Twin Cities Media Alliance

THE TWIN CITIES MEDIA ALLIANCE IS A MEDIA ARTS ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO EQUIPPING COMMUNITY MEMBERS WITH THE POWER OF MEDIA ARTS TO DEFINE AND AMPLIFY THEIR NARRATIVES, CONNECT ACROSS COMMUNITIES, AND ULTIMATELY DRIVE NEW THINKING AND ENGAGEMENT AROUND THEIR STORIES.

MEDIA ARTS PROJECTS: OUR SPACE IS SPOKEN FOR. FOR THE 2021 OUR SPACE PROGRAM, WE SELECTED 8 ARTISTS TO BE PAIRED ACROSS DISCIPLINES IN TEAMS OF TWO WITH 4 ST. PAUL BIPOC RESIDENTS FOR THE 2021 OUR SPACE FELLOWSHIP EXPERIENCE. THE COHORT INCLUDED: -MARLINA GONZALEZ (FILIPINA, LITERARY, THEATER AND MEDIA ARTIST) AND DAVID BULLARD AKA ORKO ELOHEIM (BLACK/AFRICAN AMERICAN MAN, SOUND AND VISUAL ARTIST) WITH COMMUNITY MEMBER DAVIDA KILGORE -ATIM OPOKA (BLACK/UGANDAN AMERICAN WOMAN, SOUND ARTIST) AND JOHANNA KELLER FLORES (LATINX, PERUVIAN AMERICAN, THEATER ARTIST) WITH COMMUNITY MEMBER REIES ROMERO -KALINDA MELVIN (SOUTH ASIAN AMERICAN WOMAN, PUPPETEER) AND ESSENCE JAMILA BATTS (BLACK/AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN, DANCER/CHOREOGRAPHER) WITH COMMUNITY MEMBER HOUA MOUA -AKIEM SCOTT (BLACK/AFRICAN AMERICAN MAN, SOUND ARTIST) AND JOSHUA GILLESPIE (BLACK/AFRICAN AMERICAN MAN, VISUAL, SPOKEN WORD AND MOVEMENT ARTIST) WITH COMMUNITY MEMBER PRINCESS HALEY OUTCOMES (1) AT LEAST 70 PERCENT OF PARTICIPANTS THAT ENGAGE WITH OUR SPACE IS SPOKEN FOR (E.G., PERFORMANCE AUDIENCE) WILL NOTE ENGAGING IN A NARRATIVE THAT'S INFLUENCED OR SHIFTED THEIR THINKING ABOUT THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF BIPOC COMMUNITIES. DURING THEIR PERFORMANCE OF "BAMBOO BINGO" COHORT PAIR MARLINA GONZALES AND DAVID BULLARD HAD AUDIENCE MEMBERS FILL OUT A BINGO CHART DOCUMENTING WHAT RESONATED WITH THEM AND WHAT THEY LEARNED DURING THE PERFORMANCE. COHORT PAIR AKIEM SCOTT AND JOSHUA GILLESPIE LED THE AUDIENCE THROUGH A HEALING CIRCLE CHANT IN THEIR PERFORMANCE. BOTH OF THESE PAIRS ENGAGED THEIR AUDIENCES WITH PERSPECTIVES AND NARRATIVES ABOUT BIPOC COMMUNITY MEMBERS. 100% OF SURVEY PARTICIPANTS FOR "BAMBOO BINGO" FELT POSITIVELY ENGAGED. WHEN ASKED WHICH ASPECT OF THE PERFORMANCE THEY LIKED BEST, 77% CHOSE "APPROACH [TO PUBLIC ART]." AS REASONING, ONE STATED, "I LIKED THE BAMBOO [DANCE] AND THE POEM. THE BAMBOO [DANCE] FOR CULTURAL REASONS AND THE POEM BECAUSE I LEARNED THINGS I DID NOT KNOW. I ALSO LOVED THE OUTDOOR SETTING WHEN NATURE DOESN'T COOPERATE BUT ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE." ANOTHER AUDIENCE MEMBER DESCRIBED IT AS "POWERFUL." "IT WAS SOMETHING I'VE NEVER SEEN OUTSIDE, THIS PERFORMANCE, IT WAS MORE ABSTRACT BECAUSE IT DIDN'T FEEL LIKE IT WAS ONE THING, IT WAS MANY THINGS, AND I LIKED IT." (2) 80 PERCENT OR MORE OF OUR SPACE ARTISTS WILL INDICATE HAVING INCREASED ACCESS AND/OR CONFIDENCE IN THEIR ABILITY TO ENGAGE IN PUBLIC ART. IN THE FINAL EVALUATION OF THE PROGRAM, WE ASKED OUR SPACE ARTIST, "HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH OUR SPACE MADE AN IMPACT ON YOUR ARTISTIC OR CAREER DEVELOPMENT IN RELATION TO PUBLIC ART." A RESOUNDING 86% OF OUR SPACE ARTISTS STATED THAT THIS EXPERIENCE HAS HAD A POSITIVE IMPACT ON A CAREER AROUND PUBLIC ART: "PRIOR TO THIS PROJECT, I WAS UNCLEAR ABOUT THE TRULY BOUNDLESS SCOPE THAT DEFINES PUBLIC ART... I AM MORE COMFORTABLE WITH PURSUING THAT FORM AFTER THIS PROJECT. THIS PROJECT GAVE ME THE BADGE OF APPROVAL TO PUSH MY ART CAREER INTO AN EVEN MORE TANGIBLE WAY THAN BEFORE. IT MADE ME AWARE OF THE PROCESS THAT GOES INTO BEING A PUBLIC ARTIST AND THE GRIND THAT IT TAKES TO MAKE THIS A FULL-TIME CAREER (WITH TIME AND DEDICATION)." (3) AT LEAST 70 PERCENT OF PARTICIPANTS THAT ENGAGE WITH OUR SPACE WILL INDICATE HAVING A BROADER PERSPECTIVE/VISION OF PUBLIC ART. THROUGHOUT THE PROGRAM, THERE WERE EIGHT WEEKLY ARTIST COHORT MEETINGS. EACH OF THE MEETINGS HAD ITS FOCUS AND OBJECTIVES. ONE COHORT MEETING WAS FOCUSED ON ARTISTS VISUALIZING THEIR PERFORMANCES. THIS ENCOURAGED THE ARTIST PAIRS TO SHARE THEIR IDEAS FOR THEIR PUBLIC ART PERFORMANCE AND RECEIVE FEEDBACK FROM THEIR PEERS, THE EXECUTIVE/ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, THE PROGRAM ASSOCIATE, AND THE PUBLIC ART PRODUCER. IN THEIR FINAL EVALUATION OF OUR SPACE, AN ARTIST STATED, "PRIOR TO THIS PROJECT, I WAS UNCLEAR ABOUT THE TRULY BOUNDLESS SCOPE THAT DEFINES PUBLIC ART.... I AM MORE COMFORTABLE WITH PURSUING THAT FORM AFTER THIS PROJECT. THIS PROJECT GAVE ME THE BADGE OF APPROVAL TO PUSH MY ART CAREER INTO AN EVEN MORE TANGIBLE WAY THAN BEFORE."

