Golden Magazine: issue 4 Back to Basics

GOLDEN ISSUE 4

CONTENTS

Data Corruption Fashion

The Underground Movement

d

LETTER FROM

THE EDITOR

Another year, but it’s not the same Golden.

Entering the third year since the birth of our beloved publication, it was time to take a step back and reevaluate the organization. This evaluation period prompted the launch of our official rebrand to ensure our publication’s quality and longevity. The central theme that resonates as students, young professionals, and ever-growing humans is the reality that there is always time to come back to one’s self. This discovery reflects our newly evolved mission statement to function as a hub for bridging gaps on campus and in the Minneapolis community.

Our commitment to displaying integrity and quality content creation was made possible by extending our production timeline from a semester-based issue to an annual publication. In an age of high consumption and low internal engagement, our team amplifies the power of quality over quantity to connect more effectively with our audience.

This semester Golden Magazine represents a strong foundation in our Issue 04 theme: Back to Basics, which celebrates the power of community and the different ways that it manifests in our lives. By world-building, we could transcend into new dimensions of thinking and conceptualize an era of the community as the foundation of human connection. In today’s fast-paced world, prioritizing and strengthening our relationships on campus and in the wider Minneapolis area is more critical than ever.

The issue aims to highlight different innovative hubs in Minneapolis and spotlight the lesser-known subcultures around us. We begin our exploration by understanding technology as both a binding and disconnecting force, then work to showcase groups of local fashion, music, and dance. By shining light and telling our creatives’ stories, we hope to inspire individuals to become more engaged in on-campus and Minneapolis communities.

It takes courage to build relationships and develop a sense of belonging, but there is always time to revert to the basics of who we are. So we dare you.

Stay Golden, Constance Duopu

TO STAFF

We want to thank each and every member of the Golden Magazine staff team for making our fourth issue great. Our 2022-23 year simply would not have been possible without help from every single department. Our theme, Back 2 Basics, was ambitious enough: it’s no small task to take an intricate campus experience and represent it accurately in bite-sized pieces, through photoshoots, blog pieces, social media posts, graphics, emails. Nevertheless, we were completely blown away by the talent on our team this year. Our members took this theme and truly made it their own, going out of their way to bring their own experiences, visions and passions to the project. That is incredibly special. So, to all of our Golden personnel, thank you for working so hard this year. It shows on every front. We are really proud of everything Golden has accomplished this year; you should be proud of yourself. Thank you for everything.

-Kayla Ignatowicz

Data Corruption

WEARABLE Technology Article by: Kamar Abdullahi

From an early age, the term “more” is naturally cemented into our everyday vocabulary. Whether you are three years old and asking for more candy, or 40 years old and asking for more paid time off from your job—the quest for “more” truly never ends. In the field of fashion, especially wearable technology, this is no different. Wearable technology is a phrase used to describe any electronic device that can be worn on the body. These can range in use from smartwatches and fitness trackers to medical diagnostic tools used in hospital settings. While many of these devices can grant us the opportunity to measure and understand our physiology, misleading marketing, hyper dependence, and a wide variety of ethical ramifications have led some to ask whether there is such a thing as too much information.

According to Dr. Lucy Dunne, a professor in the College of Design at the University of Minnesota and the Co-Director of the Wearable Technology Lab on campus, the main goal of wearable technology is to “achieve functionality.”

However, the perplexity of translating a good idea into a garment consumers will actually wear has tainted the accuracy of many of the products on the market. Dr. Dunne explained that technology needed for “medical grade accuracy,” such as heart rate monitors, often require more sensors than those found in smartwatches.

However, medical heart rate monitors often do not fit the aesthetics that many consumers are looking for on a day-to-day basis. To appease their markets, many companies will utilize a small amount of technology for the looks and market it as something that is definitive.

A clear example of this are smartwatches; these popular accessories have been marketed as extraordinary at calorie counting, heart rate monitoring and giving a blueprint to living a fit lifestyle. However, Dr. Dunne pointed out that many of the inconsistencies of these products are not difficult to see: “Have you ever tried to compare two watches’ step counts?” she asked me.

“They get different responses.”

The topic of physiological measurement is complex and difficult for companies to master not only because of the small amount of technology they are trying to utilize but also because individuals are so different. “Many of these products make the assumption that everyone is the same,” Dr. Dunne explained.

While the idea of large businesses misleading buyers isn’t novel nor groundbreaking, the value that many people, particularly young adults, have put towards the information gathered by these devices has been shown to have an unintended and unfavorable impact. A study from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2017 found associations between the use of calorie and fitness trackers and eating disorder symptomatology, exemplifying how inaccuracies in these measurements may have impacts much larger than not just not knowing how many calories you may have burned. A U.S. & World News article called “The Dark Side of Activity Trackers” highlighted how these devices and the measurements received from them can become an obsession. This aligned with a study from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization in South Australia that found that when participants were prevented from wearing their fitness trackers, they reported higher levels of negative emotions compared to positive.

Although these devices can get people motivated to live a healthy lifestyle, the information gained can cause users to negatively fixate on reaching their goal - even if the numerics are not completely accurate. This combined with the ability to share daily metrics with others and see how much those closest to you are working out adds another dimension of pressure to a topic that is sensitive to many. The social-media-fication of what used to be a personal journey has resulted in many of the same issues that have been seen with social media popping up in the fitness space such as anxiety, comparison and obsessiveness.

Accuracy is only one space where the ethics of wearable technology has been questioned. Equity, diversity (both

in terms of product teams and product design), and data-gathering are all areas that have large ethical implications.

It would be unfair to paint all wearable technology as a catalyst for unfavorable outcomes as the field of wearable technology covers much more than the wellness industry. “These devices can have many different applications including medical, wellness and fitness, communications, sensing the environment, entertainment and virtual reality,” Dr. Dunne explained. So, while the fitness industry may not be the most applicable place for these products, having the ability to do things such as read a text message on the go is an example of how wearable technology can positively impact a user’s life.

This introduces the question of where wearable tech starts to go wrong. The emphasis that we, as a society, put on technology is heavy; when Boomers say that Generation X cannot live without their tech, they’re not completely wrong. The clear impacts that these accessories have on mental health and human behavior have shown the need for reflection on how we allow these metrics and technologies to influence our lives. It has seemed as though the concept of bodily intuition is slowly fading and being replaced with tools that aren’t as accurate. The disconnection that this can cause leads to further reliance on technology that just does not work like we need it to. As our communities continue to have more and more options for information through outlets like wearable technology, there may come a point where more information is just too much.

