Wearing a graphic blazer designed in the style of Jean-Michel Basquiat, art collector Leif Hagen points to paintings on the walls of his new gallery in Eagan.

This study of a man, painted with unusually wide brushstrokes, is by a Greek artist in London, he explains. This painting, of a girl carrying a teddy bear on her back, is by an artist in Malawi and incorporates both acrylic paints and African textiles. This one, painted on a pillow-shaped ceramic tile, depicts a man in a Turkish fez hat; Hagen bought it when he was in Istanbul in February.

Several artworks hang on the wall at Hagen Hus Gallery in Eagan on April 14, 2025. Just about all the works on display in the gallery are for sale, and owner Leif Hagen plans to stage a new exhibition in the gallery every quarter or so. (Jared Kaufman / Pioneer Press)

The gallery, Hagen Hus, is unexpected: It’s smaller than your average bedroom and located on the second floor of an office building, tucked inside the suite that houses Hagen’s day job; he works as a financial planner and insurance advisor. But Hagen Hus showcases several dozen bold and colorful works from more than 15 countries, reflecting Hagen’s eclectic, cross-cultural approach to art curation.

“Normally I wear a suit and tie and am all serious, but this is my fun art persona,” Hagen joked. “I tell my clients, I don’t have a cabin and I don’t have motorcycles, but I have a little art. We all have our own little collections and passions, and art is mine.”

By “a little art,’ of course, Hagen means a lot of art. Beyond the gallery, the office suite could easily contain a hundred individual paintings and artworks nestled together on the walls, Tetris-style. The walls of his home are the exact same way, said Hagen’s partner, Val Oliveira.

Dozens of original paintings and other artworks are nestled among one another on the walls of collector Leif Hagen’s office in Eagan. Hagen, a financial planner, recently built out a portion of a vacant neighboring office suite into an art gallery. (Jared Kaufman / Pioneer Press)

“Empty wall space in my book is kind of a sin,” Hagen said. “It’s really kind of a waste, right?”

And every painting has a backstory, with which Hagen will readily regale you. Through buying their art, Hagen has struck up personal friendships with many of the artists whose paintings hang on his walls, and hearing about their backgrounds and day-to-day lives gives the works deeper meaning for him, he said.

It also speaks to Hagen’s decades-long reputation as a devoted pen pal. Growing up in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, he wrote to people all over the world; in 2022, he visited Liechtenstein to mark 40 years of pen-pal friendship with a woman named Monica, an occasion that was covered by the daily Liechtensteiner Vaterland newspaper.

After graduating from St. Olaf College, Hagen spent several years teaching in Switzerland and Japan. He ultimately returned to Minnesota and followed in his father’s and twin brother’s footsteps as a financial advisor. But all along, he collected art, and the opening of Hagen Hus is a dream-come-true moment for him, he said.

Just about all the works on display in the gallery are for sale, and Hagen plans to stage a new exhibition in the gallery every quarter or so. Earlier this month, he spent a week in New York taking a gallery management short-course at Sotheby’s Institute of Art.

“At the end of the day a lot of days, when I’m ready to go home, I take a swing through the office before I turn the lights off,” he said. “It just brings me so much joy and happiness.”

Hagen Hus Gallery, which officially opens April 24, can be visited by appointment only. (Hagen still has to work, after all.) Hagen regularly shares art from his collection on Instagram @nordicartcollector, and the gallery itself is @hagenhusgallery.

Hagen Hus Gallery: 4640 Nicols Rd., Suite 203, Eagan; hagenhusgallery.com

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Sofia Serdiouk, age 11, of Woodbury, wanted to participate in the 2025 Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest, but she faced a quandary.

She used items around the house to create her “Peeps creamery” diorama, with some duct tape assistance from her brother, but she needed to go to the store to buy some Peeps.

However, her mom was too busy to take her shopping, according to Sofia. Sofia’s dad took her to Menards, which is apparently a challenging place to locate Peeps.

Somehow, under a tight deadline, Sofia persevered, and turned in an ice-cream themed diorama (with Peeps!) that won an honorable mention in our annual contest, which fielded more than 100 entries this year.

“The Peeps Creamery” by Sofia Serdiouk, age 11, of Woodbury. Honorable mention in the 2025 Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest. (Courtesy of Marisol Serdiouk.)

We love that marshmallow-fueled spirit, of Peeple coming together, of making it work, of creativity, that is the essence of this tradition that dates to 2004. Thank you, Peeps. And congrats to the top winners, who will receive gift cards ranging from $100 to $50.

