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October 13, 2026
Minnesota Orchestra
From our community: A Honey of a Performance
… Commissioned by Meet Minneapolis as part of an initiative to beautify downtown, the mural is intended to highlight the City’s culture of neighborliness and offer a playful, welcoming spirit for visitors and residents.
… Rock “CYFI” Martinez, who was selected for the project through a competitive process managed by Forecast Public Arts, is a self-taught artist who splits his time between Arizona and Minnesota, where he is widely known for his Prince mural created for the Weisman Art Museum and subsequently exhibited at MSP airport.
October 8, 2026
Meet Minneapolis [News Release]
Mural Unveiled on Orchestra Hall, in Public Art Initiative from Meet Minneapolis
Large-scale mural creates a distinctive City by Nature welcome for visitors to Convention Center district
The mural is part of a Meet Minneapolis initiative to activate downtown and welcome visitors to the Convention Center district with high-visibility public art on one of the city’s most iconic cultural buildings.
… Martinez, who was selected through a competitive process managed by Forecast Public Art, has a reputation for creating bright, larger-than-life murals that transform urban spaces with imagination, hope and beauty. A self-taught artist and native of Tucson, Martinez now splits his time between Arizona and Minnesota, where he is widely known for his 16-by-24-foot mural of Prince, originally created for the Weisman Art Museum and subsequently exhibited at MSP airport.
… In May, Forecast Public Art fielded a call for experienced mural artists and subsequently engaged three finalists from the pool of applicants to develop site-responsive proposals. The finalists each presented their design concepts to a selection committee, comprising representatives from Meet Minneapolis and the Minnesota Orchestra. Martinez’s design was chosen as the selected concept in August.
October 8, 2026
WCCO / CBS News Minnesota [Video]
25-foot bee mural now covers the side of Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis
The Minnesota Orchestra marked the mural’s completion with a rooftop performance. It’s the work of artist Rock Martinez, known for his giant Prince mural and a piece at MSP Airport.
October 8, 2026
WCCO News Talk 830 [Video or podcast]
September 25, 2026
Broadway World
Rock ‘CYFI’ Martinez to Create New Mural at Minnesota’s Orchestra Hall
Meet Minneapolis initiative aims to beautify the Convention Center district with public art selected by Forecast Public Art.
… Rock “CYFI” Martinez, who was selected through a competitive process managed by Forecast Public Art, has a reputation for creating bright larger-than-life murals that transform urban spaces with imagination, hope and beauty.
… In May, Forecast Public Art fielded a call for experienced mural artists and subsequently engaged three finalists from the pool of applicants to develop site-responsive proposals. The finalists each presented their design concepts to a selection committee, comprising representatives from Meet Minneapolis and the Minnesota Orchestra. Martinez’s design was chosen as the selected concept in August.
September 23, 2026
West Plains Daily Quill
West Plains hosts Midwest art leaders
Ghost Shoes art project marks ICE arrests in Marshall
About 35 visitors representing eight communities across the Midwest, along with program staff and partners, conclude several days in West Plains today as part of the inaugural Midwest Memory Grant program administered by Forecast Public Art.
The gathering began Sunday and brought together representatives of all eight Midwest Memory grant teams for several days of learning, discussion, reflection and relationship-building. The Lincoln School Project, one of the eight organizations selected for the prestigious grant, served as the local host.
Supported by the Mellon Foundation and administered by Minneapolis-based nonprofit Forecast Public Art, the Midwest Memory initiative was created to support rural Midwestern communities working to preserve and elevate important local histories through public art, monuments and memorials.
September 16, 2026
Independent
‘It’s about memory’
Ghost Shoes art project marks ICE arrests in Marshall
…Each pair of shoes represents a person detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Laura Migliorino said.
“It’s about education, and memory,” said Migliorino, a Minneapolis-based artist and photographer. This year, she has been working with volunteers across Minnesota on ICE Ghost Shoes 26, an art project bearing witness to ICE detentions and acts of violence.
This week, Marshall became one of the communities around the state where “ghost shoes” have been installed.
Migliorino said the idea for the ICE Ghost Shoes 26 project had a few different influences. During the surge of ICE operations in the Twin Cities last winter, many local artists were finding ways to respond or bear witness to what was going on, she said.
Migliorino was awarded an Artists as Witness grant from Forecast Public Art, to place 150 pairs of ghost shoes around the Twin Cities. She later received a grant from Springboard for the Arts, to place an additional 50 pairs of shoes in greater Minnesota.
The nature of our work means our role is often behind the scenes. Though not named in this article, we would like to uplift this coverage of the Joyful World Mural Park.
August 27 & 28, 2026
Sahan Pathfinder, Sahan Journal
Experience the Joy Black Art Brings at the Minnesota State Fair
… Amid the rides, food stands and crowds at the Minnesota State Fair this weekend, a colorful outdoor gallery south of the Grandstand will offer visitors a space to slow down and watch local artists work their magic in real time.
Among them is Minneapolis muralist Reggie LeFlore, who is setting up shop at the fair’s Joyful World Mural Park to live-paint an 8-by-8-foot canvas Thursday through Sunday.
The Minnesota State Fair’s Joyful World Mural puts Black Art front and center
… Minneapolis muralist Reggie LeFlore is setting up shop at the fair’s Joyful World Mural Park to live-paint an 8-by-8-foot canvas Thursday through Sunday.
August 4, 2026
East City Art
East City Art Profiles—Memory, Makers, and Monuments: Reimagining Commemoration in Washington
… The workshop was organized by the Trust for the National Mall in partnership with the DC Office of Planning (OP) and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (CAH) and in collaboration with Forecast Public Art. It asked participants to consider commemoration not only as permanent installation but as an active civic practice shaped by participation, interpretation and ongoing engagement.