Are we

Surveilling

or Being Surveilled?

Article by: Nicole Schmidtgen digital media to reference before going to your first prom or college move-in day. Countless videos and Instagram posts create an expectation. A specific memory to achieve. Life can feel like an endless chase for the next big snapshot. As ridiculous as it sounds, the phrase “pic or it didn’t happen” holds genuine weight today. Deciding our actions based on the document-ability of a situation removes us from the present moment and places us once again at the mercy of social media. Generating content from an exciting time in our lives can be a great way to preserve a moment, but should the value of our life be judged by the content we produce or the memories we hold within ourselves? It’s important to take a moment and reflect on how exactly we are benefiting from the technology we surround ourselves with.

Yes, the internet can foster connections around the world, but our online personas are often just distorted reflections of who we are. If you look at yourself in the mirror for long enough you might not recognize the person staring back.

A watchful eye has the ability to change our When our connected world is found online it perception of ourselves and, although everyone can easily get lost. With the rise of vloggers interacts with social media in personalized and ‘Day-In-The-Life’s, it’s hard to experience something new without having seen a depiction ways, ultimately we’re at the mercy of the silent online first. That’s a relatively new phenomenon. authority: each other.

There hasn’t always been a massive archive of Communication breeds connection, but constant media contact has created a virtual panopticon. Someone is always watching, judging and assessing what kind of person you are.

Who you are. But the tricky thing is, you never see them do it. It all happens behind a screen.

A post becomes more than a social media update. It shapes a part of your identity, and curating an online presence takes a mental toll. Altering and adjusting your appearance to better fit the trends in media creates distance from your authentic self. Connection through social media gets lost then in an effort to portray perfection. We see this in new trends like BeReal: the app once designed for “authentic” social media has become corrupted by the overwhelming presence of the virtual panopticon. Some true supporters of the app’s mission will be honest in their documentation, while others choose to manufacture a moment they want others to see. Pruned and perfected into byte-sized packages.

THE LIGHT WE LEAVE ON Article by: Carly Berglund It’s November 2022, and the opening of Lauren Gunderson’s play “Silent Sky” is set to open in only a few hours. The costumes, set and cast are ready to perform, but there’s one problem: the lights aren’t quite right.

In a play that is about stars, how are the actors expected to perform without light? To solve the issue, lighting technicians climbed three flights of stairs onto the catwalk high above the stage and rehanged each light to illuminate the actors.

Although theater lighting is something an audience shouldn’t need to think about while watching a performance, it’s an evolving technology that both faculty and students use to create meaningful art on stage.

Bill Healy, lighting design supervisor at the University of Minnesota, has worked in the professional lighting industry since the 1990s.

He was at the Ordway in St. Paul during their 2007 renovation and observed the beginning of the LED lighting revolution when new fixtures arrived at UMN around 2014.

“There’s still a lot of the same ideas but for the first time there’s a big shift in the world of how we think about color for live theater,” Healy said about the LED revolution.

Lighting fixtures had been relatively unchanged before the surge of LEDs that began around 15 years ago, Healy said. Newer technologies in

LED fixtures have increased capabilities from the initially limited customization options, with extreme saturation included in their earliest versions.

“Okay, so we’ve got this new stuff. How do we make it function like the old stuff so we can still work the way we do?” Healy said. “There are new things that we can do. There’s new capabilities, but there’s also some really important things that we would prefer not to lose.”

Some of those “important things” theater artists hope to hang on to is the home they’ve found in the university’s theater department. Theater

students, including Ella Eastman-Kiesow, Regan Carter, Alice Wenzlow and Shayla Courteau, said they’ve found a community of friends and colleagues despite the challenges COVID brought to their first few years of college.

While the lights may seem like a small aspect of a big show, every member of this community brings an individual piece to the table of the production. Where would the cast be if the actor couldn’t act? If the microphone couldn’t amplify?

“It’s beyond school,” Wenzlow said.

“It’s art that we want to do, which I love.”

Theater students often collaborate with one another on projects completely outside of their coursework and for no academic credit.

These young artists do it simply because they enjoy it and because it makes a difference, they said.

“I’m really passionate about theater for social justice and the ways we can use the empathy that theater fosters to change our communities,” Eastman-Kiesow said. “That kind of fulfills my need to change the world. You know, we all have that little ‘Oh, I’m gonna change the world.’ That’s mine.”

Data Corruption

(Golden’s Definition)

FASHION / fash-uhn / noun •

1. A mechanism of community building 2. The expression of emotion, opinions and/or unique perspectives 3. A manifestation of one’s dreams, goals and identity 4. A vehicle with which to dislodge suppressed creativity The definition of fashion has much more depth than runway trends and overpriced boutiques. Rather, the soft stitches of a new sweater or a t-shirt that speaks to you right off the rack exemplify the emotion that is imperative to what may seem like a superficial field. In this section, we explore fashion through the lens of community, hearing from those who have used fashion as a means of creativity regardless of societal standards. From Katie Rohling investigating how student designers are dressing their peers to Kamar Abdullahi exploring a collection of highfashion garments tucked away in an inconspicuous UMN class hall, manifestations of fashion around campus and across the Twin Cities can be found within the next few pages.

-Kamar Abdullahi

THE GOLDST MUSEUM How High Fashion Garments End Up at the University of Minnesota Article by: Kamar Abdullahi

TEIN While the Twin Cities is nowhere near the fashion capital status of places like New York City and Milan, on the quiet and woodsy St. Paul campus lies a collection of clothing that could be described as a fashion-conscious student’s dream. The Goldstein Museum, tucked away on the second floor of McNeal Hall, is filled to the brim with designers ranging from Coco Chanel to Bottega Veneta and Vivienne Westwood. First opening in 1976 as a tribute to Harriet and Vetta Goldstein, two sisters who were professors and

pioneers of teaching design at the University of Minnesota, the collection has continued to expand with over 34,000 multidisciplinary objects (costumes, textiles, etc.) dating back to the pre-19th century. It has become the University’s very own fashion time capsule. But how has a miniature museum been able to secure such valued artifacts?

