Creative Placemaking

Creative placemaking connects people to their city and to each other by making shared spaces more inviting, histories more visible, and futures more inclusive. Bloomington's Citywide Creative Placemaking Plan establishes five goals to move the community forward:

• Empower artists and culture bearers in Bloomington to thrive and contribute to the city’s creative, cultural, and economic vibrancy.
• Ensure equitable inclusion and representation of Bloomington’s diverse populations across social and aesthetic environments, public spaces, and cultural activities.
• Foster constructive and joyful relationships among and between residents, organizations, and with workers and visitors in Bloomington.
• Strengthen community members' sense of belonging and foster inclusive engagement through placemaking and other creative and cultural activities.
• Expand creative placemaking efforts citywide by growing resources, expertise, and partnerships.

• Strengthens community pride, identity, and engagement
• Supports local artists and cultural leaders
• Enhances public spaces and boosts economic vitality
• Attracts visitors and supports local businesses
• Positions Bloomington as a cultural destination
• Promotes equity, public safety, and neighborhood revitalization

• Creative Trails & Cultural Corridors: Enhancing connectivity through art
• Public Art Expansion: New installations, murals, and performances
• Community Engagement: Events and workshops to involve residents
• Funding Growth: Grants, zoning updates, and new revenue streams

Interested in adding or updating a mural to your building? Any proposed new mural or any proposed modification to an existing mural must be reviewed and approved by City staff for compliance with City Code and the Mural Policies and Procedures prior to installation on any building or structure. 

• Creative Placemaking Commission 2026 Work Plan & 2025 Update
• Bloomington Citywide Creative Placemaking Plan and Appendices
• South Loop Creative Placemaking Plan and Appendices
• South Loop History Report
• CreativeMN Bloomington Arts and Culture Impact Report

View this playlist on YouTube

The City of Bloomington has selected artist Craig David to create a new, site-specific sculpture for Bryant Park. Selected through a competitive Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process led by the Office of Creative Placemaking in partnership with Parks and Recreation, the project reflects the City’s commitment to supporting artists while strengthening public spaces through creative placemaking.

An Open House Community Engagement event will be held in the park building Monday, March 16, 2026 from 5-7 PM.

Visit the Bryant Park Sculpture website for project information and updates

Evening Primrose is located on the exterior wall of Fenley Apartments, next to the entrance of Backstory Coffee (8061 33rd Ave S, Bloomington, MN 55425).

Artwork Description:
This mural blends dreamlike imagery with realistic botanical detail to capture a quiet yet powerful moment of transformation. At its center, the blooming evening primrose, a Minnesota wildflower that opens only at dusk, emerges as a potent metaphor for silent inner change, those deeply personal processes of growth and renewal that often happen away from view. A woman steps into the night beside the flower, her presence mirroring the plant’s unfolding. The contrast between the softness of the human form and the structure of the bloom reflects themes of transition, reflection and connection to place, inviting viewers to pause and sense the delicate shift between day and night.

About the Artist:
With over a decade of experience creating large-scale public artworks, Mariela Ajras (1984) is an Argentinian visual artist and muralist recognized as a Distinguished Personality of Culture in Buenos Aires and noted for her pioneering role in monumental muralism. Her large-scale figurative works incorporate visual metaphors as a central narrative element. With a background in psychology, she often explores themes of memory, identity and human connection, creating imagery that invites reflection and emotional engagement. Her murals can be found in cities across the Americas and Europe, and she has collaborated with cultural institutions, museums, festivals and communities to produce site-specific public art.

Haŋté (Cedar) Healing Bridge Mural & Garden by local artist Sandy Spieler and Dakota cultural educator Tara Perron (Tanaǧidaŋ To Wiŋ).

Creative Placemaking partnered with local artist Sandy Spieler and Dakota cultural educator Tara Perron (Tanaǧidaŋ To Wiŋ), to create Haŋté (Cedar) Healing Bridge,a stunning four-sided mural and install a living Indigenous Garden at the Old Cedar Avenue Bridge trailhead shelter.

The mural reflects themes of home, kinship, water, and healing, drawing on Dakota culture and local voices. The nearby garden features native plants, showcasing traditional seed-saving practices—connecting land, culture, and community.

The mural and garden are part of Bloomington’s newly approved Citywide Creative Placemaking Plan to infuse public spaces across the city with beauty, identity, and community connection. Inspired by its surroundings, the project seeks to bridge cultures, time, and place through shared stories and living art. Thank you to Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge for their support. 

Learn more at blm.mn/ocab-mural

ARTBOXES consist of wrapped and hand-painted utility boxes designed by local artists. Some also include sculptural elements. These creative, exciting, and appealing objects of art create a free outdoor gallery and enhance the district’s character and vitality. 