The nature of our work means our role is often behind the scenes. Though not named in this article, we would like to uplift this coverage on the Midwest Memory Grant opportunity for rural communities.
July 22, 2026
WKTN
Ray Brown Memorial Park Featured in Hardin County Tourism Spotlight
Hardin County Chamber and Business Alliance shined its latest Tourism Spotlight on the Ray Brown Memorial Park in Alger.
This vibrant community space serves as a dedicated tribute to Alger High School graduate Ray Brown, a premier Negro League pitcher who led the Homestead Grays to eight pennants and threw a legendary one-hitter in the 1944 Negro World Series.
After a multi-year collaboration between the Hardin County Historical Museums, the Village of Alger, and Ohio Northern University, the park has been transformed into an educational and recreational landmark.
May 29, 2026
Park Bugle
From the desk of the editor
Wither the Chroma Zone Mural & Art festival?
… Although Casselton noted she is no longer working full time for the CEZ, she is back “to making the mural festival a team effort with our original two creative partners—Forecast Public Art and Burlesque of North America—along with others to help with mural production, artist hospitality and events.
The nature of our work means our role is often behind the scenes. Though not named in the article, we would like to uplift this coverage on MNPAiR (Minnesota Parks Artists in Residence); you can learn more about the project on Forecast’s MNPAiR project page, which GovInsider links to.
May 18, 2026
GovInsider
The unlikely bureaucracy hack: Put an artist in the government department
As governments grapple with how to innovate from the inside, CAIR Lab’s Mallory Rukhsana Nezam shares the tangible outcomes from artist-in-residency programmes in the US government.
When the US state of Minnesota embedded 12 artists across its state parks in 2024, the government wasn’t just commissioning murals and sculptures.
It was tackling a harder question, with the help of the artists: How do you make people feel that public spaces belong to them?
This led three government agencies embarking on a year-long experiment, known as MNPAiR (Minnesota Parks Artist-in-Residence) programme, across 13 different parks and trail sites across the state.
After the artist-in-residency programme ended, the communities that were formed around artist-led events continued to meet and park staff also approached their own work differently.
… What happened in Minnesota was just an example of a growing movement of placing artists inside government agencies and not just to decorate lobbies.
Rather, these artists could be catalysts in finding ways to crack bureaucracy, deepen citizen engagement, and help public officers rediscover the meaning in their work, Nezam says.
The nature of our work means our role is often behind the scenes. Though not named in this article, we would like to uplift this coverage on the Midwest Memory Grant opportunity for rural communities.
May 14, 2026
Hometown Stations
May 8, 2026
Star Tribune
‘Ghost shoes’ mark places where ICE detained people in the Twin Cities
Volunteers installed 50 pairs of shoes in locations across the Twin Cities. They’ll start on other locations in the state in July.
The white-painted shoes mark one of 50 locations across the Twin Cities metro area where organizers say federal immigration agents detained, shot, killed, or committed violent acts against people during Operation Metro Surge.
The “Ghost Shoes” project references “Shoes on the Danube Bank,” a memorial in Budapest to the hundreds of Hungarian Jews who were shot and killed along the river by the Nazis’ allies on 1944 and 1945, but were first asked to remove their valuable shoes. The project also takes inspiration from ghost bikes, the roadside memorials for bicyclists killed or severely injured, and German artist Gunter Demnig’s “Stolpersteine” (“Stumbling Stones”) remembrance project of small brass plaques installed into sidewalks near homes of German Jews murdered or deported by the Nazis.
A grant from Forecast Public Art funded the 50 shoes that 10 groups of people installed in the Twin Cities area. A grant from Springboard for the Arts will fund the installation of ghost shoes in other parts of Minnesota starting in July.
February 11, 2026
The Mining Journal
Marquette City Commission approves phase two of sculpture…
…City Clerk Kyle Whitney explained that the approval of phase two of the Seven Grandfathers sculpture by artist Jason Quigno at the base of Baraga Avenue would “consist of the fabrication and installation of a second sculpture called Ishkode, an Anishinaabemowin word translated as fire. Ishkode will depict three flames representing the three fires confederacy and will be installed at the center of the seven grandfathers teaching monument, completing the monument at the foot of baraga avenue and the walking pier.”
Whitney went on to clarify that the cost of commissioning and building the sculpture sits at $72,000, but that that cost would be fully funded “through the Forecast Public Art Foundation Midwest Memory Grant awarded to the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community. The KBIC has subcontracted with the city of Marquette for completion of the monument.”
January 2, 2026
MinnPost
Ten moments of awe from the 2025 Minnesota arts scene
Artscape columnist Sheila Regan reflects on the sometimes surprising exhibits and performances that remind us all why Minnesota is a special state for the arts.
For a feature about Ifrah Mansour’s “Weaving Abundance,” part of an artist residency project in state and regional parks, I biked 26 miles from my home in Minneapolis to Thompson Park in West Saint Paul. There, I discovered Mansour’s mystical eggs placed amid the park’s tall grass. Later, I had the chance to tour Mansour’s studio at the Coliseum Building on Lake Street, where the artist was working on sculptures that blended weaving, papier-mâché, bamboo and found materials to create meditative works inviting the viewer to contemplate the abundance of the natural world. The work compelled me not only in its beauty but its ambition to connect to the spirit.
The nature of our work means our role is often behind the scenes. Though not named in this article, we would like to uplift this coverage on MNPAiR (Minnesota Parks Artists in Residence); you can learn more about the project on Forecast’s MNPAiR project page.
October 7, 2025
Advocate Tribune
Mosaic murals to be installed in Memorial Park
Granite Falls artist Tamara Isfeld worked on mosaics to be placed at Memorial Park during this year’s Meander event while displaying her paintings at the Granite Area Arts Council. The mosaics will be placed on the exterior of the bathroom building at Memorial Park once completed and feature local wildlife and plants.
