As north Minneapolis community members grapple with both neighborhood safety and finding ways to heal from violence, a group of local artists decided to turn to what they do best — art.
Ten artists will set up in a vacant lot off of N. Plymouth Avenue on Saturday to create murals as part of the first Healing Through Art Mural Fest. The muralists will paint designs focused on violence prevention or community healing on large wooden panels over the course of the day.
The festival replaces the Flow Northside Arts Crawl, which ended in 2022 after 17 years. Flow's cancellation made it even more important to host the mural fest and try to fill a gap in North Side arts events, muralist and organizer Melodee Strong said.
People are fascinated by the way artists paint but often underestimate the healing benefits of viewing or making art, Strong said.
Art helps improve mental health and interpersonal relationships, studies show, and is frequently used in therapeutic and medical settings. Strong hopes the festival will give people a chance to tap into positive energy or focus on something other than the difficulties they might be going through, she said.
"I think in a community in pain — I mean we've been through it these last few years with the the pandemic and the violence — that art is a way to physically heal," Strong said.
The public is invited to participate — to watch, help on a mural, or enjoy some food or music.
There are some potential artists out there who may feel inspired, whether they pick up a paintbrush on Saturday or not, said Queen Melita Kimmons, executive director of One Family One Community, one of the festival donors.
