As you watch this video, reflect on where you are from. What does it look, smell and feel like? What things are/were expected of you, and what have you left behind?
Curator’s Note
“Home. For some the concept is simple, for others it brings about tensions of belonging and identity. In 2016, we launched a Homecoming Residency out of Springboard’s rural office to help the community reconnect with artists who grew up in and around Fergus Falls, Minnesota, but who no longer live here.
“One of many Homecoming Artists who left an impact here was Wesley Fawcett Creigh, who worked with local residents to share their stories about how they came to live in Fergus Falls. Within this, the animation “Model Home” was created in collaboration with members of A Place to Belong, a mental health social club located in Fergus Falls’ downtown.
“In a time when conversations about place and identity have become binary - you’re either “from here” or you’re not, you’re urban or rural, you’re left or you’re right - Creigh’s Homecoming project is one of many artist-led projects in Fergus Falls that has contributed to a more nuanced narrative of rural places overall.”
– Michele Anderson, Rural Program Director
About the Artist
Wesley Fawcett Creigh’s work has often focused on sharing personal and community narratives as a means of promoting social justice for individuals and groups. Bringing these narratives to the forefront of the public’s awareness fosters social and political movement that addresses these societal inequalities and injustices. Contributions to the larger discourse are, in turn, contributions to progress. See more here.
About the Contributor and Organization
Laura Zabel, a member of the Commission on the Arts, is Executive Director of Springboard for the Arts.
Springboard for the Arts is an economic and community development organization for artists and by artists. From our offices in Fergus Falls and Saint Paul, MN, Springboard provides programs that help artists make a living and a life, and programs that help communities connect to the creative power of artists. Learn more here.
Additional Notes
Made in collaboration with A Place to Belong members in Fergus Falls, MN.
Directed and animated by Wesley Fawcett Creigh.
With support from Springboard for the Arts’ Hinge Arts at the Kirkbride Residency Program.
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Commission on the Arts
The Commission - drawing on the expertise of its members who are artists, scholars, activists, and leaders, as well as the input of people across the country who participated in listening sessions - dedicated itself to recognizing and supporting the essential role of the arts and artists in American life.