Art/Music/Film In Minnesota

The state of Minnesota has many prominent figures in the areas of art, music and film. In the category of the arts, Charles Schultz, LeRoy Neiman, and Wanda Gag all made significant contributions. In the field of music, Bob Dylan and Prince were two of the most outstanding. Judy Garland, Jessica Lange, Winona Ryder, and Chris Pratt are prominent names in the acting world that were born in Minnesota.

There have been many contributors from Minnesota to the Arts. Charles Schultz, nicknamed, “sparky”, was born on November 26^th, 1922 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Shultz is regarded as one of the most influential cartoonists in history. He wrote the Peanuts comic strip, the first appearing on October 2^nd, 1950, in various newspapers, nationwide, and after announcing retirement in 1999, the comic strip was syndicated in well over 2,600 worldwide papers, as well as translated into over 25 languages in collectors’ books. The Peanuts Gang became such a cultural icon in the United States that NASA named a spacecraft after his characters. Charles received many awards and forms of recognition for his work, including an Emmy Award for his animated specials. Shultz once said, “All you need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt”. Another artist, born in St Paul Minnesota on June 8^th, 1921 is a man by the name of LeRoy Neiman. Neiman was a writer and illustrator and is best known for his depictions of sports and his 50-year partnership with Playboy Magazine. Often spotted with a large cigar in hand, and an even larger mustache on his face, he once said, “I created LeRoy Neiman. Nobody else told me how to do it. Well, I’m a believer in the theory that the artist is as important as his work.” Neiman wrote and illustrated a column in the Playboy magazines called “Man at his Leisure” for 15 years. He was highly sought after for commercial projects with big name companies and organizations. The Kirov and Bolshoi Ballet in Russia hired him to paint their dancers. The woman responsible for writing and illustrating one of the first picture books for children was born in Minnesota in New Ulm, in 1893. Wanda Gag was inspired by the message of her dying father to carry on his creative work. She wrote and illustrated Millions of Cats, which became a classic children’s book. In 2018, she was awarded the Original Art Lifetime Achievement Award, and she wrote a 500-page autobiography called Growing Pains. She was quoted from her autobiography, “There is nothing better for us to do than to take ourselves as we find ourselves and make the best of ourselves. If I find myself, as I did, the daughter of an artist who has left me with broad mindedness, and a conveniently strong character to resist temptation, I take myself from there and accomplish what I can…I do not even deserve praise for doing my best, for that is my duty and I deserve to be blamed for not doing my best.” 

In the field of music, Bob Dylan is widely known. Born May 24^th, 1941, in Duluth, Minnesota, the folk-rock singer/songwriter has enjoyed a long and successful career. Two of his most notably famous songs are “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “Like a Rolling Stone”.  He has won 11 Grammy Awards and received an Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Things Have Changed” from the movie Wonder Boys in 2000. He had an antiwar stance and his album “Blonde on Blonde” went double platinum. He has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and is regarded as one of the most important figures in pop culture. He once said, “There is nothing so stable as change.”  Prince, born Prince Rogers Nelson on June 7^th, 1958, in Minneapolis, Minnesota was a world-renowned performer, singer, and songwriter. He had numerous “Hot 100” songs, including “When Doves Cry”, “Purple Rain”, and “Let’s Go Crazy”. His Soundtrack album to “Purple Rain” went 13 times platinum. He won 5 Grammy Awards, which included Best R&B Song in 1984. He was one of the most influential singers and performers of the decade of the 1980’s and had a career which lasted four decades. Frustrated with the controlling nature of his record company, in 1993 Prince changed his name to an unpronounceable glyph which first appeared on the “Love Symbol Album” hoping that it would free him from contractual obligations. For a time, he was referred to as, “The Artist Formerly known as Prince. “One of his notable quotes is, “Technology is cool, but you’ve got to use it as opposed to letting it use you.” 

