Since 2008, ArtOrg has printed for over 6500 kids and adults at over 75 events with a little steamroller in an ongoing project we call the “Thousand Print Summer”. This year is rather special, as we received a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board which funds 15 events for the Latino Community. The grant award was for $61,699 and is from the Arts Access program. The page we have devoted to this year’s events is located here.

We started at the big Cinco de Mayo Festival in Rochester, Minnesota, and continue this weekend at Art-A-Whirl in Minneapolis where popular artist Xavier Tavera will be in residence for the event. Events are also being scheduled at El Colegio Charter School in Minneapolis, Centro Cultural de Fargo Moorhead, in addition to some of our regular venues which will see us for the fifth time in five years. We take photos and videos at each event, so check out the great art as the summer progresses.

Occasionally we are able to complete new projects made with the old print blocks from the Thousand Print Summer events that we squirrel away. The Big Print was the largest such project, and included all 1180 blocks from the 2008 summer. The nearly 5000-square-foot work was displayed at Buntrock Commons at St Olaf College, and was featured in Issue 44 of the journal Public Art Review. We created two other print mashups called The Peace Caterpillar and the St. Cloud Cult Print.

The grant award was from the Arts Access program. This activity is made possible in part by a grant provided by the Minnesota State Arts Board through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature from the State’s arts and cultural heritage fund with money from a vote of the people on November 4, 2008.