17. Rock out at Rock the Garden

Bob Mould Band

What an eventful two days! Volunteering for Bike to Work Week, watching a movie in a park, and then all of Saturday was packed. John and I had a very Minneapolis (i.e. liberal) day: 1) go to the Midtown Farmers Market; 2) check out The Hub's Used Bike Extravaganza; 3) work in the community garden; 4) take the bus to Rock the Garden. Whew!

John surprised me with tickets to Rock the Garden last month and we've been looking forward to it ever since. Rock the Garden is an annual concert coordinated by The Current and Walker Arts Center. This year's line-up: Dan Deacon, Low, The Bob Mould Band, Silversun Pickups, and Metric. John just happens to love Metric which is why he forked out the money for us.

Metric performing

An afternoon rain threatened to ruin the event, but it passed in time for Low. We waited out the rain since we were taking the bus and walking so we missed Dan Deacon. He was nice enough to move his music to the parking garage where concert goers were avoiding the rain. That would have been cool to see!

We met our friends and staked out a spot on the grass to drink beer and eat bratwurst. Six hours flew by! Low wasn't great to see although I was assured they're usually much better than what we witnessed. Bob Mould was excellent! I didn't realize he was the lead singer for Husker Dü who just so happen to be from the Twin Cities. Silversun Pickups had a good set and got the crowd ready for Metric. I didn't realize how many Metric songs I knew. They did wonderfully and John thoroughly enjoyed his favorite band.

Rock the Garden is a zero-waste event with help from Eureka Recycling. The cups and food dishes used by vendors were all compostable which made tossing them in the right bin so much easier. Every waste station has 2 volunteers to make sure you threw your item in the right container. It was very well organized and successful. The Walker Arts Center says it reduces waste to a mere 1 ounce per attendee by recycling and composting. Bravo!




Rock the Garden was #17 on my Things To-Do list for this summer and it will most definitely be on my list next year!

John showcasing our blanket

Thousands of concert goers

Scarfing down delicious food

10. Stay up late at Northern Spark

I accomplished #10 on my Things To Do list: Northern Spark!

I used to be more of a night owl. I"m not a morning person--that's for sure. But an all-nighter? I can't remember the last time I did that. And even staying up to the wee hours usually involved alcohol or insomnia. Could I really enjoy a festival that starts at dusk and ends at dawn? Darn tootin'!

Northern Spark is a magical festival that incorporates art, music, film, and cultural exploration in the heart of St. Paul. It's the only festival I know of that dominates the night. Exhibits by local and national artists involved everything you could think of: a catapult that flung balloons of light screen printers, hula-hooping, an interactive mural, short films, singers, and bands.

I wondered around for a few hours by myself at the beginning. I was supposed to meet a large Couchsurfing group, but it just wasn't in the cards. I couldn't help smiling even if I looked like a loner. Luckily, I met a few friends to enjoy the celebration and we hung in there until after 2am.

My Highlights:

Walking the Labyrinth 
In the middle of experimental music and art displays, a simple labyrinth was made on the ground outside the Union Depot. I donned the free earplugs and took a slow stroll through the meditative maze. I loved having a little mental break from the visual and audio extravaganza.








Underpass of the Eyes of Freedom
Below the main entrance to the Union Depot I discovered an underpass full of the Arab Spring (with more white people). Participants were able to spray paint the long white wall with iconic images of the struggles in the Middle East or just right "Mike was here" with a marker. Books nearby illustrated different street art in Egypt's Tehrir Squre and other revolutionary images. It was very moving.






Screen Printer and Poster Press
One of the first exhibits I stumbled upon was Permanent Labor. A table was set up for participants to sit down and read about the new labor; the audience is needed by artists to absorb the work created. A screen printer was there to produce a keepsake for the audience to carry home.

Another station printed posters with an absurdly clunky but intriguing press. Posters were all about messages to carry with you when travelling (see photo at top).




Celebration/Love/Loss (aka The Burning House)
The artist built a model of Breuer's 1,800 architectural icon just to burn in down. I love the description for the exhibit, "like a prairie fire that allows new seeds to germinate, [the artist] is to honor the original home with a meticulous re-creation and then ignite it, allowing fire to consume its pure, clean lines" as a ceremonious end to "high modernism". And you can't deny the joy of hearing hundreds of bystanders oohing and ahhing at the mountain of fire without the feeling of guilt of destruction.

There were so many amazing things to see and do! I didn't even get to one whole area by the river. I can't wait till next year!