I’M EXCITED. This week brings a Twin Cities-based theatre company to Faribault to perform opera from the back of a pickup truck and trailer, live in Central Park.
To experience theatrical opera locally is such a gift for someone like me who wouldn’t otherwise hear opera or see professional theater like this. And it’s free, which makes this even more appealing. However, attendees are asked to bring a canned food item to donate to the Faribault Community Action Center. The CAC and city of Faribault are collaborating, with support from the Charitable Gambling Advisory Board, to bring the Mixed Precip show to Faribault.
The Paradise Center for the Arts in Faribault is also involved, offering free art-making activities—drawing with Kate Langlais and wool felting led by Char Johnson—beginning at 5 p.m.
A WORLD OVERTAKEN BY TECHNOLOGY
But back to that opera. “Tales of Hoffman,” according to program promo info, follows the adventurous poet, Hoffman, as he searches for love and creative inspiration in a world overtaken by technology. Along the way, he encounters ghosts, robots, magicians, and shape-shifting demons in an imaginative, high-energy production.
Already that description has me intrigued considering how relatable and relevant “overtaken by technology” seems.
The show is based on a futuristic version of Jacques Offenbach’s 1881 opera by the same name. That brings to mind George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984, written in 1949 but absolutely relatable to today.
INSPIRING SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT
Mixed Precipitation, with its original opera productions, aims “to present theatrical events that inspire social engagement” as the company travels throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin during the summer months.
I’m grateful the troupe will be back in Faribault (I saw them here in 2021), engaging the audience in Central Park. I welcome the opportunity to experience pickup truck opera again, right here in the heart of my community. I hope the park is packed on Thursday evening for this mobile outdoor opera that is sure to be entertaining, inspiring and thought-provoking.
Shoppers look through art in a gallery at the Paradise Center for the Arts during a Recycled Art Sale. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
I EXPECTED TO POP in and out in perhaps a half hour. But instead, I spent a good hour-plus filing through art at the Paradise Center for the Arts’ comeback Recycled Art Sale.
The Paradise Center for the Arts is located at 321 Central Avenue North in the heart of downtown Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
Nearly 10 years have passed since the Faribault arts center last solicited donations to sell to the art-loving public at discount prices as low as $1. As a thrifty art lover, I appreciate the opportunity to buy unique, affordable art while simultaneously supporting the Paradise.
A promotional poster lists sale hours. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
On Wednesday afternoon, opening day of the four-day sale which ends with Saturday, June 20, hours of 10 a.m.-2 p.m., the place buzzed with people looking for art to take home.
A certified piece of art titled “Freddie the Freeloader by Red Skelton.” (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
Hundreds and hundreds of pieces filled the three main gallery spaces and the smaller student gallery and hallway, plus the gathering space outside the galleries. So much art. Plus frames and art books and mirrors. At times I felt overwhelmed. But not enough that I stopped looking.
An overview of the main gallery filled with original art by Faribault area artists. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
The main gallery features the original art of Faribault area artists, all of the artwork hung on walls or displayed on pedestals. This art is priced a bit higher, but still affordable for an original.
Rhody Yule painted the floral in the foreground and the paintings to the right of the still life. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
I saw several pieces by my friend Rhody Yule, a Faribault sign painter who also painted portraits, landscapes and the occasional still life. I helped coordinate his one and only art show at the Paradise in January 2011. Six months later, he died at age 92.
More local original art for sale in the main gallery. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
Memories of my friendship with Rhody and his creativity made me smile as I viewed his over-sized landscapes, his floral and several other paintings. Maybelle Stark’s pheasant art reminded me that I have her 1959 painting of the H.H. King Mill in my art stash at home.
Known-to-me artist Maybelle Stark painted the pheasant and Dana Hanson the portraits shown here. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
And in one corner I noticed portraits created by former Faribault resident Dana Hanson. I watched her paint portraits of musicians during Thursday evening concerts in Faribault’s Central Park. Missing from the gallery display was her portrait of Bob Dylan, once filling the blank space next to Judy Garland and below Elvis. Her portrait of “Faribault’s Founding Fathers”—Alexander Faribault, Taopi and Bishop Henry Whipple—hangs in Buckham Memorial Library.
