CEDAR CULTURAL CENTER INC
416 CEDAR AVENUE SOUTH, MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55454 thecedar.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: TO PROMOTE INTERCULTURAL APPRECIATION AND UNDERSTANDING THROUGH THE PRESENTATION OF GLOBAL MUSIC AND DANCE. THE CEDAR IS COMMITTED TO ARTISTIC EXCELLENCE AND INTEGRITY, DIVERSITY OF PROGRAMMING, SUPPORT FOR EMERGING ARTISTS AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH.

SINCE OPENING ITS DOORS IN THE CEDAR RIVERSIDE NEIGHBORHOOD OF MINNEAPOLIS IN 1989, THE CEDAR HAS PRESENTED LIVE MUSIC FROM AROUND THE WORLD TO FOSTER INTERCULTURAL APPRECIATION AND UNDERSTANDING. THE CEDAR'S IDENTITY EMERGED FROM OUR NEIGHBORHOOD'S HISTORY AS A GATEWAY FOR IMMIGRANTS, A CENTER FOR COMMUNITY ORGANIZING, AND A BASTION OF FOLK MUSIC FROM A VARIETY OF CULTURES. OVER THE YEARS, WE HAVE MAINTAINED LOW TICKET PRICES, AN ALL-AGES FAMILY FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT, AND A STRONG COMMUNITY CONNECTION THAT CONTINUES TO BE A HALLMARK OF OUR VENUE.IN 2019, THE CEDAR CONTINUED ITS 31-YEAR COMMITMENT TO UPLIFTING GLOBAL LEGENDS AND BRILLIANT NEW VOICES. ON OUR MAINSTAGE, WE PRESENTED OVER 200 SHOWS FEATURING ARTISTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD, AND HOSTED MORE LOCAL ARTISTS THAN EVER BEFORE AND PRESENTED THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS:GLOBAL ROOTS FESTIVALFROM SEPTEMBER 23RD-25TH, THE CEDAR PRESENTED ITS 11TH ANNUAL FREE, FAMILY-FRIENDLY GLOBAL ROOTS FESTIVAL. THE LINEUP FEATURED THE HYPNOTIC WOMEN-LED TUAREG BLUES OF LES FILLES DE ILLIGHADAD; AFRO-ARGENTINIAN REGGAE ICON FIDEL NADAL WITH MR. PAUER; MASTERFUL KOREAN PERCUSSIONIST KIM SO RA; DUBLIN FOLK MISCREANTS LANKUM; CHADIAN-CANADIAN AFROFUTURIST ELECTRO-FUSION DJ AFROTRONIX; AND JORDANIAN-PALESTINIAN SHAMSTEP TRAILBLAZERS 47SOUL.THE CEDAR COMMISSIONSTHE CEDAR COMMISSIONS SUPPORTS THE CREATION OF NEW WORK BY MINNESOTA ARTISTS WITH SUPPORT FROM THE JEROME FOUNDATION. DURING 2019, A COHORT OF SIX ARTISTS MET MONTHLY FOR MENTORSHIP AND PEER-SUPPORT AS THEY CREATED NEW WORK THAT PUSHED THEIR OWN BOUNDARIES AND EXPLORED A VARIETY OF THEMES AND INSPIRATIONS, INCLUDING FAMILY LEGACIES AND IMMIGRATION HISTORIES, TRADITIONAL ETHIOPIAN AZMARIS, WOMEN OF THE HOLOCAUST, IMMERSIVE AFRODIASPORIC SOUNDS AND BLACK QUEER/TRANS JOY, BLACK AMERICA'S PAST AND PRESENT, COLLECTIVE ACTION, AND SO MUCH MORE. THESE ARTISTS DEBUTED THEIR WORK IN A TWO-NIGHT SERIES AT THE CEDAR.MIDNIMOMIDNIMO, THE SOMALI WORD FOR "UNITY," WAS LAUNCHED IN 2014 IN PARTNERSHIP WITH AUGSBURG UNIVERSITY. TO DATE, MIDNIMO HAS REACHED OVER 21,500 AUDIENCE MEMBERS IN MINNEAPOLIS, MANKATO, AND ST. CLOUD WITH RESIDENCIES, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, AND EVENTS FEATURING LEGENDARY AND UP-AND-COMING SOMALI ARTISTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD. THIS BREAKTHROUGH PROGRAM WAS SUPPORTED OVER THE YEARS IN PART BY SIGNIFICANT FUNDING FROM THE DORIS DUKE FOUNDATION FOR ISLAMIC ART AND THE ASSOCIATION OF PERFORMING ARTS PRESENTERS; BUILDING BRIDGES: ARTS CULTURE AND IDENTITY, A COMPONENT OF THE DORIS DUKE CHARITABLE FOUNDATION AND DORIS DUKE FOUNDATION FOR ISLAMIC ART. THIS MULTI-YEAR FUNDING CULMINATED IN THE SPRING IN 2019 WITH TWO PROJECTS.FIRST WAS THE FAARROW RESIDENCY FEATURING TORONTO-BASED SOMALI SISTER POP DUO FAARROW FOR THEIR MIDNIMO RESIDENCY WHO TEAMED-UP WITH LOCAL AFRO-FUTURIST WIZARDS ASTRALBLAK TO