Festival of Living Art

A few weeks ago my sculpture class took a fieldtrip to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. We all piled into cars and hoped that the classmate driving wouldn't get us lost. On the way there, I noticed a little building with a colorful mural on the side of it. It said "Peace House" on the front.
The mural had made m curious so I checked it out on the net later. Apparently the Peace House is a building for anyone to go to who needs help.
They serve a free lunch and offer discussion groups to help people talk through their problems.
I really think that a place like this is a good way to help the community. Not only are the people in the Peace House helping those in need physically, they are helping them mentally and spiritually.
It is only when we try to help a person as a whole rather than as a corpse (which is what they are if you ignore the mind and the soul) that we can really make a difference.
Instead of just putting a roof over the heads and food in the mouths of the needy, the Peace House is nourising the minds of the impoverished with intelligent discussion; the workers are helping the people to learn how to shelter themselves by educating them and teaching them to stand up for their beliefs.

Food and Monetary donations can be sent to:
Peace House
510 E. Franklin Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55404

Posted by Janessa Adelmeyer at 3:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As a native of a small town in Wisconsin, I hadn't gotten much exposure to different cultures before I came to the Twin Cities. One of the reasons I came here was so that I could experience different cultures and ways of life through both direct and indirect means. I was pretty excited when I was told that I had to go to a place like the Midtown Market.

There was a sense of continual motion in the Market. The torrents of people, in addition to the various banners and flags hanging all over the place, created a flow that was hard to break away from. This flow of energy brought each person past the different cultures/booths at a pace slow enough for them to take them in as separate entities; however, the pace was also quick enough that each booth seemed to meld into the next, creating a continuity and a sense of unity within the entire complex. Once you step out of the flow of people the energy created by it is still evident. You can still hear the chatter of the individuals walking by, but it's a bit subdued as your concentration shifts to each individual booth. You feel separated from, yet connected to, the people outside.

The general atmosphere in the Market was one of unity and friendship. Everyone that I encountered was cheerful and friendly. Everyone was open to the experience and the people involved. Friendly chatter filled the air and music drifted in and out of the booths.
The vibrant colors made me wish I had brought a sketchbook or a camera along.
I also wish that I would have brought more money so that I could have sampled more of the foods and wares offered at the Market.
I look forward to going there again some time in the future.

Posted by Janessa Adelmeyer at 12:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)