Holidays on Nicollet 2023: Surprise and Delight

In partnership with the Minneapolis Downtown Council and Hennepin Theatre Trust, artists were invited to create downtown holiday windows using former Dayton’s figurines. Selected local artists chose their characters from window displays of the past and reimagined them in a new context. My characters were the fox and cat from the 1992 Pinocchio show from Dayton’s Eighth Floor Holiday Show.

Press: Your Holiday Guide to Nicollet Mall • Fox 9 Holidays on Nicollet

The primary structure in my window was a fox-hole home built out of cardboard boxes and papier-mâchéd.

Upon building the papier-mâché structure, I primed and painted it. Then, I began foraging natural elements to use in the display. In my practice I try to use as many materials as I have already available.

A backdrop of linocut snowflakes was suspended from the ceiling. To get the scene at street level, I had help building a stage.

To create the backdrop, I printed two variations on a simple snowflake in a few shades of blue. Above, pictured the window cling from the street view. Below, I began adding winter (found and artificial) elements.