Thank You!

The inauguration ceremony for the mural went beautifully on Friday, September 23.  We had a lovely hand-printing ceremony in which volunteers got to stamp their hand-print on the wall and sign their name inside.  Then we cut the ribbon to officially welcome the mural into the community. 

Here are some of the words of thanks that I spoke at that event:

Thank you everyone so much for your support of this mural.  I have so many people and organizations that I want to thank for making this mural a reality. 

First off, I want to thank Mayuli Bales, director of Casa Guadalupe Multicultural Community. Casa Guadalupe has been a wonderful partner in this project since the brainstorming process back in February. They were essential to the success of this mural, especially in the organizing of the Latino community, helping me find effective ways to gather input from community members. 

Our goal was for this mural to reflect the identity of Latinos in Cold Spring, giving them a visual presence in the community and celebrating the town’s history.  We also wanted to empower youth and community members by getting them involved in the painting process.    

To get the youth involved, Mayuli helped me organize art workshops in June focused on muralism and identity.  These workshops helped build momentum for the mural project, as the kids became more and more excited to paint on the wall.

Back in May we had doubts as to whether this mural was even going to happen.  By the end of June, however, we were relieved to discover that murals were a-okay.  Thank you City Administrator Paul Hetland and the Planning Commission for working with us during this process. 

Meanwhile, another challenge we faced was finding a building on which to paint.  This didn’t prove to be too difficult, thanks to Dan Kippley, owner of the Cleaning Center Laundromat right behind me.  One morning in early June, Raquel, Yesi, and I met with him and gave him our two-minute spiel.  He was quiet for a moment, and then he said simply, “Sure, why not?”  Working with Dan has been a dream.  He has been the most cooperative, flexible business owner I could have asked for – he let me take over his supply closet, and even helped me work the power washer – multiple times!

Speaking of the power washer, I want to thank Wenner Hardware for donating its use.  I am so grateful for all the support that we have received from the local businesses of Cold Spring.  Thank you Thrifty White and the Cold Spring Bakery for donating supplies and snacks for the art workshops that we held in June, and thank you to Lumber One, La Perla Market, and Murphy Granite for donating to the mural.  Donations have come from generous individuals as well; thank you to my muralist friend Gustavo Lira for donating nearly 20 gallons of paint leftover from a mural he completed in Minneapolis. 

I want to also thank my wonderful team of professors who advised me in this project: Elaine Rutherford and Bruce Campbell, as my advisors, and Rachel Melis and Corey Shouse-Tourino as my readers. 

Thank you to the Cold Spring Historical Society, including president Duane Kuss, for giving me a tour of Cold Spring and for providing me with old photos to use as fodder for my designs.

And last but not least, thank you to the volunteers.  All sorts of people gave their time and energy to this project, from youth to local artists, including Jenny Evens and many others.    We put countless hours into this mural, and they were some of the craziest hours I’ll ever remember.  They were filled with lots of painting, lots of laughing, and lots of questions.  These questions sparked conversations that formed the foundation of the mural - conversations about race, history, and simply getting to know one another. 

Almost every day when we were out here, curious townspeople would stop and chat with us for a few minutes about what they saw in the mural.   They saw the Latino culture playing an active role in Cold Spring’s history.  One thing many people were curious about was the significance of the swirls and bubbles. 

The swirls are the Aztec symbol of speech, as I learned from my friend Gustavo Lira.  The bubbles, while they refer to the soda pop factory of the early 1900s, for me also evoke the idea of speech bubbles.  Having the bubbles and swirls intermingling suggests communication and conversation between cultures. 

 

Questions build conversations, and conversations build relationships.  More than in any other project I have ever done, I have experienced in this mural the connections and interdependency that we have with each other.  This mural could not have happened without the help and cooperation of all of you here today.  The relationships that this mural built are part of the legacy that will live on long after we have finished painting.

As master muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros once said, “Monumental painting lives the life that the wall lives.”  This wall, painted with your stories, has come alive through cross-cultural conversation.  It is my hope that we keep this conversation going for years to come. 

