Art Happens Here: A Celebration of Artist-Led Creative Placemaking Along the Green Line

Art in Place

Everyone was invited to celebrate the first year of Irrigate at “Art Happens Here: A celebration of artist-led creative placemaking along the Green Line” on Saturday October 27, 10am-2pm, at ZajLaug Chaw, 262 University Ave W., Saint Paul.

This free event celebrated the contributions of local artists to their communities and neighborhoods with support from Irrigate - a collaboration of Springboard for the Arts, the City of Saint Paul, and Twin Cities Local Initiatives Support Corporation. In the past year, over 60 local artist-led creative placemaking projects have sprung forth along the transit route – ranging from performances in parking lots and restaurants to visual art in streets and on buildings. These projects have brought customers to businesses and given community members new positive ways to engage in the chaos of construction.

“Art Happens Here” will be a festive, carnival-like event where everyone feels welcome, learns about placemaking, sees what Irrigate artists have been doing along the corridor, watches live performances, makes placemaking art to take home and leave behind, encounters surprise and fun, eats from local food trucks, runs into old friends and makes some new ones. Over two dozen local artists will engage, perform, and delight us in creating placemaking. The event is free, with food from local eateries and food trucks for purchase.There will be free artist-led activities for all ages including: • Alicia Dvorak, Lightrail Photo Opp• Brenda Bell Brown, Strut Yo Stuff Cakewalk• Caitlin Warner, Make Your Own Place Flag – make a flag to take home• Living Proof Print Collective, This is Where I Live Community Art Project – to be installed on-siteThe event will also include performances by: • BeatrixJAR, Experimental Sound Art• Chris Lutter-Gardella & Rene Meyer-Grimberg, Big Black Dog Seen • Dianne Moore, Light Rail Shuffle• Ellie Fregni & Justin Busch, Strings to our Homeland• Fres Thao & Chuefeng Xiong, Mind Full Of Mindful Love• Jana Nyberg & Brian Courage, Voice Meets Bass• Janaki Ranpura, Carnival Pataphysique Puppet Show• Julie Johnson, Funky Flute• Mira Kehoe, Living Statue Wishing Tree• Rae Eden Frank, The Flowering Dance Project• Soullections, Music by a Collection of Souls

Springboard for the Arts’ mission is to cultivate a vibrant arts community by connecting artists with the skills, contacts, information and services they need to make a living and a life. City of Saint Paul – Most livable city in America. Twin Cities Local Initiatives Support Corporation’s mission is to help community residents transform neighborhoods into healthy and sustainable communities of choice and opportunity. For more information, contact: Kathy Mouacheupao (for event and to contact participating artists): k.mouacheupao@gmail.com or 651-331-6929 Laura Zabel (for Irrigate): laura@springboardforthearts.org or 612-386-4482