Public Art Saint Paul

Readings by Writers

2011-03-09T14:39:00.001-06:00

Saint Paul Poet Laureate

Carol Connolly

Hosts

Readings by Writers

Sponsored by Public Art Saint Paul

WEDNESDAY MARCH 16, 2011

25^TH Annual SAINT PATRICK’S DAY Reading

7:30 PERFORMANCE

All programs are free and open to the public

at the historic University Club Saint Paul

420 Summit Avenue

The Bar is open and serves throughout the evening.

5:00 Dinner not connected to the performance. Reservations 651-222-1751

Not a member? Simply say you are attending Poetry Night

Readers will be: Carol Connolly, Tom Cassidy, Kevin Fitzpatrick, Ethna McKiernan, Jeri Reilly and Brian Laidlaw

Readings last one hour. The writers will have books to sell and sign.

The Carol Connolly Readings by Writers series celebrates the rich diversity of emerging and established writers and poets in the Twin Cities literary community.

CAROL CONNOLLY, Saint Paul’s first Poet Laureate, appointed by Mayor Chris Coleman, will host, as well as read from her new book All This and More Nodin Press. She writes Hearsay for Minnesota Lawyer.

TOM CASSIDY, artist and poet, whose work has appeared worldwide, and has been acquired by LA County Art Museum and The Getty. His books include From the Scenic Outlook, Green Bean Press; ONDA, visual poetry collaborations with John Bennett, Lost & Found Press; and Casino Stories, Musical Comedy MN. Tom performs at colleges, art festivals, high schools, and co-founded the Portland, Oregon performance troupe reunited by the Oregon Heritage Commission The Impossibilists,. He serves on the boards of Patrick’s Cabaret and Cheap Theatre, which hosts ten yearly Black Forest reading events.

KEVIN FITZPATRICK, poet, author of Down on the Corner and Rush Hour, Midwest Villages & Voices, and Greatest Hits 1975 to 2000, from Pudding House Press, Johnstown, Ohio. He is a founder and editor of the Lake Street Review, a highly regarded literary magazine, now extinct. Widely published in literary magazines and anthologies, his poems have been read by Garrison Keillor on MPR’S The Writer’s Almanac.

ETHNA McKIERNAN, poet, whose book The One Who Swears You Can’t Start Over, from Salmon Publishing in Cliffs of Moher, County Clare, Ireland, follows Minnesota Books Award Nominee Caravan, Midwest Villages and Voices. Her work is widely published in anthologies here and in Ireland, and her new Sky Thick with Fireflies, also from Salmon, will be released in October.

JERI REILLY, poet, whose poem Valentines has been stamped into the sidewalks of Saint Paul, has also been published in Dust & Fire; The Sun Magazine; and Voices for the Land, MHS Press. . Jeri sometimes lives in Ireland, where she is a member of Pig Executive; a group of writers who meet in County Leitrim.

BRIAN LAIDLAW, poet, folksinger, from San Francisco, whose poems are forthcoming in New American Writing, FIELD, Quarter After Eight, Iowa Review, soon to be released artist book from Deer Let Loose Press, and his lyrics appeared in American Songwriter Magazine. The recipient of many awards:: 2009 Gesell Award for Poetry; 2011 Intermedia Arts SASE Jerome; the inaugural University of Minnesota Book Arts Fellowship; he is a Loft Mentor Series finalist, and is completing an MFA in poetry at the U of M. He teaches songwriting at McNally Smith College of MusicMore info? University Club 651-222-1751 or publicartstpaul.org.

Public Art Saint Paul sponsors the Readings in celebration of the public art project Everyday Poems for City Sidewalk by Saint Paul City Artist in Residence Marcus Young and city poets.

Readings by Writers Series, January 18, 2011

2011-01-10T14:42:00.000-06:00

Every Third Tuesday
Saint Paul Poet Laureate
Carol Connolly
Hosts

Readings by Writers

Sponsored by Public Art Saint Paul

TUESDAY January 18, 2011
On and Under the Sidewalks
7:30 PERFORMANCE

All programs are free and open to the public

at the historic University Club Saint Paul
420 Summit Avenue
The Bar is open and serves throughout the evening.
5:00 Dinner not connected to the performance. Reservations 651-222-1751
Not a member? Simply say you are attending Poetry Night

Readers will be: Marcus Young and Greg Brick
Readings last one hour. The writers will have books to sell and sign.

The Carol Connolly Readings by Writers series celebrates the rich diversity of emerging and established writers and poets in the Twin Cities literary community.

ON AND UNDER THE SIDEWALKS
Featured readers are:
MARCUS YOUNG. He is the genius who created Everyday Poems for City Sidewalk, which is garnering international attention. He doubles as the Saint Paul Artist in Residence. His many contributions include Wishes for the Sky, a great annual Harriet Island event that ushers in spring. Marcus will be reading winning sidewalk poems, all chosen by a panel of qualified judges, from those sent by Saint Paulites – think about sending yours - that now embellish the ten miles of new sidewalk installed each year in our capitol city.

GREG BRICK, much published author of SUBTERRANEAN TWIN CITIES, University of Minnesota Press, is a geologist, historian, and urban speleologist, who has been caving for two decades. His book, winner of a 2010 American Institute of Architects Award, is loaded with wit, local history, and adventure. It looks at the fascinating and very real world beneath our feet. Greg is editor of a national caving publication and recipient of the Peter M. Hauer Award from the National Speleological Society for research in cave history. He has appeared on the History Channel’s program "Weird U.S." Author Steve Thayer asserts that this book is “… a treasure - a book for the Tom Sawyer in all of us...” Musician John Knowles says, "SUBTERANNEAN TWIN CITIES rules."