A Fine Day Filled with Friends and a Film

Today was a gorgeous, sunny day filled with many volunteers.  I got to meet two art teachers from Cold Spring who helped with the Opera House and with adding a Somali girl to the merry-go-round.

Around 4pm, several students from St. Ben's and St. John's came to help, including painting students and Art Majors from Rachel's Sophomore Topics class.  I so appreciate their help - we accomplished a great deal, including blocking in the teacher figure on the far right, creating shadow for the kids on the merry-go-round, and touching up the swirls in the sky.  It was a nice change of pace to be able to let most all of my volunteers take an assignment and run with it.  Of course, questions would come up, but I didn't feel the need to walk the artists through step-by-step, as I had with other less experienced volunteers.

Members of CSBSJU's Project 8 (a student-run TV channel especially for students) also came around 4:30 to interview Mayuli and the Casa Guadalupe organizers, as well as Paul Hetland, Cold Spring's city administrator.  They filmed us and photographed us a bit as we worked, and interviewed a few volunteer painters.  They will be coming by tomorrow as well.  It is very exciting for our story to be documented like this! 

CSBSJU Volunteers painted until the sun went down

 

 

St. Boniface Festival and Parade

This weekend was the St. Boniface Parish Festival.  Today there was a HUGE parade; I got to walk with Casa Guadalupe´s float and hand out fliers that I made advertising the mural.  They are small, about a fourth of a letter-size page, front and back, with a key to the symbolism in the mural and an invitation to the inauguration celebration that we are having on September 23 at the wall. 

With all the festivities, we had many passers-by as we were painting.  Every day several people stop me to chat for a bit about how they are touched by the mural.  Little kids ask the best questions!

Today I thought back to a moment last week when one of the young teen volunteers told me about how much the mural meant to her.  She said, "I hope that this mural lasts for a long time, and that no one puts graffiti on it.  I want to show my kids where I painted."  She also volunteered to decorate a donation box to put in her family's store.  I was so moved by her passion for the mural. 

I have been reflecting lately on my role as an artist in this project... sometimes it has been difficult for me to determine how much control I should have in the mural painting.  I've had much practice giving precise and concise directions - I feel like a conductor of an orchestra.  Even with my direction, the individual personalities of the volunteers are revealed through their painting styles. 

I talked with Gustavo Lira (who just donated 20 gallons of leftover paint!) about making murals with kids.  He told me that he tries to help them paint it themselves, but if they are having too much difficulty getting it right, he will go back and correct it later.  When talking with Elaine about the issue of correcting volunteer work, she told me that corrections may be helpful to clarify confusion in content.

I've been trying to walk the line between leading volunteers and giving myself time to paint.   Some days I am mostly behind the scenes mixing colors and explaining techniques; lately I've gotten more chances to put my brush to the wall.   Like artist Janine Antoni says of her experience with tight-rope walking, I am learning to be more comfortable with the daily imbalances that occur in either direction. 

We're in the Saint Cloud Times!

Yesterday Taleiza from the St. Cloud times came with a photographer to the mural site.  We had more volunteers than EVER that day.

Check this video out and read the article!  We also have several photos in the printed version!  :)

http://www.sctimes.com/article/20110817/NEWS01/108170016/CSB-student-volunteers-create-portrait-diversity-Cold-Spring-

Mural Video!

The president of the Cold Spring Historical Society, Duane Kuss, created this nice video of the mural project that he put on his "Digelog" for the Rocori area.  Here is the link if you would like to see it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKijBEMe4ts


If this doesn't work, just go to YouTube and search "cold spring mural project 2011."

More Photos!

8/9, 9am and we're ready to paint!

Picnic Lunch with the muralists and my family, Monday 8/8

Our work in progress

Painting the braids, 8/8/11

Despite a few delays due to rain, our muralist brigade has made fantastic progress since we began tracing on July 29.  Nearly every day I have painted, I have at least three or four volunteers helping me.  I was so excited when one of the girls who came to paint asked me if she could stay longer than her scheduled time.  These kids are making the mural their own, which is so wonderful. 

