Sponsoring organizations: The Chalmer Davee Library, the Department of Art's Art Education Program, and Teen University.

Benefactors: Endowed by a grant from the Wisconsin Humanities Council and the Otto Bremer Foundation, with matching in-kind contributions provided by the University of Wisconsin- River Falls.

Mission: To create a public artwork that characterizes contemporary life, and celebrates the cultural diversity of the St. Croix Valley region, at the turn of the Millennium.

Mural team: Eighteen people - made up of St. Croix Valley middle school students, artists and citizens who are interested in public art, with a like-minded delegation of faculty, staff and students from the University of Wisconsin- River Falls.

Lynn Jermal, Curt Le May, Harold Henson, Jodi Kruse, Joe Frost, Johnson Vang, Jaime Livermore, Colin Trechter*, Jeff Trechter*, Adam Selon*, Clint Robins*, Tiffany Meyer, Rose Rude, Kim Orth, Cree Orth, Ben Knutson, Sara Allen, Rebecca Pollak*

*Middle School Participants

"Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things Connect." -Chief Seattle-

I: THE HOOP, OR CIRCLE OF LIFE

One of the elements of Native American spiritualism, the hoop, has been handed down from generation to generation for hundreds of years. Many Native Americans hold the hoop in high regard as it symbolizes strength and unity. Some native traditions associate the hoop with their traditional cosmology, where the earth is a circle, with a circle of sky beneath it. Most importantly, the hoop is also seen as the "circle of life", conforming to the cyclical nature of our existence.

II: NATIVE AMERICAN DREAM CATCHER LEGENDS

Many tangible native symbols also revolve around the hoop, and one of these is the dream catcher, with its power center. The legend of the dream catcher varies in its details from people to people, but the principle is the same: It filters out bad forces, helping its owner stay on the right path in life. Traditionally made by grandmothers, dream catchers are presented to the mothers of newborn babies to be hung on their cradleboards, and often to newlyweds to be hung in their tipis or lodges. Early dream catchers were crafted with a supple wood such as willow for the ring, with webbing fabricated from plant material or sinew. Often a prayer or chant was performed while it was being created. Each part of a dream catcher has symbolic meaning, and there is no "wrong" dream catcher. Some dream catchers have six colored beads at the sides that symbolize the six directions - heaven, earth, north, south, east and west. To Native Americans, dreams were messages sent by sacred spirits. According to legend, the hole in the center of a dream catcher web allows good dreams to reach the sleeper, contributing a positive force to ones destiny or future. Of course, the web itself serves to trap the bad dreams until they disappear with the first light of morning. Decorating a dream-catcher with feathers, shells, and anything gathered from nature makes it more personally safeguard its owner and lets only good dreams come forth.

Traditional Ashinabe (Ojibway or Chippewa) Dream Catcher Legend

Grandmother spider, who sang the universe into existence, was saddened by the bad dreams of her human children, so she decided to do something about it. First, she went to the willow tree and asked him for some of his beautiful branches. She then went to the eagle and asked him for one of his powerful feathers. She bent the branches of the willow tree into a circle connecting all the people of the world. She spun her web of wisdom around the willow branches to catch her children's bad dreams, making sure to leave a small hole in the middle to allow good dreams to escape. When morning came, grandfather sun's rays burnt away the bad dreams tangled in the web, and any bad dreams that were left were turned into the morning dew. These dreams trickled down the length of the eagle feather and were given to the earth.

Traditional Lakota Sioux Dream Catcher Legend

Long ago when the world was young, an old man sat on a high mountain and had a vision. In his vision, Iktomi, the great trickster and teacher of wisdom, appeared in the form of a spider. Iktomi spoke to him in a sacred language that only the old man could understand. As he spoke, Iktomi the spider took the elder's willow hoop, which had feathers, horsehairs, beads and offerings on it and began to spin a web. He spoke to the elder about the cycles of life.... how we begin our lives as infants and we move on to childhood, and then to adulthood. Finally, we go to old age where we must be taken care of as infants, completing the cycle.

Iktomi said, "In each time of life there are many forces and different directions that can help or interfere with the harmony of nature, and also with the Great Spirit and all of his wonderful teachings." Iktomi gave the web to the Lakota elder and said, "See, the web is a perfect circle but there is a hole in the center of the circle. If you believe in the Great Spirit, the web will catch your good dreams and ideas - - and the bad ones will go through the hole. Use the web to help yourself and your people to reach your goals and make good use of your people's ideas, dreams and visions."

THE MURAL

We invite you to consider the importance your environment and imagine your own dream catcher as you examine the wall. It is our hope that you will discover your "good dreams" both in our mural and at UW - River Falls. With this in mind, we have hidden many items in the circle and the mural borders. All these objects are representative of flora or fauna that are indigenous to the St. Croix Valley and Wisconsin.

In the center, one sees a circle that includes twelve images that signify the twelve months in 2001, the first year of the new millennium. Arranged like the numbers of a clock, you will see a Native American dream-catcher placed at the top. This honors the area's native people, the Chippewa and Sioux Indians. The center of the circle has the colors of the spectrum, which represent the circle of life.

CENTRAL SYMBOLS:

The hoop, or circle of life, represents area animals, birds, plants, human activities, and products, and the Dream Catcher symbolizes the area's native heritage.

BORDER SYMBOLS:

Top: Our present community involved in a variety of contemporary activities
Left: Native Trees
Right: Native Plants
Bottom: Native Fish

CIRCLE OF LIFE SYMBOLS:

12:00 - Native American Dream-Catcher
1:00 - Robin - Wisconsin State Bird
2:00 - Artist - Symbolizes the importance of the humanities in Wisconsin
and recognizes the 18 muralists who worked on this project
3:00 - White-tailed Deer
4:00 - Trillium - Wisconsin protected wildflower
5:00 - Monarch Butterfly
6:00 - Mourning Doves - Wisconsin's Symbol of Peace
7:00 - Peregrine Falcon - Symbolizes UW - River Falls
8:00 - Gardener - Symbolizes agriculture
9:00 - Cow - Symbolizes dairying
10:00 - Wood Violet - Wisconsin State Flower
11:00 - Honey Bee - Wisconsin State Insect

LANDSCAPE SYMBOLS:

The tranquility of the terrain is apparent in the middle of the circle of life, with the rising and setting of the sun symbolizing the ending of one millennium and the beginning of the next.

Framing the circle of life are two trees representing the University of Wisconsin System. The leaves signify the fall and spring semesters. The branches reach for the sky, signifying the importance of higher education to ones future. The trees roots acknowledge that Wisconsin had the first schools for training rural teachers and represent the strong educational foundation Wisconsin citizens receive from our primary and secondary teachers. It is also significant that America's first kindergarten originated in Wisconsin.

The farm scene on the left represents the rural landscape of the St. Croix Valley. The scene on the right shows life in small western Wisconsin towns. The hot air balloon signifies recreation in the St. Croix Valley, an area well known for summer balloon rides.

Outside the circle, you will see vibrant blue streams, symbolizing the area's rivers -- the St. Croix, the Kinnickinnic, the Willow, etc. The coursing waters imply the importance of clean water to the area. Additionally, the waterways recognize one of the Indian meanings for the name Wisconsin - which is "gathering of waters". Inside the circle, the river turns into shades of peach, brown and tan. Here it implies a "gathering of peoples", as well as a "gathering of waters", signifying the interconnectedness of the region's varied cultures at the dawn of a new century. Finally, the river serves as a metaphoric link to the future, greeting St. Croix Valley inhabitants of the twenty-second century.

The mural was unveiled and dedicated at a Community Celebration held on September 25, 2001.