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Contributors: Jamie Berg, Office Manager Rob Lawson, Publisher Ethan Schweitzer, Design Henock Yacob, Marketing Mgr. Theater - It was a Dark and Stormy Night
4 Pages 50 Shades of Winter Page 5 Top 5 Pressing Issues Politics: Page 7 Cyber Data Mining for Your Vote Page 9 WikiLeaks: A Political Struggle Page New Generation of Political 10 Activism: Anonymous
Film - 2016: Obama’s America
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Game Release Page 11 November Guide
Page 12 Page 14 Page 18 Page 22
Featured Artist: Country Acid by Michael Thul Food & Drink - White House Brewskies Events Calendar Comics
Send a photo, story, story idea, letter to the editor or advertising request to slantedcreations@gmail.com. Lawson Media and Publishing • 612-460-5851 • P.O. Box 721 Mankato, MN 56001-721
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Minnesota Valley Sweet Adelines’ 37th Annual Show: It was a Dark and Stormy Night Saturday, November 10 Crossview Covenant Church The Minnesota Valley Chapter of Sweet Adelines would like to invite you to their 37th annual show “It Was a Dark and Stormy Night”, a lovely story between Jack and Jill Scarecrow under the harvest moon, on Saturday, November 10, 2012 at 2:30 and 7:00 at Crossview Covenant Church, 2000 Howard Drive, North Mankato. Featured artists are award winning quartet “Medallion” and selected area junior and senior high school students in our “Adeline Idol” competition. Tickets are Adults $12 advance/$15 at the door; Seniors $10 advance/$12 at the door and Students;$5. Tickets are available in Mankato at Music Mart, Cub Foods (both Mankato locations), HyVee (both Mankato locations) and in St Peter at Swedish Kontur and also chorus members. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant provided by the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council and is funded, in part, by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. For tickets or information call 507-388-6148 or visit www.minnesotavalleychorus.org or www.facebook. com/SweetAdelinesMankato
50 Shades of Winter holiday show spices up the season te S ou
String Theory
50 Shades of Winter
rn Minnesota Theat er
By Greg Abbot Special to Slanted Magazine When Mankato Mosaic Theatre Company decided to do a holiday show, they passed on the same-old Dickens and went for a variety show bound to spice up the season. “50 Shades of Winter” is a mix of skits, short plays, dance, music and poetry that will offer lots of laughs and a fun evening 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 29, at the Mankato Event Center and 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30, at What’s Up Lounge in Mankato. One of the short plays, “Walking Track,” was based on two co-workers who made a New Year’s Eve resolution to lose weight by walking the track at the St. Peter Community Center. “It’s one of those things where by the end of the first week, the calls from the Godfather’s Pizza buffet start rumbling through your head as you walk,” said playwright Greg Abbott of North Mankato. Abbott works in St. Peter and has used the walking track several times through several resolutions. He won’t say how much weight he’s actually lost, but did admit having a Godfather’s Pizza Buffet card. Playwright Daryl Hrdlicka of Westbrook writes a smart story about how some gifts don’t even come wrapped or in a box. His play is a 1920s period skit where a young couple receives an invitation to Christmas dinner from the wife’s very deaf aunt. Dragging her reluctant husband along to a holiday dinner filled with screamed “Hellos” and misunderstood requests, it ends with a surprise gift for at least a few who bothered to listen. The show also features the talents of String Theory – Eli Hoehn, Jason Helder and Wayne Schmidt -- who have just released a new CD of original songs called “What’s the Matter with Captain Gravitone?” “The show really showcases what Mankato Mosaic is about,” said president Brendan Quinn, “showcasing all the talent in the St. PeterMankato area. And getting to see some hilarious stories along the way.” One of the short plays deals with a young couple who are trying to have a nice Christmas dinner at a restaurant before their 2-year-old gets antsy and implodes. It is another story that is close to home for Abbott. “I can’t tell you the number of times we called ahead to a restaurant to make sure the food was ready when we arrived or scouted out places that could keep our 2-year-old occupied while we quickly ate,” he said. “Sometimes we were actually able to eat the meal. But most times we ended up putting it in to-go boxes when our son got tired of sitting in the high chair and began throwing food all over the floor. The waitresses at our table always earned their tip.” The theatre company is known for its sell-out Coffee Shop Tales and Bar Tales shows performed in the area. And the holiday show may again be a hard ticket to find. Advance tickets are only $9 and are available at What’s Up and online at www.mankatomosaic.com. “If you’re looking for a fun night out over the holidays, this is it,” Quinn said.
