What do you know about the historical and social context of erotic dance in the Twin Cities? How has the City sought to control erotic spaces through zoning and other regulations?

Hear from Dr. Beth Hartman, a lecturer in the UMN American Studies Department and the Department of Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies (GWSS) who wrote her dissertation on striptease and music, focusing primarily on burlesque and erotic dance in the Twin Cities; Jayne Swift, a PhD candidate in GWSS, whose scholarship and activism focus on the history of commercial sex economies and on enhancing the political, social, and economic power of sex workers; and Crystal Wesloh, a paralegal student and entertainer who has worked in strip clubs in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and across the Midwest.

Moderated by Target Studio artist-in-residence Monica Sheets.

Supported by Stardust and the Puffin Foundation, Ltd.

Regulation and Reality of Erotic Dance in Minneapolis is an Incubator Project at WAM's Target Studio for Creative Collaboration. The studio is a platform that supports ambitious collaborations between artists and researchers at the University of Minnesota, making university resources available to the Twin Cities’ artists, and the creative powers of artists available to academic researchers.