Indigenous Roots Cultural Arts Center has a new exhibit coming out on April 3 called “Reclaimed Spaces” that features graffiti from Native artists.

The exhibit is a partnership between Indigenous Roots and City Mischief Murals, a collective of BIPOC artists that creates murals in the Twin Cities.

“Reclaimed Spaces” reflects on what it means to reclaim land, sovereignty and what the future looks like for Indigenous artists within the modern graffiti subculture.

Thomasina Topbear, the curator of the exhibition, said she hopes to educate people about Indigenous graffiti art because its history is often unknown. Topbear’s tribal affiliation is Oglala Lakota/Santee Dakota.

She said graffiti is especially important to Native youth experiencing homelessness and other circumstances because it “gives them an outlet and tools to take up space on their stolen homelands.”

Topbear said she made the theme broad because she didn’t want to limit artists’ experiences, allowing them to take up space in their own way.

The art featured focuses on a variety of issues including Land Back, genocide and loss of culture, among others.

Miskitoos, whose tribal affiliation is Marten Falls Anishinaabe First Nation and Constance Lake Oji-Cree First Nation and who asked to be referred only by her Native name for privacy reasons, is a member of City Mischief Murals who will be featured in the exhibit. She said Indigenous folx have a long history of marking the land to tell their stories. Her ancestors used to paint on rocks and caves to preserve their history and graffiti is a modern version of this practice.

The exhibit creates a safe space to portray the struggles of Indigenous people while also highlighting the resilience and beauty of their culture, she said.

“Art and graffiti are healing,” Miskitoos said. “It has been used by many of us as a coping skill to deal with all of the historical and generational trauma.”

To her, the theme of reclaiming land means her generation reuniting with their languages, songs, ceremonies, clan systems, healing and medicine after years of the U.S. government attempting to assimilate their people.

Maryanne Quiroz, the co-director of Indigenous Roots, said their partnership with City Mischief is like a “village friendship” with each organization willing to help each other in whatever way they can, such as providing funding and other resources.

“We highlight and elevate each others’ work,” Quiroz said.

The event will take place in the area known as Imniza Ska, or “white cliffs,” by the Dakota people.

There will be a limited number of people allowed in the gallery space at a time and social distancing and the use of masks are required. While waiting outside, guests can enjoy live painting and music from DJ Micah Prairie Chicken.

Artist tribal affiliations include the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, Ho-Chunk Nation, St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin, Oglala Sioux Tribe and Santee Dakota, among others.

What: Reclaimed Spaces Exhibit
When: April 3, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Where: 788 E. Seventh St., St. Paul, MN 55106
Cost: Free

As the year anniversary of quarantine approaches, University of Minnesota students and faculty reflect on what it’s been like to learn and teach virtually.

Student thoughts:

Drew Lehman, a fourth-year animal science major, said the hardest part of online learning is participating because of how different it is from in-person.

“I have problems getting up the motivation to watch the lectures,” Lehman said. “I get behind really easily.”

Lehman said she found it easier to do homework when classes were on campus, and she had time between classes and work to study.

Before COVID-19, Lehman took asynchronous online classes in addition to her in-person classes and enjoyed them; but taking classes entirely online hasn’t been the same.

“I’ve really learned to hate online learning,” she said.

Caitlin Farrell, a first-year biology major living in the dorms, said she also is struggling with online courses.

Her classes are solely online, including two three-hour science lectures where she finds it hard to focus past the first hour of class.

“It’s really overwhelming sometimes,” Farrell said.

Farrell said she thinks there is no separation between “in-class” assignments and homework, making it feel like much more work.

“It’s disappointing to be attending a big university and not getting the big university experience,” she said.

Alex Robinson, a first-year student, said at the start of quarantine he liked being able to roll out of bed and attend class; his second semester of online learning, however, has been dragging on, and he’s fighting burnout. Robinson said he hasn’t gotten to know any of his classmates or professors because of the disconnect of virtual classes.

“It’s starting to become way too monotonous and draining,” Robinson said.

Faculty thoughts:

Eunha Jeong Wood, a graduate instructor with the Gender and Sexuality Studies department, said teaching online has made it hard to establish relationships with students. She said because her classes are based on interactive activities and participation, online learning has made it difficult to build good discussion and engagement.

