7:00-8:30pm, Thursday, March 9
Walker Cinema, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
FREE • Tickets available from the Walker beginning 6pm the night of the event
Minneapolis Parks Foundation’s timely Next Generation of Parks™ event is presented by Minnesota Public Radio and co-hosted with the Walker
The Minneapolis Parks Foundation and the Walker Art Center are co-hosting this Next Generation of Parks™ event, featuring Mark Johnson, co-founder and principal of Denver-based Civitas, with Minnesota Public Radio’s Stephanie Curtis. Uniting these three organizations is the theme of water: Through the Parks Foundation’s RiverFirst initiative to create new parks and trails on the Mississippi Riverfront; the Walker’s historic wetland restoration in the Sculpture Garden; and MPR’s water initiative.
In 2017, Minnesota’s “Year of Water Action,” we’re seeking new perspectives on how we – as individuals and a community – interact with the water around us through our parks and public space. In his lively presentation, internationally known landscape designer and urban planner, Mark Johnson, will present his powerful perspective on the most important impact of public space – how our thinking changes in the outdoors, and especially around water. In his talk, Johnson will reveal how seven different cities are reorienting their waterfronts for the human experience. In 2016, Civitas’ St. Patrick’s Island revitalization project in Calgary was named “Canada’s Great Public Space,” by the Canadian Institute of Planners because of its “mindful renewal and biophilia master plan – a landscape design approach that nurtures the bond between people and nature.” Geared toward making inspiring design accessible to everyone, Johnson hopes audience members will come away from his presentation saying, “I never thought of that before.”
About Mark Johnson
Mark Johnson is co-founder and principal of Civitas, a Denver-based landscape design and urban planning firm that has made waves throughout the United States with their work on urban waterfronts. He is a recognized thought-leader in the design of urban parks and public spaces and the reuse of brownfield and industrial sites. He led the urban design for the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan and, in the Twin Cities, recently completed the Lake Effect Signature Project plan in Wayzata, Minn.
Thank You to our 2016-2017 Partners & Sponsors
The 2016-2017 Next Generation of Parks™ Lecture Series is presented by Minnesota Public Radio and produced in partnership with the Walker Art Center and University of Minnesota Department of Landscape Architecture, with additional support from the Cynthia Froid Group. The Park Foundation is grateful for their support.
About the Minneapolis Parks Foundation
The Minneapolis Parks Foundation is an independent, donor-supported nonprofit organization that helps envision and execute transformative parks and public spaces. The Parks Foundation co-leads the RiverFirst Initiative with the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board and is responsible for private fundraising and implementation of the Water Works and Great Northern Greenway River Link projects. The Parks Foundation also supports innovative Minneapolis parks projects through equity funding and champions world-class design through its Next Generation of Parks™ Event Series. Learn more at MplsParksFoundation.org.
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Featured images courtesy Civitas