Gone without regional and national recognition, over the years the City of Roseville has been overlooked and even mistaken for being somewhere in St. Paul. In 2016, the Visit Roseville partnered with DestinationNext to strategically plan and determine priorities for Visit Roseville to pursue in the future to receive more recognition. After taking a self-assessment using an online diagnostic toolkit, Visit Roseville was able to establish a course of action. It was recommended that the city curate a signature event and campaign for better name acknowledgement.
Minnesota is home to a plethora of talented artists and outdoor art installations like the Minneapolis Sculpture Gardens and the “Peanuts on Parade,” so it’s no surprise that the city of Roseville has expressed interest in showcasing art in its parks, too. Visit Roseville knew that incorporating art into its signature event would be the way to go. “We took that idea and after an initial conference call with Tivoli Too – the same local company that created all the Peanuts characters – they presented us with a six-foot-tall rose growing out of a cement base. Since we want the community to embrace this project, we formed a Roseville in Bloom Committee of key players and groups in the city. Wayne Groff, sitting on the committee as a representative for Arts Roseville, took the idea back to the board and they suggested adding a pot for more space to paint and that idea resulted in our final seven-foot-tall rose concept,” says Julie Wearn, CEO of Visit Roseville.
The rose concept is an obvious subject choice, with a total of 20 sculptures to signify the upcoming year. Additionally, to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Visit Roseville opening its doors and selling the City of Roseville as a destination since 2000. “It is our intent to get residents and tourists out and about in our parks, restaurants, hotels and shops as they discover where the roses are located all around town, promote it on all social media channels and start a 11-month marketing campaign that kicks off mid-November and continues through September 2020. We are marketing in a five-state area to special interest art groups, we will target individuals visiting Minneapolis Sculpture Gardens, individuals who visit museums and like public art. We also think this will appeal to meeting planners for group outings,” says Wearn.
Making the art project free and open to the public allows for the city to connect and participate, instilling a sense of pride in residence and awe in visitors. The event is available to anyone, whether you consider yourself a professional or amateur artist. For those who are interested, apply between now and Jan. 31, 2020. Participating artists will be given an honorarium of $2,000 to help cover costs.
Adam Turman, a local artist who became inspired to get involved with Roseville in Bloom has been commissioned to create a piece of art as one of the rose artists. “I could not be more excited to work on a project that challenges me and my artistic skills on a three-dimensional format. Plus, the opportunity to be involved with a campaign that brings a wide variety of artists together, whose takes are wildly different, is unique and inspirational for any creative person,” says Turman. “Every piece of art I create and every client that I represent is an honor for me. I do my best to make imagery that people love and want to embrace. If someone can find a personal connection in my art, that is the best gift I can both give and receive. Making people happy with my art is what gives me the reason to do what I do.”
In accordance with the “Roseville in Bloom” event, other events will be taking place in the area, including a school supply drive for Kids in Need in July, the May Paint Off event open to the public, a replica rose coloring contest at the Roseville Library for kids and weekly photo contests. Visit Roseville is also working with Because Collective to coordinate a Trolley Tour Kick-Off event to stop and see all the rose sculptures, a public picnic in a park for everyone with ‘Rose’ in their name, Bee Kind Flower Power Day, a Rose Inspired Fashion show at Rosedale Center, “Rose and Shine” early morning yoga (or “Roga”) at a rose location and a Rose floral design competition.
“We want [‘Roseville in Bloom’] to reflect what an incredibly vibrant, green, diverse city Roseville is. We are an urban oasis in a big city with 679 acres of green space in our parks, a nationally recognized retail center in Rosedale, name brand hotels, craft breweries, locally owned restaurants and a diverse population of different cultures, ethnic backgrounds, and religions. We are a community learning from one another to respect other humans, not just people of our own “type”. We are working with the Rice Larpenteur Gateway Community – a group made up of eight different cultures – to find an artist to create their statue for the McCarron’s Lake park,” says Wearn.
