The YWCA St. Paul will display an art piece called "Altitude," commissioned by St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter to highlight a program that guarantees monthly income to some of the city's poorest families.
The artwork will be unveiled Dec. 7 at the YWCA at Selby and Western avenues in St. Paul's Cathedral Hill neighborhood.
St. Paul's People's Prosperity Guaranteed Income Pilot is an economic program started in 2020 to provide up to 150 St. Paul families with $500 a month for up to 18 months. As part of the program, Carter selected Alan and Nicole Milligan of the Milligan Studio to create a piece of art reflecting the intention of the program.
"Our People's Prosperity Guaranteed Income Pilot embodies our commitment to finding new ways to care for each other," Carter said in a statement. "This piece by Alan and Nicole Milligan reflects this promise, while providing inspiration and hope for all of us."
In a statement, Alan Milligan said the artwork was inspired by a tightrope walker's parasol.
" 'Altitude' is a joyous celebration in glass, steel and sound of children who grow up with a safety net, and like tightrope walkers, are allowed to dream the impossible, and have the support to make it so," he said.
The artwork will be displayed in a window on the YWCA's second floor, "allowing people to view this as they walk through the neighborhood," according to a news release.
