Creating in Concert: A Conversation with Heather Friedli
Heather Friedli was Franconia’s Spring 2026 artist-in-residence, participating in Franconia’s Artist Family Residency program. Friedli is a painter, snow sculptor, and teaching artist who uses various media to express connection to the natural world. She is continuing work on a marble sculpture that she began work on in 2024. In April, Franconia’s Director Alex Legeros sat down with her to talk sculpting, nature, democracy and being brave.
(Alex Legeros) Tell us a little about your artistic process.
(Heather Friedli) I just love playing when I work. So, exploring different media is fun for me. And right now I’m working on a marble sculpture here [at Franconia], which is a totally different medium than I’ve ever done before. My sculpture work in the past has mostly been in snow, which––you know––it’s water! The marble sculpture is similar in some ways, such as, for example, when snow is really cold, it’s very hard.
With marble, there’s no getting soft, but similar techniques can be used. So, there’s definitely transferable qualities between the two, which is really exciting to explore in a different medium.
Being an artist-in-residence at Franconia is a unique experience. Can you talk more about how it feels to be creating new artwork among so many other sculptors’ creations?
Walking around Franconia, I just look at all these other sculptures and there’s so many thoughts and inspirations that go through my head. How did this artist decide to work with something like cement as a medium? Or even, when you look at some of the materials around here, you’re like, what is that medium? Because it transcends the medium itself in the way it presents. And that’s really cool when it’s not obvious what it is.
The communal nature of the artworks at Franconia gives it this feeling of creating in concert with other sculptors. You have a big presence in the Twin Cities and work a lot in community with other artists. Can you describe some of your recent collaborative projects?
Just recently, I finished a giant Prince papier-mâché puppet sculpture that I did for the No Kings protest in St. Paul. Our team also created a giant whistle (project led by Jen Deforest) to represent the Whistle Brigades that were out during Operation Metro Surge alerting people to ICE presence. Our team also created a giant Rebel Loon (project led by Connie Maertz Kasella) to represent the Minnesota Resistance.
I also had the honor of working with former Poet Laureate to Minneapolis Heid E. Erdrich and the Bees Sneez and House of Thune (two snow sculpting teams) to create a piece not only honoring Renee Good and Alex Pretti, but also talking about censorship in the arts.
Throughout these projects, I’ve had a lot of deep conversations with people, especially at the snow blocks this year. Creating art like a snow sculpture is a public event. Because we were creating a piece that directly talked about what was going on in Minneapolis, we had a lot of people show up and talk to us about how important it was that we were creating art during this difficult time.
Participation in democracy has really become a big part of my work lately, along with building community. Anything that gets people together to create is something I’m going to support.
You’re also a teaching artist and have been to Franconia many times to lead painting classes. What do you tell people who are self-conscious or nervous about taking an art class, or might need help getting started with their next art project?
I’ve seen so many people be brave in classes, and the joy they get from taking those steps—it loosens something inside them. So my recommendation would be: you don’t have to start from scratch. You can pick up an art kit and follow step-by-step. Maybe take a class. Maybe attend a workshop. I recently did a protest puppet-making workshop!
Plus, being here is so inspirational. You look around and think, “Wow, they’re doing things with materials I never thought about!” Maybe you go home and find wire or simple materials and just start creating.
Interestingly, snow sculpting is kind of similar to creating work out in the open here at Franconia. Can you talk about what it feels like to sculpt marble in public?
Families come out, kids watch, and you can see their curiosity. I even give them little marble chips sometimes, and they’ll ask me to sign them. You can see them absorbing the creativity and thinking about the process. That’s so rewarding. It really is part of the magic here.
Next time you’re at the park, keep an eye on the workpad for a large white block of marble and check out Heather’s progress. You might even get to watch her work!
Website: https://friedliarts.com/
Instagram: @friedliarts
Facebook: Art of Heather Friedli