Last week, I went with my 11th-grade theology discipleship class to visit the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis and the Katherine Nash Art Gallery at the University of Minnesota. I haven’t been on a field trip since elementary school, and while I wasn’t very excited about the school work I would be missing, I was excited to learn something new by visiting other places.
At the Basilica, we took a tour of the building, specifically looking at sacred art and depictions of Mary. You don’t have to be Catholic to appreciate that the Basilica is a beautiful building. We were able to admire the stained glass, different statues, and many paintings.
One of the main reasons we went there was to see art pieces we had previously talked about in class as part of our social justice unit. One of these was the Homeless Jesus statue placed outside the Basilica. It was so much more impactful to see this statue and touch it in person rather than just looking at photos. It was a similar experience to viewing the rest of the paintings and art inside the building: seeing the art in person made it easier to appreciate and made for a more authentic experience. For example, we got to see Our Lady of Guadalupe and paintings of many saints that decorated the altar.
While going to the Basilica was a wonderful experience, I had been there before. The Katherine Nash Art Gallery, on the other hand, was new and exciting, and quickly became my favorite part of the trip. The gallery currently houses graffiti and murals saved from the uprisings in 2020 by Memorialize the Movement. It was also interactive; we could touch the murals and take as many pictures as we wished.
These protest murals were created on pieces of plywood and boards that covered up storefronts after George Floyd’s murder in 2020. We listened to Amira McLendon, art curator for Memorialize the Movement (MTM), talk about her experience with the art and their mission to preserve these protest pieces. Their goal is to ensure the uprisings and the effect they had on our community aren’t forgotten.
MTM has since collected over 1000 pieces of art created during and after the uprisings and has displayed them in multiple temporary galleries throughout the city. The Katherine Nash Art Gallery is the most current one. Unlike other art galleries, we could touch the art and take pictures, which helped the impact of the art sink in.
My favorite art piece was the Community Painted Mini Murals/Plywood Quilt with its many messages conveyed through the different squares of wood. I learned more about the feelings of many people during the uprisings that I hadn’t otherwise known (also, the art itself was incredible. I wish I had this artistic talent). There were squares supporting gay rights, protesting Indigenous land being taken, and ones appreciating the beauty of nature, as well as paintings protesting police brutality.
Furthermore, there was a piece of plywood in the middle of the exhibition as an invitation to contribute to the art in the gallery. You could write the name of someone impacted by police brutality, or a message for the community. The interactive piece reminded people of the reality of police brutality that still exists today—these uprisings weren’t the end of violence against African Americans.
All of these murals were incredible, and so much more impactful when I saw them in person, rather than the distant digital photos we viewed in class. Because I was quite young when these uprisings were happening and I didn’t live in the heart of Minneapolis, I never saw much of this art or realized its importance. Now, after visiting the Katherine Nash Art Gallery, I have more of a sense of what people experienced during the uprisings and realize the importance of preserving this art. It’s incredibly important for a lot of people, and preserving the art makes sure this history will never be forgotten. I was struck by the anger and sadness of many of these pieces and despite my initial hesitation to miss class, it was more incredible and impactful than I ever could have imagined. If anyone ever has the chance, I’d strongly recommend visiting either of these places.