MEDIA ARTS PROJECTS: TWIN CITIES DAILY PLANET: FOR OVER 15 YEARS, CONTRIBUTORS REPORTED LOCAL POLICY AND PROFILED DISTINGUISHED COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO IGNITE CIVIC ACTION, ADVANCE EQUITY AND REVEAL THE MEANING IN OUR DAY-TO-DAY LIVES. WE'VE INTENTIONALLY PAUSED TO GATHER FEEDBACK FROM COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS ABOUT CONTENT AND ENGAGEMENT, AS WELL AS RESEARCH INNOVATIVE TECH TO INCUBATE THE NEXT ITERATION OF THE DAILY PLANET WITH A NEW EDITOR.

MEDIA ARTS TRAININGS & SERVICES: METROPOLITAN LIBRARY SERVICE AGENCY (MELSA): EVEN WITH THE SWITCH TO VIRTUAL CLASSES, THE NEW COVID-19 VARIANT CONTINUED TO IMPACT THE QUANTITY AND ATTENDANCE OF MEDIA ARTS CLASSES TAUGHT BY TCMA ACROSS THE TWIN CITIES METRO VIA ITS MELSA PARTNERSHIP. AS A RESULT, TCMA WRAPPED UP ITS PARTNERSHIP IN SPRING 2021WITH 8 MEDIA ARTS CLASSES SERVING OVER 60 COMMUNITY MEMBERS.

MEDIA ARTS PRACTITIONER: WE BEGAN LOOKING AT WAYS TO EXPAND HOW TCMA SERVES BIPOC MEDIA ARTISTS AT ALL CAREER STAGES. FROM THAT RESEARCH, WE DISCOVERED THAT OUR WORK SHOULD EXPAND IN THREE AREAS: (1) STRUCTURED, RIGOROUS, AND RESPONSIVE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, (2) PEER CONNECTION AND LEARNING, AND (3) ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES. IN FUTURE YEARS, TCMA WILL BE WORKING TO PULL TOGETHER A GROUP OF BIPOC MEDIA ARTISTS TO DELVE DEEPER INTO HOW THESE AREAS CAN MATERIALIZE IN TCMA PROGRAMMING.