State of the Arts Blog

From “parking space” to “park”

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(PARK)ing Day in Seattle

Photo by Rob Ketcherside

Tomorrow people will be putting quarters in meters across the Twin Cities, not for their cars, but for sod, plants and lawn chairs.

September 17th is (PARK)ing Day in the Twin Cities, when creative folks of all sorts turn asphalt rectangles into... parks. Some play music, others host picnics - the one thing they they don't do is park their cars.

According to the organizers' website, the annual event is "a non-commercial project, intended to promote creativity, civic engagement, critical thinking, unscripted social interactions, generosity and play."

In 2009, the event inspired people in 140 cities around the globe to claim their spot on the street.