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GroundWork
News and ideas you can use to strengthen rural Minnesota communities.

Mixing Art, Education, and Community Conversations on critical social issues

Images taken from MacRostie Art Center press release

sprig by Posted in Grants, Rural Capacity Building

MacRostie’s traveling exhibit “What’s Left: Lives Touched by Suicide” is a perfect example

The art exhibit “What’s Left; Lives Touched by Suicide” was created to open a more honest conversation about mental illness and suicide.  For over two years, it has done just that, crisscrossing the state, forcing people to talk about, and truly “see” mental illness and suicide and ask: what can we do?   The pain of mental illness and suicide is rarely shared openly in community centers, schools, and churches – but through the vision of MacRostie, dozens of Minnesota artists, and one survivor, John Bauer of Grand Rapids, people are talking openly and acting.

MacRostie Art Center is no stranger to intentionally using arts and arts education to advance a community’s ability to address tough issues.  Blandin Foundation provides ongoing support to the Center and its exhibits and arts education programming, which has shone a light on similar tough issues like incarceration, homelessness, and the immigrant experience.

Beyond the proven economic impact on the arts, Blandin Foundation recognizes how art and arts education inspire impactful community conversations that move people to inclusive and thoughtful action.  We are proud to stand with MacRostie in this work.

For more on the creation story behind the “What’s Left” exhibit, read this September 3, 2015 post.

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