Danish artist Thomas Dambo kicks off largest-yet giant troll art series in Detroit Lakes

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DETROIT LAKES — To Danish recycled materials artist Thomas Dambo, the phrase “talking trash” means something quite different than it does to most people.

Dambo, who is in Detroit Lakes this month to take on one of the biggest public art projects he has created to date, believes there is value to be found in many things that most people would discard as trash.

“Everything I make, I try to make out of something that has been (used for) something else,” he said during a press event at Detroit Mountain Recreation Area on Thursday

Though Dambo has been involved in other projects involving recycled art, his trolls are probably his biggest claim to fame. His work was even featured on “CBS This Morning” earlier this spring, and he has published a book called “Trash, Trolls and Treasure Hunts” about the first 100 trolls that he created around the world. The book itself is made from recycled materials, Dambo noted.

Copies of that book will be available for sale at an artist talk with Dambo that will be hosted by the Historic Holmes Theatre in Detroit Lakes at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 21. Dambo will be discussing the story behind his creation of nine different art pieces, including a half-dozen of his “recycled giants,” at locations in the Detroit Lakes area.

“It’s an exhibition made out of scraps,” Dambo said, referring to the fact that just about every aspect of the sculptures will be made of recycled materials — mainly wood, though at least one will be made out of plastic.

Some of the wood came from white pine trees that were cut down to make room for the expansion of Minnesota 34 last summer, Dambo noted, while the yellow plastic storage boxes that will be used for one of the sculptures came from Bismarck Tool and Die Manufacturing.

Some of the pieces in the project will be placed at locations in Fargo, N.D.; Perham, Minn.; and Frazee, Minn., though the bulk of them will be installed in and around Detroit Lakes.

Danish recycled materials artist Thomas Dambo, who stands roughly six and a half feet tall, is dwarfed by one of the 139-and-counting giant troll sculptures that he has installed at locations all over the globe over the past 10 years. (Contributed / Project 412)

Dambo said that this will be his largest project to date, in terms of both geographic area and height — at least one of the trolls will reach a standing height of 36 feet when completed.

But it’s not just their height that will make the Detroit Lakes trolls stand out, Dambo noted — they also have large hands, heads and feet.

“The head of a troll is about 6-8 feet in diameter,” he said. “The largest foot I have is 9 feet (long).”

All of the sculptures will be interconnected by a central story, which Dambo described as a “fairy tale.” The story will start with a central character, named Alexa, who is in the process of brewing a magical elixir that will, hopefully, cure humans of their “curse” — which is, in essence, the inability to see what they are doing to their environment.

That sculpture will serve as the starting point that will contain clues for locating the other trolls, he added. One of the trolls will be placed in a “super secret” location, with clues to help pinpoint that location being included as part of the other troll sculptures.

Work on constructing the trolls has been underway for about a week, Dambo said, and will continue through mid-June. Local nonprofit Project 412 is the organization responsible for bringing Dambo and his crew of 20-some artists to the Detroit Lakes community for this art installation, and he thanked them for their assistance in every aspect of the project, including the recruitment of volunteers.

“We needed to fill 472 time slots with volunteers,” said Project 412 Executive Director Amy Stoller Stearns, “and we’ve filled them.”

There are still a few slots available later in the schedule, she added, so those who would like to sign up to be a part of the troll-building project can still do so at project412mn.org.

Those planning to attend Dambo’s artist talk at the Holmes Theatre on Tuesday are asked to RSVP via the Project 412 website at project412mn.org/thomas-dambo-artist-talk.

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Business People: Fredrikson attorney Travis J. Anderson to be Special Olympics general counsel

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OF NOTE

Travis J. Anderson

Attorney Travis J. Anderson will serve as general counsel and has been appointed to the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games board of directors to help oversee the event to take place June 20-26, 2026, in the Twin Cities. Anderson is with the Minneapolis law firm Fredrikson, which announced the appointment.

EDUCATION

Aqua-Tots Swim School, an international swim school franchise, announced plans for a location at 7645 Metro Blvd., Edina, its second in Minnesota. The franchisee is Ross Habben and the general manager is Alex Brumley. … Kaleidoscope, a Minneapolis-based Full-Cycle Scholarship Platform, connecting students and educators with scholarship and grant opportunities, has appointed Glen Gunderson to its board of directors. Gunderson is president and CEO of the YMCA of the North, which announced his appointment.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Stearns Bank, St. Cloud, announced the appointment of Marlice Johnson as chief brand officer and Maggie Rivera as vice president of corporate social responsibility and inclusion. … Craig Lundquist has been appointed to the Senior Advisor Leadership Team with TruStage Wealth Management Solutions. Lundquist is a financial professional at Ideal Wealth Advisors, located at Ideal Credit Union, Woodbury, which announced his appointment.

