ENVIRONMENTAL ART WORKSHOPS

WESTERN SCULPTURE PARK
387 MARION STREET, ST. PAUL, MN
MEET AT THE AARDVARK SHED

We are excited to partner with the Capitol Region Watershed District again on eARTh Lab! The artmaking workshops will focus on getting to know our regional watershed system and how water flows through our landscape. We aim to build knowledge around the environmental and social impact of how we shape our community and interact with the watershed. eARTh Lab comes to Western Sculpture Park in the Central Corridor Neighborhood this summer for a series of free, drop-in environmental art-making workshops that use earth-friendly supplies and processes and relate to the theme Where in the World is Water. eARTh Lab workshops use art to develop skills, promote personal growth, and encourage a new generation of active citizens. Each workshop engages teaching artists, education interns, and wonderful volunteers from the community for sessions that are open to children of all ages. Free snacks are provided as well.

OPENING PLANTING EVENT:

Thursday, June 15, 2023, 2:00 PM-4:00 PM

The opening planting event will also include a terrarium station to help understand watershed and how we all are connected through the land. Glass jars will be provided, but attendees are welcome to bring their own empty glass jar.

eARTh Lab will also be joined by The Saint Paul Conservatory of Music for a short performance and Instrument Petting Zoo. Snacks and water will be provided.

WORKSHOPS FOR SUMMER 2023

Tuesday, July 11, 2023 – Our Water Relatives Banners with Esther Ouray
1:00 PM-3:30 PM

With paint and line drawings and fabric, we will create banners that honor the water. Mother Mississippi, Cousin Creek, Uncle Ocean, Sister Spring, Brother Bayou, even Our Pal Puddle, or maybe you want to make a banner of Father Fish. Let’s create beautiful art that celebrates water as an inseparable beloved relative.

Tuesday, July 18, 2023 – Beautiful Basins: Minnesota Mosaics with Lisa Arnold
1:00 PM-3:30 PM

Students will learn the art of mosaics using tile and rhinestones to create Minnesota Watershed Basin maps.

Tuesday, July 25, 2023 – Monarchs: Healthy Environments for a Thriving Community with Ann Hobbie
1:00 PM-3:30 PM

Ann Hobbie will read from her book Monarch Butterflies: Explore the Life Journey of One of the Winged Wonders of the World and share how clean water and enough food for monarchs will ensure a thriving population for future generations. Each child will be able to take home a monarch caterpillar to raise.

Tuesday, August 1, 2023 – TBA with Darrail Hughes
1:00 PM-3:30 PM

Workshop activities may be subject to change

SIGN UP

All workshops are open and free to the public, but do require registration. Please fill out the form below.

If you have a party of more than 10 people, please contact Youa Vang at youa@pubicartstpaul.org at least three weeks prior to the eARTh Lab workshop date your group is planning to attend.

200 years ago, the area that is now Western Sculpture Park was an encampment for fur traders traveling in ox carts from Canada across Minnesota. As homes, businesses, and infrastructure developed the area drew a diverse population of residents – European immigrants, African-American families moving westward from downtown Saint Paul, and today, new immigrants from Asia, Africa, and Central America.

18 years ago, Public Art Saint Paul responded to the initiative of neighborhood residents and artists who sought to transform an underdeveloped and neglected public park into a lively civic gathering space.

Their dream for a safe, beautiful space for children to play neighbors to congregate has become a reality in the Western Sculpture Park we see today.

UPDATES ACKNOWLEDGING THE NATIVE HISTORY OF THIS LOCATION IS COMING SOON.

Since the re-designed Western Sculpture Park opened in 1998, Education has been a core part of Public Art Saint Paul’s programming. In 2009 the program entered a new phase with the commission of the Spider Mobile Art Lab by Christopher Lutter-Gardella. The Spider is a result of an effort by PASP with the Summit University Planning Council and a host of community partners in 2006 to assess the conditions of the residential area around the park and recommend strategic steps to promote safety in neighborhood. The effort resulted in recommendations to increase access to educational services, improve the beauty and amenity of streetscapes and open spaces, foster economic development, and weave art into everyday life. We have retired the Spider Mobile as it is no longer functional. Needless to stay, the workshops have been renamed eARTh Labs and continue into the 2023 season!

eARTHlab comes to Western Sculpture Park in the Central Corridor Neighborhood 12 times each summer for a series of free, drop-in environmental artmaking workshops that use earth-friendly supplies and processes and relate to the theme Where in the World is Water. Each workshop engages teaching artists, education interns, and wonderful volunteers from the community for sessions from 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm that is open to children of all ages. A free snack is provided halfway.

eARTH Lab workshops use art to develop skills, promote personal growth, and encourage a new generation of active citizens. Each free session is structured as a self-contained activity so there is no registration or ongoing attendance commitment. This results in exceptionally high participation, with nearly 600 young people attending over the summer of 2015. A season-end awards ceremony is presided over by public officials to celebrate the accomplishments of the participants.

Themes have focused on water quality awareness for the past 3 years. In the years ahead, program themes will expand to include other living systems of the City including food, forests, and infrastructure.

Workshops are produced by Public Art Saint Paul in partnership with Saint Paul Parks and Recreation and a host of education, environmental conservation, and community organizations, including the Capitol Region Watershed District.

The National Recreation and Parks Association Congress points to Western Sculpture Park as a national model of public/private partnership in art education and community building.

Our Education Assistants and amazing volunteers from throughout the community assist in all aspects of workshop production. They possess skill in artmaking, enjoy working with young people, and have interest in environmental issues. They’re awesome!

If you are interested in being a summer assistant or volunteering please email youa@publicartstpaul.org

The Western Sculpture Park Sculpture Exhibition and Environmental Art Workshops are made possible through Public Art Saint Paul’s partnership with Saint Paul Parks and Recreation, the Saint Paul Sewer Utility, and the Capitol Region Watershed District.

Our Generous Supporters

I. A. O’Shaughnessy Foundation
R. C. Lilly Foundation
Sage Cleveland Foundation
The Capitol Region Watershed District
The Elmer L & Eleanor J. Andersen Foundation
The Saint Paul Foundation
F.R. Bigelow Foundation
Mardag Foundation
The John and Ruth Huss Fund of The Saint Paul Foundation
Minnesota Department of Health Drinking Water Protection
Generous Individuals
The voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

Learn more about our friends and guests!

Capitol Region watershed district
http://www.capitolregionwd.org

Minnesota Department of Health (Drinking Water Protection)
http://www.health.state.mn.us/water/

Mississippi Market
http://msmarket.coop

Mississippi National River and Recreational Area of the National Park Service
http://www.nps.gov/miss/index.htm

Open Eye Figure Theatre
http://www.openeyetheatre.org/

The Raptor Center
http://www.raptor.umn.edu

Saint Paul Mounted Police
http://www.stpaulmountedpolice.org

Saint Paul Parks and Recreation
https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/parks-recreation

Sprockets
http://sprocketssaintpaul.org

Summit University Planning Council
http://www.summit-u.com