In the Twin Cities art scene this weekend, six up-and-coming artists will debut new music at the Cedar Cultural Center’s concert series, a photography exhibit in St. Paul invites visitors to explore the lives of elderly Hmong women in Minnesota, and Michoacán’s Indigenous community will celebrate the P’urhépecha New Year with a “new fire” ceremony and dance performances. 

Concert series highlights the next wave of Twin Cities artists 

The Cedar Cultural Center will host its 14th annual Cedar Commissions, featuring new works from six emerging artists in the Twin Cities.

Pakistani American singer-songwriter Hibah Hassan will perform “Privileged Communications,” blending six original songs, Urdu poetry and visual animations. The project is a reflection on speech, privilege and the way certain voices are silenced.

“I was really inspired by the social and political climate of the last two years, specifically in the way that people talked about Palestine and Israel,” Hassan said. “I noticed that there is comfort some people have that others aren’t afforded. I think people of color and immigrants have been weirdly punished or censored, and not just when talking about Israel and Palestine, but also their own experiences.”

Hassan’s work considers the sacrifices immigrants make in exchange for opportunities in the U.S. “When people come to the United States escaping persecution, the trade-off is that they don’t get to talk about their experiences here,” she said. “They don’t get to complain about injustice or racism or how they miss their home because they have to be grateful for the opportunities that they’ve been afforded here.”

Growing up in a Muslim, Pakistani-immigrant household in Minnesota shaped Hassan’s approach to storytelling and songwriting. 

“My sense of self, the way that I experienced being the only person of color in an all-white neighborhood — those are the things that really bled into my music,” she said. “It really was like a diary, an outlet for me.”

Also performing Friday is Phillip Saint John, an Apache musician blending soul, experimental music and meditation in “Tribal Community.” His set will incorporate sound bowls and group harmonization, creating a space for collective connection.

“Everyone has their own way of connecting to a higher power in my experience,” he said. “I’m seeing more people in other cities hold intentional song circles. I want to create or host a space so that people who want to experience art and community can do that. That’s what a lot of people are looking for post-2020, especially with the pandemic.”

Rounding out Friday’s lineup is A.P. Looze, whose performance will explore love as a guiding force. Saturday’s Cedar Commissions features performances by blues singer John Jamison II, experimental electronic composer May Klug and Hmong musician Yeej. 

Portrait project captures stories of elderly Hmong women

Minnesota Zej Zog, a nonprofit that works to preserve Hmong heritage, is hosting “Of Distance and Time,” a photography exhibit in St. Paul highlighting the stories of Hmong women 65 and older. Featuring portraits by photographer Richard Leonard Schultz and photographic and cultural assistant Artid Chah, along with video interviews in Hmong, the exhibit shares personal histories of flight, loss and resilience as these women rebuilt their lives in Minnesota. 

The exhibit will have multiple public showings throughout 2025 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Hmong immigration to Minnesota.

Michoacán’s P’urhépecha Indigenous group celebrates the New Year

The Indigenous Roots Cultural Center will host “Kurhkueri Kinchekua — P’urhépecha Fuego Nuevo,” a celebration of the P’urhépecha New Year, observed on February 1 and 2. The event honors the P’urhépecha people, an Indigenous group from Michoacán, Mexico, through a traditional “new fire” ceremony, Indigenous dance, and communal offerings of tamales and dessert. 

Historically, the Kurhkueri Kinchekua fire ceremony was held to honor Curicaveri, the P’urhépecha sun deity. Today, it reflects four core principles of P’urhépecha life: work, communal honor, cosmovision, and warrior spirit. 

P’urhépecha writer and cultural anthropologist Gabriela Erandi Spears will lead a presentation on the ceremony’s history and significance. Local community members from Tarimbaro, Michocán, will perform traditional folk dances such as Danza de los Viejitos (Dance of the Old Men) and Danza del Torito de Petate (Dance of the Little Bull of Petate). 

Correction: The location for “Of Distance and Time” has been updated.

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