HONORS

The U.S. Small Business Administration has named Garett Lamppa of Lamppa Manufacturing as SBA’s Minnesota Family-Owned Small Business of the Year. Lamppa Manufacturing is a Tower, Minn.-based maker of wood-burning furnaces and sauna stoves. It has been a family business since the 1930s. … TIME100’s Most Influential People list for 2024 includes Land O’Lakes CEO Beth Ford and University of Minnesota professor Rachel Hardeman. Land O’Lakes is based in Arden Hills…. The Performance Excellence Network announced the recipients of its 2023 Minnesota Performance Excellence Award: University of Minnesota School of Nursing Care, Minneapolis; Region 5 Community Bridgemakers, Staples; State of Minnesota, Department of Human Services Direct Care & Treatment Administration, St. Paul, and Episcopal Homes of Minnesota, St. Paul. The award is based on the Baldrige Framework, a recognized business achievement criteria.

LAW

Chestnut Cambronne, Minneapolis, announced that Eric Bjerva has been named partner. Bjerva is developing a mental health aaw practice group at the firm. … Fredrikson, Minneapolis, announced that attorney Victoria Yang has joined as an associate in its International, Asia Practice, Mergers & Acquisitions, Finance & Securities, Intellectual Property, Technology & Data, and Corporate groups.

MANUFACTURING

Stratasys Ltd., a 3D printing and additive manufacturing company based jointly in Eden Prairie and Rehovot, Israel, announced the appointment of Amir Kleiner as chief operating officer. Kleiner has served in numerous leadership positions at Stratasys, most recently as global VP of customer success. … Intek Plastics, a Hastings provider of plastic manufacturing components and products to industry, announced Mike Corcoran as vice president of operations. He succeeds Rick Zeien, who is retiring.

MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY

Solventum, a St. Paul-based provider of medical components, announced the appointment of Shirley Edwards, former partner at EY, to its board of directors. Solventum spun off from Maplewood-based 3M Co. earlier this year. … Kindeva Drug Delivery, a Woodbury-based developer of drug-delivery combination devices, announced that Denis Johnson has joined the company as chief operating officer. Johnson most recently served as head of global manufacturing and technical operations at Biogen and held several leadership roles at Catalent, Boston Scientific, Teradyne and Johnson & Johnson.

SERVICES

Horwitz, a New Hope-based specialty equipment contractor for industry, announced the promotion of Sam Augspurger to preconstruction manager. Augspurger has been with the company since 2016 and was promoted to partner in 2021. … BlackHawk Industrial, a national distributor of metalworking and other industrial products, announced the appointment of Troy Deans as redeployment center supervisor, based in Minnesota. … Community Association Group, an Eagan-based residential property management company, announced the appointment of Alyson Beckstrom as CEO, succeeding company founder Deborah Ho-Beckstrom. … Great Clips, a Bloomington-based franchisor of retail hair salons, announced the following executive changes: Rachelle Johnson, promoted to chief financial officer; Kevin Barnd, promoted to vice president of business technology services, and Mari Fellrath, moving into the new role of senior director of operations applications and reporting. The company also announced it ranked first in the Hair Care category in Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500.

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EMAIL ITEMS to businessnews@pioneerpress.com.

St. Paul: University of St. Thomas neighbors rebuffed in efforts against D1 hockey/basketball arena

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When Jerome Abrams, a retired abdominal surgeon, learned that the University of St. Thomas planned to install a Division I hockey and basketball arena near his St. Paul home, he pulled out a tape measure.

A light snowfall had accumulated along Fairmount Avenue. By his calculation, in areas where cars were parked on both sides of the street, the travel lanes had been reduced to 8 feet in width in each direction.

“A fire engine is 10 feet, and so is an ambulance,” said Abrams, who lives with his wife near Woodlawn Avenue and Fairmount, two blocks south of the St. Paul campus. “I view it as a serious problem since I’m getting on in years.”

