Regina Flanagan, Public Art Ordinance Administrator for Saint Paul, has invited residents of the Prior/Goodrich RSVP project to a meeting with artist-in-residence Marcus Young at Pilgrim Lutheran Church, 1935 St. Clair Avenue, on 5/22 at 6:30pm.

Here’s the invitation:

Hello Neighborhood Residents:

You have contacted me via email or phone or we have spoken about public art at the orientation meeting last Fall for the Residential Street Vitality Program (RSVP) and you expressed interest in meeting with the artist-team that will be working on the projects for your neighborhood. Here’s your opportunity! I am pleased to report that the team has been assembled and is just starting their work. (The following notice will also be broadcast through the District Council and I request that you share it with your neighbors, too. We are hoping for a good turnout and a lively conversation. Thanks.)

We invite residents in the Davern Jefferson I and II and Prior/Goodrich (District 14 – Macalester Groveland Community Council) RSVP project areas to a get-together to talk about public art opportunities for their neighborhoods.

Please join the design team – Marcus Young, City Artist in Residence, and artists Matt Olson, Brad Kaspari and Lisa Elias – on Tuesday, May 22, 2012 from 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm at Pilgrim Lutheran Church, 1935 St. Clair Avenue (corner of Prior and St. Clair), Saint Paul, MN 55105.

In 2009, an ordinance was passed by the City setting aside one percent for public art because it strengthens public places and enhances and promotes Saint Paul’s identity as a livable and creative city and a desirable place to live, work and visit. This is the pilot year for integrating art into RSVP projects.

Marcus Young has been City Artist in Residence since 2006 and has created the popular Everyday Poems for City Sidewalk program which has touched all corners of the city, wherever sidewalks are being repaired or replaced.

The design team is just beginning their process and want to get to know the neighborhoods better. The team also wants to give residents a glimpse into how they are starting to think about public art. Like with Everyday Poems for City Sidewalk, the artists are exploring how art can be integrated systemically into street reconstruction. Later in their design process, the team will follow-up with a celebratory event that presents their design ideas.

We hope you can join us. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Regina M. Flanagan, RLA, MA
Public Art Ordinance Administrator
City of Saint Paul
Offices of Financial Services
10th Floor, City Hall Annex
Saint Paul, MN 55102
P: 651-266-9159
Regina.Flanagan@ci.stpaul.mn.us
Position funded by Public Art Saint Paul