Before Chicago Ave: A Celebration of Native Artists will present a day-long event at The Wado Building (41st Street & Chicago Ave) with a grassroots approach to raising the spirits of the neighborhood, the Before Chicago Ave. team will increase representation for Native youth and families, while also raising the awareness of and connection to Indigenous artists and cultures for non-Native people in South Minneapolis. All in attendance will be invited to engage in participatory arts; puppetry, music, coding, screen printing and video. Horne will paint and install a mural on this highly visible corner to serve as a visual land acknowledgement and to create a lasting impact beyond the celebratory weekend.

Kismet Malaise is a short narrative film about Black women/femme artists in Minneapolis, and will be written, directed, and produced by Sophia Abrams with Anna du Saire as cinematographer and editor. The film will provide early-career Black women/femme filmmakers in Minneapolis an opportunity to learn and build their production experience, create a personal project, and remain (long-term) in the Black women/femme film community in Minneapolis. A workshop series will enable participants to be in a collaborative space that will teach basic screenwriting and film production – beneficial experience for future film projects.

Music Heals the Soul is an invitation to explore the songs that have shaped the soundtrack of people’s lives and the power of music to guide individuals on a path toward healing. DuBose and Mann will examine the why behind music and its influence on people through workshops, co-sharing, and performances. Exploring the ways in which music can inform one’s interior life could possibly lead to a deeper understanding and healing of trauma and perhaps reshape one’s outlook on life.

My Mama Can’t Swim is a short narrative film to be produced by Tahiel and Nicole in collaboration with local BIPOC filmmakers and immigrant artists. The film will premier in south Minneapolis for a varied audience including working class people, artists, business owners, and all who share struggles and equally similar hopes and dreams. The film centers on the immigrant journey between a mother and her son, of departures and arrivals, and the trauma of separation and its never-ending cycle of healing and forgiveness. Tahiel and Nicole hope to spark deep conversations and celebration within the immigrant community which has been devastated by the COVID-19 global pandemic, and brutal anti-immigrant policies.

Nature’s Affirmations will be a day-long outdoor event in a healing environment to gather community, invite strangers to meet and engage with other strangers, and asking all to share time with one another in and with nature. Conversation prompts will focus on how people experience and lean into nature for personal healing. Art and affirmation inspired activities will take place within curated spaces. Biking communities will be invited to inspire other participants to join riding groups to activate interest in being outside in nature; help foster healing, well-being, and potential health outcomes.

Radical is a collection of ten short films including conversions with Black residents experiencing systemic racism, white supremacy, and bigotry; stories of cultural pride, joy, and living life; families privately coping with institutional racism perpetuated by local law enforcement; coming to grips with what home means; living with the burden of living quiet or living loud; and elected officials confronted and questioned about their stake in Minneapolis. Filming will take place at Cedar Riverside, Central Ave, 38th St., East Lake St., and West Broadway locations. Radical will premiere at the Parkway Theater with one film at a time released as a web series on YouTube, post the premiere.

Testimony Textiles will present a series of workshops focused on self-expression – and drawing from the long history of the Latin American folk-art tradition of storytelling through embroidery and textile art. Participants will draw from their personal experiences to create textile testimonies of their lived experiences throughout the pandemic and the social uprising post the murder of George Floyd. The workshop’s purpose is to create a welcoming and safe space in which skill-sharing and art making can flourish. The project will culminate with a collective exhibition.

Tracing Our Footsteps will invite participants to embark on an immersive walking tour through the vibrant streets of the Cedar-Riverside and East Franklin Neighborhoods to create a visual record of their experience as a reflection of their community. Restorative circle participants will gather thoughts and ideas by identifying themes, narratives and messages that can be visually represented during the Tracing Our Footsteps walking tour. Photo images and film captured by walking tour participants will become part of a record keeping archive. The visual documentations created during the project will be presented at a closing event, along with the launch of the digital archive, while providing an opportunity for participants to share their insights, experiences, and personal healing journey throughout.

Wall of Healing is the vision for a mural to be painted by Binyam and Natian in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis. Home to a large Somali-American and Ethiopian-American community, the area represents the struggles and hopes of its residents. The mural will shine a positive light on the aspirations of all the people in the neighborhood in vibrant colors and captivating painting techniques.

Writing for Recovery will be a series of writing workshops for those affected by George Floyd’s murder on May 26, 2020, including neighborhood residents of George Floyd Square, Southside Minneapolis, Powderhorn, Bancroft and Central. The reality of systemic racism, mental health challenges, being unhoused or in unhealthy relationships, and above all poverty and its root causes will take years to recover from for many, if even. Workshops will be held at George Floyd Square with each participant receiving one-on-one one attention and reassurance. Each writer will come to an understanding that their story matters, their lives matter and that they are being heard and listened to. Experienced writing and artists will lead each session, and guest writers will be invited and included as people of inspiration and encouragement.