As many other communities have discovered, transforming utility boxes into vehicles for artistic expression has produced several benefits: reducing graffiti, beautifying neighborhoods, improving walkability, and creating elements of surprise and delight.

Completed ARTBOX projects are by the following artists:

• Erik Sletten
• Jennifer Davis
• Kao Lee Thao
• Deneena Hughes
• Patrick Liu
• Ray Klempka
• Taylor Lund
• Leon Currie
• Rock CYFI Martinez
• Ron Brown
• Keren Kroul
• Daniel Natural, Ocean Blue Tattoo
• Teresa M. Cox
• Jesse Golfis
• Mandel Cameron
• Olivia Novotny
• José Rebollo
• Robyn Brower
• John C. Gerber
• Shakuntala Maheshwari
• Luis Fitch
• Leah Yellowbird

Please download the free Otocast App to access our South Loop Audio Tour and view locations, images, and information for all Artboxes.

Creative Placemaking hosted an on-site engagement event, participated in community meetings, and met with stakeholders to gather input on developing this former vacant lot at 2255 E Old Shakopee Rd, adjacent to the new Fire Station #3. Community feedback prioritized native landscaping, a community garden, and seating. These ideas were incorporated into the draft designs, and construction of this site began in 2023.

Artful banners were created through a cyanotype process, by Sheila Novak and Dakota artist Erin Genia. They collected different elements from the natural world such as plants, and incorporated the traditional Dakota symbol Anpa O Wičahnpi, which is the morning star symbol, to awaken wonder, and to reflect this place as Dakota homelands.

Learn more about the cyanotype banners by artists Sheila Novak and Erin Genia.

Plots opened in spring 2024, with parking reserved in the Hometown Church lot. Learn more about the City's Community Garden plots. 

The goal of Hometown Poetry is to celebrate art and literature and integrate it into our communities, highlight the talent of Bloomington writers, and bring a sense of surprise, delight, and contemplation to pedestrians. Sidewalk stamps and creative sign installations will display the poems of Bloomington residents. Learn more and view a map of installed projects. 

The WE Mural was curated and produced by Ua Si Creative. Artists: Andrés Guzmán and Xee Reiter, City Mischief featuring Thomasina Topbear and Tom Jay, Marlena Myles, Martzia Thometz, Reggie LeFlore, and Ua Si Creative.

Ua Si Creative coordinated the artistic team members who completed a series of murals located on two walls surrounding an Xcel Energy substation facing American Boulevard and 30th Avenue South. Installation took place throughout August and September, 2021, with a Sunset Block Party to celebrate the completion. Learn more about the WE Mural here.

View ‘A first look at South Loop’s WE Mural’ and the ‘WE Mural Sunset Block Party’, by the City of Bloomington.

Thank you to the following partners for their support: Forecast Public Art, McGough, Metro Transit and Xcel Energy.

The Goldfinch, by artist Donald Lipski will help create a more distinctive sense of place and identity, while providing an opportunity to surprise and delight those who live, work, and visit South Loop. The design was inspired by the 250+ migratory birds that pass through the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. The theme of flight and migration was also an element when considering the diverse population of South Loop and the nearby international airport. The sculpture is located at the southeast corner of the intersection of Killebrew Drive and Old Shakopee Road, near Refuge trail heads, and next to a trail connection. The community was previously invited to vote on which local songbird should be represented, and American Goldfinch was the clear winner. This project was installed in December, 2021.

Bloomington Ribbon, by Kao Lee Thao. Photo credit: Kao Lee Thao

In the Creative Spark program, we invite artists and others to propose and implement creative ideas within the South Loop. Stakeholder panels have reviewed and selected projects that enhance and activate South Loop and engage residents, workers, and visitors in creative ways that could be temporary, experiential, semi-permanent, or permanent. 

2021 selected proposals were sculptures all installed in the Bloomington Central Station Park area:

• "Kalopsia" bench, by Daniela Bianchini
• "Blooming Ribbon," by Kao Lee Thao
• "Street Seat," by Greg Mueller
• "The Hand Sculpture" by Safa Sarvestani and Shirin Ghoraishi 

2019 selected proposals:

• "An Owl's Perspective," a temporary 3D sculpture in the shape of a great horned owl, to be installed at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. Visitors helped construct this sculpture during the Urban Birding Festival. Artist: Gail Katz-James.
• Summer Music Concert featuring Hailey James and The Tuxedo Band, at Bloomington Central Station Park. Coordinated by Reflections Condominiums social committee.
• Free standing temporary "pop up" murals, located at Bloomington Central Station Park. Artist: Rock Martinez.
• Bloomington Cultural Festival, at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. Coordinated by Together Bloomington.

