photo by Terra Sura Photography
Roseville in Bloom
Roseville in Bloom featured artist Shakun Maheshwari
Coming to Roseville next month is Roseville in Bloom, a free, outdoor public art project installation brought forth by Visit Roseville that will boast 20 rose statues designed by regional artists.
The 20 artists have been hard at work designing their roses, pots and bases (each weighing over 650 pounds) inside the Merchandise Mart building at the State Fairgrounds. This weekend, the statues will be finished with a protective coating by Mendota Heights company TivoliToo—the same one that built the Peanuts character statues for Saint Paul's "Peanuts on Parade" public art project—and placed around various sponsor display locations around the city of Roseville, including Bent Brewstillery, Rosedale Center, and Kids in Need Minnesota.
The roses, on display through October, are all designed by local and regional artists including notable Twin Cities illustrator Adam Turman, whose "Discover" rose will live in Central Park on Lexington Ave., and fashion designer (and former project runway contestant) Christopher Straub, who is creating a "Petals on the Runway" rose that will reside near Entrance A (near JCPenney and SeaQuest) outside of Rosedale Center.
“We received so many stunning artist design concepts for the roses, and all sponsors were thrilled with their choice,” said Julie Wearn, CEO of Visit Roseville, in a press release. “We just wish that we had more roses available to design because we had to leave some brilliant designs on the table." Visit Roseville received over 80 submissions from 65 artists.
According to the press release, one of the goals for the public art project was to bring together artists whose work represents and pays homage to cultural diversity in Minnesota. For instance, artist Shakun Maheshwari’s rose will reside at McCarrons Lake for the Rose & Larpenter Alliance, with a theme of “Color and Culture,” while artist Kao Lee Thao will create a “Hmong Story Cloth” rose design that will be displayed at the Doubletree by Hilton Roseville Minneapolis hotel. TivoliToo is also designing a statue.
To celebrate the displays, Visit Roseville is planning a series of free, public events for safe, contactless interaction, including a digital scavenger hunt where people can scan a code on each rose and receive offers and discounts from Roseville in Bloom sponsors—shops, restaurants and entertainment venues. Keep your eyes peeled for a complete list of events and activities coming soon, as well as downloadable rose maps, slated to go live later this month. visitroseville.com
