Wabasha Main Street has awarded 10 local artists to receive project funding up to $10,000. Additional funds will be spent on local projects and promotions from June thru October in our Main Street District. The goal of this first year was to get artists to create a story and gather their Perspective of Wabasha.

Perspective: Your Wabasha Story was designed to gather local artists to create a program or artwork that tells their story of Wabasha- or gathers that story through community involvement. These 10 artists have attended the mandatory workshop and /or study hall to create a proposal that meets the guidelines and produce a creative work of art to be installed, displayed or gather community to participate in demonstrations, classes or workshops.

Wabasha’s Artist on Main is happy to introduce our 10 Artists and their Projects: Janet Runions kicked off the season with Plein on Main– which consisted of a series of five outdoor, on location events in historic downtown Wabasha. The first of the four events was held on Saturday June 15th at the intersection of Main Street and Bridge Ave. She created a pen and ink and watercolor sketch of a street perspective from 10:00 am – 5:00pm. The public was invited to watch the skilled craftsman perform her trade and were able to ask questions. Janet will be promoting a workshop at the end of her four sessions and invites the public to participate on September 7th at the statue fountain on the corner of Pembroke Ave and Lawrence Blvd., next to the National Eagle Center from 10:00-5:00pm. Her other dates included July 6th – Main Street and Walnut Ave. and July 27th – Main Street and Alleghany Ave. You can observe her working on August 17th – Main Street and Pembroke Ave. from 10 -5:00pm.

The other Artist that  presented in June at the Wabasha Public Library Children’s Art Week was local Artist and teacher Sherry El-Nashaar presenting Kidbits and Pieces of Wabasha. Art Week took place during the 2019 Summer Reading Program from June 24 through June 28th. Sherry El- Nashaar drew and prepared paper prior to Art Week and coordinated the children’s creativity. The colored squares were then taped together and laminated to create a mosaic of the Wabasha Bridge and Mississippi River. The finished mosaic went on display starting in July and will remain into the fall/winter months.

Our additional Artists selected and their project names are: Pam Larson, If it weren’t me, what would I see? – Community poetry reading. Sue Mundy, local artist will be Exploring Native Wabasha and doing a discussion and presentation later this fall. Jared Elliott, sculptor, will be creating a 14 ft. Bicycle Tree from scrap bike parts and metal with an Eagle’s Nest on top, lone eagle. This installation will be permanent on location at Eagle’s Nest Coffeehouse upon completion later this summer. Sherry El-Nashaar will coordinate a Wabasha – Kellogg Kindness Rocks project this fall with students and community for installation in September. Randi Campbell, local artist will be creating Moments in Wabasha – a traveling Artist book created by locals describing what drew them to Wabasha and gathering their stories in a handmade book, with pages dipped in beeswax- which will be on display at various locations in our downtown after collecting stories this summer. River Valley Arts Gives and Artist Katherine Hust will be hosting a Textile Fabric Arts Demonstration Event hosted by RVAG- River Valley Arts Guild and will be held September 28-29th . Brenda Pearson, local brewer will be hosting Sweet Brew Creations and providing brew making and baking events and classes throughout this summer/fall- please follow her events on Facebook, along with Wendy Cockrell hosting A Corny Affair fall craft workshops to be held at Turning Waters B & B&B this September 25th and October 16th .

We are very excited to bring this wonderful addition of Artists to our Main Street this summer and fall and as you can see we have quite a variety and selection of events to attend or participate in for all ages. Thank you for your support of the Arts in Wabasha. We will highlight each Artist’s events in the month they are presenting and do follow us on the Wabasha Main Street Facebook Page. For more information about Wabasha Main Street please email: wabashamainstreet@gmail.com or call Mary Flicek, Director and Artist on Main Coordinator at 651-380-9035.

“This activity is part of Artists on Main Street, a partnership between Wabasha Main Street, the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota, and Springboard for the Arts with support from the Bush Foundation.”

Press Release – 6/6/19 (updated 8/12/19)

Contact
Mary Flicek
651-380-9035
wabashamainstreet@gmail.com