Sadie creates portraits of women made of old bras. Tying into the history of the garment factories along the Mississippi River, this series is focused on Munsingwear and workers rights of women. Munsingwear was famous for creating its itchless wool long underwear. The working conditions in this factories were notoriously awful. Journalist Eva Gay worked undercover to expose the working conditions of women in many factories and laundries. Eva Gay is the first of many pioneering women who advocated for labor rights. Nellie Stone Johnson was an advocate and activist for workers rights and was the first woman to be commemorated with a statue at the MN State Capitol. The blue fabric strips that people are writing their Mississippi memories on, will be made into a quilt of the Mississippi.
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Frances is a multimedia artist who loves making interactive found object art. Working in collaboration with Sadie, she has created an art version of the Stone Arch Bridge. The outline of the bridge is formed using tan colored fabric to contrast with the blue denim Sadie has for the water under the bridge. Then objects were attached to the chain link fence to add more visual and tactile . Similar to the Love Lock Bridge in Paris, we would like you to add your own objects to the piece. Help us find the beauty in cleaning up our streets and waterways.
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Owen: My installation is about listening and talking to each other, an activity which is described in the signage, I don’t think that there’s much else. I can provide, I suppose, the playlist for the recorders. However, My strongly held opinion is that art holds its power partly through obscurity. If you are pushing the edge there should be moments of incoherence, that is where viewers get to be creative artists, through their own interpretation. Trying to dampen these weakens the piece’s effect. I think it’s fine to engage with others if they want to talk about a work, but I am generally opposed to explanations: viewers should construct their own. For this, and other reasons I am also against most curatorial comments.
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Barbara Rogers Bridges has been an artist and a teacher/college professor for over 40 years. Barbara creates social practice art from fabricated components in a variety of media and rescued “power objects.” She manipulates the objects to create meaning and provoke discussions and reflection on a wide variety of social topics.
Mighty Miss Tryptic uses objects headed for a landfill to tell the story of the human origins of our beloved Mississippi River and its partnership with wheat.
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Kelly is the assistant director of Art to Change the World. She is inspired by social justice, reusable materials, other cultures, traveling, and unity. She has created several public works including murals and group art projects.
The monarch is our state butterfly. This is made out of recycled bottlecaps to remind you to recycle and stop using single-use plastic which ends up in our river which is 80 percent of our drinking water.
Name the butterfly contest, fill out a paper here on the table. See the winning name on the website next week. Post your pics with the hashtag #Arttochangetheworld OK?
Monarchs need milkweed for their development. Milkweed grows along the Mississippi River.
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Briauna is a muralist/illustrator working closely with community around healing.“Ancestors” mural is a celebration of those who came before us. The power and need of water for a fruitful existence. The art is a reminder to be present, mindful and take time to reflect. Briauna also gains inspiration and renewal between works by gathering at the river and meditating.