Intermedia Arts

»	Midtown Greenway Project

Project Description
As Minneapolis' Midtown Greenway development project threatens displacement of new immigrants, artists, and other low-income residents, fear and distrust of well-intentioned community development efforts signal the need for an innovative approach to bringing together the haves and have-nots. Intermedia Arts has commissioned five Minnesota artists (Marilyn Lindstrom, Victor Yepez, Wendy Morris, Ta-coumba Aiken, and Douglas Ewart) to collaborate with community-based organizations to create and present art that focuses on bringing communities together. The intent is to examine public policy that supports community stability and economic and cultural vitality. Artists are paired with particular groups—low income youth and families, newly arrived Latino immigrants, European American elders, homeless youth, recently acclimated Hmong women, and upwardly mobile executives—working creatively around the idea of "the meaning of safety" within and across communities. With this creative and dialogue process as an entry point, the intent is that groups will then engage with each other in dialogue about issues of fear, displacement, and community design.