By Meritte Dahl
Murphy News Service

Interactive art installations, musicians, yoga and reading space took over some metered parking spots in Minneapolis on Friday, Sept. 19.

Local students and landscape architects created the temporary parks as part of International Park(ing) Day. The event encourages artists and passers-by to celebrate public space and encourage thinking about the possibilities for public space in urban areas.

“To take over a parking spot that normally has a car opens up our eyes to how we can use these interim spaces in a better way,” said artist Coal Dorius. Dorius works at Juxtaposition Arts and is an adjunct assistant professor in landscape architecture at the University of Minnesota.

Participants engaged in playing instruments, reading and making art at the pop-up park at the corner of Hennepin Ave and Spruce Place, in front of Minneapolis Community and Technical College.

Minnesota Women in Landscape Architecture and students from the Fine Arts Interdisciplinary Resource (FAIR) School created the temporary parks.

FAIR School junior Madeline Chamberlain and other students played instruments and talked to pedestrians about Park(ing) Day.

“It’s more interactive with the community than a regular day at school,” Chamberlain said. She said this was her second year as a participant.

Dorius brought her children, who were eager to color and interact with the students.

“I think it’s very important to engage our youth,” Dorius said.

The temporary parks allow participants and citizens to “learn about opportunities within our landscape that can really build community,” Dorius said.