Creativity finds a home in Long Prairie
With the Long Prairie River winding its way around the bend at Long Prairie, flanked by our vast farmlands as a scenic backdrop, Long Prairie’s creative community finds infinite inspiration in building a vibrant arts scene. Opportunities for artistic development and enjoyment of cultural pleasures span the calendar with enriching possibilities.
Arts and Craft Fair
Long Prairie’s innovative events turn creativity into community affairs with our Arts and Craft Fair, held the Saturday after Thanksgiving. All are invited to this annual event held at the Long Prairie Grey-Eagle Secondary School where over 150 artists and exhibitors showcase their talent. It’s the perfect place to find that unique holiday gift, and visit with friends, while admiring the handiwork on display.
For questions or to reserve your space, call Luan Thomas-Brunkhorst at the Long Prairie Area Chamber of Commerce (320) 732-2514 or email chamber@longprairie.org.
Camphill Village
Inspiration knows no age bounds. Youth and adults discover their creative side while connecting to nature at Camphill Village. Camphill Village is part of the international Camphill movement for social renewal through community living. In its centers, people share life and work with children and adults with special needs.
Camphill holds an open house and second Sunday of September every year. They showcase and sell arts and crafts from the villagers. The public is invited to enjoy live music and browse among handmade rugs, wooden products, arts, cards and bakery goods. Visit the website here.
Long Prairie Chamber Orchestra
Throughout the year, concert and stage performances, including our renowned homegrown Long Prairie Chamber Orchestra’s, are held at the Long Prairie-Grey Eagle schools in the Spring, Fall, and on New Year’s Eve.
“The LPCO’s seasonal concerts were made possible, in part, by the voters of Minnesota, through grants from the Five Wings Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.”
Concert in the Park
Music in the great outdoors happens throughout the summer on Thursday nights with the free Concert in the Park Series. This showcase of musical talent is presented between the Veteran’s Memorial and the Christie House Museum located at the intersection of Central Ave and 1st St South and organized by the Long Prairie Area Chamber of Commerce. Come to dance, come to listen, no matter what your musical preference, it’s always great to enjoy music under the sky at dusk.
Long Prairie’s Thursday Night at the Park Concert Series runs from June – August. Performances are held on the street between the Veteran’s Memorial and the Christie House Museum located at the intersection of Central Ave and 1st St South. Concerts are FREE and all ages are welcome. Bring your lawn chair and enjoy the performances.
“The Concerts in the Park were made possible, in part, by the voters of Minnesota, through a grant from the Five Wings Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.”
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle Food and Consumer Science
Culinary creatives from the Long Prairie-Grey Eagle Food and Consumer Science class rally several times a year to provide food and refreshments for the Long Prairie Chamber Orchestra concerts. This combination of savory cuisine and tasteful music are signature events you won’t want to miss.
The Long Prairie-Grey Eagle Food and Consumer Science class also collaborates with the Senior Center every Thursday and offers the community a healthy, three-course meal.
Farmers Market
If you crave the taste of fresh vegetables and fruit you can restock your pantry every Friday from June through October with mouthwatering produce fresh from the field to your table at the Farmers Market in southeast Long Prairie.
Local creativity comes in many forms. For the more visually inclined, or culturally enriching mosaics and murals add to the comfortable vibe that surrounds our community — even our eye-catching seasonal changes add color to the wonder of living in the Long Prairie area.
Past, Present and Future
In the spring of 2003, the town of Long Prairie lost a family in a drug-related homicide. One year later, a school social worker, a police officer, a member of the clergy, and a business leader approached Minnesota artist Claire Witt. Her Blue Sky Project worked with members of the town to create a memorial aimed at community healing.
At artist-led workshops, over 250 community members made clay tiles and helped assemble what would become 600 square feet of storytelling mosaic. Sentence-to-Serve workers helped pour and shape the cement forms on which the mosaics were applied.
The resulting three concrete sculptures lie low to the ground, evoking a silent power. Each contains picture stories of Long Prairie's past and present, as well as hopes for the future.
The Sunflower Over Our Town
This mosaic mural is part of The Blue Sky Project, a series of public-made, public art projects that focus on community health and ethics. Minnesota artist Claire Witt began creating these projects following 9/11 in an effort to give people an opportunity to work together and beautify their parks, schools, and churches. This is Blue Sky Project no. 9 installed in 2017.
Over 300 volunteers made clay tiles, cut mirror and industrial tile, and helped compose this picture of a small peaceful town that rests under the strong arms of a giant sunflower. The haiku poems on the mosaic describe “Our Town”.
“The Blue Sky Mosaic Project was made possible, in part, by the voters of Minnesota, through a grant from the Five Wings Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
Colors of the Prairie
Abraham Burciaga’s desire in creating this mural was to combine elements of Long Prairie, Minnesota, and the current vision of the town into one piece highlighting the essential features that bring all of these together. Inspired by “Guernica” by Pablo Picasso, the mural draws from iconic elements to describe the life and growth of Long Prairie. The symbols and colors chosen represent a bigger reality than a first glance might provide.
The children in the painting represent the youth of Long Prairie (and the world) and are based on the familiar Japanese image of the three monkeys who see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil. Burciaga’s idea for the children in the painting was to flip the Japanese myth in order to enlighten us on how the future depends on the children’s decisions and how their decisions depend on their observations, their ability to listen, and the opportunities they take to speak their mind. This mural highlights the importance of paying attention to our current times and encourages youth to be the solution to our problems and issues.
“The Colors of the Prairie Mural was made possible, in part, by the voters of Minnesota, through a grant from the Five Wings Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.”