I spent a week in Grand Rapids, MN talking about legacy. I installed an exhibit at the Reif Performing Arts Center, visited high school classes, community groups, area churches. Throughout the week we set up public studios and asked, “What is the legacy you want to leave?”

Read their answers below, and then scroll down to see a few shots of the public projection we did at the end of the week. We projected on the exterior of the Itasca County Courthouse. In a blizzard. From an ice house. (That was a first.) And in spite of the wintery weather, we pulled it off and had dozens of people show up to celebrate their community stories and have a little hot chocolate.

There are always sweet moments in those public engagements. Proud stories of courage and connection. People start to see their peers and their community in new ways. Perhaps my favorite comment from this engagement was a text I saw from a parent. It read, “You captured a part of my child that she keeps hidden from the world. Thank you.”

I want to keep finding new ways to help us see one another and hear one another. I want to be a part of how we can celebrate one another. That feels like a legacy worth working for. What’s the legacy you want to leave?