Download a photo of Talon Wilson.
Download a photo of Talon Wilson.
Download a photo of "Otter Tales: The Musical."
Download a photo of Russ Stanton in 1971.
GRANITE FALLS, Minn. —Pioneer Public Television’s Postcards program will air regional art, culture and history stories on Thursday, March 21 at 7 p.m. about blacksmithing and cultural identity, county history and a reminiscence about a student-led protest in Marshall during the Vietnam War. The episode will be rebroadcast on Sunday, March 24 at 7:30 p.m. and on Monday, March 25 at 1:30 p.m. The stories will also be available for online viewing through the station’s website: www.pioneer.org/postcards.
Talon Wilson attended high school at Yellow Medicine East in Granite Falls and took knife making classes at the Milan Village Arts School. Now he is learning the master craft of blacksmithing at Sätergläntanschool in Sweden and the experience has caused him to think deeply about who he is and how his Dakota ancestry can influence his art. Pioneer’s Postcards team caught up with Wilson while he was back for a visit to Minnesota and he reflected on how he has developed as an artist while in Sweden and how he has grown personally.
"Otter Tales: The Musical" is a walking theater production by PlaceBase Productions and the Otter Tail County Historical Society to celebrate the sesquicentennial of Otter Tail County. The production—performed in Battle Lake, Perham, Pelican Rapids and Parkers Prairie—featured a cast of local actors from around the region and celebrated the past, present and future of Otter Tail County. Postcards features behind-the-scenes interviews from cast and crew sharing their experiences of pulling together this ambitious, one-of-a-kind musical production.
The final story features Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) alumnus Russ Stanton telling what it was like to be a Marshall city council member and SMSU student in 1971 during the Vietnam War. Stanton helped organize a protest and was peacefully arrested by the city police. He went on to win an election to the Minnesota House of Representatives and then served for 30 years as the Director of Governmental Relations for the Inter Faculty organization. This segment was produced and edited by Pioneer’s Dylan Curfman while he was a student at SMSU.
About Postcards
Postcards is produced by Dana Conroy with videography and editing by Kristofor Gieske and Ben Dempcy. The program is made possible by contributions from the voters of Minnesota through a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Production sponsors for the program include Shalom Hill Farm, Explore Alexandria Tourism and the Lake Region Arts Council.
About Pioneer Public Television
Established in 1966, Pioneer Public TV is an award-winning, viewer-supported television station dedicated to sharing local stories of the region with the world. For more information visit: www.pioneer.org.
