I worked as a reporter/editor at the Minneapolis Argus newspaper (now defunct) in Northeast Minneapolis ('Nordeast' to the locals) in the 60's. It was a working class, blue collar area of the city. Edison High School was at its heart along with the very strong ethnic communities coming from the Ukraine and other Eastern Orthodox and Catholic areas of the world.
It prospered during the US age of manufacturing supremecy post-WWII and then, the warehouses emptied, the jobs dissolved and the manufacturing blue collar coloring of the community understandably changed.
But not for the worse.
When I visited my son Joshua when he lived in Minneapolis in 2008, he took me on what's known as an "arts crawl" of Nordeast, the warehouses now converted to subsidizing artists' lofts and studios, some live-in.
The entire 'hood or barrio transforms into some kind of upscale series of arts botiques and places to visit some well appointed bars.
Minneapolis for many years has been ranked in theatre behind New York and LA and now in art, well, who knows? But it is alive and well but struggling with purpose and verve following the Great Recession of 2008.
Rock on and practice peace and love. Also, see ArtTraveler's video collection on You Tube.
Stefan, the ArtTraveler(TM).
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