Members of the team working on the Anpetu Was’te Cultural Arts Marketplace at the project site. L-to-R Francis Yellow, Lakota Lifeway Keeper; Chuck Stewart, Cuningham Group Architects; Sam Olbekson, Cuningham Group Architects, Roger Grothe, Aloha Landscaping; Gordon Coons, Artist.

With the coming of September, the Anpetu Was’te Cultural Arts Marketplace is finally about to start construction. We have formal approval in the Preliminary Development Review process from the City of Minneapolis. This allows our contracting team to apply for construction permits. It’s an exciting time, as the past year of planning is about to become reality.

Much progress has also been taking place behind the scenes. We continue to explore options to address the ongoing maintenance of the plaza. We are nearing a final approach to making the infrastructure a well-maintained space. We had a series of meetings at the project site with the artists and advisors we are working with on the project. We walked through the plaza space to visualize the opportunities and challenges for various elements of the project. Our architectural team is working closely with our general contractor and the artists to design the best possible project.

In the past month our public call for poems to be stamped in the concrete was put out and completed and poems were selected by our team of advisors to compliment the pieces by established poets and writers that have been selected for the project. Our advising team also secured a group to fabricate the stamps that will imprint the poems into the sidewalk.

We also met with nearby development groups to look for opportunities for our various projects to support one another. The project continues to be a unifying force between groups and individuals in the community that is building and supporting relationships.

Our insight this month was really a reminder to ourselves of the importance of relationship-building. The core of our project is trying to build a stronger community through strengthened relationships. We strongly believe that as our community is more connected to one another – across geography, across cultures, across income levels, that we will create the future that community members desire. A project where people can gather, eat together, perform, watch performance, sell products or buy products is a place of connection. We’re excited for the future!