What:

The City of Minneapolis Arts Commission has selected the artists to design ten public water fountains throughout the city. The program, a partnership of the City of Minneapolis Art in Public Places Program and the Department of Public Works, is designed to celebrate the role water has played in Minneapolis history as part of the Citys 150 ^th anniversary. The focus of the project is to reestablish public drinking fountains as central to the health and wealth of the City and to foster the commitment to honor and protect water as fundamental to all life.

The program was inspired by the initiative "Invigorate the Common Well", a multi-year public art/public health project, by Sandy Spieler, Artistic Director, In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre and the Tomales Bay Institute.

Who:

Selected artists include: Douglas Freeman; Mayumi Amada; Marjorie Pitz; Seitu Jones; Peter Morales; Andrew MacGuffie; Lisa Elias; Gita Ghei, Sara Hanson and Jan Louise Kusske

When:

Design, fabrication, installation and dedication of the fountains will be in conjunction with the sesquicentennial celebration, July 2008, and in collaboration with community partners throughout the summer of 2008 and 2009.

Where:

Sites were selected by the Minneapolis Arts Commission. Criteria included destinations that celebrate the story of water and Minneapolis; on pedestrian corridors or bike trails, near schools, libraries, within plazas, or other public gathering places; publicly owned sites that are easily accessible; readily accessible to sources of water and to a broad range of people; associated with a public or private partner able to provide daily and ongoing maintenance. Sites include: Nicollet Mall; Marquette and Second Avenues; Lake Street; Franklin Av, near 13th Av S; Plymouth and Penn Avenues North; Dinkytown area; Uptown area; and Central Av NE.