By Topic: Nigel Parry
Nigel Parry first moved to Lowertown in 2001 and has worked on a variety of Lowertown-related communications projects, art exhibits, and events. His band, Pocket of Resistance, has performed at many Lowertown venues over the years. An editor and journalist for much of his work life, Nigel occasionally contributes to the Downtown St. Paul Voice. Nigel and the network of nigelparry.net consultants undertake website, print and logo design, social media marketing, and publicity and public relations in the governmental, nonprofit/charity, advocacy, news, arts, small business, and personal sectors.
May 1, 2022 | COVID-19 News, Features, Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown Food & Drink News, Lowertown News, Lowertown.info Announcements, News, Podcasts
Lowertown.info was launched in 2014 as an online visitor’s guide, news magazine, and community information portal serving the arts neighborhood of Lowertown, Saint Paul, Minnesota. The site also served as a place of record of the changes Lowertown went through in the last decade. The site created special archives relating to the gentrification of the neighborhood—the JAX Wake, Domination Corporation, interviews with Lowertown pioneers, the pandemic on top of the existing struggles of an artistic community—for those interested in what happened to Lowertown. This project and its associated Twitter feeds will be wrapping up by 1 May 2022. I can’t thank enough the people who supported this project over the years—artists, individual community members, galleries, and local performing collectives…. Thank you so much.
February 18, 2022 | COVID-19 News, Features, Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown Food & Drink News, Lowertown News, Podcasts
Welcome to the second episode of “This Is #Lowertown”, a podcast created by Lowertown.info—an online visitor’s guide, news magazine, and community information portal serving the arts neighborhood of Lowertown, Saint Paul, Minnesota. Hosted by the editor of Lowertown.info, Nigel Parry, this show was recorded on 18th February, 2022. This podcast has been relaunched with a music focus to support Lowertown’s performing artists, which has the added bonus of also making it easier to produce regular episodes. Our main news feature looks at the closing of the Black Dog Café and music from Lowertown musicians and bands, including Eric Carranza and Jest, Steve Kenny, Goodnight Ritual, Jerry Kosak, and Pocket of Resistance.
December 27, 2020 | COVID-19 News, Lowertown News
Nigel Parry, Lifeline Tablets—We’ve all seen the heartbreaking stories about how families are not able to say goodbye to their isolated relatives, dying of COVID-19 in the hospitals, and how healthcare workers have been holding up their own phones so that families can say goodbye one last time. Addressing the problem of patients’ isolation is not cost-prohibitive. Amazon Fire tablets can be purchased for $50 a piece. Paired with a gooseneck stand and headphones with a mic, a kit costs just $100.
November 18, 2020 | COVID-19 News, Lowertown Food & Drink News, Lowertown News
Nigel Parry—According to Yelp data from the end of August 2020, permanent restaurant closures have reached 97,966, representing 60% of closed businesses that will never reopen. The double-whammy, of course, is that many members of the Lowertown community rely on these businesses for income, both as employees but also as artists and musicians who rely on physical spaces to host their public shows and performances.
September 29, 2020 | COVID-19 News, Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
By Nigel Parry, Downtown St. Paul Voice—When COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the Spring Art Crawl, the St. Paul Art Collective—the hard-working, mostly volunteer-run organization that has produced the Capital City’s art crawls since 1977—immediately began exploring new options to assist artists in promoting their work. Now that the in-person Fall Art Crawl is not happening either, the Collective and others are ramping up their efforts to help local artists, who need more help now than ever.
August 14, 2020 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
Nigel Parry, Downtown St. Paul Voice—Uncertainty, displacement and questions of affordability have dogged the Lowertown artist community for most of the last decade, primarily the result of an explosion of new residential development. Artists Barbara Evan, Tom McGregor and CeCeile Hartleib each were negatively affected yet have found a new home to continue to practice their craft.
May 19, 2020 | COVID-19 News, Lowertown News
Nigel Parry/Lowertown.info—The Minnesota Department of Health’s changes to counting positive COVID-19 cases by date of sample—not by date of reporting—revealed that between March and May 2020 we had a profound blind spot in case awareness, sometimes resulting in a daily discrepancy of thousands between the number of reported and actual cases—all as the state was working around the clock to formulate policy informed by the best possible scientific advice.
