EVERYONE.

>> CATHY: HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH KICKED OFF MONDAY, WITH EVENTS AROUND THE STATE THROUGH MID OCTOBER.

ON RASPBERRY ISLAND IN ST.

PAUL, THE MINNESOTA LATINO MUSEUM'S ALEBRIJES EXHIBIT BRINGS LARGER-THAN-LIFE PAPER MACHE SCULPTURES TO LIFE.

A NEW TWIN CITIES PBS DOCUMENTARY FROM PRODUCER SERGIO RAPU FOLLOWED THE MUSEUM, WHICH DOESN'T YET HAVE A BUILDING, LEADING UP TO THE EXHIBIT.

HERE'S A CLIP FROM THAT DOCUMENTARY.

>> THIS IS THE FUTURE OF OUR COUNTRY, THIS IS THE FUTURE OF OUR STATE.

A LOT OF TIMES LATINO KIDS JUST FEEL LIKE THEY MAYBE DON'T BELONG HERE.

WE GET A LOT OF MESSAGES, NEGATIVE MESSAGES FROM THE GOVERNMENT OR FROM MEDIA AND, SO, FOR US IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO CREATE SPACES WHERE KIDS, YOUTH, ADULTS, EVERYONE IN OUR COMMUNITY FEEL WELCOME AND INCLUDED.

>> WE ARE GOING TO INSTALL 16 OF THESE GIANTS AT RASPBERRY ISLAND.

WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS PROJECT FOR FIVE YEARS.

THIS EXHIBIT IS ESSENTIALLY AN OUTDOOR MUSEUM QUALITY EXHIBIT.

WITHOUT THE BUILDING.

IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT RASPBERRY ISLAND IS PART OF HARRIET ISLAND REGIONAL PARK.

THIS IS THE LOCATION WHERE WE WANT TO BUILD THE MINNESOTA LATINO MUSEUM.

SO, EFFECTIVELY WHAT WE'RE DOING IS PLANTING THE SEED IN THE COMMUNITY'S IMAGINATION OF WHAT A USEUM COULD LOOK LIKE, AND THEN INVITING PEOPLE TO COME ENJOY THE ART AND ALSO CO-CREATE THE ART WITH US.

>> CATHY: WE JUST SAW MINNESOTA LATINO MUSEUM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AARON JOHNSON-ORTIZ, AND HE JOINS US NOW IN STUDIO.

WITH SOME AMAZING ART.

THANKS FOR COMING.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.

>> Cathy: THIS IS A BIG, BIG DEAL.

MINNESOTA'S LATINO POPULATION IS 6% OF THE POPULATION.

AND AND THIS WOULD BE HUGE TO HAVE A MUSEUM.

THERE ISN'T ANYTHING LIKE THIS RIGHT NOW, RIGHT?

>> THERE ARE NO LATINO MUSEUMS ANYWHERE IN THE UPPER MIDWEST.

AND, SO, WE WOULD BE THE FIRST IN MINNESOTA AND ALSO IN THE REGION.

>> Cathy: OKAY.

>> Eric: THE ARTS PLAY WHAT KIND OF ROLE IN KIND OF TELLING THE STORY OF THE COMMUNITY?

>> YEAH.

SO I'M A MURALIST MYSELF.

AND THE MEXICAN MURALIST MOVEMENT WAS BUILT ON THE CONCEPT OF TELLING STORY THROUGH IMAGES.

AND, SO, FOR US, WE LIKE TO SHARE HISTORY AND OUR WAY OF BEING IN THE WORLD THROUGH POETRY, THROUGH MUSIC AND THROUGH VISUAL ART AS WELL.

>> Cathy: THE ALEBRIEJES YOU BROUGHT ONE WITH US, WE'VE GOT TO GET A SHOT OF THIS, I LOVE THE COLORS, THE VIBRANCY.

THIS IS INCREDIBLY COOL.

EXPLAIN THIS.

>> YEAH, SO THIS PIECE SPECIFICALLY WAS DONE BY TWO VISITING INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS FROM MEXICO CITY.

AND IT WAS NFLUENCED BY THEIR RESIDENCY RIGHT HERE IN MINNESOTA.

AND, SO, YOU CAN SEE IT HAS A RIVER IN HIS HAND AND A CORN STALK.

AND A CORN STOCK.

AND THE REFERENCE POINT IS OFTENTIMES PEOPLE THINK THAT LATINOS CAME IN THE 1990s, BUT ACTUALLY THE CONNECTION TO MIDDLE AMERICA, MESOAMERICA HAS BEEN THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

SO CORN ARRIVED IN THE UPPER MIDWEST 1,000 YEARS AGO AND WAS DOMESTICATED IN CENTRAL MEXICO 10,000 YEARS AGO.

