“The idea behind the procession is the people of this land, the first people and the next and the next, all walking on the same path towards my ancestral burial mounds up on Mounds Park,” Bobby Wilson said, describing a new 500-foot art installation on St. Paul’s east side.
A massive mural stretching over 500 feet along Mounds Boulevard in St. Paul aims to welcome visitors to a 27-acre sacred site, MPR News reported. Titled “The Procession of St. Paul,” the artwork features vibrant imagery of animals marching south toward Wakaŋ Tipi, formerly known as the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary.
Wakaŋ Tipi Awaŋyaŋkapi, a Dakota-led nonprofit overseeing the sacred site and the Wic̣aḣapi burial site on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, began work on the project four years ago. The organization secured support from the city of St. Paul alongside funding from Public Art St. Paul and the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council.
Maggie Lorenz, executive director of the nonprofit and a Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa citizen and Dakota descendant, said the group wanted an installation that clearly marks the area as a cultural destination.
“The idea was to create something that kind of indicated that this is a cultural place,” Lorenz said. “We also wanted to express that this is a place that’s open for everybody — a place that is welcoming for everybody from different cultural backgrounds.”
Collaborative Community Art
The nonprofit partnered with artist Bobby Wilson and several local creators to bring the mural to life along the roadway near Interstate 94. Wilson, a Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota citizen from North Dakota, grew up in St. Paul’s east side and spent most of his life in the Twin Cities metro area before relocating to Arizona.
Beyond his visual art, Wilson is known for his writing and producing work on television series including “Reservation Dogs,” “Rutherford Falls” and “Echo.” For this project, he chose to represent the area’s cultural diversity through a march of animals, featuring figures like a bison, an elephant, and a beaver.
“I wanted to expand the narrative a bit further, in that there are so many local communities that have been here now for a few generations — Hmong refugees, Black people, Somali,” Wilson said. “All of these people that we see, and I’ve gone to high school, middle school with [and] I grew up around — I wanted to see their faces represented on the wall.”
Representing East Side Neighborhoods
Wilson assigned specific neighborhood roles to the mural’s animal figures to better reflect the diverse population of St. Paul’s east side. The design features characters engaged in everyday community life along the route.
“We have like a Hmong elephant who works at Super America,” Wilson said. “A big giant buffalo in his Metro Transit uniform.”
The artist said that viewers do not need background knowledge of the specific cultural references to grasp the core message of the 500-foot painting. The figures all share the same direction of travel along the boulevard.
“In spite of all of these characters being so different from each other, they all are here on this land,” Wilson said. “This is where we’re at, and we’re in it together.”
Project Details
Wakaŋ Tipi Awaŋyaŋkapi spent four years planning and securing funding for the Mounds Boulevard mural project before its completion.
- Length: More than 500 feet along Mounds Boulevard.
- Lead Artist: Bobby Wilson, in collaboration with local community artists.
- Funding Partners: The city of St. Paul, Public Art St. Paul, and the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council.
- Destination: Wakaŋ Tipi, a 27-acre sacred site near Interstate 94.
What Is Wakaŋ Tipi and Who Funded the Mural Project?
What is Wakaŋ Tipi?
Wakaŋ Tipi is a 27-acre sacred site formerly known as the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary, located on St. Paul’s east side. The site is overseen by Wakaŋ Tipi Awaŋyaŋkapi, a Dakota-led nonprofit organization.
Who funded the mural project?
The four-year project received support from the city of St. Paul, alongside financial backing from Public Art St. Paul and the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council.
Where does Bobby Wilson live now?
Wilson is a citizen of the Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota who grew up in St. Paul’s east side and lived in the Twin Cities metro area for most of his life before relocating to Arizona.
Related reading