Metropolitan Library Service Agency Legacy Grant SFY 2018 - SFY 2019

Dewey Decimal Art Exhibition - Local artists with curation help from Forecast Public Art, created three-dimensional artwork inspired by the Dewey Decimal System, to be placed within the stacks of the newly remodeled Centennial Library in Anoka County. The artwork reflects the sense of wonder and curiosity that visitors experience when they visit the library.

Humanize my Hoodie - Humanize my Hoodie is a photography and video exhibit designed to foster conversations about threat perception and stigmas associated with race and clothing. The exhibit was on display at the Brookdale Area Library (Hennepin County) in June 2019 and featured photos of people in hoodies, many of whom were from the Twin Cities metro area. At the opening event, creators Andre Wright and Jason Sole shared a presentation about the history of race, perception and bias, and facilitated a guided tour in which participants reflected on each piece. Participants described the exhibit as "Amazing, powerful, relevant." "moving and thought provoking" and "when I left a piece of art my perspectives of each was broader."

Hands On: Art Exploration for Adults - Scott County Library offered a series of 16 participatory arts programs for adults -- especially older adults -- that helped participants develop new art skills. Two classes were offered off-site at nearby senior living facilities, increasing access to residents who might not be able to travel to the library. Classes included: portrait drawing, pallet art, block printing, acrylic painting, water color painting, water color pencils and more. Attendees discovered that creating art is not out of reach, reflected in comments such as "I feel awesome that I was able to do it" and "I will start a hobby at home."

StreetCorner Letterpress - Artists from ReadyGoArt hosted their unique Streetcorner Letterpress interactive project for visitors to Washington County Library. The 100 year old letter press produces 4x6 postcard-style prints with the push of a lever and can be operated by people of any age or ability. Over 300 participants learned about the history of letter pressing while creating their own letterpress art to take home.


Planting Home: Meal in a Pot
Saint Paul Public Library partnered with the Hmong Elders Center to create the Planting Home: Meal in a Pot series, which highlighted Hmong culture and the immigrant experience through food and gardening.

The series consisted of three programs over the course of six sessions: Hmong Pho in a Pot, Hmong Pepper Sauce in a Pot, and Hmong Salad in a Pot. At each session, Hmong elders demonstrated how they keep their culture alive by growing traditional meals and shared how they adapt old-world food production to life in Minnesota. Each session included a hands-on experience planting seedlings in a pot to make up the ingredients for a particular Hmong meal.

Every program session filled to capacity, with more than 200 people participating, and guests requested more sessions in the future. They noted learning about traditional Hmong food, culture, and the Hmong immigrant experience as highlights of the program. The Hmong Elders Center was a tremendous partner to Saint Paul Public Library in planning and executing this series.

In Step
Nine Hennepin County libraries kicked off a series of dance workshops for youth, taught by Cowles Center teaching artists. Youth learned dance rhythms and steps from a wide variety of dances from Afro-Modern to Classical Northern Indian to Somali, while learning about the dance's cultural significance. 95% of teens and kids reported that they tried a new way of dancing, and 95% of teens and 86% of kids reported talking to someone new during the programs.

Selected comments from youth: "This was the best program. The dance was fun. Can't wait to do this dance on Cinco de Mayo" and "I never did this dance before and it was interesting."

Selected comments from parents: "Great teacher, included everyone. Good job!" "Excellent! Fun! Teacher knew how to accommodate a variety of personalities."

El Dia de los Ninos/ El Dia de los Libras
In April 2018, Dakota County Library welcomed over 225 patrons and more than a dozen community partner organizations to a celebration of Latinx culture at Wentworth Library. Children and families created their own screen printed posters and mini-pinatas, listened to guitar music, completed a scavenger hunt to earn a free book, attended a bilingual storytime, and enjoyed a performance of Mexican folk dances.

zAmya Theater Project
Hennepin County Library contracted with zAmya Theater Project to host 20 weekly theater creative workshops at the Minneapolis Central Library for patrons experiencing homelessness. The 20 workshops were attended by a total of 297 people. One performance of "Just Us - Out of the Cycle Into the Circle" was presented by workshop attendees on the Nicollet Mall.

Selected comments from participants:
"[These workshops honestly saved me from myself. I was an isolator, a fatalist, and close to real self­-destruction. zAmya brought me out and the staff and participants made me a new person. I'm a year sober. I'm no longer depressed, I don't isolate. I have friends and it has opened so many doors for me. There's not a better program because this one truly saved my life."
"The Monday workshop was a need outlet for me, therapy. I didn't miss one since Feb, keep it going."
"[The] Monday workshop was very educating [sic]. Fun and interesting for the brain...[I got] to know about different lifestyles and how to get along with each and every one."
"I love coming here to participate...It's a great way to start my week, creating happy moments for me."

