Presented by Dameun Strange as part of The Cedar Artist Collective and KFAI

UNI ARTS STP Tou Saik, Myc Daz, Alicia Thao, Shahidi, Queen Drea

Sunday, December 1st / Doors: 1:00 PM / Show: 1:30 PM

Standing Show

$11 Adults / $8 Students and Elders / Kids under 12 get in free.

This is a standing show with an open floor. The Cedar always reserves a section of seats for patrons who require special seating accommodations. To request seating or other access accommodations, please go to our Access page.

General Admission tickets are available online, by phone, and at the door.

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“Uni Arts St Paul is a showcase of all that is beautiful in the Saint Paul communities of Frogtown and Rondo, two of the culturally richest communities in MN. Communities deserve recognition for what they contribute to the broader metro area and state. Communities that deserve preservation not only of their histories but of their present. Communities that deserve investment in the future, the future that should include those who live here right now. ”

— Dameun Strange

Uni Arts Saint Paul is a special afternoon of performances and a vendor market presented by Damuen Strange of The Cedar's Artist Collective.

University Avenue is the union between historically two very important communities for immigrants and people of color, Frogtown and Rondo. This mix of cultures has created an unmistakable beauty that one can see, feel, hear and taste once one is within this history region of Minnesota’s capital city. From fashion to sidewalk poetry, from croissants to empanadas, from gospel to calls to prayer, from rushing cars to the whispering winds atop the sledding hill at Frogtown Farms this beauty is in the heart of the people who live and work in Frogtown and Rondo. And for one evening, the artists of these communities bring this beauty and their stories to the stage of The Cedar Cultural Center. Joining the performing artists will be local entrepreneurs and artisans participating in a Uni Arts winter market. The show will feature:

DAMEUN STRANGE (Moors Blackmon)

Moors Blackmon is Dameun Strange, voice and electronics and keytar; Kahlil Brewington, drums; and Antoine Martinneau, bass. The music, described as psychedelecrtric fazz, draws inspiration from artist and bands such as Herbie Hancock, Sun Ra, Parliament Funkadelic, Jimi Hendrix to name a few. Moors Blackmon is an intergalactic vessel and with the crew of Strange, Brewington and Martinneau, its mission is to travel through space and time expand the mind of every civilization it encounters with its substantial sonic battery.

TOU SAIKO LEE

Tou SaiK was born in Nong Kai refugee camp in Thailand, grew up in Syracuse, NY, and has lived most his life in the Twin Cities. Lee is a writer, spoken word poet, storyteller and a hip hop artist. Tou SaiK and his brother Vong performed together as the dynamic Hip Hop duo called Delicious Venom. He has engaged in intergenerational collaboration with his late grandmother, Youa Chang who does the traditional art of kwv txhiaj (Hmong Poetry Chanting) to form the duo Fresh Traditions. Lee was co-featured in a full length international Hip Hop documentary titled We Rock Long Distance by Justin Schell in 2015 along with Maria Isa and M.anifest. He is releasing his first Hmong language Hip Hop album titled Ntiaj Teb Koom Tes which translates to Unified Worldwide in 2019. Tou SaiK is writing a memoir about he and his grandmother’s collaboration to honor her passing titled My Grandma can Freestyle.

QUEEN DREA

I am a live artist. My pieces are often conceived under the auspices of improvisational settings which is where I thrive the most. Each time a piece is performed, most of the composition is done live on stage. Giving me freedom to enhance the piece as I am moved by the audience and as they are moved by the music, soundscapes and poetry. This creates a symbiotic relationship between myself and my audience which is a key element in the methodology of how I create. Currently I'm investigating the power of the original woman. The Black Woman is God.

ALICIA THAO

Alicia Thao is a Hmong American singer-songwriter born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Two years ago in 2017, she won the Hmong Music Festival Rising Star Competition. Most recently, she co-released a collaborative track titled “My Company” with Shawn Mouacheupao and their song was selected to be played on the Twin Cities’ local radio 89.3, The Current. Alicia is currently based in East Saint Paul and is in the process of creating her debut album.

HASSAN SHAHID

Shahidi is an singer-songwriter born and raised in the Twin Cities. His passion for music comes from the classical strings on the guitar. He uses the guitar with his voice to create a smooth and soulful connection with his audience. He loves to sing cover songs as to create a better connection with his listener, but look out for his authentic and raw lyrics to his original songs. You can find his latest song "forever" on all music platforms. Definitely look forward to Shahidi developments as he's constantly looking to evolve as an artist.

MYK DAZ

Founder of Discover Dope Creative, Designer, Storyteller, Futurist.

ABOUT THE ARTIST COLLECTIVE

The Cedar’s Artist Collective is a group of curatorial artists and cultural liaisons from Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities who are advising efforts at The Cedar Cultural Center to expand access and diversify programming. The group is comprised of of artists associated with Midnimo and the Cedar Commissions: Ritika Ganguly, Julian Manzara, Dameun Strange, Harbi, Ifrah Mansour, and Greg Grease.

These innovative artists have spent 2019 curating their own shows at The Cedar, developing initiatives to increase access to the arts at The Cedar, and advising our staff and programming. This is The Cedar’s first-ever multicultural, multi-genre music collective in the organization’s 30-year history.