St. Cloud to Celebrate World Refugee Day with Art Exhibit

ST. CLOUD -- A new art exhibit featuring the stories of refugees is coming to St. Cloud.

The artist James Bowey and the St. Cloud organization Unite Cloud partnered together to create the portrait exhibit.

Natalie Ringsmuth is the director of Unite Cloud. She says with Wednesday being World Refugee Day it was the perfect day to open up the exhibit, "When Home Won't Let You Stay."

"It will be up at six different locations throughout central Minnesota and then in August, it will be coming to the Paramount. It'll be there all August. Then we'll also have an artist talk and a community reception on August 23 at 6:00 p.m."

Different refugee portraits and stories will be on display until the final showcase in August, at the following locations:

• Local Blend, St. Joseph
• Good Shepherd Nursing Home, Sauk Rapids
• The Change Hair Salon, Sartell
• Daylily Salon and Spa, Sartell
• Westwood Church, St. Cloud
• Quarks American Bento, St. Cloud

Ringsmuth says for Unite Cloud and Bowey to plan the exhibit it took about a year. She says they wanted to bring something to central Minnesota that helps highlight a refugee's journey.

"We encounter people who came here as refugees when we are at the mall or Cash Wise or somewhere around central Minnesota but we don't necessarily know their stories and how they came to be here in central Minnesota. These stories and these pictures will give a glimpse of what life was like for someone in a refugee camp and what it's like now that they are here in Minnesota."

The exhibit features 20 portraits of Minnesota refugees.