The project is a part of the MNPAiR program that Isfeld and local artist John Sterner took part in this year. As a part of the program, Isfeld and Sterner also hosted a series of free, all-ages welcome workshops at the park with a variety of artistic themes such as mosaics, plein air painting and ceramics.
In addition, carved wooden sculptures representing the elements of earth, wind, sky and fire will be installed at the park.
The MNPAiR program (Minnesota Parks Artists in Residence) … is designed to provide new ways of making park visitors feel welcome, and to expand engagement in park and trail systems.
The nature of our work means our role is often behind the scenes. Though not named in this article, we would like to uplift this coverage on MNPAiR (Minnesota Parks Artists in Residence); you can learn more about the project on Forecast’s MNPAiR project page.
October 7, 2025
Echo Press
‘Artists-in-Residence’ projects add colorful art to Minn. Parks
… A diverse group of Minnesota-based artists researched and developed ideas for expanding engagement in park and trail systems. The artists then collaborated with community members and park staff over several months to create works of art relevant to their respective areas. Those outdoor masterpieces are now ready for the public to enjoy.
The nature of our work means our role is often behind the scenes. Though not named in this article, we would like to uplift this coverage on MNPAiR (Minnesota Parks Artists in Residence); you can learn more about the project on Forecast’s MNPAiR project page.
October 3, 2025
Minnesota Star Tribune
How a former teacher led hundreds to help create community art in Rochester
Cassandra Buck is part of a statewide pilot program to install public art in parks — with residents’ help.
The center has long drawn visitors to soak in its flowing prairie grass, scenic overlooks and wooded trails. Now state and local leaders are hoping to draw visitors to bask in its art.
It’s part of the Minnesota Parks Artist-in-Residence program, aimed at connecting people with art and the outdoors throughout the state — and maybe even bringing people to parks they wouldn’t typically visit.
… In greater Minnesota, four artists are bringing murals, collages, sculptures and even interactive apps to local parks in and around Rochester, Granite Falls, Alexandria, Maple Lake and Clear Lake; another four are working at parks in the Twin Cities area; and four others are working with the Department of Natural Resources at parks near Bemidji, Silver Bay and Center City. …
October 1, 2025
PRB+ Magazine
Creative Collaborations
Artists-in-residence programs can help parks departments celebrate spaces and spark conversations about complex issues
… Forecast selected a pilot cohort of 12 Minnesota-based artists-in-residence to research and experience a park, trail, or park system and its communities. In addition to creating new artworks, the residency program empowered artists as park partners and ambassadors. Although they did not live on-site, artists were asked to imagine new ways to deepen community engagement and foster relationship-building in state and regional parks.
Participants received career-boosting artistic supportand mentorship through Forecast while learning from site staff about the local environment and cultural traditions. Towards the end of the 12-month, 20-hour-aweek, paid residency, artists-in-residence activated their ideas, developing new work supported by an additional materials budget. Performances, pop-up activities, temporary installations, and other artistic outputs exploring community and belonging emerged from the experience.
September 29, 2025
The Ohio Newsroom [Listen]
Remembering Ray Brown, Alger’s forgotten baseball star
…When Strittmatter learned of Ray Brown’s Alger upbringing, he tasked his students with drafting a nomination for an Ohio Historical Marker to commemorate him. His students proposed placing it in Alger Village Park. … But at this point, about five years on, the plans to memorialize Ray Brown don’t end with a historical marker.
… Plus, Strittmatter and ONU art professor Melissa Eddings-Mancuso received another grant too — to the tune of $110,000 from Forecast Public Art. …The money will help the village further improve the park with everything from a new outfield fence to a hand-painted mural depicting Ray Brown winding up for a pitch.
The nature of our work means our role is often behind the scenes. Though not named in this article, we would like to uplift this coverage on MNPAiR (Minnesota Parks Artists in Residence); you can learn more about the project on Forecast’s MNPAiR project page.
September 29, 2025
Advocate Tribune
Newly-completed ‘Artists-in-Residence’ projects add colorful, locally-relevant art and sense of belonging to local parks
Visitors to several Minnesota parks will enjoy brighter fall colors than ever this year, thanks to the addition of unique mosaics, murals, sculptures – even an app – that were just completed as part of a Minnesota Parks Artists-in-Residence (MNPAiR) pilot program.
MNPAiR was launched in 2024 by the three parks and trails partners within the state’s Clean Water, Land and Legacy Fund: the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Parks and Trails Division, and Metropolitan Council Regional Parks.
… A diverse group of Minnesota-based artists researched and developed ideas for expanding engagement in park and trail systems. The artists then collaborated with community members and park staff over several months to create works of art relevant to their respective areas. Those outdoor masterpieces are now ready for the public to enjoy.
The nature of our work means our role is often behind the scenes. Though not named in this article, we would like to uplift this coverage on MNPAiR (Minnesota Parks Artists in Residence); you can learn more about the project on Forecast’s MNPAiR project page, which KIMT3 links to.
September 23, 2025
KIMT3 News
Discover stunning new art in Minnesota parks this season
Minnesota parks are showcasing new artistic creations as part of the Minnesota Parks Artists-in-Residence pilot program. … Minnesota-based artists collaborated with community members and park staff to create art that resonates with local culture and history.
