ON THE RADAR

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Arts

🎙️ ON THE RADAR — A Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder Podcast Where arts, culture, and community stories rise above the headlines. From Twin Cities creatives shaping culture to voices expanding what it means to tell our stories, On the Radar brings you conversations that illuminate the people and moments making an impact right now. Tune in for an inspiring conversation about resilience, craft, and why creativity always deserves a place on the radar. 🎧

Episodes

  1. Jun 5

    iLLism - Building Community Through Music, Love, and Purpose

    Twin Cities hip-hop and R&B duo iLLism have spent years blending music, storytelling, partnership, and purpose into a sound uniquely their own. On this episode of On the Radar, Emmanuel Duncan and Fancy Lanier-Duncan of iLLism share their journey through music, marriage, creativity, and community building. From performing on stages across the country to co-founding initiatives like The Legacy Building and Soul of the Southside, iLLism reflects on the experiences that have shaped their artistry, strengthened their partnership, and deepened their commitment to culture, creativity, and community connection. This conversation explores music, love, entrepreneurship, community leadership, and what it means to build something lasting together while using art as a tool for impact. Watch the full episode and get to know the people behind one of the Twin Cities’ most beloved musical duos. #OnTheRadar #iLLism #EmmanuelDuncan #FancyLanierDuncan #TwinCitiesMusic #HipHop #RandB #TheLegacyBuilding #SoulOfTheSouthside #MinnesotaMusic #CreativeCommunity

    33 min

  2. Jun 3

    On The radar Podcast w Esther Callahan

    On this episode of On the Radar, the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder's series highlighting Black Minnesota creatives, host Damenica Ellis sits down with Esther Callahan, a Minneapolis artivist, curator and co-founder of the BLK Collectors, whose work spans art direction, curation, consulting, activism and community building all in service of one mission: ensuring Black artists are seen, supported and paid. When Operation Metro Surge began and families across the Twin Cities were sheltering in place, Callahan did not wait. She reached out to the Legacy Building and began collecting art donations to build handmade art kits, distributing them to schools, health care facilities, shelters and organizations across the state. Every Wednesday, she hosts art donation drop-offs and kit-making sessions. As an independent curator and art director, Callahan centers local artists in for-profit spaces like hotels, coffee shops and apartment buildings, and curates exhibitions at spaces like the Gordon Parks Gallery at Metro State University. Her curatorial philosophy is intentionally unconventional, from wheat-paste installations on building exteriors to poetry walks in washable chalk on sidewalks, participatory exhibitions and installations designed to be viewed from the floor up or high above eye level. The question that launched the BLK Collectors began during her fellowship in the contemporary art department at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Callahan kept asking: why isn't the art owned by people who look like us? That question led to a collaboration with Kesha Williams, a gallerist at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and eventually to the founding of the BLK Collectors, an organization working to make the local Black art economy more accessible and navigable, educating collectors on how to commission work and connect with Black artists and spaces doing that work right now in the Twin Cities. Callahan also shares her vision for a progressive studio crawl, modeled after a progressive dinner, where small groups move from artist studio to studio or gallery to gallery, sharing a meal and easing into conversations about art in an informal and accessible way. Coming up, Callahan is serving as art director for Soul of the South Side, the Juneteenth festival in its fifth year, where she is curating a retrospective of five years of photographs displayed through the second floor of the Coliseum building. To follow the BLK Collectors, find them on Instagram at @theblkcollectors and send a message to be added to Callahan's listserv for first access to upcoming events. To nominate a Black Minnesota creative for a future episode of On the Radar, visit msr.media.

