Longfellow Rising Projects

Downtown Longfellow
Community Meetings

  • Days after the uprising following George Floyd's murder by Minneapolis Police, Ruhel Islam stood in front of his destroyed restaurant, where he met up with Dan Kennedy, partner at Kennedy and Cain PLLC, and Ingrid Rassmussen, pastor at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. The three had the idea to start meeting with others whose buildings had been damaged or destroyed during the uprising, or who had somehow emerged with property intact in a mostly burnt out neighborhood. Soon, weekly meetings were convened in the front yard of Holy Trinity. More business owners, residents, workers, and property owners joined in what started as an emotional support group. This transformed into a mutual aid network, as people grappled with clean-up efforts, government inaction and regulatory hurdles that prevented clearing rubble from destroyed buildings and beginning re-building. These meetings, and this group, eventually became Longfellow Rising.

Longfellow Rising Community Envisioning and Planning Workshops

  • A series of conversations and design-testing sessions over three months, with business and property owners, workers, residents, and frequent visitors to Downtown Longfellow. With the help of a team of facilitators, designers and architects, we created a map of development projects that we hope to see in the neighborhood. We developed a list of principles we hope the rebuilt neigbhorhood will embody. And we imagined the things we hope will emerge in our community going forward.

Tabling at Open Streets Minnehaha

  • Members of the Longfellow Rising board had a table at the Minnehaha Open Streets in October of 2021. We sat out in front of the concrete barricades and barbed wire that surrounded the burnt-out former 3rd precinct. Little did we know, the building, the barricades and the barbed wire would still be there 4 years after the uprising.

2024 Sponsored Programs

Going to Seed — Renewal in a Time of Climate Change

presented by Pangea World Theater

  • Going to Seed, a kick-off event held in early September, featured Diane Wilson, Michael Kleber-Diggs and others bringing the community together for poetry, songs, ritual and story circles about our own vision for renewal and healing. We dedicated a future Pollinator Garden at the Green Plaza in Longfellow by naming and planting our commitment to renewal.

    Going to Seed supports people around their grief and feelings of powerlessness in the face of climate change and the intractable systems that keep solutions at bay. Using art in a natural space, Pangea supports a collective sense of hope grounded in the power of our shared Earth, celebration, connection and each other.

    Going to Seed is being designed and implemented by Pangea World Theater in collaboration with the Dakota writer and educator, Diane Wilson, The Indigenous People’s Task Force — Ikidowin Youth Theater Ensemble, Mudluk Pottery, and Longfellow Rising and with Santa Fe artist, Chrissie Orr.

Sister Species, Spaceport,
Robot Slide (solo)

presented by Sister Species

  • On Sunday, August 18, Sister Species held their summer show in the early evening outside in the green space between Moon Palace Books and the Hub Bike Co-op on Minnehaha Ave. It was a night of music and community, featuring performances by the chamber pop septet, along with indie rock trio Spaceport, and experimental artist Matt Olson of Robot Slide.

    We had about 100 people at our show, from babies to octogenarians. Several people described the event as “life-affirming” and “the perfect summer night.” Olson played an opening solo piece that involved participation from the whole audience by playing tracks off their phones. Spaceport played second and shouted out all of the toddlers from their workplace who attended. And, during Sister Species' set, people danced with their dogs to a song about a dog.

Times Such as These /
Southside Shtetl

presented by Southside Shtetl

  • A book release party for “For Times Such As These: A Radical’s Guide to the Jewish Year,” co-authored by local Rabbi Jessica Rosenberg and visiting Rabbi Ariana Katz. It was also a joyful, meaningful place to celebrate Jewish artists' work with strong representation from queer and trans Jews active in movements for social justice in Minneapolis. Alongside the reading, there was klezmer music and art and Judaica made by local artisans, organized by Southside Shtetl, a pop-up Judaica market now in their 3rd year.

    The event on Sunday was a joyful success. A few hundred people came through Southside Shtetl, and over 50 people came to the book reading. Longfellow author and artist Ricardo Levins Morales facilitated the book discussion, and it was a really powerful bringing together of local artists and writers at Moon Palace Books.

    As radical Jews, we don't have access to doing events like this at most of the Jewish specific art and culture spaces. So it was transformative to get community resources to bring our writing and art to our community in this way.

