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Posted June 12

Blue Tent on River

June 15   10- 2    Natalie (2-5)
June 15   2-7   Sadie
June 16   10-1  Barbara
June 16 1-5  Daphne

Talking Points
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.

Posted June 8, 2024

Final Details.  These details (and changes) will appear here from today on out (too many emails to track). https://www.arttochangetheworld.org/acw-mill-city-museum-stone-arch-festival-project     
Please read closely…. I know there is a lot… the point of the project page is so the Project Manager does not have to answer the same question 6 times. Have Mercy!!  Please confirm receipt.

Please reach out if we missed something… of course we did!  Wini… did anything change after I left yesterday?

Owen,…. They can answer the trivia question about the  indigenous name of St. Anthony Falls because it is IN my artwork (and Bri’s).  That is the point of the trivia questions… to incentivize them to look at our art closely.  Our objective is to welcome the visitors into our creative process. 

June 10   Owen will pick up the chair and the stool at 699 Lowry on Monday June 10 between 1 and 3?

Need trivia questions from Frances, Sadie and Owen.  (Sorry if this is a re-send).  See what we have below.

June 11  Frances moves Pearl to Mill City to the courtyard.  Checks drawers for re-fills.  Thanks Frances!!

Wini:  Will Pearl be under her tent when delivered on June 11?  Weather looks iffy.

June 13    9:00-3:00  We will use the Chicago lane between the Guthrie and The Mill City Museum to unload.  Just drive all the way to the barriers.

Wini has the key to the fence so we will be able to get back there.  I have plenty of heavy duty zip ties  to attach signage and Bri’s Masonite.  I did not t drill your signage but will have a drill so you can put the holes where you want them.   ACW will pay for the signage.

I am sending a message to all the people who signed up for the Newsletter at Art A Whirl and offer them a power object from Pearl’s drawers if they present the email at Stone Arch Festival.  These are potential members.  They can sign up right on our QR code. Please read the talking points for ACW below.

I think all of us (especially newish members!) should read our two project sites so we can speak with authority.
Pearl: https://www.arttochangetheworld.org/mississippi-management-and-watershed-project

Stone Arch Festival https://www.arttochangetheworld.org/acw-mill-city-museum-stone-arch-festival-project

June 15

We will have two tents  in the courtyard -one for Pearl and one for an  8 foot table with three (possible, Wini?) chairs. – We will have T-shirts for sale, kiosk, ACW swag etc . They will have to return the trivia slip there.  What else?

Kelly will bring a blue tent to be put near the entry of Mill City.  Mill city will provide 1  8 foot table and three (possible, Wini?) chairs. We will have the  art prize, T-shirts for sale,  Monarch naming cup, ACW swag , our personal cards (bring a weight to hold them down) What else?  The blue tent , table,  swag, cards  and chairs will go inside the courtyard on the night of June 15.

If you are on for 10-2 on Saturday, please arrive at 9 to help set up

June 16  I am making Nametags for us right now so it is fresh in my mind how much time it takes.  Thanks for leaving them on the swag table before you leave on June 16.

Then, please arrive 15 minutes before your shift starts below

Pearl

June 15   10- 2  Barbara and Amada
June 15   2-7 Frances and Natalie (2-5)
June 16   10-1  Katie
June 16 1-5  Sadie, Sam St. John

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Talking Points

Art to Change the World is a Collective.   We are celebrating our 7^th Anniversary on July 4, 2024

We have over 400 members and only 200 of those members are artists.

We have ranged in age from 18-103 years old and we take great pride in the fact that we create a safe space for all voices.

We paid social justice artists more than $160,000 in the last 3 years.

We are partly funded by the Minnesota Arts Board and Metropolitan Regional Arts Council.

