‘Painting in the Park’ Saturday organized by the Lower Phalen Creek Project in St. Paul – Twin Cities

The Lower Phalen Creek Project is hosting “Painting in the Park” from 10:30 am to noon Saturday at Pig’s Eye Regional Park – known as ÄŒhokán Tánka in Dakota – to connect community members to the site and the issues environmental justice system surrounding the area.

The event will consist of a short walk in the park to learn about its history and a watercolor painting lesson from artist and community activist Kiki Sonnen. There is no registration fee to participate and those interested can register online at https://bit.ly/3gH76HM.

“Art can capture feelings and emotions that you can’t always express in words, and it can capture the beauty of places,” said Keeli Siyaka, environmental justice educator and organizer of the Lower Phalen Creek project on Wednesday. “It’s a really amazing thing about art and that’s why it’s important to be able to connect environmental justice through art too, because it can evoke a sense of hope. Hope is what keeps us moving forward, this vision of what things could be and art can capture all of that.

Founded in 1997 by community activists, The Lower Phalen Creek Project is an indigenous-led, East Side St. Paul, non-profit environmental conservation organization that works to engage people in the community and encourage them to take care of natural places and sacred sites. The project includes the East Side River District from Phalen Lake to the Mississippi River.

The Dakhóta Oyáte people have lived on the waters of the Mississippi for thousands of years. Kapósia, a well-known village, was located east and west of the Mississippi, near the Pig’s Eye Regional Park. The park is currently nestled in an industrial area and one of the goals of the Lower Phalen Creek project is to connect the community to the space and to educate people for people to get involved in protecting the park.