May 16, 2020 | COVID-19 News
Nigel Parry/Lowertown.info—Last week, Ramsey County launched a COVID-19 tracking dashboard, and the Minnesota Department of Health relaunched its positive cases tracker with a major change to how the date of cases is reported.
April 15, 2020 | COVID-19 News, Lowertown News
Tracking the local impact of the COVID-19 virus in Lowertown, Saint Paul, MN. This series, tracking the impact of the coronavirus crisis on the 4×4 block square area of just one neighborhood in Saint Paul—Lowertown—was begun on March 6th, the date that Minnesota saw its first official positive test result for COVID-19. At the end of week three of this series, the openings and closings of local hospitality industry businesses, and the news of event cancellations had mostly stabilized, so the series was paused. Today, April 15th, I went back through these last three weeks of social media postings by local businesses, and local news reports, to find developments worth adding to the documentary record.
April 14, 2020 | COVID-19 News, Features, Lowertown News, Podcasts
Welcome to the first episode of “This Is #Lowertown”, a podcast created by Lowertown.info—an online visitor’s guide, news magazine, and community information portal serving the arts neighborhood of Lowertown, Saint Paul, Minnesota. Hosted by Lowertown.info editor Nigel Parry, this show was recorded on the Easter weekend of 12th and 13th of April, 2020. Our main news feature explores how the cancellation of the Saint Paul Art Crawl due to the Coronavirus Crisis has impacted local artists • Hear music from Lowertown musicians Eric Carranza and Jerry Kosak from our GREEN LINE TRACKS playlist • Desdamona presents THE LAST INKLING—Spoken Word In The Time Of COVID, to keep your brain occupied and inspire you to create • Learn more about one of Lowertown’s art hubs—THE SHOW GALLERY • Saint Paul’s Queen of Jazz, Pippi Ardennia takes the stress out of songs-stress in a segment called DROP DEM PEARLS • Pick up some new dog care and training tips from local ‘dog-spert’ Tessa Anderson in her segment, PICK IT UP! • And we’ll hear more about news & events in the Lowertown neighborhood…
March 30, 2020 | COVID-19 News, Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
By Nigel Parry, Downtown St. Paul Voice—Tom Dunn is one of many artists affected by the cancellation of the Spring Art Crawl. A photographer and former St. Paul Art Collective president, Dunn know firsthand how important events like this are to local artists. He has participated in the Crawl for the past two decades and has many stories to tell.
March 25, 2020 | COVID-19 News
I had the opportunity to interview a local healthcare worker and Lowertown resident, who was the first known patient in the neighborhood who tested positive for COVID-19. In this interview “Susan” (name changed for privacy), talks about the symptoms and experience of the disease, the difficulty of quarantining family members living together, the wider Coronavirus crisis, and how you can support your local healthcare workers.—Nigel Parry
March 23, 2020 | COVID-19 News
Tracking the local impact of the COVID-19 virus in just one neighborhood in Saint Paul, MN, Lowertown.
March 19, 2020 | COVID-19 News
As we’ve all been trying to get a handle on the Coronavirus Crisis, how it’s likely to impact our lives, and what we should be doing—the process of trying to understand the bigger picture has back-burnered the personal stories of our neighbors. This Lowertown Community Temperature Check features interviews with Brigette Anderson, Dianne Southard, Lisa Mathieson, Meredith Gear, Pam Krank, and Ta-coumba Aiken.
March 17, 2020 | COVID-19 News
The last 10 days have been a whirlwind, in which many of us have been trying to get a handle on the Coronavirus Crisis, how it’s likely to impact our lives, and what we should be doing—as individuals, families, groups of friends, and local businesses. In the process of trying to understand the bigger picture, the personal stories of our neighbors have been back-burnered. We all need to hear from each other to understand how those around us are thinking, acting and planning during this very personal, community threat. On March 16, Lowertown.info asked members of the community to answer several questions to get a ‘community temperature check’. Please note that several of the responses came before Gov. Walz announced the closures of all restaurants, bars, and cafes in Minnesota. This Lowertown Community Temperature Check features interviews with Chris Beckstrom, Desdamona, Holly Green, Julie Kelly, Tara Weatherly, and Tom Dunn.
March 16, 2020 | COVID-19 News
This report begins ten days after the first reported Minnesotan case of COVID-19, by which time the number of detected infected has risen to 54. Restaurants, bars, and cafes have been remarkably slow to even comment publicly, considering both the local, state, and federal government have been strongly recommending to shut down gatherings.
