Creative Ideas, People, and Projects in the Midwest and Beyond
Stories from the Creativity News Desk-
July 9, 2025
Artists Bring Life to Death at Midwest’s First Cemetery Art Residency
By Amy “Frankie” Felegy
On these Minneapolis, Minnesota, grounds, four artists in residence host events and create work throughout the year-long program.
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Meet the Minnesotan Org Centering Ancestors, Art, and Activism
July 9, 2025
The Paper Lantern Project creates accessible spaces and resources to break down stigmas against gender and reproductive justice in Minnesota’s Asian American community.
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Award-Winning Albums and Rare Sounds Simmer at This Midwest Kitchen-Studio
July 2, 2025
Archeophone Records is an archive of an almost-lost era of American music history—carefully restored and shared with the world from one couple’s home in Illinois.
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Transforming Invasive Plants into Paper That Grows Wildflowers
July 1, 2025
In their mobile studio, Anna Haglin and James Kleiner travel across Minnesota teaching folks the art of sustainable papermaking.
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Turning the Chicago River into a Floating Music Venue
June 26, 2025
These ‘secret river shows’ are a floating, grassroots musician network atop the once-heavily polluted waterway.
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‘Silly Fish Parade’ Exalts Springtime, Cardboard, and the Smelt Queen
By Amy “Frankie” Felegy
This annual smelt parade along Lake Superior reels back to a niche tradition of catching the small, silvery fish in the dark of night.
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How Sign is Transforming a Wisconsin Stage
By Jacqueline Kehoe
Via deaf artists, American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin, is redirecting the spotlight.
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The Midwestern Artists Powering Pinball’s Comeback
By Alana Horton
Pinball’s never looked this good. Meet the Midwestern artists reshaping an arcade classic with bold, hand-drawn illustrations.
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