Demolition and site prep continue at the future site of the University of St. Thomas hockey and basketball arena across the street from the new Schoenecker Center on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

University officials maintain those concerns haven’t fallen on deaf ears. They’re actively working on traffic mitigation strategies, such as online ticket sales with assigned parking spots and possible shuttle bus arrangements that could pick up sports fans by Allianz Field in the Midway on especially busy game days.

“They’re worried about traffic and parking,” said Amy McDonough, chief of staff in the office of university president Rob Vischer, in a recent interview. “So are we. We’re not saying there’s not going to be impacts.”

Still, McDonough noted, the arena’s most popular events will likely top out at 5,300 attendees a handful of times each year, and seating capacity will be roughly one-fourth that of Allianz Field, or 1,000 seats larger than James Griffin Stadium at Central High School. Most events, she said, will be managed like current football games at the O’Shaughnessy Stadium on campus, which also has capacity for more than 5,000 fans.

“It’s not the Xcel Energy Center,” McDonough said.

Committees rebuff efforts to halt construction

Twice in as many weeks, Abrams and other Macalester-Groveland homeowners living near Minnesota’s largest private university have approached officials at St. Paul City Hall, demanding that they put a halt to the Lee and Penny Anderson Arena, a 5,500-seat hockey and basketball sports facility whose construction is already underway off Cretin and Grand avenues.

They’ve cited access concerns for public safety vehicles, parking, traffic, pollution runoff to the Mississippi River, zoning controls and even the possibility of ammonia spills related to ice coolant.

And twice in as many weeks, key city committees have rebuffed their efforts, signaling a disinterest in blocking the project, which the university maintains needs no zoning variances. A conditional site plan approved by city staff last October had allowed the university to do some initial excavation work. The McCarthy Gymnasium and a service center were demolished in March to make room and the arena’s footings and foundation have already been installed.

Arena construction was poised to get fully underway this season but was put on hold last month after residents filed two appeals of the final site plan, which had been approved by city staff on April 4.

The St. Paul Planning Commission’s zoning committee held a public hearing on May 3 that was heavily attended by opponents, stretching public testimony to almost four hours, but the committee then voted unanimously to recommend denial of both appeals.

The full Planning Commission took up the question last Friday, and then voted almost unanimously to deny both efforts, with three abstentions.

The Planning Commission, in its published resolution, noted “having destinations close to where people who access those destinations live reduces emissions and vehicle miles traveled. … The arena is conducive to walking, biking and using public transit as alternatives to driving.”

Opponents, many of them senior residents of one of the city’s wealthiest neighborhoods who have banded together under the title Advocates for Responsible Development, have the right to file further appeals within 10 days of the Planning Commission’s May 10 decision, which could land the arena’s site plan before the St. Paul City Council in June.

“There will definitely be an appeal,” said Dan Kennedy, an attorney who lives on Summit Avenue.

Here are some key questions:

What will the arena be used for?

University officials said in addition to D1 hockey and basketball games and practices, the facility also will host team rooms, lockers, weight rooms and coaches’ offices for soccer and softball. The facility also could be a boost for the school’s burgeoning Sports Science Institute, a department of exercise science within the new College of Health. “That is a real potential growth area within St. Thomas,” McDonough said.

Has the arena been approved by requisite environmental and zoning authorities?

Yes, mostly. The city published an Environmental Assessment Worksheet in June 2023, though residents have filed legal action attempting to force a more elaborate environmental review. The Minnesota Court of Appeals heard oral arguments on April 11 and has 90 days from that date to issue a decision, meaning a legal finding could be made public in early July.

The city’s Heritage Preservation Commission signed off on the project in November after reviewing how the arena’s north wall juts into a historic preservation district along Summit Avenue. The Capitol Region Watershed District, the city’s Department of Safety and Inspections and city planning staff have offered their approvals.

How many seats?

The city’s Environmental Assessment Worksheet, which includes a transportation study, identifies a seating capacity of 5,500 attendees. University officials say they’ll limit seating to even less than that, for a maximum of 5,300 visitors for a men’s basketball game. Hockey, which has a different seating configuration around the ice, will top out around 4,000 visitors. They’ve agreed to limit commencement events to 4,500 visitors, down from an initial projection of 6,000.

What does that translate to in terms of ticket sales?

Based on experience, university officials expect about four events per year — most notably men’s basketball games against North Dakota State University — would reach capacity, but most games would otherwise draw 2,000 to 3,000 visitors. Basketball games are currently played at the Schoenecker Arena, which can hold more than 1,800 fans, so officials note that much of that traffic already exists. “We currently do play basketball on campus,” said McDonough, predicting just a handful of tough parking days annually. “We’re just moving across the street. … We’re not expecting that many more people.”

