Mn Artists Presents: [Your Name Here]

Virtual Mn Artists Presents: Maia Maiden

May 6, 2021

  • Maia Maiden by DigieMade Photography
  • Desdamona by Brian Grenz
  • Roosevelt Mansfield by DigieMadePhotography
  • Herb Johnson III by Juicedope
  • Neil Taylor
  • Tish Jones by DigieMade Photography

Guest curator Maia Maiden joins forces with filmmaker Sherine Onukwuwe to spotlight the Minnesota hip-hop community. In a film shot on-site at the Walker, five local luminaries explore how the elements of freestyle, hook, and repeat drive innovation across art forms. The presentation combines deejay (DJ), emcee (MC), dance, graffiti, fashion, and knowledge in a conversation on the global impact of hip-hop.

Participating Artists

Scientist by day, dancer by night, Maia Maiden, a.k.a. Rah Fyah, has been a leader in the Minnesota dance community for over 20 years. Her work as a dancer and choreographer in hip-hop led her to create Maia Maiden Productions, a Twin Cities–based arts presenter of the award-winning ROOTED: Hip Hop Choreographers’ Evening, Sistah Solo | Being Brothas, and more.

Sherine Onukwuwe, a hybrid of Southern and Midwestern culture living above the Mason Dixon line, is a creative specializing in media production and creative writing. Her work in one way or another is situated to create leverage for marginalized Black people living or ancestral.

Desdamona is an international award-winning hip-hop and spoken word artist based in St. Paul. She is a cofounder of B-Girl Be, a first-of-its-kind celebration of women in hip-hop (2005–2011), and is an advocate for women practitioners of hip-hop.

McKnight Fellow Herb Johnson III, a.k.a. JDot Tight Eyez, graduated from Perpich Center for the Performing Arts in 2010 and studied three years at the Lundstrum Center for Arts.

Tish Jones is a poet, educator, cultural strategist, and cultural producer, as well as founder and executive director of TruArtSpeaks, an arts and culture nonprofit based in St. Paul.

Roosevelt Mansfield is a DJ (Dj Digie), photographer, and producer featured on Rolling Out and Afropunk with his group Up Rock as well as the owner of DigieMade LLC. He is a recipient of the Twin Cities Hip Hop Legend Award as a part of the group Abstract Pack.

Corina Seuasoukseng is an emerging Lao American multidisciplinary artist in the mediums of dance, choreography, visual art, and digital multimedia.

Neil Taylor, as True Headz Clothing, produces hip-hop rooted fat lace hats that reflect the formative years of hip-hop culture, the 1980s.