Installed on the Frozen Bde Unma (Lake Harriet), this is our first garden on skis!  

Created as a part of Art Shanty Projects 2022, The Garden Under Your Breath invites viewers to consider the northern prairie ecosystem as one that is continuously vibrant and essential, even during the winter months. Viewers can introduce themselves to our native prairie plants such as Big and Little Bluestem, Milkweed, Bergamot, and Purple Prairie Clover as well as others in this Mid-Winter Prairie Garden.

​

Winter in Minneapolis is anywhere between 4 and 6 months depending on who you ask. During this time, much of the plant life around us is either not thought of at all, or incorrectly thought to be dead. We wanted to create an installation that would highlight the depth of texture, color, and diversity that still exists in the ecosystem even in these days of short sunshine. 

​

Folks were invited to sit on the wooden benches, in the company of these dormant plants, and learn about the ways the dried plant material of the now dormant plant provides life and habitat to many others in the ecosystem. Seeds lie upon the snow, being blown about the landscape, waiting for the inevitable melt for the opportunity to take root. 

 

An accompanying essay by Mike Curran was distributed to guests during their visit to learn a brief history of the land and consider how the idea of kinship with these plants can be an effective mindset to move toward a healthier environment. 

​

Thank you to Art Shanty Projects for making such a wonderful event and to Mike Curran for you lovely thoughts and contributions to the piece. I also want to thank all of those who stood out in zero degree weather looking at plants with us <3

​