In first-of-its-kind program, Minnesota artists design public art for parks, trails across the state

NINA MOINI: 12 local artists from across the state are currently working on a first-of-its-kind pilot project, their Minnesota Parks Artists in Residence. Over the course of a year, each of the artists are researching a park, trail, or park system and then developing public art for that park. The parks include Battle Creek Park in Saint Paul, Lake Bemidji State Park, Granite Falls Memorial Park, and more. Joining me now to talk about the program is Amanda Lovelee, a parks ambassador for the Metropolitan Council. Thanks for being with us, Amanda.

AMANDA LOVELEE: Thanks for having me.

NINA MOINI: And we're also happy to have one of the artists in residence on the line, Sam Zimmerman, a painter on the North Shore. Thank you as well for joining us, Sam.

SAM ZIMMERMAN: Good afternoon. Thank you for having me.

NINA MOINI: Well, on a day like today, maybe it's a good day to check out some of the parks, or maybe folks want to wait. But, Amanda, I want to start with you. How did this come to be? You don't always think about parks having an artist in residence. It sounds so fancy.

AMANDA LOVELEE: Minnesota is rather fancy. We have this a legacy amendment that helps fund some really magical things, both in parks and in the arts. And this is funded by the legacy amendment. And so three different agencies came together, the Metropolitan Council Regional Parks, Greater Minnesota Regional Parks, and the Minnesota DNR, and came up with a dream of putting artists across the entire state of Minnesota in our park system.

NINA MOINI: That's so cool. Oftentimes, walking through parks-- and we're lucky to have so many of them-- you'll see maybe a statue, or a dedication, or a single piece of artwork. How is this program different than some of the other public art we see?

AMANDA LOVELEE: Great question. This program is about really integrating artists into these park systems. So it's not so much about the product that they create, but also shaping ideas and really focusing on curiosity, belonging, and discovery.

NINA MOINI: Sam, yeah, it seems like it's about community in a lot of ways. Would you tell us, Sam, a little bit about your art and where it is?

SAM ZIMMERMAN: Yeah. So I am the artist in residence at the Tetagouche Park up on the North Shore. And so where we are right now is we're, as was shared, is building relationships with the local communities and starting to have conversations around the theme of belonging and what they enjoy about the park, what's their vision for the future of the park, focusing on just a long-term relationship with the park.

NINA MOINI: That's great. So it's not just Sam's work. It's inspired by some of the feedback and the community there. How does that work? Are you having meetings with people? How are you connecting with people?

SAM ZIMMERMAN: Well, each of the artists that are participating have a liaison with the park, like who their point person is. And so there are kind of like our partner in scheduling meetings or bringing community members together. And community members is really-- it's really fun because it's not just the team that is part of the park, the naturalist, or the rangers, or things like that. But it's also local community organizations that have relationships with the park.

I recently just got to spend time with two Silver Bay classrooms to talk about what they enjoy about the park with Silver Bay being so close. So it is really reaching out to as much of the community as possible to inform some ideas for public art in the park.

NINA MOINI: Amazing. Amanda, how were you able to whittle down the artists? We have so many great ones across the state. How were they chosen?

AMANDA LOVELEE: Yeah, we had an application process. And we had over 100 artists apply for the nine different sites. So it was really hard. It was a really hard decision. And Sam is a great one. So we're glad to have him.

NINA MOINI: So, Sam, when you're getting inspiration from the area, you have ties to the area being from around there and working there. What does Tetagouche and that area mean to you?

SAM ZIMMERMAN: Well, when I applied, all the artists were asked to rank three parks that they wanted to work in or to be considered for. I put Tetagouche in all three rankings, so it was Tetagouche or nothing for me. I live in Duluth. I spent childhood summers along the North Shore with my grandfather and other family members. And my family is from Grand Portage, which is at the very northern part of the North Shore.

And so for me, Tetagouche really encapsulates the beauty of Minnesota. And it's the only State Park in this program that is on Lake Superior. And considering the cultural connections, the Ojibwe connections to Lake Superior and its importance, that's what really brought me to apply for it.

NINA MOINI: How does it feel to be a part of this, Sam?

SAM ZIMMERMAN: It's exciting. It's kind of odd just because you get you're in a park, and you get to spend all this time in a park with people that you normally wouldn't have access to. I think with a lot of visitors, they might visit the visitor center or specific locations within each of the parks.

But to really have this kind of access to naturalists and experts and really have a really open doors is really quite amazing just for my own learning about the park and thinking about the history of the park and thinking about the future of the park. So it's really incredible to have these great partnerships with people who have said they want an artist in residence. And so it's just great to be welcomed with open arms and get to spend so much time in the park.

NINA MOINI: Sure. Amanda, what do you think is so special about parks as a venue for art?

AMANDA LOVELEE: Yeah, I think that our parks in the state of Minnesota are great community gathering spaces. And sometimes our art venues feel a little elite. And so being able to bring art into these public spaces and into these parks to reach new audiences and invite people in is really exciting to me.

NINA MOINI: And when do you think, Amanda, that folks could get to see the physical, tangible outcomes from these projects?

AMANDA LOVELEE: Yeah, I think that as soon-- some people are starting now in the winter. But I think come spring, as this amount of snow starts to melt, you'll start to see a lot of action of the artists in these parks.

NINA MOINI: Cool. And since this is a pilot program, what are your hopes for the future of the program?

AMANDA LOVELEE: Yeah, I think all of the park systems together, we dream that this is a pilot and it continues and that the nine parks that are at the table today, we get to have nine more next year and the year after and the year after. And so slowly, maybe all of the parks in Minnesota could have an artist in residence.

NINA MOINI: And Sam, even though it might be a little ways out into the future, do you have any themes or inspiration from Tetagouche that you want to share now as you're piecing together how to create this art?

SAM ZIMMERMAN: Sure. I think a theme of belonging is certainly the central point of this residency. But we've had a lot of discussions about teaching about the park through public art and how could public art-- and that's what I'm focusing on and have a few ideas. I'm not going to share them because they're surprises.

NINA MOINI: Sure.

SAM ZIMMERMAN: But thinking about at the end of this residency, how will my participation help people learn more about the park and explore more of the park.

NINA MOINI: Amazing. Does it feel good to create, maybe not just for yourself, but for others?

SAM ZIMMERMAN: Oh, absolutely. It's great to hear feedback and thoughts. Public art should serve to not only teach, but to provide people with a different perspective, or in some cases, for them to leave with some questions. And so that's really exciting.

NINA MOINI: This is all very exciting. Amanda and Sam, thank you both for joining us and telling us about it. I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with.

AMANDA LOVELEE: Thank you.

NINA MOINI: Thank you.

SAM ZIMMERMAN: Thank you for having us.

NINA MOINI: Take care. That was Amanda Lovelee, a park ambassador from the Metropolitan Council, and Sam Zimmerman, a Minnesota State Parks artist in residence. We'll have a full list of the parks that are part of this project on our website, mprnews.org.