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A local artist who prefers to remain anonymous and goes by Area_651 has been leaving surprises in West St. Paul and surrounding neighborhoods.
What: The latest is a packet with a chicken magnet and set of stickers highlighting “WSP Lore.” Area_651 left 20 of them in Little Free Libraries around West St. Paul.
- “This chicken project was inspired by the years of enjoyment of the West St. Paul Neighbors Facebook page,” Area_651 said. “A person will post something, like ‘I lost $80 in the parking lot,’ and the community will hyper focus on that for a cup of coffee. Those posts take on a life of their own; they will get referenced months later in other posts.”
When: Area_651 started leaving found art in 2020.
- “A few times a year I’ll cast a new set of the smaller resin magnets to carry around and place in the world,” he said.
Where: They can be found in West St. Paul, the West Side, South St. Paul, downtown St. Paul, and more.
Inspiration: “The initial inspirations for the project was local Twin Cities artist mows510 and New York artist Billy Barnacles,” Area_651 said. “They were leaving these awesome pieces around their local communities.”
How it started: “The first piece I made, Takin’ 5, was an alien leaning while drinking coffee; the logo or icon for a local business was placed upon the coffee cup, and these were left outside of the business. These were local businesses I enjoyed, shopped at, ate at, and I wanted to show my appreciation for them during those COVID-19 times.”
More: Follow Area_651 on Instagram for more.
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(Photos courtesy Area_651)
One Response
This is so wonderful. West Saint Paul lore is worth celebrating. We need more artists like this who put little, unexpected moments of joy into the world for the rest of us to find.