Artist Seitu Jones has been selected to design the railing for the new 40th Street Pedestrian Bridge which will span I-35W at 40th Street. This bridge will serve pedestrians and bicyclists and link the east and west sections of the River Lake Greenway. The railing project was selected for Art in Public Places—the City’s percent for art program—by the Public Art Advisory Panel from the City’s Capital Improvement Program. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT) is the lead agency on this project and the City is working in partnership with them on the bridge.
Jones’ application shared his interest in connecting public art design with neighborhood identity. As he stated in his application, “I aspire to create artwork that honors and inspires communities. Typically, my designs are informed by and recall elements of the social and natural context of a site and the surrounding neighborhoods. If selected to create art for the 40th Street Pedestrian Bridge, these principles will inspire my work.†For more information about this project, contact Mary Altman at .
Visit the KFNA Board Meeting in May to share your ideas and vision for this important environmental and cultural connection between neighborhoods, as well as a visible marker of our City to those passing under it on the highway. Follow KFNA’s FB page and/or web site to find out how the community can continue beyond this meeting to give Seitu feedback and direction on the artistic design and feel of this important bridge.