Minnesota Festival Support

Five eco-art projects featuring ten artists were presented, as planned, in addition to theatrical presentations by five actors and actresses. Visitors participated in the creation of interactive music and sculpture powered by the sun, a new experience. We worked with Forecast Public Art and a team of internal and external advisors to select artists based on: their ability to design an eco-art experience with which visitors could creatively engage; the variety of experiences offered; and their ability to meet the demands of the outdoor installation space. In the past, we funded four eco-art sculptures, in addition to the five theatrical presentations, and artists had limited contact with the public. Funding allowed us to produce additional projects and to create a residency model in which artists were actively engaged with the public. 2: Our goal was give visitors the guaranteed opportunity of a personal experience creating eco-art with the artists--a more in-depth experience than has been available in the past. This goal was met by scheduling the artists and alerting our visitors to their daily presence. The festival was promoted in partnership with the Minneapolis Aquatennial, on their website, in their press releases, and through an insert in the Star Tribune (500,000 circulation); as well as through The Bakken website and e-news (6,000+ contacts monthly).