Soul of the Southside

presented by The Legacy Building with The Hook and Ladder Theater

  • The Soul of the Southside Juneteenth Festival, presented by The Legacy Building, was held on Wednesday, June 19, 2024 at the corner of Lake Street and Minnehaha Avenue. The event was a powerful celebration of Black liberation, culture, community, and creativity. They created space for kinship and community at Arbeiter Brewing, Moon Palace Books, The Hook & Ladder Theater and The Historic Coliseum Building. SOTS welcomed a record-breaking attendance of 3,700 attendees. The festival transformed our community into a dynamic hub of creativity, connection, and joy, exceeding all expectations and leaving an indelible mark on everyone who joined.

Asian Phoenix Fest

presented by Arbeiter Brewing Co.

  • The Asian Phoenix Festival was Arbeiter Brewing’s grand celebration during AAPI Heritage Month. The Asian Phoenix represents resilience, revitalization, and harmony. She is the opposing force to the dragon. The Phoenix has also become an important symbol to our South Minneapolis neighborhood as we work to renew and rebuild what was lost after the spring 2020 uprising. The inaugural Asian Phoenix Festival took place at Arbeiter Brewing on Sunday, May 26, 2024 and was an amazing success. We estimate that 750 people attended the festival. The performances were Lion Dancing by DTG Lions, Korean Three Drum Dance by Jangmi Arts, Breakdancing by Cypher Side Dance School, and DJ JEN-E. Besides the performers, the other businesses that participated were: Laune Bread, Tiny Art by LRG, Munee, Npauj, Lora Hlavsa, Kimchicks, Kari Lee Art, A Krause Studio, Theater Mu, 2 Scoops Cookies, Bao Bao Buns, Union Hmong Kitchen, and Amazing Momo.

Justice for George

presented by Memorialize the Movement

  • On May 24th and 25th, Justice For George: Space as Canvas was held over two days. On the first day of the event, there was a panel discussion, documentary screening and the “Paint to Express” workshop held in DuNord Social Spirit’s newly renovated event room in their space next door. On day two, the event was in full swing. The community was invited to the new space for Memorialize the Movement (MTM) in South Minneapolis to enjoy live entertainment, local arts vendors, food from local vendors, a street exhibition of the plywood protest murals – collected and curated by MTM, and a live mural painting project. Overall, the event reinforced the power of community solidarity and creative expression in driving social change through the inclusion of a variety of artists and local businesses. It left a lasting impression of all who attended, reminding us of the strength we have when we come together with a shared purpose and vision.

2023 Sponsored Program

Facing the Fire

presented by artist Paul Herwig

  • Facing the Fire (2) is a three sided projection mapping & audio installation in artist Paul Herwig's own neighborhood at the ruins of the former 3rd Precinct, which was the building that housed the officers who murdered George Floyd.

  • More info: “Facing the Fire” reflects on the murder of George Floyd, police brutality, and the civil unrest of 2020. Originally presented in the fall of 2022 on East Lake Street in the Longfellow neighborhood, “Facing the Fire” was composed of seven performances of projection art and sound conducted on abandoned and damaged properties all along Lake Street. It was at that first performance here at the ruins of the former 3rd Precinct where Paul met Chris Mozena, board member of Longfellow Rising, who then pitched the idea of remounting Facing the Fire, with a deeper focus on social justice, and the municipal neglect of the property, which is a persistent reminder of the horrible events of that summer and an ever-present eyesore that magnifies the City’s longstanding inability to address the community’s needs. The projection art in Facing the Fire is composed of hundreds of images sourced from local and international media, street art from around the nation, graphs whose statistics chart the violence perpetrated onto local communities by outside radical fascist groups, archival images from the history of civil unrest along Lake Street since the 1900’s, and many recent images of the destroyed buildings in the neighborhood, images of citizens protesting during the summer of 2020, and children, for whom we need to build a better future.

    For more info visit: https://www.futureprojections.net/facing-the-fire.html

2022 Sponsored Programs

Twin Cities Arab Film Festival Closing Night Celebration and Film Showing

presented by Mizna

  • The final showing of Mizna's 2022 Twin Cities Arab Film Festival, this outdoor screening also featured food, DJs, dancing, and a vital gathering of community who had been in isolation due to COVID protocols.

