Wednesday, August 17, 2011, 5-7 p.m.

Zuhrah Center, 2540 Park Avenue

Join us for light refreshments and…

• Meet your neighbors, public agency staff and consultant team members
• See drawings of alternative transit station locations
• Learn about the I-35W Transit/Access Project
• Share your comments and ideas about transit service and facilities in the I-35W/Lake Street area
• Get answers to your questions

Attention: If you have any questions regarding this material, please call 311

Greta and Silvia are dedicated community artists and art educators that believe strongly in the power of art to connect neighbors and create stronger community ties.  They have been working as community muralists engaging youth and adults in schools, community centers, and neighborhoods for over five years.

Eight very talented muralists from around the Twin Cities submitted applications for the Soundwall Project.  The KNFA Selection Team met with three teams of artists to discuss their project vision and ideas on community engagement.  Each of these finalists brought a wide range of exciting ideas and skills to the table and each team had the vision and the skills to create a wonderful piece of community art. The possible projects that emerged as a result of the selection process have inspired the Selection Team to continue searching for funding to bring all of these artistic opportunities to the community.  

The 40^th street pedestrian bridge is a key intersection in our community. It is where neighbors from across the highway enter Kingfield and come to play at Martin Luther King Park or catch the bus to downtown Minneapolis on Nicollet Avenue. People from many different cultures and races use the bridge throughout the day. The Kingfield Selection Team’s selection criteria was grounded in the desire to create a gateway  to bridge the divide between neighborhoods by using art to connect neighbors to other neighbors.  The Selection Team looked at artistic talent along with the ability to reach out and create connections between different races and cultures. As citizens we are asking the artists to engage citizens in the project from beginning to end and help us talk about ideas and dreams for our community. In essence, to include citizen input that captures the best of who we are in a lasting piece of community art. 

Greta and Silvia were chosen because they are both talented artists as well art teachers. Each understand and use the power of art to bring diverse people together in celebration of `community as the primary focus of their professional lives.  Silvia lives in the neighborhood and works with high-school students at El Colegio and Greta has experience with other bridge-related projects in other neighborhoods along 35W. They are the ideal team for this project and we are excited for them to begin their work in the community beginning August 2, 2011!

Beginning with National Night Out on August 2^nd, Greta and Silvia, supported by the Selection Team and the KFNA Board, will be visiting Kingfield block parties to brainstorm and collect ideas to use in the design of the mural.  From concept to installation Great and Silvia will help us create a piece of community art that will result in a beautiful, long-lasting mural that captures Kingfield resident’s pride in their community as well as sends a welcoming message to those visiting the neighborhood on the RiverLake Greenway and crossing the 35W pedestrian bridge.        

For more information regarding this project contact KFNA Executive Director Sarah Linnes-Robinson at sarah@kingfield.org or 612.823.5980.

 This project is supported by the City of Minneapolis Clean City Graffiti Prevention Program and the Kingfield Neighborhood Association.

Building Bridges: Reconnecting Communities Divided by Race, Time, and 35W

Building Bridges is a project led by neighbors from South Minneapolis neighborhoods East and West of 35W, including Central, Bryant, Kingfield, Regina and Northrop.  These neighbors believe that race-based dialogue about a dog park proposed in Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park highlighted a racial divide that still exists within our community and our need to build stronger relationships and understandings between neighbors of diverse race, culture, and age.

The mission of Building Bridges is to understand how race and racism impact our communities and to build the future of our neighborhoods together.  The goal of the Core Team is to reconnect our communities divided by race, time, and 35W. A number of projects are being initiated by the Building Bridges Core Team, and your involvement is welcomed. Building Bridges also supports and encourages participation in projects organized by others that serve the goal of building bridges between our communities and highlighting our neighborhood history in the context of race, some of which are mentioned in this newsletter.

Building Bridges posts regular updates, photos, and news at Facebook at www.facebook.com/buildingbridgesmpls. Please join us on Facebook to stay connected with Building Bridges.

Read or download the Building Bridges Newsletter 06 20 11 for more!

A bridge

with a view,

Plus an artist with supplies

and a dozen volunteers

recreates a bridge connecting neighborhoods over 35W.

Talks picked up in February where they left off in 2005

After a half-decade hiatus, planning for a project that could transform connections between I-35W and neighborhoods just south of Downtown restarted in February — with a new emphasis on transit.

The centerpiece of the I-35W Transit/Access Project could be a new highway-level transit station above Lake Street linking future Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on I-35W to street-level bus routes, as well as bicyclists, pedestrians and — someday, possibly — rail or streetcar service in the Midtown Greenway.

Read the rest here.