Minnesota Parks Artists in Residence Project
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Art in the Park
Before photography and videos, art was used to convey to people the images of nature and beauty. Artists traveled with explorers to capture the images of new places, animals, people, rituals and customs, and plants discovered. Art is also used to convey history and culture. Public art was often created in the form of sculpture, mosaic, and murals. Many of the pieces of art were put into city centers, square, and parks. Adding art into a park can bring people to a park who would not otherwise be there; and people who attend parks can be exposed to art and develop an appreciation for its form of beauty when the art 'comes to them'. It is natural to continue the tradition of using art in public places, such as parks, to increase our appreciation of our environment and our culture. To do this, the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission, in conjunction with the Metropolitan Council Metropolitan Regional Parks and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Parks and Trails Division partnered with Forecast (a nonprofit organization that activates, inspires, and advocates for public art that advances justice, health, and human dignity) to create MNPAiR. |
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MNPAiR
The Minnesota Parks Artists in Residence project (MNPAiR) is not your typical one and done approach. Instead of an artist creating a specific piece of art and then being done, this pilot project was designed to have the artists be a partner with and an ambassador for the parks. The artists didn't just create artwork, but ideas for the parks as well. All of the artists were Minnesota based. They researched and engaged the with the park staff and communities to develop new works and help engage the community to draw more people to the parks. There were several goals for the project. One goal was to bring more people into nature via the park using art. Using art, the hope was to increase the appreciation of outdoor recreation and the facilities and trails which enable it. Another goal was to increase relationship building, using art to bring communities together which are often considered disparate. A third goal was to use art to make parks, trails, and outdoor recreation more welcoming and encouraging to people who don't traditionally partake in these forms of outdoor recreation. |
“MNPAiR is an historic initiative within the state and across the nation. By uniting three government agencies and leveraging funding from the parks side of the Legacy Amendment, this project invites artists from across the state to explore themes of belonging in the outdoors in creative and unexpected ways. Unlike traditional public art initiatives, this program embeds artists within park systems, fostering collaboration, deepening community connections, and celebrating Minnesota’s top resources, artists, and the outdoors! As both an artist and Regional Parks Ambassador, helping the project move from a dream into action has been a career highlight.”
- Amanda Lovlee Parks Ambassador, Metropolitan Council |
Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails program
Tamera Isfeld, John Sterner, Cassandra Buck, and Lindsey Buck are the artists chosen to work in the GMRPTC facilities
Artists
Four Minnesota-based artists were chosen to work with three districts and seven parks in the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission system.
Four Minnesota-based artists were chosen to work with three districts and seven parks in the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission system.
- Tamera Isfeld and John Sterner worked with Granite Falls Memorial Park and Douglas County Lake Brophy Park.
- Cassandra Buck worked with Olmsted County's Oxbow Park & Zollman Zoo as well as Rochester's Cascade Lake Park and Quarry Hill Nature Center.
- Lindsey Buck worked with Two Inlets at Bdé Heháka - Omashkooz Zaaga’igaans Regional Park and Wright County Robert Ney Park.
Tamara Isfeld has always been fascinated with drawing, painting, ceramics, stained glass, and just about any art process, though painting and mosaic remain her main media of expression.
Trained as a teacher specializing in Art Education, giving back to the community where she lives continues to play a significant role in her life decades into her practice. She has nurtured and leads her local arts council and its many new initiatives, travels at request to create murals and public sculpture and mosaics, and consistently shows her own work.
As a Parks Resident Artist team (with John K Sterner), together they are excited to creatively and collaboratively foster a greater sense of community and respectful belonging in the gift of natural shared space.
Trained as a teacher specializing in Art Education, giving back to the community where she lives continues to play a significant role in her life decades into her practice. She has nurtured and leads her local arts council and its many new initiatives, travels at request to create murals and public sculpture and mosaics, and consistently shows her own work.
