When I spied a dark-haired woman valiantly negotiating her stroller through mounds of snow and slush on an otherwise pedestrian-free Washington Avenue last week, I figured it had to be Lenore Moritz. A New York transplant, Lenore is starting Mom Culture, for Twin Cities parents who want to enjoy daytime music and art with their babies and toddlers. She explains the idea:

When I was single and living in New York, I imagined how fun it would be to be married and living in New York. when I was married and living in New York, I imagined how fun it would be to stroll my baby through my favorite neighborhoods.

So how did my stroller end up in Minneapolis, thousands of miles away from the east village?

Living in New York on 9/11 was a life-changing moment. Mu husband and I realized we need to live life fully right now. The wake-up call led to a decision to set off and see the world. We were pre-baby and had responsibility only for ourselves. In 2003, we sold our New York apartment, put our things in storage and made a commitment to try a new place upon our return. We loved New York but it was time for a change.

After our travels, we needed a place to land. We settled on Minneapolis, where my husband was raised. During a trip to New York, I saw a side to the city that convinced me we were right to leave. I discovered not all OBs take insurance. Friends reminded me of the need to sign up way in advance for music and gym classes, not to mention years in advance for pre-school.

In Minneapolis, I began to love the fact the fact that there was always place for me in prenatal yoga; the OB I chose accepted new patients and insurance; that I wouldn’t have to think about pre-school at least until my son wore shoes. After my son was born, I began to appreciate the Twin Cities even more: ECFE, music, art classes for baby - all with no waiting list.

But when it came to interesting daytime entertainment for ME (as a new mom), I felt a void.

I was well aware there are amazing cultural institutions here, as well as local artists and performers. I thought, what if I could meld my desire for cool daytime events with these great resources and offer parents a new service? When I began talking to museums and music organizations, I found a beautiful thing: they were all very excited about connecting with stay-at-home parents and their crawling, dancing, squealing babies, toddlers and preschoolers. Just a guess (albeit a pretty good guess), but I wouldn’t expect this kind of reaction if I called the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

For my new venture, I chose the name Mom Culture. It had the right vibe to it, though dads are of course also welcome. All events are 11am to 12:30pm and include lunch. The first event features a duet of Minnesota Orchestra musicians at Orchestra Hall (March 13), followed by a curator-led tour through the Walker Art Center (March 29), a recital at the Minnesota Opera Center (April 12), a jazz duo at the MacPhail Center for Music (April 25) and what’s new at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (May 9).

You can register for the entire series ($100 by March 9) or individual events ($24 each). The fee is for adults only, kids are free. Registration closes five days before each event. Send a check to Mom Culture, 200 Park Avenue #109, Minneapolis, MN 55415 with name of adult and names and ages of children. For more info and a schedule, check out www.momcultureonline.com or write to momcultureinfo@yahoo.com

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 6th, 2007 at 12:37 pm and is filed under Guest Bloggers, Main, Things to Do. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.