I'm a senior at an undergraduate college, so I'm trying to pump it out over break.

- We also went to Northgate Health Club and checked out what people were listening to there.

- Right now, I'm listening to Country Strength Radio on Pandora.

It's avery happy, busy, loud, energetic streaming station.

- I listen to Pandora.

I listen to a wide variety of music.

I listen to my stations on shuffle.

So it could be anything from country to rap to hip hop to Taylor Swift.

(mid tempo hip hop music) - My name is Lucky Sobin, kinda like Lucky Charms, so you don't forget it.

But when I come to the gym, I listen to R and B, hip hop, rap, some EDM now 'cause my friends got me into it.

But mostly R and B.

Right now, I'm listening to August Alsina.

I love that #*#*#*#*.

(laughs) Hope you keep that, don't edit it out.

- [Danielle] What's your favorite drink here?

- I usually get the vanilla latte because I'm pretty uncreative I guess.

(relaxed piano music) (mid tempo drumbeat) - This is Danielle Teal with "R-Town" Walkabout.

(relaxed electronic music) - Last time we caught up with community leader Andre Crockett, it was to talk about his work with Barbershop Talk.

Andre's the founder of several community organizations and initiatives in our community and he joins us today to share about an exciting new project dedicated to providing a space for youth in the community.

Welcome back to "R-Town," Andre.

- Thank you for having me.

- Before we get started talking a little bit more about the Recreation Center, can you tell us more just about your Sports Mentorship Academy and that program?

- Yeah, Sports Mentorship Academy's been around 14 years in Rochester.

We actually started in 2008 to meet the needs of kids that didn't have an opportunity to participate in sports and also to enhance their academics.

We're housed for 14 years on the RCTC campuses.

- And the Sports Mentorship Academy, it's been kind of an institution within the community and I'm gonna switch a little bit to talk about the Rochester YMCA because that closed this past year and I wanted to talk a little bit about what impact did that closure have on your decision to decide to renovate and start this new Recreation Center?

- The closure of The Y was devastating for many of our kids.

Since I only ran the program twice a week, twice a week, the other days of the week, they was going to The Y and then when The Y is closed, then for the rest of those four days, where do those kids go at?

So I knew that I had to do something and so I created the SMA Rec.

- And so what is your vision for this new rec center and how will it create an empowering space for youth and youth that you say have untapped potential?

- Yeah, so it's gonna be very impactful because now it's in walking distance for a majority of those kids who was getting needed transportation to go to The Y.

Right next to the location where I'm at, there's about six different apartments where it's easy access for the kids.

We also have some of the programming that The Y used to implement, such as like the Y mentors, we'll have SMA mentors of course.

We'll do some STEM programming.

We'll partner with the local apartments near there to offer swimming lessons.

In the summertime, we'll also have camps.

Not only that but we'll have house-lead basketball programs.

We'll do training, a lot of health and wellness.

- Perfect, and you talked a little bit about the location.

Where is the location specifically?

And renovation is a big thing.

Like what are some of the logistical things that you're dealing with in terms of renovating that space?

- I mean, it's a true makeover.

Before we had it, gymnastics used to be in there.

We're right next to Gage East.

It's nice because the elementary school right there adjunct to the building.

It was a big challenge.

We took two storage spaces and made them out of classrooms.

We renovated both of the bathrooms and made them out of locker rooms and we have to also put flooring down, in for the gym and that's still three weeks away.

- Have you found that there are certain community partners that have been supporting you throughout this process or that you're looking to connect with as you move forward?

- We're looking to connect but we're gonna house other grassroots organizations who do great work in the community also so they can have a space to run their programming.

- Fantastic.

Are you working with any of the youth to kind of get some input about what they need from that space as well?

- I don't know how much input I'm getting from the youth.

I think that I already had that years ago.

- [Nicole] Yeah.

- I think that I have a huge following of youth.

So I think that it'll be very easy to implement some of the programs.

I already know some of the wants and needs from doing it for 14 years.

But we already pretty much to capacity with youth already.

- Fantastic and sorry, to rephrase that, I mean, yeah, can you talk a little bit more specifically about those wants and needs that you're implementing through this space?

- I guess the wants and needs I think is that just having a place to call their own.

I think that's one of the most powerful things is that for the first time that BIPOC kids have a chance to not only have leadership look like 'em but have a specific place that's designed for them.

- Fantastic.

Again, it's a big project, you've been fundraising.

Can you talk a little bit about that fundraising process and how people can continue to support this project?

- We're still in need of resources and money and volunteers as well.

We thought that $100,000 will cover everything but we forgot to think about furnishing the place, getting basketballs, building out the concessions.

But if people want to give, they can go to forgiving.com or they can go to our website, whether it's ww, info@sma.com.

- The Sports Mentorship Academy certainly has you as leadership and other committed coaches and staff and other folks.

In terms of the rec center, what are your kind of vision around, yeah, sustaining that in terms of having people there staffing it and just running the daily operations of the rec center?

- I think that having the coaches there is gonna be the key component of it because part of our thing is sports.

So staffing will be no different than what we typically staff at when we was at the RCTC Campus.

But the unique thing is that we also gonna have grassroots organizations there too, so they bring their staff in to be able to do programming.

- Wonderful, well thank you so much for joining us, Andre.

Thank you for all the work that you continue to do in the community and thank you all for joining us today.

I hope you're excited as I am to check out the upcoming exhibition at the Rochester Art Center and are feeling as inspired as I am by Pastor Crockett's vision for the Youth Recreation Center.

For more wonderful content produced right here in Rochester, please be sure to check us out on Facebook and Twitter at #RTown.

I'm Nicole Nfonoyim-Hara for "R-Town," the show about Rochester.

Be well, stay safe and I will see you next week.

(relaxed guitar, piano music) (relaxed ensemble music) (relaxed ensemble music) (upbeat ensemble electronic music) (relaxed piano, electronic tones) - [Announcer] Funding for this program is provided in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.