Opponents believe the school will want to show off its new facility more than it is letting on, drawing more fans to large alumni fundraising events. They also point out that the teams have moved up to Division I, which is sure to attract added fan attention, including St. Thomas alumni and fans of rival teams driving in from the suburbs. University officials acknowledge that currently, only about one-fourth of attendees at games are students.

“They’re not just building this for students,” said Marian Biehn, a 45-year resident of Otis Avenue. “Arenas like this are usually built in more commercial areas that have better access to public transit and freeways.”

What does that translate to in terms of cars?

St. Thomas officials have estimated that each carload of visitors will average 2.7 people. If more than 4,000 fans drive in for a well-attended event, that adds up to more than 1,500 cars. The university can accommodate 750 cars in on-campus ramps and surface parking, leaving at least 750 cars overflowing into the neighborhood.

Opponents believe those numbers are too conservative. “I know of no law that says you have to have 2.7 passengers per car,” said Abrams, the retired surgeon. The Federal Highway Administration uses 1.7 passengers as an average occupancy per vehicle for many of its calculations, which could translate to a total of more than 2,300 cars, and a net overflow of more than 1,600 cars in the neighborhood.

University officials note most events will not draw 4,000 fans, let alone 4,000 fans in cars. A residency requirement that took effect in 2021 requires some 3,000 students to spend their first two years living on campus, so many fans will simply walk. A pedestrian walkway will traverse the new south campus green in front of the arena diagonally, leading visitors from the intersection of Cretin and Summit avenues, across the quad and right up to the arena’s front door.

“How many maximum-capacity events are there going to be?” Abrams countered. “We’ve heard two, we’ve heard five, the Environmental Quality Board Monitor has said 35. Well, pick a number.”

Is the university planning any street improvements or traffic mitigation?

St. Thomas officials say their traffic and event management plan is due to the city within a year. After more than 17 community meetings and outreach events, they’ve set their sights on certain street improvements, some of which have been required by the city. A new access drive has been added for truck traffic along Cretin Avenue, on the south side of the arena. Also planned is a pedestrian bump-out at Cretin and Goodrich avenues, and traffic signal improvements at Grand and Cretin, with a new left-turn signal controlling traffic heading northbound on Cretin.

In addition, a new online ticket system being rolled out as a pilot project will assign on-campus parking.

Still, based on the experience of Allianz Field, it’s clear that there will be parking overflow into the surrounding residential areas. The heaviest foreseeable traffic is likely on a Thursday night when the men’s basketball team plays North Dakota State University. That evening could benefit from a proposed shuttle system from the parking surrounding Allianz Field, an arrangement still in the works.

What about residential views and tree impacts?

The university is planning to replace every tree removed for construction on a one-to-one basis. From Summit or Cretin avenues, they’ve said residential views of the arena will be blocked by existing structures of comparable height, such as the new Schoenecker Center or the Goodrich parking facility. The arena steps down to the west and south. “Where we are siting the arena on campus is as far away from residents as it can be,” McDonough said.

How does zoning come into play?

St. Paul eliminated minimum parking requirements for real estate development in 2021. Still, construction on the St. Thomas campus is governed by a conditional-use permit first granted by the city in 1990 and then amended twice, most recently in 2004 following a legal settlement. It allows a 75-foot maximum height in the center of campus. The arena would be about 60 feet tall and is therefore in compliance, according to the Planning Commission resolution.

A site plan for the Lee and Penny Anderson Arena on the St. Paul campus of the University of St. Thomas. (Courtesy of the University of St. Thomas)

The permit requires a 50-foot setback from the university’s seminary property, as well as two feet for every 10 feet of construction above 50 feet. In other words, that translates to a 70-foot required setback, said Kennedy, the attorney. The setback, as best as he can tell, will in reality be 45 feet, leaving the arena out of compliance by 25 feet, he said. City staff, however, found no issue with setbacks.

The permit also requires that a drive be constructed between Goodrich Avenue and the Binz Refectory if any substantial remodeling occurs. The university completed some $1 million in improvements to the refectory’s basement and ground floor in 2022 and 2023, but did not install the drive. “At night, all the headlights are facing directly into your house,” Kennedy said. “Over there, it’s mostly truck headlights.”