On Saturday, Mayuli brought about fifteen children ages five to 12 over to see the mural. We discussed the symbolism behind the design that I created, and then the kids got to paint for a little while.  Though a bit hectic organizing that many little volunteers at once, we had a good time.  I'm glad they will be able to have some ownership in the project now.

Today the volunteer had a lot of  fun documenting the process through video.  We fixed up the green grassy areas and filled in any spots in the foreground that needed re-touching. We also began to add blue to the hair/river. 

We are moving along at a steady pace.  The basic colors are nearly all blocked in.  Soon I think that we will need to do more detail work.  For this reason I'm very glad that my Cold Spring muralist friend will be able to paint with us tomorrow.

The Sketch

Photos

Sketching in the merry-go-round

Our first tracing attempt from Friday (7/29) night.  I painted over this and from now on we are using light blue paint

July 25 - Scraping the wall

Hometown Pride

This past week, July 25 - 29, I worked with a team of helpers to scrape, brush, and prime the wall.  Mostly adults helped me with this, which helped keep things more organized during this stage.  It was hard work, but it went well.  I feel so lucky to have such dedicated volunteers. 


On Friday, July 29, I promoted my design and recruited volunteers at Cold Spring's Hometown Pride festival.  Many people gave me their name and phone number with interest, and a few even signed up for specific volunteer time slots!  The best part of the whole day was when I was leaving around 9pm to go trace the design from an overhead projection.  I dropped a dime on the sidewalk, and it rolled over to a group of young people.  We got talking about the mural project, and they said they would love to help!  One young man even told me that he has done some murals in Mexico!

This new group and I had fun experimenting with the projector on Friday evening.  After experimenting with different tracing methods, I decided against using the Gustavo Lira chalk method and just used long brushes with light blue paint.  That way the sketch will be more permanent.  After a few hours of work today, a good amount of the design is outlined on the wall.  Tomorrow I have my first official painting session with volunteers!  I am very excited.  I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know all the people that have helped me out so far.

This project is growing nicely, and I need to work on promoting it even more.  I am going to send in an article to the Cold Spring Record for next week.  Bruce had a good idea of making my mini fliers into bookmarks and giving them out around town and at St. Boniface Church.

Mural Tour!

On Monday, 7/11, Bruce took Elaine and I on a mural tour of Minneapolis/St. Paul.

The first mural that we looked at was the Berlin Wall Mural, made in 1978.  It came as a response to a redevelopment project that closed off Nicollet by building a K-mart in the middle of its path.  This construction essentially segregated the black and white communities.  One of the provisions in the project stated that a mural could be painted on K-mart's back wall.  Frustrated artists depicted a city official closing the door on Nicollet, which is in the end replaced by a battleship.  This expresses their feelings that the redevelopment project only would lead to more violence. 


I really appreciated the simplification of form that we saw in the Berlin Wall Mural.  On such an enormous scale, detail is not as important, nor is it necessarily even desirable.  The mural was organized in a storyboard format, cutting back and forth in rectangular views of Nicollet and the battleship. 


The Mosaic of the Americas was the next stop on our list.  Having worked on the mural himself, Bruce had much to say about this project.  About seven artists worked on the project, four of which were from  Mexico  (Gustavo Lira, who I met a few posts ago, was one of them).  The Mexican artists created the design, and 250 to 300 community volunteers helped cut and place tiles over a four-week period.  People also signed up to bring food for the workers. 


At this second look, I saw even more images and symbolism than I had noticed before.  On the lower right hand corner, the horseman of the apocalypse chases chickens.  According to Bruce, Mexicans often refer to immigrants as "chickens".   This is making me think more about Gold'N'Plump in Cold Spring...

Next, we went to the Labor Mural, and met one of the artists, Keith.  Keith has had a lot of experience as an artist activist, and was mentored by the famous Eva Cockcroft.  This indoor mural used the river as a metaphor for the connections between people.  This was very interesting to me because I am also planning on making the river central to my design for Cold Spring's mural. 

