Free and open to the public! Macy's Skyroom, 12th floor, 700 Nicollett Mall

This conversation with Nancy Ann Coyne, Vickie Benson and Ben Heywood will explore the creative forces that led to the construction of the Speaking of Home project. Nancy Ann Coyne is a photographer and public artist. Since 1984, she has lived and worked in the US, Europe, Israel, and the Republic of Georgia as a photographer, consultant, and independent scholar. Vickie Benson is Program Director for the Arts at the McKnight Foundation. Ben Heywood is executive director of the Soap Factory, an exhibition space located in the National Purity Soap Company building in Minneapolis that showcases risk-taking visual art by new and emerging artists.

This presentation is part of a series associated with the exhibit Speaking of Home (www.speakingofhome.org), which will be on display in the Minneapolis Skyway between Macy's and the IDS Tower from July through October. Speaking of Home asks a cross-section of our new American community and communities of color from Minneapolis and St. Paul the question "What does home mean to you?" In this series, we will explore issues and ideas connected with the exhibit, such as the function of public art, immigration to Minnesota, affordable housing, and art and design in downtown cityscapes. All presentations will take place in the Macy's Skyroom on the 12th floor of the downtown Minneapolis Macy's store -- 11 floors above the exhibit.

For further information, contact the University of Minnesota's Institute for Advanced Study: 612-626-5054, ias@umn.edu, www.ias.umn.edu/SpeakingofHome.php