A short piece I did on the arts revival along the upper Mississippi River Valley for National Geographic Traveler just came online. Prose-wise, it’s not the most riveting thing you’ll ever read, but some of the museums and such cropping up are exciting: David Chipperfield’s Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa; the Jean Nouvel’s new Guthrie; the expansion of Frank Gehry’s Weisman Art Museum. For those of us who remember when major cultural events around here included the banjo pickers at the art fair, new macramé patterns, and Mötley Crüe rocking the local arena, these sorts of things are reason for hope. And while there’s still an unfortunate amount wildlife art hanging on the walls, at least there are signs of life.