Slanted • November
2012
Political Culture
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A few Notes about congressional elections
We all know by now all of the current incumbent President Barack Obama’s campaign rhetoric, ideals, plans, said agenda, platform and so forth, as well as his contender’s, Mitt Romney (as well as the VP and VP Republican running mate, Paul Ryan). Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, Communist, Anarchist, Constitutional Conventionalist, or whatever their voting preferences and philosophies, voters should� cess of law-making. The president’s role is actually quite limited. According to Sharon Fabian at edHelper.com: “The president doesn’t pass laws. Congress passes the laws, but the president is involved in the lawmaking process, too. That is why he can make all of those campaign promises while he is running for office. If elected, he will have the opportunity to influence the passage of many new laws.” The pr� s agenda, anyway) in mind. Congress passes laws. The Senate, with 100 members and the House of Representatives with a whopping 435 members. Many have said that there is less statesmanship in Congress. Anyway, bills are crafted by these institutions. And their committees, then they vote.
Brief Introduction to Presidential candidates
Democrat, Incumbent, President Barack Obama
A president who took office at a time of economic upheaval and in the era of post-9/11 politics, Obama has ran under the platform of being a people’s candidate that had experience in community organizing. He took a lot of controversial steps as president the past four years and didn’t realize initially that his agenda couldn’t be fulfilled with bi-partisan support, particularly with health care reform. However, liberals have also criticized the president’s agenda in the realm of war, civil rights, civil liberties and favoring the big-shots preserving status quo. Obama still has a large amount of support among seniors, minorities, unions and others who believe in his message of helping the downtrodden and being more fair in economics.
Republican, Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney is the former governor of Massachusetts. His father was governor of Michigan. Romney founded the investment firm, Bain Capital and ran for Massachusetts Senate in 1994, but was defeated by Ted Kennedy, another bloodline politician. Romney has been criticized as a flip-flopper by all political parties and indeed passed health care reform shockingly similar to Obama’s nationalized plan. Romney lost his last chance at running for president to the party’s nomination of John McCain. Romney’s father ran for presidential nomination in the late 60s but lost out to Nixon. According to Biography.com, “Romney has taken many standard Republican positions on taxes, the economy and the war on terror.”
Libertarian, Gary Johnson
Many were shocked when Ron Paul endorsed Romney over Gary Johnson, considering both Paul’s view on libertarianism is strikingly similar to Johnson’s and that Paul has typically had a consistent voting record starkly dissimilar to Romney’s. Johnson is another candidate, like Paul, with little media hype or mainstream momentum. But he is a principled candidate, nonetheless. He runs under the platform of using government efficiently, reducing deficits, reforming drug policy, moving away from nation-building foreign policy initiatives, advocating Internet freedom, personal liberty and civil rights. Johnson served as Governor of New Mexico and worked to decriminalize marijuana use. He is also an advocate of gun rights with proper procedural checks like registration requirements and licensing. The Chattanooga Times in Tennessee recently endorsed Johnson recently, according to Examiner.com.
history of the minnesota marriage debate
The debate about same sex marriage in the state of Minnesota has a long bit of history. This history exemplifies the political power structure behind it. As Minnesota Public Radio pointed out recently, the two sides began squaring off more than 40 years ago. Gay rights and same sex marriage have been married, metaphorically, in Minnesota. This happened when a man in the Twin Cities was denied a marriage license to marry his partner. They sued Hennepin County’s District Court Clerk and lost. They again lost in the Supreme Court in Minnesota, in Baker vs. Nelson. Powerful interests became forged over time, with conservative church organizations moving one way and gay rights moving another, always an emotional and moral friction between the two groups. Both have gained much political momentum in their movements and now the heat seems to be boiling over. Minnesota for Marriage and the Minnesota Family Council and other groups are trying to amend the constitution to define marriage as one man and one woman. Gay rights and other civil rights activists say this clearly discriminates, while proponents of the amendment claim that the amendment is necessary for families and tradition. Other opponents point out that marriage is a spiritual matter that shouldn’t involve government at all. Minnesota even had a sodomy law prohibiting oral and anal sex, that also extended to married couples, until 2001, when a state court did away with the law. This issue seems to be almost totally partisan, with one liberal civil rights movement on one side pitted against a socially conservative movement on the other. Democrats traditionally, and particularly in Minnesota, have added gay rights to their civil rights platform and caucuses. Republicans have typified the movements of pro-life and the marriage amendment. This is not to say that individual registered voters of a particular party affiliation necessarily always vote in this manner, but the mainstream divisions seem to be there within the factions at large (state and federal levels). Many bishops and other members of churches, in fact, view the issue with varying viewpoints.
