Forecast Public Art

08/26/2026

One of our favorite MN State Fair traditions: seeing the Joyful World Mural Park! Find a moment of rest during the buzz of the Fair among 24 beautiful murals south of the Grandstand, east of Grandstand Ramp, near the carousel.

This year, Destiny (Dez) Noel Bilges, Discover Dope Creative, Philli Irvin, and Reggie LeFlore will live-paint at the Fair from August 27 – September 7, amid the rest of the Mural Park collection on display.

Artists who have painted past Joyful World murals include: Leslie Barlow, Danielle Clifford, Jennifer Davis, Jose Dominguez, Philipo Dyauli, Xena Goldman, Jordan Hamilton, Maiya Lea Hartman, Hibaaq Ibrahim, Tom Jay, Mia Vue Jennings, Kalaka, Noah Lawrence-Holder, Flahn Manly, Juliette Perine Myers, Geno Okok, Shade Pratt (Fola), Xee Reiter, Joy Spika, Kao Lee Thao, Suyao Tian, Thomasina Topbear, Genie Hien Tran and Wes Winship.

Enjoy a peaceful, delightful reset among the artists' joyful worlds on display.

Since 2021, the Minnesota State Fair has presented the Joyful World Mural Park in partnership with Forecast and with support from the Minnesota State Fair Foundation.

Photos by Drew Arrieta.

08/25/2026

🔔 Info session tomorrow—those applying for one of our grants for Minnesota-based artists can join Jen Krava, our Director of Learning, Grants, & Research:

Wednesday, August 26 at 6:00pm CT
Register: bit.ly/826info

Learn about the grants, eligibility, application process, and what makes a strong proposal.

Find a previous info session recording + more on our grants page (link in bio under Featured Opportunities). Applications for our 2027 grants are due October 18, 2026.

Forecast grants support Minnesota-based artists looking to advance their work in public art. Public art can take many forms! Artists and culture bearers working across disciplines and media are encouraged to apply. Our grants support early- and mid-career artists who want to advance their artistic practice and contribute to public and civic life.

08/13/2026

Have an idea for how art can come alive in public, connect people, strengthen community, or shape civic life? We want to help you make it happen: bit.ly/GrantsFPA

At Forecast, we believe artists are essential to healthy communities and civic life. What could you achieve for your community through this grant?

“Thanks to Forecast, I was able to involve residents, community leaders, and business owners in the concept of the artwork, which fostered local pride and a sense of shared ownership.”
—Luis Fitch, Forecast 2025 Mid-Career Project Grantee

“Being awarded the Forecast Mid-Career grant provided me with the resources to create a wholly new work, increased visibility as an artist, and pushed my artistic practice into new media.”
—Witt Siasoco, Forecast 2025 Mid-Career Project Grantee

Public art can take many forms. Artists and culture bearers working across disciplines and media are encouraged to apply. Forecast grants support early- and mid-career artists who want to advance their artist practice and contribute to public and civic life. Applicants must be based in Minnesota and the Native Nations that share this geography.

Join us for a virtual info session on Wednesday, August 26 @6:00 pm and Saturday, September 19 @11:00 am. A session will be recorded.

Apply by October 18.

Photos, previous grantees:
(1) Pramila Vasudevan explored relationships between movement-making and plant-growing processes, seeking connections in a time of disconnection via embodied listening and movement sessions with audiences. 📸 Drew Arrieta.
(2) Andy Frye launched an original theatrical experience.
(3) Through her interactive web archive and sound-mapping website, Cecilia Cornejo Sotelo harnessed community voices from three small towns; she asked them to reflect on the meaning of home and what it means to belong to a place.
(4) Tara Fahey and Sofía Padilla, with support from Heather Hinrichson, invited community to make lanterns at free public workshops, culminating in a public procession. 📸 Bruce Silcox.

08/06/2026

We're thrilled to share the muralists selected to add 4 new murals to the Minnesota State Fair Joyful World Mural Park! Discover more about the artists and the Joyful World Mural Park at bit.ly/JoyfulMuralPark

The artists are:

Discover Dope Creative is a multidisciplinary creative studio rooted in strategy, storytelling, and design.

Philli Irvin, also known as Philosx3 (pronounced Fill-OHs-Three-Times), is a multidisciplinary social practice artist based in North Minneapolis, MN.

Destiny (Dez) Noel Bilges is a q***r, multidisciplinary artist and educator of Indigenous and settler heritage born and raised in Minneapolis, MN.

Reggie LeFlore is a self-disciplined visual artist with over fourteen years of experience creating murals and public art.

Celebrate this joyful world with us and visit the Fair from Aug 27 – Sep 7 to see the artists painting and enjoy the rest of the Mural Park collection.

Since 2021, the Minnesota State Fair has presented the Joyful World Mural Park with Forecast and with support from the Minnesota State Fair Foundation. View previous years' murals during the summer around the Fairgrounds before they return to the mural park location for the Fair.

Graphics by Patricio de Lara

08/05/2026

“Creating these installations has been a meaningful way to connect with residents and celebrate the beauty of our shared natural spaces," says artist Cassandra Buck.

Cassandra’s MNPAiR residency spanned not one, but THREE parks: Olmsted County Oxbow Park & Zollman Zoo, Rochester Cascade Lake Park, and Rochester Quarry Hill Nature Center.

She guided participants to create at workshops and art-making events. In turn, these participants’ creative responses informed Cassandra’s public art installations for all three parks.

"I hope the work invites people to pause, reflect, and feel a deeper sense of belonging in these parks,” Cassandra shares.

The MN Parks Artists in Residence (MNPAiR) pilot united 3 state agencies (Metropolitan Council, Minnesota State Parks and Trails, and Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission), with 12 artists who engaged thousands of visitors across 13 parks in 11 MN counties, demonstrating how artists strengthen belonging in the state’s parks.

