Twin Cities Miniature Street Art A Polite Disruption

Dear Diary,
Across the Twin Cities, these miniature scenes are popping up at random.

(I am not certain if this is the work of the artist I have tagged in this post, even though it's very similar to what is shown on @Mows510 Instagram. How many Twin Cities-based street artists are creating Mouse Doors and miniature displays such as this?)

These “mouse doors” are said to be the work of an anonymous Minneapolis street artist. Some appear then disappear rather quickly, but this scene near the Bloomington Central light rail station has remained for some time.

Though it’s small, it makes a big statement – and one that makes me smile as I walk into my office. These ordinary utility boxes are transformed into something much more appealing, thanks to a creative imagination.

Who the street artist is remains a mystery, and though he (or she?) made an official statement to the local news station, he insists on remaining anonymous. Street art isn’t exactly legal. He curates an Instagram account under the username @Mows510.

The intention was to create something people could interact with. The “mouse doors” are installed at ground level, so passersby can focus on something other than their cell phone and take in life happening around them.

From my perspective, such a whimsy scene has proven successful. My instinctive reaction is always positive, and it’s truly becoming a bright spot I look forward to passing. While I see this nearly every day of the work week, I have yet to find the other such scenes that reportedly dot the metro.

He hopes to expand across the river into St. Paul. These creative, polite disruptions to the cityscape are a welcome sight in a world filled with so much uncertainty and upheaval. I hope it never ends.

Does your city embrace street art?