Sacred Water Shared Future Shanty
As a part of the 2026 Art Shanty Festival, we asked the question---Is the Mississippi cleaner than it was 100 years ago?
Photo by Ellie Hohulin
Collaborating Partner:
Metropolitan Council
Artist:
Ellie Hohulin
Time & Place:
Jan-Feb 2026, Minneapolis, MN
Project Description:
As a part of the 2026 Art Shanty Festival, we asked the question---Is the Mississippi cleaner than it was 100 years ago?
In 1926 the river was effectively dead — a water study found only 3 living fish in the region’s 50 miles of river. 100 years later, we stand on Bdé Umáŋ to celebrate the impact of the Mississippi and the collective action and continued commitment to protect and restore. Visitors could enter our immersive river world to share what the Mississippi means to them, writing and coloring on blank fishes, and learning more about the history of this vital waterway. The outside of our Shanty depicted the river in 1926, with mostly dead fish, lots of sewage, and only 3 very funky looking living fish.
Photo by Ellie Hohulin
Goals or Outcomes Achieved:
Engaging with the community
Launching the Sacred Water Shared Future campaign
Educating on an often unknown story
Intersecting art activation and government
What did you learn? Artistically? Administratively? About the community?
Most people thought that the Mississippi River was cleaner 100 years ago. An 'aha' moment was often visible when we shared that the river is actually cleaner today. But asking this question and sharing this history, visitors of the Art Shanty festival were able to learn more about the river as we know it today and then share on blank fishes what the river means to them. We collected almost 2,000 over the course of the Shanty festival and will be continuing to collect more over the course of the year as this Sacred Water Shared Future campaign continues. We learned the value that the Mississippi River has on our region and that it is something people of all backgrounds care about and want to engage with.
It was great to bring this project to the Shanty festival and now to continue to use it as a powerful engagement tool over the course of this year. This all helped affirm the power of art and government in combination, and the importance of cross disciplinary work in our present moment. We will also continue to learn what the Mississippi River means to our residents as we read and analyze all the responses we received at the Shanty and the project culminates in a community quilt public art project created with all these responses.
Links
https://metrocouncil.org/Planning/Imagine-2050/Art-Policy.aspx
https://artshantyprojects.org/portfolio/sacred-water-shared-future-shanty/
Photo by Ellie Hohulin