More info? University Club 651-222-1751 or publicartstpaul.org.

Public Art Saint Paul sponsors the Readings in celebration of the public art project Everyday Poems for City Sidewalk by Saint Paul City Artist in Residence Marcus Young and city poets.

2010 PASPider Workshops in Western Park!

2010-06-09T15:49:00.001-05:00

Public Art Saint Paul presents
The PASPider: A Summer of Art in Western Park!

The center for imagination and creativity is open and the artists are in at Western Sculpture Park!

The PASPider is a mobile art center that seeks to foster curiosity, imagination and appreciation of public art by engaging the community in creative interactive workshops. The PASPider will appear 12 times throughout the summer in Western Sculpture Park, on select Tuesdays and Saturdays from June 12th to August 28th. Join us on Saturday, June 12th from 1:00-4:00p, for the summer kick-off workshop!

Click here to download the 2010 PASPider Schedule! (.pdf)

On Art Days, the PASPider will be open for 3 hours, from 1:00-4:00pm. The PASPider promotes sustainable art making: all art-making materials will be environmentally friendly, organic or collected from the waste-stream. Each 3-hour workshop will consist of interactive art making activities with professional teaching artists from the Twin Cities area. The workshop content and medium will vary each Art Day: storytelling, drumming, dancing, plaster sculptures, mosaic tiles, poetry, performance, painting, metal stamping and, of course, spider marionettes!

The workshops are free and open to children and families. Special efforts are being made to serve children of the Western Sculpture Park neighborhood just west of the State Capitol, on Marion Street between I-94 and University Avenue. Last year the PASPider served nearly 300 young artists; this year we are hoping to reach even more!

Eek – I saw the PASPider! This tent-like shelter itself is a giant artwork – a kinetic spider puppet, created by artist Christopher Lutter-Gardella. Installed atop a custom-built 13-foot Scamp trailer, the PASPider is mobile – even its mandibles are animated! With its 8 googly eyes rolling and winking and a small megaphone in its smiling lips, the PASPider will creep through the neighborhood streets to announce its arrival. Once in the Park, PASPider’s 8 legs will stretch 25 feet, providing a webby sun canopy to shade art-making below!

Public Art Saint Paul’s continuing commitment to Western Sculpture Park. For 12 years, since the re-designed Western Park opened in 1998, the non-profit Public Art Saint Paul has produced a display of sculpture by leading mid-career American Artists. Currently 20 artworks are exhibited, on loan from artists coast to coast. The park is anchored by a 70- foot kinetic sculpture by the eminent American artist Mark di Suvero: Grace à Toi (Homage à Michel Guy). The exhibition is curated by John Hock, artistic director of Franconia Sculpture Park.

Says Public Art Saint Paul President Christine Podas-Larson, “the sculpture exhibition was our response to the initiative of neighborhood residents and artists. They approached us to give this park in the heart of a densely populated neighborhood a purpose. They wanted it to be a safe place for community gathering and for creative activity. We have kept it going for 12 years.”

The park is a story of vision, risk, determination of the local Fuller Aurora Neighborhood Association; it is credited over with increased civic attention to larger neighborhood needs and public safety, improved housing conditions, and public space improvements and for new confidence among residents and property owners. In a neighborhood that is home to an increasingly diverse population, art is becoming a common language.

“Saint Paul Parks and Recreation has been tremendously supportive of these efforts. The park was specifically designed by city landscape architects to accommodate and feature the sculpture display and Parks Operations has bent over backward to provide advice and special assistance,” says Podas-Larson. “However,” she notes, “all cash costs of the exhibition and special programs such as PASPider have been paid by Public Art Saint Paul with support from generous private donors.”

An Artist With Whimsy and A Sustainable Vision: Christopher Lutter-Gardella, founder and artistic director of Puppet Farm Arts, is a sculptor and theater artist, whose work revolves around the design, construction and performance of masks, puppets, contraptions, costumes, theatrical accessories, and sculpture installations. They are all produced from waste stream materials. His work is seen in schools, parks, festivals and art centers. For years he delivered his services through a waste vegetable powered vehicle as part of his effort to maintain a sustainable practice. This is evident in PASPider: the legs are made of salvaged thin-walled aluminum tubing detailed with waste nylon window screening. The leg joints are from recycled bicycle wheel bearings, the shoulders are adapted pedal crank hubs. Then there’s the PASPider’s song – a symphony of antique car horns rasping along.

The Scamp -- Egg Sac and Art Shop: As Public Art Saint Paul and the artist considered how to transport the spider and house the art workshop supplies everything from Yurts to campers were considered. The ideal solution was found in a compact aerodynamic trailer made right here in Minnesota. Kent Eveland, President of the Scamp Company, had never quite considered this as a use for the popular camper trailer, but was game for the adventure and on a field trip to the Scamp headquarters in Backus, Minnesota, Lutter-Gardella and PASP worked with the shop to agree upon a design that, among other things, reinforced the roof to carry this extra 1000 load. Says Podas-Larson “Scamp has been so generous and in helping us make this happen!”

