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.


172 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
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Minnesota has long been a hotbed for sweaty men in tight shorts bouncing off ropes in a ring. Yup, pro wrestling is a thing around here. In the fir...

  • Added: Jan 27, 2016
  • Length: 06:00
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The fight over the Sandpiper pipeline. An big oil company wants it. Many people in Minnesota's North Woods don't. A documentary by KFAI's Kelly Sch...

Bought by KKWE Niijii Radio, WGZS, KVSC, KPVL, and Prairie Public


  • Added: Aug 14, 2015
  • Length: 26:15
  • Purchases: 5
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The cultural landscape of the Twin Cities changed dramatically in 1963 with the opening of the Guthrie Theater. Built next to the Walker Arts Cente...

Bought by KKWE Niijii Radio and KPVL


  • Added: Jul 16, 2015
  • Length: 27:25
  • Purchases: 2
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Evolution in tracking technology is accelerating the pace of research into bird migration. For the first time in history, miniaturized devices such...

Bought by KKWE Niijii Radio and KPVL


  • Added: May 28, 2015
  • Length: 28:16
  • Purchases: 2
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A documentary exploring the evolution of polka music in Minnesota, from World War II to today. This program features the music of “Whoopee” John Wi...

Bought by KKWE Niijii Radio


  • Added: May 27, 2015
  • Length: 28:01
  • Purchases: 1
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Vietnam was never a popular war. But students at the University of Minnesota felt they had to act when President Nixon announced the mining of Viet...

  • Added: May 26, 2015
  • Length: 27:27
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In the 1940s, New Ulm, Minnesota was hailed as the polka capitol of the nation, and many national performers called it home including: “Whoopee” Jo...

Bought by KKWE Niijii Radio


  • Added: May 21, 2015
  • Length: 28:01
  • Purchases: 1
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The fight over Minnesota's Kensington Runestone, an historical artifact that some people consider a hoax. A documentary by Brigitta Greeene.

Bought by KKWE Niijii Radio


  • Added: May 15, 2015
  • Length: 25:47
  • Purchases: 1
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KFAI celebrates Black History Month at T’s Place with a night of soul-filled performances by musicians from throughout the local African-American c...

  • Added: May 06, 2015
  • Length: 28:24
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Recorded live at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis, "Saved by Faith and Verse" is a night of Somali spoken word poetry featuring Abdi Phenome...

Bought by WDSE


  • Added: Apr 22, 2015
  • Length: 28:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: The outdoor observation deck on the Foshay Tower in Minneapolis, MN., Credit: Noel Clark
The skyline of the Twin Cities in the 1920’s and 30’s was an ever-changing sight. Buildings like the Foshay Tower, the Ramsey County Courthouse and...

Bought by KKWE Niijii Radio and KSRQ


  • Added: Jan 28, 2015
  • Length: 28:06
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Credit: Russian Public Library via Wikipedia Commons
Silent film may be a thing of the past, but scoring music to flickering screen classics isn't. This documentary focuses on three Minneapolis bands ...

Bought by KKWE Niijii Radio and KSRQ


  • Added: Jan 13, 2015
  • Length: 26:46
  • Purchases: 2
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The arts play a crucial role in social change by allowing marginalized people to tell their stories. In this audio documentary, KFAI producer Racha...

Bought by WDSE, KKWE Niijii Radio, WFHB, and KSRQ


  • Added: Nov 19, 2014
  • Length: 27:56
  • Purchases: 4
Caption: William Williams
Before Minnesota became the third state to abolish the death penalty in 1911, legislators instituted the nation’s first law to make executions secr...

Bought by WDSE, KKWE Niijii Radio, and KSRQ


  • Added: Nov 19, 2014
  • Length: 29:11
  • Purchases: 3
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Amateur radio began in the late 1800s with the experimentation and development of wireless transmission. No one is exactly sure where the term “ham...

Bought by KKWE Niijii Radio and KSRQ


  • Added: Nov 04, 2014
  • Length: 29:30
  • Purchases: 2
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Paul Metsa has many guitars, wears many hats. He cut his musical teeth on Minneapolis' West Bank in the early '80s, and has taken his passion for m...

Bought by KPVL, WDSE, KKWE Niijii Radio, and KSRQ


  • Added: Aug 05, 2014
  • Length: 26:30
  • Purchases: 4
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Last November, KFAI community radio and Juxtaposition Arts partnered for a special event at Jxta that included a reception and exhibition of "Paint...

Bought by KPVL, KKWE Niijii Radio, and KSRQ


  • Added: Jun 05, 2014
  • Length: 26:21
  • Purchases: 3
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Every year thousands of birds migrate through Minnesota. And every year thousands of them collide with the built environment. Few people notice—exc...

Bought by KKWE Niijii Radio, KSRQ, and KVSC


  • Added: May 21, 2014
  • Length: 28:22
  • Purchases: 3
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In 1977, the Women's Movement scored a major victory with Roe v. Wade, but Congress failed to pass the Equal Rights Amendment. In Minnesota, a pro-...

Bought by KPVL, KKWE Niijii Radio, KVSC, and KSRQ


  • Added: Mar 03, 2014
  • Length: 27:50
  • Purchases: 4
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St. Paul's oldest African-American neighborhood is named after French Canadian fur trader Joseph Rondeau. After the civil war and during the recons...

Bought by KKWE Niijii Radio, KVSC, and KSRQ


  • Added: Feb 20, 2014
  • Length: 28:09
  • Purchases: 3