Open your Heart, Open your Mind. A train is leaving all day..
- ecbalazs
- 2 hours ago
- 6 min read
A wonderful trip through our time
And laughter is all you pay
Around the world in a day
-Prince, Around the World in a Day, 1985
Around the World in a Day
In June the arrival of hundreds of Prince-inspired visitors to Minneapolis brings a burst of color and joyous celebration to every gathering. Many people have been saving up all year for this trip, whether it's once in a lifetime or an annual trip, to meet up with new and old friends in their purple community and celebrate Prince.
We opened the commemorative edition of the People's Museum for Prince in North Minneapolis on Prince's birthday, right at the end of this celebration-filled week of dance parties and concerts. We gathered and danced and sang for Prince too, joyfully celebrating with Brass Solidarity on the streets.
Inside the gallery, we offered a quiet, reflective space for people to read personal stories about how Prince has interwoven through many lives and the impact he has made on people around the world. We present a myriad of creative offerings testifying to Prince's impact on creative lives everywhere- paintings, drawings, photographs, jewellery, clothing, a penny portrait, a delicate flower collage, films, poetry, dance and original music. We present a research project that shows Prince's life journey through his houses, tracking his trajectory from North Minneapolis, South Minneapolis out to Chanhassen.
Since opening, we have welcomed hundreds of people. Visitors arrive alone for quiet visits, in small and large groups for animated sharing, in couples quietly sharing together what calls to them. I like to invite visitors to share their Prince song and we play their preferred song or album for their visit. Most often, people feel moved to share a little of their own Prince story with us, too, sharing with us in the guest book or sharing some stories before they depart.
Among those who found their way to us was Diana, visiting from the Netherlands — arriving in full Purple Rain finery, staying for hours, becoming part of our community within minutes of walking through the door. We had never met. By the end of the afternoon it felt like we had known each other for years. That is the Prince effect. That is what this museum is for. Mélisande from France was delighted at the film and art night at the Capri to record and share the moment the original song her friend Hanna from Sweden wrote for Prince was playing in the venue where Prince himself had his first professional gig back in 1979.
It's been emotional, too, like most Prince gatherings. At our film night at the Capri, people were deeply moved by Bobby Huntley's Sometimes it Snows in April, made in Atlanta right after Prince's passing, interviewing those who experienced his very last concert and some who missed it. It took the audience back to that raw moment, that even now 10 years on, is not far from the surface. Witnessing the response to this film now, I was reminded of the deep, emotional place in the heart where Prince dwells for so many of this community. Maybe that is why too such deep friendships are formed quickly through the Prince community- an immediate shared understanding.
The museum presents art and stories from around the world. Visitors have come from all across the USA, and Australia, Germany, France, the UK, including Casci, Prince fashion scholar who happens to live in Paisley, Scotland.
And the press coverage that found us — from NHK Japan to the UK Guardian to KARE 11 right here at home — reflected something back to us: that what we are doing in this small gallery on Plymouth Avenue matters in Minneapolis but is also reaching far beyond.
From Japan
In June, Japan's national broadcaster NHK sent a team to Minneapolis. Chief Producer Go Sagawa — himself a devoted Prince fan — reached out to me to ask if he could film a story about the Museum, and soon revealed how deep his intentions went.
They came to film at Roberts Gallery during opening weekend, capturing the museum, the art, and the community gathering around Prince's legacy ten years after his passing.
What struck me about the piece was its seriousness. This was not just a fan anniversary story. NHK framed Prince's legacy within the political realities of this moment — the ICE siege in Minneapolis in January, the violence, the protests, the resistance. They showed and interviewed Prince fans visiting the memorial sites for Renee Good and Alex Pretti — Renee, shot and killed by an ICE agent in January when she was witnessing an arrest; Alex, an ICU nurse, shot and killed after stepping between a federal agent and a woman being assaulted on the street. NHK wanted to capture how the city was bearing this weight.
When they asked me why Prince, I said
"I think Prince has always been a force that brings people together. When you look at the people who listen to his music or come to his concerts, you see people of all ages, races, and types. So now, more than ever, with political divisions worsening and so much violence happening in towns, Prince's music is more important than ever, and we need him now more than ever. Prince's music is so powerful, and it's full of a joyful sense of celebrating life. I think it can be a kind of spiritual force that helps people come together."
The response from Japanese viewers to this story moved me deeply. One wrote of Prince
"Now is the time we need you"
Another reflected:
"The greater the uncertainty of the times, the more people connect with artists who express themselves beyond existing frameworks. That's why his music might feel even more vivid as time passes."
And another, simply:
"Music like his connects people beyond time and place."
A train is leaving..
This edition of the museum closes June 27.
We have 10 days left, and we want to make the most of them — with you.
If you have visited, please share your experience in our virtual guest book at peoplesmuseumforprince.org/guest-book. Your story is part of the archive now. If you haven't visited yet, we are open Wednesday through Sunday, 12–5pm, at Roberts Gallery, 2400 Plymouth Ave N. It is always free. We also have Space and Joy happy hours Fri and Sat 4-6pm.
This Sunday June 21 we have a community day 12-5pm- schoolfriends and neighbors of Prince share memories and artifacts, helping us back to the time Prince grew up here in North Minneapolis. We offer a free walking tour of some of Prince's houses and nearby sites at 12pm, and art activities for all ages. Full program details here. The day is drop in, no bookings needed, except for the walking tour. Sign up (Eventbrite) for the walking tour (free but limited places)
On Saturday June 27 we close with a final gathering 2-6pm — 2pm: an afternoon conversation between curator Emma Balázs and author Pamela Ayo Yetunde, whose book Dearly Beloved explores Prince and spirituality. We close with a roundtable community discussion on grassroots legacy work on Prince Rogers Nelson 4pm, and close the museum at 530pm with a closing ceremony, with thanks and music, followed by a deinstallation party. Like the sand mandalas of the Buddhist tradition, so lovingly and consciously created, it will be time to disassemble and send home all the stories and artworks. The museum will dissolve, only to be re-created at the next edition - maybe you will share your story or art with us then.
If this museum has meant something to you, and you would like to see it continue, please consider a small donation to help us continue the work. Every contribution goes directly toward keeping this community project alive and building toward our next edition. At this time, we are seeking to cover our direct costs of this month at Roberts Gallery, and any additional funds will help us create an online publication. You can support us at peoplesmuseumforprince.org/support.
Finally — please share news about the museum with anyone you know may appreciate it. It's a small project with a big vision. Let's celebrate the deep impact of how art changes our lives. Please share this post. Send a friend. These closing days are precious.
Thank you.
The ladder is purple, come on and climb
- Prince, Around the World in a Day.
— E.C. Balázs
Founding Curator, The People's Museum for Prince
