Public Art Project May Be on the Horizon in Downtown Stillwater

Something the city of Stillwater has been talking about for years, may become a reality in 2015, and it has nothing to do with the new St. Croix River Crossing.

It’s a public art project, and if Artist Carly Schmitt is able to get funding and put forth a plan that is approved by the City Council, it may be on display for all to enjoy on the exterior walls of the new public restroom building in the downtown Pedestrian Plaza.


City staff has been discussing public art in Stillwater for quite some time, Community Development Director Bill Turnblad told the council on Tuesday night, so much so that the design of the new restroom included several insets for art or community bulletin boards on the east and west walls of the building.

Schmitt has worked with cities in Minnesota and abroad in Germany on a variety of projects, Turnblad said. She has an interesting perspective, and engages the public, turning her art into a public-participation project so the community ends up with interesting art, but also a sense of ownership since many individuals will be personally involved in the art.

Schmitt, of White Bear Lake, was commissioned in 2005 at Stillwater Area High School for a series of underwater murals in the cafeteria, in which she completed with the help of about 30 art students.

“Public participation art is the process where the audience is directly involved in creative process,” Schmitt said. “That means people are actually hands-on involved instead of an artist with a grand vision standing in a public space painting a mural. This is an opportunity for average citizens to step in, pick up a paint brush and get involved.”

In doing this, a very nice piece of art isn’t the only thing created, she said, it creates a very strong element of building community and pride.

“In the end, you are creating a symbol of community life and spirit,” she said.

Last summer, Schmitt engaged the Dinkytown neighborhood to create a 300-foot long paint-by-number mural that saw more than 200 people participate—ranging in age and demographic from 5 year olds, to college students and 82-year-old members of the community.

“This project was interesting because the transient student population and people who live in the area often have a lot of friction between one another,” she said. “We saw this as an opportunity for an art project to get both of these populations working together, creating together, and in the process, communicating with one another.”

Schmitt organized 10 design workshops where she met with various groups to create cross-generational planning that would represent symbols of the community.

In 2011, Schmitt engaged the Vadnais Heights community for a “community portrait” of the city that resulted in a 12,000-pixel mosaic made of 1-inch tile squares that people in the community added their personal story to, and were used to create of the final work. The project is currently on display in the Vadnais Heights Community Center.

“This is a very large piece of work,” she said, “but it represents 12,000 stories from the Vadnais Heights community.”

One of her most recent efforts will be unveiled next week in Minneapolis’ Lyndale neighborhood, where utility boxes—generally used as a medium for gang graffiti—were covered with graffiti-resistant vinyl stickers representing different aspects of the community.

The specific ideas, and funding mechanisms, for the Stillwater project are still up in the air, but Schmitt said she has made contact with partners who are interested in the idea.
Many of her past projects have been funded by grants from various art councils and corporate donations.

“This restroom building is primed for public art,” she said. “There are spaces carved out for it, so it would be an exciting opportunity.”

The timeline for the project is dependent on how soon the funding comes together, Schmitt said.

“Generally, you don’t want to start at all until your funding is 100 percent in line,” she said. “Because if you don’t have funding, you just run into trouble later on.”

The plan is to begin apply for funding this fall and continue into 2014. Once funding is in place, Schmitt would seek the council’s approval and share the concept and specific ideas for the project.

If the ideas are approved, the project could start during summer 2014 with the introduction of ideas to the public. The assembly and installation of the project could begin in Fall 2014 and possibly be completed by Spring 2015.

“A tremendous opportunity just walked in the door,” Ward 1 Council Member Doug Menikheim said. “The popularity of public art is picking up in United States. We’re talking about revitalizing our downtown, and in the process, incorporating everyone who is around here—the city, businesses and the art community will all be a part of that. I’ve seen some examples of what it possible, and you’re only limited by your imagination … let’s get going.”