September 22, 2025
Bluffton Icon
Alger prepares to honor phenomenal Negro League pitcher Ray Brown
Village to install historical marker and mural, will host 2026 grand opening
Memorials to Brown and projects broadening awareness of his exceptional baseball career have been made possible by a grant from Forecast, a non-profit arts organization. The Hardin County Historical Museums submitted an application for Ray Brown Memorial Park and was awarded a $110,000 Midwest Memory Grant, with $75,000 going directly to the park. https://forecastpublicart.org/midwest-memory/
September 2, 2025
Hoodline
St. Louis Park’s Vision 4.0 Initiative Enhances Community Connection with Pop-Up Artist Series at Aquila Park
… These curated artistic pop-ups form the interactive component of Vision 4.0, St. Louis Park’s community-driven approach to setting strategic priorities. A diverse roster of local artists is slated to inspire and engage residents across various city events through summer and fall. … Representatives from the Vision 4.0 community committee, along with city staff and Forecast Public Art, will ensure that… they will be available to answer questions, stimulate conversation, and collect feedback. It’s part of a concerted effort to mold the city’s future with the hands and ideas of the very people who call it home.
The nature of our work means our role is often behind the scenes. Though not named in this article, we would like to uplift this coverage on MNPAiR (Minnesota Parks Artists in Residence); you can learn more about the project on Forecast’s MNPAiR project page.
August 28, 2025
MPR News
Art Hounds [Listen]
Art Hounds: Ojibwe teachings at Tettegouche, immersive fabric at Mia and a punk rock revolution on stage
… Zimmerman is […] the Artist-in-Residence at Tettegouche. For this role, he created seven signs, printed on weather-proof aluminum, about the seven Grandfather Teachings of the Ojibwe, which will be installed next spring at the Nature Play Area.
August 20, 2025
MinnPost
Artist Ifrah Mansour hopes her traveling eggs are an antidote for our times
Mansour’s installation “Weaving Abundance” in Dakota County Parks is the artist’s response to notions of scarcity.
“Weaving Abundance” is part of Minnesota Parks Artists in Residence (MNPAiR), organized by Forecast Public Art in partnership with Minnesota State Parks and Trails, the Metropolitan Council, and the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission.
August 1, 2025
KIMT3 News
July 30, 2025
The Ada Herald
Alger’s Ray Brown ‘Field of Dreams’ about to become reality
Negro League Hall of Fame pitcher Ray Brown… was one of 33 Negro League Players in the Major League Baseball’s Cooperstown Hall of Fame. Except for the famous pitcher, Satchel Paige, Brown was considered to be the top pitcher in the Negro Leagues. He played 19 years for the Pittsburgh Grays and at one point actually won 27 games in a row, which is practically unheard of….
ONU History Professor David Strittmatter… was initially perplexed nothing locally had been done about Brown. … He had several meetings with Alger Village Administrator Paul Osborne. Next, Strittmatter solicited a grant from ONU to have an elaborate Ray Brown mural painted for the Alger ballpark. He got the grant, and ONU Art Professor Melissa Eddings Mancuso arranged for one of the ONU art students to do the painting. … The project received a $100,000 grant from Minnesota’s Forecast Public Art … Osborne is getting quotes for a new outfield fence for the complex and more field drainage apparatus. …Professor Eddings Mancuso is arranging for some decorative limestone framing for the Ohio Historical Marker. … there will be brick entryway pillars inset with Ray Brown Memorial Park signs. … Strittmatter hopes to have a dedication ceremony sometime in the fall.
July 17, 2025
Ampers (Audio)
How Art and Nature Mix in a New Statewide Program
Artists across Minnesota are turning parks into their creative spaces through the Minnesota Parks Artists in Residence Program. Producer Jamad Jama brings us a story about how public art, nature, and the community are coming together for the perfect combination….
… The MNPAIR project spans across the state with beautiful installations blooming in every corner beyond the Twin Cities. Projects are underway in places like Lake Bemidji State Park in northern Minnesota, as well as Granite Falls Memorial Park in southwest Minnesota. To learn more about the artists participating, or to see what’s happening in a park near you, visit ForecastPublicArt.org
The nature of our work means our role is often behind the scenes. Though not named in this article, we would like to uplift this coverage on the Midwest Memory Grant opportunity for rural communities.
May 7, 2025
Voyage Minnesota
The nature of our work means our role is often behind the scenes. Though not named in this article, we would like to uplift this coverage on the Midwest Memory Grant opportunity for rural communities.
April 21, 2025
Ozark Radio News
Dedication Ceremony for Reflection Plaza Set for May 17 at Historic Lincoln School in West Plains
The Lincoln School Project invites the public to a special Dedication Ceremony for Reflection Plaza on Saturday, May 17, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the historic Lincoln School, located at 1400 Pony Thomas Street in West Plains. This new addition marks a profound moment in the region’s cultural and historical recognition.
The nature of our work means our role is often behind the scenes. Though not named in this article, we would like to uplift this coverage on MNPAiR (Minnesota Parks Artists in Residence); you can learn more about the project on Forecast’s MNPAiR project page.
April 9, 2025
KIMT3 News
The nature of our work means our role is often behind the scenes. Though not named in this article, we would like to uplift this coverage on Forecast’s work with the Bloomington Creative Placemaking Commission; you can learn more about the project on Forecast’s Art + Culture Planning page.
April 1, 2025
Bloomington Briefing
March 27, 2025
Phelps County Focus
The Salem News Online
Steelville Trail of Tears Remembrance Committee awarded Midwest Memory Grant
The Steelville Trail of Tears Remembrance Committee is working to raise $200,000 for a permanent monument at a historic encampment site, commemorating the forced removal of the Cherokee people through Missouri.
The nature of our work means our role is often behind the scenes. Though not named in this article, we would like to uplift this coverage on Midwest Memory; you can learn more about the project on Forecast’s Midwest Memory initiative page.
March 21, 2025
MPR News
20 years later, lives affected by the school shooting in Red Lake will be memorialized
Red Lake Nation has granted land for the memorial at the site on the south end of Lower Red Lake, between Red Lake Nation’s government center and the tribal college.
