A Public Art Project in the Longfellow Neighborhood, Minneapolis October 2022 - April 2023
In October 2022 long-time Howe resident Paul Herwig presented “Facing the Fire”, a public art project consisting of several live music and projection art performances at sites along East Lake Street in Minneapolis, which was one of the epicenters of civil unrest during the tumultuous repercussions resulting of the murder of George Floyd and repeated police abuses in the community. Paul's aim was to amplify the voices of residents of Longfellow and temporarily transform the scarred physical properties of the area into hauntingly beautiful temporary artistic installations that resonate with the experiences of that summer, and the aspirations of the community today.
Paul invited residents in the Minneapolis 55406 & 55407 zip codes to submit responses to a questionnaire. The responses directly inspired and informed the artists as they prepared and created their work. The text in the projection design was taken from those responses. Paul wanted to truthfully reflect the feelings, memories, and hopes of the people who actually live in the neighborhood, and who were present during the civil unrest that unfolded the week of May 26th 2020.
This project will be remounted at the ruins of the former 3rd Precinct building in April 2023.