Lakeland Public Television
presents Common Ground
brought to you by the Minnesota
Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund
and the citizens of Minnesota.
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[music] tool pounding
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rumbling
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Welcome to Common Ground, I'm
your host
Scott Knudson. In this
two-segment episode
listen as singer-songwriter
Amanda Grace
plays music for children and
people of all ages.
Then visit a gallery in
Brainerd where
children exhibit their skills
in the visual arts.
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I'm Kate Carlson
and I'm in the Crossing Arts
Alliance gallery
in Brainerd, Minnesota and we
are featuring
our "Celebrate the Young at
Art" children's art show.
Our annual show that we have.
This is our 10th annual
show that we hold each April.
We accept artwork from all
Brainerd area schools, from
kindergarten
through high school. And we
like a variety of media,
original artwork that the
teachers select and each school
is invited to choose 10 pieces
of artwork
and contribute to the show.
We have different students
every year and so every...
when they come to our little
reception here there's always
probably
the first time they've come
here because every year they're
different students of course
that are chose to have their
artwork displayed.
Well the Crossing Arts Alliance
that
we have, we want to make
everyone aware of the arts
available in our community.
It's kind of an umbrella
organization that we feature.
We have
news letters that show all of
the different opportunities
and I'm actually the
coordinator of the youth program
which we call Flip Side and we
like to showcase
the artwork of children and
many of the schools
their...their art...artwork
the arts have been cut in some
ways because of budget
so we, our organization, the
Crossing Arts Alliance
likes to give as many
opportunities as we can for
children.
to do their art and to show
their art.
Well when we started the Flip
Side program
one of our areas was our
displays for children and
available places to display
children's artwork. That was
just one of the, one of the
venues we pursued and so that's
why we started doing art shows
and we've had them in
locations and now we are in
this building so it's a nice
gallery setting that we enjoy.
If you notice there's 10 gold
stars on 10 different
pieces of artwork and those
have been selected by our
committee
to be ah, matted and framed and
then we
hang them in the YMCA for one
year
and then the child at the end
of the year, they get to take
them home.
And we have a little plaque
with their name and grade level
on them. So it's quite an honor
for them to have
a display in a very public
place.
indistinct background chatter
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Well,
that is my artwork.
It's a Zentangle butterfly.
It's supposed to have a
cooler colors in the background
and
warmer colors on the butterfly.
Kind of. And it was where we
were supposed
to draw an animal and then we
had to put
like designs and patterns into
it.
I've really enjoyed art. It's
fun to me. It makes me pretty
happy
that my artwork was selected
to be shown in public.
I mean, I didn't, I didn't
know it was really that good.
I'm Lisa Jordan,
the artistic and executive
director of
the Crossing Arts Alliance in
Brainerd and we are
here celebrating the Young At
Art.
This is our 10th year of
putting on this exhibit. It's
an exhibitive artwork from
local school children.
And it is probably our most
colorful show and certainly one
of our most
anticipated. We at the Crossing
have an
amazing group of volunteers.
Many of the
people who work on this
particular exhibit and who love
to work
on this exhibit are retired
educators themselves.
So, we have a whole committee
with our nonprofit
who gets together to hang the
artwork,
they communicate with the
teachers, they make the
wonderful
hors d'oeuvres for our kids who
come to the exhibit
and they're here tonight, most
of them.
The Crossing Arts Alliance
works to
bring all sorts of arts to the
Brainerd Lakes Area.
That's our mission, to make
arts accessible
to our community and to make
our community stronger
through the arts. We do
programming at the
Crow Wing County jail, we have
children's programming,
arts exhibits, concerts,
um, we run the full gamut.
I think we get excited because
this gives kids a
chance to experience having
their art in a
formal gallery setting. And we
put on a
a formal opening which is a lot
of fun.
The kids get to come and show
their work to their parents
and their grandparents and
really feel special
about their involvement in the
arts. We have
quite a variety. We have
mixed-media,
we have pencil drawings and
painting,
wonderful black and white self
portraits,
and we have some torn paper
pieces,
some paintings, and some
pixelation.
It's really a nice mix. The art
teachers
who've worked with these
children have really explored a
number of different media. So,
that's really fun
and interesting for us too.
The selection process is left
up to
the teachers actually, so the
teachers go
through and I'm sure it's a
very difficult job to chose
just a few select pieces from
their classes but
they bring us something that
fits the theme
that they're hoping to explore
or
work that really speaks to them.