For all of our other Peeps, please print out a Certificate of ParticiPEEPtion and feel proud!

First place: “Peeps Don’t Tan” by the mother-and-daughter team of Kristin Sykes and Shannon Sykes of Cottage Grove

“Peeps Don’t Tan” by the mother-and-daughter team of Kristin Sykes and Shannon Sykes of Cottage Grove. First place, 2025 Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest. (Courtesy of Kristin Sykes and Shannon Sykes)

“My mom and I have had the idea to show the progression of a Peep tanning for many years,” Shannon explained in this dynamic duo’s entry. “As a mother-daughter team, we have had a lot of experiences at the beach together, and had our fair share of sunburns. This made us wonder: How would a marshmallow fare in the summer heat?”

It wasn’t beach season when this team started making their diorama, though.

“Most of our sand in the backyard was frozen and covered in layers of snow,” Shannon wrote. “We tried dirt, but it didn’t quite look right. It was my mom, Kristin, who came up with the idea to use brown sugar! It was the perfect substitute, and you can hardly tell it isn’t sand.

“I created the foaming waves using a bottle of window cleaner, and sprayed it onto the construction paper and fake sand. The foamy soap in the cleaner perfectly replicated crashing waves. The only hard part was taking photos quick enough before the bubbles started disappearing!”

But that wasn’t the best part.

“The most fun part of the project was getting to do it with my mom!” Shannon wrote. “We both contributed ideas the other wouldn’t think of, and working together was a great way to spend my winter break while home from college!”

That’s the part we love most about this contest: it provides an opportunity for people to bond over dioramas — including our top prize winners.

Second place (tie): “National Parks Peep’s Road Trip Vacation” by Heidi Hansen of St. Paul and “Peepzen Coffee” by the Grand and Pascal neighbors in St. Paul (Jason Koenig, Jeff Miersch, Alisa Lein, Tom Mueller, Kevinn Tam and Christina Koppang).

It was a tie for second place in a competition between staying close to home and heading out for a road trip.

“National Parks Peep’s Road Trip Vacation” by Heidi Hansen. Second place (tie), 2025 Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest. (Courtesy of Heidi Hansen.)

We loved how Heidi Hansen of St. Paul created Peeps traveling to different places in “National Parks Peep’s Road Trip Vacation.” Hansen displayed a selection of Polaroid-like images showing scenes from parks, from a Peep taking a selfie with a buffalo in the Badlands to another watching whales in Glacier Bay to two Peeps stargazing from a tent at Voyageurs.

We asked Hansen how she made this mini masterpiece.

“I made small shadow boxes to look like Polaroid pics out of foam board and painted all the backgrounds on poster board and mounted them on a piece of black foam board,” she replied.

While Hansen’s Peeps travel far and wide, the Peeps of our other second-place winners prefer traveling just around the block for a cup of coffee — with a side of cat.

Inspired by Catzen Coffee: “Peepzen Coffee” by The Grand and Pascal Neighbors in St. Paul (Jason Koenig, Jeff Miersch, Alisa Lein, Tom Mueller, Kevinn Tam and Christina Koppang). Second place (tie), 2025 Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest. (Courtesy of the Grand and Pascal neighbors.)

“This diorama is based off of Catzen Coffee which opened up on 1/1/25 at 1416 Grand Avenue and has been drawing in people from all over the metro,” the Grand & Pascal Neighbors wrote in their entry. “All of us who worked on this diorama live and/or work just a block away and love the new neighborhood establishment to the Avenue.”

Inspired by Catzen Coffee: “Peepzen Coffee” by the Grand and Pascal neighbors in St. Paul (Jason Koenig, Jeff Miersch, Alisa Lein, Tom Mueller, Kevinn Tam and Christina Koppang). Second place (tie), 2025 Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest. (Courtesy of the Grand and Pascal neighbors.)

A dog among them, though, felt differently.

“The evening before we were scheduled to photograph the diorama,” the neighbors wrote, “our dog climbed up onto a chair at the table and ate five of the bunnies lined up along the ‘sidewalk’ in front of the cafe.  An emergency run to the store to get more happened later that night but the only color available was pink, so we’re a little pink bunny heavier than initially planned.”

Still looks delicious to us!

Third place: “Love is Blind in Minnepeepolis” by Susie Emmert of Minneapolis.