More local art, including boxes filled with unframed floral paintings by Geri Nelson. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
I bet many of the shoppers at the recycled art sale could share stories of other local artists. Some were artists themselves, shopping for artwork and for frames for their own art.
The art for sale is more than just prints and paintings. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
Others, like me, were simply searching for art to bring into our homes. From prints to originals, it was all there along with pottery, ceramics and more. Framed art on the floor leaning into each other. Art in boxes. Art on tables. Art on walls. Art on shelves. So much art.
One of the art pieces I purchased. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
I found five pieces for $10, all but one custom-framed. Three are portraits of African women, two with children. Another features an abstract depiction of “Indian Market,” colorful poster art from Santa Fe. I can’t pinpoint a particular reason why I chose this art. Perhaps it’s because I’m currently drawn to diversity and pops of color. These pieces differ from most of the art I own, art which I regularly rotate.
A trio of original art by a local artist with the last name of Underwood signed on his/her work. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
I also purchased a woodcut print (#25 of 50), “Navigating the Attachment Journey,” by northern Minnesota artist and children’s book illustrator Betsy Bowen. I’ve always appreciated her nature-themed art crafted today in her studio inside a former historic Lutheran church in Grand Marais.
Offerings included this historic photo of Leary’s Livery in Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo June 2026)
On this day, the historic Paradise theater held a whole lot of art from a whole lot of artists. Among the hundreds of pieces, I found new-to-me art to which I felt connected. The walls of my home may not be gallery walls. But they are walls where I showcase art that speaks to me, moves me, brings me joy. And that, to me, should define our personal art choices.
The program cover for “Jake’s Women,” now playing at the Paradise Center for the Arts, Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo 2026)
THEATER ENTERTAINS. But often it also makes us think, and think deeply.
That’s the case with Jake’s Women, a play by Neil Simon now unfolding on the stage of the Paradise Center for the Arts in Faribault.
I attended the play on opening night last Friday after volunteering to greet guests at the door. I admit I felt hesitant about watching this drama because I expected the content might unsettle me. It did. But sometimes we need a jumbling of emotions and thoughts in a controlled setting.
CONTROL
Control. Main character Jake, played by Jake Gustine, struggles with control issues, especially in his relationships. He’s a writer, which in itself requires discipline and control. Fiction writers shape characters, stories, dialogue, control the plot. As a writer who’s written short stories, I understand the craft and could, in many ways, relate to what I was hearing from Jake on the stage.
But this play stretches beyond control and Jake’s work as a writer to his relationships with women. He’s struggling in his marriage to Maggie, his second wife. His first wife, Julie, died. I’ve been married for 44 years. That’s enough decades to realize partners won’t always agree—and they shouldn’t. There will be joys, struggles and hard times. But I’ve found through all of it, the good times and the difficult ones, that my husband and I balance one another and that our love for one another has grown and deepened through the years.
COMMUNICATION
Communication is a hallmark in any relationship. That message resounds in Jake’s Women. As a professional communicator/writer, I wanted to walk onto the stage and yell at Jake, “Listen, just listen!” That’s how invested I was in the play. I consider myself to be a good listener, a necessary skill for my previous work as a newspaper reporter with a bachelor of science degree in Mass Communications. Listening seems underrated. But I’m convinced if we all listened more than we talked, we would all get along better.
CRISIS
There are certainly many conflicts between Jake and the other seven characters in this play. But conflict also exists within Jake as he experiences delusions while in the throes of a mental health crisis. He struggles to separate fact from fiction, a mark of psychosis. I appreciate whenever mental health gets a spotlight if for any reasons other than to raise awareness and educate.
Throughout the play, Jake “talks” to the women who have been an important part of his life. Here the play gets interesting. The audience needs to pay close attention to lighting to determine when Jake is living in reality and when he is delusional. The set never changes and Jake never leaves the stage, which is a feat in itself during a play that lasts more than two hours.
