Engagement and Communications
Prairie Tree by Ned Kahn on Nicollet
Curate/Integrate Public Art for Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, Minnesota
I was honored to be one of four artists selected through a nationwide search along with Ned Kahn, Tristan Al-Haddad and Blessing Hancock to work on the re-design of Nicollet Mall by James Corner Field Operations.
My unique role included fielding a website and blog Nicollet Mall Public Art, Culture and Public Process that unveiled the creative process and provided insight into the history of public art's relationship with urban planning and design downtown.
I authored original stories, opinion pieces, interviews with artists and writers, videos and photo essays resulting in an archive in real-time documenting Nicollet’s new art and returning historic works.
Most fascinating was the story of the Sculpture Clock by Jack Nelson, the oldest artwork in the public art collection dating from landscape architect Lawrence Halprin’s acclaimed 1968 design for the Mall.
I also contributed interpretive texts for two public art tours of Nicollet: the City of Minneapolis GIS map-based tour and an audio app on Soundcloud sponsored by the Minneapolis Downtown Council that you can listen to on your phone while walking Nicollet.
Urban planner Beth Elliott leads artists Blessing Hancock, Tristan Al-Haddad and Ned Kahn on a bicycle tour of Nicollet kicking off the design process