The topic of museum sourcing, i.e., how museums obtain valuable and expensive pieces, is one that has been brought to the forefront of museum controversy as of late. In September 2022 the Metropolitan Art Museum, one of the world’s largest art museums, had 27 ancient artifacts estimated to collectively be worth over $13 million seized by authorities due to the piece’s connections to an illegal trafficking ring.

While the MET obtained these

pieces prior to the accusations, this highlights how even the most powerful museums can be unknowingly complicit to crimes in art history.

The debate over museum art is not only confined to the sourcing of ancient pieces, but also includes the ethical responsibility of museums to understand the history and community impact of the art they exhibit. In 2012, the Walker Art Center here in Minneapolis faced controversy when it was set to unveil a sculpture that referenced the mass execution of 38 Dakota Native Americans.

Those from the local Native American community protested and voiced how the intergenerational trauma that was being depicted through the artwork had emotional implications for native community members that was being ignored. While art is an

expession of emotion that seemingly has no bounds, museums hold the responsibility of relaying these messages just like any other media source. However, unlike some of the museums that fall within the midst of unethical practices, my time at the Goldstein Museum and interview with Interim Director and Associate Curator, Dr. Jean McElvain, was proof that there are some museums that are still doing it right.

As I walked into the “closet” that holds the Goldsteins collection, I was met with large white industrial cabinets housing garments from different decades and a wide variety of designers. As Dr. McElvain slid on her white gloves, she began to show me an as-

sortment of pieces including vintage shoes, jewelry, and cross stitching on jackets from the 1960’s. Many of the pieces in the Goldstein are used as educational tools to teach sewing patterns, display clothing trends and highlight moments in history. While she never considered herself fashionable (though I would have to disagree after seeing her simple striped pink, brown and white collared sweater paired with a classic denim jean), Dr. McElvain explained that the intersections of where fashion, politics, culture and gender overlap is what quipped her interest in fashion history and is an exciting part of her job. As Interim Director and Associate curator, McElvains’ day-to-day consists of curating exhibitions both by herself

and with guests, reviewing objects, reaching out to donors, overseeing projects and much more. With the Goldstein being such a small museum, most of the garments in their collection have been acquired through donations. However, the museum does hold a small acquisition fund that currently has their sights set on purchasing pieces from African American and Indigenous designers that have been historically underrepresented in the collection— Stephen Burrows and Minnesota Native American Delina White, for example.

Out of curiosity, I asked Dr. McElvain about the range of prices and rareness of the products that the Goldstein holds and, while she recalled Parisian Haute Couture pieces

such as a Schiaparelli gown and Spanish designers such as Mariano Fortuny, she articulated that it can be difficult to pinpoint the most valued piece because value at the Goldstein often differs from monetary metrics. Rather, value is held for each piece within the unique history that it holds.

Based on my previous research on museum practices, I was also intrigued to gather Dr. McElvain’s perspective regarding the ethical dilemmas that curators are faced with when deciding what to purchase and exhibit in exhibitions. Since the Goldstein relies so heavily on donations and does not exhibit grave goods or exhibit fine arts (i.e.,artifacts that are buried along with bodies, often found on ancient sites), McElvain explained that many of the ethical dilemmas that coincide with these objects

do not apply exclusively to The Goldstein. The obligation to keep up with best practices are universal for museums, and include understanding cultural context of acquired and exhibited pieces, reflecting on items in the collection that could be repatriated, and managing conflicting interests of guests who are hosting exhibitions. None of these come without their own difficulties, McElvain said, and often have no easy right answer.

As multiple museums around continue to come under fire with accusations of unethical practices and lack of cultural awareness, the Goldstein Museum serves as an example of how small museums and strong leadership can bring

rare and eye-catching pieces without muddling ethical practices. While St. Paul may not be Paris or London, the preservation work done by The Goldstein Museum offers students the opportunity to learn from designers that have and will continue to change the fashion industry.

(Special thanks to the museum for the wonderful interview and behind-the-scenes look at the archives!)

STUDENT D

DESIGNERS

The Lookbook of a Community Article by: Katie Rohling

Personal style is how one chooses to dress themselves.

It’s the conscious decision of what shirt will pair with what pants, shoes, accessory and so on. This decision is a reflection of all the digital content one has digested, combined with the personality, economical availability and overall authenticity. The University of Minnesota is home to incredible student designers that take pride in leveraging all of these factors to create the best garments they possibly can; I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to speak with a few of them.

Erin Briggs always knew that she wanted to do something rooted in creativity. Her designs derive from the juxtaposition of creative and clean elements. This corresponds to the ideology of people’s “search for peace that we all have amidst the chaos of the world around us”, Briggs said.

The pieces also convey Gen Z individuals who have grown through tumultuous childhoods as well as mental health issues. Her designs differ from her own personal style; Briggs claims they are more exaggerated. “When you are a designer for other people, you can be a little bit more creative and fearless with it,” Briggs

noted. She often asks herself what she would be wearing if no one was watching. She believes that style completely represents individuality, as it’s “the first thing you notice about somebody when you see them,” she explained.

Neema Mochoge didn’t know she wanted to be an apparel designer until she moved to the United States from Kenya. Her mom was her biggest inspiration, from the way she dressed herself to her general essence. Mochoge’s designs are bold, structured and often unconventional in that they “celebrate every woman’s body, mind, and sexuality.” The pieces are asymmetrical and geometric while incorporating a balanced, minimalistic aspect, almost as if they are from a “different world.”

Mochoge wants to help women in developing countries shift their mindsets into believing they can do whatever they want and without having to listen to a man to achieve something. By giving these women opportunities to create the clothes that Mochoge designs for themselves, they will also be able financially support their family and earn a fair wage. Style to Mochoge means expressing who you naturally are, not just following what everyone else is wearing.

Jaylee Rosand grew up sewing and views apparel design as her chosen art form. Her style reflects how she feels about her identity. Most of her designs take traditional Asian garments and put a modern twist on them. She takes elements from a specific time period and

makes it more modern in a way that honors the designs of the past. For example, she designed a black tea-length dress that displays a black satin corset with silver garter straps that hold it up, all inspired by vintage Dior. She claims she wants to “bring back some of the old art that we used to see when things were more handmade.” To Rosand, personal style is something she wishes more people would use to express by wearing what they truly want and what makes them feel comfortable; not some-

thing that is necessarily developed by trends or what other people are wearing.

What a person wears determines how they are perceived by others, whether it is intentional or not. Specifically curated items, such as the ones by these apparel designers, are meant to send a message while being worn for those able to embody the art.