I quickly found that I could not allow my mind to wander during this theatrical production directed by Palmer Huff and performed by the Paradise Community Theatre. I had to listen closely to every word spoken by Jake Gustine and performers Brianna Bauernfeind, Linda Anderson, Charli Gomez, Casper Andersen, Kate Southwick, Clair Borgerding and Kris Snow.
Jake’s Women is an intense play. It’s also thought-provoking. And it’s a play I highly-recommend you see.
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FYI: Upcoming performances of Jake’s Women are set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 24, and Saturday, April 25, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 26. Click here for ticket information.
TELL ME: Have you seen Jake’s Women? If yes, what are your thoughts on the play?
WHETHER YOU LIKE country or Celtic, you’ll find music o’plenty in Faribault on the evening of Friday, March 13.
Just days before St. Patrick’s Day, metro-based Bonnie Drunken Lad takes the stage at the Paradise Center for the Arts for a performance beginning at 7:30 pm. The five-person Irish folk band will play traditional and modern Celtic, sea shanties and pub songs. Their music is sure to get you in a dancing-with-leprechauns, Irish frame of mind.
If you can’t catch the band in Faribault, you can also hear them at Charlie’s Restaurant and Irish Pub/Water Street Inn Ballroom in Stillwater from 11 am-2 pm Saturday, March 14. They’re among a line-up of musical groups playing at a St. Practice Day event. On March 17, Bonnie Drunken Lad will be back at the Stillwater location from 2-5 pm for a music-filled St. Patrick’s Day celebration.
Another option to hear these Irish musicians is from 4-6 pm Saturday, March 14, at Kip’s Irish Pub & Restaurant in St. Louis Park.
BLOCKS AWAY from Bonnie Drunken Lad’s show at the Paradise, a local four-piece country band will perform a free concert at the historic Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour from 7-9 pm Friday, March 13.
The Old Country Boys sing with an authentic twang about daily life, love and hardship. Expect to hear songs by the likes of Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, George Jones, Hank Williams Sr. and Jr., Charlie Daniels, and Alabama, among others.
Although the concert is free, donations are accepted for Cathedral preservation. This event is part of the Faribault Cathedral Concert Series.
Interestingly enough, last March Bonnie Drunken Lad played at the Cathedral as part of the concert series. Now that I think about it, I’m pretty certain I attended that concert.
I’ve heard the Old Country Boys/Brothers, purveyors of old (not new) country music, play many times in Faribault, at Christ Lutheran Church’s weekly summer wood-fired pizza-concert night, Holy Smoke!
Now, on a Friday evening in mid-March, both groups will be back in Faribault performing country and Celtic music o’plenty at pre-St. Patrick’s Day concerts.
Food plated at a potluck, including several hotdishes. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
WHEN MINNESOTANS PREPARE FOOD for a potluck, they make hotdishes, not casseroles. Same thing, just a different word for a dish that mixes a protein, vegetables, noodles or rice all held together by a binding agent. That would be a creamed soup, in most instances.
Sometimes, though, hotdish comes not in food, but in entertainment. Saturday afternoon, The Looney Lutherans served up a hefty helping of humor, music, skits and audience participation to a sold out crowd at the Paradise Center for the Arts in Faribault.
A promo for the show presented in Faribault. (Graphics credit: The Looney Lutherans)
The two-hour show, “It Could Be Worse: A Looney guide to love, marriage and other relationships,” proved to be exactly what I needed. I needed to laugh. And I needed a pause from the reality of all that’s happening in Minnesota right now, although I still could not completely shut that out.
Before settling onto a folding chair at the back of the theater, I volunteered, opening an exterior door of the PCA as guests arrived, stepping in from the Minnesota cold. I’m a people person so I loved greeting attendees with warm words and a smile. Everyone smiled back, thanked me and that set the tone for a few hours in Paradise.
This was a show that, in the context of today, resonated with me. Using a food wheel, the Looney Lutherans showed and explained how each of us fit different food categories all centered around a singular food. Hotdish. That visual made total sense to me as a life-long Minnesotan. Whether we are Scandinavian or Bohemian; Lutheran or Catholic or no faith; Caucasian, Hispanic or another skin tone; extroverted or introverted, we are all just people.