For me, this is the next
generation of
arts, artists, and arts
enthusiasts,
and arts supporters. So for
them to be able to come in
and share what they've done,
what they're excited
about, is just a tremendous
introduction
into the world of art. And you
know I think we're
really lucky to be able to do
this for our kids and our
community.
I think it gives us a moment
to stop our busy lives and
really come in
and celebrate um, what kids
do best and that's just, they
work in
an explosion of color and form,
and
it's just really nice to be
able to celebrate
what they do. Well I
think art have many benefits.
Um,
you know, for them cognitively,
developmentally,
and it's a way to, to really
communicate and bond with other
people without
sometimes, when we're younger
we don't have the right words to
convey our feelings and through
art they can
often do that. So I think it's,
it's
tremendously helpful for, for
kids of all ages.
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Ah, I'm Jed Klang,
and this one's my
art piece. And
it's about a bird and
we researched about this
this, um, artist
that does dots when he paints
and so my teacher made us do
dots
on when we, on when we painted
and so I used a marker when I
did mine
and I just did multiple colors
on my wing. OK, my name's
Alexia Mullen and this is my
Mona Lisa
I drew in Pod B, Forestview.
Um, we just made it for artwork
and she chose mine because it
was unique and it looked
like water going down the side
of the Mona Lisa,
right down there. It's like a
warm or cool,
I chose to do cool because like
little bit of dark colors and
then I did
um, light colors for the Mona
Lisa hair. I've been
interested in art for
long...while. The first
time I did it, was when I just
started
just drawing randomly on a
piece of paper
and then I just seen like cool
designs so I just started
doing that and that's what
sparked my interest. I'll keep
doing art
after this because it's really
fun to do.
It seems to me, I'm a retired
art teacher so I know that in
the past I've taught
art for many years and I know
students come back to me
and saying one little lesson
you know, impressed them
and it made them go on and want
to do more artwork as
either a career or hobbies.
It's a
it's just giving them the
materials, good materials
and inspiration to pursue their
art.
whether or not it's for a
career.
Well I think, ah, the students
when they come into a gallery
setting like this, it's, it's,
their self esteem
has to be increased because
they see their work of art
among all the other works that
are exceptional
with talent and skill so I
think and they bring
their families, it's very
rewarding to see them come in
and
bring their families, they're
dressed up, and proud of their
work
and we have them all displayed
in different places so they
have to walk
around and look for their
artwork so that makes them
enjoy everyone
else's work as well.
I hope that all of the children
who come here
who are exhibiting or even
those that just come
to see the exhibit, really
start to feel
that art has a place and that
it is important and it isn't
just something
you do on the side for fun,
that it
really can be a part of you're
daily life.
That's how we feel about art
and it would be
gratifying for us to feel that
we're instilling that
into the next generation.
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I think live music is important
because
I've noticed especially for
doing shows
for kids, there's just nothing
more inspiring for them to see
someone holding a guitar, a
violin, or a cello
and giving their gift of music
to them.
And I think just that seeing it
is different from
a video, it's different from
listening to a song
on the radio. It makes a real
impact.
My name is Amanda Grace, I'm a
singer-songwriter
and I'm here at the Boys and
Girls
Club of Bemidji, just going to
put on a
short concert for the families
and their kiddos.
My family's here. We just spent
the
4th of July in the Brainerd
area and just thought it'd be a
great
opportunity to make some more
friends I guess. Hi guys!
How are you?
I'm Amanda Grace, aren't we
lucky to
be outside today? That's so
awesome!
Super nice day. I'm gonna sing
you a
new song, it's called "Music
Makes It Right."
Hey you guys before we get
started, lets always show our
manners
and our appreciation by giving
a huge shout out
lets go whoop whoop whoop whoop
to Nate our sound guy.
Ready, whoop, whoop, whoop,
whoop! Are you guys ready?!
Alright, lets have some fun,
you can jump to your feet
on this one if you like to
dance. I started tinkering
around on the piano as young as
four
or five and I started probably
noodling out
some of my first little songs
and that's my primary
instrument. I love the piano.
Even now, I see one and I
just get all excited. In
college I just picked up
the acoustic guitar.
[music] When the rains pouring down,
[music] when the rains pouring down
and I need
[music] to lift up my soul
[music] I'll grab my guitar
[music] and sing myself a song.