TOUR THROUGH MINNEAPOLIS, MANKATO, AND ST. CLOUD. TOGETHER, THEY DELIVERED A TRANSCENDENT LIVE SHOW THAT HAD A PACKED HOUSE DANCING WITH JOY AND ENERGY, LANDING THEIR MONTH-LONG VISIT CITY PAGES' AWARD FOR BEST RESIDENCY IN 2019.WE ALSO RELEASED AN ALBUM, UBAADKAA MUDNAANTA LEH, WITH LONDON-BASED AFRO-POP STAR AAR MAANTA WHO WORKED WITH OVER 30 YOUNG PEOPLE FROM CEDAR RIVERSIDE NEIGHBORHOOD TO CREATE THE FIRST-EVER BILINGUAL SOMALI/ENGLISH CHILDREN'S ALBUM! FOLLOWING A SERIES OF SONGWRITING, ALBUM ART WORKSHOPS, AND MULTIPLE VISITS TO THE RECORDING STUDIO, UBADKAA MUDNAANTA LEH (SOMALI FOR "CHILDREN HAVE PRIORITY") WAS RELEASED WITH A LIVE PERFORMANCE IN MARCH 2019. THE ALBUM INFUSES TRADITIONAL SOMALI SONGS AND LULLABIES WITH HIP-HOP INFLUENCED BEATS, SPOKEN WORD, AND POETRY, WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY AAR MAANTA AND CEDAR RIVERSIDE'S NEXT GENERATION OF ARTISTS.MIDNIMO CONTINUESIN SEPTEMBER 2019, AS A MEMBER OF THE CEDAR ARTIST COLLECTIVE, MINNEAPOLIS IS LEGENDARY SOMALI PERCUSSIONIST, HARBI, CURATED SOMALI TRADITIONAL NIGHT, A LATE-NIGHT SHOW THAT FEATURED HIS OWN THUNDER BAND, ALONGSIDE THE SOMALI MUSEUM DANCE TROUPE, AND CAASHO BURANBURTOOY, WHO GAVE CEDAR AUDIENCES A RARE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE TRADITIONAL BURAANBUR POETRY AND DANCE ON STAGE. LATER THAT FALL, HE LAUNCHED A DREAM PROJECT - A SERIES OF MUSIC CLASSES FOR SOMALI YOUTH! PARTNERING WITH A LOCAL DAYCARE, EACH WEEK HARBI AND GUEST VOCALISTS AND INSTRUMENTALISTS VISITED A DAYCARE IN WHICH DOZENS OF CHILDREN LEARNED AND CELEBRATED THEIR HERITAGE THROUGH MUSIC WITH HANDS-ON ART MAKING AND DIRECT MENTORSHIP.THE CEDAR ARTIST COLLECTIVEIN JANUARY 2019, THE CEDAR LAUNCHED THE ARTIST COLLECTIVE, A GROUP OF SIX ARTISTS WHO HAD PARTICIPATED IN THE CEDAR COMMISSIONS OR MIDNIMO TO SERVE AS PAID YEAR-ROUND CURATORIAL ARTISTS AND CULTURAL LIAISONS TO THE CEDAR. BUILDING ON THE ROOTS OF THEIR OWN COMMUNITY-ENGAGED ART PRACTICE, THEY EMBARKED ON A YEAR OF CURATING PROGRAMMING, INFLUENCING INTERNAL SYSTEMS, AND CHALLENGING "BUSINESS AS USUAL" PRACTICES AT THE CEDAR, WITH THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF INCREASING MEANINGFUL AND LASTING COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS. EACH ARTIST CURATED A UNIQUE PROGRAM OR SERIES DESIGNED TO CREATE LASTING AND MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS WITH ARTISTS AND AUDIENCES AT THE CEDAR. TOGETHER, THESE PROJECTS REACHED 1,800 AUDIENCE MEMBERS OF A RANGE OF AGES AND BACKGROUNDS AND FEATURED OVER 180 LOCAL ARTISTS, MANY OF WHOM WERE PERFORMING AT THE CEDAR FOR THE FIRST TIME.VALUES AND INCLUSIONWHILE THE CEDAR WAS KNOWN EXTERNALLY FOR THE MANY INCREDIBLE SHOWS THAT GRACED OUR STAGE THROUGHOUT 2019, WE ALSO TOOK TIME TO REFLECT ON OURSELVES AS AN ORGANIZATION AND AS INDIVIDUALS, CONTINUING TO IDENTIFY AREAS TO WORK ON TO BETTER CONNECT ACROSS COMPLEX IDENTITIES. LAST YEAR, CEDAR STAFF MET BI-WEEKLY FOR "SAFER CEDAR" MEETINGS, WHERE STAFF DISCUSSED INTERNAL CHALLENGES AROUND RACE, GENDER, AND OTHER ASPECTS OF IDENTITY. WE COMPLETED THE INTERCULTURAL DEVELOPMENT INVENTORY (IDI) AS A GROUNDWORK TO TAILOR OUR INDIVIDUAL WORK ON BRIDGING DIFFERENCES. WE ALSO WORKED AS A TEAM TO DRAFT A SET OF COLLECTIVE VALUES AS PART OF A LARGER EFFORT TO SHAPE THE CEDAR'S FIRST PUBLISHED VALUE STATEMENTS, WHICH WE EXPECT TO COMPLETE THIS YEAR.

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