“Love is Blind in Minnepeepolis” by Susie Emmert of Minneapolis. Third place, 2025 Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest. (Courtesy of Susie Emmert)

As far as reality television goes, nothing was closer to home than the eighth season of “Love is Blind,” which is set in Minneapolis.

It provided the theme for Susie Emmert’s diorama.

“‘Love is Blind’ is the only reality show I watch, so when it was filmed in Minneapolis, I was beyond excited for it,” she wrote in her entry. “When it occurred to me I had the doll house furniture in storage, and had been saving the perfect purple box for no specific reason (because you can’t throw away a good box), I knew I had a ‘Love is Blind’ pod ready to be built!”

If you don’t know, the Netflix show’s concept involves getting to know someone while communicating from separate pods.

The diorama also has details that match the show’s, including the golden goblets that are a sipping signature.

“Love is Blind in Minnepeepolis” by Susie Emmert of Minneapolis. Third place, 2025 Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest. (Courtesy of Susie Emmert)

It was a love match — and a 3D printer– that helped make those happen.

“My husband and kids have been making a lot of random things on the 3D printer, so he made the miniature gold cups like they use on the show,” Emmert explains. “fter multiple tries, we now have a set of gold cups just like the show, but for Peeps! They are painted with tempera gold paint. He also used the 3D printer to make the big blue screen they face in the show, the panels to make the shape of the room, and the top border from the bird’s-eye view of the pods, and finally, the tiny engagement ring box being used for the proposal.”

Honorable mentions:

“Dye-O-Rama” by Kira Hartke of Minneapolis. This Peep Dye-O-Rama was inspired by Peeps being on the list of foods that currently have red dye 3 in their ingredients list.
“2025 Peeps Easter Egg Hunt” by Laura Bathke. After Bathke was diagnosed with cancer a day before retiring, she opted to enter our contest while her travel plans were put on hold.
“Peeper Nooo” (a reference to “The White Lotus”) by sibling duo Taylor Hillestad and Garrett Hillestad of St. Paul.
“Take a Peep at What We Found!” by Judy Smith and Melanie Hendrickson of St. Paul (inspired by our Treasure Hunt and featuring this year’s medallion!).

MasterPeeps winner: “There’s Been a Murder!” by Cynthia Kleist of Shoreview.

“There’s Been a Murder!” by Cynthia Kleist of Shoreview. MasterPeeps winner in the 2025 Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest. (Courtesy of Cynthia Kleist)

This year, we created a new category for past top winners: MasterPeeps!

“There’s Been a Murder!” by Cynthia Kleist of Shoreview. MasterPeeps winner in the 2025 Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest. (Courtesy of Cynthia Kleist)

Cynthia Kleist’s dioramas have topped our contests through the years, including a pandemic-themed one, “The Do’s and Mostly Don’ts of Zoom Meetings,” that took first place in 2021.

This year, Kleist was inspired by an iconic board game.

“There’s been a murder and no one is saying a peep, so we don’t have a clue!” Kleist wrote.

In addition to the murder scene, there’s a close-up of the suspects (with one of them holding a Pioneer Press!).

“If you look closely at the diorama you will be able to figure out the weapon and who did it!” Kleist wrote. “Good luck!”

MasterPeeps: Honorable mentions:

“Minnepeepolis Sculpture Garden” by the Schomburg family. Artists: Murray, Bev, Brian, Aaron, Heidi, Scott, Greg, Moira, Grayden (16), Evelyn (13), Harrison (12) and Helena (8) Schomburg.
“‘Sweet’ Deals on TESLAR Cybertrucks!” by Jill Schaefer of Minnetonka.
“Peep What You Sow Community Garden” by Katherine Rose of St. Paul.

Little Peeple (7-12) winner: “Marshmallow Institute of Art” by Esmé Micek, age 10, of Woodbury.

“Marshmallow Institute of Art” by Esmé Micek, age 10, of Woodbury. Little Peeple (ages 7-12) winner, 2025 Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest. (Courtesy of Marisol Serdiouk)

We loved this diorama of Peeps admiring art at a museum that is a play on the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

“Esmé’s diorama features Peeps viewing renowned works of art at the M.I.A. — the Marshmallow Institute of Art,” writes Esmé’s mom, Mykala Micek. “The museum’s holdings include paintings of the ‘Mona Peep-sa,’ ‘The Scream,’ ‘American Gothic,’ as well as a rare 15th-century Italian marble Peep statue.