The Looney Lutherans, Bella, left to right, Lois and Ginger, with their “instruments.” (Photo credit: The Looney Lutherans)
As the trio of Looney Lutheran performers sang “We are family,” I felt that loving, human connection. No matter our differences, we are all still part of humanity. The audience joined in, even me who can’t carry a tune.
In that moment of upbeat song, I felt hope. I felt happiness. I felt joy.
And when the show closed with the Minnesota phrase of “It could be worse,” I recognized the truth in that, even as bad as things are right now in Minnesota. I’d gotten a reprieve from reality for several hours.
Then I stepped outside—to hear incessant and prolonged honking of horns and yelling in the heart of downtown Faribault. My mindset shifted. Immediately.
The iconic Pillsbury Doughboy on signage in small town southern Minnesota. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
IF LAUGHTER IS GOOD MEDICINE, then I need a mega dose right now to ease the stress I feel these days.
Last Friday evening I got a large dose of laughter while attending the Little Fish Improv Comedy Show at the Paradise Center for the Arts. It felt good to laugh, to mostly forget about reality. That would return soon enough, in fact the next afternoon as I stood protesting on a street corner near the Paradise in downtown Faribault.
But Friday evening I laughed. I relaxed. I smiled, consciously aware of my face lifting into a smile throughout the performance. Afterwards I thanked the performers for the much-needed laughter and diversion during an extremely difficult week in Minnesota.
The entire sign, which I could only photograph through trees, vegetation and shadows. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
Now days later, when I really need a second dose of laughter, I remember photos I took in small town Dennison several months ago. They are of a Pillsbury Doughboy sign leaning against a shed along the main highway that runs through this southern Minnesota community.
The Pillsbury Doughboy is much older than the 25 years stated on this vintage sign. He is nearly 61 years old with a birth date of March 18, 1965. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
The Pillsbury Doughboy, spokesman for Poppin’ Fresh refrigerated dough products since 1965, is a memorable and much-beloved marketing figure. Poke his tummy and he giggles. Everything about this character in the white chef’s hat, scarf tied around his neck, makes me feel good. Smile. Laugh.
Not only that, but just the thought of popping open a tube of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls elicits joyous anticipation. I can imagine the scent of cinnamon wafting from a hot oven as the rolls bake. I can taste the sugary sweetness of a still-warm roll drizzled in icing. Yum.
This is what I need now to counterbalance the angst that is part of life today in this country. I need, not to forget, not to give up, but to counterbalance the craziness with that which is good. A warm cinnamon roll. A night out at a comedy show and cocktails afterwards with dear friends. And most of all, laughter.
TELL ME: What are you doing to counterbalance any stress you may be experiencing due to what’s unfolding in your community, your state and America?What makes you smile, laugh, giggle?
I also direct you to a Cinnamon Roll Casserole recipe posted by my friend Sue, a food blogger. Click here to see that recipe.
The H.H. King Flour Mill as painted by Faribault artist Maybelle Stark in 1959. This is a photo of a print I own. Stark’s mill painting is included in a new exhibit at the Paradise Center for the Arts. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo January 2026)
THE VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS come together under one roof this Friday evening, January 9, at the Paradise Center for the Arts in historic downtown Faribault during an opening gallery reception from 5-7 pm followed by an improv comedy show at 7:30 pm. I’m excited about both. I love art. And I like entertainment that makes me laugh.
The RCHS exhibit in the main gallery kicks off a year-long celebration of the county historical society’s 100th birthday. “From a fantastical creature made of tin to bright, creative pottery and beautiful paintings, this gallery highlights items normally tucked away in storage and spotlights the talents of the Rice County community,” according to a media release from the RCHS.
“1938 Church Wedding” by Linda Van Lear is based on The Holy Innocents Church at the Rice County Fairgrounds/Historical Society grounds.The painting was previously shown at the Paradise. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo August 2020)
Naturally, I wondered about the artists to be featured in the 20 pieces chosen for the Paradise show. They include, among others, Grace McKinstry, Linda Van Lear, Ivan Whillock, Maybelle Stark and Frieda Lord. I’m familiar with all of them except Lord, although I have seen and photographed the art of her granddaughter, Dana Warmington Hanson. Lord and Stark were among the founding members of the Faribault Art Center, which evolved into the Paradise Center for the Arts.