Cyber Politics Slanted • Nove
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Mining for Your Vote
According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), both major presidential campaigns in the United States, representing Republican Mitt Romney and Democrat President Barack Obama, are mining personal data from Internet users to infuse strategy in their presidential campaigns. Their newsletter posted a link to a New York Times article that detailed the strategies of both campaigns. Their lead paragraph eerily read, “Strategists affiliated with the Obama and Romney campaigns say they have access to information about the personal lives of voters at a scale never before imagined. And they are using that data to try to influence voting habits — in effect, to train voters to go to the polls through subtle cues, rewards and threats in a manner akin to the marketing efforts of credit card companies and big-box retailers.” It is nothing new for governments to acquire information about its citizens to use for its own ends. But politicians using Internet marketing at this level has implications about national and state elections themselves, possibly indicating the commercialism of politics has taken true form. Remember the preliminary panel debates with the Republicans? Reality TV show, right? Law enforcement agencies, courts, credit reporting agencies and others have been extracting data from people for use in their agendas for decades. This isn’t exactly All The Presidents Men, but it is something to scratch your head over. According to the Times piece, people will be calling voters just weeks before the election with scripts that were compiled with informaiton compiled by a computer program or person with access to data like what porn sites you visited, if your home was foreclosed, if you drink a certain brand of beer, whether you’re gay or straight and if you enjoy expensive getaways. These details supposedly indicate a user’s (voter or prospective voter) character, morals, lifestyle choices and the like, which in turn give key indications of political preferences. It also gives a campaign a great way to market themselves to the voters. The article also referred to “public shaming”, which is term used to describe the action of another user describing someone’s voting inactivity. It might not be such a shame if you don’t vote as a matter of principle though. To view the Nytimes article, go to http://www.nytimes. com/2012/10/14/us/politics/campaigns-mine-personal-lives-to-get-out-vote.html?_r=2&
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WikiLeaks: A Political Struggle
Julian Assange, and his organization WikiLeaks, may well be the political story of our generation, especially with the way it is weaved together with revolutionary rebellion of the Arab Spring. But there is another reason. Banks. Yes, Banks like Bank of America, JP Morgan & Chase, yeah you get the picture. Banks are another huge story, of course, for our recession (depression)-laden generation. They are hot and fiery topic among the middle class, lower class, young people, the working class (so-called “blue collar” folk), minorities and the many millions of people that have lost their homes, vehicles, small fortunes, jobs, chances at education and more importantly their lives (R.I.P. Fallen soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan). Many of these folks are the ones who “Occupy Wall Street”. It appears that Bank of America is now launching an attack against Assange and WikiLeaks. According to documents released from WikiLeaks, the bank that started VISA (another company that has possibly illegally been preventing WikiLeaks from receiving donations) is now trying to strategize and destroy WikiLeaks by creating cyber attacks, using social media and other methods to discredit the organization and create the illusion that WikiLeaks is not secure. There are emails and other documents on the WikiLeaks website about the attack. WikiLeaks is now suspending publication to focus its efforts on fighting what it calls the banking blockade. It is still asking for donations. According to the WikiLeaks website: “We have commenced pre-litigation action against the blockade in Iceland, Denmark, the UK, Brussels, the United States and Australia. We have lodged an anti-trust complaint at the European Commission and expect a decision by mid-November as to whether the European Competition Authority will open a full investigation into the wrongdoing of VISA and MasterCard.” Also according to WikiLeaks, the Bank of America was referred to the intelligence contractors HBGary to launch a systematic attack on WikiLeaks by their Washington lawyers at Hunton & Williams, who have many contacts within the U.S. Department of Justice. HBGary is allegedly part of a consortium of three U.S. Intelligence contractors. The plan was projected to cost $2 million a month to smear WikiLeaks and maintain a force of pressure on the organization. “The correspondence and proposals, which include plans to target journalists and lawyers supporting WikiLeaks, are now public. An extract from the proposal to sabotage WikiLeaks can be found on page 16 of plan 6” Find the documents online. Assange has been under scrutiny for some time, after releasing several cables from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars the U.S. has been involved in. A video was released showing indiscriminant firing upon people