“Inspired by her visits to the Minneapolis Institute of Art (and a budding interest in art history), Esmé wanted to create a Peep-sized version of a museum for her marshmallow friends to enjoy, as well,” Micek wrote. “Her favorite part was re-creating the famous paintings with Peeps, and she was so excited to show us the finished pieces.”

Chicks (0-6) winner: “Music in the House” by Trinity Huntzicker, age 5, of Minneapolis.

“Music in the House” by Trinity Huntzicker, age five, of Minneapolis. Winner of the Chick (0-6 years old) category, 2025 Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest. (Courtesy of Jim Huntzicker)

The judges were charmed by the musical performance of the Peeps in Trinity Huntzicker’s diorama, and we also admired her perseverance.

This is the third year Trinity has entered this contest.

Back in 2023, Trinity created a “Peeps Patrol” scene using the “Paw Patrol” toys she got for Christmas. She took that theme outside in 2024, using both Peeps and “Paw Patrol” elements.

This year, Trinity is back indoors and inspired by something new — and something old — in her diorama, which features Peeps playing musical instruments in a vintage setting.

“The doll house belonged to Trinity’s mother,” the entry submission said. “Trinity loves music.”

Bravo, Trinity!

Peep-ager (13-17) winner: “Marshmallow Data Refinement” by Conrad Zenisek Ridley, 13, of Minneapolis.

We’ve got another family connection this year! In addition to the mother-daughter team who took first place, Conrad is the stepson of Susie Emmert, our third-place winner.

“Marshmallow Data Refinement” by Conrad Zenisek Ridley, 13, of Minneapolis. Winner, Peep-ager category, 2025 Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest. (Courtesy of Conrad Zenisek Ridley)

“My stepmom came to me and told me about the competition, and I had recently been watching ‘Severance,’” Conrad wrote.

(The Apple TV+ series is a sci-fi take on the work-life balance.)

“When I couldn’t think of an idea, I decided to just do ‘Severance,’ so first I went online and got a 3D model of a Peep, and I removed the ears and part of the head in a CAD program,” Conrad wrote. “For Christmas, my family got a 3D printer, so I used it to first print the Peep, then the desk, monitor, keyboard and other items. Then, I painted them all with acrylic paints. Finally, I cut the marshmallow Peep off so it was shorter to fit the desk.”

As for the judges and our impression of Conrad’s work, we quote Mark Scout from Season 1, Episode 4: “The work is mysterious and important.”

Honorable mentions (youth categories):

“Camping” by Tony Aung, age 8, of Maplewood.
“The Peeps Creamery” by Sofia Serdiouk, age 11, of Woodbury.
“Peep Simpsons” by Michael Mewis, age 11, of Glenwood City, Wis.
“It’s The Great Peep-kin, Charlie Brown!” by the White Bear Lake-based Tocko clan: Chloe Tocko, age 17; Noelle Tocko, age 14; and Wyatt Tocko, age 9. Supervised by Mom (Amanda), Dad (Kevin), Aunt Dawn and Uncle Dan.

Pioneer Press Peepers

In our second annual employee version of the Peeps contest, we had four strong contenders:

The Peeps were playing in a “basement jam sesh” by Mars King; the Peeps went sledding in Imani Cruzen’s diorama; the Peeps attended the 2024 Met Gala in Talia McWright’s diorama and Frederick Melo wrangled up some kids to recreate a Taylor Swift concert.

“Pioneer Press Peeps Judging People’s Peeps for the 2025 Pioneer Press Peeps Diorama Contest” by Molly Guthrey for the 2nd Annual Employee Peeps Diorama Contest. (Courtesy of Molly Guthrey)

At press time, with employee votes still incoming, the lead candidate was Molly Guthrey’s diorama, which recreated our real-life, in-person voting process that involves coffee and Post-it notes. Over the years, as Molly notes, we have judged more than 4,000 dioramas!

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Today is Sunday, April 20, the 110th day of 2025. There are 255 days left in the year. Today is Easter.

Today in history:

On April 20, 1999, two students shot and killed 12 classmates and one teacher and injured 23 others before taking their own lives at Columbine High School, near Denver, Colorado.

Also on this date:

In 1812, the fourth vice president of the United States, George Clinton, died in Washington at age 72, becoming the first vice president to die while in office.