>> Eric: WHAT MATERIALS ARE USED TO MAKE THIS?

>> THIS IS PAPER MACHE AND ACRYLIC PAINT.

>> Cathy: OH, MY GOSH, OKAY.

SO THERE ARE STATUES AND ART LIKE THIS THROUGHOUT RASPBERRY ISLAND?

>> YES.

>> Cathy: BIG, BIG ONES, TOO.

>> YES, THEY'RE MONUMENTAL.

THERE'S 17 OF THEM RANGING FROM SOME THAT ARE FOUR FEET TALL ALL THE WAY UP TO 16 FEET TALL.

>> Cathy: OKAY.

SO TELL ME ABOUT THE MEANING OF THE SITE OF WHERE THESE ARE TO THE LATINO COMMUNITY IN St.

PAUL.

>> YEAH.

SO AS I MENTIONED, THE RIVER HAS ENORMOUS CONNECTION TO MEXICO, TO CENTRAL AMERICA, AND TO THE CARIBBEAN.

MY MOM, WHO'S A POET, ALWAYS TALKS ABOUT THE RIVER AS AN UMBILICAL CORD TO OUR HOMELANDS.

AND THEN, OF COURSE, SINCE THE 1880s, THE FIRST MEXICAN IMMIGRANTS CAME TO MINNESOTA AND CAME ALONG THE RIVER AND ESTABLISHED THEMSELVES ON THE WEST SIDE FLATS, WHICH IS THE REGION RIGHT BEHIND HARRIET ISLAND.

AND THE FIRST MEXICAN OF MINNESOTA WAS ON THE WEST SIDE FLATS SO WE WANT TO RECOVER THAT HISTORY.

>> Eric: WHERE DO YOU START WITH FUND-RAISING, CORPORATIONS, NONPROFITS, GOVERNMENT?

>> MAYBE ON TELEVISION, HOPEFULLY THEY'LL SEND US SOME DONATIONS.

YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A LOT OF SUPPORT FROM THE STATE OF MINNESOTA FOR THE EXHIBIT.

WE'VE ALREADY WELCOMED ABOUT 200,000 PEOPLE TO RASPBERRY ISLAND.

IT'S ALREADY ONE OF THE MOST WELL-ATTENDED EXHIBITS, ART EXHIBITS IN MINNESOTA HISTORY.

SO WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THIS WORK.

AND WE KNOW THAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME TO BUILD A MUSEUM, BUT WE WILL GET THERE.

>> Cathy: OKAY.

SO TELL US ABOUT THE ENTHUSIASM OF THE COMMUNITY.

>> YEAH.

YOU KNOW, I HAVE MET PEOPLE WHO HAVE LIVED THEIR WHOLE LIVES ON THE WEST SIDE AND THEY HAD NEVER ONCE VISITED RASPBERRY ISLAND.

THIS IS CRAZY.

THERE'S PEOPLE WHO LIVE DOWNTOWN WHO HAVE NEVER BEEN DOWN THERE.

SO WE UT THIS EXHIBIT THERE.

THERE WAS REALLY NOTHING GOING ON AT RASPBERRY ISLAND.

ALL OF A SUDDEN WE SAW CROWDS OF PEOPLE FROM THE DOWNTOWN AREA, FROM THE WEST SIDE, FROM THE GREATER METRO AREA, WE'VE EVEN SEEN PEOPLE FROM OUT OF STATE COME TO RASPBERRY ISLAND TO SEE THE EXHIBIT.

>> Cathy: YOU'VE GOT TO HELP US OUT HERE, IN TERMS OF THE WHIMSICAL NATURE OF THESE, WHAT'S THE STORY?

>> WELL, IT'S, AS YOU'RE POINTING OUT, SOME CRAZY CREATURE, FANTASTICAL CREATURE, OFTENTIMES IT'S THE COMBINATION OF DIFFERENT ANIMALS.

IN THIS CASE WE HAVE A SORT OF LYNX, DEER, TURTLE, SNAKE COMBINATION GOIN' ON.

AND IT'S FROM MEXICAN OLK ART, AND OFTENTIMES HAS VERY COLOR AND DECORATIVE PATTERNS WITH IT.

>> Eric: KEEP US POSTED ON PROGRESS, WILL YOU?

THIS IS A GREAT PROJECT.

>> Cathy: LOVE IT.

>> WE'VE GOT FIVE WEEKS LEFT ON THE EXHIBIT.

IT CLOSES ON OCTOBER 26th.

SO PLEASE COME TO RASPBERRY ISLAND.

>> Cathy: ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Eric: THANKS FOR COMING.

>> Cathy: GOOD LUCK,