My initial inspiration to use a river as symbol came from my chats with one of the priests at St. Boniface.  I asked him what diversity would look like if it were an image.  His response was a river...  Where he comes from in Venezuela, there are two rivers that run parallel.  The Caroni river is black, and the Orinoco river is the color of yellow earth.  The two rivers eventually merge, but the colors remain distinct for a long time before eventually blending together. 


Another mural that also focused on the river was painted by Joshua Sartitis on a long and short wall.  I really enjoyed its exaggerated perspective and have since tried some sketches in this spirit.

We also got to see several more murals done in collaboration with youth.  I would put all the photos on here if I could, but for some reason I'm having technical difficulties...

I had a blast on the mural tour and I want to thank my awesome professors for taking me on it!

June 27 Planning Commission Meeting

Last Monday, I presented my research on mural towns to the Cold Spring Planning Commission.  I emailed a compilation of the information to administrator Paul Hetland so that he could review it in advance.  The basic formula that most towns followed in their mural ordinance was that the mural could not advertise any business, company, or product.  Stillwater was different in that it requires murals to have a historic theme.  Here is a copy of my research in the towns' own words.  I have highlighted the significant points:

 MINNEAPOLIS

The Zoning Code is Title 20 of the Code of Ordinance, which is located at http://library.municode.com/index.aspx?clientId=11490&stateId=23&stateName=Minnesota.

There are two sections that address this:

543.40. - Exempt signs.

The following signs shall be exempt from the regulations of this chapter.

(1)

Official public notices or signs required by local, state or federal regulations.

(2)

Governmental signs, including but not limited to traffic control and other regulatory purpose signs, street signs, informational signs, danger signs and railroad crossing signs.

(3)

Official government flags and emblems, provided such signs shall not be placed or maintained in the public right-of-way.

(4)

Home security signs, "no trespassing" and "no parking" signs, provided such total signage on a zoning lot shall not exceed two (2) square feet in area, and such signs shall not be placed or maintained in the public right-of-way and shall not be illuminated.

(5)

Historic plaques placed by recognized historical agencies, provided such signs shall not be placed or maintained in the public right-of-way, shall not be illuminated, and shall not exceed four (4) square feet in area.

(6)

Religious symbols attached to institutional and public buildings, provided such symbols shall not be placed or maintained in the public right-of-way and shall not be illuminated.

(7)

Temporary residential signs advertising garage sales, provided such total signage on a zoning lot shall not exceed eight (8) square feet in area, and such signs shall not be placed or maintained in the public right-of-way and shall not be illuminated.

(8)

Interior signs.

(9)

Murals.

(10)

Address signs less than one (1) square foot in area, not to exceed two (2) such signs per zoning lot.

And, within section 520.160, Definition of Mural: Mural. A work of graphic art painted on a building wall, which contains no commercial advertising or logos, and which does not serve to advertise or promote any business, product, activity, service, interest or entertainment.

Mary Altman

Public Arts Administrator

NOTE NEW ADDRESS
City of Minneapolis

Room 110 Public Service Center

250 So. 4^th Street

Minneapolis, MN 55415-1385

(Phone) 612.673.3006

(Fax) 612.673-2728

LONG PRAIRIE

Housing, Building, and Structures

15.206 Minimum Standards. Unless otherwise specifically provided by Federal, State or local laws and ordinances, no person shall occupy or permit another person to occupy, any common interest, rental, or single occupancy facility, or any part thereof, which does not comply with the following requirements:

(1)            Foundations, Exterior Walls, Roofs. The foundation, exterior walls, and exterior roof shall be substantially water tight and shall be kept in sound condition and repair. The foundation shall adequately support the building at all points. Every exterior wall shall be free of deterioration, holes, breaks, loose or rotting boards or timbers, and any other condition that might admit rain or dampness to the interior portion of the walls or to the exterior spaces of the building. Exterior walls must be free of graffiti and advertising except as allowed by the Chapter 16.510 – 16.519, Sign Regulations, of this Code. All exterior wood surfaces, other than decay resistant materials, shall be protected from the elements and decay by paint or other protective covering or treatment. If the exterior surface is unpainted or the paint is blistered or peeling over 25 percent of the surface area, the affected surface shall be painted with a color which matches the unaffected surface or the entire surface shall be painted a consistent color. If the exterior surface of the pointing of any brick, block, or stone wall is loose or has fallen out, the surface shall be repaired.

