The theme for the 2021 Artists on Main Street was Building a Post-Pandemic Community. In 2021, after all the difficulties of the past year, we wanted to focus on the positive undercurrents that have always made Northfield special and will continue to sustain us through and beyond the current pandemic.
Originally designed and funded by Rethos: Places Reimagined, Springboard for the Arts, and the Bush Foundation, the 2021 program was made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
A workshop was held on May 7, 2021 to announce details of the program. Five applicants were selected. Learn more about the selected Artists on Main Street below.
A Breath for Change
Artist(s): Epic Enterprise Arts Learners
Location/Description: A collaborative installation featuring 3-D self-portraits and birds moving among 3-D trees, culminating in an accessible and inclusive community event and exhibit at the Brick Oven Bakery.
Framing the Scene
Artist(s): Erin Ward
Location/Description: A free-standing, three-dimensional, mosaiced open frame to be placed along the Riverwalk area. The interactive sculpture could be used by individuals, friends, groups or families to take pictures.
Literary Steps
Artist(s): Kathy Ness
Location/Description: Painted replicas of children’s book spines (with titles crowdsourced from the community) on the 16 steps going up to the Division St. side of the Northfield Public Library.
Recipes for Life
Artist(s): Catherine Stricklan
Location/Description: A mobile screen printing workshop that will pop-up in downtown Northfield and engage the public in creating a screen printed tea towel of a beloved family recipe or treasured words of wisdom from a loved one.
Resilience + the Freshwater Drum Along the Cannon
Artist(s): Sophie Rogers
Location/Description: A series of workshops and installations of large, performative drawings focusing on the freshwater drum fish and the Ames Mill Dam, cultivating a dialogue on adaptability, resilience and inclusion of our interspecies communities.