“At the end of the day, clothing is just clothing.

I think we need to remind ourselves of that sometimes,” Briggs said.

“At the end of the day, clothing is just clothing.”

The LGBTQ+ community is a vibrant facet of the Twin Cities.

We, as students at the U, can easily mingle with the community: we can catch a drag show at Gay 90’s on a Saturday night, get brunch and watch drag queens perform at the Union Rooftop, or even attend bingo with a drag queen at Coffman (one who might’ve even starred on Rupaul’s Drag Race in the pas)t. But how did this community come about?

And, furthermore—why does it thrive in a Midwestern metropolitan area? After all, the Twin Cities are surrounded by districts and towns that typically reflect anti-LGTBQ ideology, as evidenced by past political election outcomes and voting trends in rural Minnesota.

It turns out that, like so many battles fought by the LGTBQ+ community, garnering a populous drag scene in the Twin Cities was an uphill battle.

Drag, or the act of “female / male impersonation,” as it was once called, stems from the Vaudeville shows of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Even after Vaudeville died out going into the 1930’s,

DRAG

A Brief History of How We Got Where We Are Today Article by: Joshua Kloss

drag still had a presence in the theater. Outside of the theater, however, dressing in drag was a different story.

Minneapolis had an ordinance that prohibited any cross-dressing outside of the theater until the mid-twentieth century. St. Paul had an ordinance similar to this, except that it wasn’t repealed until 2003, a remarkable 20 years ago. That means that this year’s graduating class was born in a time where drag queens in St. Paul could be arrested simply for expressing themselves in the public sphere. This type of restriction on drag queens wasn’t

confined to the municipal level, either.

Up until these ordinances were repealed in their respective cities, drag performances were simply that: a performance.

Theaters like St. Paul’s Grand Opera House were the only places where drag was actually deemed legal. Thus, drag here began as an elitist field, dominated by white performers.

As the Minneapolis ordinance was repealed, drag in the Twin Cities began to diversify in the 50s and 60s. Performers began taking their business to nightclubs, and increasingly more

IN THE TWIN CITIES

Black drag queens attracted audiences.

However, drag was still policed closely. Police officers working for both St. Paul and Minneapolis began to get involved with the drag scene, and the cops began to threaten the safety of the communities that they were, ironically, sworn to serve and protect.

Yet, progress was being made: the art of drag was getting embraced outside of the theater scene. Many nightclubs and bars doubled as popular gathering places for people of the LGTBQ+ community, and these are the same establishments that stepped up to welcome and host drag performers. Of course, this progress was plagued by the increasing presence and hostility of police officers towards the drag performers of these nightclubs. By 1949, police officers in

the Twin Cities were actively stopping shows that featured drag acts and performances, and intimidated and pressured clubs to terminate their contracts with their drag performers. The same year, a five-year ban was put in place in an area of Minneapolis in order to curb public attention away from drag.

Despite all of the attempts made to suffocate and extinguish the drag scene in the Twin Cities, the community prevailed. Minneapolis saw an increase in the amount of gay bars within its city limits as drag made its way out to the public. Thanks to all of the queens that were brave enough to perform in a time when doing so was either outlawed or heavily scrutinized, students attending universities in the Twin Cities can dance in layers of foam at Gay 90’s or catch a show at the relatively new Roxy’s Cabaret.

It’s for their fighting that the U can welcome drag queens to our Union without police breathing down our necks. It’s unsurprising that the battle

that drag queens fought was met with so much resistance, but the story is nonetheless evident of the power of our LGTBQ+ community in the Twin Cities, historically and to this day. Now, the Twin Cities are a midwestern safe space for drag queens and the LGTBQ+ as a whole, where students at the U who identify with the community have a margin where they can feel seen, supported, and safe—and, maybe, a little less isolated.

WEISMAN GRANT Article by: Kara Savage

The Weisman Art Museum received a grant of $240,000 for the Truth and Reconciliation Project in the fall of 2022. This is a huge step in the social mobilization of artists pertaining to Native and indigenous heritage.

This project will include consulting with indigenous communities on reconciliation research, including an indigenous art-in-residence program.

WAM is in the process of repatriating an inventory of 2,000 Native objects from the Mimbres Valley. This collection was dug up over 90 years ago by the University of Minnesota’s anthropology department.

These native objects are from the Mimbres Valley in southwest New Mexico. Final submission of these objects was done in December 2022.

This project will be a significant shift in the museum’s representation of indigenous art and history. As well as their commitment to the principles of diversity and inclusion.

“This is a moment for us to reflect, consult with Indigenous community members, artists, and leaders, and to fully

engage the work of repair for injuries done by WAM, and by museums and cultural institutions more broadly, to develop new, more inclusive practices in conversation with the communities we serve,” Said Peña Gutiérrez, director at WAM. The art-in-residence program will open the opportunity to advance understanding of the traditional form of art. Artists can submit proposals for their art to be a part of this new project at WAM. WAM is located on the land of the Dakota people, and they are working to improve their acknowledgment of native people, according to the WAM Diversity and Inclusion page.

The museum’s three main goals are champion equity, advance diversity and inclusion, and extend a universal welcome.

In a press release from WAM, the museum is aiming to shift the foundations of museum practice to develop a foundation for culturally responsive evaluation of their offerings and to rebuild relationships with indigenous communities.

“If we are to remain relevant as cultural institutions, we have a duty to develop practices that position museums as intentional actors in society, whose agency extends well beyond the museum walls, and even beyond the arts,” Gutiérrez said.

QUIZ

What's your Microtrend?

Find out with our style quiz!

START you love anything cropped and cute

nah

yess

yes!

graphic tees are a must have

in love with low rise?

nah

yes!

no way

nah 100%

ripped fishnets and faded jackets for sure

baggy pants are the way to go

nah

yess

flowy tops and feminine details are the move

yeppp

nah light color pallettes are your vibe

nah

yess

flare pants? even better if its juicy

pastels and frills are amazing

Y2K

grunge

It’s like you never left the the 2000s, you live and breathe bedazzled sweatshirts and baby tees.

Darker, edgier, and durable!

You like to deemphasize a silhouette and dress in darker palettes.

coquette

Pearls, roses, and anything girly is your jam!

You love all things lace, ruffles, and ribbons.

Check out our fashion blog!

