ArtsWork Apprentices Meet With Minnesota Leaders
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Congresswoman McCollum meets ArtsWork Apprentices. Photo: Bill Harper
How did you spend your summer vacation? For ArtsWork Apprentices, summer has meant long hours working to paint a mural and create mosaic tiles that will be mounted as part of a huge public art installation in the Trout Brook Nature Sanctuary.
When Congresswoman Betty McCollum and her staff heard about the project, they wanted to stop by and see it for themselves. ArtsWork Apprentices got the chance to show off their work-in-progress to Congresswoman McCollum and other local leaders who stopped by to check out the space.
Youth at Work! ArtsWork Apprentices show off their mural-in-progress for a visit with Congresswoman Betty McCollum, Councilmember Amy Brendmoen, and other local leaders. Photo: Noah Linck
ArtsWork Apprentices have created more than 200 mosaic tiles for the site, and will cover more than 2,500 square feet of space with an original mural. COMPAS Teaching Artists Katrina Knutson, Sharra Frank, and Mica Lee Anders are leading the project, as well as artists Asfia Rizwy and Armando Gutierrez. Apprentices were connected with COMPAS through Face 2 Face, an organization that works with homeless and displaced youth, and the City of St. Paul’s Right Track program, which pairs youth with jobs across the city.
ArtsWork apprentices talk with Congresswoman McCollum in front of the mural they are creating. Photo: Noah Linck
“Our ArtsWork apprentices have done an incredible job this summer. They were so excited to host Congresswoman McCollum and show off some of their hard work;” said Arts Innovation Director Betsy Mowry Voss. “Creative expression is helping these youth rise above their circumstances, experience new things, and forge new connections. Their work will be a permanent part of the Saint Paul landscape, and something they can be really proud of.”
You can check out the mural in progress at Trout Brook Nature Sanctuary. Many thanks to Congresswoman McCollum and her team for visiting!
Funders for this program include the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Patrick and Aimee Butler Family Foundation, BNSF Railroad, the Sundance Foundation, the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation, the City of Saint Paul’s Right Track program, Face to Face, the Mardag Foundation, and individual contributors to COMPAS. The Trout Brook project has also received generous in-kind support from Kendall’s Ace Hardware.
