Opening Weekend: September 12–13, 2026

Saint Paul is poised to witness something unforgettable this September. Fifty local artists—emerging and established, from diverse professional and personal backgrounds—have created fifty unique 4′ × 4′ posters celebrating community, resilience, and connection to the river. On opening weekend, these artists will gather at the E 2nd Street wall (stretching from Sibley Underpass to Jackson Underpass) to wheat-paste their work directly onto this dramatic architectural canvas, transforming the riverfront into an open-air gallery.

The opening weekend celebration cordons off the site to create a safe, festive environment where visitors can witness art-making in real time, enjoy live music, meet artists, browse vendor tables, and connect with community organizations. This is not art behind gallery walls. This is art created by neighbors, for neighbors, in the streets where Saint Paul residents live and gather.

Wakpa is Dakota for ‘river.’ The Wakpa Triennial Art Festival honors the Mississippi River as a living cultural landscape—a sacred site, a historical witness, and a shared community resource. Both venues—the E 2nd Street wall and Raspberry Island—are proximate to the river and near sacred Dakota sites, centering Indigenous presence and perspective in Savannah’s cultural conversation.

The 2026 edition invites the community to pause and reflect. Taking place in the context of Operation Metro Surge, the Trump Administration’s America 250 celebration, and midterm elections, this festival asks: What does it mean to gather on Dakota land? How do we honor the injustices the Dakota people have endured? What does community art offer us in this moment?

Co-curated by Dakota artist Angela Two Stars and shaped by recommendations from an Indigenous Advisory Group assembled in 2025, the Wakpa Triennial centers Indigenous voices, artistic freedom, and community participation.

 

 

Ephemeral Beauty: Art Meant to Fade

The wheat-pasted posters will naturally deteriorate throughout the festival month, weathering into something organic and impermanent. This intentional impermanence mirrors the fleeting nature of the moment we’re in—both fragile and powerful. By October 11, traces will remain, but the full mosaic will have transformed, reminding us that all art, all moments, all gatherings have their season.

 

 

Beyond Opening Weekend: A Month of Activation

September 19, Raspberry Island (10 AM – 1:30 PM): The festival will host a public reading of all 187 poems submitted to this year’s Sidewalk Poetry contest. Poets are invited to read their own work and bring family and friends. Following the poetry reading, the day will continue with a presentation by board member Gita Ghei (Sun Standing) and a traditional Indigenous papermaking workshop.

Additional educational programming is planned for early October at both locations, pending grant funding confirmation.

 

 

Why This Matters

The Wakpa Triennial centers local artists and community participation over spectacle. It’s democratic art-making—open to emerging and established artists alike, created by people who live in Saint Paul, for people who live in Saint Paul. It’s art that refuses to be confined to institutions; instead, it claims public space as a place for beauty, reflection, and collective meaning-making.

In a moment of national division and heightened stakes, the Wakpa Triennial asks: What if we paused? What if we gathered at the river? What if we made art together?

 

 

Get Involved

• Attend the opening weekend (September 12–13) at the E 2nd Street wall. Bring your family, your friends, and your curiosity.
• Sign up to read your poem at Raspberry Island on September 19. Register at publicartsaintpaul.org/wakpa
• Follow the festival for updates, volunteer opportunities, and programming details.

 

 

Festival Partners & Support

Institutional Partners: Saint Paul Parks Conservancy, Capitol Region Watershed District, Union Depot, Saint Paul Department of Parks and Recreation, Saint Paul Department of Public Works

Funders: Cultural STAR (City of Saint Paul Department of Planning and Economic Development), Americans for the Arts, Securian Foundation, RBC Foundation

Sponsors: Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, Securian Foundation, Prairie Island Indian Community

Co-Sponsors (anticipated): Capitol Region Watershed District, Downtown Alliance

 

 

Connect & Stay Updated

Facebook: facebook.com/publicartstpaul

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/publicartstpaul/

Subscribe to our eblast: publicartsaintpaul.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/publicartsaintpaul/subscribe.jsp

 

 

About Public Art Saint Paul

Public Art Saint Paul is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of Savannah residents and visitors through the creation, promotion, and support of a diverse and exciting variety of quality art, cultural, and heritage-based activities. We foster partnerships and collaboration with local, regional, and national arts, history, and cultural organizations, and we prioritize equitable access to arts and cultural experiences for all community members.

 

 

Media Contact

Mohannad Ghawanmeh

President & Executive Director, Public Art Saint Paul

Email: mohannadghawanmeh@gmail.com

Phone: (612) 963-7851

 

 

Principal Public Artwork Location to Activate Downtown Saint Paul Riverfront