THE eG

n U D R RO

The music scene right under your nose

N O RUD

Evolution Article by: Natalie Trimble From the dance scene of the 1980s to the world’s most well-known music festivals in this day and age – such as “Tomorrowland” in Boom, Belgium, or “Ultra Music Festival” in Miami, Fla. – raves have evolved to be far more than a unique clubbing experience.

Not only have raves become a global phenomenon for electronic music lovers, but they have transformed into a creative safe space for people of all backgrounds to express themselves as they please.

So, what exactly is a rave? While there doesn’t seem to be any single definition on the internet, the general definition for a rave, according to dictionary.com, is “a dance party featuring electronic dance music (EDM) arranged by a disc jockey and a light show or other visual effects…”

While raves and music festivals have similar and sometimes intersecting definitions, there are differences between the two that may be important to know if planning on being in atten-

OF RAVE

FAshion dance of them. iHeartRaves explains that raves are best known for playing EDM that may come from a variety of diverse genres and artists. Some of these EDM genres include techno, house, dubstep, and many more. While music festivals may include EDM sets, this isn’t the main genre an audience will be listening to. At music festivals, one may hear genres varying all the way from rap to country.

Not only are the music genres between raves and music festivals going to vary, but so will the fashion. According to iHeartRaves, both events will be full of some very colorful and unique outfits that are great spaces for self expression, but raveware tends to be “limitless.” Some rave clothing features may include holographic material, neon

colors, and cutouts that may be too scandalous to wear to other events. At music festivals, outfits may be tied to a theme and oftentimes are not as wild as rave outfits can be. Age limitations at raves may be an influential factor for the type of clothing that is worn by these event-goers.

Dance plays a significant role in the creation of a great rave environment.

When asked about what drew him to rave environments, Chris Davis, a thirdyear University of Minnesota Twin Cities student, said “one of the things that really draws me to electronic music is the ability for you to move your body in a way that’s resemblant of the beat.”

He goes on to say that there is actually

quite a variety of genres that are played in rave environments that can really attract a wide spectrum of people.

Rave clothing trends are a huge contributor to the overall rave experience.

There are plenty of ways to promote your own personal style, while also participating in the hottest new trends.

Addy Keenan, a third-year student at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, said “I think that rave clothing has gotten a lot more creative and imaginative, especially with the popularity that raves have gained in the last couple of years…” she said. “I love how there’s something that suits everyone in terms of body inclusivity and body style and also your clothing preferences.”

Carol Boules, a senior at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, said that “clothing in general is just very expressive, but it’s nice to have an outlet where you’re just having fun with it rather than trying to fit some kind of [social standard].”

Boules also shared that many ravers get clothing inspiration from each other. “People at raves, the first thing they say is ‘oh my god! You have such a cool outfit’ or ‘where did you get it?’.

People are just bouncing new ideas off of each other all the time and it’s cool to see that everyone has that same mindset.”

While raves can be a fun way to get away from the stress of everyday life, there are also ways that ravers use the event to help uplift and support one another. First-year University of Minnesota Twin Cities student Ella Anderson said that “the willingness to just love on each other and support one another while you’re there is just so meaningful. You don’t get that a lot in the world, where everybody’s just there to have fun and be together. I think that’s an experience that you don’t see often.”

It would be hard to talk about raves without mentioning the common misconceptions that are attached to them.

While ravers often think of raves as a safe outlet for creativity, self expression and fun, there are many people who are only familiar with the event’s connotations. “I think some people can be a little intimidated by the word ‘rave’. It kind of has a lot of different connotations.” said Davis. “I think some people associate raves with heavy drug use or intense dubstep.”

“I feel like there are some drugs that are very normalized at raves. One thing I was afraid of was that there would be kind of an exclusivity there if you weren’t doing it.” Keenan said. “It’s definitely there, it definitely exists, people will offer it to you and if you don’t pick it then that’s okay! No one really cares.”

For those that may want to try attending a rave, but may not know how to get started, don’t worry! These ravers have some helpful words of advice for you.

In regards to rave fashion trends, Davis said, “you’ll see such a variety of people

and such a variety of clothing being worn. I think some people have this idea that if you’re going to a rave you need to have on the craziest, loudest outfit, or need to have the most skin showing.

That’s really not true. You can go to a rave or a show wearing whatever you want. It’s about what you feel comfortable in and what you feel brings you the most joy in terms of self expression.”

If you’re a music lover and are looking for a new activity to try with friends, raves may be a perfect event to attend.

“Just go and try it! They’re so fun, it’s an experience that you don’t get in many other places, so it’s definitely worth giving it a shot.” Anderson said. “If you love live music, if you love just dancing around with your friends, it’s kind of the place to do so.”

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If you’re concerned about having to travel far for raves, look around the Twin Cities for some great events. “One thing I do like is that there are a lot of options everywhere,” Keenan said. “I know that there are some people who really hardcore love the rave options in the Twin Cities and I know they happen pretty frequently.”

“I think you can travel, but it’s not a necessity. It’s all kind of based on the experience that you want, but I do think

it’s a great thing to try out because the rave community is a wonderful community to be able to experience at some point in your life.”

Raves aren’t like traditional concerts where many people feel concerned about getting to a venue early for a good spot, or get stressed having to learn all the words to an artist’s songs.

Boules said “at raves, you are there for the music alone, it doesn’t matter where you are, doesn’t matter who you’re with or who sees you. You feel the music.”

For tickets to Twin Cities raves and more, check out edmtrain.com

Basement Concerts Article by: Kara Savage & Amena Ahmed Minneapolis has its own uniqueness in the music scene that is widely known as Minneapolis Sound. The characteristics of this citywide genre emerged with influences of funk pop, synthesizers and even punk rock, according to PopMatters. This sound was built by famous icons like Prince, Bob Dylan and many other Minneapolis-native musicians. Local bands and artists are working to keep this sound alive and spreading it worldwide, expanding the genres and sounds in shoddy basement-turned-venues.

The University of Minnesota sits in the heart of Minneapolis, surrounded by the local music and the city’s sound. Around the university, students are taking advantage of the music scene by hosting events, primarily basement shows. They’re exactly what you think they’d be: a band, in a basement, playing great music. There are houses around the Como and Dinkytown area that are putting on concerts and have held shows in the past like ChopShop, Aquarium House and Row House. A good amount of these houses that offer public concerts are student-owned, creating line-ups of three to four bands in one night.

