Bde Maka Ska Giant Green Chair Facelift

The chair at Bde Maka Ska is part of the original Green Chair Project that began in south Minneapolis during the early 1990s.  The project was a way for young people to create a better community with guidance from Sisson by building Adirondack chairs. It was re-ignited by Elpis Enterprises, 2161 University Ave. in Saint Paul, with Sisson’s assistance in the summer of 2020 after the murder of George Floyd. 

Elpis Enterprises is a nonprofit that uses its social enterprises to support young people who have experiences that can make it difficult to enter the work force. Paid internships are offered in screen printing and woodworking.

The work at Bde Maka Ska involved replacing seat boards and repainting the big chair. Elpis Enterprises summer interns from both Step Up (Minneapolis) and Right Track (St. Paul) helped with this project. The sale of Adirondack chairs help support this program and chairs can be purchased online through elpisenterprises.org. Workshops on chair building are also offered by Elpis.