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Eleven ACW members Executed a Two Hour Trash Pick Up on the Mississippi and Create an Interactive Educational Artwork
You are reading an ACW Project Page which serves as an historical record, a staging location for participant organizational data, and finally, a site for interested readers to review project survey analysis.
Mississippi River Pearl .
The Mississippi Watershed and Management Organization Stewardship Fund Program grant supported 11 people selected from the larger MWMO neighborhood population, to meet, collect trash along the Mississippi and participate in an immersive curriculum unit which was collaboratively developed by project manager, Barbara Bridges, and the participants themselves.
Barbara’s artform focuses on re-cycle, re-purpose and create. All participants collaboratively designed and created this elegant artwork using the debris and other natural objects. Congrats to the following leaders of the MWMO project: Barbara Bridges Project Manager. Frances Bates, Amáda Márquez Simula, Greg Volker, Margo Ashmore, Annie Merrell, Neil Granlund, Katherine Boyce, Alexis Schramel, Kelly Frankenberg, Sadie Ward.
Mississippi River Pearl Details
Homewood Studios Opening Night
April 5 MWMO Workshop
Photos of MWMO Workshop
April 22 Solar Arts Earth Day
Photos Earth Day
Mill City Museum May 28 and June 17/18
Photos from Stone Arch Bridge Event at Mill City
Photos from Workshop at Mill City Museum
Guthrie Partnership July 10
Photos from Guthrie Work Shop
Outcomes Message in a Bottle Activity
Survey Outcomes All Events and Workshops
T-Shirts $30.00. Free to workshop participants
Read More about this educational social justice project which built community across the Mississippi Watershed District
Artwork Statement
Read Mill City Times features MWMO water project and ACW Director, Barbara Bridges.
Read Northeaster Article on Pearl
See the TikTok Video created by Amáda Márquez Simula
Read about the Participants
Join the Climate Affinity Group inspired by this project
Photo Record of Pearl Construction
Listen to our polymer scientist, Neil Granlund, talk about what we found in our beloved Mississippi River.
All participants will be encouraged to design, lead and implement their own environmental project going forward.
All participants created this elegant artwork using the found river debris and other hand constructed and found objects. With one of the goals being to educate people about the plastics we find on our waterways, they repurposed objects with a history to create a new narrative. Paper was made by Alexis from the debris collected. The quilted seat was commissioned from ACW quiltmaker, Lucy Schroepfer out of fabric found along the river. John Olson, from River Keepers, helped us forage on the west side of the river in his electric pontoon. The project participants met eight times in September and October.
Open all 21 drawers! Take a memento and research card or two. Sit on the throne, meditate and snap a photo. Post on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok using #ArtToChangeTheWorld and #MississippiRiverPearl. Send us that photo! Leave us your impressions in the survey drawer for a chance to win an ACW t-shirt.
Many Thanks to John Olson and River Keepers for a boat ride on Trash Pick Up day.
Applications Closed Post info@arttochangetheworld.org for more information.
Video Tour of Bridges’ Re-Cycle/Upcycle/Re-Create Home and Studio
https://www.arttochangetheworld.org/barbara-bridges/
Read More about this chair:
10,000 Lakes and One Mighty Miss
Found in Our Waters (Other Inspiration)