Remembering Carol Daly

Minneapolis lost a devoted arts advocate this week with the passing of Carol Daly.

Over the years she served on numerous committees and boards connected to the arts, including the Minneapolis Arts Commission, and Forecast Public Art.

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Carol Daly

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Last June 11, on the occasion of her retirement, Mayor R. T. Rybak declared it "Ms. Carol Daly Day."

Public Arts Administrator Mary Altman had this to say about Daly:

When it came to the arts, Carol was the most enthusiastic and avid participant and volunteer that I have ever met. She was a walking advertisement for whichever event she had most recently attended, and she often went to several a week. She loved her work as a Minneapolis Arts Commissioner and former board member of Forecast, and was a passionate spokesperson for artists, arts groups and public art.

Jack Becker at Forecast Public Art added the following:

Carol was naturally inquisitive, a life-long learner, and she took that spirit wholeheartedly into the arts. But it was her style of sharing her enthusiasm for what she learned and what she loved that made Carol the significant torch-bearer for the arts and humanities here. Her stubborn attitude of "why not?" meant that she would fearlessly challenge status quo and confront leaders to consider the aesthetic and creative and innovative -- not simply the functional or economical. She went to more plays and museums and musical events than anyone I know -- and that's saying a lot! And then she had to TALK about whatever she saw -- to anyone who would listen... How can you NOT be an arts enthusiast after all that?

A memorial service will be held for Daly at the First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis at 11am this Saturday with a family greeting beginning at 10am. In lieu of flowers, it's requested that donations are made to the Minneapolis Arts Commission.