Bands typically post what’s called a “bill,” which is a list of multiple bands or acts that are performing, on social media prior to the show. A lot of the time, revenue from these shows is appointed towards a good cause. Recently, raves coordinated by DJ Leftfoot (@_ Paul3000 on Instagram) named Seeking Arravements and Rave Against the Machine have raised money that is then allocated towards mutual funding and abortion funds, according to their posters.

While basement shows give students and their bands an opportunity to perform, they are also an affordable way for students to enjoy live music and the sound of Minneapolis. Some basement shows charge as little as $5 to enjoy the show, while others are free.

Most of the time the address is on the bill, so they are accessible and easy to find. The basement concert

community is only growing, with new houses hosting shows and more people attending each show. This community is becoming a popular part of the Minneapolis nightlife, especially among UMN students.

While most bands are student bands, some shows also involve local artists such as ILLism. ILLism is a Minneapolis-based, BIPOC band that has gone on multiple national tours. They performed in their first basement concert in December 2022. Fancy and Envy are a married couple that started doing music separately until discovering they were better when they were performing together.

“We’re really, really loving the intimacy that we’re getting with meeting new people and people really getting a chance to meet marinate with our music on a more like, intimate level,” said Fancy, ILLism’s lead vocalist.

Bands like ILLism are keeping the Minneapolis Sound alive that began with artists that are now considered influential icons. ILLism performed at Chop House for their first basement gig and is planning to perform at other basement shows in the near future.

Not only are basement shows creating a new underground music community, but they are also aiming to make a change. They have bands performing from different, diverse backgrounds, allowing the audience

“There’s so many other talented artists and musicians here that our sound is just very special. We’re just a group that wants to help preserve that.”

members to witness the growth of different demographics on stage. Genres of bands range at each basement show, bringing a variety of audiences into one basement to enjoy the special sound of Minneapolis music. Not only that, but donating revenues from shows allow the bands to make a change while they are entertaining the public. A lot of the time, artists of different mediums are able to set up shop in the basement or venue to sell their artwork for the same reasons. It’s good art, a good time and a good environment to be part of.

Basement shows bring music to a social and intimate environment that is missing from a larger music venue, Fancy said. Music brings people together and doing that inside of someone’s house is a unique experience that is rare to find.

Other local Minneapolis bands such as Zippo Man, Room3, FénixDion, and Dial Tone have become known bands among the basement concert community.

These shows give bands an opportunity to get their name out there in the cities—and maybe even further—in a more casual, intimate setting. Some bands that are well known today began in the basement of Como and Dinkytown houses, including Why Not and Heart to Gold. They have both recently become nationwide-touring groups.

At face value, the main purpose of basement shows seems to be listening to music. But in reality, there is an evolution of what it means to be an artist in these basements. It’s a lively, intimate experience that has been passed down for generations, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down yet.

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Every day, we’re moving. Lost in the hustle and bustle of our share of the Twin Cities. Our diverse community is, likewise, diverse in the way in which its members (us, students!) move: the myriad of ways in which we get ourselves around. In the Movement section of the issue, Joshua Kloss and Carly Berglund cover how students at the U get around through their vast assortment of transit options; Kara Savage writes of the recent Weisman Art Grant and its future implications for mobilizing indigenous and native artists; and Kayla Ignatowicz discusses the rich cohort of dance groups here at the U who blossom cultural appreciation within our community. To have this movement within our environment is to remind ourselves —as community members and as members of a whole community— that we are here, and full of life. We are moving, and we are doing. Stay moving, Gophers. May we move mountains.

-Joshua Kloss

Sissy Tops, a local drag queen, graced GOLDEN in an interview on their experiences with drag and the Twin Cities drag community. From the start of the interview to the very last second, they were offering genuine, hilarious insight into a community of artists. The following is a collection of questions, answers, and royal confessions from the Queen herself, Sissy Tops.

In Conversation with Minneapolis SISSY Drag Queen TOPS Article by: Nicole Schmitgen

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icole: How do you feel about the representation of drag?

Sissy Tops: You know, a lot of drag that you see is one specific kind of thing, and at Queerdo [the drag group Sissy is a part of] all of us do something pretty frickin’ unique. I think all but three or four of the cast members are either non-binary or trans, we have a majority of people of color, and everybody has different skill sets.

It’s not just drag—it’s drag-less, it’s gender-fucked, it’s performance art, it’s comedy, it’s poetry. It’s all these things because drag isn’t just lip sync. It’s a gender expression and an art form. We wanted to just create a space where you could do with it as you will and be celebrated for it instead of being like, ‘Oh shit...Are people gonna

think I’m weird for doing, like, a death metal song?’

Nicole: What sparked your interest in Drag?

Sissy Tops: What sparked my interest in drag? Ricki Lake and fuckin Sally Jessy Raphael and Devine and John Waters. That’s where everything started. I saw the Club Kids on the Ricki Lake Show and then found that they were also going to be on Sally Jessy Raphael, and I desperately clung to any moment I could get them on television, and I would tape them. I would literally put a video cassette in and tape the shows that they were on. So I fell in love with the counterculture and the art, the artistry, of being able to just create your own sort of character and armor... the

whole transformation just really obsessed me as a child. Well, I guess its also a physical suit of armor because we’re covered in foam from, literally, nipple to fucking ankle.

Nicole: How did you begin doing drag yourself?

Sissy Tops: I never intended to be a drag queen. Ever. I went to school for costume makeup design and I moved to Minneapolis after college. I just started making dresses for Queens and for shows and for basically whatever.

Then, in 2016, they lost their grandmother.

Sissy Tops: That was hugely life changing for me. She was and still is my best friend. My confidant,

total bloodbath sometimes..

Yeah, I mean, it’s not really a bloodbath. It’s, like, a proverbial one. It’s all a bunch of very passionate artists and it’s great. That’s all I can say.

my everything. She raised me in every way that a person should be. She was my guardian angel and continues to be. After she passed, I basically just decided I was going to pick up my whole life and move to New York City and just like, figure my shit out. While I was there, I started entering a bunch of singing competitions where I would get ‘You’re an incredible singer, but too fat, too gay, too weird’. And so my drag mom, Monica West, started poking me about doing drag. One day my best friend and I were like, well, let’s just paint our faces like Trixie Mattel and see if we can do it. And then I was like, Oh, shit, this is fun. So I literally painted my face almost every day for a whole year before I ever even left the house in drag.

