Writing Samples

Jessie Alkire
News Article
Published on BringMeTheNews.com
Heart of the Beasts Spieler wins McKnight artist award
Minneapolis puppet master Sandy Spieler was named the recipient of this years prestigious McKnight
Distinguished Artist Award, the McKnight Foundation announced.
The 61-year-old Spieler is the artistic director of In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre, as
well as the founder of the annual May Day Parade.
Each year the McKnight Distinguished Artist Award recognizes a Minnesota artist for the quality of their
artistic work in addition to cultural impact on the state and people in the community. The winner is
awarded $50,000 and honored with a celebration and publication of the artists work.
When they told me, I thought, But Im not 70 yet, Spieler told the Star Tribune. The second thing I
thought was it cant be just about me. Its about all the people whove come through here and given their
all to this work.
In the announcement, Kate Wolford, president of the McKnight Foundation, called Spieler an artist of
true distinction who expresses through art an enhanced reflection of the reality around her, and around
all of us.
Spieler and her giant puppets and papier-mch sculptures demonstrate a departure from previous winners
who came from fields like poetry and acting, the Star Tribune says.
She really marries a sophisticated and highly compelling visual aesthetic to theatrical works that explore
social questions relevant to the times we live in, Philip Bither, one of the five judges of the award, told
MPR. In doing so shes elevated the art form of puppetry.
Over 40 years ago Spieler moved to south Minneapolis and became actively involved in art and the
community, MPR said. She began working at Powderhorn Puppet Theatre in 1973. Within a few years,
Spieler was running the theater and renamed it In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre.
That theatre has prospered and become as good as it has because of Sandy, David OFallon, founder of
the Powderhorn Puppet Theatre, told the Star Tribune.
Spieler is perhaps best known for In the Heart of the Beasts annual May Day Parade. The theater says the
parade brings over 50,000 people to Powderhorn Park each year to celebrate the community and shed
light on social issues.
Spieler is based in Minneapolis but tours around the state, country, and internationally with shows and
workshops. She says her work is committed to making a difference, often focusing on the environment
and economic justice.

To learn more about Spieler and her work, visit In the Heart of the Beasts website.
Human Interest News Article
Published in The Record
Intercultural competence: different doesnt mean inferior
Intercultural competence is a phrase you might have heard around campus lately. Students, faculty, and
staff have rallied together to bring awareness to issues related to cultural sensitivity on campus.
So what is it? Intercultural competence is the ability to engage, learn from and work with people whose
cultural identity is different from ones own.
From personal observations and the Campus Climate Survey data, there are serious issues to address
about how people are treated due to race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender,
political ideology, sex, and disability.
[We should] know enough about various cultures to figure out how and when to adapt our behaviors,
Director of Intercultural and International Student Services Brandyn Woodard said. And embody the
Benedictine Value of Respect for Persons so that with our initial encounters with human diversity we
engage people wanting to understand, love, and respect, instead of disregard, discount, and fix.
Mexican-American student Guillermo Blanco says he first experienced discrimination on campus during
his first year.
As I was picking a seat on the bus, the girl next to me looked at me from top to bottom, as if examining
me, made a face and turned around, Blanco said. The best way to describe the look was what are you
doing here?
During a class discussion about low income families later that year, Blanco was offhandedly asked by his
professor if he was poor.
[She] turned back around and continued on teaching as if she said nothing wrong, Blanco said. I was
in shock. I had no idea how to react, so I kept it to myself.
These were the first times Blanco experienced discrimination but not the last. He isnt the only one.
Many students feelings of discrimination and discontent reached a tipping point last spring after several
F.A.M.S.A.K parties took place with offensive themes related to ethnicity, sexuality, and gender. Students
responded with a rally outside of Sexton calling for better intercultural competency.
It was not students complaining about F.A.M.S.A.K. It was about students being tired of being
discriminated against for their skin color and differences, Blanco said. It was a scream for help from not
only the student body but faculty to make this a community for all, not a select few.
A forum was held after the events and over 400 people attended. Since then, there has been an ongoing
discussion about how to create change on campus.