March 13, 2020 | COVID-19 News
Nigel Parry/Lowertown.info—Tracking the local impact of the COVID-19 virus in Lowertown, Saint Paul, MN. This report begins one week after the first reported Minnesotan case of COVID-19, by which time the number of detected infected had risen to fourteen. Following the shutdowns of the major sports leagues, large and small museums and galleries in and near Lowertown began announcing closures, the 54-year-old Saint Patrick Day Parade was cancelled, and restaurants, bars, and cafes began sporadically posting information to reassure Coronavirus concerns.
March 13, 2020 | COVID-19 News
Nigel Parry/Lowertown.info—Tracking the local impact of the COVID-19 virus in Lowertown, Saint Paul, MN. From the first reported Minnesotan case through the first week, when the number had risen to 14.
February 10, 2020 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
By Nigel Parry, Downtown St. Paul Voice—When Lisa Mathieson moved to Lowertown a dozen years ago, she quickly became involved in the arts community and has since made her presence known. She has served as a community arts organizer and St. Paul Art Crawl liaison for the Tilsner Artists’ Cooperative, a board member of the St. Paul Art Collective, and co-organizer of the Lowertown Drawing Circle, now approaching the end of its first decade of weekly Sunday meetings.
January 26, 2020 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
Nigel Parry, Downtown St. Paul Voice—Even if you’ve never met Ta-coumba Aiken, you’ve most likely seen his artwork around the Twin Cities. He’s the creator behind the iconic 117-by-33-foot-high Lowertown “Be Nice!” mural that greets those stepping off the light rail at Union Depot, as well as the beautifully decorated fireplace on the fourth floor of the George Latimer Central Library and the ceramic tile mural on the parking ramp at 7th and Robert. It seems his work is everywhere. I had been a patron at Wells Fargo bank in Downtown for two decades before it dawned on me that the 80-by-21-foot mural behind the teller station was his handiwork.
January 22, 2020 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
By Nigel Parry—The Lowertown Drawing Circle was founded around 10 years ago after a Sunday afternoon coffee bar conversation between Lowertown artists Ta-coumba Aiken and Lisa Mathieson. The good news is that, after a hiatus, the Lowertown Drawing Circle is back—at least through the end of February—meeting every Sunday from 1-3pm at Just/Us eatery and events, across from the Farmers’ Market in Lowertown.
December 31, 2019 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
By Nigel Parry, Downtown St. Paul Voice—In recent years, internationally acclaimed artist and Lowertown resident Desdamona has been working to inspire the next generation of poets and hip-hop and spoken-word artists by sharing her artform in a variety of settings, from schools to prisons. “I do a lot of teaching,” said Desdamona, who is a vocal promoter of her neighborhood. “I work with a couple of organizations that bring artists into community situations.”
November 17, 2019 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
lowertownsantacon.info—Lowertown SantaCon XII is “Putting the Elf Back in TwELFth” this year on Saturday, December 14th 2019! The party starts at 7pm at the Dark Horse Bar&Eatery, heads through the streets via Mears Park, and ends at Just/Us until bar close. Lowertown SantaCon features a costumed cast of hundreds. Come as Santa, come as an elf or reindeer or get creative and come as a Santasaurus, a Hanukkah Chicken, a Kwanza Ham…you get the picture! The Minnesota Krampus society, Santa Lawyer, and the Macalester Pipe Band are scheduled to make appearances.
October 30, 2019 | Lowertown Food & Drink News, Lowertown News
By Nigel Parry, Downtown St. Paul Voice—After opening in downtown at the end of 2017, Just/Us took the St. Paul restaurant scene by storm with a rolling series of creatively themed prix fixe tasting menus. Following the sale of the building they were located in, the team of Lowertowners are reopening in the former Golden’s space this November.
October 21, 2019 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
By Nigel Parry—As Halloween approached in 2003, I called a friend in the Tilsner who held the best Halloween party in town, and asked him if I could set up a portrait booth in a spare room to photograph guests in costume. Looking at the final 166 frames, some clearly offered themselves for further digital manipulation into various cinematic and artistic styles, with some interesting results.
