We wrap up Season 2 by taking a look at Minneapolis’ most distinctive architectural feature, the network of bridges connecting the buildings of downtown. With each link being different, it’s an accidental experiment of what works and doesn’t work in architecture. Also: news! FULL EPISODE TEXT. Hi there! I’m Keith Pille, your art pal. All … Continue reading "Ep. 2.9 The Skyway System"

We’ve talked about good buildings. Why not check in on a bad one?

Architecture isn’t just about buildings- it’s also about parks, places that are notably building-free. Peavey Plaza is a great park, and also a great exemplar of Brutalism, a form that sounds a lot scarier than it really is. FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Hi there! I’m Keith Pille, your art pal. We’re continuing our exploration of architecture … Continue reading "Ep. 2.7: Peavey Plaza, Parks, and Brutalism"

More gamboling in the lush fields of semiotics as we look at why the University of St. Thomas worked hard to make its downtown Minneapolis buildings, designed around the year 2000, look like parts of them came from the Middle Ages. FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Hi there! I’m Keith Pille, your art pal. Welcome back as … Continue reading "Ep. 2.6: More Semiotics- Postmodern Buildings in Gothic Drag"

Jean Nouvel’s Guthrie Theater plays a complicated double game with its appearance, lying to you and then telling the truth about what’s really going on inside. This means we need to work up the guts to talk semiotics. FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Hi there! I’m Keith Pille, your art pal. In this episode, we’re continuing our … Continue reading "Ep. 2.5 Semiotics and the Hidden Meanings of the Guthrie Theater"

Wells Fargo Center looks like another Art Deco building (in more ways then one- it looks like another specific Art Deco building), but that’s not quite accurate. It’s time to get serious about this postmodernism thing. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Hi there! I’m Keith Pille, your art pal. In this episode, we’re continuing this season’s discussion of … Continue reading "Ep. 2.4 Wells Fargo Center and Postmodernism"

Some geometric glass buildings are really boring. Phillip Johnson’s IDS Center isn’t one of them, though! It’s a great example of modernism done well. But what’s modernism, anyway? Full Show Transcript Hi there! I’m Keith Pille, your art pal. This episode, I’ll be continuing my walk through some architectural highlights of downtown Minneapolis, discussing the … Continue reading "Ep. 2.3: IDS Center and Modernism"

The Foshay Tower is a building everyone in Minneapolis seems to love. But why? And if it’s an Art Deco masterpiece, what does that mean? EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Hi there! I’m Keith Pille, your art pal. In this episode, we’re continuing to talk about the architecture of downtown Minneapolis, heading into downtown proper to talk about … Continue reading "Ep. 2.2: The Foshay Tower, Art Deco, and Gozer the Destroyer"

Welcome back to Artpal! Season 2, using buildings around downtown Minneapolis to talk about architecture, kicks off with a look at the Minneapolis Institute of Art as a building. But first, there’s some news about the show itself. FULL EPISODE TEXT Hi there! I’m Keith Pille, your art pal. Let’s get talking about art again! … Continue reading "Ep 2.1: Architecture in General and of the Minneapolis Institute of Art in Particular"

Morris Kantor painted one hell of a portrait of his mother in 1922 (MIA accession number L2014.234.53), and it’s a good example of an approach to portraiture that can really tell a story. But it’s *also* a good entryway to talk about the relationship between museums and collectors. FULL EPISODE TEXT Hi there! I’m Keith … Continue reading "Ep 1.3: Morris Kantor, His Mother, and an Art Collector"