In the realm of film, perhaps one of the better-known actresses of the 20^th century is Judy Garland. She was Born June 10, 1922 in Grand Rapids Minnesota. She signed her first movie contract with MGM Studios at the young age of just 13 years old. Her greatest on-screen success was in The Wizard of Oz, an iconic film still rebroadcast many years after it was released. Judy Garland was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for her performance of “Over the Rainbow” from that movie along with 5 other performances. She was equal measures singer and actor. She won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in 1955 for her role in A Star is Born. She also received the Lifetime Achievement award in 1962. In 1969 she died as a result of an accidental drug overdose. She had been known to be a troubled person during her life. She once said, “I never looked through a keyhole without finding someone was looking back.” Jessica Lange, another prominent actress from Minnesota, was a model turned actress. She was born on April 20, 1949 in Cloquet, Minnesota. She starred in the hit film King Kong in 1976. Lang is perhaps best known for her roles in Tootsie, Blue Sky, Normal, Grey Gardens, and most recently, American Horror Story. The acclaimed actress has won 41 different awards for her work, including an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role, a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a series or miniseries, and an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie. She stated, “Acceptance and tolerance and forgiveness; Those are life-altering lessons.” Winona Ryder is a film actress, well known for some of her darker roles. She was born October 29^th, 1971, in Winona, Minnesota. Her best-known roles were in Heathers, Girl Interrupted, Beetlejuice, and Edward Scissorhands. More recently, she has appeared in J. J. Abrams’ revival of the Star Trek films as Mr. Spock’s mother and in the television series, Stranger Things. She has won 19 acting awards including a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role. Chris Pratt was born on June 21, 1979 in Virginia, Minnesota. He starred in TV shows like Everwood, The O.C. and Parks and Recreation. He attained huge box office success as the lead actor in Guardians of the Galaxy and in the Jurassic World Franchise. He received the Saturn Award for Best Actor in 2014 for his hole in “Guardians of the Galaxy”. He received the BTVA People’s Choice Voice Acting award for the video game Lego Dimensions. He received the CinemaCon Award for Breakthrough Performer of the Year in 2014. Another accolade he received was the MTV Movie Award for Best Action performance in Jurassic World. One of his more quotable quotes is, “Just be yourself and forget all of the stuff you read in GQ magazine.” 

Works Cited

“About LeRoy Neiman.” LeRoy Neiman Shop, http://www.leroyneiman.com/about/ . 

Kooper , Al. “Bob Dylan American Musician.”ENCYCLOPÆDIA BRITANNICA, 4 Apr. 2019, http://www.britannica.com/biography/Bob-Dylan-American-musician. 

“Bob Dylan Biography.” Edited by Biography.com Editors, Biography, 2 Apr. 2014, www.biography.com/musician/bob-dylan. 

“Charles M. Schulz Biography.” Charles M. Schulz Museum, schulzmuseum.org/about-schulz/schulz-biography/ . 

“Chris Pratt Awards.” IMDb, www.imdb.com/name/nm0695435/awards. 

“Chris Pratt Biography.” Edited by Biography.com Editors, Biography, 22AD, 2014, www.biography.com/actor/chris-pratt. 

“Chris Pratt Quotes.” Brainy Quote, http://www.brainyquote.com/authors/chris_pratt . 

“Jessica Lange Awards.” IMDb, www.imdb.com/name/nm0001448/awards. 

“Judy Garland.” Awards & Winners, awardsandwinners.com/winner/?mid=/m/0g10g . 

“LeRoy Neiman.” ASAMA // The American Sport Art Museum & Archives, http://www.asama.org/awards-of-sport/medallion-series/sport-artist-of-the-year/leroy-neiman/ . 

“Prince Biography.” Prince, www.aceshowbiz.com/celebrity/prince/biography.html. 

Schuldt, Clay. “Wanda Gág Awarded Original Art Lifetime Achievement Award.” The Journal, 14AD, 2018, www.nujournal.com/news/local-news/2018/11/14/wanda-gag-awarded-original-art-lifetime-achievement-award/. 

“ Wanda Gág.” GoodReads, www.goodreads.com/author/show/5051196.Wanda_G_g. 

“Wanda Hazel Gág American Writer and Artist.” Edited by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica,ENCYCLOPÆDIA BRITANNICA, 7 Mar. 2019, http://www.britannica.com/biography/Wanda-Hazel-Gag . 

“Who Was Wanda Gag.” Biographys, http://www.biographies.net/people/en/wanda_gag . 

“Winona Ryder Awards.” IMDb, www.imdb.com/name/nm0000213/awards.