Community Arts

Project Details by Fiscal Year
2016 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$5,000
Fund Source
Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund
Recipient
The Floating Library
Recipient Type
Individual
Status
Completed
Start Date
December 2015
End Date
September 2016
Activity Type
Grants/Contracts
Counties Affected
Ramsey
Ramsey
Project Overview
Community Arts
Project Details
Funding for The Floating Library, a public art initiative that brings artistsÆ books to people recreating on an urban lake. Activities will take place in summer 2016 on St Paul's Lake Phalen.
Competitive Grant Making Body
Board Members and Qualifications
Julie Andersen: Eagan Art House Executive Director; Jill Anfang: Roseville Parks and Recreation Program Director; Bethany Brunsell: Music teacher and performer; Shelly Chamberlain: Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Operations Director; Marisol Chiclana-Ayla: Artist, Board Chair El Arco Iris; Anthony Galloway: Actor, storyteller, West Metro Education Program; Jamil Jude: Theatre artist; Tricia Khutoretsky: Public Functionary Curator and Co-Director; Peter Leggett: Walker West Music Academy Executive Director; Dayna Martinez: Ordway Center for the Performing Arts; Coleen McLaughlin: Arts Midwest Director of External Relations; Tom Moffatt: Silverwood Park Supervisor; Kathy Mouacheupao: Twin Cities Local Initiatives Support Corporation Cultural Corridor Coordinator; Adam Napoli-Rangel: Artist; Heather Rutledge: ArtReach Saint Croix Executive Director; Andrea Sjogren: Hopkins Public Schools Youth Programs Coordinator; Dameun Strange: Composer and performer; Melissa Wright: Twin Cities Public Television.
Advisory Group Members and Qualifications
Oskar Ly: Artistic, community service, volunteerism; Tiernan Warner: Artistic, youth programming, education; Stanton Wood: Fundraising, general management, artistic; Erin Lauderman: Artistic, youth programming, audience development; Zhen Zou: Education, general management, artistic; Jennifer Wood: Fundraising, disabilities specialist, general management; Monica Murray: Artistic, education, general management; Jonna Kosalko: Fundraising, audience development, general; Jean McElvain: Artistic, Community Education, organizational development.
Conflict of Interest Disclosed
No
Legal Citation / Subdivision
Laws of Minnesota 2015 Special Session, chapter 2, article 4, section 2, subdivision 3
Appropriation Language

ACHF Arts Access

2016 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$5,000
Other Funds Leveraged
$15,000
Direct expenses
$20,000
Administration costs
$0
Number of full time equivalents funded
0.00
Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)

Artistic outcome: An open call sent to artists nationally and internationally will yield high-quality submissions of both accessible and challenging works of art in the book form. Quantitatively, we want to present the work of 50 artists. Logistics and Partnerships: A good working relationship with Saint Paul Parks and Recreation and a canoe rental business will make logistics of an on-water project as easy as possible and will ensure that people can access the Library through subsidized boat rental. Media: Significant media attention will be garnered and readers far and wide will see the work of Minnesota artists along with the natural and cultivated resources of one of Saint Paul’s largest city parks. Experiential: Hundreds of people will be moved by experiences they have with artwork and each other at the Floating Library. Specific demographics include people in these categories: a. new to Saint Paul b. new to Lake Phalen c. new to artist books. The artistic goals of the project will be met in the success of the open call and project commissions, themselves will be successful by engaging the advisory committee to thoroughly advertise the call. The experiential success of the project will be evaluated in two ways: 1. informally by project staff and volunteers as they engage with Library patrons 2. Through a “guestbook” Library patrons can sign. A book artist will design a floating book that patrons can sign while visiting the raft to leave their impressions that may also include a take-away postcard or other component. We also collect attendance numbers and make efforts to gather data on park attendance and boat rental numbers from Saint Paul Park and Recreation and Wheel Fun Rentals. A tally of media mentions, articles, news interviews, etc. will prove the success of our media goals. The project will be successful financially if expenses are kept within budget.

Measurable Outcome(s)