The first step is to raise awareness. One way to do so is to attend discussions and forums on cultural
issues. A forum was held last Friday for students to discuss their thoughts about moving forward. A
follow-up forum is scheduled for September 28.
Woodard says we can also raise awareness through courses on campus which give us context to better
understand these issues in relation to our current times. The Student Development divisions as well as
students clubs are committed to raising awareness too.
We have work to do individually and as a community to know ourselves, each other, and the people
well be encountering as we move about in the world, Woodard said.
Since last spring, students and faculty have been hard at work on a variety of projects to create change.
Both presidents addressed their commitment to continuing the discussion during convocation. First-year
students learned of community standards about being inclusive during orientation. A brochure was mailed
out to students and families which included the Human Rights Policy. Woodard has presented to SJU
Senate about ensuring all voices are heard.
Ultimately, Woodard says, change starts with us. We must move forward and use empathy, practice
utilizing intercultural communication skills, and help spread these useful practices to others.
The one thing that can definitely bring a change is for students, faculty and staff to understand, Blanco
said. Understand that not everyone is the same. Everyone is different and different does not mean
inferior. And always understand that just because it isnt happening to you does not mean it doesnt exist.
News Article
Published in The Record
CSB senior gets students involved in run for office
Emily Jensen, a St. Bens senior and Democratic Farmer-Labor (DFL) candidate, is running for the
District 13A Minnesota House seat. She faces incumbent Jeff Howe, a Republican of Rockville, who was
elected in 2012.
District 13A includes Collegeville and St. Joseph as well as surrounding communities including Avon,
Kimball, Paynesville, Cold Spring, Richmond and Rockville.
The 22-year-old political science student has lived in St. Joseph for four years. She has been involved in
domestic political campaigns and volunteered for Jim Reads campaign for the congressional seat. Jensen
is the DFL Senate District 13 Inclusion Chair and served as a delegate to the state convention.
It wasnt until the past year, however, that Jensen decided to run for political office. She described her
decision as an act of civic duty due to her strong commitment to the community.
Emily would make a good state representative because she is both idealistic and practical and willing to
listen and learn, Political Science professor Jim Read said. She would make her mark by being a voice
for the challenges faced by young workers facing a tough job market and women with young children.

Jensen, set to graduate this December, has been hard at work campaigning. She has had help from local
members of the community as well as CSB/SJU students and former students. The main strategy of her
campaign is simply going out and getting to know the people of the district.
Meeting people at their doors and talking to them about what matters most to them is an eye opening
experience, Jensen said. I drive back to St. Joe every night with a renewed love of central Minnesota.
Jensen said her young age hasnt been a hindrance to her campaign. She was nervous at first about how
people of the district might perceive her but says the reception has been very positive.
Read said, Emilys campaign shows that our democratic system is open to everyone, whatever their age,
who cares about improving our world.
District 13A has a history of electing young people. The district was previously represented from 2005 to
2012 by Larry Hosch, who was 27 when elected. It is a young district itself, with 17% of the district
between ages 15 and 24.
One of Jensens main goals if elected is to better represent issues facing young people, including access to
education and combatting student debt.
Young peoples voices arent being heard, Jensen said. This is our future. I believe its time we got a
say in it.
Other issues Jensen is focused on are education, access to vocational and technical training,
transportation, and affordable childcare.
Jensens campaign has opened the eyes of many members of the CSB/SJU community to the importance
of student involvement in local politics.
CSB/SJU is a part of this community, and students, faculty and staff all have a stake in decisions made
by local government, Political Science professor Christi Siver said. Rather than just viewing students as
temporary residents, the community will begin to see students as partners in addressing common
challenges.
Jensen calls for young people, especially students, to get involved in local politics and the community.
This is our community. This is our home, Jensen said. Students don't know how many leadership
positions are available in the community or how to access them. If we don't get involved, then someone
else is going to be making decisions for us.
For more information about Jensen and her campaign, visit her website,
http://www.jensenformnhouse.com.
Variety Article
Published in The Record
Art professors pottery showcased in New York gallery

