Northern Spark art festival this summer explores the theme, “What the World Needs Now.” This year’s festival will take place along University Avenue and downtown in St. Paul, MN on Saturday, June 11, 2022 from 9 pm – 2 am. A Closing Event will follow from 2 am – 5:30 am on Raspberry Island in downtown St. Paul along the Mississippi River.
Join us at Rondo Library for a Paj Ntaub display (Hmong cross stitching), Jin paper burning ritual, an imaginary feast activity, bookmark making, and a film screening! We're excited to celebrate the beginning of summer with artists who care deeply about our communities! Find more details at this link https://2022.northernspark.org... and in the descriptions below.
Paj Ntaub Display
Artists: Pang Xiong, Sandy Lo, and Mai Vang
This project is inspired by a local Saint Paul Hmong Elder and her story of resilience and creating new found friendships through the creation of a community paj ntaub (cross-stitch cloth), where she collected threads from other refugees in the camp to create a unique and beautiful cross-stitch piece, all while in times of uncertainty living in a Thailand refugee camp. Rondo Library will provide cross stitching packets, so participants can create their own paj ntaub square. You will also find books about paj ntaub and small objects that contextualize the practice.
Jin Paper Ceremony
Artists: Xiaolu Wang and Peng Wu
Xiaolu Wang and Peng Wu will bring the Jin Paper Burning Ritual to Rondo Library as a workshop to create a safe space where one can transform their grief and return to a collective practice of rituals. Meditating on “Dr. Bayo Akomolafe’s question “what if the way we respond to crisis is part of the crisis?” Xiaolu will bring writing prompts for participants to respond to their relationship to change, ambiguous loss, the non-existence of closure, and our non-human relatives. With the company of fire, participants have the choice to share their stories of ancestral connection, irreconcilable experiences, and prayers for the ghosts to alchemize each other’s indescribable joys and sorrows.
Feast of Imagination
Artist: Cecilia Mazumdar Stanger
What does the world need now? Shared meals provide a wonderful opportunity to tell stories, taste new and familiar foods, and learn about people seated around your table. Sometimes we can't all be together in the same room, so tonight you are invited to play make-believe. Get to know friends who have come before you, and share the fruits of your own imagination at our communal "feast".
Bookmark Making
Artist: Bob Pollard
This hands-on activity allows participants to make a bookmark and/or art print using a block previously created by the instructor, and using a small, simple to use tabletop printing press (with the assistance of the instructor). Each print only takes a few seconds to make and is fun for all ages. On the back side of the bookmark is a pre-printed, line art mandala design that can be colored in later by the participant.
Rondo Neighborhood Film Screening
Artists: Frogtown Radio
Activity: Rondo Library will host a screening of Rooted In Rondo and a short panel discussion with the filmmakers (film will be presented on a loop after the discussion).
This event is generously supported in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.