SIGNS

16.510 General Sign Provisions. The following general provisions are applicable to all signs. It shall be unlawful for any person to erect, alter, replace, or relocate any sign or other advertising structure without first obtaining a permit and paying the required fees, except as herein otherwise provided.

16.511 Exempted Signs.

(1)            Informational signs not exceeding two (2) sq. ft. in area such as rest rooms, waste receptacles, addresses, doorbells, mailboxes, or building entrances.

(2)            Memorial plaques, corner stones and historical tablets.

(3)            Public signs, street signs, warning signs, railroad crossing signs and signs of public service companies for the purpose of safety.

(4)            Temporary political campaign signs.

(5)            Temporary real estate signs pertaining only to the sale, rental, or development of the premises upon which it is displayed.

(6)            Temporary construction signs designating the architects, lending institutions, engineers, or contractors when placed on a site where a building is to be constructed.

(7)            Temporary window signs such as sale items, going out of business, moving, etc.

(8)            Temporary garage sale, rummage sale and auction sale signs.

(9)            Signs displaying the name of the owner or occupant of residential housing units.

(10)            Temporary signs indicating an industrial park or subdivision development not exceeding 32 sq. ft. in surface area and 15 feet in height, as measured above ground level. A minimum setback of 25 feet from all property lines of the property on which the sign is located shall be maintained.

16.513 Sign Height and Width.

(1)       Ground signs shall not exceed the following height above street grade:

            Square Footage of Sign______Maximum Height Permitted.

            40 square feet or less                                    15 feet

            41 through 80 square feet                        20 feet

            Over 80 square feet                                     25 feet

 (2)            Any ground sign within 25 feet of any intersection of a street right of way line and a driveway entrance shall have a minimum vertical clearance of ten (10) feet above the center line of the street pavement.

(3)            Wall signs shall not extend more than nine (9) feet from the building. However, in no event may a sign extend within one (1) foot of the curb line. Wall signs must be at least eight (8) feet above the sidewalk or ground level. Wall signs shall not extend more than two (2) feet above the wall to which attached. If no other sign arrangement is practical, the Planning and Zoning Commission by way of a variance may approve wall signs exceeding these limitations.

(4)            Roof mounted signs shall not project any higher than 2' above the roof. If no other sign arrangement is practical, the Planning and Zoning Commission by way of a variance may approve roof mounted signs exceeding the 2' limitation.     

(5)            Murals painted or applied to a building require a sign permit and an artist’s conception of the painting.

NEW ULM

David Schnobrich [David.Schnobrich@ci.new-ulm.mn.us]

Actions

To: McEvoy, Shannon H 

Cc: Dave Christian ‎[Dave.Christian@ci.new-ulm.mn.us]‎ 

Inbox

Tuesday, June 21, 2011 1:40 PM

Shannon:

The City of New Ulm has a number of sites and structures associated with its German heritage.  This includes “public art” consisting of sculptures, statutes and display panels.  There are, however, a very limited number of exterior murals. 

The closest thing to a mural in our downtown area is a building window space that had previously been bricked in and then painted with a restaurant scene.  We also have a graffiti wall in a more secluded part of the community for use by younger artists that is subject to periodic change.

There are no city wide design standards or guidelines.  Within our downtown area, there is a historic district.  We have a Heritage Preservation Commission that does review proposed building and sign improvements within that area.  We also have adopted design guidelines for the district and the Commission uses them to evaluate any requests.  The guidelines, though, only address building and signage issues.  Otherwise, the City deals with projects on a case by case basis.

David Schnobrich

Community Development Director

STILLWATER:

Taken from Stillwater’s Downtown Design Manual found on http://www.ci.stillwater.mn.us/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={F2AD254A-0340-428B-8179-F8AADD0A2412}&DE

Signs and Graphics

e.       PAINTED WALL SIGNS & MURALS

Background

Painted wall signs occasionally appeared on the side of buildings at comer locations, or where a low adjacent roofline exposed an expanse of plain brick wall above. As these signs were high on the building, the message was simple and the lettering was large and bold. In the time period of the 1920’s – 1950’s, there were occasions of painted advertising in these areas. More recently, there have been murals created on walls of "non- contributing" buildings, or on the bac of “non-contributing" buildings, or on the back walls of “contributing” buildings. These have been addressed on a case-by-case basis.