[music]
[music] Can you say music makes it
right? Say music...
If I'm writing songs to make
kids happy then I
want to perform for them. I
think about
being a kid, I think about my
own kids, for children,
and for the love song stuff, I
just think about my experience,
I'm
happily and luckily married to
a wonderful guy
and he's my rock and so a lot
of the songs
that I've written are just sort
of based off of my own
reality and reflections I guess.
[music] La la la la la la la
[music] la la la la When I'm writing
a song
usually what happens is the
music comes to me
first but that's not always the
case. I've had the pleasure of
teaching some young writers
conferences and I talk a lot
about writing titles and how
when you're sort of in a dry
spell, writing a creative title
can get you started on
whatever you're working on.
Sometimes I'll just get a title
idea and then kind of sit down
and when I have some time
carve out some space to use
that title as
the theme of the chorus and
then writing verses that
in a bridge that connect to
that idea.
[music] If I want to start my day
right
[music] I play my favorite stations
[music] that I feel like...inside...
How many of you are kind of
crazy like me
and like unicorns?
OK, perfect.
I'm at the right place.
Right there, that little girl
right there helped me write this
song. [music]
[music] A unicorn, there's your part,
[music] a unicorn...
[music]
People keep trying to give me
this advice that I
need to just pick a genre but I
keep
remembering my childhood dream
which was
a funny one. I had a radio
station. It was an imaginary
one called, "Any Kind of Music"
and
I made up my own jingles,
songs, and even wrote news
stories cause I...
that's just what I did and so
when I came back and
started the children's CD I
just thought
you know, I guess I'll do kid
stuff and then I
didn't think that I would do
anything else and then all of
the sudden
my sister went through this
other, this whole other part
of a darkness in her life and
so then I was just feeling
like I was writing all this
other stuff so it had to be, I
felt like it had
to come out whether it made
sense to others
or not. [music] Say we'll see the
world, and we'll see
[music] the world on your back. Say
[music] on your back, I will
[music] know just where
[music] to go!
[music] Unicorn... I hope when I tour
to just do, to do both the
children's show and
stuff for the adults too. I'm
actually working on some new
surprises for a totally
different genre next so.
laughs
[music] Unicorn...
[music] I'm happy to see you
[music] go, just so you know
[music] say...
[music] Say do do
[music] do do, la de da
[music] do do do do
[music] say la de da do do do do
[music] say la de de da
[music] I'll be walking
[music] down the street, with
[music] the sun beaming down on me
[music] if I get tired I'll lay down
[music] and sleep, on a sum,
[music] summer day, on a sum,
[music] summer day.
[music] If it's hot, I'll stay in the
shade
[music] I could make my own lemonade.
[music] I could sell some and give
[music] the rest away, on a sum,
[music] summer day. I like that.
[music] On a sum, summer day...
Well I think we're pretty lucky
now with cell phones that have
video and recording abilities.
I try to keep my cell phone
with and I am doing more where
all of these
where I'll have my guitar and
just record and sing right into
it so I don't forget
it. But I do always write stuff
down, just scratch it down on
paper too just so I don't forget
and carving out time to song
write
as a mom and other
responsibilities has been
important but I try not to put
too much pressure on myself
because
life is busy and family comes
first and so
usually if I'm paying
attention, I'll find a little
window
of time to kind of get my
thoughts out on paper.
[music]
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[music] And I know no matter what I
do,
[music] I'll be great as long
[music] as I'm with you, better than
[music] a thousand shades of blue, say
[music] on a sum, summer day.
[music] Again, on a sum, summer day.
[music] Say 'everything', we know
everything's
[music] OK, everything,
[music] everything's OK, good singing.
[music] We say everything's OK,
[music] on a summer day, hey,
[music] on a summer day, hey,
[music] on a summer... Well as a
kid, I was a big fan of Mariah
Carey, and I would try to sing
like her. Vocally that's what
she inspired me. Also, the
cranberries was one of my
favorite
groups. She writes a lot of
songs about
or she did, about a war and
what it does to children
and what, you know, what
is...what our responsibility is.
We just know more and more. We
know what's going on. What can
we
do and how can music change
that? [music] do do do do
[music] say la de de da
[music] one more time, say
[music] do do do do, say la
[music] de da do do do do
[music] say la de da do do
[music] do do say la de de da
[music] on a summer
[music] day.