Nicole: How has your artistry in drag evolved?

Sissy Tops: 90% of everything I wear in drag, I make. And if not, then I work with two other people that are very, very close

friends of mine. I love the technical skill of the makeup and the hair. All of the different pieces that you have to be so meticulous about. It’s my desire to be meticulous and just trying a bunch of shit and not being afraid of fucking it up because, who cares? You can make something else.

Nicole: What’s it like personalizing an artform?

Sissy Tops: Oh, we’re not pioneering. We’re just sharing. I mean, we didn’t invent this. We’re not the biggest city in the country.

We don’t have as much, you know, diversity. We don’t have as many spaces to experiment and things like that. And so we’re creating Nicole: What’s the drag commuspaces for people like us to exnity in the Twin Cities like? press themselves in a way that doesn’t feel like they’re the other.

Sissy Tops: Some of the most There’s something to learn from talented fucking people on the every single person around you.

If you call people stupid, you are planet. Have you seen Julia Starr, for fucksake? She’s perfect. She wasting your time on this planet. makes everything she wears. I Period. Everyone around you has something to teach you. Period. very rarely get to do her hair and it’s always an honor when I do.

End of story. Look around. There’s so much fucking beauty. There Her performance? Spot on. The makeup? Spot on. The looks? are so many things to learn and Souture. You know, Priscilla SUC? people to learn from. Open it up There’s like, fucking people who a little bit. It’s about community. are doing really beautiful art It’s about your surroundings. It’s that’s just unbelievable. The talent about the people you surround in this city is mind blowing. Drag yourself with. in the Twin Cities is... it’s much like anything else complicated.

Sissy Tops, like many others who Beautiful, weird, gorgeous, stunare courageous in their artistic expression, faces backlash and ning, talented as shit and like a

hatred. Brunch performances have been canceled and villainized, and their Twitch account experiences hate raids. In addition to her belief in the importance of visibility for the drag community, Sissy explained the importance of skill-specific advocacy.

“People like me don’t sign up to be a drag queen to be a political pioneer We know what we’re doing is an act of political i sue, I guess. Because, hello, look around you. But somtimes our way of changing the world is bringing smiles to people’s faces and that’s what we can do. That’s what we have to offer.

We don’t necessarly all have the same tools to do big advocacy work. For some of us advocacy is literally like, making sure that even though you had a really fucking shitty day, that you got to feel special for five minutes.”

Nicole: How has drag changed you as a person?

Sissy Tops: Sissy has taught me a lot. Looking back on it, I would not be the person I am today had I not done what I’ve been doing. I mean, I am oodles more confident. She’s given me a different kind of

value on my person that I really appreciate. Given me a space to express myself in a way that I don’t generally feel comfortable doing. I just love making something beautiful, and by beautiful, I mean, is it weird? Is it gorgeous?

Is it something that inspires me?

That’s honestly it for me....

Drag is everything. Drag is whatever you want it to be, and if you’ve ever felt alone it’s important to remember that.

With the increasing hate and villainization of drag and the drag community, it’s crucial to remind the world of the beauty and artistry involved. The hateful actions of those supporting drag bans must be contested and reminded that Drag Queens aren’t going anywhere. “We’ve always been here. All of the freaks have been here the whole time. We’re just creating spaces for ourselves.”

Thank you to Sissy Tops for a wonderful interview!

You can find her hosting the Drag Race Viewing Party at Lush every Friday at 7, Queerdo, and the Brawdy Downe Burlesque at LUSH. Instagram is @sissy.tops Twitch is twitch.tv/sissy_tops/

THEY’RE NOT JUST DANCE Article by: Kayla Ignatowicz

GROUPS

“I

’m not able to participate in the K-Pop industry for many reasons,” Max told me, a hint of remorse in their voice. “It’s not the most inclusive. It’s not the most accepting. So, being able to take the aspects of the K-Pop scene that I do love—the spectacle of it, the combination of dance, fashion and music—and recreate them with this group of people that is inclusive and loving and warm.

That’s my favorite part.” Everyone in the Zoom panel nodded in agreement.

Max is a member of the executive board for KMove, the University of Minnesota’s primary K-Pop cover dance team. The collective has been active on campus since 2015, fellow board member Romy informed me, when a handful of general UMN Korean Student Association members decided to

“make a group to be able to just dance and perform.”

Dancing is considered one of the most universal facets of the human condition. One of the oldest art forms and participated in by almost every culture across space and time, dancing to music is one of the most natural things that we can do. Studies show that dancing reduces stress, both mentally and physically, through the release of dopamine and endorphins. To some, this can be expressed by listening to music while working out or in transit. To others, a more immersive dance group—such as KMove—fulfills those same needs with the plus of teammates, a community.

The dance community at the University of Minnesota can appear quite gated to outsiders. If you’re in it, you’re in it—if you’re not, it

may seem like a strange, mythical otherworld. K-Move is among the dance groups on campus working to eradicate these barriers by eschewing the traditional audition process altogether and instead “welcome all dancers into this community regardless of dance skill or experience level” (per their website). The group makes a point to welcome anyone with an interest in the culture or art form. “We also partner with the nonprofit Asian Media Access,” Romy added, “and they’re very focused on community outreach for Asian cultural appreciation.”

The element of cultural heritage in dance provides an added layer to the already multifaceted art.

The Agni—pronounced ugh-nee— team is another on campus striving to connect students through dance. “The name pronunciation is really important to me,”

space for individuals to connect on multiple scopes—internally, on campus, and beyond.

explained Samhita, team treasurer. “It means ‘fire’ in Sanskrit.

That’s the reason we gave it that name in the first place—passion, fire.” Agni describes themselves as a “Premiere Indian Classical (Bharatanatyam) dance team” at the University of Minnesota.

While they do require auditions for dancers, the group is heavily involved with fellow South Asian affiliate groups on campus, such as the Indian Student Association and Jazba, a Bollywood-fusion

dance competition held at Northrop annually. “The goal for this group is to have a safe space and build this community around Bharatanatyam, but also to acknowledge that everyone has different backgrounds coming into the art form...I think it’s really beautiful that we can all share this common passion,” Samhita explained. Clearly these dance groups offer more than just a few hours of weekly physical activity to their members; they offer a

The creative process behind the performance offers another challenge that requires members to unite and conquer. “I started choreographing in high school,” Agni co-captain Preeti says, “but when I came to college, I realized that we’d be performing for, potentially, thousands of people, especially at venues like Northrop. I realized I had to broaden my choreography knowledge; instead of just pulling from what I knew, I had to bounce a lot of it off not just the officers, but the dancers, as well.