    37 min

  3. May 27

    On The Radar w Kprecia Ambers

    On this episode of On the Radar, the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder's series highlighting Black Minnesota creatives, host Damenica Ellis sits down with Kprecia Ambers, a Minneapolis-based visual artist whose vibrant figurative work is built around a simple but powerful intention: putting love into the world. Ambers describes herself first as a child of God, and that foundation shapes everything she creates. Her work centers Black beauty, self-love and representation, drawing on a desire she felt acutely growing up and in college, where she rarely saw herself reflected in the creative spaces around her. The response to that absence became her artistic direction. Her style is figurative and intentionally approachable. She works primarily in Adobe Illustrator, using the pen tool to break photographs down into shapes and rebuild them into something vibrant and expressive. One of her signature choices is leaving eyes out of her figures, a deliberate move that opens the work up to the viewer. Without a fixed gaze, the person in the piece can be anyone. The emotion belongs to whoever is looking. Color is central to everything Ambers makes. The palette is bold and intentional, designed to stir feelings of positivity, encouragement and good energy. And because she works digitally, her art is built to move, across murals, vinyl wraps, bus wraps, packaging, home decor, stationery, greeting cards, shower curtains, rugs, mugs and journals. That vision has already landed in significant places. Ambers previously licensed her work through Target, with designs appearing on pillows, tumblers, rugs and shower curtains. She also created the artwork for Soul of the Southside, a project centered on themes of generational connection and family, and completed a billboard project in partnership with Alaina. Commercial licensing remains her long-term goal, building an art library she controls and can deploy across products and platforms on her own terms. Her path to visual art ran through an unexpected detour. After exploring fashion design and finding those courses unavailable, she landed in web design. A graphic design course changed everything. A single poster project revealed what she was actually after: art as a vehicle for human connection. Ambers recently joined the Rondo Exchange, where she now has her own space to showcase how her work translates across different products and surfaces. She describes the opportunity as arriving right on time, a chance to pour back into her own artistry and let her community see the full range of what her art can become. Coming up, Ambers will be showing work at Art-A-Whirl from May 15 through 17 on the third floor of the California Building in Northeast Minneapolis. She is also planning to participate in the Selby Art Fair in June, Juneteenth events and an upcoming gala hosted by the African American Leadership Forum centered on the health of Black women, girls and femmes, with an Afrofuturism theme, for which she is currently creating an original piece. To follow her work or shop online, find her on social media at @Kprecia and visit https://www.kpinspires.com. On the Radar is presented by the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. Read more community news and culture coverage at msr.media. #OnTheRadar #KpreciaAmbers #KPInspires #BlackArtists #Minneapolis #RondoExchange #MSRNews #BlackArt #ArtAWhirl

    25 min

  4. May 27

    On The radar Podcast w Pavielle French

    On this episode of On the Radar, the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder's series highlighting Black Minnesota creatives, host Damenica Ellis sits down with PaviElle French, an Emmy-winning interdisciplinary artist, musician, dancer, writer, composer and arts educator whose decades of work have made her one of the most celebrated and deeply rooted artists in the Twin Cities. French grew up in the Rondo neighborhood of St. Paul, where she began singing in the choir at Maxfield Magnet School under Mary Hafner, director of music at Pilgrim Baptist Church. She trained at Mississippi Creative Arts Magnet School, performed professionally as a child alongside John Denver and Mannheim Steamroller at the Orpheum Theatre, and came up through Penumbra Theater, Stepping Stone Theatre and the Twin Cities slam poetry and hip-hop scenes, mentored by some of the most significant figures in Black American art. She is a McKnight Fellow, a Jerome Fellow and a MacDowell Fellow, whose work sits in the MacDowell library alongside Toni Morrison and James Baldwin. She is a two-time Emmy Award winner, most recently for her work as host of the Making Minnesota Music documentary series from the Minnesota History Center. In this conversation, French talks about her debut album Fear Not, a grief project written after the deaths of both of her parents five months apart. She discusses the Sovereign Suite, her celebrated response to the murder of George Floyd, commissioned by the American Composer Forum and bringing together the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Schubert Club, True Art Speaks, Walker West Music Academy and Purple Playground. The suite earned her the MacDowell Fellowship and has reached audiences internationally. French also shares details about a 100-page arts education curriculum she co-wrote with three educators, structured around truth, liberation and sovereignty and designed to help young people process trauma through art. She is currently seeking funding to offer it free to teachers and arts organizations across the Twin Cities. Looking ahead, she is developing a documentary called Legendary Pathmakers, tracing the interconnected web of Black creative life in Minnesota across generations through interviews with the artists, activists, educators and mentors who shaped her from childhood. She closes with practical advice for emerging artists: copyright everything, book yourself, build your own momentum and never let anyone talk you out of your style. On the Radar is produced by Emmanuel Duncan and presented by the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.  #OnTheRadar #PaviElleFrench #Rondo #BlackCreatives #MSRNews #SovereignSuite #TwinCitiesArts #Emmy

