Celebrating Cultures 2025

Community Art & Cultural Exchange
Co-Presented with Niijii Radio
Wednesday, May 21, 2025
4:00 – 7:00 p.m.
@ NYM Sculpture Park / Barn

Join us for the 5th Annual Celebrating Cultures, a vibrant, family-friendly event that brings together community members of all backgrounds for an evening of art, music, food, and cultural exchange!

This community gathering is co-hosted by the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center and Niijii Radio, White Earth.

Whether you’ve attended in years past or this is your first time, you’ll enjoy a beautiful, welcoming celebration of cultures under the sky at the NYM Sculpture Park.

✨ Featuring:

  • Live Cultural Performances Schedule

    • 4:30 Kari Tauring Flute Performance Featuring Norwegian Nature Instruments. Kari Tauring is a Nordic root musician, author, and teacher. She was recently in Denmark and Norway learning to make and play Iron Age bone and tree flutes. Nature instruments are both universal to humanity and specific when tied into Norse mythology. Kari shares her Norwegian American root culture from 20,000 BCE (before the ice flows uncovered Scandinavia) to the Bronze Age when sheep and goats were introduced, to the Viking Era and even recent times.

    • 5:00 Dance Fun for Young and Old! Take a dance step forward by putting the beat in your feet and joy in your heart as you learn some traditional folk, circle and contra dances. A dance gathering that celebrates connections, community, and camaraderie. No experience is necessary and dances are taught with the beginner in mind (8 years old and older). Led by Lenore Siems.

    • 5:30 Hoop Dancing Like other native dances, hoop dance is not acrobatic, but restrained. Hoop dance, an individual dance, is a “show dance” in some tribes. Every dance is as individual as the person who choreographs it. Learn more in this narrated performance.

    • 6:00 Heather and Thistle Pipes and Drums Performance by Scottish bagpipers Ian Durkin and Rikki Given, along with drummer Wayne Alexander. Heather and Thistle Pipes and Drums is a non-profit educational pipe and drums band based out of Fargo, North Dakota. Since 1992, Heather and Thistle have been sharing their love of Celtic music while performing at parades and events throughout the Red River Valley and beyond. Members of the band have come and gone throughout the years, however, the band currently features nearly 20 pipers and a half dozen drummers.

    • 6:30 Belly Dancers Performance by two dancers from MinDak Belly Dance, an organization that teaches belly dance classes in the Fargo-Moorhead area.

  • Hands-On Art & Activities for All Ages

    • NYMRCC Art in Your Park Kick-Off – art basics for kids
    • Scherenschnitte – folk paper cutting with Cheryl Bannes
    • Scribbletastic Fun-O-Matic Command Post by Wadena Artist Brad Wegscheid

  • Indigenous Art & Storytelling brought to you by Niijii Radio

    • Bone bead chokers
    • Ojibwe language coloring sheets
    • Pony bead keychains
    • Corn Husk Dolls with storytelling
    • Lacrosse demonstrations

  • Cultural Booths & Demonstrations

    • Bam’idizowigamig Creators Place: Native-made products and small crafts, plan to demonstrate moccasin making and bead work.
    • East Otter Tail County History Museum: Genealogy tools & resources
    • Kateryna Bortsova NYMRCC visiting artist from Ukraine: “Self-propulsion” interactive mapping activity
    • Sharon Marquardt Local artist offering Himmeli (Finnish straw art) demonstration
    • Finland in a Suitcase with Amy & Adam Tervola Hultberg
    • Finnish Culture & Finn Creek information by Shirley Quist
    • Holding Stones – Artist Santana Crillo – wire wrapping & jewelry

  • Cultural Cuisine for Sale

More details will be added as activities, artists, businesses, and organizational partners are added. See below to register today, e-mail info@kulcher.org, or call us at 218-385-3339 to join us in celebrating cultures, community, and connections!

🙌 Cultural Partners Invited!

We’re actively seeking individuals and groups from all cultural backgrounds to help make this a truly cross-cultural event. If you have traditions, stories, art, music, or food to share, we want to hear from you!

All ideas are welcome—this is a celebration of cultures, creativity, and community. 

👉 To get involved, contact us at info@kulcher.org or 218-385-3339.

Examples of participation:

  • Interactive art activities (for kids & adults)

  • Artist or maker demos

  • Cultural food vendors or trucks

  • Storytelling or music

  • Performances, dance, or hands-on workshops

🎨 Artist & Maker Booths

Artists and makers are invited to set up a booth to sell handcrafted items.

  • Bring your own setup (table, chairs, tent, etc.)

  • Setup starts at 2:00 PM on May 21

  • Space is limited and pre-registration is required

  • Send us your details so we can help promote your work!

    Your Name (required)

    Your Email (required)

    Your Phone Number (required)

    What would you like to sell or demonstrate?

    How can we contact you?
    PhoneEmail

    Let’s celebrate the rich cultural tapestry of our region—together. 

    💬 Questions? Email us at info@kulcher.org or call 218-385-3339.


    This activity is made possible in part by the voters of Minnesota through a Cultural Expressions grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage fund.