The nature of our work means our role is often behind the scenes. Though not named in this article, we would like to uplift this coverage on the Midwest Memory Grant opportunity for rural communities.
March 20, 2025
Three Rivers Publishing
Steelville Trail of Tears awarded $110,000 grant for monument project
The Steelville Trail of Tears Remembrance Committee (a committee of the Steelville Area Historical Society) is one of eight recipients of the inaugural Midwest Memory Grant for their project to install a monument in the Community Park.
February 26, 2025
Minnesota Women’s Press
The Four Winds: A Seasonal Celebration of Dakóta culture, history, and art
As Dakóta women, deeply rooted in the homeland of Mnisota Makóce, artists Marlena Myles and Tanáğidaŋ Tó Wíŋ were inspired by the stories of indigenous women of this land. They were selected as Minnesota Parks artists in residency, in partnership with Forecast Public Art and Ramsey County Parks and Recreation, to share the beauty of Dakóta culture, history, and art. The goal is to inspire neighbors to reconnect with Grandmother Earth and change our relationships with the park systems. … Future seasonal celebrations at Battle Creek will honor Spring, Summer, and Fall.
February 22, 2025
Post Bulletin
Local artist Cassandra Buck starts community project at Oxbow Park
The project is a partnership with Forecast Public Art to participate in MNPAiR, an Artist Residency in the Parks pilot in parks across Minnesota to create art for three local parks.
MNPAiR was created by Forecast Public Art. … Buck — tasked with researching and engaging with a park and its communities to create an art piece for the location — is focusing on three different parks in the area to create beautiful works of art that also serve a purpose.
February 6, 2025
The Circle: Native American News and Arts
Wazíya Winter-Wind Celebration honors the winter months
Every season will have their own Dakota celebration thanks to a pilot initiative called the Minnesota Parks Artist-in-Residence (MNPAiR) program, launched in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Parks and Trails Division, the Metropolitan Council, Metropolitan Regional Parks, the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission, and Forecast Public Art. Battle Creek Park, in partnership with Ramsey County Parks & Recreation, will host Marlena and Tara throughout the year as they continue to develop contemporary Indigenous artistry with the Dakota seasonal ways of life.
Learn more about this pilot on Forecast’s MNPAiR page.
January 25, 2025
Northern News Now
The nature of our work means our role is often behind the scenes. Though not named in this article, we would like to uplift this coverage on MNPAiR (Minnesota Parks Artists in Residence); you can learn more about the project on Forecast’s MNPAiR project page, which MPR links to.
December 19, 2024
MPR News
November 21, 2024
The Minnesota Daily
Arvonne Fraser Library selecting art mural commissions
[Hennepin County Libraries’ community engagement team member, Jessica] Shaykett said she hopes the selected artists will incorporate part of the surrounding community near the library like the University, the indigenous community and the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood into the art. The design’s concept must incorporate the community’s character, a sense of inclusivity and accessibility and require minimal upkeep, according to the Forecast website.
November 5, 2024
MinnPost
The next stage of using art to improve civic engagement
A number of notable Twin Cities projects are bringing together artists and government planners in new and exciting ways.
… Lovelee has also worked with a cross-section of state and regional agencies, plus Forecast Public Art, on an artist residency program in parks around the state, called MNPAiR
September 18, 2024
University of Minnesota
“It’s part of my life, and it gets into my art”: a Q & A with Wóokiye Wiŋ
Wóokiye Wiŋ, who also goes by Katie Bendickson, is an educator and artist. She currently teaches in the Dakhódiapi Wahóȟpi (Dakota Language Nest) preschool program at ICD’s Child Development Laboratory School (CDLS). She is also creating a mural onsite. In this Q & A, she shares about her motivation for creating art and her family’s connection to CDLS.
August 30, 2024
The Park Bugle
Chroma Zone Mural & Art Festival connects identity with community
… These colorful works of art are the result of the annual Chroma Zone Mural & Art Festival, the first and largest mural festival in Minnesota. A collaboration between Forecast Public Art, Burlesque of North America and the Creative Enterprise Zone (CEZ), the festival aims to support artists….
August 23, 2024
MPR News
[Arts Briefs] Memory in the Midwest
Forecast Public Art has announced a new grant to support diverse storytelling through monuments and memorials in rural Midwest communities.
August 21, 2024
Mpls St Paul Magazine
Art Comes to Life at the Joyful World Mural Park
… Beginning in 2021, the Joyful World Mural Park gives visitors an opportunity to see the artistic process unfold. The Mural Park is presented by the Minnesota State Fair in partnership with Forecast Public Art, a non-profit organization that supports public artists.
June 27, 2024
The Hoodline
Minnesota Launches Artist Residency Program to Celebrate Community in Parks
… In partnership with Forecast Public Art, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Parks and Trails Division, along with the Metropolitan Council Metropolitan Regional Parks and Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission….
June 24, 2024
Star Tribune
Mississippi River inspires a new site-specific dance piece for McKnight project in Winona
… Last year, they teamed up to create a movie with help from Forecast Public Art, a nonprofit organization that supports public art projects through grants.
The nature of our work as consultants means our role is often behind the scenes. Though not named in this article, we would like to uplift this coverage of this work; in summer of 2023 we developed and delivered a workshop curriculum to build capacity for artists in the region, so they can lead conversations on topics related to the just transition of land. Leading this public art/proposal writing workshop for Grand Canyon Trust was a 2023 highlight for our team. We love seeing what projects are being created!
January 2, 2024
Navajo Hopi Observer
Transforming spaces: Pinon celebrates new park
…The trio recently attended a two-day creative placemaking workshop at Change Labs in Tuba City. There they learned how they could create spaces for the community, integrating artistic talent.
