Pond-Dakota Mission Park Sculpture

The City of Bloomington’s Office of Creative Placemaking and Parks and Recreation Department, in partnership with the Okodakiciye Dakota Advisory Committee, invites public artists to submit qualifications for the design, fabrication, and installation of a site-specific sculpture at Pond-Dakota Mission Park, a site with deep Indigenous history and connections. This public art installation will enhance the park’s sense of place and identity while reflecting the history, culture, and values of the Dakota people. The design may engage with Dakota culture, history, language, the significance of the site or its connection to other culturally meaningful locations, and perspectives from past, present, or future, providing an opportunity to inform and inspire all who visit, work, and live in Bloomington. The Dakota have lived in Mní sota Makhóčhe, today known as Minnesota, for thousands of years.  Many Dakota consider the confluence of the Mni Sota Wakpa (Minnesota) and Wakpá Thánka (big river re: Mississippi) rivers to be the spiritual home and origin of their people. Bloomington is home to burial mounds found throughout the bluff, and was home to significant Dakota Villages of the Lower Minnesota River Valley, including Cloudman and Penasha. Pond-Dakota Mission Park is the site of the historic Oak Grove Mission and the 1856 Gideon and Agnes Pond House.  The historic Pond House was the dwelling of Gideon Pond and Agnes Hopkins Pond from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s. The Ponds served as missionaries to the Dakota Indians, and as farmers and ministers in the young community of Bloomington, Minnesota.  The park features many fun and educational programs held in the house and park throughout the year, including Dakota cultural programs such as an annual Dakota Language camp. The newest addition to the park is an Indigenous Plant Arboretum featuring a wide variety of important Indigenous plants and shrubs.  Projects such as this honor the indigenous history of the site and act as learning tools for visitors to the park. The Parks and Recreation Department manages an extensive system and hosts numerous activities and events throughout the year. In 2022, Parks and Recreation facilitated the establishment of a Dakota Advisory Group for the City. The group is called the Bloomington Okodakiciye, describing a partnership. The roles of the Bloomington Okodakiciye, as determined by the Dakota members of the group, are: 1.      To establish an agreement of consultation and collaboration with the Dakota Community and the City. 2.      To implement a process for determining accessibility, land use, and educational interpretation as it relates to the Dakota for land areas within the City of Bloomington. 3.      To educate and make explicit that Bloomington is on Dakota homeland with culturally competent historical accounts, Dakota language and signage, religious and cultural accessibility, and other considerations as determined by the Dakota Community and Bloomington with attention to cultural issues of importance. A Dakota public Arts project was determined by the Bloomington Okodakiciye to be a good step in helping tell the Dakota story in Bloomington and the Minnesota River Valley. Creative placemaking integrates arts, culture, and design to strengthen and connect communities. In 2021 Bloomington’s Creative Placemaking Commission commissioned a South Loop indigenous history report, “Lines on the Land: How Dakota Homeland Became Private Property,” written by Peter DeCarlo, and presented by Dr. Kate Beane and Peter DeCarlo in 2023.  As a result of the report, presentation, and presentation attendee survey responses, the Creative Placemaking Commission prioritized highlighting indigenous history in art projects. Since then, the Bloomington. Tomorrow, Together Strategic Plan , developed by hundreds of community members, prioritized the outcome of expanding Creative Placemaking efforts from South Loop District to citywide. During engagement for the development of the Citywide Creative Placemaking Plan, the desire to highlight the indigenous history of Bloomington was a prevalent theme. This partnership with Parks and Recreation and Dakota Bloomington Okodakiciye, artists and community members aligns with community feedback and creative placemaking goals to acknowledge and honor Native history, culture, and land. LOCATION The site of the sculpture will be at Pond-Dakota Mission Park (401 E 104th St, Bloomington, MN 55420), the site of the historic Oak Grove Mission and the 1856 Gideon and Agnes Pond House. The sculpture could be placed either in the area just west of the house or south of the house along the prairie overlook. The area will be determined by the selected artist and approved by the City. 

