It’s a few days before the Meander and 45 artists from Granite Falls to Ortonville are invariably working near round the clock to prepare for the deluge of weekend visitors that will come to experience the Minnesota River Valley, the artists and their art.
It is an experience unique to the area. No where else can tourists behold such representations of the prairie in the context of individual and creation as reflections of the environment called home.
Now in its sixth year, the Meander Upper Minnesota River Art Crawl has been both larger and more successful than each of its preceding incarnations. Growing numbers are traveling to experience the event for the first time and to see it again, and are doing so undoubtedly more willing and with the explicit intent to spend larger sums of money on not only art but food, lodging, gas and other items that are a boon to the local economy.
Originating and organized by the local tourism outfit “Western Minnesota Prairie Waters,” the genesis of the Meander was for just such a purpose and it has come to reach the wildest expectations.
Using survey information obtained from artists and businesses during the Meander weekend, Western Minnesota Prairie Waters has been able to develop numbers that indicate the economic impacts for artists and the region. Last year, 38 of the 44 artists who participated in the Meander returned surveys. The surveys claimed a collective $57,316 in art sales (a 30 percent increase over 2007) and studio visitor numbers of 81 to 800.
In addition, Prairie Waters says that 52 percent of visitors were new to the tour and that 74 percent plan to attend next year. Of those traversing the river valley to view the art, 50 percent are from the local five county area, 25 percent are from great outside the counties, 15 percent come from the metro and 10 percent from out of state.
Local artist, Curt Soine
By day, Curt Soine works as a UPS delivery man. If you weren’t close with him personally or never happened by his home during Meander, you’d never know that from the basement of his home the man bringing you timely packages is creator of world class decoys.
“It keeps me busy and the house dusty,” Soine says.
It was a little over 25 years ago that Soine set out to carve a large swan as a gift for his wife, Paula.The swan had drawn Paula’s eye while she flipping through a magazine, but at $400, in 1983 money, the swan was a little to steep a price to pay for a large wooden swan... plus Soine was convinced he could do better.
He’s come along way and purchased a few more tools since that first swan that he created out of endless hours of work with only a wood rasp and sandpaper, “It took forever” he exhaled. Over 500 decoys later, Soine says that he has only begun to scratch the surface of his talent and that it is only in the last three years to four years that he has begun to truly excel in the craft. During that time that time he began participating in two yearly events; in April, “The Gathering,” which is the largest fish decoy competition in the world, and in October it is the Meander.
Since first entering “The Gathering” Soine has earned himself eight first place ribbons and One Best in Show for his fish and duck decoys, but he says his greatest reward has come from the tips of the trade garnered from other competition goers. From the Meander, Soine has gained notoriety and has found himself able to sell his decoys for both functional decorative purposes in increasing numbers. Recently Soine was even honored by a request to have his decoys photographed for a book being put together by Doug Lodermeier called, “Minnesota Duck Decoy’s: Yestersday’s and Today’s Folk Artists.”
The Meander
In his third year in the Meander, Soine says that he does not believe that he has seen an increase of visitors, but that he has seen a substantial increase the numbers looking to purchase his fish and ducks, “it’s doubled,” he said.
Soine thinks that most of the sales are coming from returning customers who got a look at the art previously and came back with mind to purchase, or are even just returning customers looking to buy more.
Paula added that often times it’s the women who, after assuming that it’s a stop only suitable for the enjoyment of hunters, find themselves quite taken by Soine’s woodwork.
“A lot of women when they come here are presently surprised,” she said.
Soine’s success is being echoed to some degree by all of the Meander artists, including the six others who reside in Granite Falls.
Each year the artists grow, just as the reputation and attendance of Upper Minnesota River Valley Art Crawl.
In the words of Montevideo Meander Artist Andy Kahmann, “In this age of supercenter and discount retailers global supply chains, it is rare to find something handmade and local ... People drive to western Minnesota on a beautiful fall weekend to get back in touch with people who still grow their own food, make their own art and work together for the common good. It really has become a celebration of the quality of life and culture for this region.”
Granite Falls, Minn. —