On May 10, senior city planner Tia Anderson told the Planning Commission that the refectory question will be addressed through a separate complaint process and is not directly related to the arena.

Nate Hood, a member of the Planning Commission, took to social media later to acknowledge the overlapping regulatory controls involved.

“Views on a new UST hockey arena aside, this was actually a complex set of appeals that highlighted various (and confusing) issues regarding how valid a (conditional-use permit) is (in light of) other policy changes and the extent to which the Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area program rules apply,” Hood wrote.

What about emissions and river runoff?

St. Paul has made a goal to cut carbon emissions, in part by reducing vehicle miles driven in the city. Arena opponents maintain the structure will do just the opposite by attracting drivers. “Then you get fan buses, team buses,” Biehn said.

University officials point out that the men’s and women’s hockey teams currently practice and play games at St. Thomas Academy, a Catholic high school in Mendota Heights, increasing each teams’ carbon footprint and that of on-campus students who drive there as fans. Both the city and the Capitol Region Watershed District have signed off on stormwater runoff controls, and emissions are reviewed at length in the EAW.

Officials also point out they’re removing three energy-inefficient structures and some surface parking to install an energy-efficient arena that will offer students pedestrian access. “The current site is a plethora of asphalt,” said Jim Brummer, vice president of facilities management.

Is St. Thomas still going to build sports facilities in Highland Park?

University officials said they still intend to build planned D1 softball and baseball facilities in Highland Park, near the site of the Highland Bridge development, but that will be years away. In Highland, “nothing will happen until we do fundraising,” McDonough said. “Right now, the arena is the priority.”

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Diddy admits beating ex-girlfriend Cassie, says he’s sorry, calls his actions ‘inexcusable’

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LOS ANGELES — Sean “Diddy” Combs admitted that he beat his ex-girlfriend Cassie in a hotel hallway in 2016 after CNN released video of the attack, saying in a video apology he was “truly sorry” and his actions were “inexcusable.”

“I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now,” the music mogul said in a video statement posted Sunday to Instagram and Facebook.

The security video aired Friday shows Combs, wearing only a white towel, punching and kicking Cassie, an R&B singer who was his protege and longtime girlfriend at the time. The footage also shows Combs shoving and dragging Cassie, and throwing a vase in her direction.

Cassie, whose legal name is Cassandra Ventura, sued Combs in November over what she said was years of sexual, physical and emotional abuse. The suit was settled the next day, but spurred intense scrutiny of Combs, with several more lawsuits filed in the following months, along with a federal criminal sex-trafficking investigation that led authorities to raid Combs’ mansions in Los Angeles and Miami.

He had denied the allegations in the lawsuits, but neither he nor his representatives had responded to the newly emerged video until Sunday.

“It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that,” Diddy says on the video. He adds, “I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”

Combs is looking somber and wearing a T-shirt in the selfie-style apology video, and appears to be on a patio. It is the hip-hop mogul’s most direct response and first apology after six months of allegations that have threatened his reputation and career.

Meredith Firetog, who represents Ventura and other women who have sued Combs, said the apology was “more about himself than the many people he has hurt.

“When Cassie and multiple other women came forward, he denied everything and suggested that his victims were looking for a payday,” the lawyer said in a statement. “That he was only compelled to ‘apologize’ once his repeated denials were proven false shows his pathetic desperation, and no one will be swayed by his disingenuous words.”

In December, after Ventura and at least three other women had filed lawsuits against him, Combs posted a statement on Instagram broadly denying the truth of all of them.

“Let me absolutely clear. I did not do any of the awful things being alleged,” that post said.

The security camera video, dated March 5, 2016, closely resembles the description of an incident at an InterContinental Hotel in the Century City area of Los Angeles described in Ventura’ lawsuit.

The suit alleges that Combs paid the hotel $50,000 for the security video immediately after the incident. Neither he or his representatives have addressed that specific allegation. CNN did not say how it obtained the footage.

The suit said Ventura had been trying to get away from a sleeping Combs, who had already punched her in the face before the video began.

Combs is not in danger of being criminally prosecuted for the beating. The statutes of limitations for the assault and battery charges he would be likely to face expired years ago.

The same is true of many of the allegations in the lawsuits, but the federal investigators following Combs are likely looking for potential crimes they can bring under the law.

Ventura signed to Diddy’s label in 2005. The two had an on-again-off-again romantic relationship for more than a decade starting in 2007.

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