The Minnesota-based arts nonprofit ArtOrg said Friday that it had been awarded funding through the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Legacy program to repair the roof of the Metrodome that was ripped open during a Dec. 12 blizzard. ArtOrg will reconfigure its collaborative project named “The Big Print” into a large patch. ArtOrg staff insisted that while there were other plans to re-exhibit the huge work at different venues in the future, this permanent home will provide a twofold benefit. “The Big Print is a gorgeous artwork, and if it can live on as a large roof patch, so much the better. We never expected it to be used in such a utilitarian manner. But, hey, if the game is not going well, the fans will have something to look at. The overall design is vintage Norwegian knitting patterns after all, so that kind of fits with the Vikings, right?”

Respectfully submitted on this April Fool’s Day 2011 by ArtOrg. For more information on The Big Print, which really did happen, please consult the links in the text. There were 1180 artists that made paper prints at ten venues across Minnesota in 2008. ArtOrg squirreled away the printing blocks and created “The Big Print” in the fall of 2010. These venues included: Red Wing, Owatonna, Rochester, Northfield, St. Cloud, Minneapolis, and Stillwater. We are partially funded through the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008. Seriously, thanks to the State of Minnesota and its residents for this important program!