Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
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.
March 16, 2022 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
Lowertown.info—Irishman & photographer Mike Hazard offers images and memories of Saint Patrick’s Days past and an introduction to some of Saint Paul’s Irish alumni, with links to full-length documentaries about members of the local Irish community that Mike has produced. Saint Paul’s Saint Patrick’s Day parade returns on Thursday, March 17th, 2022 after a two year plague-related break. This year’s route is reversed, with the parade beginning Downtown at Rice Park at noon and proceeding down East Fifth Street to finish at Mears Park in Lowertown. Feature edited by Nigel Parry.
March 11, 2022 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
Lowertown.info—After a two-year break during the pandemic, Saint Paul’s Saint Patrick’s Day parade is set to return on Thursday, March 17th, 2022. This year’s route is reversed, with the parade beginning at Rice Park at noon and proceeding down East Fifth Street to finish at Mears Park in Lowertown, with the day’s celebrations concluding at CHS Field, home of the minor baseball team, the Saint Paul Saints.
March 3, 2022 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
Nigel Parry, Lowertown.info—Star Newman lived in Lowertown for many years while working on props and stage management at the Park Square Theater in Downtown Saint Paul, delighting crowds with her pop-up street magic at art crawls, and working as an event magician though her business Pretty Magical. In February, Star announced that she would be appearing on “Fool Us”, magicians Penn Jillette & Teller’s show on The CW Network, which has aspiring magicians perform their best tricks to try and fool the world-famous team. Watch live on March 4th, 2022!
February 25, 2022 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
Wet Paint Artists’ Materials & Framing—Welcome Spring and awaken your senses with color, the smell of beeswax, the light of a candle and quiet sounds of kitsky on eggshell. Pysanky are Ukrainian Easter Eggs, decorated using beeswax and dyes that are applied in layers. Ukrainian Easter Egg Decorating has been handed down through generations of the Ukrainian people. They are famous the world over for their colorful Easter Eggs (Pysanky). If you have long admired the beautiful Ukrainian eggs at Justin Terlecki’s perennial demo here at Wet Paint, it’s time for you to give it try yourself! Decorate a Goose Egg with a beautiful traditional Ukrainian Cross and Wheat design (a beginner level pattern) on March 19th, 2022 or take another beginner class on April 9th, 2022.
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.
January 16, 2022 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
Lowertown.info—“The Black Dog Café was the biomagnetic center of the universe that is or was Lowertown.” Filmmaker, poet, and photographer Mike Hazard remembers the Black Dog Coffee & Wine Bar, one of the last community hubs in Lowertown, Saint Paul, MN.
January 14, 2022 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown Food & Drink News, Lowertown News
Lowertown.info—At the beginning of the year, the Black Dog Coffee & Wine Bar in Lowertown posted a simple notice on its front doors announcing that the Lowertown, Saint Paul hub was closing permanently. The poster added a date for the cafe’s final goodbye to the neighborhood—on Saturday, January 15th—the last night of Steve Kenny’s popular “Saturday Night Jazz at the Black Dog” series at the 23-year-old community venue. Come down and say goodbye to the end of an era.
January 3, 2022 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown Food & Drink News, Lowertown News
Lowertown.info—On January 2nd, 2022, the Black Dog Coffee & Wine Bar in Lowertown posted a simple notice on its front doors announcing that the Lowertown, Saint Paul hub was closing permanently. It is hard to overstate the importance of the venue to artists, musicians, and the community over the last 20 years.
December 2, 2021 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
Union Depot—On Saturday, Dec. 4, the annual Holiday Tree Lighting ceremony will light up the night at Union Depot. The North Plaza will transform with the flick of a switch, lighting thousands of lights on a 60-foot-tall tree. This year’s tree was donated by Shoreview residents, the Miller Family. The festivities will begin at 4:30 p.m. in the Waiting Room with the exciting reveal of the 2022 Saint Paul Winter Carnival button with the entire Saint Paul Winter Carnival Royal Family. Following the announcement, guests can enjoy a live holiday performance from the Mistletones, participate in crafts and selfie stations and then head outside at 6:30 p.m. for the official holiday tree lighting ceremony with a short fireworks display.