The PASPider is made possible with generous support of the Elmer and Eleanor Andersen and R. C. Lilly Foundations, the Constance Otis Fund of the Saint Paul Foundation, and contributors to Public Art Saint Paul’s 20th Anniversary Fund.

Documentary Release

2009-11-06T11:06:00.000-06:00

Public Art Saint Paul is proud to announce the airing of a documentary of its Sustainable Artmaking Fellowship Program The Sustainability Equation: Between Creativity and Environmental Consciousness.

Produced by Public Art Saint Paul and developed by Jonathan Kranzler, The Sustainability Equation follows our sustainable artmaking fellows Christopher Lutter-Gardella, Janna Schneider, Olive Bieringa and Otto Ramstad of the BodyCartography Project, and Aaron Dysart through their exploration of their own artmaking practice and consideration of dynamic new directions.

The documentary will also be aired on community cable stations throughout the state in the weeks and months ahead and is being sent in DVD format to all studio arts departments in the state of Minnesota.

Airs:
11/05/09, 8:00 pm CH15;
11/07/09, 3:30 pm CH15;
11/08/09, 5:30 pm CH15;
11/14/09, 10:00 pm CH15;
11/15/09, 8:00 pm CH15

Fall Stewardship

2009-11-05T14:01:00.004-06:00

The fall stewardship season is upon us! PASP team made their way around Saint Paul completing the annual fall cleaning and recoating of our beloved sculptures. This very important procedure helps to protect and maintain the sculptures through the harsh Minnesota winter months.

This year saw a great decline in the amount of vandalism to our sculptures, which is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our stewards. Please remember that the stewardship protocol for instances of graffiti is to inform Public Art Saint Paul and not to take independent cleaning actions. Our trained team will take care of removing graffiti to ensure no further damage to the surface of the sculpture.

This is also an excellent time to complete your fall Stewardship Survey Form, which is available on our website. Please follow the link http://www.publicartstpaul.org/stewardship_sc.html and click on ‘fill out an online stewardship survey.’

Western Park Planting

2009-11-05T13:44:00.007-06:00

Early this fall, Public Art Saint Paul partnered with Saint Paul Parks and Recreation and Summit University Planning Council, to sponsor a community planting to beautify Western Park. Enthusiastic volunteers of all ages, dug into the fun - planting, watering and mulching the gardens in preparation for the winter months.

We were happy to get everything planted before the freeze and hope that you have a chance to take an autumnal walk through the park to enjoy the hard work of our volunteers before the winter. Next spring, we will be looking for volunteer gardeners to help care for, weed and water designated garden plots. If you would like to be added as a volunteer gardener, please contact ashley@publicartstpaul.org.

A very special thanks to Karl and Mark from Saint Paul Parks and Recreation; Irna and Lisa from Summit-University Planning Council and all of our dedicated young artists from the Western Park neighborhood!

Readings by Writers

2009-08-20T12:20:00.000-05:00

Every Third Tuesday at 7:30 pm
Saint Paul Poet Laureate
Carol Connolly Hosts
Readings by Writers
Sponsored by Public Art Saint Paul / Everyday Poems for City Sidewalk
at the historic University Club Saint Paul
420 Summit Street
Tuesday September 15, 2009

We present a quartet of contributors to FICTION ON A STICK: Stories by Writers from Minnesota, Milkweed Editions. This anthology is an homage to our State Fair and like the Fair, presents a wide variety of magic. Our readers are:

JOHN REIMRINGER, whose first novel VESTMENTS is forthcoming in fall 2010, also from Milkweed Editions. BETTY GARCIA, an excerpt from this novel appears in FICTION ON A STICK. He is a current Loft-McKnight Fellow and the recipient of a Susannah McCorkle Scholarship to the 2009 Sewanee Writers' Conference. Reimringer is married to the poet Katrina Vandenberg,. They live in the Hamline-Midway neighborhood of Saint Paul.

MAY LEE YANG, playwright, prose writer, poet, performance artist., lives in Saint Paul, and performs with the spoken word group FIRE. Her plays include STIR-FRIED POP CULTURE and THE CHILD’S HOUSE. Published in a wide variety of magazines and anthologies, including FICTION ON A STICK, where her THE SECOND WIFE’S DAUGHTER appears. She is the winner of many prestigious awards, including the National Performance Network Creation Fund award.

ETHAN RUTHERFORD, writer whose work has appeared in many prestigious publications, including FICTION ON A STICK, is set to be included in BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES 2009. A Special Mention recipient in the 2009 Pushcart Prize anthology, he has been awarded a SASE/Jerome Foundation Grant for Emerging Writers, and in 2009 received his MFA from the University of Minnesota.

SARAH STONICH bestselling author of the novels THESE GRANITE ISLANDS and THE ICE
CHORUS, just out in paperback. ASSIMILATION, her FICTION ON A STICK story, is from
VACATIONLAND, her forthcoming collection that follows fourteen different characters to the same Minnesota resort. Longtime Cathedral Hill resident, Sarah has moved Northeast.

Some University Club reading sites are handicapped accessible. Some are not. Best to heck.
The University Club of Saint Paul and Public Art Saint Paul/Everyday Poems for City Sidewalk celebrate the rich diversity of voices that make up the Twin Cities community of writers, readers, and their audiences, with this monthly free and open to the public series: Readings by Writers.

