In the heart of downtown Fargo, the Plains Art Museum is reimagining its borders and relevancy as a flagship institution and rethinking its contribution to the thriving vibrancy overtaking the local community. The museum has identified public art as a key to break through barriers of inclusion and access with surrounding communities that are often isolated from one another. Implementing projects through the Public Art and Community Engagement program, the museum will set out to shape a more expansive vision for the role of public art in Fargo-Moorhead.
“Community engagement makes art into a vehicle to shape inclusive interaction within and outside of the museum.”
The Plains Art Museum’s Director, Colleen Sheehy, has brought on a new key position, central to the community work. Earlier this year, Karis Thompson started as the museum’s community engagement liaison. She will act as a continuous thread blurring the line between institution and community.
Karis Thompson
“A hope is that these projects will bring people into conversation and a common network versus having a Kurdish network that is distinct from a Bhutanese network, distinct from a social entrepreneur network or a NDSU network.”
Karis’ work within the community will touch each project:
National and local Artist-led initiatives will reimagine vacant urban venues for demonstration projects in public art. Importantly, the museum won’t control the sites. The museum knows involving the community as caretakers will be critical for creating continued advocates for the sites’ preservation and protection.
The Fern Grotto will be onsite of an old trainstation, and a boxcar will be transformed into a garden. The site will serve as public art space that is open all year round—especially in the winter.
The Moorhead Power Plant will be torn down, and the new site design will serve as a reminder of the power plant while drawing new communities in and linking the site to the river and adjacent park.
The Pollinator Garden on Museum Grounds will create a landscaped amenity within the hardscaped neighborhood, but also a place for education and modeling of sustainable design.
This will be an artist and community engagement exhibition that will bring people together to create and experience temporary art and activities that address community needs. The project will spark community discussion around a simple question.
A symposium will bring together Midwestern artists to discuss and demonstrate social engagement art practices occurring in the Midwest. Colleen Sheehy beleives this event will show our region what’s possible through the medium of public artwork without looking to New York for ultimate validation.
In communities where catastrophes, like flooding, are main catalysts for bringing people together for problem-solving, it’s critical to reimagine how public space can build community around commonality. Public art and the institutions like the Plains Art Museum can provide the framework. It is deeper than just trying to gain a robust, diverse audience. It’s about investing in the people who live in the shared community.
Photo credit: Abby Bischoff