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Today in History: April 18, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake

Today in History: April 17, the Bay of Pigs Invasion

In 1912, Boston’s Fenway Park, now the oldest active stadium in Major League Baseball, hosted its first official baseball game in front of an estimated 27,000 spectators. (The Red Sox defeated the New York Highlanders 7-6 in 11 innings.)

In 1914, militia and Colorado National Guard members opened fire on an encampment of striking coal miners and their families in Ludlow, Colorado; at least 19 people in the camp, including 12 children, and one National Guard member were killed in the “Ludlow Massacre.”

In 1971, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the use of busing to achieve racial desegregation in schools.

In 1972, Apollo 16’s lunar module, carrying astronauts John W. Young and Charles M. Duke Jr., landed on the moon.

In 1986, following an absence of over six decades, Russian-born pianist Vladimir Horowitz returned to the Soviet Union to perform a concert at the Grand Hall of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow.

In 2010, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, leased by BP, killed 11 workers and caused a blowout that began spewing an estimated 200 million gallons (757 million liters) of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. (The well was finally capped nearly three months later.)

In 2021, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murder and manslaughter charges for the killing of George Floyd; Chauvin was later sentenced to 22 ½ years in prison.

Today’s Birthdays:

Actor George Takei is 88.
Actor Jessica Lange is 76.
Actor Clint Howard is 66.
Former MLB first baseman Don Mattingly is 64.
Actor Crispin Glover is 61.
Actor Andy Serkis is 61.
Actor Shemar Moore is 55.
Actor-model Carmen Electra is 53.
Reggae musician Stephen Marley is 53.
Rapper Killer Mike is 50.
Actor Joey Lawrence is 49.
Model Miranda Kerr is 42.
Former NFL linebacker Luke Kuechly is 34.

ATLANTA — Alex Verdugo shook his head when reminded the Atlanta Braves are 2-0 since he was recalled this week.

“I’m not taking credit for it yet,” Verdugo said.

Even so, Verdugo’s four hits and two runs scored in Saturday night’s 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins provided evidence he has given a spark to the offense as the team’s new leadoff hitter and starting left fielder.

The Twins lost for the second straight time to start this three-game series, and have lost 6 of 9 overall to fall to 7-14 this season. The series concludes with a noon start on Sunday.

With Verdugo in the lineup, the Braves have posted back-to-back wins for the first time this season. Verdugo’s four hits included two doubles and a sixth-inning single that drove in the go-ahead run.

“It feels good,” Verdugo said. “Obviously, being at the top of the lineup, kind of instantly thrown into it, get on base, have good at-bats, things like that. And I think for me it feels good to get some hits.”

Verdugo’s single off Brock Stewart — activated from a rehab assignment before the game — drove home Nick Allen with the go-ahead run. Verdugo was recalled on Thursday to help boost a slumping offense after signing a $1.5 million, one-year contract on March 20.

Twins right-hander Justin Topa made his first big league start after 102 relief appearances with Milwaukee, Seattle and Minnesota. He gave up a single to Verdugo to start the game, one of three hits he allowed, and Verdugo came around to score on a double by Matt Olson.

Topa pitched one inning before Simeon Woods Richardson (1-2) entered the game and pitched the next 4⅓ innings, allowing three runs on seven hits that included a solo home run by Michael Harris II that tied the game, 3-3, in the sixth inning.

Bryon Buxton was 3 for 4 with a triple and RBI single, and rookie Luke Keaschall singled and scored in his second major league game. Carlos Correa homered off of Atlanta starter Chris Sale to tie the game 2-2 in the fourth inning.

In his first two games, Verdugo has started in left field with Michael Harris II in center and Jarred Kelenic in right field. When asked after Saturday night’s game what he expected when Verdugo was added to the roster, manager Brian Snitker said, “Just professional at-bats, good at-bats, which he’s done already.”

Added Snitker: “It’s kind of why we’re excited about getting him here.”

The left-handed hitting Verdugo has a career batting average of .272. He could retain a starting job even after 2023 NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. returns from surgery to repair his torn left ACL, perhaps in May.

The 28-year-old Verdugo hit .233 with 13 homers and 61 RBIs for the New York Yankees in 2024 following four seasons with Boston. He had an $8.7 million base salary last season and earned $50,000 in performance bonuses for plate appearances.

Snitker hopes Verdugo’s disciplined at-bats have an impact on others in the lineup.

“He gives me a lot of information from his first at-bat,” Harris said. “It helps me out as another lefty.”

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