You may remember the Northern Spark festival, which hosted art performances and sculptures, often around climate change, on streets, parks and plazas late into the night. In the past several years, they’ve hosted events in downtown Minneapolis, along Franklin Avenue, and even an all-night fete along the Green Line.
But after 12 years, the all-night arts festival is no more, with the organizers citing money issues. This year, however, they plan to host an event to send off Northern Spark.
The send-off event, called “A Night With The River,” is intended to be a more contemplative event compared to the raucous events people have associated with Northern Spark. “It’s very small and intimate and quiet,” said Northern Lights.mn co-director Sarah Peters.
“It’s an opportunity for people to engage with each other, with the two artist projects that will be presented, and the river,” said Peters.
Northern Lights.mn, the organization that organizes Northern Spark, is among many arts organizations that have seen their funding get decimated, impacting their ability to fairly pay their artists and staff. “When we looked at our projected income over the next several years, we realized that we would not be able to really do the work that we want to do in a way that was equitable,” said Peters. Hence the sunset of Northern Spark.
The event will have two installations. One of them, called AquaSonos, was created by St. Paul-based composer and musician Damien Strange in collaboration with local artists to investigate different relationships as well as our relationship with the water. Another installation by Bayou Bay strives to help people understand watersheds.
To help participants slow down and contemplate, people can take a blanket with poetry written on it, a project by Witt Siasoco and Diver Van Avery. Finally, participants will also be able to share a memory of Northern Spark by recording their voice or writing it on a piece of paper to be placed on a physical timeline. These will be collected and archived by the University of Minnesota.
A Night With The River takes place Saturday, June 10, from 9 p.m. to Sunday, June 11, at 1 a.m., at Upper Landing Park, located at 180 Shepard Rd. Saint Paul, MN 55012. For more info, go to northern.lights.mn/a-night-with-the-river
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