Interviewing John Higgins has been on my bucket list since the Lake of the Isles Pencil was constructed. The pencil, a public art sculpture, was born from a 180-year-old bur oak tree, largely destroyed by a thunderstorm in Amy and John Higgins’ front yard in 2017. At the suggestion of many neighbors, the Higgins found a way to honor what remained of the tree. A No. 2 pencil replica was carved into the tree by chainsaw sculptor Curtis Ingvoldstad in 2022, as it remains today, overlooking Lake of the Isles.
Amy and John have thrown annual pencil sharpening events since 2022, with live music, free ice cream, and special guests, including artisanal pencil sharpener, David Rees. This year’s event is set for the first Saturday of June, per tradition, at 2217 E. Lake of the Isles Parkway.
John also took over ownership of Icehouse in 2024 after the music venue and restaurant was threatened with eviction. The family is generous supporters of the local arts scene, and last year John was appointed as a Walker Art Center board member.
I was curious why they devoted so much money, time, and energy towards the Minneapolis community, so I asked him.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Southwest Voices: Why do you spend so much time and money investing in our local arts scene?
John Higgins: My wife Amy grew up in St. Paul so she's a native of sorts. We moved here 17 years ago and we love this city, love the community, the people, the park system, the urban amenities, the culture. We just care about this city immensely. We really do view ourselves, not with any sense of ego or need for attention, but as people who care. And instead of investing in our personal life or well being, we'd rather give it back and invest in the community.
In the case of Icehouse, it’s the quality, the reputation, and the soul of the club is A-plus. It’s always been so. It speaks not only to the quality of the venue, but also what we care about in the arts. We really enjoy live music.
Music is such a powerful way to bring community together. When you're in a club for two or three hours with live music, if you're going to your show, it's a chance to get away, to smile, to relax, to dream or think or just be with others. That is really, really special, and that connection is incredibly rich for us.
We care about saving that venue, because it's the largest economic tenant on Eat Street. Unlike a restaurant or even a traditional bar, which is community uplifting a public house, if you will, having a dedicated space where you can employ hundreds of bands a year, give them a safe place to perform their craft is really special. Specifically supporting musical arts that drives that community, that bonding, that experience, that getaway that we all need in these tough times. It's been a lot more work and a lot more money than we might have expected, but it's been well worth it. This is something we really care about. It's not about us. It's not about a money venture.. It's about making Minneapolis thrive, a chance to participate or help out.
SWV: And you work at Icehouse. I saw you when I was at a show. You run food and drinks out to tables.
JH: Yes, I'm working shifts, but also helping with accounting, marketing, and programming. And then construction, building, painting and cleaning stuff up. It’s very, very active. Early on, we thought we would own a bar. Well, we also opened a bar in Wisconsin. But at Icehouse we thought we'd be a small passive investor and supporter. But over the last two years, our ownership and evolution is nearly full time. It’s very significant. Amy, my wife, is also active as well.
SWV: I'm from Wisconsin, where did you open a bar?
JH: Cable, just north of Hayward. What I just described are our two favorite places on the planet–Minneapolis and Cable, Wisconsin. The old Corner Bar in Cable, which had been around 50 years, died. It went into foreclosure and was vacant for years. We thought, you know what, it’s 2 acres, let's get the land, renovate the bar, and reopen that dive bar. Architects said, ‘You'll never get a permit. You gotta tear it down and rebuild.’ We thought it could be just a fun little hobby. So we rebuilt a brand new, spectacular building. The basement level was kind of a speakeasy whiskey bar, and we're a month from opening and it burned down.
SWV: Are you kidding me?
JH: Yeah. I mean, very large investment, this whole community in the town, excited. It was the coldest day of December. The builder said, ‘I got water in the pipes, the heat doesn't come until tomorrow morning, so I could put some space heaters in.’ The space heaters fried the wires. Sparks flew and then, literally, a six-alarm fire. We did rebuild and reopen, so we've been running that for about three years now. We love music, we care about the community. This is a special way to do important things that enrich, enliven, employ, empower and promote the whole community.
SWV: During your pencil sharpening events, your sense of humor really shines. I'm curious where you get your sense of humor from.
JH: That's a good question. That's great to hear you think I'm funny, because a lot of this is just being whimsical, being fun. Life is so serious. We've got the pencil dancers with the purpose of just engaging the crowd. It's not an agenda. It's just for fun. I'm the CEO of companies, I run large companies, and I do a lot of event planning and project management. That is my life and career. But bringing that experience or sense of humor into any project, it's all with the goal of, how can we all just get on the same page and have fun together? You laugh or tell a story together.