    36 min

  5. May 7

    OTR Pod w Jametta Raspberry

    ON THE RADAR

    26 min

  6. Apr 29

    On the Radar: Sayge Carroll of Mudluk Pottery Studio

    This episode of On the Radar features Sayge Carroll, co-founder of Mudluk Pottery Studio—a grassroots ceramics space redefining what it means to create in community. Rooted in South Minneapolis, Mudluk is more than a studio—it’s a sanctuary for expression, healing, and connection, built as a Black, queer, woman-owned space where artists of all backgrounds can come together.   Sayge shares their journey as an interdisciplinary artist, blending clay, sound, and storytelling to honor ancestral lineage while building spaces that bring people together. From community feasts to inclusive programming and hands-on workshops, this conversation explores how art can be both deeply personal and powerfully communal—and why getting your hands in the clay might just reconnect you to something bigger

    35 min
  7. ON THE RADAR w Antione Jenkins

    Apr 16

    ON THE RADAR w Antione Jenkins

    On this episode of On the Radar, we sit down with Minneapolis-based multidisciplinary artist Antione Jenkins, whose work spans from custom sneakers to large-scale community murals. From early beginnings doodling in school to creating powerful public art across the Twin Cities, Jenkins shares how he turned his passion into a full-time creative career. We talk about his journey building Skntones, collaborating with major brands and sports teams, and using art as a tool to highlight Black excellence and uplift community voices. From the iconic “Truck Angel” mural to new work inside Target Field, Jenkins is making his mark on the culture one piece at a time.   Tap in for a conversation about creativity, purpose, and what it means to make the world your canvas.

    21 min

  8. Apr 9

    Maxie Rockymore: Award-Winning Filmmaker on Black Storytelling, "Fresh Cut" & What Comes Next

    In this episode of On the Radar — the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder's series highlighting Black Minnesota creatives — host Damenica Ellis sits down with writer, screenwriter, filmmaker, and playwright Maxie Rockymore to talk about her roots, her craft, and the stories she refuses to stop telling. Rockymore grew up in South Minneapolis, surrounded by Black families who had migrated north from Mississippi, Texas, and Alabama. She spent her childhood at Hosmer Library reading Langston Hughes and Nikki Giovanni, sat on neighbors' porches absorbing their stories, and was writing love poems for classmates for a dollar in high school. There was never one turning point, she says — writing simply always was. "I still see myself on the back steps in South Minneapolis writing stories, writing poems and just knowing that I was going to be a writer." Her short film "Fresh Cut," produced at Urban Touch Barbershop in South Minneapolis, follows Buzz — a young Black man released from juvenile detention who goes to work at his stepfather's barbershop while grieving the loss of his mother. To write it authentically, Rockymore spent a full year in the barbershop before putting the final script together. The film screened at the Twin Cities Black Film Festival, then traveled to festivals in California and Greece, including the Muses Film Festival. At the Golden Gate International Film Festival, it won the audience choice award with the highest views and ratings. Throughout the conversation, Rockymore speaks to her core artistic mission: writing Black people in their full humanity — not pathologized, not reduced to stereotype, but whole. "We have problems, we have deaths, we have violence, but what I don't like and what I try not to do is pathologize the Black experience. We are wonderful people. We're beautiful people. We have a past that precedes slavery because we have a history from Africa." She also looks ahead: Rockymore is currently writing a new screenplay set in Minnesota about a young Black woman schoolteacher navigating professional pressure, family, identity, and what success truly means. She hopes to bring it to a table read at the Minnesota Screenwriters Workshop, where she serves as president. For emerging Black writers and filmmakers in Minnesota, her message is clear: write constantly, take classes at Film North or the Playwrights' Center, volunteer on sets, and stay immersed in the art. And advocate for the funding that makes it all possible. "I wish there were more financial opportunities, more financial backing and funding for African-American women as filmmakers and artists and screenwriters. Because at the end of the day, you have to pay people." 🎬 Follow Maxie Rockymore on Instagram: @maxie.rockymore 🌐 Nominate a Black Minnesota creative for On the Radar: msr.media

