Bridging Festival Aug 2011.mov

READ On...Our 12 hour event (2 dozen activities moving through 10 sites) exceeded our wildest expectations. The active embodiment of an invitation, the majority of the day was hands-on and interactive. Our numbers grew with each stop along 24th St through Phillips neighborhood in Minneapolis.

From Haven Herrin and Ian MacNamara collecting the water at dawn (from the Mississippi River & Lake of the Isles), bringing the water together and blessing each other (w/ Sandy Spieler), Simone Speer's dance workshop at E Philips Park, singing quietly in a circle (with Louis Alemayhu at PCC), decorating parade regalia & snow cone banners for the skit later (w/ Heart of the Beast), marveling at the Somali Mall, the parade up 24th St (with three 12 foot puppets, musicians and our decorated umbrellas), a big crowd and Patrick Nolan's original poem at the murals unveiling (w/ artists Elissa Cedarleaf and Greta McLain), a neighborhood skit honoring Muriel Simmons that ended in a spiral dance, party at Center for Changing Lives with art activities, seed balls, kids' games, live African music, The Alley-hosted storytelling, Madeline Douglas' hosted Phillips West history table, snow cones, Dallas Johnson's original song, Look Around, with Julie Allen' ASL interpretation)...we showed how creative, welcoming, willing and visionary we are when we come together.

Throughout the day, we asked guests to describe their experience. Here's a sampling: "reawakening, connecting, renewing, an honor, refreshing, magical, activating, a God-send, dream manifestation, sacred, fun, exciting, meaningful, inspiring, motivating, wonderful seeds, audacious, ambitious, the impossible is possible".

These photos by Robert Albee & Elissa Cedarleaf and original songs by Dallas Johnson (I Want Peace, Cool Down & I'm Happy Again...music for the latter co-written by Cleveland Boney).

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• bridging minneapolis
• bridging
• minneapolis
• Phillips West
• heart of the beast
• placemaking
• community