Second-tier, USA.

southtwelfth:

All this talk of Philly art kids reminds me of a somewhat tipsy, rampaging conversation I had with my friend Matt last year about something we called The Second-Tier City Art Kid Playoffs. It sort of seemed like an interesting idea at the time, I guess, but I’m a little hazy on what it entailed precisely. Something about all of the second-tier cities in America sending their best multimedia, performance and installation artists to compete in some sort of vaguely defined team-based contest of aesthetic prowess. The idea, I believe, was sort of a cross between Prospect New Orleans, The Saddest Music in the World, that Where the Wild Things Are fort-building contest that booooooom.com put on, and an Odyssey of the Mind meet-up. Terminally twee, I know, but Jesus, what hasn’t been this past decade?

What was most interesting, though, was trying to figure out what constitutes a “second-tier city.” Minneapolis, most definitely. Portland, Seattle, Cleveland, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Detroit, San Diego: all second-tier. First-tier cities are obviously New York (though it was agreed Queens was separately second-tier and would be permitted to field a squad), Chicago, LA, DC, San Francisco, Boston. I believe there was some spirited debate as to whether Philly and Atlanta constituted first-tier or second-tier cities. First, I think we decided, but only barely.

The third-tier was, you know, places like Madison and Columbus and Nashville.

At the end we all agreed Minneapolis was the greatest second-tier city in America and our young multidisciplinary strivers would destroy the field in this theoretical contest*. This seems like a weird thing to agree on, but I guess it was pretty late and we’d all had a lot of beer.

* I believe we actually, um, came up with a theoretical Minneapolis roster — yes, that’s how far it got. Email me privately for the list as I remember it.

Pretty sure Seattle would kick Minneapolis’ butt.

Just sayin’.