    31 min

  9. Apr 9

    On The Radar with Kevin Washington: Rhythm, Legacy, and the Sound of Community

    On this episode of On The Radar, we sit down with Kevin Washington — a master drummer, educator, and genre-blending musician whose sound carries the spirit of Black music across generations. From his Detroit roots to his impact on the Twin Cities music scene, Kevin shares his journey, his approach to rhythm and storytelling, and how he’s using music to mentor, connect, and keep the culture alive.

    26 min

  10. Mar 26

    Tish Jones on 20 Years of True Art Speaks | On the Radar | MSR News

    In this episode of On the Radar, the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder's series spotlighting Black Minnesota creatives, host Dominica Ellis sits down with poet, MC, cultural producer and educator Tish Jones. Jones is the founder of True Art Speaks, a Twin Cities arts organization now celebrating its 20th anniversary. Built on a mission to cultivate literacy, leadership and social justice through spoken word and hip-hop culture, True Art Speaks has spent two decades working with young people, professional artists, aspiring creatives and communities in schools, prisons and beyond. In this conversation, Jones talks about what it means to live poetry as a way of life, not just a practice. She reflects on growing up in St. Paul's historic Rondo neighborhood and how that community shaped her voice, her purpose and her understanding of Black history on a national and global scale. Jones also breaks down what it means to be a cultural producer, how she thinks about convening people around Black genius and creative expression, and why cultural spaces rooted in specificity matter now more than ever. To mark the 20th anniversary of True Art Speaks, Jones is curating a monthlong residency at Ice House in Minneapolis, with March's event featuring an all-women lineup in celebration of Women's History Month, including Jand Dela Ray, Sienna, Jana the Moon, Cricket, DJ Cassopia and Omi Aoma. She also discusses her writing prompt decks, designed to give people an accessible entry point into poetry and social impact writing, with accompanying lessons dropping in April for National Poetry Month. And she is dreaming big about t

    29 min

  11. Mar 24

    ON THE RADAR w Imani Moore

    On this episode of On The Radar, we sit down with Twin Cities dancer and founder Imani Moore, the visionary behind Locomotive Dance Crew. What started as a lifelong passion has grown into a movement centered on inclusion, expression, and community. Moore shares how she built a space where dancers of all backgrounds can connect, perform, and grow—while also looking ahead to a future rooted in access, opportunity, and creative freedom. This conversation highlights the power of dance as a universal language and a tool for belonging

    37 min
  • 11 Episodes

About

🎙️ ON THE RADAR — A Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder Podcast Where arts, culture, and community stories rise above the headlines. From Twin Cities creatives shaping culture to voices expanding what it means to tell our stories, On the Radar brings you conversations that illuminate the people and moments making an impact right now. Tune in for an inspiring conversation about resilience, craft, and why creativity always deserves a place on the radar. 🎧

Information

  • Creator
    Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    11
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 ON THE RADAR