2010 MINNEAPOLIS MOSAIC CELEBRATES FUSION OF CULTURES
Enjoy City’s Rich Diversity Through Arts; 8th Annual FREE Minneapolis MOSAIC Festival is June 5th
MINNEAPOLIS – April 15, 2010 – The eighth annual Minneapolis MOSAIC Festival, a celebration of the city’s diverse arts and cultures, is on Saturday, June 5 with hundreds of entertainers performing at various venues along Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis.
“Minneapolis MOSAIC is an annual opportunity for our communities to celebrate the city’s abundance and diversity in music, dance, theater, visual arts, film and literary arts, and to promote the broad range of local cultural and arts organizations,” said Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak.
New to the Minneapolis MOSAIC Festival is its partnership with Twin Cities World Refugee Day, which recognizes the more than 100,000 refugees living in every corner of our state and celebrates the diversity of culture and experiences that they bring to our community. The partnership was formed to fortify the cultural bridge between longtime Minnesota residents and their newest community members.
From 1-10 p.m., thousands of festival-goers of all ages will delight in the sights and smells of Midtown Global Market food vendors. Cultural music, theater, dance acts, art exhibits, as well as a community resource fair and speakers, will fill multiple stages and exhibitions both indoors and out. Featured venues include the Pantages Theatre, Hennepin Stages, and two outdoor stages just off Hennepin Avenue between 7th & 8th streets
Cultural Education
One of the many 2010 Minneapolis MOSAIC highlights includes an event opening act with a street dragon dance performance performed by the CAAM Chinese Dance Theatre. Chinese dance and acrobatic acts will also be featured and performed at the Pantages Theatre. To further educate the public about Chinese culture, the Fair School Downtown, located on 10th Street and Hennepin Avenue, will also display an exhibit that showcases Chinese art and calligraphy.
Commemorative Tradition
Each year Minneapolis MOSAIC commissions a lasting artistic work that celebrates the city’s diversity and serves as a commemorative representation of the festival. The unique 2010 Minneapolis MOSAIC commission focuses on cultural fusion; a blending of two or more ethnic art forms.
This year’s art commission is presented by Katha Dance Theatre and Robert Robinson Music. The original work is entitled “Soul to Sole”. This innovative cross cultural collaboration bring together soulful and percussive Kathak dance from north India to fuse with all American gospel music.
Previous Minneapolis MOSAIC commissions include photography, ceramics, a youth media project, a symphonic composition, a choreographed dance and spoken word.
Teen Participation
Teens 13-19 interested in the performing arts will celebrate their view of diversity in arts during the first MPLS TLNT SHW! To qualify for the talent show, teens must be from one of the 11 Minneapolis neighborhoods. Preliminaries are held at two Minneapolis public high schools, Parkway Theatre, Minneapolis Central Library, and The Capri Theater from March through May. The acts are judged by rotating representatives of the Minneapolis ethnic and cultural organizations. The top performer from each of the 11 Minneapolis neighborhoods will compete on the stage of the Pantages Theatre on June 5. The winning teen performer will be presented with prizes from the Edward R. Bazinet Village Scholarship Program.
All Year Long and More
Events celebrating the city’s diversity and artistic talents continue city-wide throughout the year. A guide to all the Minneapolis MOSAIC events is available online at
www.minneapolismosaic.com.
The Minneapolis MOSAIC website is also a great opportunity for arts, culture and humanities nonprofit organization to further promote events and projects to the public. Organizations may go online to the website to register their information and submit details about upcoming events.
The 2010 Minneapolis MOSAIC is chaired by Ana Luisa Fajer, Consul of Mexico Consul Fajer is volunteering her time, along with an executive committee who represent a wide range of artistic disciplines, businesses, communications, large and small cultural organizations and the tourism industry.
Minneapolis MOSAIC, a festival of arts celebrating cultural diversity, encourages the community to experience a wide range of cultural and artistic activities that make the city unique. MOSAIC is presented by the City of Minneapolis and funded by private sponsors, not tax payers. For more information, graphics and links please visit www.minneapolismosaic.com or call the Minneapolis MOSAIC hotline at (612) 655-1907.