Welcome to Between the Bricks: Tiny Stories of Red Wing, MN

There is a tall, narrow display case in downtown Red Wing that has sat empty for as long as anyone can remember. In fact, no one can remember what was ever in it!

It’s only about two feet wide, eight inches deep, but it stretches nearly eight feet high. Most people, including me, pass right by it without noticing it at all. When my friend Andrea, who owns the shop right next to it, pointed it out to me, I was inspired. I saw room for entire worlds! I was more than inspired…I was enchanted. It was as if the universe put this “perfect” ly weird space right on Main Street for me to play in.

Between the Bricks: Tiny Stories of Red Wing is my Creative Laureate project for the City of Red Wing Arts & Culture Commission. Over the coming year, the once-empty space will hold a rotating series of miniature scenes inspired by Red Wing’s history, its people, and the everyday moments that give this community its character.

Some scenes will explore familiar chapters of Red Wing’s past. Others may capture quiet moments, an overlooked person, or a place we think we already know. Each miniature will tell its own story, with clues hidden in the objects, photographs, signs, and rooms.

Why tell stories in tiny ways?

Miniatures ask us to stop and look closely. To see the details, we have to move closer. We begin studying the contents of a desk, peering through a doorway, or wondering who might have just left the room. The change in scale makes familiar things feel curious and surprising.

That is the heart of this project. As the former Director of Downtown Main Street in Red Wing, I often said that Red Wing takes itself for granted. It is rich in history, culture, and nature. Yet those of us who live here sometimes let the stories that have made this place special fade into the background. Miniatures bring them forward in a BIG way.

The rotating format of this project means that the case will never be finished. It’ll never just be static and boring. It will keep changing as I research, build, discover new details, and hear from the community. Someone who walks past it once a month may find a completely different world waiting the next time.

The miniature scenes will combine historical reserach with artistic interpretation. They are not intended to recreate every detail in precise perfection or to tell the complete history. Each one is just a small invitation to become curious, look closer, and ask whose stories live between the bricks.

Your tiny stories belong here, too

Community participation is an important part of the project. Red Wing residents and visitors will be invited to contribute to the next exhibit entitled “The People of Red Wing.” During the Red Wing Arts Fall Festival, I'll host a creative art project in my Tiny Art Department booth, which I’ll share with my friend Pam and her business, Make Stuff Feel Better. We’re also showcasing our business venture, Weirdly Famous, where we turn the places people love into miniature keepsakes, souvenirs, and gifts.

We’d love for you to stop by our booth and create a mini piece of art to hang in the Tiny Art Gallery in late October.

Art hiding in plain sight

One of my favorite things about this project is where it lives. The display is part of the downtown environment, available without admission, a ticket, or a reservation. Just wander by! You don’t have to know anything about art, either. You might visit intentionally, or you might happen by on your way to get a pair of boots at the Red Wing Shoe flagship store (and checking out the World’s Largest Boot!), or you might be licking a cone from The Red Wing Confectionery and stumble into it.

There is no correct way to experience it. Children may be drawn to the tiny objects, and employees from the Red Wing Shoe might wander over to check it out. And history lovers might recognize a photograph. Maybe someone will see themselves in the exhibit.

The project begins with one small space, but stories extend all through Red Wing.

The first miniature world is now in place. I will share its story in the next post, including the research, the people, and tiny discoveries tucked inside.

Between the Bricks asks one simple question: What might we discover about our community when we look more closely?

In a space only inches deep, a little world can unfold. Look closely so you don’t miss anything!

See you downtown,

Megan