Preview: Saint Paul Art Crawl, October 14-16th

St. Paul is a city of secrets. It takes time to get to know her. She is quiet but deep and, unlike most cities, devoid of traffic and crowds, except in the downtown skyway around the noon hour when all the office cubicles are let out for recess. On the surface she is still, but filled with hidden gems that you have to uncover on your own because this city is too humble to brag about how great their treasures really are. This is the kind of city that commands curiosity and calls for discovery.

 

One of the great St. Paul treasures are the artists and storytellers who create art here and have shared a history with this city for many, many years. Twice a year, they partake in the Saint Paul Art Crawl, a weekend-long arts event that takes place each spring and fall in downtown and throughout St. Paul. Hundreds of artists, galleries, and local businesses open their doors and studios for the public to view art, watch performances, explore the spaces where art is made, interact with artists, and support their work. The majority of the event takes place inside private spaces and has an underground feel that is intimate and imaginative with an energy that is raw and authentic. The Art Crawl is a program of the St. Paul Art Collective in collaboration with an Art Crawl Director and numerous volunteers; at 25 years old, it is the longest running open studio event in Minnesota.

 

Jon Reischl, Bicyclethieves1948, Oil on canvas, 40" x 40" - Vandalia Tower, Studio 312

 

The Saint Paul Art Crawl began in 1991, in an unknown and uninhabited neighborhood called Lowertown that sits near the Mississippi River on the eastern edge of downtown St. Paul. No one ever came to this part of town, no one really even knew about it, until artists began setting up studio space in the late 1970s and early ‘80s within the old warehouse factory buildings of this small, silent neighborhood. They created art here. They founded a community. They built a life. They invited others to be a part of it.

 

The only thing missing in the beginning was a dialogue with the wider community. There was a lack of exhibition opportunities for artists in St. Paul to share their work with a public audience until a group of dedicated artists took the lead by opening their own homes and studios to the public. At first, most visitors didn't know how to react to an open studio concept and seemed more intrigued by the large warehouse loft spaces than the art itself. “You actually live here?” they would say, unable to fathom the idea of living in an open-floor loft space in an old warehouse in dark and grim little Lowertown, which ironically today is the trend of the high-end real estate market. But as the event gained momentum over the years, the audience's appreciation and understanding of the arts and the Art Crawl had deepened. What some once considered a “private view of how the bohemians live” had actually played a key role in softening the boundary between artist and viewer – demystifying art and defying the stereotype of the artist's life as one of seclusion or ego – all by the artists' humble act of welcoming strangers into their world with open arms.

 

The creative energy of the arts community became contagious, and everyone who took the time to get to know this community wanted to become a part of it. Over the next 25 years, the Art Crawl grew to attract as many as 30,000 visitors during the course of a weekend while expanding to over 25 different buildings and venues beyond its downtown location, including Grand Avenue, East and West neighborhoods, and along University Avenue. Partnerships with local venues like Bedlam Theater, Union Depot, and Minnesota Museum of American Art allowed for a wider range of arts experiences such as performances, pop-up shows, community events, and exhibit space for guest artists.

 

Chad Hambright, Adventureland, Oil On canvas, 42" x 62" - Northern Warehouse, Studio 319

 

The Art Crawl is a special and important event to the Twin Cities community. The crowd that comes here is loyal, supportive, engaged, grateful, and respectful. It must be something about St. Paul, shy and a little mysterious, that brings out the curiosity in people. If you have never been to the Art Crawl, you need to go. Don't just stop in, but take the time to explore. As someone who has both attended and participated in the event for many years, here are my recommendations for how to experience a great Crawl:

 

Plan ahead but don't over-book. Have some direction, but allow yourself enough breathing room to explore. Pick out a few artists or studios or performances from the catalog that pique your interest beforehand so you have an idea of where you at least want to begin, and then wander from there or pick up suggestions from artists or fellow crawlers along the way. Start in the heart of the Art Crawl's origin of Lowertown. Visit the studio of intermedia artist Chad Hambright in the Northern Warehouse. Attend the newly relocated The Show Gallery near Mears Park, and check in to 262 Studios to visit artists Alex Kuno and Rachel Wacker (aka Dolan Cyr). You can't leave the neighborhood without paying a visit to the “Mayor of Lowertown” himself, artist Ta-coumba Aiken in the Lowertown Lofts Artists' Co-operative. Head just south of the downtown area to the ACVR Warehouse right across the Mississippi River. Ride on the Green Line lightrail with a free pass along University to visit some of the newer locations of the Art Crawl, including Vandalia Tower, where you can view the abstract figurative paintings of Jon Reischl, and the Midway Triangle Building, featuring the colorful mixed media works of DeAnne Parks. View an online copy of the catalog for a complete list of artists and buildings. Printed copies will be available at each participating location.

 

DeAnne L. Parks, Artist Fleeing Habitat Destruction, Oil on canvas, 22"x28" - Midway Triangle Building, Studio B2

 

Switch it up. Take breaks between studio crawls and catch a local performance or take a food break at a local establishment. Listen to a free classical music concert during the Saint Paul Classical Music Crawl taking place on Saturday, October 15, in various concert venues and art galleries throughout Lowertown. Catch a performance at the Lowertown Dance Showcase that takes place on Sunday, October 16, at Bedlam, featuring Sendero Flamenco, Kala Vandanam, and Ballet Minnesota. There will be afterparties on Friday and Saturday night at Bedlam Lowertown, including the annual After Crawl Ball on Saturday for a chance to hang out and mingle with the artists. Click here to download a full list of events and performances.

 

Studio Sendero, formerly in the Jax Building - Northern Warehouse, Lowertown Underground Artists

 

Stay in the moment. Many of these spaces are not typically open year-round, so it is a unique chance to visit them and meet the artists who create here. Walking into each studio is like walking into a different little world, they are all vastly different from one to the next, both in the type of art form and the way each artist chooses to present their work. Take your time with each one. Talk to the artists, ask questions, learn about their practice. If you connect with a piece or a performance, offer your support to the artist by way of a purchase or a donation. This event is about making meaningful connections, supporting local art, and being together in a place of honesty and curiosity because that's when the best discoveries happen.

 

Kara Hendershot’s studio - Northern Warehouse, Studio 516

 

-Kara Hendershot

 

Saint Paul Art Crawl. Artists open their doors to the public. Downtown, Lowertown, and throughout St. Paul.
Friday, October 14: 6 – 10pm
Saturday, October 15: 12 – 8pm
Sunday, October 16: 12 – 5pm

Visit the website for an online copy of the catalog, info on locations, directions/parking, and public transportation.