Purple Places: A Digital History Tour of Prince's Minneapolis

Curated by Kirsten Delegard, University of Minnesota; Michael Lansing, Augsburg University; Kristen Zschomler, Minnesota Department of Transportation. Technical support for this project provided by Christy Mattingly and Stewart Van Cleve, Augsburg University.

Purple Places seeks to illuminate the physical locations associated with Minneapolis native son and musician Prince Rogers Nelson. Prince was globally significant as an artist. This digi-tour seeks to root him in the place he called home. Minneapolis was central to the musician's identity. "I'm as much a part of the city where I grew up as I am anything," he explained in 1997. This conviction was central to his life and work.

This interactive map is the outgrowth of years of work by the curatorial team. Since the musician's death, Kristen Zschomler has been working to identify properties connected to Prince that merit historic designation. The goal is to ensure preservation so that future scholars and fans can understand the physical and cultural environments that shaped the artist. Kirsten Delegard and Michael Lansing have co-authored an article that explores the relationship between the musician and his hometown. "Prince and the Making of the Minneapolis Mystique" appeared in the Fall, 2018 issue of the Middle West Review.

Please note that the Estate of Prince Rogers Nelson is not affiliated, associated or connected with “Purple Places,” nor has it endorsed or sponsored “Purple Places.” Further, the Estate of Prince Rogers Nelson has not licensed any of its intellectual property to the owners of “Purple Place.”

The Purple Places Team would like to thank the following individuals for their generous support, especially with images: Dom Puglisi, Daniel R. Pratt, Steve Orfield, Charles "Chazz" Smith, Joan Howard and the other children of John Glanton, Ted Hathaway, Heidi Heller, and Daniel Bergin. For insights and stories, we thank Charles Smith, Terry Jackson, Pepe Willie, Chris Moon, Herb Pilhofer, Tyka Nelson, jooZt Mattheij,and Thomas de Bruin.