2021
This year brought on many challenges to the pollinator garden. Interns took to heavily weeding the main area around the cistern, removing areas that were densely populated with goldenrod. Limiting the spread of this plant will allow others to regrow and thrive in the now available space. To aid in replanting this area, we transplanted our hostas which had drastically grown in size! It was wonderful to see the great amount of growth in the now well-established pollinator garden.
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During the intensive week, we welcomed Shirley Nordrum, an educator for Leech Lake, White Earth, and Red Lake with the University of Minnesota Extension Office. She engaged the interns in a conversation on what they see and prioritize each day and how that can impact our day to day lives. In our urban environment, we are immersed in advertisement and business. What we see each day starts to be what we focus and prioritize, then forgetting about the other creatures we share our space with, like birds, insects, and fish.
Photo of Red River in Moorhead, MN
Photo of Time’s Flying Away
Lydia Leopold and Jireh Bell
Dr. Kelvin Monroe, Voices of Creative Change Coordinator at Plains Art Museum, lead the interns in a discussion of the importance or fungi as a companion to us. Interns learned how humans also serve the role of a companion species. We are reliant on the efforts of plants, animals, and each other which is not a weakness, but a strength.
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Quill River, a local artist who works primarily in textile and weaving arts, joined us for the second year in a row to collaborate on an intern-led project, the Pollinator Path. During multiple days River presented questions and themes for the interns to discuss and dissect as a group. They developed the concept of the Pollinator Path, a self-guided journey visiting multiple spots in our local community they wanted to highlight.
Following the close of the intensive, interns were tasked with developing their list of points. Interns created an introduction video, recycled materials sculptures, and a pollinator planting box. On the last day of the internship we launched the project and celebrated their dedication with a cyanotype workshop led by Meghan Duda, local artist and Assistant Professor of Visual Arts at North Dakota State University.
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