Cold World - Part 2 - In Which We Learn a Lot

You might remember my post from last month where I discussed going on a "Cold World" mural walking tour. Today was part 2 of that tour, where Candida Gonzalez and Missy Whiteman led us on a fascinating tour of the murals in the NACDI/Franklin Avenue area of South Minneapolis, on probably the most beautiful, warm, sunny day we have had all winter.

Though the Franklin Avenue corridor is an area I pass through frequently, I'm usually doing just that, passing through. I see the glimpses of color outside my car window, but can't remember stopping to really look at the art. If pressed, I could probably have told you that many buildings in the area feature some decoration that suggests Ojibwe beadwork through their floral themes, but again, more of a fleeting glimpse.

So today it was great to walk around and really spend time looking at the work.

What I really appreciated, though, was the time spent talking about the "Why" of the work. There was a lot of discussion about the history of the Native American community and arts in the area, starting as far back as the Native Arts Circle, and George Morrison's iconic piece on the exterior of the American Indian Center:

There was also a lot of discussion — almost the the level of case study, about what it means to create art in a community (and conversely, what it is to be outside of it).

A very different kind of tour than last month, but extremely rewarding, and left me with a lot to think about. Isn't that what a pandemic is for?