The end of the school year means many children and parents are looking for ways to make memories and spend a day out of the house this summer. The St. Croix Valley Art Bench Trail provides easily-accessible opportunities for families to explore the area, experience community art, and get a chance at free tickets to an upcoming play at The Phipps Center for the Arts in Hudson, Wisconsin.
People of all ages are invited to accept the challenge to visit all seven Art Benches during summer 2014 and upload photos from each one at www.artbenchtrail.org. Photos may also be emailed to photocontest@artbenchtrail.org.
“Each of the benches is a great day trip. Everyone in the valley lives near a bench, while the farthest one is no more than an hour’s drive,” says Anastasia Shartin, visual arts director of The Phipps Center for the Arts. “The Art Bench Trail is a great way to tour the scenic St. Croix River Valley and visit its unique small towns. Most of the benches are located in parks that are good destinations in their own right, and the driving routes connecting them are mostly rural highways which criss-cross the valley. Nearby attractions include trails, restaurants, historic sites, and nature centers.”
The seven unique art projects are located in communities on both sides of the St. Croix River, from St. Croix Falls to Prescott in Wisconsin and from Marine on St. Croix to Hastings/Carpenter Nature Center in Minnesota. Designed and built by students and adults, they represent the participants’ creative perspectives on the place they call home and their love for the valley’s nature and history.
A map of the benches and more information about each one – including the story of its creation – is available at the website www.artbenchtrail.org.
The Art Bench Trail is a partnership of The Phipps Center for the Arts, the St. Croix Valley Foundation, and the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway. It is supported with funding from the Kresge Foundation.
The Phipps is located 15 miles east of St. Paul. Take Hudson Exit 1 off I-94, Hwy 35 North, and turn west on Locust Street.
For further information, contact Anastasia Shartin, visual arts director, at 715.386.2305, ext. 103.
Images:
-
- Photo by Steve Johnson