“Rain,” a woodcarving by Ivan Whillock exhibited previously at the Paradise. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo October 2020)
McKinstry and Whillock are perhaps the best-known in that short list shared with me by the RCHS. Whillock, who has a studio in Faribault, is an internationally-renowned woodcarver and also a painter. McKinstry (she died in 1936) traveled the world in pursuit of creating portraits and landscapes. Her art is featured in the Smithsonian, the Minnesota Historical Society, the Minnesota State Capital and elsewhere worldwide. Locally, the county historical society owns more than 40 pieces of her artwork, the largest collection of McKinstry’s art anywhere.
I own art by one of the artists, Maybelle Stark, whose work is included in the RCHS gallery exhibit. That’s a print of the H.H. King Flour Mill, once located along the Cannon River on Faribault’s west side and destroyed by fire in 1975. Stark painted the scene in 1959 and exhibited it locally the same year. Now that painting is back on public display nearly 70 years later.
All of the art showcased in the Paradise galleries from now through February 21 is sure to draw plenty of interest among those who value creativity. And local history.
Promo for Little Fish Improv. (Sourced online)
And for anyone who also values the performing arts, Little Fish Improv presents improv comedy beginning at 7:30 pm Friday. I’ve seen this group of area comedians perform several times on the Paradise stage. They are a talented bunch who think quickly on their feet (thus the word “improv”) and get their audience engaged and laughing. It seems to me a really challenging art form.
Bonus, this comedy show is a fundraiser with all proceeds benefiting the Paradise Center for the Arts. I feel incredibly fortunate to live in a community with an outstanding arts center and with a deep appreciation for the arts.
At 1 pm Saturday, January 17, Diane Lockerby, pottery instructor at the Paradise, will lead a “Historic Pottery Workshop at the Paradise.” Following her brief talk about pottery and local history, attendees will make a piece of pottery to take home. There is a fee. Space is limited. Click here to register.
Gifts for the creative grandson. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)
WHEN MY ELDEST DAUGHTER sent her children’s Christmas gift wish lists to me, I wasn’t surprised to find several art-related items on first grader Isaac’s list. He loves creating. And to create, he needs supplies. So Isaac asked for giant construction paper, a Paint by Sticker book, a pixel art set and Sharpie markers, specifically a grey marker. Why grey? I have no idea. He’s getting all of those from Randy and me.
One year Isaac wanted a ream of paper for Christmas. He blew through the 500 sheets we gave him in several months. Not only does my grandson create art, but he also solves math problems far beyond what a six-year-old should be capable of doing and recently proclaimed, “I love to read!”
I’m not sharing this to be a boastful grandma. Rather, I want to emphasize the importance of encouraging children in their interests. That builds confidence and shows that we support and care about them and their passions.
A Little Golden Book Journal, among several crafted by recycler artist Rhonda Norgaard and for sale at the Paradise Center for the Arts, Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)
My 9-year-old granddaughter, who really really loves to read, and write, declared on her first day of fourth grade that she wants to become an author. That could change. But for now, Izzy embraces creativity through writing, singing and playing piano. And I enthusiastically encourage her.
Among the many gifts for sale at the Paradise Center for the Arts is a Paradise membership. Members get discounted ticket prices among other benefits. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)
In Faribault, I am an enthusiastic supporter of the arts, centered at the Paradise Center for the Arts. This downtown hub of creativity brings the visual and performing arts to my community via concerts, theatre, comedy, gallery shows, art classes and more.
Acrylic paintings by Adele Beals. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)
And now, during the holiday season, 32 artists are showcasing and selling their art at the annual Holly Days Sale. I recently popped into the Paradise to peruse the artsy offerings ranging from pottery to paintings, stained glass, fiber art, mittens, jewelry, metalwork, woodwork, journals, photography, handbags and more. This is one-of-a-kind merchandise crafted with creative minds and hands by Minnesota artists.
