postcard project
The “Dear River,” Postcard Project is an arts project and survey tool to engage members of the public in imagining what the Mississippi River means to them. This is a creative and open-ended way for us to ask residents to share their hopes for the river.
We collected and digitized over 200 to date. Examples are included in the below image gallery.
dear river, postcard houses
Inspired by the “Little Free Libraries” interspersed around neighborhoods, we designed “Dear River, Postcard Houses” which have a series of postcards with images of the Mississippi River in its past, present, and future iterations (pictured below). Visitors are invited to choose a postcard, write an answer to the question: "What is your wish for the river?”, and deposit the card in a locked mailbox.
We asked, you answered!
Click through this presentation and see just a few of the responses that we've received from members of the community about their hopes for the future of our river.
Our research group will be responsible for collecting the cards on a regular basis. Digital copies will be made of each postcard received, and the written content to be sent to the Army Corps of Engineers. We will create a digital archive of the messages on this website.
You can find our first Dear River, Postcard House at the St. Paul Public Library and our second at the Mississippi River Visitor Center at the Science Museum of Minnesota.
Survey postcard project
Alongside our survey collection in summer 2021, we invited members of the public to send a postcard to the river. We chose twelve images for these postcards (pictured below) and asked people to select a postcard of their choosing. Individuals responded to the prompt "What do you wish for the Mississippi River?".
Each postcard design below includes a response to the prompt, "What do you wish for the the Mississippi River?"
"To flourish. Remain healthy for the future. Continue to be a place for family enjoyment."
"A healthy mix of public use, sustainable ecosystems with high diversity, while meeting the needs of industry (while keeping impact from such in check)."
"Better recreation opportunities, more natural water flow. Whitewater kayaking! Less dams. Less non public buildings on water front. Better access."
"Clear, robust, healthy for thousands of years with lots of public access and conservation areas."
"Stay habitable for current ecosystem and to not flood or dry up in the future."
"For the everyday person to feel a genuine connecting to the river. For example, understanding how the river's health impacts your health."
"The Mississippi does better overall. I hope the city makes steps to retrun the river to its natural state."
"Stop Line 3. Give it back to nature."
"I hope it can still remain the cultural lifeblood of the region that it is. While being alongside us."
"For her to thrive! And continue ot be a source of life for us in Twin Cities."
"It is a great river serving many people, helping them survive for generations. I would like it to be as natural as possible, less human interrvention, preserving its natural ecosystem."
