MinneCulture In-Depth

Series produced by KFAI Minneapolis

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Stories, documentaries and music about Minnesota's rich heritage of arts, culture and history. All audio airs on KFAI, SoundCloud, Ampers.org, PRX and KFAI's MinneCulture page on Facebook. MinneCulture is made possible by a grant from the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

Stories, documentaries and music about Minnesota's rich heritage of arts, culture and history. All audio airs on KFAI, SoundCloud, Ampers.org, PRX and KFAI's MinneCulture page on Facebook. MinneCulture is made possible by a grant from the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.


169 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
Women of the Fur Trade
From: KFAI Minneapolis
Series: MinneCulture In-Depth
Caption: Laura Powell-Marxen works in the basement of her Grand Marais home. Laura makes hats, mittens and other apparel from the fur from animals of the North Woods., Credit: Joe Friedrichs
The role of women, particularly Indigenous women, during the legendary fur trade in Minnesota is often overlooked. KFAI contributor Joe Friedrichs ...

  • Added: May 18, 2023
  • Length: 21:58
Doc Ames and Mr. Hyde
From: KFAI Minneapolis
Series: MinneCulture In-Depth
Caption: Albert Alonzo Ames, 1897, Credit: Progressive Men of Minnesota
Mayor Albert Alonzo Ames turned the Minneapolis Police Department into the most powerful crime ring the city had ever seen.

  • Added: Mar 30, 2023
  • Length: 35:20
Like a Comet Streaking Across the Sky: The Investigative Journalism of Eva Valesh
From: KFAI Minneapolis
Series: MinneCulture In-Depth
Caption: Eva Gay
In the late 1880s, a young journalist named Eva Valesh went undercover in Minneapolis to report on the lives of working women for the St. Paul Glo...

  • Added: Feb 16, 2023
  • Length: 18:19
A History of Fire in the Boundary Waters
From: KFAI Minneapolis
Series: MinneCulture In-Depth
Caption: Whelp Fire: The Whelp and John Ek fires lead, in part, to the closure of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in 2021. , Credit: Courtesy of the U.S. Forest Service
Minnesota's Boundary Waters is the most visited wilderness area in the country. Last summer, the entire Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness was s...

  • Added: Jun 09, 2022
  • Length: 30:00
Fly Robin Fly: That Disco-Crazed Moment When The Gay 90's Came Out Of The Closet
From: KFAI Minneapolis
Series: MinneCulture In-Depth
Caption: The Gay 90's in downtown Minneapolis. , Credit: Minnesota Historical Society
In downtown Minneapolis, there's a gay bar with several dance floors conveniently named the Gay 90's. The Gay 90’s hasn’t always been gay. The bar...

  • Added: Jul 09, 2021
  • Length: 28:06
A Living History of the Boundary Waters
From: KFAI Minneapolis
Series: MinneCulture In-Depth
Caption: Swamp Canoe: Early season canoeing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota, Credit: Matthew Baxley
In wilderness settings, there are connections people can make to the land, regardless of their age, race or gender, by walking in the footsteps of ...

  • Added: Jun 11, 2021
  • Length: 29:59
Stay Young, Go Dancing
From: KFAI Minneapolis
Series: MinneCulture In-Depth
Caption: Polka dancers: Polka dancing during Polka Days at the Gibbon Ballroom in Gibbon, Minnesota, circa 1975, Credit: Flip Schulke / U.S. National Archives
The most legendary venue in Minnesota history? It's not First Avenue, nor is it anywhere near the Twin Cities. Deep in the middle of the corn and s...

  • Added: Jul 02, 2020
  • Length: 30:00
Fighting Back: The Rise of Anti-Racist Action in Minneapolis
From: KFAI Minneapolis
Series: MinneCulture In-Depth
Caption: The Baldies, Credit: Kara La Lomia
In the days after Minneapolis police killed George Floyd, youth-led protests in the city helped spark rebellions around the globe. The police, mili...

Bought by MPR News Stations


  • Added: Jul 02, 2020
  • Length: 54:37
  • Purchases: 1
A Brief History of Women in Bars: A Minnesota Story in Three Rounds
From: KFAI Minneapolis
Series: MinneCulture In-Depth
Caption: A group of temperance advocates protest outside a saloon in Anoka, Minnesota, 1873.
One hundred years ago, two major constitutional amendments went into effect. The 18th marked the start of Prohibition and the 19th granted many wom...