Please download the free Otocast App to access our South Loop Audio Tour and view project images and information.

Bloomington and Artistry worked with artists Nancy Musinguzi and Adam Davis-McGee/AxS GRNTD on a virtual Augmented Reality (AR) Tour of the Old Cedar Avenue Bridge over Long Meadow Lake (9898 Old Cedar Ave S, Bloomington).

Within the Old Cedar Avenue Bridge, visitors will be able to unlock exclusive AR experiences available for immediate use in Snapchat. This AR Tour is an informative and entertaining experience inspired by the legacy and surroundings of the bridge. Some of the themes include historical information and dates, selfie wings highlighting local birds and butterflies, and flags representing the diversity of Bloomington. The project was installed in November of 2019.

Learn more in this interview with Adam Davis-McGee.

The City of Bloomington commissioned a mural on the retaining wall that runs alongside State Highway 77/Cedar Avenue and faces Old Cedar Avenue and Wright’s Lake Park. This mural is part of the City’s neighborhood emphasis program in this area, and the City and our partner Artistry’s creative placemaking efforts. We worked with GoodSpace Murals to produce the Seasons of Becoming mural, due to their artistic expertise, extensive experience, community engagement process, and bilingual staff.

Three design visioning sessions in 2017 and 2018 inspired the design, a design presentation collected feedback, and seven painting parties took place in May and June 2019 throughout Bloomington, where the community helped paint on canvas sheets later adhered to the wall. Students from Valley View Middle School participated throughout the process, including a photo shoot where they served as models for the mural, and a ribbon cutting celebration in October 2018 to commemorate the completion of the mural.

View videos of the process and celebration.

James Brenner designed and installed Convergence, a sculpture in the roundabout at the intersection of Lindau Lane and 28th Avenue near Mall of America. Brenner also designed the landscape surrounding the sculpture, which was unveiled August 20, 2015. Convergence is a landmark in a developing corridor that intersects pedestrian, automotive, and light rail traffic. The LED lighting illuminates the sculpture at night, and represents the three primary stakeholders of South Loop - residents, workers, and visitors. 

Descarga la aplicación gratuita Otocast en tu teléfono inteligente para acceder al Recorrido de Audio de Arte Público del South Loop y realizar una visita autoguiada para aprender más sobre las obras y los artistas.

Utiliza esta aplicación basada en la ubicación para encontrar e interactuar con más de 35 puntos de interés de arte público en el South Loop.

Descripciones detalladas, fotografías, indicaciones y clips de audio —que incluyen entrevistas con los artistas— narran las historias detrás de las obras de arte que visites.

Visita 10 ubicaciones de arte público y recibe una insignia y un premio. (¡Aún quedan premios limitados disponibles!)

Ku soo deji App-ka Otocast ee bilaashka ah ee taleefankaaga casriga ah si aad u gasho Safarka Maqalka Farshaxanka Dadweynaha ee South Loop oo u qaado safar is-haggo ah si aad wax badan uga barato fanka iyo fannaaniinta.

Isticmaal abka goobta ku salaysan si aad u hesho oo aad ula falgasho in ka badan 35 dhibcood faneed ee xiisaha leh ee Koonfurta Loop.

Sharaxaad tafatiran, sawiro, tilmaamo, iyo cajalado maqal ah, oo ay ku jiraan waraysiyada fanaaniinta, u sheeg sheekooyinka ka dambeeya farshaxanka aad booqato.

Booqo 10 meelood oo farshaxan oo dadweyne oo hel calaamad iyo abaalmarin (Abaal marino xaddidan ayaa hadda jira!)

Hãy tải xuống ứng dụng Otocast miễn phí trên điện thoại thông minh của bạn để truy cập vào Chuyến tham quan Nghệ thuật Công cộng qua âm thanh tại South Loop, đồng thời thực hiện chuyến tham quan tự hướng dẫn để tìm hiểu thêm về các tác phẩm nghệ thuật và những người nghệ sĩ.

Sử dụng ứng dụng định vị này để tìm kiếm và tương tác với hơn 35 điểm tham quan nghệ thuật công cộng thú vị tại khu vực South Loop.

Các phần mô tả chi tiết, hình ảnh, chỉ dẫn đường đi và các đoạn âm thanh—bao gồm cả những cuộc phỏng vấn với nghệ sĩ—sẽ giúp bạn khám phá những câu chuyện ẩn chứa đằng sau các tác phẩm nghệ thuật mà bạn ghé thăm.

Hãy ghé thăm 10 địa điểm nghệ thuật công cộng để nhận được một huy hiệu kỷ niệm cùng một phần quà hấp dẫn. (Số lượng quà tặng hiện vẫn còn giới hạn!)