  • To close Mizna’s 2021 edition of the Twin Cities Film Festival, Mizna partnered with Moon Palace Books to offer a free, outdoor screening in the plaza outside of Moon Palace. The atmosphere was festive and celebratory—concluding an engaging weekend of film and community building. The majority of the festival took place at the Trylon Cinema, also in the Longfellow neighborhood. The closing night film was offered without cost to audiences. At the closing event, DJ Soul Collective performed, and Mizna worked with Baba’s food truck to offer discounted meals, with proceeds going to a Palestinian nonprofit that supports a skill-building incubator in Ramallah. Mizna screened the Somali film The Gravedigger’s Wife and invited local Somali cultural worker Abdi Mohamed, a friend of the filmmaker’s, to introduce the film. The Arab Film Fest provides film artists support and exposure and to present to Arab/SWANA and Muslim audiences a rare chance to see their authentic experiences on the screen—films made by our community rather than simply about our community. The festival also reveals to those outside the community the heterogeneity of SWANA peoples, providing a rich, complex, and true source of cultural understanding. The closing event was a truly joyous, community building event, drawing a young and diverse crowd with the Somali community well-represented—this is not the norm for film programming, which tends to skew to a middle aged/elderly and white audience. Mizna has done work over its 22 year history to build connections with our authentic audience, and that is reflected in the community who attended the event. After two years of adhering to the most intense pandemic restrictions, this event was a critical opportunity for the Mizna community to reconnect with one another and with their city through the power of narrative film. The Longfellow Neighborhood was a meaningful and fitting location for such a wonderful night of politically meaningful art and community.

Arbeiter Night Market

presented by Arbeiter Brewing Co.

  • A free night-time craft-fair and makers' market at Arbeiter Brewing, featuring local BIPOC artisans and makers.

  • Arbeiter Night Market highlights the talent of BIPOC makers. We strive to be inclusive in the craft space and we commit to prioritizing BIPOC makers, who are represented at 70% or more at the event. Makers exhibited many styles, cultures, colorful unique artwork, and original designed products.

All Ages Outdoor Concert

presented by Sister Species

  • With live performances from Minneapolis-based Sister Species and Chicago-based Andrés Crovetti, this concert filled the neighborhood with music, to the delight of a crowd ranging in age from toddlers to music fans in their 70s.

  • “Sister Species + Andrés Crovetti - an outdoor show” was a fun and family-friendly live music event. Sister Species is a south-Minneapolis-based chamber pop septet, boasting a three-part trumpet section; Andrés Crovetti is a pop musician on tour from Chicago. This was a very age-diverse event, with attendees ranging from infants to adults in their 70s. The open green space between Moon Palace and The Hub was transformed into a bustling and exciting show environment– kids danced and played with chalk and bubbles; neighbors greeted each other and made new connections while listening to original music. Called “life-affirming” by many attendees, this event supported Longfellow Rising’s vision of revitalization, and mission to create a sense of belonging.

Life Born of Fire

presented by Pangea World Theater

  • Pangea World Theater produced this outdoor event, a space for both rage, despair, healing and hope, this outdoor performance by 12 artists, with live music, poetry, movement and stories, focused on the uprising after Minneapolis Police murdered George Floyd.

  • Life Born of Fire was an ensemble of twelve artists that included live music, poetry, movement and stories from Pangea’s Story Circle program. The performance was rooted in stories around the uprising after George Floyd was murdered in MInneapolis by the police and created a space for both rage, despair, healing and hope. The performance took place in the open air space next to Moon Palace Books.

    Attended by over 125 people

Sweet Summer Saturdays
Diversity Bookfair

presented by Babycake’s Book Stack

  • A free outdoor event featuring live music, food, and Babycake's Bookstack - a bookstore in a bus featuring books for kids (and adults) by diverse authors, telling diverse stories.

  • Babycake’s Book Stack is a bookstore in a bus, and a welcoming place of community, inclusion, and diversity. The Longfellow neighborhood has welcomed Babycake's events with open arms! We love the feeling of belonging and accessibility and will continue to host events in Longfellow to contribute to growing community, building relationships with local businesses, and celebrating and serving the many friendly, curious, and supportive neighbors.

Little Asia Market

presented by Arbeiter Brewing Co.

  • A free community event at Arbeiter Brewing, featuring a market with over 20 Asian American artists, makers and performers.

  • Little Asia Market celebrates who we are not only as a group but as individuals. This collaborative event is a way to bring our communities together by allowing the artists/makers to showcase our unique voices. Little Asia Market brings the strength of over 20 Asian American artists/makers/performers from the Twin Cities. These artists/makers/performers are chosen to show the resilience and steadfastness of the community, to amplify their voices, and also to recognize who we are and all of our accomplishments.

Minneapolis Solidarity Festival

presented by Robin for Minneapolis

  • A fun, interactive and family-friendly event with modified carnival games designed to spur thought and conversation about the city budget and raising expectations of what we should expect of city government. Attendees had opportunities to connect with many neighborhood organizations and volunteer opportunities. Organized by Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America, in partnership with East Phillips Neighborhood Institute, Minneapolis United for Rent Control, the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, Minnesota Nurses Association, Southwest Alliance for Equity, Ward 11 Voices Allied for Equity, Minneapolis for a Better Police Contract, Southside Harm Reduction.