[music]
Thank you, you guys were
awesome! I'm going to give you
guys a round of applause.
clapping
I'm going to play a song that's
a little bit sad but it kind of
it ends up in a...you know it's
kind of like a movie, sometimes
they start a little
bit sad but then they get
better, right?
Some of the songs I wrote are
sort of like a movie that
ends well and this song is, was
inspired
by my nephew Bryce who had
leukemia and I felt like
this is his song
that I had to write for him.
Goes like this. [music]
[music] I will look for two days
[music] rainbow, although it's raining
[music] it could still be
[music] peaking out behind
[music] the shadows of
[music] this half sunny, half
[music] cloudy day I have
started out my music journey
by doing a children's CD
called, "Trains, Cars, and a
Trip to
Mars" in memory of nephew Bryce
who had
passed away of leukemia and was
sort of an
inspiration to me, I hadn't
taken my
career very seriously and just
sort of enjoyed it
but then became a stay at home
and just sort of...life
takes through an interesting
path.
And then I was inspired also
just
kind of by being, writing kid
songs
and writing lullabies for my
kids that some of their stories
are also on that CD. I didn't
know if I would continue
recording but
I started to perform for kids
bit a little in 2010 when it
was done
and then I started writing a
lot of love songs
and the same sister who lost
her son to leukemia
then lost her husband to a
sudden brain aneurysm so
there's some songs on that CD
which is called "Embrace"
which is sort of like acoustic
rock and
those songs are inspirational
love songs and
some of...couple of favorite
cover songs.
[music] two days rainbow, though
it's raining
[music] it could still be
[music] peaking out behind
[music] the shadow of this half
[music] sunny, half cloudy day.
So I just have been kind of
performing for kids and
also this love song stuff and
then I just started a women's
band about two years ago called
Wild Flower
and we do contemporary folk so
really just a mix of things
and it's keeping me on my toes.
[music] Say I will
[music] look for two days rainbow
[music] although it's raining
[music] it could still be peaking
[music] out behind the shadow
[music] of this half sunny,
[music] half cloudy day.
[music] And although
[music] I know you'll say
[music] that things
[music] will get me
[music] down, I
[music] choose to view
[music] everyday
[music] of my life
[music] through the clouds,
[music] I'll look for rainbow
[music] skies.
[music]
[music]
[music]
[music]
Got the drum, is it sitting
there? So this is that one that
goes
'I will sing, sing a new song
today'
OK? So one, two,
ready play. [music]
[music]
[music]
[music] OK sing with me Say I will
[music] sing, sing a new
[music] song today, can you say that?
[music] Say, I will
[music] sing, sing a new
[music] song today
I have decided the last year too
as the kids are getting a
little older and
are wanting to be more involved
with the shows,
they are coming along me to,
I'd say, half of them
if it's...it works for
everybody.
I try not to burn them out too
much, I've tried to not be too
pushy
about it but now our son is
starting to play drums
a little bit. He played at
Rochester Fest and that was
so fun and a great experience
as a mom
and now he wants to be my merch
guy and he's sitting
there covering the tables, so
he feels, he feels like he's
carrying a responsibility too.
So it's a real pleasure.
It was harder when they were
little and when you have
toddlers they're
just everywhere and trying to
keep them out of the
chord bags and from yanking a
mic stand over,
it's not easy. [music] Dance, dance
[music] a new dance, today.
For my tours
the last year, I've decided to
kinda do a new direction. My
kids are getting older and more
active in sports
and every parent knows that
stage of the
game and so what I'm doing is,
we are kinda saying
"hey we want to visit Mount
Rushmore" so for instance
in a couple of weeks we're
gonna go see the sites
and I'll be doing a couple of
shows on the way and
then other than that I'll stay
locally, regionally,
and when I do like a conference
for instance I'll just try to
get a couple shows while I'm in
the area, kinda to make the
most of it
and so to kinda balance that
being gone
too much thing at night. [music] Say
I
[music] will paint a
[music] new picture For independent
musicians
we need other people's help,
it's just like any other
business.
It's really word of mouth and
people sharing your stuff
on Facebook, following you,
Instagram, just connecting
and really finding your way
forward
through others is really what
it's about and I find
that every year that goes by, I
find more and more support
from my family, friends, fans,
and I
am very overwhelmed by all
that, that love
so.
Thanks so much for watching.
Join us
again next time on Common
Ground. If you
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