PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

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Su Legatt’s creative research explores personal associations with object and/or place, how these relationships are formed and why they might fade. Through experimentation with a wide variety of photographic, installation and mixed media techniques, the physical and aesthetic results alter and evolve, allowing Ms. Legatt to customize each piece to accommodate the installation site, goals of the project, or community involved. This collaborative research method requires the involvement of a variety of people. To truly understand the role an object or location plays in our lives, we must examine it from all angles. The sharing of these personal stories builds intimate and uniquely delicate relationships and communities while strengthening our own individual memories and associations.

 

For the past ten years, Ms. Legatt has use this approach to explore the changing social and cultural dynamics of (rural) Minnesota. Though there is a trend to move to the country, rural communities are experiencing an annual loss of 200 citizens. These are people from my generation and younger who leave their home towns to pursue advanced degrees and careers. The people who remain tend to be the parents and grandparents, who carry with them generations of history, traditions, techniques, and relationships. This historical and regional knowledge is being lost. Legatt is working with these communities to creatively archive and preserve the stories and practices that define Minnesota culture.