MNPAiR Artist Residency
MNPAiR Artist ResidencyI feel so honored and thrilled to have been awarded a yearlong MNPAiR Artist in Residence position at Wild River State Park for 2024-25. As part of this groundbreaking pilot collaboration between Minnesota Parks, the Met Council, and Forecast Public Art, I embedded myself in the park to learn about its history and ecology, as well as the challenges and aspirations for staff and stewards. (here’s an MPR story about MNPAiR)
As a composer, designer, and director, I create outdoor, site-specific sound + performance installations that I call “Sound Gardens”, and Wild River offers a multitude of outdoor spaces in which I’ve found deep creative inspiration. (scroll down for videos from past Sound Gardens) Here’s a recent interview with the St Croix Valley Magazine.
Over the past 11 months, I’ve collaboratively developed a series of engagements and experiences for park visitors to spark a sense of curiosity, discovery, and belonging, working with the Park Naturalist, Sean Hoppes and the rest of the Wild River staff. It was such a blessing to spend extended time in these quiet, vast, and varied landscapes, and join the “conversations”, “dances”, and “concerts” that nature provides here every day. During my 2-week onsite residency in February, I started composing and recording new music for this special place, and wrote my first blog post for the residency during that time.
Residency Highlights
Over the summer, I co-led a pair of free onsite POETRY + NATURE workshops, with my friend and collaborator, acclaimed poet and storyteller Rosetta Peters. Pieces written in the workshops by community members are posted as part of the self-guided poetry walk in the “Festival of Belonging” in August and September. I also led a pair of “Spatial Sounds In Nature” workshops at the park, in June and August, teaching my “Human Wind Chimes” scores to community members for participation in the Festival.
UP NEXT: The Festival of Belonging over four weekends, Aug 23-Sept 21!
The culminating project of my residency is the Festival Of Belonging, for which I have partnered with many other artists and participants, as well as the Friends of Wild River, to bring a series of unique, site-specific performance installations, nature walks, service projects, and workshops to the park over four weekends in August and September. Plus, the premiere of my newest spatial symphony, the self-guided Wild River Sound Garden, installed and playing everyday at the Visitor Center. Click above or below for a full schedule and lineup! Hope to see you there!
Videos from previous Sound Gardens
Residency Events at Wild River State Park
We had a magical time at the Winter Candlelight Celebration at Wild River on Sat Feb 8, where I presented my Winter Sound Garden near the Visitor Center. Click here to see photos and read more about it! On April 5, we held the first ever “Maple Syrup Day” at Wild River, featuring the Sugarbush Sound Garden as part of an actual Sugarbush! Then, at the end of April, we celebrated Earth Day with the annual Earth Fest event and my Earth Day Sound Garden, “While It Lasts”.
My Sugarbush Sound Garden has been presented many times, including in far-away places like the UK, Canada, and California, but rarely has it been part of an actual SUGARBUSH! It was a real thrill to share this Sound Garden as part of the Sugarbush and Maple Syrup Day activities at Wild River State Park this year where visitors got to learn how to identify a Sugar Maple tree, how to tap it for sap, cook it down, and got to taste the final result! And huge thanks to Tony Drews, who led Ojibwe language and culture activities with Nashké Games!
