Speaking of community

We (my family) used to own a coffee shop. It was called Roasting Stones and sat out on University Avenue at Raymond near the border of St. Paul and Minneapolis. We were next door to the Chittenden building that once housed the folks (Itasca/Book Mobile) who print A Course of Love, still houses Graywolf Press (I’m pretty sure), and is home to a half dozen or so of what I call “small artists” – the folks who can make a living at it (or who nearly can and have partners with jobs and health insurance who take them the rest of the way).

Directly overhead in the three story building where we had our shop was what I want to call IFP. It had to do with independent filmmaking. Working up there, and coming down often for coffee, was Riley, a tall skinny white guy, and Ralph, a well-built Black man. Both were about as nice as nice as can be, and terribly memorable for a dozen reasons, as were the folks in buildings all around. On one side the artists; on the other politicians, or at least candidates running for office. Paul Wellstone’s campaign office was there when he died in his plane crash and the whole city seemed like a community for a few days as they gathered and left flowers and paid tribute there.

And yet, when my husband said, “Look who’s picture is in the paper this morning,” and even when I saw the name “Ralph Remington” underneath it, I couldn’t quite get my mind to ring the bell that would tell me where I knew Ralph from.

So I read the article, that doesn’t mention his work at IFP but does speak of his extensive regional theater experience and a stint as a Minneapolis city council member. He was in the paper for being named head of the National Endowment for the Arts theater division. But here’s what got to me. First his quote:

“What excites me (in the theater) is people willing to take risks in their work. People who are willing to push boundaries. We need to give support to those theaters which are willing to step out onto the edge.”

The other quote was given by Rocco Landesman, the endowment’s chairman. He said that Ralph had all the right theater and grants experience, but they were looking also for someone with political savvy. “We’ve rolled out the ‘Our Town’ program that has to do with the role of art in neighborhood revitalization, urban renewal and economic development.”

What a splendidly wonderful recognition of the role of art in the community. I’m sure Ralph will do a great job at facilitating both the artists and the community connection, and that he’ll even have more in mind when he uses words like revitalization and renewal than the economy.

Quotes from St. Paul Pioneer Press, “Twin Cities actor, theater founder named NEA theater division head” by Michael Kuchwara, p 1D, 2-24-10.