As a Parks Resident Artist team (with John K Sterner), together they are excited to creatively and collaboratively foster a greater sense of community and respectful belonging in the gift of natural shared space.
John K. Sterner is a Sicangu Lakota Artist from Southwestern Minnesota who also teaches art at the primary, secondary and collegiate levels, trying to fulfill the ideal that Black Elk stated a Lakota warrior was; a provider, a teacher, a parent, an uncle, and a defender. .John is an celebrated artist, winning several awards over the years in sculpture and painting. You will find him always with a pencil, pen, or paints ready to take on another challenge.
As a Parks Resident Artist team (with Tamara Isfeld), together they are excited to creatively and collaboratively foster a greater sense of community and respectful belonging in the gift of natural shared space.
As a Parks Resident Artist team (with Tamara Isfeld), together they are excited to creatively and collaboratively foster a greater sense of community and respectful belonging in the gift of natural shared space.
Cassandra Buck graduated with a bachelor’s degree in art education from Winona State University in 2008. She taught middle school art for seven years and is currently working as a full-time artist. She is a leader within the local art community and is an advocate for women in the arts. Cassandra is the Arts Programmer/Gallery Curator at Forager Brewery in Rochester, Minnesota.
Cassandra has exhibited as a solo artist as well as various group exhibitions including Winona State University, The University of Minnesota, and at the Austin Art Works Center in Austin, Minnesota. In 2016 she was awarded Rochester Mayor’s Medal of Honor for Artistic/Cultural Achievement. In 2018 Cassandra opened her own Shop/Studio, Clover & Rose, which specializes in unique gifts, art, and vintage items. In 2022 and 2023 Cassandra was awarded Minnesota State Arts Board grants to work with under-served communities and neighborhoods in Rochester to create neighborhood murals. Cassandra lives in Rochester, Minnesota with her husband and two children.
Cassandra has exhibited as a solo artist as well as various group exhibitions including Winona State University, The University of Minnesota, and at the Austin Art Works Center in Austin, Minnesota. In 2016 she was awarded Rochester Mayor’s Medal of Honor for Artistic/Cultural Achievement. In 2018 Cassandra opened her own Shop/Studio, Clover & Rose, which specializes in unique gifts, art, and vintage items. In 2022 and 2023 Cassandra was awarded Minnesota State Arts Board grants to work with under-served communities and neighborhoods in Rochester to create neighborhood murals. Cassandra lives in Rochester, Minnesota with her husband and two children.
A landscape architect by trade, Lindsay Buck completed studies in fine arts and biology before pursuing a master’s in landscape architecture (MLA) degree. Her passion lies at the intersection of art and science, which has been a driving force in both her career and in her artistic endeavors. Born and raised in the American Midwest, she has lived and worked professionally in Miami, Los Angeles, and Zurich, Switzerland. She currently resides in Mahtomedi, Minnesota and is co-founder of Tree and Table, a multi-faceted design studio that encourages exploration, appreciation, and preservation of the natural world.
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All Artists' Work, News, and Wrap-Up
Lindsay Buck Interview
Lindsey Buck and Gina Hugo did an interview with WCCO on October 12. See the video here: www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/video/program-brings-interactive-art-to-minnesota-parks/
heart+land is a product of the 2024-2025 Minnesota Parks Artist-in-Residence Program (MnPAiR), an initiative of the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission in partnership with Sherburne and Wright County Parks and Recreation Departments, with funding from the Clean Water Land and Legacy Amendment. Read more about the MNPAiR program here: https://forecastpublicart.org/mn-parks-artist-residency/
Lindsey Buck and Gina Hugo did an interview with WCCO on October 12. See the video here: www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/video/program-brings-interactive-art-to-minnesota-parks/
heart+land is a product of the 2024-2025 Minnesota Parks Artist-in-Residence Program (MnPAiR), an initiative of the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission in partnership with Sherburne and Wright County Parks and Recreation Departments, with funding from the Clean Water Land and Legacy Amendment. Read more about the MNPAiR program here: https://forecastpublicart.org/mn-parks-artist-residency/
Tamara Isfeld and John Sterner Experience Video
Minnesota Parks Artists in Residency program features and successes were highlighted in a video about the program and their experiences by Tamara Isfeld and John Sterner. Isfeld and Sterner were the Artists in Residence for both Granite Falls Memorial Park and Douglas County Lake Brophy Park.
