GMRPTC - MNPAiR - Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission

Minnesota Parks Artists in Residence Project

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 Region

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 is designed to have the artists be a partner with and an ambassador for the parks. The artists will not just create artwork, but ideas for the parks as well.

All of the artists are Minnesota based. They will research and engage the with the park staff and communities to develop new works and help engage the community to draw more people to the parks.

There are several goals for the project. One goal is to bring more people into nature via the park using art. Using art, the hope is to increase the appreciation of outdoor recreation and the facilities and trails which enable it. Another goal is to increase relationship building, using art to bring communities together which are often considered disparate. A third goal is 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

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 parks in the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission system. Tamera Isfeld and John Sterner will be working with Granite Falls Memorial Park and Douglas County Lake Brophy Park. Cassandra Buck will be working with Olmstead County's Oxbow Park & Zollman Zoo and Chester Woods Park and Rochester's Cascade Lake Park and Quarry Hill Nature Center. Lindsey Buck will be working 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.

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.

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.

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.