Community Artist in Residence Program
Granite Falls, MN
Exciting News!
From the article in the Granite Falls and Clarkfield Advocate Tribune by Jessica Stolen. Read the entire article here.
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 will bring 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 .
Benedetta Cocco arrived April 5 and will be here until the end of May. Join us for two upcoming events, a Community Potluck at Memorial Park on May 15 at 6 PM and Farewell Reception on May 21 at 7 PM, K.K. Berge Building.
Benedetta’s work involves community connection and she is excited to meet local residents.
Partial funding for this project is a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
/Past Projects/
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 will be installed in the spring of 2026
2025 dog park bench project
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
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.