in an Iraq suburb from a pilot. The U.S./Western countries are not targets, however. WikiLeaks has released documents from all over the world including Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere. These days Assange is at the Ecuadorian embassy, where he cannot leave because British authorities will arrest him on charges there. Ecuador has denounced the U.K. for this behavior. Latest stories from WikiLeaks: The Syria Files More than two million emails from Syrian political figures, ministries and associated companies, dating from August 2006 to March 2012. The GI Files The Global Intelligence Files, over five million e-mails from the Texas headquartered “global intelligence” company Stratfor. The e-mails date between July 2004 and late December 2011. They reveal the inner workings of a company that fronts as an intelligence publisher, but provides confidential intelligence services to large corporations, such as Bhopal’s Dow Chemical Co., Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and government agencies, including the US Department of Homeland Security, the US Marines and the US Defence Intelligence Agency. The emails show Stratfor’s web of informers, pay-off structure, payment laundering techniques and psychological methods. The Spy Files Mass interception of entire populations is not only a reality, it is a secret new industry spanning 25 countries. The Guantanamo Files 779 classified prisoner dossiers revealed from the world’s most notorious prison. See more at www.wikileaks.com
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A New Generation Of Political Activism Hacktivism Anonymous may have not coined the term “hacktivism”, a term not known by this writer whom credit can be associated, but Anonymous has certainly earned the right to be associated with popularizing in the Internet subculture of digital communication, information and entertainment where Anonymous really got their start. It was an online imageboard that bred the collective that is now known to have hacked various government and corporate websites and targeted those it deemed a threat to free and open speech and communication. When seen in public, members wear Guy Fawkes masks, a character from English lore, said to have been part of a foiled gunpowder bomb plot on the king. Anonymous has been quite politically active against one-sided anti-piracy policies that corporate lobbyists within the major music and motion picture industries have traditionally supported – or directly crafted. Time Magazine glorified Anonymous as one of the most influential groups of people in the world. They do make headlines. Articles and news stories about the actions taken by Anonymous against various groups around the world have appeared in Time, The Huffington Post, CNN, Examiner.com (it was recently reported here that the group tracked down Amanda Todd’s stalker), Kansas City Star, The Herald Sun and others. The Herald Sun recently said of the hacktivist group: “ANONYMOUS has shifted the direction of its attention from governments, law enforcement and big business to online bullies. But is it just a massive PR exercise?
In identifying one of the cyber bullies responsible for driving teenager Amanda Todd to commit suicide, the cyber vigilantes are taking on a more regulatory role, experts claim.” UTS Professor James Goodman, an expert in communication regulation, told news.com. au that Anonymous thrives on being just that – anonymous. In 2010, Anonymous took down the websites of Mastercard, Visa
and the Bank of America after they withdrew their services in an attempt to prevent people from donating money to WikiLeaks. CNN has said that Anonymous is one of three successors to WikiLeaks. A 2010 article in WIRED Magazine outlined the fact that a few generations of “hackers” (Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, etc.) all shared the idea that information is to
be free. It seems that Anonymous would contend the same idealistic framework in their approach to making a difference in the world. The group has also been criticized for defending the rights of those who violate copyright law. Anonymous has maintained a vicious campaign against SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act). They are extremely opposed to an Internet “shut off switch” which has even been mentioned by President Barack Obama in so-called efforts to “prevent cyber-terrorism”. Another article in WIRED told of a raid on self-proclaimed Anonymous spokesman Barrett Brown for the second time this year, which took place in September. He was online at the time and was arraigned in Texas for making threats to a federal agent. Online audio captured loud voices of the FBI strongarming Brown into handcuffs to be taken into custody. There are a number of resources and dedicated news sites for Anonymous online including anonnews.org, youranonnews.tumblr.com, 4chan, topix.com/who/anonymous, anonymousnews.blogs.ru, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anonymous_(group), https://twitter.com/YourAnonNews, and www.facebook.com/AnonymousNewsNetwork. Whether or not you agree with the messages, opinions and/or tactics of Anonymous, it is clear that they are not going anywhere and are one of the clearest examples of political activism of our time - even if much of what is said about them is urban legend. It isn’t the 60’s anymore. It’s the information age. And things are changing, everywhere we look.
