CALLING ALL MINNESOTA STUDENTS: Art submissions now open for the Flint Hills Family Festival's ARTwalk

ST. PAUL, Minn. (March 16, 2022) — The Flint Hills Family Festival today announced the return of its cherished ARTwalk, a pre-kindergarten through 12th grade art program that provides area students the opportunity to submit their creative works to a panel of experts. Winners will have their artwork displayed in downtown Saint Paul during the Flint Hills Family Festival this May 31-June 4. The program, which started in 2003, is hosted by the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. This year’s ARTwalk theme is “Experience wonder together.” Students can submit their artwork on the ARTwalk webpage.

“ARTwalk is the epitome of accessible arts placemaking,” said Maia Maiden, director of arts learning and community engagement at the Ordway. “Now more than ever, young Minnesotans deserve a platform to display their creativity. I can’t wait to see the imaginative works hung in the Ordway’s windows for our community to enjoy.”

Submissions are now open until April 30. Students can submit their works through their school or independently with permission from a parent or guardian. Eight winners, two from each of the four grade bands listed below, will be notified in mid-May and announced to the public at the beginning of the Festival on May 31. Artwork can be submitted in the pre-kindergarten through second, third through fifth, sixth through ninth and 10th through 12th grade tiers. The judging panelists include local visual artist St. Paul Slim, staff from Forecast for Public Art, Juxtaposition Arts and members of the Ordway Community Advisors Council.

“One of the quintessential activities of the Flint Hills Family Festival, ARTwalk is truly fit for all ages,” said Heather Rein, director of community affairs at the Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend refinery. “I cannot think of a better backdrop for the Festival than impressive artwork made by children from our communities."

Each of the eight winners will receive a digital certificate and a place on the Ordway’s ARTwalk webpage. ARTwalk is just one of dozens of free and low-cost activities planned for the Festival, including several outdoor performances such as Squonk Opera’s Hand to Hand, the stilt walking Hyjinx Stilts (formerly known as Chicks on Sticks), face painting and balloon artists. This year’s Festival will also include a wide variety of food trucks, a beer garden, and a free family dance party featuring the Twin Cities group NUNNABOVE on Friday, June 3. The Festival is made possible thanks to a 22-year partnership between the Ordway and Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend refinery in Rosemount.

For more details about this year’s Festival, including the many artists and organizations involved, please visit Ordway.org/festival. The Ordway’s current health and safety protocols for indoor performances are also available at Ordway.org/health-safety.

About the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts

The Ordway is the arts epicenter of Saint Paul, Minnesota, and one of the leading nonprofit performing arts centers in the country. Founded on the belief that performing arts should be wide-ranging and accessible to all, the Ordway is home to a variety of performances that encompass the finest in Broadway musicals, concerts, dance and vocal artists. The Ordway serves thousands of children each year through its education programs and presents the annual Flint Hills Family Festival. Known as the most comfortable place to catch a show in Minnesota, the Ordway includes a magnificent 1,900-seat Music Theater, a state-of-the-art 1,100-seat Concert Hall and spacious lobbies. The Ordway is a proud member of the Arts Partnership, a collaboration comprising the Ordway, Minnesota Opera, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Schubert Club. The Ordway aims to reflect the communities it serves and address barriers to ensure everyone can experience the power of the performing arts.

About Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend refinery

The Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend refinery produces transportation fuels used throughout the Midwest, including most of Minnesota’s gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, as well as other products people rely on such as propane and asphalt. Located 17 miles southeast of Minneapolis, Pine Bend has a refining capacity of 375,000 barrels per day and is among the most efficient and safest oil refineries in the country. Flint Hills Resources directly and indirectly supports more than 4,000 Minnesota jobs and has invested nearly $1.7 billion in upgrades and improvements to its Minnesota facilities since 2010. With 1,000 full-time employees, the Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend refinery is one of the largest employers in Dakota County. More information about the Pine Bend refinery is available at PineBendRefinery.com.