Surrounded by railing for physical distancing measures, Twin Cities artist Siglind Dial put the finishing touches on artwork Saturday afternoon near the corner of 6th and Nicollet in downtown Minneapolis.
Dial's work is among a handful of pieces on Nicollet Avenue created by area artists for the Downtown Minneapolis Street Art Festival hosted by the Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District.
"At first it was really stressful. The anxiety was coming because everything has been so weird this year, and really the past three years honestly," Dial said. "When I saw this was coming I was like 'Well, this could make or break my business.'"
Dial was able to find some relief, or a life saver, by qualifying for unemployment during the pandemic as an independent contractor as an artist.
"I do notice that I've really missed going to art shows, doing art shows, and live painting," Dial said. "I feel like something's missing all the time and I feel like what's missing is people seeing my artwork."
Dial's artwork is mostly sold online meaning the customer/seller interaction isn't there.
"When I sell a painting it goes to the person who buys it and then I never get to see their reaction unless they hit me back up on social media," Dial said. "I've just been hoping that they like my stuff, sending it out into the world, and hoping it goes well. Right now it feels good to have people seeing my artwork in downtown."
Dial, who took part in the first Downtown Minneapolis Street Art Festival last year with a number of other artists, also created a mural in in honor of George Floyd in early June in front of Infinite Vapor in Uptown. That murals was one of hundreds that popped up across the Twin Cities in the days and weeks after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police on May 25th.
The new artwork along Nicollet and Hennepin comes to downtown Minneapolis at a time of uncertainty for the area riddled with crime, COVID-19 fears, and the aftermath of Floyd's death.
Related Downtown Minneapolis businesses grapple with COVID-19 and safety concerns
Enjoy a socially distanced stroll through #OnNicollet and Hennepin starting August 16ththroughout the month and check out all the street art from local Minnesotan and nationalartists at the Mpls Street Art Festival. #MplsDID #MplsStreetArtFest pic.twitter.com/72mRxlfpBl
— Downtown Minneapolis Street Art Festival (@MplsStArtFest) August 13, 2020The art will remain in downtown Minneapolis over the next few weeks starting Sunday, August 16.
"This festival is just the Downtown Improvement District trying to get artists from the cities and surrounding areas to make art for everyone, especially right now," Dial said. "We're all socially distanced and barricaded off so people can walk by and see the artwork without having to go into a building."