Member Benefits:

* You can join for as little as $50.00 a year. Scholarship Available.
* Inclusion in  a searchable database- bio, pic, and web link on  ACW website.
* Free advertising in the monthly newsletter
* Paid project manager stipends for members who volunteer to run a project.
* Access to ACW Office/Meeting Space at 699 Lowry Ave NE

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Trivia Questions

1.What plant is important to the Monarch Butterfly? (Milkweed)

2.What was Minneapolis called in the 1880s?  (Flour Capitol of the World)

3.Where did Johnny Cash accidentally meet Big River? [Answer – St Paul]

4.What did the Dakota people call/name the area that’s known now at St.Anthony Falls?  (Owamniyomni)

5. Who is the first woman to have a statue at the MN State Capitol      Nellie Stone Johnson

6.  Did you hear what you wanted to hear?  OR  Did you say what you wanted to say? If so, would you share it with us? (all correct)

7. What human activity affects our waterways? – Answers can be climate change, littering, etc.

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J

May 21

Most of us are done with AAW.  Phfew!     I am writing to remind you we had a meeting scheduled at 2:00 PM on Zoom tomorrow, Wed, May 22.  Zoom details below. I know Owen and Kelly will have a challenge logging in… how about the rest of you?

The only immediate deadline we have is to get our signage ready to be printed.    Arial  Font.   300 DPI.   Status?  See  the 11 x 17 ‘s  Kelly and I have created attached. Throw some color in there?

Frances and Sadie .  How are you doing with yours? Frances?

Briauna:  Still need a copy edit from you for Mill City Approval. Then need copy.

Owen.  Could we go ahead and create your 11 x 17  for you?  I am working on ACW general signage.
Frances.  I think you have confirmed that you will escort Pearl to Mill City on June 11.  Is it possible Columbia Heights will help us or do you need to find a truck?

Edited May 5, 2024

Update on Mill City Project. Dates and Times.  Mark your calendars!!

Important Dates:
Site Visit April 11 (Kelly, Owen, Frances, Barbara) 2:00.  On the river side of Mill City.

May 1   Submit signage text to Barbara

Site Visit May 2    2 PM (Briauna, Frances, Sadie, Barbara) and others who can come?   On the river side of Mill City.

May 7. Draft 2 of 11 x 17 signage due.

May 22  2 PM  Status Check on Zoom   Kelly, Owen, Sadie, Barbara, Frances, Bri/    Kelly at Plein Air Convention

June 11  Time? Mississippi River Pearl ($100 each for Pearl Duty)  Frances will  be point for taking Pearl from Columbia Heights Library  Mill City Museum.

Installation June 13  Between 9 and 3.    Yes  Kelly, Owen, Sadie, Barbara, Frances, Bri

 De-Installation last week in August. DTBA

Owen gone April 15 to June 5

Signage
Each of us will have a weatherproof  sign to help the viewer interact with your work.  To make things easy, let’s all have our  project specific signage be 11 X 17 inches.  We will put an ACW logo on the top.  To be included:  Artist Names, Title of Work, An Artwork Statement – which should lead into a directive on how the viewer can  interact with your work.  Think about adding an incentive to participate.   I will make a 2 x 3 foot sign to describe the project.

Please add a short bio of you with a way for the viewer to contact you at the bottom of the copy.  You could add a picture if you would like. The purpose of the signage is draw the walkers into your work.  We will be hosting the Trivia Game to win a $500 work from one of us. Give them some factoids to find in your work and then generate a trivia question(s) to send to me.

NOTE:  Please send me 2 works to choose  from to be that $500 piece. (You will be paid by ACW for this work).  We will all blind vote (you can vote for two 1. Yourself and if it can’t be you-one other LOL)  and ask Mill City to join us in selecting the work.

This signage will all be printed on 1/8 inch PVC sheets.   Please use Arial font 128 points for Headers and  36 point for copy.  Research reveals people will tolerate up to 30 seconds of reading if there is incentive (our $500 treasure hunt). Do we need to reduce the font size?

Clarify: This signage is what you want the viewer to read so they know how to interact with your installation.
Title
Your Names
Artwork statement and directive on how you want them to interact with your work.
Bio of you with Contact.

You need to design your copy using  300 DPI  in Illustrator or In Design.  Need help?  Frances may be  available for a fee.

We will work in Shifts over Stone Arch – June 15 and June 16.  At least 3 artists should be there at all times. You need to volunteer for at least 8 hours.  See schedule below.