Voices of the River - Part 1

In 2016, Mississippi Park Connection commissioned an artistic exhibition, River Relationships by Works Progress Studio, for the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area visitor center inside the Science Museum of Minnesota. With the Mississippi River Visitor Center closed to the public due to COVID-19, we want to bring part of the exhibit to you!

Bob Deck 

Photograph of a white American male boat captain, Bob Deck, standing and looking at the camera on a walkway leading to the Jonathan Padelford Riverboat, a historic boat on the Mississippi River in downtown Saint Paul.

Photo by Zoe Prinds-Flash at the Padelford Packet Boat Company in Saint Paul, 2016

What is my relationship to the river? I guess it is my safe harbor, right? I’ve spent most of my adult life on the river. After bouncing around the country as a kid my family landed in Saint Paul when I was in high school. As soon as I was out of school in 1975 I started as a barge deckhand and worked my way up to the pilothouse of the local towboats pushing barges all over the port of Saint Paul. There is no place where I feel as comfortable or at home as when I’m on the Mississippi. These days I get to share my river with people from all over the world.

Angeline Chang and Brian Lee

Photograph if an Asian American female and male couple, Angeline Chang and Brian Lee, standing next to the guardrail on the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis, smiling at the camera. The Mississippi River is below and the downtown skyline is blurred in the background.

All photo credits go to Colin Kloecher, Crystal Liepa and Zoe Prinds-Flash.

Brian and I had our first date on the Stone Arch Bridge. We actually walked across it twice, and had dessert on both banks of the river that night! What’s better than a walk across the river and two servings of dessert? The river has a way of bringing people together. The view is spectacular, not just of Minneapolis, but the river itself - and every time you look at it there’s always something different to see. Water is life, right? I think where you find water, you find nature, and I love that you can find that right in the middle of the city. It’s very romantic.

- Angeline Chang

Ben and Kristin Shardlow

Photograph of a white American family smiling at the camera, consisting of a male dad Ben, a female mom Kristin, a male toddler, and an infant. The mom is carrying the infant in a baby carrier and is holding a child’s fishing pole. The toddler is wearing yellow rain boots and is holding a small fishing net. The family is standing on the shore of the Mississippi River with the Lake Street Bridge in the background.

All photo credits go to Colin Kloecher, Crystal Liepa and Zoe Prinds-Flash.

The river is the backdrop to our love story. We got engaged at the lookout with the best view of the Gorge. As we started our life together, the river trails pulled us that way when we wanted to get outside. We bought our first house just a block away. It's incredible to have natural beauty at our doorstep and along our paths, offering relief from the hubbub of living at the epicenter of a region of three million people. But now that we have kids and we’re close enough to touch it, our relationship with the river is more fraught. The river itself is frightening. Raising our boys to have regular contact with wildness sounds great, but it's daunting! Kind of like falling in love.

Joyce Vincent

A woman, Joyce Vincent, sits in a motorized wheelchair, wearing a blue dress, and smiles at the camera on a pedestrian bridge that connects to Boom Island over the Mississippi River. The bridge is made of wood planks and metal beams with fencing on the side.

Photo by Zoe Prinds-Flash at Boom Island Park in Minneapolis, 2016

Growing up, I was a tomboy jumping off garage roofs into snowbanks. When I was 11, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. It was a tough adjustment. My dad introduced me to the Mississippi. The beauty of nature, of god's creation, is something to be shared with others. I enjoy being able to get close to the river, being able to touch the water. That's why I value the steps that take you down to the river at Boom Island Park. It's important for anybody, no matter what your ability or disability is, to be able to get close to nature. This is such an important part of our life experience here. Treasure the river. Protect the river.