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Documenting Minnesota’s reaction when Prince died

April 21, 2017

I was on my fifth day of jury duty when Prince died. We were on a break in the Hennepin County courthouse when the news started breaking on social media. During lunch the news was on CNN. When the trial ended, I gravitated toward First Avenue.

That day, and the following days, I traveled back and forth between First Avenue, Paisley Park several times, documenting Minnesota’s reaction, mourning, and celebration of Prince.

I felt a pull to a lot of the landmarks in Minneapolis: The Schmitt Music Wall, made notable by Robert Whitman’s 1977 Prince photos. There was a community event in South Minneapolis at Sabathani Community Center, which was formerly Bryant Jr. High, where Prince went to school, and, of course, the Capri Theater in North Minneapolis, where in 1979, Prince held his first shows as a solo artist.

It's a document of Minnesota during the month after Prince died. You can see the entire document at my website.

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This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.