“The collective energy of being in a shared space together is missing,” Wood said.

Because of this, Wood said she is doing more lectures in her online classes than in-person classes, which would often have interactive activities, such as watching movies and having large-group discussions.

Wood said she has also tried to stay aware of assigning the same course load or even less to consider students “whole human beings” who are dealing with various issues outside of class. “There are a lot of mental health challenges right now,” Wood said.

Sam Poindexter, a teaching specialist with the Gender and Sexuality Studies department, is also adamant about considering students’ mental health during this time.

In 2020 after Amy Coney Barrett was sworn in to the Supreme Court, Poindexter gave students the option to attend class and postponed the normal lecture for a class discussion where students could talk about their feelings in a safe space.

“I remember that students are people too,” Poindexter said.

Like Wood, Poindexter said Zoom classes have made class discussion and engagement difficult because it’s hard to tell who is following along and who may be lost.

“It’s hard to gauge student engagement when you’re looking at a bunch of black screens,” Poindexter said.

Jessica Lee, an adjunct professor at the Hubbard School of Journalism, teaches news reporting and writing to Hubbard majors in addition to working full-time as a fact-checker for Snopes.

Lee said this time last year she was prepared to make the transition from in-person to online classes because of her job in the news industry. She said she finds it easier to incorporate multimedia elements and switch from one activity to another, such as a Google Form to a video to keep students actively engaged.

“We’ve shown over the last year that it’s doable, and in some ways, it can be good,” Lee said.

The University announced some positive news on March 12 for those who prefer in-person instruction: Plans for the fall 2021 semester include a long-awaited return to in-person classes and campus life.

Loring Collective announced the nominees for the 2021 Loring Awards on Feb. 19, including several bands from the Como area.

Dad Bod, Bugsy and Gully Boys are nominees for a variety of awards, such as Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Artist of the Year.

This is the second annual Loring Awards hosted by Loring Collective, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering queer creatives in the Twin Cities area. The collective was co-founded by recent University of Minnesota graduates Tony Burton and Melissa Riepe.

Dad Bod, an indie five-piece consisting of Callie Marino, Wilson Zellar, Noah Topliff, Michael McGough and Alex Gray, is nominated for Artist of the Year and Album of the Year for “Precursor.”

“Precursor” was originally intended to be a full band collaboration, but because of quarantine, not everyone was able to contribute. The EP features songs written by Marino and Zellar — including “Midlife Crisis,” one of the first songs Marino ever wrote.

“It’s a good reminder to any artists that it’s important to keep making art,” Marino said of the 2021 Loring Awards.

Right now, Dad Bod is working on their first full-length album.

Bugsy, an indie-pop quartet including Emily Schoonover, Griffen Desai, Shannon Maroney and Alex Norman, is nominated for Record of the Year for “Drunk,” Album of the Year for “Teratoma” and Artist of the Year.

“Teratoma” was recorded only a few months after everyone in the band met each other, and it serves as an introduction to Bugsy and their unique sound.

Their new music, including the single “Overwhelming,” reflects the band becoming closer and more comfortable with each other.

“There’s more trust in the process,” Schoonover said.

Nadi McGill, drummer and vocalist for punk trio Gully Boys, is nominated for Fashion Icon of the Year and Creative Activist of the Year.

McGill describes their style as “pretty alternative” and takes inspiration from androgynous models, preferring to mix feminine and masculine energy.

Growing up, McGill said they weren’t able to fully express themselves through fashion because they couldn’t afford it. Now that McGill makes their own money, they like to wear whatever they want.

“I like to think of what my younger self would want to wear,” McGill said.

Following the police killing of George Floyd in 2020, McGill attended protests and expressed support for the Black Lives Matter movement selling “Demolish White Supremacy” shirts and raising over $20,000 in sales.

The profits were donated to Northside Funders Group, an organization that seeks to advance social, educational and economic opportunities in North Minneapolis.

McGill continues to speak out against systemic racism on social media and supports defunding the police.

Gully Boys will start recording their second album at the end of March, McGill said.

