Minneapolis artist Anna Metcalfe called her work "Upstream," a project designed to get people to share their stories of connection to the Mississippi River and other bodies of water.

Hosting tea conversations from Winona to Portland, Tallahassee to Dubuque, Metcalfe collected stories in people's own handwriting and transferred those stories onto teacups. Those, in turn, would spark the next round of conversations and stories — and more teacups.

Since 2015, she estimates she's had 700 conversations and gathered about 300 stories on slips of paper kept in a trailer that also contained teacups, teapots, a table, stools and cabinets.

"One of the main things when I think about this project is the generosity that is expressed, of all people. Their generosity of spirit," Metcalfe said, adding that those who shared their stories got to keep a teacup. "It is such a treasure to me to get to know the water through people's stories."

But shortly after a winter storm two weeks ago, thieves stole the trailer from Metcalfe's driveway. The stories, the teacups, the connections ... gone.

Getting to know the river

Metcalfe, who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2009, teaches at Minneapolis Community and Technical College. According to her website, "Upstream" is a project "that seeks to build connections and share stories between strangers within a watershed. It starts with a tradition that most cultures share in some way: drinking tea. Ripe with metaphor, tea is a symbol of liberation to some, an act of contemplation to others, or even a gesture of cooperation and community. Tea drinking is a simple and a universally-understood action. It will be the mechanism by which stories about water are collected and shared."

While it now includes other watersheds, the project's initial focus was the Mississippi. While Metcalfe grew up in the state of Virginia, her grandparents lived along the Mississippi River and shared their stories with her. Later, after Metcalfe moved to Minnesota, she reveled in finally getting to experience the legendary river herself.

"I said to myself, 'Oh my gosh, I get to cross this majestic river every day,' " she said.

But, while she said she knew the Mississippi as "a celebrity," she said her grandfather "knew the river as a friend." Metcalfe wanted to learn more.

So, in partnership with several watershed management organizations, Metcalfe sought to strengthen people's bond with — and understanding of — water. A Youtube video also features the project.

Continuing the work

In addition to the hundreds of handwritten stories kept in a shoebox, Metcalfe said the trailer contained collections of rocks and shells gathered and given to her by the people who'd come to tea. Lost, too, was a custom cabinet made by her great great grandfather.

"There's just no way to quantify the loss," Metcalfe said, adding that the theft "is going to change this project profoundly."

However, after mourning a bit over the past two weeks, Metcalfe said Friday that "I have come around to feeling really determined to continue this project."

News of the theft on television and social media has heightened awareness of the project, she said. Even if the trailer isn't returned or recovered, Metcalfe said she thinks the incident may lead to an even larger pool of people willing to share their memories of the river and other bodies of water. More storytellers, she said, means a chance for more connections.

"I'll keep going," she said. "I can promise you that."