Bought by MPR News Stations and Northern Community Radio - KAXE & KBXE, Minnesota


  • Added: Jan 05, 2021
  • Length: 45:10
  • Purchases: 2
A Fiery Unrest: Why Plymouth Avenue Burned
From: KFAI Minneapolis
Series: MinneCulture In-Depth
Caption: Silver's Grocery on Plymouth Avenue in North Minneapolis in 1967., Credit: Minneapolis Star & Tribune Negatives, July 1, 1967-August 31, 1967: Box 263. Minneapolis and St Paul Newspaper Negatives Collection. Minnesota Historical Society.
During the summer of 1967, Plymouth Avenue in North Minneapolis went up in flames. This was during a period known as the Long, Hot Summer when frus...

Bought by KVSC and MPR News Stations


  • Added: Jul 18, 2019
  • Length: 52:58
  • Purchases: 2
Generation AIDS: Minnesota's HIV/AIDS Crisis
From: KFAI Minneapolis
Series: MinneCulture In-Depth
Caption: Bruce Brockway and Rene Valdes, 1980., Credit: Alan Lessik
In July 1981, the New York Times published an article about a mysterious illness plaguing gay men in New York City. After reading the article, Bruc...

  • Added: Jul 09, 2019
  • Length: 01:31:39
Stolen Childhoods
From: KFAI Minneapolis
Series: MinneCulture In-Depth
Caption: Kip Moon, Credit: Courtesy of Kip Moon
America's attempt to separate Native children from their families didn't end with boarding schools. In the decades after World War II, the U.S. gov...

Bought by Prairie Public, KUT, Prairie Public, WYSO, KKWE Niijii Radio and more


  • Added: Nov 18, 2016
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 10
The Halloween Blizzard of '91: A Mix Tape in 6 Songs and 2 Feet of Snow
From: KFAI Minneapolis
Series: MinneCulture In-Depth
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How can you forget the one Halloween in your life that came with two feet of snow? KFAI's Britt Aamodt was studying biology at Gustavus Adolphus Co...

Bought by WGZS, WGZS, WGZS, KKWE Niijii Radio, Northern Community Radio - KAXE & KBXE, Minnesota and more


  • Added: Oct 12, 2016
  • Length: 26:40
  • Purchases: 7
Jitney: A Conversation with Lou Bellamy and T. Mychael Rambo
From: KFAI Minneapolis
Series: MinneCulture In-Depth
Caption: Abdul Salaam El Razzac, Doub; Terry Bellamy, Turnbo, Credit: Penumbra Theatre
Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul is one of America's first black theater companies. This month, "Jitney" — a play by the great August Wilson — returns ...

  • Added: Oct 11, 2016
  • Length: 28:34
Somali Week: A 7-Day Celebration
From: KFAI Minneapolis
Series: MinneCulture In-Depth
Caption: Anab Isse (l) and Deka Aden (r), Credit: Nancy Rosenbaum
Minnesota is home to the largest Somali community in North America. Each July, thousands of people from around the world come to the Twin Cities to...

  • Added: Jul 12, 2016
  • Length: 04:00
Johnny Rex and the Nickel Eye-Opener
From: KFAI Minneapolis
Series: MinneCulture In-Depth
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Most people viewed the drunks on Minneapolis’ Skid Row as pariahs. Not Johnny Rex. He owned a bar, a liquor store and a flophouse there. To Johnny ...

Bought by PRX Remix


  • Added: Jun 28, 2016
  • Length: 05:02
  • Purchases: 1
Shooting Hoops, Making Friends
From: KFAI Minneapolis
Series: MinneCulture In-Depth
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At lot of young men in the St. Paul Adaptive Recreation basketball league aren't just teammates, they're friends. KFAI's Katey DeCelle reports on t...

  • Added: May 05, 2016
  • Length: 05:07
Michelle Leon: Inside the Alt Rock Explosion
From: KFAI Minneapolis
Series: MinneCulture In-Depth
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Michelle Leon helped catapult Babes in Toyland, the kickin', all-female punk band, to alternative rock fame. Her new book, "I Live Inside: Memoirs ...

  • Added: Apr 25, 2016
  • Length: 09:10
Capitol Insider Captures Quiet Political Moments
From: KFAI Minneapolis
Series: MinneCulture In-Depth
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Getting a bill to become law is an arduous task. So is capturing quiet political moments at the Minnesota State Capitol. KFAI's Will Wright reports...

  • Added: Apr 19, 2016
  • Length: 05:09
Desdamona: No Man's Land
From: KFAI Minneapolis
Series: MinneCulture In-Depth
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Desdamona is an emcee who doesn't want you to call her a femme cee. On her newest album, "No Man's Land," the Minnesota musician conjures a world w...

  • Added: Apr 15, 2016
  • Length: 04:29

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