  • It been more than two years since the murder of George Flyod, the Uprising and the start of the pandemic. Minneapolis residents are stuck between two very contrasting realities. Our personal relationships with our friends and neighbors, our belief in our ability to shape the city we live in, the very appearance of our neighborhoods shifted massively in 2020 and its aftermath. But at the same time, we face the reality that very little has changed at the Minneapolis Police Department or the City of Minneapolis. We wanted to create an event to talk about those two realities. Falling into hopelessness is very easy. We designed the Minneapolis Solidarity Festival to ask residents to participate in creating a common vision for our city. We did it in a fun, interactive and family friendly setting because we believed the more voices participating in the conservation, the better for everyone.The Minneapolis Solidarity Festival used modified carnival games to get attendees thinking about the city budget and raising expectations of what we should expect of city government. We partnered with the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute, Minneapolis United for Rent Control, the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, Minnesota Nurses Association, Southwest Alliance for Equity, Ward 11 Voices Allied for Equity, Minneapolis for a Better Police Contract, Southside Harm Reduction and City Councilmember Robin Wonsley’s campaign to hold the event. Participating organizations provided resources and information for attendees to become active in their communities in building a Minneapolis that works for everyone.

    Outreach for the event was focused on the Longfellow area.

Soul of the Southside

presented by Legacy Building, in partnership with Hook and Ladder Theater and Nobool Presents

  • A free community celebration of Juneteenth with live music, children's book authors, food trucks, a craft fair of Black artisan vendors, Black-brewed, and Juneteenth-themed beverage releases, dancing, and so much more. Presented by the Legacy Building, in partnership with Hook and Ladder Theater and Nobool Presents.

  • The Soul of the Southside event perfectly encapsulates Longfellow Rising's basic values, vision, and mission. It was a free community celebration of Juneteenth, Freedom Day as well as our grand opening weekend's grand finale. As BIPOC small business owners, we made it a priority to curate a market of locally owned black vendors. The event also showcased music and live art by local black artists, dancers and bands. It welcomed people of all generations, races and identities.

3rd Precinct Community Conversations and Canvassing

presented by Longfellow Community Council

  • A community gathering in the parking lot of the former 3rd precinct, organized by Confluence Studios - with food, music, furniture building, and discussion, to allow community members to discuss and plan for the future of our neighborhood and city.

  • The site of the former 3rd Precinct station sat unchanged, covered in soot and surrounded in fencing, for over 2 years. Residents and business owners asked the City for answers about what was happening at that site - would police move back in, would something else be housed there, when would development begin, when would the fencing come down - repeatedly and continued to get no definitive response. LCC decided to start the community engagement efforts for the City hoping that it would kickstart them into action. The goal was to demonstrate what the community wanted to happen at that site and start movement towards development.

    Over 700 guests

Lunar New Year Celebration

presented by Arbeiter Brewing Co.

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    Lunar New Year is the most observed holiday in East and Southeast Asia. Arbeiter hosts an annual event celebrating the major holiday. In Korea we call it Seollal. Established as a Korean co-owned brewery, we center on Korean culture while being inclusive to all Asian cultures. We decorate with Korean colors and thank our community for their support by giving them the tradition of small gifts in pouches. We brew a different Asian inspired beer to help celebrate every year. This sets us apart from other local breweries and draws craft beer enthusiasts to the Longfellow neighborhood.

2021 Sponsored Programs

Peoples Movement Assembly

presented by Confluence Studios

  • A community gathering in the parking lot of the former Minneapolis 3rd Police Precinct, organized by Confluence Studios - with food, music, furniture building, and discussion, to allow community members to discuss and plan for the future of our neighborhood and city. This assembly was organized by Studio members and a large group of friends in support of the efforts of Reclaim the Block, Black Visions, and Yes4MPLS, as well as countless neighbors who have been communing and cooperating for generations towards place-based caring futures for us all. There was plenty of art, music, and food produced by fellow neighbors, and discussion between us all facilitated towards collectively imagining future agreements. To be more vibrant, more humane, more understanding and compassionate towards the complexities of living in diverse community.

The Transition Stage

presented by Holy Trinity Lutheran Church and Pangea World Theater

  • Artist Angela Two Stars built an enormous coccoon structure, wich was wrapped in ribbons upon which community members wrote their laments and their hopes for the future of the neighborhood. The cocoon was later disassembled and the lament/hope ribbons were made into the background of a mobile stage upon which community members affixed butterflies, and the ribbons will ultimately make up the wings of a butterfly sculpture that will live in Downtown Longfellow