Art Beat

Today on Art Beat we explore an art exhibit called Winona: The Legend, The Women, The Place. The exhibit is at the Watkins Gallery on the Winona State University campus through September 12th. We spoke to one of the artists on hand, Winona Nelson as well as renowned environmentalist Winona LaDuke who was the curator of the exhibition. I’m Bill Stoneberg with artist Winona Nelson and environmentali...

Art, some would say it touches their soul. Some might say the same about nature. If you combine the two, you get something like Art ‘n Soul, which is the moniker local artist Cary Wyninger goes by. Whether it’s hiking through one of our local parks or trails or painting barefoot so that she can feel the earth beneath her feet, Cary has a love of combining nature and art. Her work often incorporate...

Today on Art Beat we enter a fantasy realm of magic, swords and dragons with Minnesota author James Petrillo. Petrillo’s most recent novel takes us to the world of Ashyer where a young prince named Frost battles dragons in order to free his world from their tyrannical reign. Frost is joined in his journey by a colorful cast of characters that any fantasy enthusiast is sure to fall in love with. Bu...

Great stage shows, interesting events that give you a look behind the scenes and educational opportunities for all ages are all part of the Great River Shakespeare Festival here in Winona. As the 2019 season comes to a close we wondered, “what do the actors and directors and all the people who make this great fest possible think about our fair city? Are they eager to get home? Will they miss the f...

Today on Art Beat we talk about youth education programs at the Great River Shakespeare Festival with Director of Education Jenn Oswald and Associate Artistic Director Tarah Flanegan. Jenn and Tarah explain how the youth education programs work, what kinds of experiences the students get through the programs and they even talk about the joy of working with these young creative minds. If you are in...

Today we continue our coverage of the 2019 Great River Shakespeare Festival with a special edition of Art Beat focused on kids. In particular, child actors working with the festival. These young actors give us a unique perspective on the festival. They talk about why they love acting, what’s scary about it or as we found out: what’s not scary about it, and why they have so much fun being part of t...

Summer in Winona is a great time for all kinds of events and festivals, and one of our favorites is the Great River Shakespeare Festival. Today on Art Beat we learn about sound tech with Scott O’Brien. Scott is the composer and sound designer for MacBeth and also the sound designer for No Child this year. Scott fills us in on what a sound designer does and what it takes to compose music for the st...

Visible/Invisible: Life with mental illness, that is the title of a new photography project by local Winona photographer Joy Davis Ripley. On todays Art Beat we talk to Joy about the project and her hopes to break down some stigmas in order to allow for a more open and honest conversation about mental illness. Joy is currently looking for people to participate in the project so if you or someone y...

Today on Art Beat we continue our conversation about Images of MWMF, a photo exhibit being shown at Ed’s No Name Bar through June 2nd. The exhibit features two local Winona photographers, Jon Swanson and Nathaniel Nelson. Last week we spoke with Jon and today we get to hear from Nathaniel. We talk about finding/creating your own style, the challenges of shooting a live band, and Nathaniel even giv...

Today on Art Beat, we’re going to talk about art that is centered on Mid West Music Fest, specifically a photography exhibit being shown at Ed’s No Name Bar. The exhibit features two local Winona photographers, Jon Swanson and Nathaniel Nelson. Today we talk to Jon but don’t worry, we’ll hear from Nathaniel next week. Jon talks about how the festival is a great way to combine his love for music an...

Every spring, the Midwest Music Fest Rolls into town bringing all sorts of talented musicians to the area from Minnesota, the surrounding states and beyond. One man helps us to look back on the musicians that have graced these stages in the past through his art. That man is Jeff Morgan and through his sketches, paintings and photographs you can relive the excitement of past performances. I sat dow...

Today on Art Beat we catch up with Joe Davis. I say caught up with him specifically because Joe is a very busy guy. He’s a poet, spoken word artist and an educator. He also fronts his own band, does speaking and performance engagements all over the country and has new and evolving shows coming out all the time, in fact, there’s too much to list here. So let’s hear it from the man himself. I’m Bill...

Interview with artist Anna Metcalfe on her exhibit at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum titled, Upstream. Original air date: 02/05/19. Art Beat is written and produced by KQAL 89.5FM on the campus of Winona State University. Art Beat is made possible by a grant from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

Today on Art Beat we talk to Blake & Jennifer about the film Voices of the Winona Armory, which was shown  at this years Frozen River Film Festival. We talked to them about how long the film took, who helped make it,  and a little about the Historical Society. This is Kj with Blake and Jennifer on Art Beat. Original air date: 04/16/19. Art Beat is written and produced by KQAL 89.5FM on the cam...

On this episode of Art Beat, we continue our coverage of Frozen River Film Festival. First, we’ll hear from Mark Brown, director of Gaelynn Lea - The Songs We Sing. The Songs We Sing follows Duluth musician Gaelynn Lea as she embarks on her first tour. Next, we'll hear from Brenda Piekarski, director of Waterway Jay. Waterway Jay profile's one man's pledge to paddle all of Minnesota's state water...

Ancient bluffs, primordial rivers and secret underground worlds... Today on Art Beat we continue our coverage of the 2019 Frozen River Film Festival. On this episode I talk to one of the Emmy winning producers of the film, Decoding the Driftless. Producer George Howe talks with us about the challenges of making the film along with the beauty and wonder of the driftless area that the film captures....

Today on Art Beat we talk to director Crystal Hegge on her film Building Soil and to a few students who were apart of the Great River Shakespeare Festival and helped produce the film Cassandra. We talk to them individually about each film and find out what they are about, while also hearing how they feel with the films being shown at the Frozen River Film Festival. This is KJ with Crystal Hegge an...

On this episode of Art Beat, we continue our coverage of Frozen River Film Festival. First, we’ll hear from Cy Dodson, director of Beneath the Ink. Beneath the Ink documents an Appalachian tattoo artist and his offer to remove obscene tattoos from former hate group members for no charge. Next, we’ll hear from Nick Clausen, director of Wolf House. Wolf House tells the story of an artistically vibra...

On today’s Art Beat we go once again to the Frozen River Film Festival to talk to Director/Animator Robert Jersak. Two of Robert’s films were included in the festival this year. The first film, Kidtasia, is an animated short using only music that Robert’s daughter had made on his tablet. The second film, Big Women is a fun play on the themes of the book Little Women. We talked to Robert about his...

Today on Art Beat we talk to director Greg Ivan Smith about his two short films Glasgow & Hummingbird, which were shown at this year's Frozen River Film Festival. We talk to Greg about his inspiration, his process and the message he would like to convey. Here's KQAL's KJ, with filmmaker Greg Smith on Art Beat. Original air date: 02/26/19. Art Beat is written and produced by KQAL 89.5FM on the...

What does a lunar landing and a sparkly green alien have to do with boundless love? Today on Art Beat we go to the Frozen River Film Festival to talk to Joel Erkkinen, director of the animated short film, Astroknot! Astroknot! Is a film about an encounter with a sparkly green alien and a love that knows no bounds. I’m Bill Stoneberg, with Joel Erkkinen on today’s Art Beat. Original air date: 02/19...

Today on Culture Clique we talk to Kim Lawler, a scenic artist who has been hired to lead the restoration of 13 historic backdrops at the Masonic Temple here in Winona, MN. Kim talks to us about the importance of restoring these drops, and also the techniques and challenges associated with the restoration. I’m Bill Stoneberg, with Kim Lawler, on Art Beat. Original air date: 01/22/19. Art Beat is w...