Location for events is the NYM Cultural Center at 24 North Main Ave. unless otherwise noted. Call 218-385-3339 for information about events. Office hours: 10:00am to 5:00pm Tuesday-Friday and !0:00am to 3:00pm Saturday, During the summer we are also open Sundays from 11:00am to 3:00pm.

The new Cultural Center blog
www.nymillsculturalcenter.blogspot.com

For registration information about the Spirit of Place juried art exhibition please go to our gallery page.

Great American Think-Off 2008

Saturday, June 14th. Great American Think-Off live debate among the 4 finalists. The finalists will debate this year's question: "Does Immigration Strengthen or Threaten the United States." A prade down mainstreet, New York Mills will preceed the debate which will be held at the James W. Mann Center for the PerformingArts at the New York Mills school.

Tickets to the debate are $12 general admission or $10 in advance.

Tuesday, August 5th (note change in date).Nordanstigs Spelmanslag
This group of traditional Swedish Fiddlers is from North Hälsingland - a region with a rich cultural heritage of swedish folk music.

Nordanstig - the municipality of north Hälsingland - covers the communities of Hassela, Bergsjö, Gnarp, Jättendal, Harmånger, Stocka och Strömsbruk. In this area a unique tradition of folk music is to be found including a huge amount of fiddle tunes from numbers of folk musicians throughout the years.

Nordanstig's Fiddlers (Nordanstigs Spelmanslag) was formed in 1952 and of course one of the goals was to maintain and develop this great legacy.

Today the group's musical leader is O'tôrgs-Kaisa Abrahamsson, a well-known musician and a composer of new folk tunes. O'tôrgs-Kaisa is also a Zorn Gold Medallist in folk music. Other well-known folk musicians in Nordanstig's fiddlers include Lennart Eriksson (our former musical leader) and Thomas von Wachenfeldt.

In 2006 the group's CD Viller was released. The word "Viller" is a dialectal expression and it stands for "simply the best". You may watch Nordanstigs Spelmanslag's Chinese promo video on youtube.

Friday, August 15. Time to be announced. Performance of the 2008 Puppet Pageant. This pageant will present life-size puppets in a stroy about the harvest time. These puppet figures will be reminiscent of such figures as those in the photograph presented below of fire and wind at the 2007 Solstice Pageant at Grand Marais.

Kevin Locke's concert is being rescheduled for later in 2008. Kevin Locke, Lakota Hoop Dancer, Indian flute player, and storyteller at the Cultural Center. Kevin Locke (Tokeya Inajin is his Lakota name, meaning "The First to Arise") is known throughout the world as a visionary Hoop Dancer, the preeminent player of the indigenous Northern Plains flute, a traditional storyteller, cultural ambassador, recording artist and educator.

Kevin is Lakota (Hunkpapa Band of Lakota Sioux) and Anishinabe. It was from his mother, Patricia Locke (1991 MacArthur Foundation Grant winner), his uncle Abraham End-of-Horn, mentor Joe Rock Boy, and many other elders and relatives that Kevin received training in the values, traditions and language of his native culture for which he works tirelessly. While his early instructions were received from his immediate family and community, from his extending family in every part of the world Kevin has learned many lessons in global citizenship and how we each can draw from our individual heritages to create a vibrant, evolving global civilization embracing and celebrating our collective heritage.

Check out the pre-concert dinners at the Mills Creamery in New York Mills (218-385-5282).

Cultivating the Arts in Rural America

NYMRCC Mission Statement:
"The NYMRCC is dedicated to expanding the cultural and creative opportunities of rural Americans by offering innovative, quality arts programming, and demonstrating how the arts can be used as an economic development tool in rural communities across the nation."

The Cultural Center's signature event is the annual philosophy contest, the Great American Think-Off. This year's Think-Off will be June 14th and features a debate on the question "Does immigration strengthen or threaten the United States?" Click here to visit the Great American Think-Off web site.

Recent Events

In the Gallery

hours
Tuesday-Friday 10:00am-5:00pm
Saturday 10:00am to 3:00pm
Sunday 11:00am to 3:00pm

Main gallery
Open Regional Art Exhibit through June 21st.

Upstairs Gallery
Exhibit of Somali weaving

Classes and other events

Artists Forum
This month's forum is Wednesday, June 11 at the Cultural Center. All local and regional artists are invited to share their work and ideas and inspiration with other artists.

Dance for Kids
Dance lessons with CarriAnn Pollard will resume in the fall.

Ballroom dance for grownups
Fourth Tuesday of each month at 8:00pm

Light & Easy Yoga
Resumes in the fall.

Beginners to Extreme Yoga
Resumes in the fall.

Knitting for Everyone
Every 2nd and 4th Monday with Pam Robinson and others. 6:00pm to 8:00pm

1000 Lakes Writers' Group
1st and 3rd Thursdays 7:00 pm