PASPider has Hatched in Western Park

2009-07-28T15:21:00.007-05:00

The PASPider Made Her Debut

on Saturday, July 25

in Saint Paul’s Western Sculpture Park

Eek! They came to see the PASPider hatch in Saint Paul’s Western Sculpture Park . Public Art Saint Paul’s mobile art center that is also a kinetic sculpture made her debut and cast a web for artmaking! Saint Paul City Councilmember Melvin Carter presided over the debut, joining PASPider’s creator Christopher Lutter-Gardella and a young neighborhood resident in tossing the first fly into the art web!

“This is so much fun,” exclaimed Carter. “Public art is so important to our city and we are doing everything we can to light imaginations and encourage creativity. On days like these, we are all artists!”

Proving Carter’s point, artist Kathleen Matamalaki and storyteller Josette Antomarchi led a public art workshop for kids and families, making recycled bug artworks and spinning tales throughout the park.

The PASPider will appear throughout the rest of the summer in Western Sculpture Park, crawling in on select Tuesdays and Saturdays from 12:30 – 4:30. Preliminary Public Art Workshops held in June and July under a traditional tent drew large and lively crowds of young artists.

PASPider promotes sustainable art making: all art-making materials are environmentally friendly, organic or collected from the waste-stream. Each 4-hour workshop consists of interactive art making activities with professional teaching artists from the Saint Paul area. The workshop content and medium vary each Art Day: bridge and cardboard yurt construction, pot decorating and planting, metal stamping and, of course, spider marionettes!

The workshops are free and open to children and families. Special efforts are made to serve children of the Western Sculpture Park neighborhood just west of the State Capitol, on Marion Street between I-94 and University Avenue.

Photos by Andy King

The PASPider is made possible with generous support of the Elmer and Eleanor Andersen Foundation, the Constance Otis Fund of the Saint Paul Foundation, the R. C. Lilly Foundation, the Sage Cleveland Foundation, contributors to Public Art Saint Paul’s 20^th Anniversary Fund, and Scamp Trailers.

Western Sculpture Park is located on the west side of Marion Street, between I-94 and University Avenue.

PASPider Art Workshops in Western Park

2009-06-22T16:18:00.004-05:00

Public Art Saint Paul presents
The PASPider

A new center for imagination and creativity is open and the artists are in at Western Sculpture Park!

The PASPider is a mobile art center that seeks to foster curiosity, imagination and appreciation of public art by engaging the community in creative interactive workshops. The PASPider will appear throughout the summer in Western Sculpture Park, crawling in on select Tuesdays and Saturdays from June 27th to August 25th. June 27 will be its dress rehearsal. It will be dedicated in a PASPider hatching July 7, details to be announced.

On Art Days, the PASPider will be open for 4 hours, from 12.30 – 4.30. PASPider promotes sustainable art making: all art-making materials will be environmentally friendly, organic or collected from the waste-stream. Each 4-hour workshop will consist of interactive art making activities with professional teaching artists from the Saint Paul area. The workshop content and medium will vary each Art Day: bridge and cardboard yurt construction, African song and dance, storytelling, fabric sculptures, pot decorating and planting, metal stamping and, of course, spider marionettes! The first workshop will be held June 23 under a more traditional tent as the PASPider prepares for its debut.

The workshops are free and open to children and families. Special efforts are being made to serve children of the Western Sculpture Park neighborhood just west of the State Capitol, on Marion Street between I-94 and University Avenue.

Eek – I saw the PASPider! This tent-like shelter itself is a giant artwork – a kinetic spider puppet, created by artist Christopher Lutter-Gardella. Installed atop a custom-built 13-foot Scamp trailer, the PASPider is mobile – even its mandibles are animated! With its 8 googly eyes rolling and winking and a small megaphone in its smiling lips, the PASPider will creep through the neighborhood streets to announce its arrival in the Park. Once there, PASPider’s 8 legs will stretch to a total width of 25 feet (with an “at rest” upper reach of 11 feet). The legs provide a webby sun canopy to shade art-making below!

A nurse spider provides Letter-Gardella’s inspiration – with its rear end high in back and pushing its egg sac in front! The Scamp is the egg sac and the rear-end unfolds from the back of the Scamp like a huge Chinese lantern, with an aluminum tubing boom holding successive hoops in formation. PASPider will be plenty hairy! It’s abdomen and legs will be covered with hair made of ribbons of screen.

Public Art Saint Paul’s continuing commitment to Western Sculpture Park. For 11 years, since the re-designed park opened in 1998, the non-profit Public Art Saint Paul has produced a display of sculpture by leading mid-career American Artists. Currently 20 artworks are exhibited, on loan from artists coast to coast. The park is anchored by a 70- foot kinetic sculpture by the eminent American artist Mark di Suvero: Grace à Toi (Homage à Michel Guy). See PASP web site for complete list of art on display: www.publicartstpaul.org/western.html

The park is a story of vision, risk, determination of the local Fuller Aurora Neighborhood Association; it is credited over with increased civic attention to larger neighborhood needs and public safety, improved housing conditions, and public space improvements and for new confidence among residents and property owners. In a neighborhood that is home to an increasingly diverse population, art is becoming a common language.