Guidelines

·      Where existing painted wall signs can still he found, leave them exposed, or restore them to their original colors.

·      No new wall signs or murals should he introduced on historic "contributing" buildings.

·      Murals on "non-contributing" buildings have been allowed with individual review, provided they have a historic theme, and do not advertise an existing business or company.

DESIGN MANUAL, COMMERCIAL HISTORIC DISTRICT, STILLWATER, MINNESOTA

31

 

RED WING

Kohn, Steve [steve.kohn@ci.red-wing.mn.us]

Inbox

Tuesday, June 21, 2011 8:38 AM

Below is a section from our Sign Regulations (Zoning Ordinance)
regarding murals (artwork). 

Division 45 of our Zoning Ordinance doesn't really address mural, but
has a section with the following language.  "Community Amenities.
Community amenities such as patio/seating areas, water features, art
work or sculpture, clock towers, pedestrian plazas with park benches or
other features located adjacent to the primary entrance to the
building(s) are highly encouraged".

Please also keep in mind that our Heritage Preservation Ordinance
(Chapter 16 of City Code) does not allow for unpainted brick or stone

walls to be painted. This limits any potential mural to a location that
is already painted or that is not brick or stone.  "The Commission will
not approve the removal of cornices, painting of unpainted masonry,
alterations to existing historic or original openings for windows and
doorways and changes to other significant architectural detail". 

The mural that was in the photo I sent you is located on a stucco wall
that faces a public parking lot.  The wall at one point in time was an
interior wall, made of a lower quality brick; the building next door was
demolished many years ago and the wall was covered in stucco.

In summary, murals are not directly reviewed per our design standards in
the Preservation Ordinance or Zoning Ordinance; however, they are
indirectly limited in our historic districts by the regulation that
unpainted brick and stone cannot be painted. 

Steve Kohn
Assistant Planning Director
City of Red Wing
(651)385-3622
steve.kohn@ci.red-wing.mn.us

DIVISION 65:  SIGN REGULATIONS
65-110      Signs And Visual Displays Exempt from Regulation in All
Zoning Districts. These signs shall be exempt from regulation in all
zoning districts in this Ordinance.
    
A)      Any sign inside a building, not attached to a window or door.

B)      Works of art that do not include a commercial message.
********************************************

C)      Holiday lights and decorations on residential zoned lots with no
commercial message.

D)      Vending machines and the advertising on such machines.

E)      Official notices or signs by local, State, or federal
regulations.

F)      Government signs, including but not limited to traffic control
and regulatory purpose signs, street signs, information signs and
railroad crossing signs.

G)      Official government flags and emblems, provided such signs shall
not be placed in the public right-of-way.

H)      Home security signs, "no trespassing" signs "no parking" signs,
provided such signage on a zoned lot shall not exceed two (2) square
feet in area, and such signs shall not be placed or maintained in the
public right-of-way and shall not be illuminated.


I)      Historic plaques placed by recognized historical agencies,
provided such signs shall not be placed or maintained in the public
right-of-way without permission from the City Council.

J)      Religious symbols attached to institutional and public
buildings, provided such symbols shall not be placed or maintained in
the public right-of-way.

K)      Murals.

L)      Address Signs.