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November Game Guide Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2012) PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC Halo 4 Xbox 360 Angry Birds Star Wars iPad, iPhone, PC, Android Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed PC, PlayStation Vita, 3DS, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 The Sims 3: Seasons Mac, PC Epic Mickey 2: Power of Illusion 3DS Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii Hitman: Absolution Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC Assassin’s Creed 3 PC Rise of the Guardians 3DS, Wii, Xbox 360, PlaySta-
tion 3, DS Battlefield 3: Aftermath PlayStation 3 Far Cry 3 PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC FIFA 13 Wii U The Hip Hop Dance Experience Xbox 360, Wii DUST 514 PlayStation 3 Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Harry Potter For Kinect Xbox 360 Lego Lord of the Rings PlayStation Vita, Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, DS, PlayStation 3 Ratchet & Clank: QForce PlayStation 3 WWE ’13 PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Just Dance 4 PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
By Brenda Byron, Executive Director of Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council, Waseca Public funding for the Arts supports broad public access to the arts for people in the small towns and communities in our 9-county area of southern Minnesota and throughout the state. The Minnesota Legislature has consistently recognized the importance of arts, and their role in building the community, by providing funds which enable Minnesotans throughout the state to participate directly in the arts and to be audience members for all types of dance, music and theater performances and visual art exhibits. It is opportunities like this that set Minnesota apart from other states. Our arts council, Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council, annually receives state funding to provide grants to artists, small arts organizations, community groups and schools to provide local arts activities. Many of these activities would not be possible without such assistance. The MN
State Arts Board and the eleven Regional Arts Councils have a longstanding reputation of distributing the state Arts funds equitably through grants throughout the state and Minnesota’s 87 counties. These grants represent a very tangible example of the valuable return on the investment of state dollars. These arts activities promote cultural tourism and have significant economic impact to communities in every county of the state. In FY 2012 Prairie Lakes awarded 160 arts grants totaling $323,547. State general fund grants of $31,680; Artist Grants of $39,000 with McKnight Foundation funding; and $252,867 in state Arts and Cultural Heritage funding. The Arts and Cultural Heritage grants ranged in size from $2,000 to $6,500. Nonprofit Arts organizations, community groups and schools use their grant funding for a variety of expenses including: artist performance fees, salaries for part-time managers, directors, accompanists, musicians, etc.;
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Importance of Arts Funding for Southern Minnesota and Throughout The State publicity; rental; music; general office supplies and expenses for arts programming. Arts organizations do buy services and products locally and do employ people locally, assisting the local economy. When support for the arts is increased – such as through the Arts and Cultural Heritage, Legacy Amendment; it generated tax revenues, jobs, and provided access to quality arts events and programs in our local communities. Our vibrant arts community in Minnesota makes us a strong recruiting draw in a tough economy, setting us apart from surrounding states. Our quality of life is greatly enhanced by a strong arts community. Individuals are encouraged to contact their legislators and ask them to continue their support for state Arts funding. The Prairie Lakes board members and I attend Arts Advocacy Day at the capitol each year, organized by Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, a statewide lobbying organization for the arts. I personally lead a
team of local advocates to meet with our legislators from the 9county area. We provide them with a list of all of the grants that were awarded in their district and how these activities provide a positive impact on the local economy. All of the arts organizations that received a grant from PLRAC are required to send a Thank You letter to their legislators for the state grant they received through Prairie Lakes. The arts groups also invite legislators to their local events throughout the year. We are pleased that the Minnesota Legislature has consistently recognized the importance of arts and their role in building a healthy community. We at Prairie Lakes are part of the statewide funding mechanism to distribute these state dollars to non-profit organizations in the 9-county area. This enables citizens throughout the state to participate directly in the arts and be audience members for all types of dance, music, theater and visual arts activities.
