Ian Leask, Afton Press’s Publisher, talks about the release of their book, Latin Art in Minnesota, which was funded by Minnesota Historical Society.
Transcript
Opening: This is Minnesota’s Legacy: A look at the organizations and people who have benefitted from Minnesota’s unique Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment.
BRITT AAMODT: Artists create works of art. But what are the life experiences that create the artists? Music
IAN GRAHAM LEASK: We've put out some magnificent books, including the one that you are here to talk about.
Sfx book pages
AAMODT: Ian Graham Leask is the publisher of Afton Press. The small publishing house in Edina got a grant from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund to profile Minnesota artists with Central and South American roots about their art and their lives.
LEASK: Many of the artists were pulled together by who we hired as the author for the book, which was Billy Franklin, and he did a magnificent job.
AAMODT: William “Billy” Gustavo Franklin is a Venezuelan-born Minnesota artist. It was his job to find 12 artists and 12 interviewers, one for each artist, to talk to them about who they are and about the experiences that drive their creativity. Music
LEASK: They were chosen to create a book that had a tremendous variety of art in it.
AAMODT: The artists represented a mix of cultures—and a mix of styles and media. In 2023, the interviews and artwork, which spans photography and painting to mosaic and sculpture, were compiled in Afton Press’s Latin Art in Minnesota: Conversations and What’s Next.
Closing: Minnesota’s Legacy is a production of AMPERS, with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, more at ampers dot org.