The City of Bloomington will have new art through Ua Si Creative. The WE mural will be located in the South Loop neighborhood on 9,000 square feet of walls at the corner of American Boulevard and 30th Avenue South.
“We are so pleased to announce that a stakeholder panel selected Ua Si Creative as the curator and producer of the WE mural in the South Loop. Ua Si’s thoughtful process for artist selection and coordination, approach to the theme, and engagement with the community will result in a captivating mural that will highlight stories, enhance the walkability of the area, and contribute to the vibrancy of the South Loop,” said Alejandra Pelinka, Director of Creative Placemaking, City of Bloomington. Pelinka was Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association’s Executive Director for many years.
The theme of the mural, titled as WE, reimagines the South Loop of Bloomington – past, present, future. A place of many things; intersections, creativity, diversity, growth. The mural intertwines our narratives, roots and futures by intersecting our differences and commonalities. Our truths, validated through experiences, live in our bodies, our words, our actions. These realities have pushed us together yet apart, breaking our spirits, searching for hope. WE find common ground when we listen, empathize and share stories.
WE is a mural tapestry weaving the abundance of these narratives as depicted by local BIPOC and womxn artists. The mural would have been produced earlier but had to hold off due to the pandemic. Now, selected artists will execute the mural from August to September with a Sunset Block Party to celebrate completion.
One of the artists chosen is Reggie LeFlore, whose studio is in Northeast at the Northrup King Building. A visual artist who creates to praise individual and collective stories through human portraiture, his subject matter centers around “everyday people,” crafting portraits with vibrant colors and contemporary elements that aim to capture the energy and spirit of his subjects’ stories. LeFlore’s inspirations are drawn from the concepts and philosophies of Street Art culture and Illustration – using aerosol, acrylic paint and various graphic design techniques to construct pieces in varying styles, scales and surfaces. He uses visual arts to amplify both his surrounding environments and the narratives contained within them.
Other artists include: Marlena Myles, Martzia Thometz , Xee Reiter
Andrés Guzmán and the City Mischief artist collective.
For more information, visit www.blm.mn/southloopmural, or contact 952-563-8744 or placemaking@bloomingtonmn.gov. Or visit Artistry’s website artistrymn.org/creative-placemaking-projects.
About the South Loop District: South Loop is a rapidly developing neighborhood in Bloomington, which is adjacent to Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport, and home to Mall of America, a 50-acre mixed-use development called Bloomington Central Station, and the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. SoLo, as it is sometimes called, has seen a big uptick in the amount of residential redevelopment with eight projects in various stages of planning to leasing. The continued implementation of Creative Placemaking in SoLo will add new vibrancy to the district. For more information, visit www.bloomingtonmn.gov/development-districts/south-loop-district.