Notes

More Info: https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=17063

Eligibility: National

Call Type: Public Art

The City of Bloomington’s Office of Creative Placemaking and Parks and Recreation Department, in partnership with the Okodakiciye Dakota Advisory Committee, invites public artists to submit qualifications for the design, fabrication, and installation of a site-specific sculpture at Pond-Dakota Mission Park, a site with deep Indigenous history and connections. This public art installation will enhance the park’s sense of place and identity while reflecting the history, culture, and values of the Dakota people. The design may engage with Dakota culture, history, language, the significance of the site or its connection to other culturally meaningful locations, and perspectives from past, present, or future, providing an opportunity to inform and inspire all who visit, work, and live in Bloomington.
The Dakota have lived in Mní sota Makhóčhe, today known as Minnesota, for thousands of years.  Many Dakota consider the confluence of the Mni Sota Wakpa (Minnesota) and Wakpá Thánka (big river re: Mississippi) rivers to be the spiritual home and origin of their people. Bloomington is home to burial mounds found throughout the bluff, and was home to significant Dakota Villages of the Lower Minnesota River Valley, including Cloudman and Penasha.
Pond-Dakota Mission Park is the site of the historic Oak Grove Mission and the 1856 Gideon and Agnes Pond House.  The historic Pond House was the dwelling of Gideon Pond and Agnes Hopkins Pond from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s. The Ponds served as missionaries to the Dakota Indians, and as farmers and ministers in the young community of Bloomington, Minnesota.  The park features many fun and educational programs held in the house and park throughout the year, including Dakota cultural programs such as an annual Dakota Language camp. The newest addition to the park is an Indigenous Plant Arboretum featuring a wide variety of important Indigenous plants and shrubs.  Projects such as this honor the indigenous history of the site and act as learning tools for visitors to the park.
The Parks and Recreation Department manages an extensive system and hosts numerous activities and events throughout the year. In 2022, Parks and Recreation facilitated the establishment of a Dakota Advisory Group for the City. The group is called the Bloomington Okodakiciye, describing a partnership. The roles of the Bloomington Okodakiciye, as determined by the Dakota members of the group, are:
1.      To establish an agreement of consultation and collaboration with the Dakota Community and the City.
2.      To implement a process for determining accessibility, land use, and educational interpretation as it relates to the Dakota for land areas within the City of Bloomington.
3.      To educate and make explicit that Bloomington is on Dakota homeland with culturally competent historical accounts, Dakota language and signage, religious and cultural accessibility, and other considerations as determined by the Dakota Community and Bloomington with attention to cultural issues of importance. A Dakota public Arts project was determined by the Bloomington Okodakiciye to be a good step in helping tell the Dakota story in Bloomington and the Minnesota River Valley.
Creative placemaking integrates arts, culture, and design to strengthen and connect communities. In 2021 Bloomington’s Creative Placemaking Commission commissioned a South Loop indigenous history report, “Lines on the Land: How Dakota Homeland Became Private Property,” written by Peter DeCarlo, and presented by Dr. Kate Beane and Peter DeCarlo in 2023.  As a result of the report, presentation, and presentation attendee survey responses, the Creative Placemaking Commission prioritized highlighting indigenous history in art projects. Since then, the Bloomington. Tomorrow, Together Strategic Plan , developed by hundreds of community members, prioritized the outcome of expanding Creative Placemaking efforts from South Loop District to citywide. During engagement for the development of the Citywide Creative Placemaking Plan, the desire to highlight the indigenous history of Bloomington was a prevalent theme. This partnership with Parks and Recreation and Dakota Bloomington Okodakiciye, artists and community members aligns with community feedback and creative placemaking goals to acknowledge and honor Native history, culture, and land.
LOCATION
The site of the sculpture will be at Pond-Dakota Mission Park (401 E 104th St, Bloomington, MN 55420), the site of the historic Oak Grove Mission and the 1856 Gideon and Agnes Pond House. The sculpture could be placed either in the area just west of the house or south of the house along the prairie overlook. The area will be determined by the selected artist and approved by the City.