Lakeland Public Television
presents Common Ground

brought to you by the Minnesota
Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund

and the citizens of Minnesota.

[music]

[music] tool pounding

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[music] high pitched clank, tractor
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.

[music]

indistinct talking

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

indistinct background chatter
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.

indistinct background chatter

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.

indistinct background chatter

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]

[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... 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]

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] 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

have an idea for a Common
Ground piece that pertains to

north central Minnesota, email
us at

legacy@lptv.org or call us

at 218-333-3014.

To view any episode of Common
Ground

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lptv.org.

[music]

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Common Ground is brought to you
by the Minnesota Arts and

Cultural Heritage Fund, with
money from the vote the people

November 4th, 2008.