An Artist With Whimsy and A Sustainable Vision: Christopher Lutter-Gardella met Public Art Saint Paul when he was awarded one of the organization’s Sustainable Artmaking Fellowship in 2008. Founder and artistic director of Puppet Farm Arts based in Minneapolis, Lutter-Gardella is a sculptor and theater artist, whose work revolves around the design, construction and performance of masks, puppets, contraptions, costumes, theatrical accessories, and sculpture installations. They are all produced from waste stream materials. His work is seen in schools, parks, festivals and art centers. For years he delivered his services through a waste vegetable powered vehicle as part of his effort to maintain a sustainable practice. This is evident in PASPider: the legs are made of salvaged thin-walled aluminum tubing detailed with waste nylon window screening. The leg joints are from recycled bicycle wheel bearings, the shoulders are adapted pedal crank hubs. Then there’s the PASPider’s song – a symphony of antique car horns rasping along.

The Scamp -- Egg Sac and Art Shop: As Public Art Saint Paul and the artist considered how to transport the spider and house the art workshop supplies everything from yurts to campers were considered. The ideal solution was found in a compact aerodynamic trailer made right here in Minnesota. Kent Eveland, President of the Scamp Company, had never quite considered this as a use for the popular camper trailer, but was game for the adventure and on a field trip to the Scamp headquarters in Backus, Minnesota, Lutter-Gardella and PASP worked with the shop to agree upon a design that, among other things, reinforced the roof to carry this extra 1000 load. Says Podas-Larson “Scamp has been so generous and in helping us make this happen!”

The PASPider is made possible with generous support of the Elmer and Eleanor Andersen Foundation, the Constance Otis Fund of the Saint Paul Foundation, the R. C. Lilly Foundation and contributors to Public Art Saint Paul’s 20th Anniversary Fund.

DOWNLOAD THE SUMMER
PASPider CALENDER HERE! (.pdf)

Expressive Potential of the Watershed: A Lecture

2009-05-02T11:30:00.000-05:00

WATERSHED DISTRICTS AND PUBLIC ART SAINT PAUL
PRESENT

EXPRESSIVE POTENTIAL OF THE WATERSHED: A PUBLIC ART PLAN
A LECTURE BY CLIFF GARTEN

The Capitol Region and Ramsey Washington Metro Watershed Districts and Public Art Saint Paul will present a lecture on Tuesday, May 19 at 11:30 at the Wiggington Pavilion on Harriet Island by public artist and landscape architect Cliff Garten. The lecture will follow a lunch; reservations are required and cost is $20.

Expressive Potential of the Watershed draws upon Garten’s groundbreaking Public Art Master Plan for the city of Calgary’s Bow River Watershed and will inform thinking in our region about public art planning for the watershed districts that serve the St. Paul area.
Garten is sculptor and principal of Cliff Garten Studio based in Venice, California. He began his public art career in Saint Paul in the 1980’s while a Professor of Art at Hamline University. Here he collaborated in design of Kellogg Mall Park and created the Saint Paul Cultural Garden. With simultaneous Bush Foundation Artist and Leadership Fellowships and Travelers Foundation Leadership Initiatives in the Neighborhoods Award, Garten went on to Harvard’s Graduate School of Design.

In May, Fort Worth, Texas will dedicate Garten’s Avenue of Light, the largest public art commission in the City’s history. Recently completed or now in process are major projects in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Sunnyvale, Phoenix, Scottsdale, El Paso, Charlotte, Madison and Cleveland. Earlier projects in cities nationwide created courtyards, gardens, seating, entryways, arbors, and memorials.

In 2006, Garten led an effort to create a Public Art Master Plan for the Utilities and Environmental Protection Department (UEP) in Calgary, Canada. It’s title: A Public Art Plan for the Expressive Potential of Utility Infrastructure heralded Garten’s groundbreaking approach. The plan conceived of public art as a series of linked events within the landscape and watershed of the Bow River done as interdisciplinary collaborations. Integral to the plan are citizen education and stewardship concerning water resources.

The City of Saint Paul is served by 2 watershed districts -- Capitol Region and Ramsey Washington -- that also encompass parts of the surrounding east metro area. Through capital investments and outreach programs, they promote and monitor water quality and educate and engage the public in sustainable water management strategies. Watershed Districts were authorized by the Minnesota Legislature in 1955 when it passed the Watershed Act. 45 of these local, special-purpose units of government throughout the State work to solve and prevent water-related problems. The boundaries of each district follow those of a natural watershed and consist of land in which all water flows to one outlet.

The non-profit Public Art Saint Paul is the prime mover in creating and caring for public art in Saint Paul. Established in 1987, it engages artists in the design of public projects, creating works of art for public places, and producing public art events. Public Art Saint Paul produces the Western Sculpture Park exhibition and engages the community in public art stewardship and young people in art education programs.

Download a PDF Invitation

Event Summary
Lecture: The Expressive Potential of the Watershed by Cliff Garten
Tuesday, May 19
11:30am (lunch) 12:30 (lecture)
The Wiggington Pavilion on Harriet Island
$20 Lunch
Reservations required: 651-290-0921
or pasp@publicartstpaul.org

Additional information
Capitol Region Watershed District
Ramsey Washington Metro Watershed District
Public Art Saint Paul
Cliff Garten Studio

Saint Paul Opens Second Sidewalk Poetry Contest

2009-05-01T12:10:00.000-05:00

Mayor Coleman announces annual initiative promoting art in public spaces

SAINT PAUL – Following the successful debut of Saint Paul’s sidewalk poetry contest in 2008, Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman today announced the opening of the second annual Everyday Poems for City Sidewalk Contest. The contest, sponsored in partnership with Public Art Saint Paul, will accept poetry submissions from Saint Paul residents through the month of May, ending May 29. Winners will then have their work inscribed on city sidewalks as part of Saint Paul public works sidewalk replacement program.