Watch the video.
Cassandra Buck Workshops Featured in KIMT Segement
KIMT has a segment regarding the Cascade Lake park artist workshops featuring the MNPAiR program and Cassandra Buck.
Cassandra Buck created a wrap-up video of her work in the Rochester area parks.
Cassandra Buck is the Artist in Residence for the 3 parks in the Olmsted County/Rochester area. As part of the program, Cassandra created art kits for the community to either pick up at one of the art sessions she held at the parks or for pick up at an art store. The video below is posted to her website for more information.
Cassandra Buck is the Artist in Residence for the 3 parks in the Olmsted County/Rochester area. As part of the program, Cassandra created art kits for the community to either pick up at one of the art sessions she held at the parks or for pick up at an art store. The video below is posted to her website for more information.
Pilot Wrap-Ups
The MNPAiR project was a pilot program for Minnesota and probably the county, allowing artists, agencies, and the communities to form relationships and partnerships in creating community belonging with each other and the parks. It is considered an unmitigated success. As part of the process, information and tools were created to show the positive benefits of the program. They include a video created by the Met Council, a webinar, and an impact report created by Forecast Public Art.
The concept and the philosophy behind the combining art and nature to create welcoming spaces for people to feel they belong and are inspired is summed up in a video created in partnership with the Met Council. It can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=-Wp-dtQZtLI
The webinar brought together the agencies that worked together for create the program, Forecast Public Art organization which helped facilitate that program, one of the host parks, and some of the artists that participated in the program. The webinar gave an indication of the experiences that the program provided to all of the partners and the members of the community. You can find the webinar at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZyQN4V0CPE
Forecast Public Art created an impact report for the MNPAiR program. This report not only sums up the experiences, but has analytic data to show how well the program was able to reach out to the communities. The impact report can be found at: https://forecast-public-art.foleon.com/report/mnpair/
The MNPAiR project was a pilot program for Minnesota and probably the county, allowing artists, agencies, and the communities to form relationships and partnerships in creating community belonging with each other and the parks. It is considered an unmitigated success. As part of the process, information and tools were created to show the positive benefits of the program. They include a video created by the Met Council, a webinar, and an impact report created by Forecast Public Art.
The concept and the philosophy behind the combining art and nature to create welcoming spaces for people to feel they belong and are inspired is summed up in a video created in partnership with the Met Council. It can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=-Wp-dtQZtLI
The webinar brought together the agencies that worked together for create the program, Forecast Public Art organization which helped facilitate that program, one of the host parks, and some of the artists that participated in the program. The webinar gave an indication of the experiences that the program provided to all of the partners and the members of the community. You can find the webinar at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZyQN4V0CPE
Forecast Public Art created an impact report for the MNPAiR program. This report not only sums up the experiences, but has analytic data to show how well the program was able to reach out to the communities. The impact report can be found at: https://forecast-public-art.foleon.com/report/mnpair/
As the work in the parks enfolds, updates will be posted to show the progress.
Granite Falls Memorial Park
Douglas County Lake Brophy Park
Olmsted County's Oxbow Park & Zollman Zoo
Rochester's Cascade Lake Park
Rochester's Quarry Hill Nature Center
Two Inlets at Bdé Heháka - Omashkooz Zaaga’igaans Regional Park and Wright County Robert Ney Park
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Questions? Contact [email protected]
© 2023 Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission. All Rights Reserved. |
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