Minneapolis City Council President Elliott Payne and Council Member Michael Rainville have submitted a letter to the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) in support of the Art Walk on Central Avenue.
This letter marks a major step toward securing the Minneapolis City Council’s support for the Arts District’s goals for an art walk. This follows the Art Walk Committee’s efforts to contact their local politicans about the proposal. In their letter endorsing the Art Walk, Payne and Rainville expressed “the overwhelming desire of our community for an ’Art Walk’ along Central Avenue NE in Minneapolis.”
“The Northeast Minneapolis Arts District has been consistently named the top arts district in the nation due to the concentration of world-renowned local artists and visionaries in our neighborhood. An Art Walk along the main cultural corridor in Northeast would reflect our community’s pride and identity as a vibrant, arts-driven destination,” the letter said.
“There is an opportunity for more robust discussions on how to solidify desires for widened pedestrian space and art pads at major intersections,” they wrote, reflecting the desires of art walk advocates to install public art along Central Avenue NE.
Elliott Payne talks with the Art Walk Committee at Recovery Bike Shop. (Seth Stattmiller)
The committee continues to work with Central Avenue businesses and the surrounding community to discuss the potential for an art walk. They meet every Thursday, 5:30 p.m. at Recovery Bike Shop, 2504 Central Ave. NE.
Since its formation, the committee has expanded its scope, with members patrolling Central Avenue as they discuss the art walk. At their apex, during Operation Metro Surge, the meetings hosted around 40 people each week. During that time, community members donated supplies at Recovery Bike Shop for patrollers. Local representatives, including Payne, State Senator Doron Clark, DFL-60, and State Representative Sydney Jordan, DFL-60A, dropped by to patrol and walk the streets.
According to emails from MnDOT, the “Visual Quality Advisory Committee” is “expected to provide aesthetic recommendations that incorporate cultural aspects, art, and landscape design while balancing corridor limits needed to support vehicle, bicycle, transit, and pedestrian needs.”
Committee member Seth Stattmiller said, “A primary objective (for the Art Walk) is to create an additional four feet of space for art and culture opportunities.”
He went on to say that the extra space brings other benefits including outdoor seating for restaurants and the ability to host pop-up events. It would also provide space for tents at outdoor gatherings such as Open Streets, the Celebrate Northeast Parade, farmers’ markets and art events.