Post-pandemic, Loring Collective plans to open a communal space called “House of Loring” that would serve primarily as a safe space for all queer creatives, something lacking in event spaces prior to COVID-19.

Currently, the Collective provides networking and name recognition to support artists but they hope to provide paid opportunities in the future as they increase their donor base.

The Loring Awards allows the nominees to connect with other queer artists in a time where they may feel disconnected.

“It’s been a great example of how creativity can really shine through difficult times,” Burton said.

Voting for the 2021 Loring Awards ends March 5 at midnight. You can vote for your favorite artists here. The awards show will premiere on Friday, March 12 at 8 p.m. on Instagram Live.

As the semester drags on, take a break from studying and group projects to check out A&E’s pop culture recommendations for the week.

Something to watch:

“Behind Her Eyes”: Based on the international bestseller by Sarah Pinborough, “Behind Her Eyes” is a new psychological thriller recently released on Netflix. The show follows a single mother who begins an affair with her psychiatrist boss while secretly befriending his wife. Full of mind games, twists and turns, this show is 100% binge-worthy with an ending you won’t see coming.

“Pelé”: This new Netflix documentary produced by award-winning filmmaker Kevin MacDonald follows the life of Edson Arantes do Nascimento, aka Pelé, a Brazilian football forward who went from professional football player to national hero named the greatest by FIFA. The film chronicles Pelé’s life throughout a period known as the golden age of Brazilian football.

Something to tap your foot to:

“Overwhelming” by Bugsy: If you can relate to the name, you should listen to the new single by Bugsy that dropped on Feb. 13. This is Bugsy’s first release of 2021 and perfectly captures the feeling of being burned out and feeling too much at once. It begins with angst as the instrumentals clash together alongside raw, emotional lyrics and ends with a slow descent that reflects the longing to return to a time when life was not as stressful. An extremely visually pleasing music video accompanies the single, featuring the band’s members chewing on rubber amphibians.

“Peace of Mind” by drey dk: Soft guitar and upbeat drums combine with moody lyrics to create this dreamy record. It’s for nights when you want to wallow and contemplate why you feel what you feel. In “pity party,” drey dk sings “These feelings I get just mean I care, but it gets to a point that I can’t bare / But I / Won’t deny / Life will not always be fair, but that does not mean I should not care.” This is drey dk’s first EP, and it is a nominee for EP of the year at the 2021 Loring Awards.

Something to try:

Wildflyer Coffee: Looking for a study spot? Recently opened Wildflyer Coffee is a nonprofit coffeehouse dedicated to providing job stability for youth experiencing homelessness now open for dine in. Try its delicious food options, such as Breadsmith sourdough toast topped with mashed avocado, pepitas and arugula, or the Chai Chai Slide, which features the in-house orange spice syrup. Wildflyer Coffee is open for dine in from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m daily.

As the pandemic drags on, do you find yourself craving new ways to pass the time? Are you sick of watching the same shows, reading the same books and refreshing the same social media apps over and over?

Well, you’re in luck. Several University of Minnesota professors are releasing new books sure to satiate your hunger for new content.

The first book release is “The Witch of Eye” by Kathryn Nuernberger, an assistant professor of creative writing who primarily writes poetry and creative nonfiction.

“The Witch of Eye” examines instances of defiance and resistance from people who have been accused of witchcraft throughout history, with each chapter focusing on a different accused person, Nuernberger said.

These people include healers, midwives, widows, women who owned property and anyone else who broke cultural norms.

The book also features personal essays where Nuernberger reflects on how the witch trials affect her own life and power dynamics present today.

“We’re living in a world that was in part created by the witch trials and their legacies,” Nuernberger said.

“The Witch of Eye” was released on Feb. 16.

The second release is “One Summer Evening at the Falls” by Peter Campion, an associate professor of creative writing who focuses on poetry and the visual arts.

“One Summer Evening at the Falls” is a poetry collection based somewhat on Minnehaha Falls and the summers Campion spent taking walks around the Falls.

According to Campion, “The Falls” refers to two different things: First, “a kind of ordinary romantic place that people would want to go on a Friday night,” and second, “figuratively, like a fall — the fall of man, the fall from the garden,” Campion said.

The poems include a primary speaker, but some feature other voices layered on top and overheard conversations alongside translations of ancient poetry.