Gail Kielmeyer crafted this doll, aprons and more, tagged as Minnesota Made. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)
Handmade goods fill the main gallery and two smaller galleries for the Holly Days Sale. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)
Paula Person crafts cellphone-sized and other bags and clutches for her business, notebagz. Her products are made from recycled publications. She also does custom work. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)
I can’t help but wonder how many of these artists, as young children like my grandchildren, loved to create. Perhaps a grandmother taught them to sew. Perhaps they were fascinated by their grandfather’s abilities to build anything with wood. Perhaps an aunt painted. Perhaps their parents knitted or welded or journaled. Perhaps a teacher encouraged them in their creativity.
Laura O’Connor of Cuddled Again rescues and restores gently-used stuffies for resale. A portion of the proceeds go to HOPE Center in Faribault. To the right is Sandra Sargent’s stained glass art created at Bending Sunlight Glassworks. She teaches at the Paradise and also has a studio across the street in the Bachrach building. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)
Whatever the reasons individuals choose to make art really doesn’t matter, although it is interesting to hear backstories. If they’re like me, they create because they haveto and can’t imagine their lives without art. No one expects to get rich in the arts, thus the term “starving artists.” Writing and photography are, for me, passions that earn me minimal income. Yet, I press on with my creative endeavors.
Oil on canvas nature scenes painted by Joannie Johnson. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)
Likewise all those artists selling their goods at the Holly Days Sale clearly love creating and sharing their artwork with others. I am grateful to them and to all creatives, and to arts centers like the Paradise, for enriching our communities through the arts. Perhaps some day I will see my grandson’s art in a gallery and my granddaughter’s book on a bookstore shelf. Whatever happens, I hope they will always appreciate and embrace creativity.
Gail Kielmeyer’s handcrafted Minnesota Made mittens. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2025)
FYI: The Holly Days Sale continues at the Paradise from noon-5 pm Wednesday-Friday, from 10 am-2 pm Saturdays and extended hours from 10 am-5 pm December 20.
The Paradise is hosting the monthly Faribault City Council Chat at 6 pm Wednesday, December 10, as part of the city’s community engagement efforts.
The Paradise Community Theatre is currently performing “The Sound of Music” at the Paradise. Remaining performances are set for 7:30 pm December 11 and 12 and 2 pm December 13 and 14.Tickets are selling quickly, so reserve yours now.
A portion of an acrylic on canvas painting, “Crazy Minds,” by Bethlehem Academy senior Payton Eckhardt. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
I LOVE LIVING in a community with a thriving arts center and arts scene. Why? First and foremost, I love the arts. Second, the arts connect and build community. Third, the arts are a form of expression, a source of entertainment, a way to learn more about each other and the world around us. Simply put, we need the arts to feed our spirits, to uplift, encourage and grow us, especially in turbulent times such as these.
“Ducks,” acrylic on hardboard by Julie Fakler. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
I need only grab my camera or put my fingers on my computer keyboard to create. I am driven to create not because it’s something I have to do. Rather I love to create with images and words and I cannot imagine my life without either.
The Paradise Center for the Arts in Faribault recently featured Comedian C. Willi Myles. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
Ask any visual, literary or performing artist and you will likely get similar comments about creativity and the importance of access to the arts. I don’t take for granted that Faribault has a hub for the arts in the Paradise Center for the Arts located in our historic downtown. It’s a gem—a place to attend theater, a concert or a comedy show; take a class; create art; display art; view art; perform art…
An overview of the “I Am Minnesota” exhibit by Kate Langlais in the main gallery. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo October 2025)
Recently I popped into the Paradise to view four gallery exhibits, including “I Am Minnesota” by Kate Langlais in the main gallery. It features the portraits of first and second-generation immigrants in Faribault and their stories. I wrote about that exhibit in an earlier post. (Click here.)
“St. Olga of Kiev” an acrylic on canvas by Varvara Meshkova, Bethlehem Academy tenth grader. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
In the Paradise’s three other much smaller galleries I found equally impressive art, which will be on display until November 15. Four of the artists participated in the recent Studio ARTour of South Central Minnesota while the rest are students at Bethlehem Academy in Faribault.