M)      Outdoor advertising signs and temporary banners located on the
grounds of publicly-owned athletic facilities at the Red Wing Athletic
Field, A. P. Anderson Park, the Red Wing High School, and Twin Bluff
Middle School, and that meet the following criteria:
a.      The signs are intended to be seen specifically by users of the
facility and are not directed for off-site viewing.
b.      The signs are attached to a building, fence, scoreboard, or
other existing structure; no freestanding signs are allowed.
c.      Scoreboard advertising signage shall be limited to 30% of the
actual scoreboard's square footage and shall not extend above the height
of the actual scoreboard.
d.      Temporary banners shall not exceed 24 square feet in size and
shall be limited to two (2) per playing field, court, or rink being used
for an event.
e.      Temporary banners shall be installed and removed the day of the
event.
f.      Signs on fences or freestanding walls shall fact home plate or
the center of the playing field, court, or rink and shall not extend
higher than the fence or wall for which it is attached and shall be
removed during the normal off-season.
g.      No individual sign shall exceed 48 square feet in size.
h.      No sign, with the exception of scoreboard signs, shall be
installed at a height exceeding 12 feet, measured from the grade
immediately in front of the sign.
i.      The sign is approved by the property's governing body and meets
any applicable policies of such body.

Kohn, Steve [steve.kohn@ci.red-wing.mn.us]

Inbox

Monday, June 20, 2011 4:37 PM

Hi Shannon,

Red Wing has one large mural that was completed in 2007 for the City's
Sesquicentennial celebration (see attached).  The mural is located in
our Downtown Historic District, which has preservation design standards
(Heritage Preservation Commission Design Review); however, murals are
considered artwork and are exempt from design reviews.  We also have new
commercial design standards that address the non-historic areas of Red
Wing; murals again are not addressed with these design standards.

Let me know if you have any other questions. 

Steve Kohn
Assistant Planning Director
City of Red Wing

*Cities with murals that do not mention murals in their zoning code:

         St. Paul, Menahga, Little Falls, Avon, Elk River, Rochester, New Ulm…

 **************

And so, after I presented this research to the Planning Commission, the city administrator asked us to pause because he had an important announcement.  My research on other towns' mural ordinances had inspired him to do some further research of Cold Spring's code, he said, pulling out a thick blue book.  He then opened it up, pointed to the small print, and said, "We actually do allow murals!"

Oh my goodness.  That makes me laugh.  Even though my research appeared unnecessary in the end, it was still a wonderful learning exercise.  And to think that when I first proposed the idea I was told that a mural in Cold Spring would be nearly impossible! :)

So, now we have a wall and approval from the city.  The next step is to present the design to the business owner and Planning Commission representative for final approval.  This week I am sketching until I drop!

A Historical Tour of Cold Spring

Today, Cold Spring Historical Society President took me on a historical tour of Cold Spring.  We started with one of the legendary springs that gave Cold Spring its name, home of the old pop factory at the turn of the century.  Shortly after we visited two fire rings that marked the Native American forts that existed when the first settlers of the 1850s arrived.  We also went to see the Assumption Chapel, built in thanksgiving for the salvation from the grasshopper plague of the 1870s, and several of Cold Spring's parks.

At one fire-ring lookout, the president pointed out many historical landmarks lining the river, some still standing and some only a memory of the past.  The Flour Mill (now gone, bought by the Cold Spring Granite company), one of the first buildings in the area, used the river to generate electricity.  The railroad, which just recently stopped being used in 2010, has a bridge crossing the river.  One can also see St. Boniface Church in the distance.  If I were to pick a specific view of town to use as a backdrop, this would be a nice one, as it shows such a concentration of history.

 Above:  Where the Flour Mill used to be

I met with a local Cold Spring artist and muralist today, and she is interested in helping out in the painting process.  She gave me some good advice on how to work with volunteers painting a mural - Once she has traced the design out on the wall (from a projector), she puts notes inside the larger, general shapes to tell volunteers what color they should be painted - sort of a "paint by number," she said.  This reduces the amount of questions that she gets and makes the process more efficient.  After the volunteers leave, she finishes off the form by adding highlights and shadows.  I think that this process may be especially effective for volunteers who do not consider themselves artistic.

La Perla

Today, following the wise advice of Mayuli, I spent several hours at La Perla Mexican store.  I sketched the atmosphere and promoted the mural project, handing out fliers for the workshops and asking questions to get people started brainstorming.  It was very fun because I got to use so much of my Spanish.

One shopper told me that he worked at Cold Spring's Gold'n Plump, and that 40% of the workers there are Spanish-speaking  (workers come from all around - even all the way from Willmar). I think this could be a valuable place for me to visit.  

