University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Search
Search
News
Multimedia
Sports
Classifieds
Opinion
Subscribe
Entertainment
Send a Tip
Podcasts
Donate
In-Depth

Subscribeto our newsletter

Minnesota Daily Logo

Wednesday, February 20, 2019 Print Edition

Donate

  •       
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
  • Podcasts
  • Classifieds
  • Special Issues
  • Send a Tip
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
  • Podcasts
  • Classifieds
  • Special Issues
  • Send a Tip
Search

Subscribe

The independent news source for the University of Minnesota campus, now only a click away. Subscribe to the Minnesota Daily's e-newsletter for full sports coverage, updates from the newsroom, and a pick of the week's top features.

Minnesota Daily Newsletter

Fill out my online form.

Donate to the Minnesota Daily!

The Minnesota Daily has been training student journalists and serving the University of Minnesota community since 1900. With your help, we will continue to produce award-winning journalism and provide excellent training for students in all areas of news production. We collect donations through GiveMN; please click below and donate today!

MINNESOTA DAILY | GiveMN


3/9/2017, 12:00am

Local street artist decorates Twin Cities with little 'mouse' doors

Street artist Mows repurposes unused places with the little decals.

By Katie Lauer
Local street artist decorates Twin Cities with little 'mouse' doors
Easton Green and Easton Green
An artist by the name of Mows installs "mouse doors" in Minneapolis on Tuesday, March 8, 2017. This door located in a alley on N 4th street in Downtown Minneapolis.

Share

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Mail
  • Print

Tiny black-hinged doors, windows and doormats have popped up around Minneapolis in the last six months thanks to a new local street artist.

Mows — pronounced “mouse” — who prefers anonymity for artistic and legal reasons, moved to the Twin Cities from San Francisco, bringing his little mouse door decals with him.

The artist’s work can be seen anywhere from Spyhouse Coffee in Northeast to downtown by Pizza Lucé.

“I think it adds to the quality of life in a city,” Mows said. “It adds variety. It repurposes ugly, unused, anonymous places.”

Using a self-described “attached” street art style, the doors are usually made from small canvases that he designs. As seen on his Instagram — “mows510” — many also feature an accompanying welcome mat and window that he adheres next to the doors.

Current Minneapolis Mows doors are limited to the artist’s signature textured, boldly-colored aesthetic. However, Mows is starting to work on more "one-off" pieces. His past door designs range from a painted Game Boy, an unzipped zipper and a Poke Ball.

"I have no shortage of ideas," Mows said. "They come to me faster than I implement them."

Mows tried to choose more “artsy” and “hip” locations so he could reach an audience that would welcome the art. He even has a few pieces in parks and residential areas.

"I want to put it where I think people will appreciate it,” he said. "They see it. They appreciate it. They get it.”

The University of Minnesota campus is on his list of future homes for the mouse doors.

Somewhat surprisingly, Mows doesn’t have any art background.

"I never did a single bit of art until I was 54,” Mows said. “Like nothing. Not even doodles."

The now 55-year-old was first introduced to street art while traveling around the world.

"I thought, 'That's so simple. I could do something like that,'" Mows said after seeing a piece in London that looked, at the time, like a Pacman ghost with two eyes — it was actually an upside-down paper bag, but it got Mows thinking.

"What could I do down low?” he asked himself when he first started. “I could do the doors.”

That was when Mows’s name and style were born.

“Art's a conversation between artists where they incorporate their ideas and influences,” he said. “I just wanted to be part of that conversation rather than an observer from the outside.”

In less than a year and a half, Mows’ work has garnered national and global attention. Through collaboration and travel, he now has hundreds of doors around the world, including spots in California, the Grand Canyon, Australia and Switzerland.

Despite the mass appeal, some negative connotations do exist around the work Mows does. It’s technically illegal, and Mows said some people think street art, graffiti and tagging are one in the same.

However, Mows thinks the feel and style of his art allows for an element of acceptance.

"It’s approachable and it’s whimsical," Mows said. "It's not threatening or ugly or aggressive. So I think a lot of people don't see it as graffiti."

Looking ahead, Mows hopes to build the street art scene in Minneapolis with the help of a few other local artists. While he doesn’t think the city will take off culturally, like Paris, London or Berlin, he does think street art has a place in the Twin Cities.

“It adds a momentary light,” Mows said. “You're walking down the street not thinking about this stuff and then you see it.

"I would do it wherever I go,” Mows said. “For me, it's all about the fun.”

Share



Related Stories

Luke Becker and Steve Bleise practice in the current wrestling space in Bierman Athletic complex. The University wrestling team received donations to move from their current practice facility to previous basketball practice facilities.

Gophers wrestling's final home dual canceled

By David Mullen

Passersby walk next to Coffman Union on Monday, Oct. 29, 2018. 

Report recommends renaming four buildings

By Jake Steinberg

Nael Banat leads University Human Resources employees in a pre-shift stretch on Friday, Feb. 15. The program was started by Banat and fellow graduate student Andrea Santi as part of their Kinesiology studies.

Early-morning stretch program aids UMN staff

By Norah Kleven


The Minnesota Daily welcomes thoughtful discussion on all of our stories, but please keep comments civil and on-topic. Read our full guidelines here.


Editor's Picks


Last Updated 17 hours ago

Early-morning stretch program aids UMN staff

By Norah Kleven

The program aims to help University faculty with physically demanding jobs stretch to prevent injury.


Last Updated 17 hours ago

Rising enrollment, applications a good sign for Law School


Last Updated 17 hours ago

UMN researchers use stalagmites to gauge climate change


2/18/2019, 10:57pm

Community gathers to honor West Bank music icon


Podcasts


2/13/2019, 11:20pm

Episode 19: Connecting with youth in Cedar-Riverside


2/7/2019, 12:17am

Episode 18: The bittersweet life of UMN sugar babies


1/31/2019, 9:12am

In the Know: Episode 17


Minnesota Daily Logo To Homepage
  • About
  • Jobs
  • Contact
  • Archives
  • Advertise
  • Distribution

All Rights Reserved

© Copyright 2019 Minnesota Daily

Powered by Solutions by The State News.