November 6, 2023
The Statehouse File
[among briefs]
Indianapolis Cultural Trail announced the selection of Forecast Public Art as its planning partner…
for the next phase of public art along the Indianapolis Cultural Trail. Forecast, which was selected through a competitive process, will lead a community-driven process that will influence and inspire the Cultural Trail’s public art program…
September 30, 2023
Black in Jersey
‘Camden FireWorks’ receives major funding for plans to turn city into South Jersey’s arts destination
In collaboration with Forecast Public Art, FireWorks aims to weave an equitable, sustainable, and green public art tapestry in Camden. …
August 24, 2023
Finance & Commerce
Saint Paul Port Authority seeks public art proposals for The Heights
The Saint Paul Port Authority, in partnership with Forecast Public Art, said this week that it plans to stagger public art installations between 2025 and 2029. In a blog post, the Port Authority said the plan came together after two years of “active community engagement.”
The nature of our work as consultants means our role is often behind the scenes. Though not named in this article, we would like to uplift this coverage of this project, where we facilitated artist selection for nine artist for the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board’s Parks for All plan.
June 25, 2023
WCCO CBS News Minnesota
Minneapolis’ “Parks for All” plan uses murals to inspire, while aiming to deter vandals
This summer, nine murals will be painted across the park system in an effort to reduce tagging and vandalism, and build awareness about “Parks for All” – the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board’s new comprehensive plan for years to come.
The nature of our work as consultants means our role is often behind the scenes. Though not named in this article, we would like to uplift this coverage of this project, where we facilitated artist selection for nine artist for the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board’s Parks for All plan.
June 22, 2023
Kare11
Minneapolis park mural series aims to beautify, discourage vandalism
The first project is complete at the Lake Harriet Trolley Tunnel, a work by local artist Jacqui Rosenbush. Eight more murals should be complete by summer’s end.
The nature of our work as consultants means our role is often behind the scenes. Though not named in this article, we would like to uplift this coverage of this project, where we facilitated artist selection of four local DC-area, all-women artist teams to create art tied to the 11th Street Bridge Park’s values.
May 18, 2023
DCist
This Mobile Retail Shop Will Take 8 Black-Owned Businesses Across DC this Year
Heads up D.C., there’s a new way to shop local and Black-owned in the District: The organization behind the forthcoming 11th Street Bridge Park is launching a mobile kiosk featuring Black-owned businesses….
March 28, 2023
Memphis Magazine
Your Weekly Guide to the Arts
UrbanArt Commission’s 5-part, in-person Artist Workshop Series helps Memphis-based artists prepare for public art processes and projects—covering how to start, apply, and succeed! The first session covers the foundational knowledge of public art, like what it looks like and how it functions locally and nationally. Also, Forecast Public Art’s Yarlyn Rosario will share her presentation, Public Art 101.
January 27, 2023
Alameda Sun
City to Launch Public Art Website; Complete Art Plan
As a part of the initial community outreach efforts, Forecast conducted a series of one-on-one interviews, focus groups, and community pop-up meetings. In addition, Forecast facilitated three discussions with the Public Art Commission to explore….
January 13, 2023
Star Tribune
Volunteers needed to shape public art at former Hillcrest Golf Course in St. Paul
Up to a dozen volunteers will help pick the stories the course site tells.
… The Port is working with nonprofit Forecast Public Art to create a public art master plan, which would guide everything from which places within the project contain murals, sculptures or educational panels to what message those pieces will contain.
December 2, 2022
MPR News
All Things Considered [Listen]
New exhibit celebrates Southwest Asian and North African immigrants in Minnesota
An immersive collection of stories on finding home and belonging
“To Your Raised Head – Stories of Immigration” showcases a tapestry of experiences from people who have had to rebuild home in the face of war, political upheaval and loss. The project is an intergroup collaboration between the artist collective CarryOn Homes, the Iraqi American Reconciliation Project (IARP) and Winona Afghan Support Network (WASN). It was made possible by funding from Forecast Public Art.
The nature of our work as consultants means our role is often behind the scenes. Though not named in this article, we would like to uplift this coverage of a project informed by technical assistance our team provided, which was supported by our Public Art for Racial Justice Fund.
August 27, 2022
Star Tribune
New Artwork to commemorate Black church in Hastings destroyed by arson a century ago
A thriving Black population lived in Hastings beginning in the 1850s, history many residents may not know.
A Hastings nonprofit dedicated to recognizing the city’s early African American population is working toward installing a new piece of art to commemorate a Black church that stood for 15 years only to be burned down by an arsonist in 1907.
August 26, 2022
WCCO – CBS Minnesota
State Fair artwork stresses inclusion
Each day local artists use spray paint and brushes to create large-scale pieces that reflect the inclusive world they want to live in, Tricia Heuring explains.
July 27, 2022
East Bay Times
Alameda Briefs [Citizens encouraged to share feedback about public art]
The city of Alameda has engaged national arts consulting organization Forecast Public Art to lead the process of developing the city’s first Public Art Master Plan.
July 6, 2022
Waco Insider
Creative Waco Brings Public Art to the People
Creative Waco, in partnership with the City of Waco and a St. Paul-based nonprofit called Forecast Public Art, is creating a new Public Art Strategic Plan for Waco, and they want you to get involved….
Including the public in the decision-making process for public art and creative placemaking is a cornerstone of the work Mark Salinas does with Forecast Public Art. …
July 13, 2022
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Jesus Li ’23 Completes Forecast Public Art Fellowship for Designers/ Illustrators
This past spring, Jesus Li ’23 participated in our Launch Program with Forecast Public Art as a funded design/illustration fellow. Forecast Public Art is a nonprofit organization that activates, inspires, and advocates for public art that advances justice, health, and human dignity.