A close-up of Kathy Weed’s textile art, “Songflowers” Sunflowers. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
What I saw was a whole lot of talent. From the textile art of Northfielder Kathy Weed to the pet portraits of Paradise Executive Director Julie Fakler to the pottery of Johnnie Walker, visual arts department chair at Shattuck-St. Mary’s School, to the fiber and clay art of Char Johnson to the assorted artworks of high school students, I delighted in it all. To view these collective works is to see an artist’s hand, an artist’s mind, an artist’s spirit and inspiration on display.
A sampling of Kathy Weed’s textile art currently displayed at the Paradise. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
Quilter Weed, for example, clearly loves nature as it themes her textile art recreations of the natural world.
“Happy Goat,” raku clay by Julie Fakler. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
Fakler shows her love for animals in vivid animal portraits done in acrylic and clay. Her art is signature recognizable to me. I’ve often thought Fakler’s colorful animals would be perfect in a children’s picture book or splashed upon a tee shirt. They always make me feel happy.
A mug crafted by Johnnie Walker. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
And then there’s Walker’s pottery, equally as appealing, but in a totally different way. I want to wrap my hands around his pottery, to feel what he felt when he shaped a mug or a bowl from clay. I value such connections to art.
Ceramic necklaces created by Char Johnson. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
Char Johnson brings her love of nature and of animals into her detailed art created in the mediums of clay, animal fiber and photography. I find needle felting particularly intriguing as, in my mind, it hearkens to hardy pioneer women.
“Woohitike Courage” wood intarsia by Lain Kuhlman, Bethlehem Academy sophomore. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
When I walked over to view the wall gallery of Bethlehem Academy student art, I wondered about the stories behind their creations. What of the untitled piece featuring three masks? What of the colorful abstract “Crazy Minds”? What of “St. Olga of Kiev”? Or “Wóohitike ‘Courage’”? I reacted to each. I thought of the masks we all wear, of mental health, of the war in Ukraine, of Indigenous peoples.
An untitled acrylic on cast plaster by Hannah Miller, Bethlehem Academy senior. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
And I thought, too, of how much I love and value the arts and my access to them.
More pottery by Johnnie Walker. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
TELL ME: What do you love about the arts? Where do you access the arts? Are you a creative?Or simply share your thoughts on the art featured in this post.
Julie Fakler’s animal portraits, painted with acrylics on hardboard.
FYI: The Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave. N., Faribault, is open from noon-5 pm Wednesday-Friday and from 10 am-2 pm Saturday.All art featured in this post was photographed with permission of the PCA. Artists own the copyrights to their art.
An anonymous mother’s story and commentary as written by Kate Langlais for her “I Am Minnesota” project. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
I ALMOST MISSED IT. “Anonymous Mother’s Story” positioned next to “The Young Mother” charcoal portrait in the “I Am Minnesota” exhibit by Faribault artist Kate Langlais. But there it was, tucked in the corner near the light switches in the Paradise Center for the Arts main gallery.
The exhibit features some 20 portraits and stories of first and second-generation immigrants from my community. None is more relevant than that of the young mother who now faces deportation and separation from her infant. Here are key words in her story: young mother. here legally. green card. application suddenly canceled. awaiting deportation. ankle bracelet. cruel and inhumane.
We’ve all heard countless media reports of people snatched from the streets and elsewhere by masked agents of the federal government, unlawfully detained without due process, separated from family, deported… That is, indeed, cruel, inhumane, heartbreaking and wrong. Even when immigrants are following all of the rules, all of the laws to legally live here, they find themselves targeted.
Martha Brown took this photo of the anonymous mother which is included, along with text, in the “I Am Minnesota” exhibit. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo October 2025)
To read the story of this young mother from my area, to see the faceless portrait, and then to also view a photo taken by Martha Brown, candidate for Minnesota House District 19a, deeply touched me. Brown photographed only the young woman’s legs and the wheels of her baby’s stroller. That was absolutely the right and compassionate thing to do.