We achieved the goal of commissioning 4 artists to make inventive new works for the collection. St Paul artist Aaron Johnson-Ortiz made a bilingual book exploring exile, solidarity, and oblivion through water, light, and walking. Minneapolis-based artist Caitlin Warner made a silk-screened, reversible book that juxtaposed fish in water with stars in the sky. Toy, game and graphic designer Tou Yia Xiong made a waterproof book sewn with fishing line illustrating animals and their names in English and White Hmong. Seattle-based artist Martine Workman create a trio of books in honor of Minnesota’s patron musical saint Prince. An open call promoted via Facebook, Floating Library website, email and to 68 list-serves nationally and internationally yielded 75 submissions. 60 of these were selected for inclusion on the raft (50 was the goal). Many of the artists responded enthusiastically to the themes of water, immigration, St Paul history and climate change that we put forward as optional in the call. We received many submissions around the theme of water, including a hand-sewn book made to float and a book made to dissolve in the water after being read aloud each day. We turned this into a daily performance where a Floating Librarian on shift 1 would read the poetry out loud and ceremonially toss the page into the water to biodegrade. These inventive forms challenge and expand the definition of a “book” -- one of our artistic goals. The operations of the Open Call were much better organized this year thanks to the participation of the Floating Library’s Co-Captain and Open Call Organizer who completed efficient communications with the artists. We asked for a limited number of copies to reduce the need to mail extra copies back to artists. We also added a book-making workshop component in partnership with the East Side Freedom Library in the neighborhood of Lake Phalen. Commissioned artist Johnson-Ortiz led a free, hands-on workshop for people to make books about their heritage and family history using simple tools and the immigration history resources at East Side Freedom Library. 10 people ages 3-70 attended. Areas for improvement: A less successful component was soliciting books in languages other than English through the Open Call. Two of the commissioned books were bilingual, but our network is slow to grow in bilingual communities. With the new relationships forged with new artists this year, however, this is changing. If/when the Floating Library floats again I would repeat many of these artistic strategies (commissioning, open call) and would give more time to the workshop component. Simple bookmaking is incredibly accessible -- it can be taught in an afternoon. People love to tell their stories and the Floating Library is a good platform for the dissemination of stories not found in popular media. I would continue working with the commissioned artists to further network to bilingual book artists, and hold more workshops in communities where English is not the first language. Intended communities: Artists: 64 artists were successfully presented; 60 through the open call and 4 commissioned. Artists express gratitude and excitement for being in the project. Several returning artists made new work for the Open Call. Volunteers: 35 volunteers completed 64 shifts in 3 hour increments on the Library’s 7 open days (1 day was rained out). 25 of them attended Volunteer Orientation at Phalen’s Lakeside Activities Center to learn about the project get to know each other. About 1/3 of the volunteers returned from previous years, with 2/3rds new participation. Patrons: The intended patrons as described in the grant include St Paul residents new to Lake Phalen; metro area residents new to St Paul, and boaters already on the water. The Library’s playful survey tool asked patrons to identify whether they usually spend time on water and where the live, among other questions. Of 96 collected surveys, we know: 14% of visitors were surprised to find the Floating Library on the water; 82% of visitors were not surprised, indicating they came for the project; 7% did not respond. 42% live in Minneapolis, 28% live in St Paul. 28% rarely go boating, 40% sometimes go boating, 28% often go boating. Lake Phalen was listed only 16 times of 96 surveys in response to a fill-in-the-blank asking “Most-visited Twin Cities Lakes and Rivers.” These stats indicate that the project did succeed in drawing people to Lake Phalen for the first time, and in drawing Minneapolis residents to Lake Phalen. The Mississippi River, Lake Calhoun and Como Lake were the top most frequently visited lakes as indicated in the question above. Populations benefitting: The higher percentage of Minneapolis residents than St Paul residents was slightly surprising, though in anecdotal conversations many people said they had attended the project in Minneapolis previously. Fewer patrons than expected were already on the lake in boats. Overall we found Lake Phalen to be a less-used body of water. Upon observation, we saw that many people use the lake, but from its edges. Getting people to the lake is different than getting people on the water, as it turns out. Outreach: The community partnerships that proved most successful were Saint Paul Parks and Recreation and East Side Freedom Library. Multiple attempts to speak with other civic and arts groups on St Paul’s East Side were unsuccessful. We learned that focusing on a deeper relationship with 1 or 2 partners is a better use of time than trying to work broadly with many. The outreach efforts provided by Parks and Rec were minimal, unfortunately. Openness and Accessibility: The Floating Library’s placement in a public park with amenities of ample parking, inexpensive boat rental (further subsidized by the Floating Library) and the location of the Library within easy paddling distance from the beach contributed to a relative ease in reaching the project for those able to paddle a boat. Signage at the boat rental announced discounted rates. 370 people boated to the Floating Library; 35 volunteers participated; 250 boat rentals through the City of St Paul, half of which were subsidized. Survey data states a strong positive experience among patrons. “Delightful” “fun” and “relaxing” were the most common words. 64 artists were presented. We deepened relationships with the commissioned artists, including 2 artists new to the Floating Library network.

Description of Funds
Source of Additional Funds

Other, local or private

Recipient Board Members
Molly Van Avery, Moheb Soliman, Allison Herrera, Sam Gould, Margit Wilson
Project Manager
First Name
The
Last Name
Floating Library
Organization Name
The Floating Library
State
MN
Phone
(612) 597-7959
Email
thefloatinglibrary@gmail.com
Administered By
Administered by
Location

Griggs Midway Building, Suite 304,
540 Fairview Avenue North,
St. Paul, MN 55104

Phone
(651) 539-2650 or toll-free (800) 866-2787
Email the Agency
Location

PO Box 14106
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55114 

Phone
Project Manager: Kathy Mouacheupao
651-645-0402
Email the Agency