March 7, 2022
New Bedford Guide
New Bedford selected for New England Foundation for the Arts’ Making it Public
New Bedford Creative continues to place the City of New Bedford into the arts and culture spotlight. The city has been selected as one of eight municipalities in Massachusetts for “Making it Public,” a training and development program by New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) in partnership with Forecast Public Art and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. ….
February 21, 2022
WUSA9
Mother-daughter artists commissioned for 11th Street Bridge Park artwork
Artwork by Martha Jackson Jarvis and Njena Surae Jarvis was selected for a $400,000 commission.
The selection process for all five commissions is led by Forecast Public Art in collaboration with D.C.-based artist Irfana Jetha Noorani.
February 10, 2022
Waco Tribune-Herald
Waco airport plans show city attention to public art
To coordinate, encourage and inform public art in the future, city officials, arts organizers and consulting firm Forecast Public Art are working on a strategic arts plan, or art master plan, for Waco. A $50,000 National Endowment for the Arts grant is underwriting the work, which will call for community input this spring and a final plan for city council consideration by summer’s end….
November 2, 2021
Sun Post
Brooklyn Center approves beautification and public art master plan
The Brooklyn Center City Council approved the city’s beautification and public art master plan Oct. 25, moving ahead with a concept that’s been in development since 2019. Through the plan, the city aims to recreate a sense of the city’s identity and public image, increase community pride and improve the city’s overall aesthetics. ….Forecast Public Art contracted with the city to develop the plan.
November 1, 2021
Gov Delivery, Hennepin County
Local artists will showcase their work in upcoming digital Hennepin Gallery exhibit
‘Make Space’ will feature artwork from Kprecia Ambers, Philipo Dyauli and Connor Rice
Forecast Public Art and Hennepin County will host an online gallery exhibit highlighting the work of Twin Cities artists Kprecia Ambers, Philipo Dyauli and Connor Rice.
September 17, 2021
Minn Post
JXTA breaks ground on its new campus
…In August, Forecast Public Art announced that it will donate its vast public art library – over 2,000 print, digital and multimedia materials – to JXTA, where it will become part of the new facility and a valuable resource for youth, staff, alumni and the broader community.
September 17, 2021
Pioneer Press
Yahoo! News (reprint)
New St. Paul City Hall plaza, seating area erected in memory of Judge Larry Cohen
…City and county officials will join organizers with Forecast Public Art on Saturday to unveil the Larry Cohen Recognition Project. The event will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. outside City Hall at 15 W. Kellogg Boulevard. Designed by artist Marjorie Pitz, the $425,000 plaza in the southeast corner of City Hall is intended to serve as a welcoming place where visitors can learn about the city’s immigrant history.
August 13, 2021
Juxtaposition Arts
Forecast Public Art donates their Public Art Library to JXTA
Last year, as Forecast Public Art adopted a new mission and moved to be a more flexible, remote organization, they connected with JXTA leadership to coordinate the donation of their internationally-recognized public art library to live in our soon-to-be upgraded headquarters and campus. … Thank you to Forecast for this gift. We will treasure it for many years to come on our new campus.
August 9, 2021
SaportaReport
MARTA Showcases Creative Effort to Address Homelessness
“Street to Home” Project by Atlanta Artist & Social Worker Installed at Five Points Station
…The artwork was funded by the Kresge Foundation and supported by Forecast Public Art and Smart Growth America (SGA), an organization that advocates for sustainable transportation and livable communities. Working through Artbound, MARTA was a recipient of SGA’s Arts & Transportation Rapid Response grant for transportation agencies looking to creatively and quickly address pandemic-related transportation challenges.
July 9, 2021
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Genie Tran ’22 Completes Forecast Public Art Fellowship for Designers/ Illustrators
This past spring, Genie Tran ’22 participated in our first ever Launch Program with Forecast Public Art as a funded design/illustration fellow. Forecast Public Art is a nonprofit organization that activates, inspires, and advocates for public art that advances justice, health, and human dignity.
June 30, 2021
Globe Newswire
Codina Partners and City of Doral Debut LUX Doral: A Large-Scale, Immersive Art Initiative in Downtown Doral
Codina Partners, in conjunction with the City of Doral, is launching LUX Doral, a comprehensive, interactive arts program that will feature the work of leading digital, sculpture, lighting, and performance artists in Downtown Doral, Miami’s premier town center. …Helix and Andante were facilitated by Forecast Public Art, one of the country’s first nonprofit organizations dedicated to advancing the field of public art. Founded in 1978 and based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Forecast is invested in public art that plays a crucial role in creating a sense of belonging and supporting people to realize their potential, and live healthy lives.
June 25, 2021
Pittsburgh City Paper
Downtown Pittsburgh bus stop reopens with “Respect the Space” art installation by Janel Young
A new art installation is bringing color and life to a bustling bus stop at Smithfield Street and Sixth Ave in Downtown Pittsburgh
Janel Young, a Pittsburgh native now serving as the Community Artist in Residence at UrbanKind Institute in Pittsburgh, completed “Respect the Space,” a public artwork done in conjunction with the Port Authority, Smart Growth America, and Forecast Public Art.
June 2, 2021
Community Reporter
Art for a Better Future: Marlena Myles
A digital exhibition recently hosted by St. Paul-based Forecast Public Art in collaboration with the Hennepin County Multicultural Arts Committee brought together work by two locally based artists who use innovative forms to speak to social and environmental issues. (View the digital exhibition) The Community Reporter sat down with each of them to discuss how they approach their work and craft pieces that speak to the challenges of our time.
June 2, 2021
Community Reporter
Art for a Better Future: Mayumi Amada
A digital exhibition recently hosted by St. Paul-based Forecast Public Art in collaboration with the Hennepin County Multicultural Arts Committee brought together work by two locally based artists who use innovative forms to speak to social and environmental issues. (View the digital exhibition) The Community Reporter sat down with each of them to discuss how they approach their work and craft pieces that speak to the challenges of our time.
