Crown Our Prince Project

At the start of the project in 2015, Sharon and Betsy Hodges — Mayor of Minneapolis from 2014 to 2018 — had numerous meetings to figure out what could be done, but they both knew it needed to be something BIG.

But one thing was always certain: Prince did NOT want a statue.

After Betsy’s transition out of office, Sharon continued her work to identify the proper way to celebrate Prince. She connected with Joan Vorderbruggen, the Director of Hennepin Theatre Trust, who had overseen the creation of six murals in Downtown Minneapolis.

They started laying the groundwork for creating a marquee event centered around the unveiling of a Prince Mural. But this would not be just any mural. It would be something that had never been done before to reflect Prince’s reputation for innovation. It would include technology, youth, music, and artists worldwide to throw the biggest unveiling Minneapolis had ever seen.

Joan also helped with scouting the mural’s location at the Cowles Theater Stage House. The next challenge was securing funding to support the project.

Then, the project took on an even more important significance on April 21, 2016. Our beloved Prince was taken from us much too early. Our hearts were broken knowing that we didn’t get the chance to give Prince his moment in Minneapolis during his lifetime.

Prince’s passing shattered hearts around the world, but also infused a sense of urgency for the project. His family and inner circle, who’d already been part of the process, supported in pushing Minneapolis even harder for a way to thank Prince for all he has done.

Fast forward to 2019, where Sharon testified in the Minnesota State House of Representatives to ask the State to claim the legacy of Prince as our own by contributing $250,000 toward the Crown Our Prince project. Everything looked great as everyone took a moment to praise Prince’s contributions.

But then things hit a snag when the legislature failed to fund the project, and lobbyists got in the way with their own agendas. We lost our support. And, we lost our location when we weren’t able to secure a guarantee that nothing would be built to obstruct the view of the mural.

This is when we approached the MN Department of Transportation and the City of Minneapolis and gave our pitch. They stepped in and offered a more permanent home for the Prince Mural, one that would be seen by millions of people each year and could never be obstructed, Ramp A in Downtown Minneapolis.

And yet again, tragedy struck in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020. George Floyd was murdered. For the world to see.

The city was torn apart when the veil of hidden racism was finally lifted. Streets burned, citizens cried, and trust eroded. And Minneapolis is still hurting today. Many people were scared to return to the Downtown Core.

Soon after, the Minneapolis Downtown Council signed on to help manage the project, and U.S. Bank joined, leading the way in corporate sponsorships with their six-figure donation. They were quickly followed by the Minnesota Twins and Target.

As fate would have it, Prince’s everlasting mark on the city came at a moment when his beloved fans needed it most.