Public Artist in Residence
Non-Fiction
Margaret Pearce practices cartography as a form of writing. Cartography is a way of expressing what is invisible or lacking in public discourse, and an essential component to making change. As a two-dimensional space of interrelated symbols, cartography keeps situatedness intact, and Land at the center as relative not backdrop. It lays bare the unspoken assumptions about time, space, and categories. And it makes room for readers to slow down, drift, ruminate, find their own path, and gather courage for the hard thing. Through cartography, Pearce writes about Indigenous geographies, settler accountability, and the climate action relevant to both.
This residency is devoted to working on the Mississippi Dialogues project, a collaboration with culture bearers from Prairie Island Indian
Community, Ho-Chunk Nation, and Iowa Tribe of Kansas & Nebraska on the public art installation for Bay Point Park.