Kilbourne Group recently visited with Mara Morken, a creator of cool stuff and the person who spearheaded "Chalk," an interactive, public art installation on the boarded construction site at Loretta in downtown Fargo. The project spanned 17 days during late March and early April.

Kilbourne Group (KG): What was the inspiration behind Chalk?
Mara Morken (MM): Candy Chang is a public artist who did the "Before I Die" installation in New Orleans. She painted the side of a broken down and boarded up building, and then stenciled the words "Before I die..." with a space to fill in the blank. People came and filled in their dreams. For good reason, it went viral. These walls were popping up in major cities across the world within a year - Brooklyn, San Diego, London, Amsterdam. People love interactive art and an opportunity to share a little of themselves.

When conceiving of a Midwestern-appropriate interactive installation, I was absolutely inspired by Chang. I wanted to create something without the confines of her project but with the same soul to it. I wanted to allow people to create whatever they imagined and share whatever part of themselves they felt like.

To simply paint the wall in chalkboard paint would have been fantastic, yet I did want to hint that this was an art project - and not just a slam wall for publicizing an ex-boyfriend's phone number. That is why I decided on installing the frames...but leaving no instructions with the project. It felt important not to leave rules that might hamper creativity. I hoped that people would create in their own way. And they did.

KG: How did the community respond?
MM: Very positively! I spent a lot of time documenting the art people made and just stalking the project during the time it was up. It was completely satisfying to see people stop just to visit the wall and then drive away again, or to hear comments made by passersby. The age range of contributors was another great aspect. People of all ages took part. Toddlers and people my grandmother's age made the time to pick up a piece of chalk and share something.

Many people photographed the art and/or themselves with the project. I even saw teens having their senior portraits shot with the project as a backdrop.

Most mornings I would wash down the wall and chalkboards to make room for more drawings. A number of times people approached me and said that I was "vandalizing" community art. They were upset. After explaining that part of the project was that it began anew every day, people calmed down. What a compliment to the project that people felt so invested and so willing to stop someone from ruining it! I was thrilled that people seemed to feel ownership.

KG: What surprised you the most with the project?
MM: My biggest surprises were the sense of ownership people showed and the willingness to spend their entire lunch hour creating something they knew would be gone in the morning. I was confident that people would be tickled by Chalk, but I didn't expect the overwhelming positive feedback and excitement. I'm very proud of that.

 KG: We were excited to be a part of Chalk!
MM: I'm very grateful and impressed that Kilbourne Group was willing to say "yes" to the project when it would have been so easy to ignore my email. Life is busy; why add more? I think it's telling of your ties to the community - not simply regarding the buildings you create but an honest interest in the people who inhabit the community.

 KG: Thank you! We love downtown Fargo, and we loved working with you. Any advice for other business owners who want to infuse art into their spaces?
MM: I feel strongly that beauty and art in public spaces has momentous value. It can make your day a little brighter which can have a positive ripple effect. And, people take pride in public art. It fosters a sense of community in a way that few things do. Anything from beautiful shop windows to chalk drawings on a sidewalk can be wonderful for a community. I want to help create things that make a person stop walking/texting/talking and say, "Wow, that's just very cool." I would very much like to work with business owners who feel the same way.

KG: Do you have other projects in the works?
MM: Yes! I am doing a community yarn bombing of the downtown lamp posts this fall. I will be covering the lampposts with fiber art sleeves made by community volunteers. The project is called Knit Fargo, and anyone interested in getting involved and adopting a lamppost can contact me via email.