Red Wing Creative Laureate Program

The Creative Laureate Program, established earlier this year by the City of Red Wing’s Arts & Culture Commission, offers financial support and guidance to selected artists to design and implement a community-engaged art project.

After carefully evaluating applicants this spring, the commission is introducing its first three creative laureates and the projects they plan to develop.

Lora Skelton has been an artist all her life, and after making the difficult decision to close her photography business in Red Wing to focus on caring for her son with autism, she noticed a downward trend in her creative work.

Having recently rekindled her love for art, she wants to offer a series of workshops to help other caregivers of children with special needs express themselves and

Megan Tsui, who got involved in the creation of the Arts & Culture Commission years ago, was recognized for her project, Between the Bricks: Tiny Stories. It envisions worlds of miniature figures telling stories of Red Wing’s past, present, and imagined future in a long-vacant display case between Phileo Style and Excel Financial on Main Street downtown.

Community members will be invited to submit reflections, memories, or other Red Wing moments through an online form or QR code near the installation, and those submissions will be used to inspire four to six rotating scenes.

Jessica Zuehlke advocates for the importance of theater and storytelling at all levels, including locally. Through Our Stories: OUTLOUD, Zuehlke intends to promote literacy and stimulate conversation through live literature performances, engaging local writers, storytellers, and performers.

Expanding on Zuehlke’s production of Mark Twain: OUTLOUD, which was recently performed in conjunction with the Big Turn Music Fest, this pilot project aims to go a step further by identifying an ongoing space or venue where locally written literature can be performed live.