MINOT, North Dakota – Thanks to the Aggie Foundation, a $3,000 donation to the Minot Area Council of the Arts (MACA) was made to help fund the community Union Silos Public Art Project.
Tim Baumann, Organizer; Cole Krueger, Community Organizer; and Justin Anderson, Project Fiscal Agent shared the importance that this project will have on the Minot community and why financial support is extremely appreciated.
“The artist only does one work of art of this scale per state, so we become the work for the state of North Dakota. He is working on building this kind of nationwide monuments tour, where one work is in each state and you can travel from state to state catching all of his works,” Tim mentioned.
When asked about what would be on the silos, Cole replied, “part of this process is really going to be the artist coming over here, meeting with the people that make up this community, hearing from people who have a long long history here, about how Minot came to be, where Minot is at today, the things we have gone through and really use that to inspire what ultimately will be up on the silos.”
“A project this large is sometimes really daunting for a community to look at, but when we have lead donors and organizations like the Aggie Foundation that are willing to step up it lays the groundwork and the foundation that we need as an organization to continue to welcome the community into this project so that they can be engaged and involved,” Tim explained.
Justin added, “This is going to be a legitimate project that will have the opportunity to be seen as a thing, nationwide and not only that, but worldwide…Guido has an international following, but the attention that it draws is going to support the local community by those people stopping downtown, by those people seeing a massive piece of art in a small community that then leads them to discover what an incredible arts community that this small town has.”
The Aggie Foundation supports a broad spectrum of local organizations in fulfilling their missions in North Dakota. In the last quarter, Aggie Foundation donated over $6,000 to Minot arts organizations.
“It’s important that we come together to support art and culture in small, local communities. Art helps bring people together, enhances our collective quality of life, and increases diversity,” said Terry Peterson, Aggie Foundation Board President. “By supporting art in our local communities, we are investing in our collective future – it’s not just about appreciating creativity and beauty, but also about creating meaningful connections that will be lasting.”
The Union Silos Public Art Project is a project that will turn the grain silos at 318 1st Ave NE into North Dakota’s largest work of public art. The silos will be painted on all four sides by world known artist, Guido van Helten, starting in June of 2023. The project cost $350,000, which comes down to roughly $6 per person in Minot. The art will be visible from all across town and attract art seekers to our downtown community. Currently, their team is almost 40% to their goal in just a few short months.
If you are interested in learning more or donating, please visit their website ndunionsilos.com or their Facebook page (@NDUnionSilos).
The Aggie Foundation was established in 2012 by a group of friends from Velva, ND. The Foundation initially supported its mission of charitable giving via a modest, yearly scholarship provided to a Senior from Velva who excelled in Biology. They began to help raise funds for citizens in need, schools, youth sports, and local organizations or groups doing good things in Velva and the surrounding communities. Their expansion as a broad grant-provider and community partner allows them to support organizations across North Dakota working with community leaders to identify which organizations are in need of economic assistance.
For more information regarding Aggie Foundation, e-mail aggiefoundation@gmail.com. Visit Aggie Foundation’s Facebook page (@AggieFoundation) or website (aggiefoundation.com) for updates and information about the communities they’re currently active in and ways they are supporting local organizations.
