Community Artist in Residence Program
Granite Falls, MN
Meet our current community artist in residence!
Zoe Pudil
Zoe Pudil is a multimedia artist, writer, and educator based in Marshall, Minnesota.
They are currently an undergraduate student at Southwest Minnesota State University where they are majoring in English Creative Writing and pursuing a second interdisciplinary major in Business and Studio Arts. They are currently President and Cover Designer of Perceptions, SMSU’s student literary journal.
Zoe's work explores mental and physical health, disability, and the ways people navigate or are unable to navigate the world around them. Their work often conveys the moments that are difficult to express.
Zoe has a passion for community-based art and creative education. Since May 2024, they have taught a weekly creative writing workshop at Avera’s Inpatient Behavioral Health Unit where they teach patients ways to use writing as a tool for self-expression, reflection, and connection.
In 2026, they had the opportunity to paint native Minnesota wildflowers and had the designs printed as greeting cards for the Lyon County Master Gardeners. The cards were sold at the Lyon County Master Gardener plant sale with all the proceeds going back into community projects.
They believe that art and creativity can create accessible spaces for people to tell their stories, connect with others, and make meaning from their experiences.
Current programme overview
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September
On Tuning In- You can't tell a story you haven't been paying attention to. It’s about relearning to listen to yourself, your surroundings, and the moments we miss in the busyness of life. Come learn ways to turn your attention into creative material!
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October
Banish Your Creative Demons- This spooky season we're facing creative demons. They haunt your creativity with self-doubt, perfectionism, or fear of failure. We're banishing them by getting messy on purpose.
Spooky Storytelling- Join Jessie Hennen and I for an evening of spine-chilling storytelling. If you dare, bring a story to tell or simply listen to the haunting tales your community members carry.
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November
As It Unfolds- A story doesn't need to be finished to be told. We'll explore the emotional and physical benefits of writing through poetry, journaling, and other nonfiction forms. We will write, reflect, and tell our own stories as they unfold.
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December
Without Words- Not every story needs to be told in sentences.We'll explore collage, zine making, and art as tools for storytelling. Expect to get messy as you use your creativity and curiosity to tell a story without words.
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January
Building Creative Habits- Creativity doesn't require the perfect schedule, or a finished project, or the right materials. It just needs a little time in your day. We will explore daily art or writing practices to help build creative habits that fit into real life.
SPONSORS
/Past Projects/
April and May, 2026 - Transatlantic Rising Stars artist, Benedetta Cocco and local artist Talon Cavender Wilson
The Granite Falls Community Artist In Residence (CAIR) program has been selected as one of only seven sites in the United States to host a visiting artist through the newly launched Transatlantic Rising Stars Project, an elite three-year cultural exchange funded by the European Union.
The pilot initiative brought emerging artists from European Union countries to select US cities to collaborate, create and engage locally. Granite Falls CAIR was chosen as part of the visual arts strand of the program and is the smallest organization among the selected sites . Thank you to Benedetta Cocco and Talon Cavender Wilson for their hard work!
2026 Transatlantic rising stars
Artists Tamara Isfeld and John Sterner collaborated to create art installations that celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Memorial Park and its connection to the land and indigenous history.
The pair started their programming in the late fall of 2024 and ran through fall of 2025. They hosted several art sessions for people to create their own artwork as well as to participate and view the creation of pieces of art for each of the parks. The programs brought art to people who were at the locations to recreation in the outdoors.
One project became the creation of a mosaic mural. Sketches and paintings were created and approved. Tamara held free mosaic building art classes for the public to learn how to and help create the mosaic for the park. The participants were able to build portions of the permanent mosaic at the park. This helps people feel more connected to the park as well as brings the people back to the park to enjoy the art they helped to create.
2025 MNPAIR project at Memorial Park
Fabric artist Stephanie Lynn Rogers created “Amendments.” Fabric patches were created from local iconic photographs and made available to the public.
2024 Mini Residency
After years of work, planning, fundraising, collaboration with and support from the City, the Granite Falls Dog Park is finally open! To commemorate the work and dedication of the Dog Park Committee through the creation and artistic wrapping of a bench for dog-lovers and park-lovers to enjoy. The bench is completed and is installed at the new dog park. Thank you to artist Leah Teig for creating the artwork which consists of portraits of the dogs belonging to the committee members.
2025 dog park bench project
Ogden brought with her twelve-plus years of experience creating hand-painted art on multi-story buildings as well as large-scale architectural stained-glass pieces. Ogden’s process has also grounded her in responding to her surroundings. During the pandemic, Ogden created and implemented the “Reflect Love” project by painting window murals on storefronts to reinvigorate morale for both business owners and passersby alike.
A native to Louisiana, Ellen Ogden left her mark in Granite Falls. While visiting as a CAIR finalist, she participated in a mini-residency, part of the application process for the artist position. Ogden created a mural which can be viewed along the riverwalk downtown, Granite Falls. The colorful depiction of the meandering Minnesota River and bright flora is a nod to this year’s theme of “flora, fauna and fungi.”
As the 2023 CAIR, she completed a large mural at the Yellow Medicine County Historical Museum, running path signs for the new running club in Granite, a cooperatively-curated exhibit on local organizations, and several smaller murals.
2023 Artist Ellen ogden
Leah Cook joined us for 14 weeks - a two-week extension of her original 12-week contract, and completed all 5 of her proposed projects, including:
Living Tapestry: Over Meander Weekend, Leah and community members of all ages gathered natural objects and built a living “tapestry” of the river in the new storefront of Falls SPaw.
River Memory Cafe: collaborating with the Block Nursing Program, Leah led a river-focused memory cafe experience, swapping stories and sharing memories of the Minnesota River.
River Sing: with help from the local churches, Leah facilitated a River-sing-along” on a Sunday afternoon for local community members to join an informal social gathering (and a beautifully played piano!) to sing river songs together at the American Legion overlooking the downtown riverbed.
Voices and Views: working with the YME videography class over two months, Leah led the students in creating (and learning how to create) a 20-min documentary collecting and sharing local perspectives and stories about our river. The final film was screened at the CAIR Farewell 2022 event, and will be available online in perpetuity.
Wonder Boxes: After long periods of listening, research, and intensive design, Leah collaborated with YME teachers, Public Works, the YME agricultural welding class, and various locals from different parts of the Granite and Upper Sioux community to design and build five “Wonder Boxes,” a series of weather-proof, movable informational sculptures sharing different stories and data about the river.
2022 Artist Leah Cook
Components of a Collaborative Community Program Design include:
Community Artist - 2-6 month residency, embedding in, working with and serving the community of Granite Falls MN
Local Host: Granite Area Arts Council (GAAC) - “Building Community Through Art”
The City as a Partner - sharing insight into town initiatives and municipal structure, staff hours and resources, local knowledge, financial partner, information access, program design oversight, and an office in City Hall.
Community Partner Organizations - community support, fundraising partners, institutional knowledge, volunteer hours, bridge building, connection, local materials, youth & elder engagement, and sharing resources together.
Advisory Board - an active, diverse and apolitical board of local community members, working together to select the artist and advise the staff on the current and potential futures of the program. This is a critical component to a healthy and effective program: the Board functions as community voice and oversight, guiding the ship of the program to serve community wants and needs.
Support Staff - efficient, accountable, paid part-time cohort devoted to serving the community and the program, building a sustainable future for both, and sharing information openly with anyone and everyone.
The Community! - a community artist program requires by definition community participation and feedback.