MNPAiR artist Cassandra Buck spent her residency at Olmsted County ...

08/05/2026

Artist Sam Zimmerman invites visitors of Tettegouche State Park to think about how they want to share their own stories, how they want to experience the park, and how they want to have a relationship with Tettegouche throughout their life.

Sam spent a year as an artist-in-residence exploring and learning about the natural environment and inhabitants of Tettegouche State Park.

"I wanted to use my residency as a way to share the beauty of Tettegouche, the [animal and plant] relatives of Tettegouche," Sam shares, and "also to share culture and language as well."

Minnesota Parks Artists-in-Residence (MNPAiR) is a Legacy Amendment success story—the pilot united 3 state agencies (Metropolitan Council, Minnesota State Parks and Trails, and Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission), with 12 artists who engaged thousands of visitors across 13 parks in 11 Minnesota counties, demonstrating how artists strengthen belonging in the state's parks.

08/05/2026

"This project," Lindsay Buck explains, "was about building relationships between parks and the Tribal nations and acknowledging that all park land is originally Native land."

Both a landscape architect and an artist, Lindsay worked with two regional parks on either side of the Mississippi for her MNPAiR residency: Robert Ney Regional Park in Wright County, and the Two Inlets at Bdé Heháka - Omashkooz Zaaga’igaans Regional Park in Sherburne County.

Her goal: create a project that could connect both parks and highlight the cultural significance of the central MN landscape.

The mobile phone app she developed pairs with onsite signage to bring users a new perspective on the land, from the combined perspectives of history, language, and botanical knowledge.

The heart+land trail and app are free and open to the public for self-guided tours.

Lindsay worked with many community partners, including Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Upper Sioux Community, Lower Sioux Indian Community, Wright County Parks and Recreation & Parks Commission, and artist Arabella Howell (Pezihutazizi Oyate).

The Minnesota Parks Artists-in-Residence (MNPAiR) pilot united 3 state agencies (Metropolitan Council, Minnesota State Parks and Trails, and Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission), with 12 artists who engaged thousands of visitors across 13 parks in 11 Minnesota counties, demonstrating how artists strengthen belonging in the state's parks.

Both a landscape architect and an artist, Lindsay Buck was chosen t...

06/16/2026

We think it's pretty incredible that artists Monica Rojas and Nicole Rojas-Oltmanns worked with 500 participants and collaborated with multiple groups across 30 events and workshops during their MNPAiR residency.

In this video, hear directly from the artists about how they connected with the Lake Bemidji State Park community, park staff, and the natural world of the park (Minnesota State Parks and Trails).

The Minnesota Parks Artists in Residence (MNPAiR) pilot united 3 state agencies, with 12 artists who engaged thousands of visitors across 13 parks in 11 Minnesota counties, demonstrating how artists strengthen belonging in the state's parks. Our report shares how art deepened visitor connections to parks across MN in 2025: bit.ly/mnpair

06/11/2026

Reminder: There's still time to register for Making It Public - Community Connections: bit.ly/MIPcstar26 . This free, in-person, interactive professional development workshop is designed to strengthen community engagement in the practices of Saint Paul artists.

This workshop will focus on community engagement as artistic practice, increasing access to this professional path for local artists. The workshop will help equip Saint Paul artists with skills for integrating engagement into their practice and will challenge artists to expand beyond studio practices into public, co-creative work.

Open to artists of all disciplines and experience levels. Priority will be given to Saint Paul-based artists.

• Register by June 12, 2026
• June 20, from 1:00 - 6:00pm
• Location provided after registration
• Snacks provided
• FREE

Facilitated by Forecast Consulting Partner Candida Gonzalez, featuring guest speakers. Funded by the City of Saint Paul Cultural STAR program.

📣 Workshop opportunity for artists in Saint Paul, Minnesota! bit.ly/MIPcstar26
Making It Public - Community Connections is a free, in-person, interactive professional development workshop designed to strengthen community engagement in the practices of Saint Paul artists.

As public agencies, nonprofits, and developers increasingly value artist-led engagement, there is growing demand for a local creative workforce skilled in this area. This workshop will focus on community engagement as artistic practice, increasing access to this professional path for local artists. The workshop will help equip Saint Paul artists with skills for integrating engagement into their practice and will challenge artists to expand beyond studio practices into public, co-creative work.

Open to artists of all disciplines and experience levels. Priority will be given to Saint Paul-based artists.

• Register by June 12, 2026
• June 20, from 1:00 - 6:00pm
• Location provided after registration
• Snacks provided
• FREE

This workshop is facilitated by Forecast Consulting Partner Candida Gonzalez, featuring guest speakers. The workshop is funded by the City of Saint Paul Cultural STAR program.

05/27/2026

📣 Workshop opportunity for artists in Saint Paul, Minnesota! bit.ly/MIPcstar26
Making It Public - Community Connections is a free, in-person, interactive professional development workshop designed to strengthen community engagement in the practices of Saint Paul artists.

As public agencies, nonprofits, and developers increasingly value artist-led engagement, there is growing demand for a local creative workforce skilled in this area. This workshop will focus on community engagement as artistic practice, increasing access to this professional path for local artists. The workshop will help equip Saint Paul artists with skills for integrating engagement into their practice and will challenge artists to expand beyond studio practices into public, co-creative work.

Open to artists of all disciplines and experience levels. Priority will be given to Saint Paul-based artists.

• Register by June 12, 2026
• June 20, from 1:00 - 6:00pm
• Location provided after registration
• Snacks provided
• FREE

This workshop is facilitated by Forecast Consulting Partner Candida Gonzalez, featuring guest speakers. The workshop is funded by the City of Saint Paul Cultural STAR program.