The city of Minneapolis’ new director of the Arts & Cultural Affairs Department, Ben Johnson, visited with board members from Northeast Minneapolis Arts District and toured studios at the California Building August 9. On staff since March, he said he’s been meeting with arts organizations, individuals, and other community resources to learn the current scene, on the lookout for big, unique ways to put Minneapolis on the worldwide cultural map. Growing up in Minnesota, Johnson went to every art opening he could find. Most recently he was arts and culture manager for Beverly Hills, California and before that, director of performing arts for Los Angeles. In the photo are Johnson, artist Christopher Harrison, and arts district board members Jennifer Young and Josh Blanc. They are holding pieces from Harrison’s new series based on the want ads that former slaves would place in newspapers looking for their relatives.
Photo and article by Margo Ashmore