Water Bar
Water Bar served up flights of local tap waters at the Northern Spark Festival to promote conversations around stewardship of local water resources.
Overview
Project Details
City: Minneapolis
Type: Community Grant (formerly Mini Grant)
Status: Completed
Timeline: 2015
MWMO Funding: $3,000
Partners: Bluestem Communications, Mississippi River Network, Works Progress Studio, 1 Mississippi, River Life—University of Minnesota
Adam Flett
Communications and Outreach Specialist
612-746-4988
Email Adam Flett
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Through partnerships linking academia, art and water stewardship, Bluestem Communications and the Works Progress art studio brought a Water Bar exhibit to the Northern Sparks Arts Festival. Local water experts and volunteers served as “water bartenders” and served visitors flights of local tap waters from three different drinking water sources. Visitors were also invited to read educational materials and share their thoughts on water as they tasted, compared, and discussed the different water samples. This experience sparked deeper conversations about water quality, the personal meaning of water and how individuals and communities can partner to protect it.
More than 2,000 people attended the event and more than 60 signed up to become “River Citizens” with the 1 Mississippi campaign. The success of this event helped the River Life program start a 1 Mississippi advocacy group at the University of Minnesota. It also contributed to the Water Bar project finding a permanent home on Central Avenue in Northeast Minneapolis. Water Bar has spurred partnerships and collaborations as its community of advocates push to improve water quality issues locally, regionally and nationally.