“Public spaces like sidewalks have the potential to be more than just paths to places,” Mayor Coleman said. “Our sidewalk poetry effort brings art to the outdoors where it can surprise, inspire, and make us laugh, smile, and think. Art in public spaces engage residents and invite us to use those spaces. With the generous support of our partners at Public Art Saint Paul, the Most Livable City in America takes another step forward in contemporary, urban renaissance.”

Sidewalk poetry’s genesis began with Marcus Young, Saint Paul’s artist in residence. Young conceived the idea last year after learning about the public works department’s annual sidewalk replacement program. Because of age and deterioration, the city replaces about 10 miles of sidewalk each year.

“I like the unlikely pairing of poetry and sidewalk replacement,” Young said. “Sidewalks are clearly a necessity, yet creating beauty and mystery with public art is equally important. We must build well both the hard durable structures of our city and the soft spaces for our collective imagination. That we can do both at the same time is really fun.”

Young, who will reprise his role as project manager of the sidewalk poetry program, noted that Saint Paul residents embraced the contest with zeal last year. The city received more than 2,000 submissions.

“We’re hoping for an equally enthusiastic response again this year,” Young said.

Interested Saint Paul residents can learn more about the contest and submit their poems by visiting the City’s Website
www.stpaul.gov/poetry

Visit the Sidewalk Poetry Webpage
publicartstpaul.org/everydaysidewalk

Spring Stewardship

2009-03-02T14:17:00.006-06:00

Sentinels by Juergen Zaun

This past Wednesday, New PASP Education and Stewardship Coordinator Ashley Hanson and Office Manager Nic Hager went on a collection assessment, to help acclimate Ashley to the collection. It was a beautiful late-winter day, Cajibracan was smiling, the snow was melting, and it was a good reminder to get into gear for the exciting season to come.

Cajibracan by Peter Morales

Spring is just around the corner! As the ground begins to thaw and the sun begins to shine, we welcome our season of outdoor public art events by inviting you to enjoy the outdoors by exploring Saint Paul's public art and public spaces. As you enjoy the weather and the scenery, please do keep an eye on our public art pieces to see how well they have survived the cold winter months and remember to contact us if you notice any of the pieces in need of a little TLC (651.290.0921).

Family Hug by Salah Hammad

3rd ANNUAL EARTH DAY CELEBRATION: WISHES FOR THE SKY

2009-02-19T12:32:00.008-06:00

Earth Day in Saint Paul is an annual day of wishing and promising. On April 19 the public art event Wishes for the Sky will gather thousands to Harriet Island Park. Amid a rich soundscape, they will write their wishes on swallow-shaped kites and fly them in solidarity over this parkland on the Mississippi River.

Nearing the river’s edge, they will read poetry and make promises to the earth, melding the tones their voices to sounds of laugher, the gong of percussive instruments, and the ring of chimes hung in a bamboo House to Touch the Wind.

This coming-of-spring tradition has become a model zero-waste event. Saint Paul Parks & Recreation has started using the event as a benchmark to inspire other "green" events. Last year, 2200 attendees made only 12 pounds of trash.

What: A family-friendly, public art event that promotes peace and earth-mindfulness
Who: Open to the public
Cost: FREE
When: Sunday, April 19, 10:30 am - 4:30 pm (rain or shine)
Where: Harriet Island, 75 W Water Street, Saint Paul

Visitors are encouraged to bike, bus or walk to the event. Travel information can be found at www.wishesforthesky.org

Wishes for the Sky was founded in 2007 by Saint Paul's Public Artist-In-Residence Marcus Young, in collaboration with choreographer Shen Pei, architect Peter Kramer, composer Mary Ellen Childs, and other local artists. The event is presented in partnership with Saint Paul Parks & Recreation, Public Art Saint Paul, and Eureka Recycling with the support of community organizations.

Kites are provided.

Kites are provided. Food and beverages will be sold at the event. Visitors packing their own lunch are asked to "pack it green"

Visit the website at www.wishesforthesky.org

University Avenue USA project Blog

2009-01-08T11:54:00.003-06:00

Startribune.com has asked many community members to share their perspectives in a project called 'Your Voices', a collection of online blogs. Wing Young Huie was asked to share his perspective, and is using this opportunity to show some early work on his upcoming University Avenue USA project, along with community stories accompanying his images.

Visit the Your Voices project Here
or read more about University Avenue USA at
Public Art Saint Paul's Home Site

image Copywright Wing Young Huie 2008

Fall Newsletter- Stewardship

2008-12-02T12:27:00.000-06:00

Our Fall 2008 Newsletter showcases our Stewardship Program and includes articles on our busy summer season, the now lost George Sugarman sculpture, the Meditation Healing Ceremony, and a diary of a Public Art Steward.

You'll find a downloadable version of the newsletter on the right hand side of this page.

For a more high-resolution version or paper version via mail, to volunteer as a Steward, or for more information on our Stewardship Program, or other programs at Public Art Saint Paul please e-mail pasp@publicartstpaul.org

New Art in Western Sculpture Park

2008-08-29T13:57:00.000-05:00

A new interactive sculputre was installed in Western Sculpture Park, located on Marion st. between I94 and University Ave., this week! The piece is an abstract bench titled 'Eyes of Newt ' created by artist Ted Sitting Crow Garner. The piece is made of painted wood and steel, 18’6” long. Ted Sitting Crow Garner is a native American artists of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Garner lives in Chicago.
The piece was installed on Tuesday, August 26th and is already a big favorite of the neighborhood.

