“Water Connects Us All” is on display in the Hennepin Gallery thru January 17, 2018

“Water Connects Us All” is on display in the Hennepin Gallery thru January 17, 2018

This exhibit includes 2- and 3-dimensional sculptures arranged in vignettes, and features puppets from In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre. Each element is connected with a simple narrative, written in various languages, designed to draw the viewer into deeper considerations of their own relationship to water and our own best humanity in protecting our water.

Themes portrayed in the exhibit include:

- How much water do we need and use?

- Is water a right, or a privilege?

- What is our relationship to the surrounding watersheds?

- Where does our water come from, and where does it go?

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The exhibit is curated by Sandy Spieler, founder and artistic leader at In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theater and founder and director of the annual MayDay parade and ceremony.

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Special events:

"Cabinets of Water Curiosities”

January 12, Noon - 1:00pm, Hennepin County Government Center Skyway Level

This event will focus on the sharing of water, and will feature five boxes of water curiosities that allow people to open doors, peek in, and talk with each other. The audience will also be able to “find each other” through the sharing of water.    

“Nibi (Water) Walks – Taking Steps to Recognize, Heal, and Protect Water at the Center of Life” Brown Bag Talk

Sharon Day, Ojibwe leader of Nibi Water Walks and Executive Director of the Indigenous People’s Task Force

Karen Galles, Hennepin County Environment & Energy, Land & Water Unit Supervisor

January 17, Noon - 1:00pm, Hennepin County Government Center Auditorium, A-level

"We walk for the water, and as we heal the water we heal all of life."

Nibi (Water) Walks are indigenous-led, extended ceremonies where every step is taken in prayer and gratitude for water, the life giving force. Sharon Day has led Nibi Walks along the St. Louis, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and other rivers and will share photographs and stories from the walks as well as wisdom around Ojibwe perspectives on the connection between water and all life. This presentation will conclude with some concrete steps we can all take to heal water from Hennepin County's Land and Water Unit.

This exhibition and corresponding events are supported by the Hennepin County Multicultural Arts Committee (MCAC). MCAC was created by the Hennepin County Board in 1995 as part of the organization’s response to the Minneapolis Initiative Against Racism. MCAC sponsors art displays, performances, discussions and exhibits representing Hennepin County’s diverse cultural canvas.

For this exhibition and corresponding events, MCAC is receiving support from Forecast Public Art, a non-profit arts organization that activates people, networks and proven practices to advance the transformational power of arts in public life.

The Hennepin Gallery is free and open to the public Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., at the Hennepin County Government Center, A-level, 300. S. Sixth St., Minneapolis. The exhibit is sponsored by Forecast Public Art and the Hennepin County Multicultural Arts Committee.

Contact: hennepin.gallery@hennepin.us, Phone: 612-348-3848, Map