Forty-seven Minnesota artists will spend the weekend creating art along the Mississippi River that’s designed not to last. 

Their temporary works will come together near St. Paul’s Union Depot as part of the Wakpa Triennial Art Festival, organized by Public Art Saint Paul. 

The festival’s name is inspired by Wakpá Taŋka, the Dakota name for the Mississippi River. It also draws on the spiritual significance of Bdote, where the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers meet and where the Dakota people trace their origins.

Minnesota didn’t have an annual, biennial or triennial art show until the festival debuted in 2023, said Mohannad Ghawanmeh, president and executive director of Public Art Saint Paul. Such regular shows “became almost a requirement for mid-to-large cities in the United States,” Ghawanmeh said. 

“The commitment to land back and recognition of the historical rights and current rights of the Dakota people established this festival as a kind of marker in downtown St. Paul,” he said. 

The festival is meant to make public art part of everyday life while encouraging people to think differently about the spaces they inhabit. 

“Our role is to enrich people’s lives through art, to invite them to participate in civic life and to take ownership of their environment,” Ghawanmeh said. 

In 2023, the festival stretched across more than 30 sites in the Twin Cities. This year narrows its focus to two riverfront locations with the theme, “A Moment to Pause.” 

Co-curators Angela Two Stars and Robert Cozzolino are inviting residents to step away from the constant stream of social media and online news to connect with local art.

“There is so much that is pitched to us as an emergency, petty things flattened along with serious events together on social media or digital news platforms, all competing for our unwavering attention,” Cozzolino said. “It is critical that we slow down, be present, take care of one another and ourselves.”

On Saturday, Sept. 12 and Sunday, Sept. 13, each artist will create an original 4-by-4-foot poster to form a temporary mosaic along the East 2nd Street underpass in St. Paul. Using a paintbrush, the artists will apply wheat paste, a glue made from flour and water, to attach the posters to the wall. 

“Artists are the dreamers of our world,” Two Stars said. “Expecting a rapid reactive response is a tool of oppression. Being forced to always be reacting creates a survival mode mentality. By choosing to pause, we allow ourselves time to process before making decisions.”

The artists work across photography, painting, printmaking, sculpture and fiber arts. The lineup includes both self-taught and formally trained artists, as well as emerging artists and established voices across Minnesota. 

“There is a tendency with festivals like this to invite ‘big name’ artists from outside the community to give the event a higher profile or street cred,” Cozzolino said. “But Angela and I feel that the Twin Cities has some of the best artists working in the art world today, period. We are more than enough to make a meaningful and visually powerful event.”

Among them is Saudi American artist Hend Al-Mansour, who has created murals in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Her work explores immigration, the patriarchy, and stories from Middle Eastern women’s perspectives.

“Museums are more and more intimidating, and I think they’re not accessible for everybody,” Al-Mansour said. “Public art is amazing in that it offers itself to you when you’re just walking down the street. When you go see these pieces, it reflects our community.”

Al-Mansour will contribute a poster titled “Freedom,” depicting a Palestinian woman raising her fist alongside Arabic poetry inspired by Yara Omer, a local Palestinian writer and educator. 

Across the mosaic, visitors will step into different visual worlds, from Frank Buffalo Hyde’s Indigenous iconography and Leslie Barlow’s Afrofuturist visions to Luis Fitch’s posters rooted in Mexican tradition and Mai Tran’s Vietnamese folklore. The installation will share stories about the Native and diasporic communities who have made a home along the river. The installation will remain on view through Oct. 11. 

The festival will continue with a “Full Day Activation” on Saturday, Sept. 19, at Raspberry Island in St. Paul. Throughout the day, visitors can contribute cut flowers to an impermanent art installation. 

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., more than 180 writers will recite poems in English, Hmong, Spanish, Somali and Dakota. In the afternoon, artist Gita Ghei will lead a hands-on workshop about freshwater mussels, inviting participants to make creative offerings for the river’s health. 

The day will close with the band Buffalo Dreams, who will perform Dakota music from 4 to 5 p.m. 

How to attend the Wakpa Triennial Art Festival

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