Meditation Restored

2008-08-29T12:31:00.000-05:00

Community Comes Together in Phalen Park Unity Ceremony

The sculpture Meditation by Lei Yixin, created for Phalen Park during the 2006 International Stone Carving Symposium (Minnesota Rocks!) was horribly defaced on the night of Sarurday, July 12 in the midst of the annual Dragon Festival. Discovered just before dawn Sunday morning by Parks maintenance crews, the sculpture was quickly covered with a tarp in an effort to shield celebrants.

Public Art Saint Paul was called early the following Monday morning by a deeply saddened and sympathetic Joe Buzicky of Saint Paul Parks maintenance. As the owner of the sculpture, it was Public Art Saint Paul’s responsibility to clean the sculpture but we knew that deeper restoration of community was needed.

Saint Paul’s artist in residence Marcus Young considered this and formed the idea of a ceremony to clean the sculpture and help us all heal. Led by Young’s vision, Public Art Saint Paul, the East Side Arts Council, Payne Phalen Community Council, East Side Neighborhood Development Corporation and East Side Peacekeepers laid other work aside and devoted themselves over 3 weeks to plan this event. Nick Banovetz of Padilla Spear Beardsley offered his pro-bono public information services.

On Friday evening, August 15, a Unity Ceremony was held at Phalen Park. Attended by hundreds, it carefully revealed the crime. To the slow beat of drums participants viewed the defacement from within an enclosure; eyes were unshielded and wept in shock and grief.
Then, very carefully, the healing began. Romi Slowiak and Marcus Young presided over the ritual that began with the stories told by Evelyn Lee, Christine Podas-Larson and Peter Morales of the sculpture’s birth, of the artist’s long journey and hard effort; of the sculpture dedication’s joy turned to fear and sadness a year later; of the hope that fills our minds and hearts. Church bells of nearby Gustavus Adolphus church rang to end a moment of silence. David Harris and intoned our feelings of loss and hope.

Saint Paul City Councilmember Dan Bostrom declared that violence and expressions of hate are intolerable in our community and vowed renewed efforts to improve public safety and bring the community together in understanding and peace. Police Chief John Harrington spoke powerfully of the community’s values of tolerance and amity, stating the seriousness with which he takes words of hate.

Choirs sang: Li-chen Chen chanted a traditional Buddhist mantra, the African chorus from Arlington Hills Presbyterian Church, Minhua Chorus and the Hmong Youth Choir. Spiritual comfort was offered by Rev. Dodson, H. David Stewart from Dayton Avenue Presbyterian Church and Terrance Rollerson. Marcus Young led those gathered in singing America The Beautiful.

A message from the artist, written by him on the ceremony’s eve, was read by Ning Li.

Read Lei's statement here (.pdf)

A line of 40 people spoke their names and entered the enclosure to begin the cleaning. Using cloth gaffer’s tape under the gentle instruction of conservator Kristin Cheronis, they each applied it and…to their real joy, saw the blue metallic spray paint peeled off under their loving pressure.

Marcus, Aki Shibata and Kristin gathered these onto a piece of acetate shaped in a circle. Soon a new artwork evolved: From Fear to Fearlessness.

The enclosure for sculpture viewing at Phalen Park with Evelyn Lee and drummers from Mu Daiko. Among participants were Tina Plant from Minnesota Rocks! sponsor Hedberg Landscape and Masonry and Larry and Liz Englund who were at the stone carving symposium every day. Councilmember Dan Bostrom met before the ceremony with Police Chief John Harrington, Christine Podas-Larson and Marcus Young and with Chao Lee of the office of US Rep Betty McCollum.
Photos by Andy King and Linnea Larson.

The Restoration

The week following the Unity Ceremony, the sculpture was completely restored by a dedicated crew led by professional art conservator Kristin Cheronis. Working from dawn to dusk August 18 – 22, they used gaffers tape, steam, acetone, and tools as fine as scalpels and dental picks the paint was slowly removed.

Cheronis notes that the few traces of blue paint that remain will bleach out in the sun over the next year, so we must be patient. With a gift from the Prosoco Company, the sculpture was re-sealed with a protective coating. Saint Paul Parks and the Youth Corps planted rings of rose bushes around the sculpture to help deter future vandalism.

A generous grant from the Saint Paul Foundation and individual gifts supported the restoration.

Over 100 people have enlisted as the East Side Stone Sentinels, committed to stewardship of the sculpture.

For more information-
Evelyn Lee's Statement about the Vandalism (.pdf)
Chris Robert's MPR Article about the Vandalism
Chris Robert's MPR article about the Restoration
KSTP's video clip about the Healing Ceremony

Western Sculpture Park Gathering

2008-08-11T12:42:00.000-05:00

Western Sculpture Park Gathering

Ramsey County Commissioner Toni Carter Saint Paul City Councilmember Melvin Carter Summit University Planning Council Fuller Aurora Neighborhood Association and Public Art Saint Paul

Invite neighbors to join them for a Western Park Gathering

Tuesday, August 19
4:30 – 6:00pm
Western Park
Marion Street between I-94 and University Avenue

➢ Address recent vandalism in the Park
➢ Learn of the Park’s History
➢ Plan art installations and art programs for the coming year
➢ See new art created by Ober Center Youth
➢ Learn of plans for improvements to Western Avenue Selby to University
Participants eligible for
Door Prizes
(grocery and merchandise gift cards, transit passes, artworks and more)

Download a .pdf of the Flyer

Lake Phalen Healing Ceremony Updates

2008-08-10T11:21:00.000-05:00

The Unity Ceremony at Phalen Regional Park is this

Friday, August 15th
Viewing 6pm
Ceremony 7pm

There will be a viewing period where the public can view the damage to the sculpture by passing through an enclosure beginning at 6pm.

