One year after debuting their interactive multimedia installation at the Owatonna Arts Center, husband and wife duo Craig Harris and Candy Kuehn are set to unveil the next incarnation of the show in Minneapolis.
They are the creators of the Legacy Dream Space, an installation that incorporates Harris’ original musical compositions and Kuehn’s visual art into an immersive environment, featuring contributions from a variety of collaborators. Their goal is to create a space where people can explore deeply personal ideas of loss, legacy and hope. The new show will run Sept. 12-25 at the Modus Locus Expansion galleries in Minneapolis.
Kuehn and Harris had previously workshopped the installation in private, but the Owatonna exhibition was the first time they invited the public to attend.
“It was a glorious exhibition in Owatonna. We had so much fun and [OAC Artistic Director] Silvan Durben was wonderful in helping us do it all,” said Harris.
He said the opening gave them an opportunity to make sure the multimedia aspect of the show was working, and see how people responded. Their findings and observations from that show have influenced the latest incarnation of the Legacy Dream Space.
The installation is designed to grow and change over time, giving visitors an opportunity to leave their mark. It includes interactive features like control panels and sharing cards, where visitors can offer thoughts and impressions to be incorporated into the show. If someone who attended the Owatonna opening attends the new show, there’s a good chance they’ll see the words they wrote projected on the gallery walls.
Watching people at the opening, they realized many visitors wanted someone to talk to and demonstrate the installation’s interactive features.
“Having somebody present enriched the experience for those people,” said Harris.
When the show opens in Minneapolis, they’ll have docents stationed in the gallery, offering guidance for anyone who wants it.
Durben said he’s happy for the arts center to function as a launchpad for creative exhibits. He recalls the installation as an inviting, “dream-like” space that allowed visitors to have their own unique experiences while passing through the gallery. He was very pleased with how the artists utilized and transformed the gallery at the OAC, and excited that they’ll be doing the same in a new space.
Harris and Kuehn designed the original Legacy Dream Space with theater director Kym Longhi and visual storyteller Jim Peitzman, and they invited even more collaborators this time.
Their original vision included live performances and facilitated discussion sessions, elements they’ve been able to incorporate into this incarnation of the show. They’ve partnered with the Center for Creativity and Public Health, a St. Paul-based organization, to host a Sept. 21 workshop from teaching artist Ta-coumba Tyrone Aiken. The workshop is designed to explore self-care in community building, and will give visitors an opportunity to create art work that will be incorporated into the show.
The three-week exhibition will include a variety of other creative maker events and facilitated gatherings, as well as a musical performance by Harris and cellist Randall Davidson. Visitors will also be able to don wearable art made by Kuehn as they explore the show, a feature that was part of their 2022 private test run but not at the Owatonna opening.
Harris said he and Kuehn are still “building as we go,” and have plenty of ideas they’d like to implement in the future, like an online component that allows people to contribute to the show without being physically present.
Their goal is to keep traveling to new galleries, reimagining the show with each stop.
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