CELEBRATING 35 YEARS WITH THE CEDAR MURAL
In memory of Erik, a devoted music lover and generous supporter of The Cedar Cultural Center, his family chose to donate the memorials received after his passing in 2022 to our organization. Erik’s family—Mike, Karel, Paul, and Glen—wanted the memorial gifts to be used for something that could be freely enjoyed by the surrounding neighborhood. With this vision in mind, we decided to install a large-scale mural on the outside of the building.
INTERVIEW WITH HIBAAQ + LESLIE
We enlisted two incredible muralists, Leslie Barlow and Hibaaq Ibrahim, to design and install the mural. Additionally, Joan Vorderbruggen, who managed both the Prince and Bob Dylan murals in downtown Minneapolis, guided us through the process. The project was further supported by the West Bank Business Association, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and The Harlan Boss Foundation for the Arts, with Sunbelt Rentals providing essential in-kind support.
Hibaaq Ibrahim
Leslie Barlow
Hibaaq
What are you most excited about with this project?
I’m super excited to finally be able to paint a friend with Leslie. We have been dreaming of this for quite a while. And to hopefully create something treasured by the residents of the area.
Tell us about how the design came together, what were you hoping to accomplish? Leslie and I both had our own designs first but were needing help with the areas the other specializes in. I’m great with color and botanical designs and Leslie is a wizard with portraits. We reached out to one another and actually requested CCC let us do this together! We were hoping to create something vibrant and representative of the community. We want this mural to be a recognizable part of Cedar Riverside like so many other murals have become for various neighborhoods in MPLS.
Is there anything about the design that would be of special interest? One of my favorite parts of the design is that a lot of the plants can be found in Minnesota! There are also colors that are culturally specific to various ethnic groups residing in Cedar Riverside. It’s not super literal but we hope people will pick up on it or at least feel a connection to them.
The two of you have collaborated in the past, but this is your first large scale collaboration. Tell us about how you see this as a special moment in the larger scope of your practice?
This mural is in a very visible area. Leslie and I are both excited about the significance of that and having the opportunity to showcase our work this way. Painting is our passion but it’s also a way we get to speak to people. It’s a way we get to be visible and also bring visibility to a community. And it’s just fun to know we will be one part of making this area welcoming and pretty!
Anything else about your background and experience that you think people would be interested in as it relates to this project?
I think it’s cool to note that we are both black women who have a connection to this area; as youth workers and as past youth. We are not always what people picture when they see large scale murals like this. In most of this country, muralilists and working artists are largely represented by the white population. Part of the draw of this mural and community paint day is to provide representation, for young people especially, as black artists. We both have so many positive experiences getting to talk to young people about what it’s like to be working and thriving black artists. Hopefully this mural will inspire some budding young artists.
Leslie
What are you most excited about with this project?
I love the challenge of scale with a large outdoor mural like this one, because it becomes a full-body and fully present experience with the work and the environment that you are painting in. I also can't wait to paint with Hibaaq, we've talked for years about leading on a mural project together and we finally get to do that here!
Tell us about how the design came together, what were you hoping to accomplish?
Hibaaq and I were in separate conversations with the Cedar about mural ideas, unbeknownst to either of us. When I reached out to Hibaaq asking if she would be a part of this project with me, we laughed when we found out she was going to reach out to me for the exact same reason! So it was serendipitous (cosmic?) the way it all came together. We merged our designs to create a mural that spoke to both of our strengths and also celebrated the Cedar, this community, and incorporated the initial prompts the Cedar provided. We hope this mural can be a beloved and important visual anchor to this part of Cedar-Riverside.
Is there anything about the design that would be of special interest?
You know when you're a kid and you look at an image of a bunch of characters––and you debate between your friends and fam which ones best represent each of you? I'm hoping this mural brings that kind of joy and curiosity and play. All the different performers represented amongst Hibaaq's botanicals allows folks to see themselves as they are, or anew.
The two of you have collaborated in the past, but this is your first large scale collaboration, tell us about how you see this as a special moment in the larger scope of your practice?
Oh my gosh it is a dream. I love Hibaaq so much and we've gotten to paint alongside each other a few times, but it was kind of always our hope to collaborate and lead on a larger project together someday. The location of this mural is particularly significant to me as well. I grew up in South Minneapolis and spent part of my youth and young adulthood in this exact area hanging out with friends, eating at the restaurants + bars, supporting local businesses, and of course going to the Cedar. Now I teach at the Regis Center for Art at the University of Minnesota, just a short walk away, and support young artists in discovering what art means to them. It's an important and beautiful thing to give back to a place that has been meaningful to your upbringing and life, and I see making public art a part of that.
Anything else about your background and experience that you think people would be interested in as it relates to this project?
What Hibaaq said.
