Individual Artist Project Grant

1.) I’m grateful that the Water Protector mural on the wall of AICHO has lead to an interest in incorporating Indigenous Artists into the landscape of Duluth. However, there is still a lack of representation. The murals that get the largest walls are still reflective of the city’s tourism industry and not necessarily the stories about our history and place. This piece aims to be a part of the movement to really push the limits of how Duluth is defined in its creative placemaking efforts, and to also call attention to the value of arts in place “recognition” over place-making (that is, revealing the stories of communities rather than carving out new histories or creating artwork that doesn’t reflect the full history of a place). 2.) I’ve been teaching as a guest in a variety of different classrooms over the last few years and I’m interested in bringing together kids from my programs to help finish the mural and redesign the dragonflies at the bottom of the design. I have taught art in the Ojibwe immersion program at Lowell Elementary, as well as with youth at AICHO, Bayview Elementary, through the Girl Power program, and I also live in the building that houses Neighborhood Youth Services. There is a large pool of youth in the community who help me with my projects. This will not be part of a school curriculum in any capacity but a community collaboration for the final part where kids who I've already taught painting techniques will have the opportunity to put them to use.:) 1.) Gain knowledge and experience in implementing murals on vertical outdoor surfaces, which also involves consulting my peers and mentors (fellow muralists Laurel Saunders, Jonathan Thunder, Karen Savage Blue, etc. who have all been great influences on me to date). I view this as a learning opportunity as much as it is an exploration of my artistic voice. I would like to continue branching out into permanent work and this opportunity is one that allows me to begin on that path with a solid piece of work for my portfolio. 2.) Implement an artwork that incorporates elements of Indigenous land recognition. 3.) Engage local youth and families in the creation and design process for the lower portion of the mural. 4.) Completion of a project within the budget parameters. I have a long history of completing projects within tight timeframes. My crosswalk murals were all completed within 3 hour time frames and the 72’ street mural I did in Canal Park took only 7 hours with the help of the community. I’m usually the artist folks call when they have a last minute art idea that needs to still be thoughtfully executed. That being said, this project will be my opportunity to experience what it’s like to have a longer timeframe for planning and to actually implement the design. Having the space to learn - really, acknowledging the freedom that this project allows me - is a highlight of why this project is important to me. For the dragonfly design part of this project, I have a relationship with many area family centers and schools, but most specifically AICHO (which has youth from a variety of area schools). I’ve built a strong track record of accomplishing community art projects with participants of all ages. 1.) Feedback from my peers listed above. In the long term, the results will be assessed by looking at how much maintenance (if any) the mural requires after several years. It might also be measured by my success in applying for other grants to fund public art projects (being that I will have a more diverse portfolio of public art accomplishments). 2.) Press coverage of the actual painting and thought process behind the mural. I’ve learned in my recent projects that often the news selects watered down voice clips of what my intention with public art is, so I’m learning ways to “pitch” my work to the news so that they can’t leave out the social impact side of my project’s intention. 3.) Feedback/press interviews from participants. 4.) Sticking to the budget is simple