This past Saturday marked the launch of the 2021 Posters for Parks sale, which benefits local artists and local parks through the People for Parks Fund. Forty artists were selected to provide original poster designs inspired by the Minneapolis park systemand their experiences within them. This year’s show is a stunning collection that together capture the myriad ways in which people enjoy our parks and the ways in which these public spaces shape our lives. During our 2021 Presale on October 23, we sold a record 437 posters to people in more than 20 states. 

I have written before about the powerful connection between art and parks. This connection is part of Minneapolis parks history, including the formal arrangement that created the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the newly redesigned Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, nearly 200 works of public art throughout the system, and seemingly infinite works of art capturing the beauty and mystical qualities our parks hold.

Parks, like art, illuminate something outside and beyond our own experience. Parks stir within us a promise of something even better, a new perspective we hadn’t considered, or a wonder discovered anew. The mission of the Minneapolis Parks Foundation is found within that promise. While often constrained within the realities of budgets, timelines, and the politics of the day, we can bring to life fresh delights that transform lives. 

Similarly, a familiar work of art we see each day can meet us differently over time, much like our parks. Each of us who live in Minneapolis have a park we frequent more than others – and depending on the time of day, slant of sun, or activities within it, the potential to recognize something different is ever-present. Likewise, each poster this year presents a view of the natural world that has the power to change the way you see our parks, the creatures within them, and the people who love them.

We’re grateful to the artists who shared their talent this year, to our presenting partner LoveMplsParks, and to Parks Foundation donors who help this event possible through their general operating support.

With proceeds from Posters for Parks, the Parks Foundation reinvests in the community and make a real difference in the park system and all of us who benefit from it. This year, the People for Parks Fund distributed grants to six community-led priorities that demonstrate in different ways how parks can transform lives.

With another successful Posters sale well under way, we hope to do even more in 2022. There is still time to purchase posters by following this link. And if you’re inspired to get even more involved – let us know. We will continue to expand the People for Parks Fund Advisory Committee and are looking for a few new people who share a commitment to inspiring others through our parks to join our work.