A lot of the time, if us four can’t figure something out, there is a girl on the team who has an idea that we wouldn’t necessarily

have thought of.” KMove echoed a similar emphasis on internal collaboration; according to officer Isabelle, “each sub-group gets to set their own practice time; whenever we meet up to practice is when we really get to bond and become a community instead of having everything on Discord.”

Anjali, the club’s secretary who is credited with much of the choreography, also attributes her inspiration to the community—albeit internationally. “The dance scene in Korea is more developed than we’d think it would be, and it’s very out there. I think watching videos and keeping up with different studios in Korea that are more popular, or even less popular—it’s a place to get inspiration.”

If dance can bring people together across oceans, what is it doing for students on our own campus? “If I were to pick one word,” Samhita says thoughtfully, “I’d say it’s connection. Connection with my heritage, connection to my family back home in India.”

Fashion plays a significant role in this community. Members of both teams are often encouraged to wear synchronized outfits to performances—for the Agni team, this presents in the form of traditional costuming. “The attire holds a lot of meaning for me,” Preeti says, “because I associate it with dance practice, but I also see it as the traditional dance attire...there’s a very specific way of tying your dupatta—you cross it around your chest and tighten it on your waist. So the fact that we’ve kept [the attire] element, to me, represents how, even though we’re doing a modern take on Bharatanatyam, one of the goals of our team is to keep those

traditional values...we all very much value our traditional backgrounds and we want to keep that traditional element.”

“There’s so much history that goes into why you wear the bindis and the dupatta, there’s so much richness there, but the vocabulary we have from an American perspective—calling it a costume is so flattening,” noted Golden Magazine board member Sumi, a retired dancer herself. All in all, these dance groups offer the physical challenge and social connection of a typical dance troupe...with the added element of a shared cultural appreciation.

Dancers are not only sharing the dance; they’re sharing the customs, the traditions, the values that produced the dance. This is infinitely more intimate and, hence, infinitely more valuable.

The performance of a cultural dance is creative collaboration, it’s intellectual engagement, it’s emotional dialogue. In this regard, these dance teams are one of the most abundant community hubs the University campus has to offer: no small feat.

Connect with Agni on Instagram @agni_minnesota.

Connect with KMove on Instagram @kmove_official or through their website https://umnkmove. wixsite.com/k-move.

A heartfelt thank you to both dance groups for indulging us with such wonderful interviews.

M

any have said that the Twin Cities campus feels like its own small city within the cities themselves.

That’s how my tour guide described it to me when I visited the U my senior year of high school. I can attest to it: with campuses on both banks of the Mississippi, one in the suburbs of St. Paul and a vibrant community both on and off campus, we as students here occupy somewhat a world of our own, living within the Twin Cities.

For how big our campus is, the question of transportation arises: how do students get around? How is a student living in Middlebrook on West Bank able to make their 8 a.m. in St. Paul on time? Or how about the student that has 15 minutes in between their classes to get from the East to West bank? Are the students living in Como who have to navigate a thunderstorm even able to attend class?

For the days or situations when walking isn’t the most attractive option of getting around, the U has buses that run incessantly between the campuses. The feature has been in place since the early 90s when the U built the transitway open to only buses in an effort to connect the St. Paul and Minneapolis campuses. The feature has been in constant improvement since: in 2012, users of the university bus system began to be able to track the expected arrival times of buses at their stops, and in recent years we’ve been given

real-time tracking of the buses with GopherTrip, an app that grants you access to all bus routes run by the U as well as information on where the buses are at any given moment efforts have even been made to convert the buses to hybrid vehicles that fare better for the environment, instead of our current models that run solely on diesel. As any student that relies on the buses probably knows, it’s a pretty impressive system, and one that serves a majority of our student body for transportation purposes both within and between campuses. Mirroring the transit system of the Twin Cities metro area, it’s no wonder that our campus community feels like its own community with the campus shuttle system.

As of this year, transportation options have been made more readily available to students, beyond the existing campus buses. This past summer, the Undergraduate Student Government announced that the Universal Transit Pass (UTP) would be granted to all students that pay the transportation and parking fee (which constitutes most students because it’s included in tuition). The UTP lets all university students use their U-cards to ride metro transit buses and light rails,

Gop Publi

How do Students Article by: Joshua Kloss

phers and ic Transit

s get Around?

replacing the previously existing U-Pass that cost a little over $100 per semester. When comparing the cost of the U-Pass to the cost of the transportation and parking fee, paying for the UTP brings a 74% saving yearly. It was a considerable step on the U’s behalf in terms of connecting students with more transportation options, as the option to ride on the metro buses connects those who live in areas concentrated around campus to both of the cities as well as the surrounding suburbs. This means that students have access to more places to shop for groceries, eat out, and more.

Students are surely taking advantage of the new UTP. In a poll run by myself of random students asking about how they get around, 100% of the students that said they use public transit attested to using the metro transit system at least one or two times a day. Mostly, the purposes were to get into and around campus less than to get into and around the cities themselves. But nonetheless,

the implications of the UTP shine through. Of the 88% of poll takers that pay the UTP, all of them unanimously voted “Yes,” when asked if the UTP has been helpful for their ways of getting around. One student said that the UTP was useful in saving money, as well as gaining more reliable methods of transportation that can connect them to places outside of campus.

The metro transit system of the Twin Cities has been previously ranked one of the best in the country by the American Public Transit Association despite its relatively small size, given the metropolitan area it serves.

Having access to it is just another wonderful tool in our arsenal of options to get around, especially for those days when weather conditions make walking or biking just a bit too miserable. Our campus community is one of the largest in numbers in the country, reinforcing what I see as our own little city. It’s cool to know that we’re served by so many providers of public transit, a resource that is a true keystone of any sustainable and accessible community.

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CREDITS Executive Board EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: CONSTANCE DUOPU CREATIVE DIRECTOR: SUMANA SEETHAMRAJU ART DIRECTOR: ESSENCE ENWERE MARKETING MANAGER: ANGELA GRUBER MANAGING EDITOR: KAYLA IGNATOWICZ PROJECT MANAGER: EMMA GRAFSTROM

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