New Hispanic Heritage Banners

Art Town, Arts and Culture Commission, Diversity Equity Inclusivity, Public Art

The Northfield Arts and Culture Commission and the Friends of Downtown Northfield are pleased to announce the winning design for new downtown banners in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Corn Connections by Constanza Ocampo-Raeder and sons Emiliano and Joaquin was selected by a volunteer public art review committee in July out of 12 outstanding submissions from local and regional artists.

The banner depicts different kinds of corn that bear significance and speak to cross-cultural connections: Joaquin and Emiliano’s favorite Oaxacan corn (purple), sweet corn (yellow), and heritage Native American popcorn (red). The sun represents both the beautiful sunsets as well as the joys of eating corn tortillas with every meal.

The banners will be displayed on light poles along Division Street in time for Northfield’s sixth annual Hispanic Heritage Celebration on September 15, remaining for Hispanic Heritage Month and into November.

A brief dedication will take place at the Third Thursdays Downtown event hosted by Friends of Downtown Northfield and Riverwalk Market Fair on September 21 at 6:30 p.m. Remarks by Mayor Rhonda Pownell and Arts and Culture Commission Chair Paula Granquist will be provided in Spanish and English.

Hispanic Heritage Month, observed September 15 to October 15, is an annual celebration of the histories, cultures and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America or other regions that identify with the aforementioned cultures.

Learn more about the artist and design in the banner’s virtual dedication video:

Downtown Developments

City Council, City of Northfield

There are multiple public and private developments in the planning stages for downtown. The Council meeting tonight on August 8 will include discussion on the Transit Hub, Bridge Square, and 5th and Washington St redevelopment.

To comment on the projects, there are a few options.

  • In person during the meeting (2 minutes per Open Public Comments and/or Regular Agenda items)
  • Virtually during the meeting (2 minutes per Open Public Comments and/or Regular Agenda items)
  • Use the eComment feature on the online agenda item (available from the time the agenda is published until noon the day of the meeting)
  • Email the city clerk
  • Mail the city clerk
  • Contact Council members directly

Your comments will be part of the official public record.

To stay up to date and learn more about the various downtown projects, view the Construction & Development projects page. 

Art-Train Individual Artist Training

Art Town, Arts and Culture Commission, Public Art

Are you interested in working more with your community? Sign up for Art-Train!

Art-Train is a virtual technical assistance program for artists, municipal agencies, and community-focused organizations in all sectors, in communities of all sizes across the nation. With trainings taking place throughout the year, Art-Train provides proven strategies that will help you reach and engage more people, increase community relevance and connection, and find innovative ways to be more effective—creating authentic, equitable and lasting change.

There are four upcoming Art-Train trainings this fall.

Tuesday, August 8, 2023, 1:00-4:00 PM
Tuesday, September 12, 2023, 1:00-4:00 PM
Tuesday, October 3, 2023, 5:00-8:00 PM
Tuesday, November 14, 2023, 1:00-4:00 PM

Learn more and register online at: https://springboardforthearts.org/art-train-training-artists/

Winners Selected for 2023 Artists on Main Street Program

Art Town, Arts and Culture Commission, Public Art

The Friends of Downtown Northfield and Northfield Arts and Culture Commission (ACC) are pleased to announce the upcoming projects for this year’s Artists on Main Street installations. The projects were selected through the ACC’s Public Art Review Committee process, comprised of volunteer community members.

The committee received 19 strong proposals and, after careful review, selected the following eight projects to receive a total funding amount of $32,000. “Placemaking is all about how art can build strong communities by creating spaces where people linger and connect with each other,” said Library Director Natalie Draper. “We are excited to see how the selected artists will apply their talents to activate spaces downtown throughout the summer and into the fall.”

The selected projects, which include performances, sculpture, participatory art experiences and murals, are “Storm Drain Art: Remembering the Cannon” by Rocky Casillas Aguirre and Mike Provancha, “Random Acts of Art” by Shona Brooks, “The Catrina Chalchiuhtlicue” by Gustavo Boada, “Lady Cannon” by Maya Kenney and Raquel Santamaria, “Poets at the Depot”, submitted by Becky Boling and D.E. Green, “Creatures and Features of the Cannon” by Kathy Ness and Kate Woodstrup, “Your Mind is a Magic Wand” by Michael J. Sweere, and “River Light” by Andrew Wykes.

The artists will begin their work during this summer and fall. Visit our website to learn more about the selected artists and their projects. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund and residents of the City of Northfield through the Percent for the Arts Initiative. 

 

 

               

 

Friends of Downtown Northfield Receives 2023 Main Street America Accreditation

City of Northfield, Community

The Friends of Downtown Northfield has again been designated as an Accredited Main Street America™ program for meeting rigorous performance standards. Each year, Main Street America and its partners announce the list of Accredited programs to recognize those programs’ exceptional commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach™.

“We are very proud to acknowledge this year’s 862 Accredited Main Street America programs, and their steadfast dedication to nurture economically and culturally vibrant downtown districts,” said Hannah White, Interim President & CEO of Main Street America. “The increase in the size and impact of our network speaks volumes to the power of the Main Street movement to respond to the needs of local communities and drive innovative solutions.”

Christopher Tassava, president of the board of the Friends of Downtown Northfield, said, “I am thrilled that the Friends have been reaccredited! It’s great to see that Main Street America has once again recognized the efforts of the organization and our allies and partners all around Northfield to help maintain a vibrant downtown.”

The Friends of Downtown Northfield’s performance is annually evaluated by Rethos, a Minnesota-based organization which works in partnership with Main Street America to identify local programs that meet rigorous national performance standards. To qualify for Accreditation status, communities like Northfield must meet a set of standards that include commitments to building grassroots revitalization programs, fostering strong public-private partnerships, nurturing economic opportunity for small businesses and entrepreneurs, and actively preserving historic places, spaces, and cultural assets.

During the past year, the Friends have formed a partnership with Riverwalk Market Fair to combine the Bridge Square Block Party series and the Saturday Riverwalk Market Fair into a new event, now known as Third Thursdays Downtown. The event features live music, specials from downtown shops and restaurants, family fun activities, and the mix of fine art, crafts, cottage foods, and farmers market that makes Riverwalk notable. Additionally, the Friends relaunched the Artists on Main Street program, which will take place over the summer of 2023 and create new public art works throughout the downtown area.  

In 2022, Main Street America programs generated $6.2 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 7,657 net new businesses, facilitated the creation of 29,174 net new jobs, catalyzed the rehabilitation of 10,688 historic buildings, and leveraged 1,528,535 volunteer hours. On average, for every dollar that a Main Street program spent to support their operations, it generated $24.07 of new investment back into their downtown communities.

Collectively, 2 million people live or work within the boundaries of designated Main Street America districts. An estimated workforce of 1.1 million people contributes their skills and expertise to advancing the missions of these historic downtowns and commercial corridors. 

Learn more about Main Street America.