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Loretta windows get bold new look

Loretta windows get bold new look

Fargo artist extraordinaire Mara Morken has given Fargo window shoppers more eye candy.

Morken has spruced up the front display windows of the in-progress Loretta Building, located at the 200 Block of Broadway, with a dynamic display made of ribbon. You may recognize Morken from her affiliation with an earlier Loretta Building project. Last spring, she spearheaded “Chalk,” an interactive public-art installation on the boarded construction site.

Kilbourne intern Jon Okstad, who helped Morken with supplies, said the installation used 1,200 yards (!) of ribbon in hues of lime, apple-green, orange and creamsicle. We recently chatted with Morken on the inspiration for her boldly graphic window display. Here’s what she had to say.

What were you hoping to accomplish with this display? With this project I hoped to add color and whimsy to a beautifully developing space. I can tell the Loretta Building is special and wanted to be sure the window design represents the unique vibrance of Downtown Fargo but also the structure and solid style that I see coming from Kilbourne Group.

Is there any particular reason why you gravitated toward ribbon as your medium? Ribbon wasn’t the original choice for the installation, but it ended up being ideal. I had hoped to create the entire piece in duct tape! It seemed like such a fun medium to use for a space in transition. Once the issue of dust settling onto the exposed adhesive was pointed out, we decided on grosgrain ribbon instead. I’m really happy with the way it turned out.

How many hours did it take to install it? It took a total of 16 working hours to install and reinforce the ribbons – two people working eight hours each.

I had a wonderful time creating the design and installing it. It was fun to see everything coming together but even more fun to see the reactions from passersby. We got quite a few thumbs-up and people stopping to study the patterns or take photographs. Everyone wanted to know what was going into the space. I felt fantastic to be a part of it.

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