Mom Culture

After moving with her husband from New York City to Minnesota 5 years ago, Mom Culture Founder, Editor and Curator Lenore Moritz longed to receive her culture fix. Though the Minneapolis music, literary, visual and performing arts scene were all a short drive away, she couldn’t find the time to partake in them following the birth of her two children. After going to “moms&movies” in 2007, the chance to see an entire movie in one sitting reminded her of just how much she missed all forms of culture and inspired her to start Mom Culture Live events. The concerts, dance performances, museum tours and more are set up exclusively for Mom Culture parents and their young children. In 2009, she launched the Mom Culture website and blog, dedicated to exploring every medium of art, including music, film, visual arts, design, writing, dance, and more.

What was the inspiration behind starting Mom Culture?

I’ve always loved culture — high to pop and everything in-between. After having kids, I realized I was no longer finding time to fit in the arts and culture I loved…and I missed it! I started Mom Culture to make arts&culture easily accessible to parents.

Mom Culture, which is intended to be “a culture fix for your inner grown up,” began in 2007 as events – I connected with the great cultural institutions around town to create exclusive concerts, museum tours, dance performances and more just for the Mom Culture audience (which is moms and dads, plus their 0-5 year old kids.) These weekday adult-geared events were an opportunity for parents to get a culture fix in a warm environment that was also welcoming to young children.

I realized, though, that parents with kids of all ages needed their culture fixes, too, so in October 2009 I launched the website, Mom Culture. Every week I bring a culture fix to you through q&a’s with nationally-recognized, as well as up-and-coming, artists. The artists work in any medium and live all over the U.S.

The behind-the-art insight and art that comes right to you online gives visitors a fulfilling taste of culture in just a few minutes.

What are your favorite sources to mine when you’re looking for something new to write about?

In part, I rely on what I read. Art publications like ARTnews, Art Forum, Arts Journal and Art Info are great resources. I used to live in New York and still subscribe to The New York Times, New York (magazine) and New York Observer so I can stay connected to the arts scene there. I’ve even tracked down an artist I saw in Coastal Living magazine.

I also rely on what I see in person. If I hear a great band or see a gallery exhibition that resonates with me, I’ll seek out that artist(s).

Additionally, I love recommendations from friends or other artists. For example, I was interviewing the New York video artist Kate Gilmore, whose work was going to be part of the prestigious Whitney Museum Biennial, and she mentioned that I should also interview her sister, Jennifer Gilmore, a critically-acclaimed author. Two highly accomplished artists from one family!

It’s also really helpful when I’m invited to a film screening, particularly when a director, producer or actor is present and I’m offered access to them.

How has blogging changed your life?

It’s made me very busy! After starting my Mom Culture blog, Twin Cities Metro magazine asked me to start a blog for them by the same name. Additionally, Mom Logic – a Warner Bros-owned website based in LA – asked me to be a blogger for them, and Twittermoms.com asked me to be their arts&culture feature contributor.

I’ll also be part of a soon-to-launch blog that The Iveys will start. The Iveys are like the Tony Awards of the Twin Cities.

Having said that, I’m always open to entertaining new opportunities!

What do you hope readers take away from their time spent at Mom Culture?

I hope people who visit momcultureonline.com feel refreshed and fulfilled from having taken a few minutes to do something important and good for themselves. The arts are not a luxury, they are a necessity that feeds our souls and stimulate our minds in new ways.

What other blogs do you enjoy reading? Who are your favorite local Twin Cities bloggers?

I love the Huffington Post – so many categories to peruse! And since I’m an unabashed pop culture junkie (a pop culture junkie can like opera and museums, too!), I admit to checking out tmz.com or popsugar.com.

Some of my favorite Twin Cities blogs include Cribsheet (on the Star Tribune site) – smart and sweet writing, as well as spotart.org (which is also a cool gallery in NE.) And I like to keep up with some of the Twin Cities artists I’ve featured such as Eric Melzer Finae Art, Tong Blog, and Natasha D’Schommer Studio (a mom, gifted photographer and Mom Culture’s first guest blogger; her landscapes are like a mini-vacation for me.)

What do you love the most about the Twin Cities / Minnesota and why?

I’ve only been in the Twin Cities for five years, but I find it to be a warm community with a wide variety of offerings. From nature to culture, the opportunities are high quality.

Labor Day has recently marked the end of a typically event-filled summer. What annual summer arts event in Minnesota do you have to attend every year? What makes it so special to you?

I love the concerts at Peavey Plaza. I’m partial to them because I live downtown, but I think they’re great because the music is always wonderful and diverse. Despite the fact that I spend a good amount of time chasing my kids on the steps, I’m at a live music event outside and that always tops my list of excellent things to do!