SWV: So where do you get your sense of humor and your love of music from? Were you doing this kind of stuff when you were a kid? Where'd you pick all this up from?
JH: I was the youngest of five kids. I grew up in Nebraska. All the older brothers and sisters had their record players and albums. Unlike the first kid who's been listening to mom and dad's music for 13 years, the minute I was born, it was my oldest brother who was 13 years older. The house was filled with music. I think that is a huge influence. As a 2 or 5 or 10-year-old, seeing people you love enjoying music. We really enjoy all varieties of music. And between two brothers and two sisters, I had many decades of musical development. And loud. Boy, they listened to the music very, very loud. And then the live concert experience, which you feel. You don't only just hear it, but you feel the music.
The sense of humor. I've always been a leader type where if I see an opportunity, see a problem or a challenge, I ask, ‘How can this be done differently or better?’ But with my leadership, I need people to help me. Let's all get excited. Let's drive together. And it's building routines and driving projects or plans or companies, with a sense of humor. It's probably cultivated to get people on the same page, or to help focus people. I can't point to any other specific thing that would have influenced that growing up.
SWV: What is your favorite music right now?
JH: My favorite bands are The Clash, David Bowie, Talking Heads, U2. Indie pop music is great. At Icehouse, it’s anything I’m listening to. We’re doing string quartets, we're doing EDM (electronic dance music), electronica. We've got a Led Zeppelin cover band playing tomorrow. Also, I love Prince. That's a serious answer., even if it's a bit cliche. But growing up in the early ‘80s, I was 12 years old when “Purple Rain” came out, and one of my best friends, we could not listen to Prince enough.
The best shows I've seen in Minneapolis are The Replacements, The Cure and The Killers. The Replacements were about 10 years ago. I saw The Cure at Xcel about six years ago, just a really great concert. The Killers were here about a year and a half ago. They played at First Ave before a big stadium show at Target Field, and it was 1,500 people. It was an absolutely amazing show.
SWV: What would your dream lineup be at one of your pencil sharpening events?
JH: Brandon Flowers, at the least, or his band. Miley Cyrus, and Bobby McFerrin. Bobby used to own our house. He was here for about 10 years shortly before us and he had a recording studio in the basement of our house. He actually came here about five years ago and wanted to say hi. I was away with my kid but my wife gave him a little tour. It's funny you asked because about two years ago we wanted to invite Bobby, but he wasn't traveling or booking shows. This is a very special home. We'll get spectacular sunsets. We are really lucky, just blessed to sit in this literal residence on this part of the lake. My hunch is that Bobby would be so happy to witness 1,000 people out in front of his old home with this pencil and the celebration of life going on.
SWV: Last year at the pencil sharpening party, you mentioned that the pencil might retire somewhere. Were you going to move the pencil at some point?
JH: We're asked that question all the time. The quick answer is, there's no plan. But we're going to keep sharpening it. And to sharpen it, it gets smaller. We won't, practically speaking, be in this house forever, as much as we want to be. And so it's an existential question. It’s “The Giving Tree.” The tree passed, we lost that. Now with the pencil, and pencil sharpening, it's new life and uplifting. But at some point, the pencil might be a nub, you know, just a small stubby pencil. But if there is interest by the community to ever go and see this thing. And, if so, is it worth saving it and then putting it in an outdoor sculpture garden, then possibly. If the pencil ever goes away, it'd be great to plant another bur oak tree there, and you get life going again. But we don't know. Life is a mystery, and th at is one of them.
SWV: You really sharpen the pencil?
JH: This will be our fourth annual sharpening. Every year it gets shorter.
SWV: Oh my gosh, it does. You're really committed to it.
JH: Curtis, our sculptor, is just an amazing human, and has just been a great partner on this project. So we do a little maintenance on some tree cracks and touch up the paint. But yeah, the pencil is shorter every year at the show. It's a sculpture, it's relatable. It's a living sculpture. It changes, and you need to change. So, yeah, it's fascinating, because a lot of different artists like Banksy have art that’s intended to deteriorate in front of your eyes. But this is something different. It's doing that. It's getting smaller, but in a way that we can all relate to.
Because every one of us has sharpened a pencil.