The intentionally-framed image is more effective and powerful than if Brown had photographed the woman’s face. Every single person who sees this image should understand the reasons for anonymity. In a statement with the photo, Brown urges southern Minnesotans to reach out to their U.S. congressman “to stop this cruel and inhumane treatment.”
Langlais’ inclusion of the anonymous mother’s portrait and story, along with Brown’s photo and words, is perhaps the most important part of the “I Am Minnesota” exhibit. And to think, I nearly missed it there in a corner of the gallery. Don’t miss this exhibit, which closes on November 15 at the Paradise Center for the Arts. It’s located in historic downtown Faribault, a place many immigrants call home.
One of my favorite images from downtown Faribault shows a group of Somali men visiting on a street corner. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo 2024)
FYI:The Northfield Public Library is hosting “Bridging Communities: A Celebration of Somali Culture” from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, November 8. The event features interactive dance workshops led by the Somali Museum of Minnesota Dance Troupe;a performance by the Faribault Middle School Choir; and a participatory sing-along of Somali songs. Other activities include henna art, face painting, bilingual Somali storytelling, a scavenger hunt with prizes and more. The library is collaborating with Somali community partners and St. Olaf and Carleton colleges to bring this event to Northfield.
NOTE: I photographed the “I Am Minnesota” exhibit with permission of the Paradise. I also received permission from Martha Brown to include her photo in this post.
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
“Anonymous mother” & a call to action November 5, 2025
Tags: "I Am Minnesota", art, commentary, Faribault, immigrants, immigration, Kate Langlais, Martha Brown, Minnesota, Paradise Center for the Arts, portraits, stories
I ALMOST MISSED IT. “Anonymous Mother’s Story” positioned next to “The Young Mother” charcoal portrait in the “I Am Minnesota” exhibit by Faribault artist Kate Langlais. But there it was, tucked in the corner near the light switches in the Paradise Center for the Arts main gallery.
The exhibit features some 20 portraits and stories of first and second-generation immigrants from my community. None is more relevant than that of the young mother who now faces deportation and separation from her infant. Here are key words in her story: young mother. here legally. green card. application suddenly canceled. awaiting deportation. ankle bracelet. cruel and inhumane.
We’ve all heard countless media reports of people snatched from the streets and elsewhere by masked agents of the federal government, unlawfully detained without due process, separated from family, deported… That is, indeed, cruel, inhumane, heartbreaking and wrong. Even when immigrants are following all of the rules, all of the laws to legally live here, they find themselves targeted.
To read the story of this young mother from my area, to see the faceless portrait, and then to also view a photo taken by Martha Brown, candidate for Minnesota House District 19a, deeply touched me. Brown photographed only the young woman’s legs and the wheels of her baby’s stroller. That was absolutely the right and compassionate thing to do.
The intentionally-framed image is more effective and powerful than if Brown had photographed the woman’s face. Every single person who sees this image should understand the reasons for anonymity. In a statement with the photo, Brown urges southern Minnesotans to reach out to their U.S. congressman “to stop this cruel and inhumane treatment.”
Langlais’ inclusion of the anonymous mother’s portrait and story, along with Brown’s photo and words, is perhaps the most important part of the “I Am Minnesota” exhibit. And to think, I nearly missed it there in a corner of the gallery. Don’t miss this exhibit, which closes on November 15 at the Paradise Center for the Arts. It’s located in historic downtown Faribault, a place many immigrants call home.
FYI: The Northfield Public Library is hosting “Bridging Communities: A Celebration of Somali Culture” from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, November 8. The event features interactive dance workshops led by the Somali Museum of Minnesota Dance Troupe; a performance by the Faribault Middle School Choir; and a participatory sing-along of Somali songs. Other activities include henna art, face painting, bilingual Somali storytelling, a scavenger hunt with prizes and more. The library is collaborating with Somali community partners and St. Olaf and Carleton colleges to bring this event to Northfield.
NOTE: I photographed the “I Am Minnesota” exhibit with permission of the Paradise. I also received permission from Martha Brown to include her photo in this post.
© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling