From May 2022 to April 2023, I am teamed up with Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth, Minnesota to create a year’s worth of community-inspired artworks.

Click to see exhibit photos

Each month, I set up a craft table at the Aquarium to engage with visitors and discover the different ways they experience wonder at the museum. The table includes information on the project, samples of relevant work and a survey for Aquarium-goers to fill out.

From the surveys collected, I am choosing one response per month to create a pair of paper sculptures. One of the pair will incorporate the text or drawing that is submitted and the other will be a visual interpretation of the response. Additional works will be included that show off the visitor responses and artwork.

In Summer of 2023, the completed artworks will be on display at the Great Lakes Aquarium Merrill Lynch Fine Arts Gallery. Additional related pieces will be included as well. This project is supported in part by grants from Arrowhead Regional Arts Council and Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible in part by the voters of Minnesota thanks to appropriations from the Minnesota State Legislature’s arts and cultural fund.

Visit www.greatlakesalmanac.com for more details and @greatlakesalmanac for frequent updates.

With a nod to the trail signs found on Minnesota’s multi-use trails, You Are Here is a brand new collaborative art project. The goal is to share stories about Minnesota’s natural wonders while expanding access to visual arts through the display of works in the outdoor spaces we celebrate and enjoy.

Beginning in winter of 2023, the first stages of the project involve community outreach and research of the what, where, and how of the eventual artwork. This included getting out on my skis, keeping my eyes open, seeking, observing and absorbing all that winter has to offer in the Twin Ports. 

Not expecting to do it alone, I teamed up with Duluth Cross Country Ski Club and their annual Tour DuLuth. On March 4, 2023, I occupied tables at Lester Amity Chalet for making snowflakes with visitors and inviting them to answer the following questions:

Finish the sentence: I love being outdoors in winter because…

What story or action would you give to the natural world as a thank you?

In addition, stickers for the project were made and handed out for folks to fit on their skinny skis. If you’d like a sticker, email your responses to the above questions to susgaunt@hotmail.com.

More to come on this website. Follow the project’s progress and events @youarehereduluth

A big thanks to the Upstream Initiative and Springboard for the Arts for the grant fellowship that helped jumpstart the You Are Here project.

In 2024, I moved into a new studio space located in the Spirit of the Lakes Community Arts building. A new and evolving organization, our mission is to provide affordable rental spaces for artists as well as share the arts with the community through engaging classes and events.

Throughout the summer, we started to update our gardens, some with pollinators and others with plastic to set up the soil for future flowers. To bring some color to the fall landscape (and the black plastic), I decided to create some garden signs with help from the community. I had a number of wooden panels available at our annual Apple Festival in October, and kids and adults spent time coloring in and creating their own designs of garden produce and flowers. I added stakes to each panel and pounded them into the ground. Hopefully they’ll add color through the winter months.

Check back for more photos through the winter.