October 7, 2019 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
Nigel Parry—When photographer Jeff Schad and his wife Linsey moved into the Tilsner Artists Cooperative in Lowertown in Spring 2017, “specifically to be a part of the artist community”, he really didn’t know a lot about the neighborhood. “I wanted to be able to participate in the Art Crawls and to have a live/work studio space for portrait work.” Jeff’s work focus includes wedding and engagements, family and senior portraits, events, real estate and product photography. Clients have included the Minnesota Historical Society, Metro Transit, the Union Depot, WCCO, Visit Saint Paul, and others. Read more and browse a special gallery, “If Lowertown took selfies…”
October 3, 2019 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
Nigel Parry, Downtown St. Paul Voice —Roger Nielsen has spent well over half a century avoiding being a jack-of-all-trades so he could be a master of one. At 79, he is known internationally for professional grade restoration of antique art, and for creating frames that grace the Minnesota State Capitol, Presidential libraries, and masterpieces by some of history’s most noted artists that hang in museums and galleries around the world. As well as providing affordable housing for artists in the 262 building on East Fourth Street for many years, Nielsen served as a member of the Lowertown Redevelopment Corporation for more than three decades, advocating for the artists’ community that had been one of the inspirations for investment in the neighborhood.
August 14, 2019 | Lowertown News
Nigel Parry—In July, Verizon launched a new hotspot that makes one gigabit (125MB per second) mobile hotspot connections available in Lowertown, Saint Paul. With an outright purchase of the Verizon 5G MiFi® M1000 Hotspot together with a 2-year data plan, customers will pay $111 a month for 24 months. After that, continuing the monthly data plan costs $90. For local organizations and artists who have attempted to livestream events or incorporate video conferencing in events, this news opens up a host of new possibilities.
July 19, 2019 | Lowertown News
Richard “Dick” Kelly, owner of the now-shuttered Kelly’s Depot Bar for almost 30 years, passed away on July 12, 2019 at his home at the age of 76. In this feature, we remember Dick, and enclose an article written about him and his wife Jean in 2017, as well as copies of the memorial booklet and program from the visitation and mass that took place on July 19, 2019, at the Church of St. Joseph, in West St. Paul, Minnesota.
August 28, 2017 | Features, Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
Northern Spark’s third annual all-night arts festival took place on June 10th, 2017 a locations in the vicinity of Metro Transit’s Green Line light rail stations, between Saint Paul and Minneapolis, including in Lowertown, home to the Union Depot light rail stop. This year’s festival featured an interactive installation created by the Lowertown community, titled “Domination Corporation: Proudly Homogenizing America since 1984”, to create a conversation about gentrification. Archive created by Nigel Parry.
June 1, 2017 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
Nigel Parry, Downtown St. Paul Voice —“I want people to understand the history of this place and respect the people that came before,” she said. “When I came here the first thing I did was learn about what this neighborhood is, what it was, what it turned into, and who was responsible for it. It was very important for me to give props to the elders who came before me, who did all this groundwork, so that I can do what I want to do here in this space.”
May 1, 2017 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
Nigel Parry, Downtown St. Paul Voice—St. Paul native Rachel Wacker is a figure artist who exhibits under the name Dolan Cyr. After receiving a bachelor of arts in studio art from the University of Notre Dame in 1999 she wasted no time establishing a studio practice and has spent the last 18 years developing an extensive resume as both a curator and community art facilitator. She has lived in Lowertown for the last seven years, first in the 262 Building and today in the Northern Warehouse Artist Cooperative.
April 1, 2017 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
Nigel Parry, Downtown St. Paul Voice—Chicago native Pippi Ardennia has been crooning since age 13. She cut her teeth while performing in Chicago’s celebrated jazz clubs, including the Burning Spear, Mr. Kelly’s, Rosebud on Rush, the Green Dolphin, and larger venues such as the Chicago Symphony Center and Taste of Chicago. She has delivered her lush, sultry vocals before such notables as President Bill Clinton, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, Tony Bennett and Liza Minnelli, and has performed with Freddie Hubbard, George Freeman, Billy Branch and other respected jazz musicians.
March 16, 2013 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
Lowertown.info—Photographer James Ramsay—jamesramsayphotography.com—loaded a GoPro on a monopod and walked down the entire length of the Saint Paul, Minnesota St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Lowertown and Downtown. The adventures of Java the Mutt, the symbol of the Black Dog Coffee & Wine Bar—blackdogstpaul.com—in Lowertown, Saint Paul were then fabulously chronicled. Every interaction with kids, cops, parade goers, and real dogs was captured in a series of 5 raw video clips totalling about 30 minutes.
