Celebrating Cultures May 22 @ NYM Sculpture Park

Presented by NYM Regional Cultural Center and Niijii Radio

NEW YORK MILLS, MN, May 10, 2024—The New York Mills Regional Cultural Center is pleased to present Celebrating Cultures, a family-friendly community art and cultural exchange event at the New York Mills Sculpture Park / Barn just off Highway 10 in NYM from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 22, 2024.

Celebrating Cultures is co-presented by the Cultural Center and Niijii Radio. This year is our 4th annual cultural exchange event and we are thrilled to be working together again this year. This event is free to attend, will include both free activities and products available for purchase, and is open to ALL!

We are seeking additional cultural partners to make this a true cross-cultural exchange event; all cultures are welcome! Do you have stories, traditions, artistic practices, or cultural food to share? All those interested in positive, family-friendly, cross-cultural sharing are welcome. We also encourage artists, makers, and culture bearers to sell their handmade products. Call 218-385-3339 or email [email protected] to sign up. There is no cost.

At this year’s event, we will continue our focus on family-friendly community art activities, demonstrations, and performances. Currently planned performances include Buffalo River Dance Troupe (Ojibwe dancing, drumming, and storytelling), Scottish Bagpipes by Ian Durkin, Taste of Colombia (traditional Colombian dance), Finnish music by Kip Peltoniemi, and Chinese dance by CHORD: Chinese Heritage Of Recreation and Dance.

Currently planned Indigenous Artists and Makers include birch bark crafts with Audrey Dahl; beading demonstration with Tracey Mason; and a lacross demonstration.

Activities/demonstrations include Brazilian culture with Lorena Roses; Finland in a Suitcase with Adam & Amy Tervola Hultberg; First Nations Collaborators’ culture, traditions and art with Bon Mott of Melbourne, Australia; Katy Olson & Lindsey Scherloum with participatory art project “Invitation to Wholeness: Lakes Country, Planet Earth;” Scribbletastic Fun-O-Matic Command Post with Artist Brad Wegscheid; the History Museum of East Otter Tail County with information about how to research your family tree; Kasha & Bonnie with Polish culture and treats; and art activities for all ages by the Cultural Center.

Food and drinks will be available for sale by Native Harvest and Taste of Colombia; other food trucks have been invited and are welcome to join this community event!

Visit kulcher.org/celebrating-cultures-2024/ to learn more and for the most updated list of partners and activities.

Please note, in the event of inclement weather, we plan to move this event to Wednesday, May 29. Updates will be shared on kulcher.org and our social media pages.

This activity is made possible in part by the voters of Minnesota through grants from Lakes Region Arts Council and the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Visit kulcher.org or call the Cultural Center at 218-385-3339 with any questions.

About the Cultural Center The New York Mills Regional Cultural Center is a rural hub for creativity, community vitality, and lifelong learning in the arts. The Center offers visitors intimate opportunities to encounter art and artists in its 80-seat concert listening room, visual art gallery in a historic building, gift shop featuring local artists, artist residency program, sculpture park, and a variety of opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive. Since its incorporation in 1990, the Cultural Center has been passionate about connecting people to artists and rich cultural experiences in rural Minnesota, celebrating the local and being a window to the world.

For more information, call 218-385-3339, or visit www.kulcher.org.

About Niijii Radio Since 2008, Niijii Radio KKWE 89.9FM has been broadcasting independent media to our community as one of four native Anishinaabe community radio stations in our region, unique in that we are the only one independent of tribal government and control. The White Earth Land Recovery Project (WELRP) is a federal non-profit organization that currently holds the license of NIIJII Broadcasting. WELRP, founded in 1989, is a multi-issue, non-profit, Native American organization based on the White Earth Indian Reservation in Callaway MN. Our station serves the White Earth reservation and surrounding communities. We also stream live from the internet for the benefit of all.