More than 150 people from all over the Twin Cities arts community enjoyed celebrating their friends, colleagues and leaders at the Vision Awards hosted by Northeast Minneapolis Arts District October 2 at the Ritz Theater. Click here to see more photos of the evening
Emcee Theo Langason kept things light and earnest, lauding awardee Dr. Barbara Bridges for “most butts in seats.” She responded by giving credit to the many Art to Change the World members in the audience for the fast growth of her organization and its reach.
Next up, honoree John Hock of Northeast Sculpture | Gallery Factory inspired some laughs and shared words of wisdom. “As we ALL know the art created in Northeast Minneapolis has a unique ability to transcend cultures, to speak a universal language that resonates with the soul. Through every brush stroke, every hammer banged with every creation brought to life, “we” aim to evoke emotions, challenge perspectives, and inspire change. This award reaffirms my belief in the power of art to transform community…culture and society.”
Margo Ashmore, accepting the posthumous award for State Representative Diane Loeffler, reminded us to honor Diane’s spirit by promoting arts education accessibility for all. Arts advocate and Vision Award winner Herman Milligan recounted seminal and pivotal moments in the arts district’s development.
Organizers had put the presentations in alphabetical order by last name. Piotr Szyhalski wrapped up his acceptance remarks by throwing a confetti of small leaflets in his activist style on his way back to his seat. He had used his “last word” status to the fullest with a speech that inspired many to ask for his notes. We are happy to share his thoughts, and the poem he quoted, in their entirety.
Thank you!
Northeast is beautiful.
Here, hard work, and art is everywhere.
We are here celebrating a community built around art
A community built on generosity, empathy, love.
Barbara
John
Herman
And Diane (if you are watching)
Congratulations, from the bottom of my heart.
We are here because we believe in art.
We work for art.
We work on art.
We make it,
We celebrate it,
We understand the importance of it.
And I am not talking about the art that for one reason or another is traded for millions of dollars
I am talking about art being made every day around the world by millions of people
Everywhere
With anything
At all cost
Against the odds
In most improbable ways…
Helping us
make sense
of the world
Art made by artists who will never be acknowledged or properly paid for their work
For their vision.
But who nevertheless commit themselves to that work
Out of their generosity
Drive
Passion
Or a sense of responsibility.
Or for no reason at all,
Just because they can’t NOT do it.
So why does this matter?
It matters because we can not have a healthy society, without culture.
Without art.
All this is especially important today
Because culture, art, education, (and science too!) are actively being fought, dismantled, discredited.
Underfunded, marginalized and ridiculed.
Today is pretty special:
A thieving leader of the previous Regime is in court on trial for fraud
AND, somewhere else in the world
Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman are awarded a Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for developing COVID vaccines!
Thinking about our gathering tonight, I was reminded of this amazing short poem
Written by Czeslaw Milosz who was also awarded a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1980
It was written in 1950
But it feels timeless and sharp like a blade
I want to share it with you.
It’s called
“You Who Wronged”
You who wronged a simple man
Bursting into laughter at the crime,
And kept a pack of fools around you
To mix good and evil, to blur the line,
Though everyone bowed down before you,
Saying virtue and wisdom lit your way,
Striking gold medals in your honor,
Glad to have survived another day,
Do not feel safe. The poet remembers.
You can kill one, but another is born.
The words are written down, the deed, the date.
And you’d have done better with a winter dawn,
A rope, and a branch bowed beneath your weight.
– – –
I love this poet.
And this particular, unflinching poem reminds me that
To make art is to pay attention
To be present
To reflect and record.
And to record is to serve.
And so,
Barbara
John
Herman
And Diane:
Thank you for your service!
(and thank you, Piotr)