March 10, 2021
KTNV Las Vegas
Clark County to offer ‘Full Scope,’ a free public art workshop series
…guest speaker Mark “Steel Wool” Salinas will share his experience with public art followed by a one-hour question and answer period. Mark will be presenting with colleague Jen Krava, from Forecast Public Art, about the administrative process of Smart Growth America’s Art and Transportation Rapid Response.
February 25, 2021
This Is Reno
Public art installation for E. 4th Street approved
…Kobayashi was selected by the Reno Arts & Culture Commission after a 1 1/2-year public process that included community engagement sessions with help from the non-profit organization Forecast Public Art, said Megan Berner, city public art coordinator.
January 13, 2021
MinnPost
Support for artists from Forecast Public Art and the Cedar
Forecast Public Art, a nonprofit based in St. Paul that works both locally and nationally, has announced $86,000 in grants to public artists in Minnesota and a new focus on justice in public art.
January 8, 2021
Twin Cities Arts Reader
NEWS: Forecast Public Art’s 2021 Grant Recipients
St. Paul-based Forecast Public Art announced today the recipients of its 2021 early- and mid-career artist grants. A total of $86,000 has been distributed to support 15 artists working on 13 separate projects, leadership and professional development activities, risk-taking, multidisciplinary approaches, and collaborative problem solving in the field of public art.
November 13, 2020
UNLV News
Notable: Ashley Hairston Doughty
Ashley Hairston Doughty (Art), along with public art consultant Mark Salinas, worked with the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) to design signage that would effectively educate the public about social distancing and safe transit riding practices at their main transit hub, the Bonneville Transit Center.
October 20, 2020
Fergus Falls Journal
Fun, safe transportation: Artist creatives active transportation toolkit for WCI
…WCI applied for the Smart Growth America, Arts and Transportation Rapid Response initiative and were the only rural project chosen out of the five finalists. The other projects are in San Francisco, Oakland, Las Vegas and Detroit. Naomi Schliesman was chosen by Forecast Public Art to work with WCI on their project.
October 1, 2020
Minn Post
New murals in St. Paul’s Creative Enterprise Zone
…The murals were supported by the Knight Foundation and the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, in-kind partners and private partnerships. They were created during the 2020 CEZ Summer Mural Project, a way to help local artists and businesses affected by the pandemic. Artists were selected with help from Forecast Public Art.
September 24, 2020
SF Gate
Artist’s Mask-Themed Work To Be Displayed In Bart Trains, At Pop-Up Event Thursday
…Stimage’s project is produced by Smart Growth America with Forecast Public Art, and funded by the Kresge Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.
March 29, 2019
American Planning Association
A New Planning Partnership Brings Art to Public Spaces
…Forecast Public Art is collaborating with APA to identify and address knowledge gaps at the intersection of public art and planning practice, thanks to generous funding provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation.
December 5, 2018
MPR News
Listen
Forecast Public Art looks back on 40 years of creativity
…Forecast is marking its 40th anniversary. It still works in the background, matching artists with projects. … Now Forecast works with communities across the country. Becker runs the consulting arm of the business; meanwhile, Theresa Sweetland has succeeded him as executive director. Sweetland said public art is no longer simply about putting art in a public space. Increasingly, the conversation around public art has become focused on equity and reflecting the community. Whose stories are being told?
October 30, 2018
Pioneer Press
Forecast Public Art celebrates 40 years of art on streets, buses, lawns, buildings
…Forecast knows a thing or 40 about public art. The organization is celebrating 40 years this weekend of connecting artists and their work to public spaces. Sweetland, who started with Forecast two years ago after working for 17 years at Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis and for Minnesota Museum of American Art in 2016, says the organization was started by “a group of artists who wanted to create work in public spaces.”
September 4, 2018
Harlan Enterprise
Cumberland mural a community effort
…The training was provided by local artists, plus artists from Goodspace Murals and Forecast Public Art in Minnesota. The artists collaborated with local participants during a workshop that taught those who volunteered how to paint murals.
April 10, 2018
Star Tribune
For transit stations, public art brings both beauty and budgetary concerns
Public art at transit stations brings beauty, budgetary concerns
…But art on station platforms for the planned Southwest and Bottineau light-rail lines has been cut due to funding constraints and federal cutbacks for such work. While art is planned by cities near both lines, the platforms themselves will appear fairly utilitarian. Jack Becker, director of consulting and creative services at the St. Paul-based nonprofit organization Forecast Public Art, thinks that’s a mistake. “Beautification is part of it, but [public art] can go beyond that,” he said. “What’s the story of this place? How can it be told through art?”
March 15, 2018
Art Africa
ART AFRICA interviews Theresa Sweetland from Forecast Public Art
FORECAST PUBLIC ARTS AT THE FORE OF SUPPORTING PUBLIC ARTS PROJECTS
ART AFRICA spoke to Theresa Sweetland, Executive Director of the non-profit organisation Forecast Public Arts based in St Paul, Minnesota, which will be at UNFOLD Art XChange 2018. UNFOLD Art XChange, running from the 19th to 22nd of March to coincide with Dubai Art Week, joins the worlds of art, architecture, and culture for the purpose of networking and knowledge-sharing for a number of stakeholders, among them financial institutions, government authorities, spatial designers, and public art agencies. Forecast Public Arts is one of such public art agencies that does fascinating and continuously progressive work in marrying the visions of artists for their communities to tangible public arts opportunities.
Our team works in communities across the country and globe. These are the US locations where we have been on the ground—meeting with stakeholders and partnering with communities to meet their public art and engagement needs—and our list is growing by the day.