The ceremony will begin at 7pm, and will feature community leaders speaking about the sculptures creation, the act of vandalism, the restoration process, and the community impact and next steps.

The ceremony is being held at the Amphitheater at Phalen Regional Park.

In the event of rain, the ceremony will be moved into the park's Picnic Pavilion.

Parking will be available at Gustavus Adolphus Church, in the lot on the corner of Arcade street and Larpenteur Ave. This parking lot is a 5-10 minute walk from the ceremony site, and shuttle service will also be available from the parking lot to the ceremony site from 5:30 until 9:30.

Download a .pdf of the Parking Map

View Larger Map

Further updates to come on this site.

"Meditation" Vandalism at Phalen Park

2008-08-05T12:19:00.000-05:00

An ugly act of violence and hatred hit the Phalen Park neighborhood. On July 12, someone defaced areas of the park. The main target of this attack was the Asian and Asian American communities since the vandalism occurred during the Dragon Festival, but the racism was not directed at them alone. The most horrific of racist remarks and symbols were painting large-scale, defiling public space and public art.

The beautiful sculpture Meditation Lei Yixin was severely damaged. The icon was ground zero for this hate crime.

As complement to the efforts of the police and FBI, Public Art Saint Paul and East Side Arts Council are gathering the community on the evening of August 15th to create greater awareness of this tragedy, bring people together to foster understanding and peace, and to ask for help in cleaning the statue and safeguarding its future.

Please join us on Friday, August 15 as the healing begins in the stone symposium’s spirit of international amity. Watch this page for details of event program and logistics (such as parking).

Public Art Saint Paul's Press Release-

East Side Arts Council and Public Art Saint Paul Respond to
Phalen Park Hate Crimes

St. Paul Art and Cultural Organizations Plan Community-Wide Healing Event
to Restore Key Sculpture

St. Paul, Minn., Aug. 1, 2008 – The East Side Arts Council and Public Art Saint Paul announced plans today to repair the Phalen Park sculpture, Meditation, in response to hate crimes that occurred in the park on July 12, 2008. Public Art Saint Paul owns the sculpture by Chinese artist Lei Yixin that was created through the 2006 International Stone Carving Symposium, Minnesota Rocks!

“Citizens and organizations of the Phalen Park neighborhood are devastated by the appalling vandalism that occurred in Phalen Park,” said Sarah Fehr, Executive Director of the East Side Arts Council. “Public Art Saint Paul, District 5 Planning Council, East Side Neighborhood Development Corporation and many others are joining with us to collectively restore Meditation to its beautiful presence as a symbol of peace and tranquility for residents of St. Paul’s East Side.”

A community healing event on Friday, Aug. 15 will begin the restoration efforts. Details to follow in the coming weeks.

The following organizations are contributing to Meditation restoration and community awareness efforts surrounding the vandalism: East Side Arts Council, Public Art Saint Paul, East Side Neighborhood Development Company, Dragon Festival Committee, Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans, East Side Peacemakers and District 5 Planning Council.

The investigation for the Phalen Park hate crimes is currently open. Images of the Meditation statue are available upon request.

###

Visit the Dragon Festival Website

Visit Public Art St. Paul's Main Website
for more information on the creation of 'Meditation'

Art of Traffic Calming

2008-08-05T12:01:00.000-05:00

Steven Woodward is a Saint Paul based sculptor who served as Resident Artist from 2005-06. With Public Works streetscape engineers, he participated in community forums on strategies to make city neighborhoods safer and more pedestrian friendly. The Art of Trafﬁc Calming is the result of his exploration of these critical urban issues. The project consists of 30 art signs that were installed beginning in June along stretches of city streetscape. After several weeks they will be rotated and then moved to other parts of the city for repeat performances.

To learn more, call the Art of Traffic Calming Hotline: 651-266-6216!

Made in the Public Works sign shop from highly colorful and reﬂective materials, they enliven the streetscapes as they further discussion of how to achieve safer streets in Saint Paul’s neighborhoods. Trafﬁc speeds will be measured before, during and after each art sign installation, so the City will be able to readily evaluate their effectiveness. Public Works streetscape employees are excited about the prospect of their new roles: curators of a very public artwork.

The Public Artist Residency and the Art of Traffic Calming are made possible by Public Art Saint Paul’s Placemaking Fund, with support from Saint Paul Neighborhood STAR.

The City of Saint Paul's Page on the Project

The Pioneer Press featured it as front page news on July 29!

Artist Steven Woodward's Website

For more information about
Saint Paul's Public Artist in Residency Program,
visit Public Art Saint Paul's Main Page

New News Blog!

2008-07-10T13:51:00.000-05:00

Public Art Saint Paul is launching this blog as a news feature on its newly designed website.

Publicartstpaul.org

Keep an eye on this page for recent information on PASP projects and opportunities!