Nothing in the Circle of Water Circus was manufactured. Every puppet, every mask, every costume was built in community workshops — by children, elders, immigrants, and lifelong Minneapolitans, side by side. The act of making was as much the art as the performance itself. These objects carry fingerprints, and they carry stories. They are evidence that something extraordinary happened here, that ordinary people built something beautiful together, and that the river was always watching.

Some of these images are beautifully shared by the community and retrieved from: https://www.hobt.org/history.

The Circle of Water Circus Oral History Project. Hover each portrait to hear their story. All 10 interviews are archived in Minnesota’s local history database.

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Special thanks to Alec Gaige, Andrew Young, Angela Olson, Gracie Horn, Jennings Merganthal, Liping Vong, Erica Warren, Ace Seeka, Dillon Sebastian, Angie Courchaine, and many other artists, collaborators, and community members whose contributions made this project possible, including partners from Hennepin History Museum and In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre, et al. All images, media, and original materials remain protected under applicable copyright laws and may not be reproduced, distributed, or used without permission from their respective owners.