Virtual Musical Residency with Lucy Michelle

The Saint Paul Public Library aimed to connect community members to original performances by local musician Lucy Michelle during a time when patrons were unable to attend concerts in-person. Local musician Lucy Michelle performed four, prerecorded mini concerts for Saint Paul Public Library to share over the course of a month on Facebook and the library website. Additionally, Lucy shared with the audience what she was listening to and reading while at-home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hooked on Books (and the Arts, too)!

In partnership with District 112, Carver County Library held the annual Hooked on Books event at Chanhassen High School in February. This family-friendly event drew over 2,100 people! Hooked on Books combines reading, art, and music in one Saturday morning. Participants can meet an author, purchase books, and listen to many musical acts and performers. In 2020, Dallas and Siama were the headlining musical acts of the day. Dallas and Siama play songs and instruments from Siama's home country of Africa. Children and adults danced and clapped to the feel-good music. New in 2020, Carver County Library also created a partnership with the Arts Consortium of Carver County, so the community could be hooked "the Arts, too!" The Arts Consortium invited a live painter, author, and wet felt artist which added some extra hands on fun with local talent that participants really enjoyed.

Why Treaties Matter Exhibit Opening

From November 1- December 8, 2019: the Dakota County Library hosted an award-winning traveling exhibit called "Why Treaties Matter" at the Galaxie Library, in which 3,000 people had viewed the exhibit. The library held an exhibit opening event on November 4 featuring keynote speaker Berry Frantum: a Lakota tribal member, who is knowledgeable about treaties rights of indigenous people, as well as the local history of native people in Minnesota. During the event the Red Bone Singers, a Twin Cities based Ojibwe drumming group, shared the cultural significance of drumming as well as a few songs. 28 people from diverse backgrounds attended the opening event.

Baby the Storyteller: West African Storytelling: The Ancient Craft of Jaliyaa

With the emergence of the public health pandemic canceling of all in-person programming, Dakota County Library began to provide virtual programming through its Facebook page. Baba the Storyteller, a master teaching artist with the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in California, was the first program series that the library hosted in a virtual environment. This series introduced, educated, and shared West-African storytelling and culture around Jaliyaa to a larger audience who might not have had the opportunity before. To date, this series has been viewed 2,250 times.

The Fake: Adventures of the Cheshire Cat in Wanderland and the Art It Inspired

What began as an in-person art installation pivoted to a virtual program due to the closure of the physical library space. The program is a series of video recordings of The Fake, a pun-filled cat adventure story about an artist's angst of wanting to become accomplished while also wishing for fame and fortune, accompanied by images inspired by the story. The story is narrated by the author with images created by Immersion of Art and Story, a collective of four artists including the author. Ramsey County Library was not only able to share the art with patrons but also give insight into the artistic process. An attendee commented included: "Loved hearing from both the author and the artists about the process of creating the exhibit. Amazing how much work and thought and creativity go into a project like this! Also, the discussion filled out so much about the story and images - way more than just going and seeing the exhibit would have been - it really is very complex."

Hands On At Home

"Thank you, Scott County Library, for helping make quarantine easier." - Participant response
When Scott County Library canceled its extremely popular Hands On arts workshops for adults in spring 2020 due to COVID-19, library staff knew their library customers would welcome creative opportunities safely delivered. Scott County Library worked with local artists to develop mailout art workshops, consisting of all the supplies required to complete a project, written instructions, stamped postcard evaluation, and a video link of the artist teaching and demonstrating the project. Participants could also contact the artist is they needed further guidance. The first class, Japanese Stab-Stitch Journal, opened for registration on April 10. In what became a pattern with all the classes, all 22 registration spots were filled before the end of the day and a second session was added for the following week. Scott County Library offered additional classes in tile mosaic, gratitude cards, and a collage class for kids and families.

TLC Music Classes

Certified music therapist and music educator Alicia Newton provided four-session classes at multiple libraries for children ages birth to five and their caregivers. Kids sang, danced, and played instruments, activities designed to develop social, cognitive, and motor skills. The music classes were very popular and very well-attended, but the highlight was the two specialized series: Sensory Friendly and Russian Language sessions, both of which reached audiences that Scott County Library had not reached in the past. The response of the Russian-speaking community was particularly gratifying; Scott County Library's Russian Community outreach aide was helpful in inviting families and making them feel welcome. Sensory Friendly classes were also extremely popular, with attendance well beyond the class limit of ten.