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Meet Michael Thul Acid Country Artist Mankato
Slanted • Nove
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By Rob Lawson Publisher
Featured Artist November Meet Michael Thul, a musician from Mankato who said his style can probably be best described as “acid country”. Thul is 62 years old. He has been playing guitar and singing for 40 or so years, according to his own record of his life. His style is folky, but he swears it doesn’t sound like blues. “Oh, God, no I don’t really like blues much,” he said. Thul rhythmically beats the body of his guitar, near the sound hole, while he strums and finger-picks his way through melodic phrases and chords. He dramatically belts out the moody tones of his voice. Thul said the expression of music helps him to deal with personal emotions and the general stress we all encounter in our lives sometimes. “Sometimes you just have to get that shit out, ya know what I mean?” Yes. We do. Thul plays covers from artists and bands like the Judds and Elvis Presley. He is reminiscent of Johnny Cash with his rough around the edges personna and overall musical style. He recently performed for an event in the Twin Cities at the Minnesota State Fair with his son. Thul also sometimes records at local recording studio, Two Fish Studios, owned by Wes Schuck. Schuck’s other company is No Alternative Media. Thul can also sing tunes from the Backstreet Boys. An online video of Thul playing has been posted on the Slanted YouTube page at http://www.youtube.com/slantedmagmn.
Sl an te
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youtube.com/slantedmagmn
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Live Events and Music Photos Electric Children at Savoy
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Live Music and Events Photos
Left to Right: Bingo at Hooligans in Mankato, Flashback at Bobbi Jo’s in Austin and City Center Walking Sculpture Tour.
Below Right: City Center Art Walking Sculpture Tour, downtown Mankato. Above Right: Monkey grafitti somewhere in Mankato.
Submit photos to slantedcreations@gmail.com
Above: St. Peter Farmer’s Market. Below and Left: War protesters in Mankato near the Mankato Free Press.
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Lake Superior Photography Exhibition Open at Arts Center of St. Peter
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SAINT PETER, MN- On October 26th, at the Arts Center of Saint Peter, Craig Blacklock’s Lake Superior photography exhibition opened. This internationally acclaimed artist and his collection of landscape photographs were available to the public Friday, October 26th from 57p.m. at the opening reception. Moose Lake, MN native Craig Blacklock is one of Minnesota’s most distinguished photographers, renowned for his inspiring landscapes and technical virtuosity. Specializing in photographing Lake Superior, Craig is one of the country’s most distinguished nature photographers, internationally renowned for his inspiring landscapes, nudes and technical virtuosity. Photographer and author of seventeen books, including Apostle Islands—From Land and Sea, Craig is regularly featured in photography magazines such as American Photo, Fine Art Photo and Outdoor Photographer. His original prints are in the museums, private collections, and health care facilities throughout the U.S. With over 30 years working in large format, his technical finesse shines through in his digital images, with precise, exquisite compositions and hyper-real clarity. Craig Blacklock was exposed to the art of photography at an early age. Oftentimes Craig’s father, pioneering nature color photographer, Les Blacklock, would take Craig on photographic expeditions. On these journeys, Craig and Les would capture images, hand in hand. Craig’s love of these early childhood experiences led to his decision to make photography a career. Initially, following in his father’s footsteps, Craig went to the American West to photograph mountain scenery and wildlife. Craig continued on this route until the 1980’s when he began concentrating on the Lake Superior region, which to this day, continues to be his primary source of subjects. Working with his father or former spouse, Nadine, Craig has photographed numerous books about this region including the award winning The Lake Superior Images. Many of Craig’s other books have won awards including the Lake Superior Magazine Achievement Award, the National Publishers Freedom Award and numerous others. As ardent conservationists, Craig and his family founded the Blacklock Nature Sanctuary, a nonprofit organization formed to maintain land in a natural state and provide a residency program for artists. Craig hopes that his images of beauty and tranquility of nature will inspire people to protect the finest landscapes of the region (especially the Lake Superior Region) from further residential development. Craig Blacklock’s photographs will be on display through November 25, 2012. The Arts Center is located at 315 S. Minnesota Ave., St. Peter, MN 56082. For more information, visit www.artscentersp.org or ‘Like’ them on Facebook.
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COMICS
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