“One Summer Evening at the Falls” is set to release in March.

The third release is “Sensational: The Hidden History of America’s ‘Girl Stunt Reporters’” by Kim Todd, an associate professor of creative writing who writes literary nonfiction and science and environment writing.

“Sensational: The Hidden History of America’s ‘Girl Stunt Reporters’” explores the work of female investigative journalists such as Nellie Bly and their role in opening the door to more innovative journalism by women.

According to Todd, these “girl stunt reporters” went undercover to report how women were being treated at the end of the 19th century and were well paid, sometimes even better paid than their male peers.

They rarely received credit for their work, however, including paving the way for other journalists such as Upton Sinclair and Tom Wolfe, who are more broadly recognized, Todd said.

The book seeks to give these female journalists the credit they deserve.

“The smallest open door can really have huge effects,” said Todd. “Both on individual people’s lives and on a culture.”

“Sensational: The Hidden History of America’s ‘Girl Stunt Reporters’” will be released in April.

The last book release is “Sho” by Douglas Kearney, an assistant professor of creative writing who produces writing of performance, poetry and nonfiction.

“Sho” is a poetry collection about “understanding something that I’ve been grappling with and poking most of my life as a writer,” Kearney said.

The poems reflect on the intersection between violence and entertainment, specifically how violence is centered on Black people and used as a source of entertainment.

“It’s about what it feels like to be in modes of performance or asked to be things for other people without necessarily wanting to be those things,” Kearney said.

The poetry does not include Kearney’s usual performative typography or visual poems, instead, they feature only one narrator rather than several speakers.

“It’s my attempt to make a nice book of poetry,” Kearney said.

“Sho” will be released in April.

Sustainability, technological advancements and, most importantly, comfort — University of Minnesota students are showcasing their best fashion prototypes as part of a new exhibit.

The exhibit, called Breaking Silence: Design in a Changing World, features the work of 12 designers from the University’s Apparel Design Program and will be on display until March 26 at the Katherine E. Nash Gallery located in the Regis Center for Art.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic began, Jahanvi Kamra’s original designs for her collection were made of non-stretchy fabrics, but she switched to knit to make the pieces more comfortable.

“More and more people started valuing comfort,” Kamra said. “Almost just as much or more than they value fashion.”

Kamra took comfort one step further by including a variety of adjustable features for height or modesty preferences.

The collection, inspired by streetwear clothing, is designed for those who want a “capsule wardrobe” or those that don’t want to buy a different outfit for every occasion. The pieces are easy to mix and match and dress up or down, she said.

Wendy Sandoval’s collection was also based around comfort. Her loungewear pieces are made of 100% cotton and hand-dyed knit in hues of orange, tan, green and pink.

Her collection is inspired by minimalism and the increasing pressure on the fashion industry to become more sustainable.

“We need to move away from a linear economy,” Sandoval said, suggesting we move to a circular economy, where products are repaired or recycled, rather than thrown away.

Lauren Nicol’s minimal yet luxurious collection features a neutral color palette of beige, tan and blush to create a “classic, timeless vibe.”

The pieces are menswear-inspired tailored blazers and trousers with feminine lingerie silhouettes, Nicol said.

Noah Garon’s collection features evening gowns and a jacket equipped with electronic parts for aesthetic purposes along with medical and safety functions.

One gown uses neuro-linguistic programming and hypnotherapy to help those with social anxiety disorders or stage fright. Another gown has a remote hidden under the skirt that controls the lights on the accompanying clutch.

Not only is this a cool party trick, but it can also serve as communication between the wearer and their friends or partner, indicating medical needs.

The jacket has a distance detector that makes the light and motor on the sleeve cuff vibrate and shine to alert the wearer that someone is getting close to them.

Another gown features a flower that rotates at four different speeds — low, medium, high or at the wearer’s heart rate.

The collection emphasizes the need for more “adaptive clothing” or clothing for people with disabilities. Garon said the pieces are meant to be functional but not to highlight the wearer’s disability.

“That way, those with a disability don’t feel ostracized by the community,” Garon said.

The gallery is closed to the public but University faculty, staff and students can view the exhibit by making an appointment online. The exhibit is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.