Madison Bloomquist

3 weeks ago | mspmag.com | Madison Bloomquist

The Minnesota Zoo unveiled a brand-new, thoughtfully designed exhibit inspired by the woodsy, mossy lands of the eastern Himalayas. The Red Panda Forest, which officially opened for guests on May 31, now houses two red pandas, two western tufted deer, and two red-crowned cranes. “We created it in about a year,” says Annie Rivas, the Minnesota Zoo’s director of animal health.

3 weeks ago | mspmag.com | Madison Bloomquist

Spoonbridge and Cherry isn’t the only iconic sculpture of an everyday object in Minneapolis. Barely a mile from Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen’s ode to eating cherries the weirdest possible way stands Curtis Ingvoldstad’s ode to every elementary school teacher’s favorite object: the No. 2 pencil. Known as the Lake of the Isles Pencil, Ingvoldstad’s creation, unlike Oldenburg and van Bruggen’s, which resides in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, is in a residential front yard.

1 month ago | mspmag.com | Madison Bloomquist

A wash of bright, cheerful colors, papering one large wall like a quilt, is the first thing you notice when you walk into Interact Center’s brand-new gallery in St. Paul. Dozens of paintings and drawings by artist Andy Seymour line the gallery’s entry space nearly from floor to ceiling, with each piece filling an 18-by-24 piece of paper in red, white, yellow, orange, and blue. Instantly, you get the sense you’re peeking into something special. Seymour has been a part of Interact since 2002.

1 month ago | mspmag.com | Madison Bloomquist

Rachel Muller believes everyday objects can, and should, hold meaning. As the daughter and sister of vintage and antiques store owners—her mother, Teresa DeJarlais, owns The Porch in Buffalo, and her brother, Adam DeJarlais, owns Minneapolis’s Twelve Vultures—she’s spent much of her life spelunking  at estate sales, secondhand shops, and her family’s own collections to uncover the tarnished and treasured versions of simple objects.

1 month ago | mspmag.com | Madison Bloomquist

If you’re wondering what it’s like to gather nine of our state’s most beloved mascots in one iconic venue (in this case, First Avenue), well, it’s pandemonium. During every free moment, there are shenanigans—Goldy Gopher absconding with T.C. Bear’s bat, Viktor the Viking cartwheeling across the dance floor. Professional fun is part of the job, and even though these mascots make their careers posing for photos with kids, waving in parades, and doing viral TikToks look easy, it’s far from it.