Hopkins, Minnesota is a small city just west of Minneapolis with a population of just under 20K, and a charming downtown featuring a traditional Main Street which is home to a variety of shops, restaurants, an art center, breweries, coffee cafés, a wine bar, and more. This close knit community is also the first city in Minnesota to officially partner with the Audubon Mural Project, an initiative that came together through a collaborative effort between local govt., local businesses and local residents., and is a prime example of how small town America can have a big impact.
The Audubon Mural Project is a national public-art initiative from the National Audubon Society that aims to bring awareness to bird species that are highly vulnerable to extinction via beautiful, engaging public works of art featuring birds in desperate need of conservation. To date, there are over 140 murals completed nationwide, the Hopkins murals are the first in the state of Minnesota.
With over 389 bird species, almost half of the North American bird population, threatened with extinction, the city believes it is an important time to bring awareness to this issue.
“The Hopkins Birds Murals and the Audubon Mural Project brings together art, community and conservation in a powerful way,” said City of Hopkins Mayor Patrick Hanlon. “In Hopkins, we’re proud to lead this national movement, using creativity to inspire awareness about climate change and celebrating the natural beauty that connects us all. These murals reflect our community’s commitment to a more vibrant and sustainable future.”
The Audubon Mural Project in Hopkins was spearheaded by local resident Françoise Shirley, who worked with City staff, the Hopkins Center for the Arts, the Hopkins Public Art Committee, local small businesses and the Land of Lakes Bird Alliance to bring the project to life. The City commissioned three Twin Cities based artists to complete three murals in Downtown Hopkins featuring 7 birds from the Audubon Society’s Vulnerable Species list for Hennepin County, the county in which Hopkins is located.
Birds featured are the Red-headed Woodpecker and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker painted by artist Adam Turman, the Clay-colored Sparrow and Field Sparrow by Audrey Carver and the Golden-winged Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, and Indigo Bunting by Kada Goalen.
“It was heartwarming and rewarding to see how the community united behind this project and its mission to bring awareness to the vulnerability of our birds,” said community liaison Françoise Shirley. “We look out our window and see birds, we love them, enjoy them and expect them to always be there. Sadly, they are declining at a massive rate. Their role in our overall ecosystem is crucial. Without them, the entire system is in trouble. The plight of our birds is the plight of all living creatures.”
Three local businesses, Hoagie’s (a 50’s style diner), Dragonland Tattoo and LTD Brewing, agreed to host the murals on their buildings. In addition, the City and downtown businesses joined forces to celebrate the unveiling of the bird murals with a number of community educational events for birders of all ages. Hopkins kicked off the introduction of the murals by proclaiming a Hopkins Migratory Bird Day in conjunction with World Migratory Bird Day.
Additional events include an informational booth at the Hopkins Farmers Market, a Birds & Brews get together at local coffee and beer café Cream & Amber, a Kids Birds workshop at local toy store kiddywampus in conjunction with local Little Birdie Buddy book author Heather Boschke, a responsible backyard birding class and bird mural tour with the Hopkins Activity Center, and an Art Meets Conservation bird mural tour with the Hopkins Center for the Arts. Local elementary school, Alice Smith Elementary, will also be joining the project by having its students paint a vulnerable bird mural to be hosted on school grounds this school year.
You can find additional details about the Hopkins Bird Murals here and on the Hopkins Center for the Arts website.
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