St. Bens and St. Johns art professor Samuel Johnsons pottery has been selected for exhibition at the
Jane Hartsook Gallery in New York. The exhibition runs Oct. 24 to Nov. 22.
I feel honored to be included in this exhibition, Johnson said. The gallery and my colleagues in the
show are working at a very high level. Its a privilege to represent CSB/SJU and the art department.
The Jane Hartsook Gallery is dedicated to exhibiting ceramic arts. Johnsons work is joined by two other
potters, Adam Field and Peter Pincus. Their pottery looks nothing alike, reflecting their different styles
and ways of working.
The exhibition examines how artistic choices differ and are based on aesthetic and conceptual concerns.
Tensions in the works are striking and obvious, but what I find remarkable are the points of
convergence, Johnson said. We have many overlapping interests and influences. We share a common
time and place. The exhibition is a response to this dynamic.
Johnson makes utilitarian pottery. His work is handcrafted or thrown on a potters wheel. It is often
unglazed and fired in a wood burning kiln. Firing creates marks of wood, heat, ash and charcoal on the
pottery.
The resulting patina of natural hues and irregular textures creates quiet surfaces that seem more like
shadow than scorched earth, Johnson described. This work strikes a balance between the wild and
mysterious parts of ourselves and the part of our psyche that sets us apart from them.
Johnson first became exposed to ceramics while studying studio art at the University of Minnesota,
Morris. His major medium was painting, but he decided to give sculpture a try for his minor medium. He
then gained interest in ceramics and pottery as a junior in college.
After focusing on painting for three years, I liked the physicality of the material, Johnson said. I loved
how it retained the marks of process and allowed surface to be the accumulation of its history the
history of the object becoming itself.
After graduating, Johnson served a three-and-a-half year apprenticeship under Richard Bresnahan. In
2000, he was invited to study Scandinavian Ceramic design as a guest of Denmarks Design School in
Copenagen. He worked in New York for a short time before traveling to Japan as a studio guest of Koie
Ryoji.
Johnson went on to receive graduate degrees in fine arts from the University of Iowa before coming to
teach at St. Bens and St. Johns.
Johnsons work has been featured in about seventy exhibitions and is currently in the collection at the
North Dakota Museum of Art. His pottery has also been featured in the book, Stoked: Five Artists of Fire
and Clay.
His work is also currently exhibited at the Raymond Avenue Gallery in St. Paul.
However, Johnson is not only an artist; he is a teacher. He believes art is important to study for its own
sake as well as a variety of additional benefits.

Many of my students report heightened perceptual skills and feel more equipped analytically, Johnson
said. Creative and divergent thoughts require practice and permission. The study of art allows for both.
To view Johnsons work, visit his website, www.samuel-johnson.com. His work can also be seen at the
CSB/SJU Art Faculty Show Feb. 6 to March 20, 2015 at the Alice R. Rogers and Target Galleries of Saint
Johns Art Center.
News Article
Published in The Record
SJU Eco-Houses run greenhouse
Since September, the St. Johns Eco-House members have taken on full operational responsibility for the
greenhouse in Flynntown.
The St. Johns Eco-Houses are intentional living communities dedicated to living by reducing energy and
water waste, composting, recycling, etc. They also aim to educate other students and the community at
large on issues related to sustainability through events and programs.
The idea to take over the greenhouse was initiated by senior Michael Culshaw-Maurer in September. The
members met with the E-Scholars and McNeely, who were involved with the greenhouse previously, and
faculty members to learn more about the greenhouse and how it is run.
The greenhouse had been struggling to break even previously, and there simply was not enough
manpower to keep it going, senior Nick Bradley said. It was then decided that the Eco-Houses would take
over.
The students worked out the details of the work and materials needed and created a business plan. They
began prep work in late September and planted soon after.
The first harvest from the greenhouse took place on Sunday, Nov. 9. Their greens were first served on
Monday and they will sell all their produce to the Refectory at St. Johns.
The greenhouses progress will be evaluated at the end of the year and, if successful, the Eco-Houses will
continue to manage it indefinitely.
The goal of the greenhouse is to work together to provide local, organic produce to campus. They hope to
produce enough to turn a profit and begin paying off loans taken out to build the greenhouse two years
ago.
The greenhouse is also a way to bring members of the Eco-Houses together to learn how to grow and
harvest as well as to manage the business in an organized way.

The greenhouse also serves as a focal point for our community, bringing all of us together for plantings
and harvests, Culshaw-Maurer said. In an almost monastic sense, toiling together is a great way to tie a
community together.
As of now, they are growing a variety of leafy greens and spinach. Once the students learn more and gain
greater experience, they may expand to other vegetables and herbs.
The work of running the greenhouse is spread out among the 11 students. This entails purchasing
materials, mixing soil, planting, watering, harvesting and delivering produce.
The students have said the experience has been very positive so far.
It has been extremely rewarding, Bradley said. We have been making a tangible difference in where
our food is sourced from and I believe that is a great achievement for sustainability and the Eco-House
community.
The Eco-House members say the greenhouse is not only important for providing fresh produce but for
educating the campus community.
The project helps to show just how much can be achieved by a group of motivated and interested
students, Culshaw-Maurer said. We also get to share what we do with others and invite them to take a
look at our community, maybe even helping them question or change their own living practices.
The students are also focused on running the greenhouse sustainably and promoting sustainability beyond
campus.
We are reducing our environmental impact by avoiding the transport of other produce and the use of
pesticide and herbicide, and all the money stays right here in our community, junior and general manager
Isaac Secor said. If more people get into the habit of purchasing locally produced goods, the impact will
extend far beyond the small operation here.
The greenhouse welcomes visitors for tours. Also, if interested in learning more about the greenhouse and
sustainable living, students may consider applying to live in an Eco-House next year.