La Perla's store owner gave me several ideas that she thought would be nice to put in the mural, and she recommended that I talk to a college art student who painted her store sign a couple years ago.  We went and visited the student in the trailer park and she said she would like to help out!  Our brigade of muralists is beginning to grow.

That's all for now,

Shannon

A Visit with Gustavo Lira

Last Friday I visited the studio of Gustavo Lira.  In a mix of Spanish and English, we began discussing the symbolism behind the Mosaic of the Americas.  One element that stuck out to me was the monarch butterflies that represent freedom of migration from North to South.

Lira often divides his murals into sections: 1) the problem 2) the solution 3) the dream, or utopia.  In the Mosaic of the Americas, the "dream" section is at the top.  The Human Rights Mural that he did at South High School is also divided into similar sections.  As I reflect on this way of organization, it occurs to me that Diego Rivera also took a similar route in his History of Mexico in the Palacio Nacional.  Rivera's utopia lay in the indigenous past.

Like Rivera, Lira is also fascinated by Pre-Columbian artwork, but he is most interested in instruments.  I got to see his collection of Pre-Columbian style flutes/silbadoras and listen to him play a few notes.

Gustavo also showed me a special tool that he made by taping a piece of chalk onto the end of a stick of bamboo.  This allows for tracing of a projected sketch onto the wall.  On the other end of the tool is a small pad of cotton-stuffed leather about the size of an apricot.  Lira showed me how he touched the pad to the wall and used the stick to brace his hand as he painted details, thereby avoiding smudging his previous work.

I was very excited to find out that Lira has lead a youth workshop based on the Brigada Ramona Parra, the muralist brigade that served as a huge inspiration for my thesis project.  This group protested the dictatorship of Pinochet.  Their work was characterized by bold, flat colors and black outlining, which had to be done quickly to avoid getting caught by the carabineros (police).  Lira lent me a copy of his lesson plan so I could see how he organized the workshop.

I was so inspired by my talk with Gustavo Lira.  He is a very amiable person with years of experience teaching art and making collaborative murals with youth and other artists.  Talking with Lira gave me some ideas of how I might possibly organize the Cold Spring mural and new perspective on working as a collaborative artist.  He mentioned the possibility of the two of us working together on something ourselves, which would be very exciting!

On Thursday night, I presented the mural project to the Lion's Club in Cold Spring.  They were very receptive; a few people came up to me afterwards and mentioned that they knew artists with whom I might like to work!  I am trying to get in contact with the high school art teachers...

Yesterday after the meeting with Dan Kippley,  I walked all around town talking to business owners, seeing if they might be interested in hosting our mural.  The manager of the Legion told me that they will discuss it in their Board meeting on Monday. 


I also distributed several posters advertising the art workshops that I will lead in June.  My first workshop will be on June 7, and is focused primarily on Diego Rivera.  The discussions and artwork generated in these workshops are essential to the brainstorming process for the mural. 

We have a meeting set up with the Cold Spring Planning Commission for June 27.  In preparation for this meeting, I have been researching mural ordinances in other cities.  Most cities with murals do not mention them in their ordinances, but a few do.  Minneapolis' definition of a mural (as a sign exempt from the sign ordinance regulations) is as follows:
 
"And, within section 520.160, Definition of Mural: Mural. A work of graphic art painted on a building wall, which contains no commercial advertising or logos, and which does not serve to advertise or promote any business, product, activity, service, interest or entertainment." (From Mary Altman, Public Arts Administrator of Minneapolis)


Long Prairie also regards a mural as an exempt sign:

"Exterior walls must be free of graffiti and advertising except as allowed by the Chapter 16.510 – 16.519, Sign Regulations, of this Code......
 

(5) Murals painted or applied to a building require a sign permit and an artist’s conception of the painting."

  Lastly, I want to mention that I talked with Gustavo Lira, the muralist who worked with Bruce on the Mosaico de las Americas.  We have plans to meet on Friday, June 10th!  I am very excited to get to talk with him about his experience as a Latino muralist in Minnesota.