November 7, 2021 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown Food & Drink News, Lowertown News
European Christmas Market—The European Christmas Market in St. Paul is the most authentic traditional holiday market of its kind in Minnesota, offering a unique shopping experience, family-friendly entertainment & intercultural activities. Shop for handmade European crafts or unique gifts from local vendors, drink Glühwein (spiced mulled wine), and taste European inspired delicacies during four weekends in November and December. Opening Day: Black Friday, November 26, 2021, runs until Sunday, December 19, 2021.
October 13, 2021 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown Food & Drink News, Lowertown News
The Saint Paul Farmers’ Market will host two weekends of fun, free Halloween happenings for kids. On October 23 and 24 from 9am-12pm, the downtown Lowertown market will host its annual Pumpkin Decorating Station. The following weekend, October 30-31 from 9am-1pm, all Saint Paul Farmers’ Market locations will host Trick-or-Treating festivities for kids. The markets are brimming with pumpkins, gourds, seasonal produce, autumn flowers and plants, honey, meats, cheese, eggs, baked goods, and more. The Lowertown market location also has live music each weekend and free coffee until 9am, and hungry shoppers will find numerous cooked foods available for purchase from market favorites Chef Earls’ BBQ, Golden’s Bagels, Natasha’s Pierogis, and Minnebun’s steamed Bao buns, as well as delicious donuts.
September 23, 2021 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
The Saint Paul Art Crawl showcases the diversity of art that Saint Paul has to offer. By nurturing a vibrant arts community, the Art Crawl inspires artistic growth and fosters a creative exchange of ideas. Recognized for its tremendous success, the Saint Paul Art Crawl has become a model arts event that is emulated in cities across the country. To the artists and residents of Saint Paul, the event means much more, though. The Art Crawl has evolved from a fun weekend art event twice a year in April and October, to a framework for creating and fostering important, interdependent relationships between the arts community and the city itself.
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 1, 2020 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
By Nigel Parry, Downtown St. Paul Voice—The cancellation of this year’s St. Paul Art Crawl was a blow to local artists who rely on the event to promote and sell their work. Now, the organizer of the event, the St. Paul Art Collective, is encouraging the public to support artists as much as possible and is exploring options to help artists promote their work throughout the year.
April 9, 2020 | COVID-19 News, Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
Third edition of the series in which artists are asked seven questions about how they are dealing with the coronavirus crisis. This “Art Crawl Cancellation Edition” features interviews with Cecilia Henle, Eric Carranza, JobyLynn Sassily-James, Josephine Geiger, Lisa Mathieson, and Roger Nielsen.—Nigel Parry
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.
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.
February 6, 2020 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
SPAC releases—The 2020 Winter Members Show, running from February 6th-28th, is a juried Saint Paul Art Collective (SPAC) exhibition that showcases its member’s artwork to the community, gallery owners, and businesses who support SPAC. The overall winner will grace the cover of the 2020 SPAC Artist Directory. The opening reception and awards takes place on Friday, February 7th from 6-9pm, at the Show Gallery at 346 N. Sibley Street in Lowertown, Saint Paul, MN 55101.
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.
January 8, 2020 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown Food & Drink News, Lowertown News
Just/Us—It’s been a long, grueling road to get this place up and running. But we finally made it, y’all! Now it’s time to celebrate. We’re throwing a WEEKEND LONG PARTY from Friday, January 10th – Sunday, January 12th and you and your mom and her weird boyfriend Donnie are all invited. Seriously though, bring the whole crew and hang out with us. So many of you were integral to helping us get this place open – whether it be physically, emotionally, digitally, or all of those things. This is your celebration too!
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.”
December 15, 2019 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
Lowertown SantaCon—On Saturday, December 14th, the twelfth annual Lowertown SantaCon took place, a festival of surrealness and comedy…with some drinking. Sponsored by SantaLawyer.com, the Dark Horse Bar & Eatery, Just/Us Eatery & Events, Lowertown Wine & Spirits, and nigelparry.net, the event included members of the Macalester College Pipe Band and the Minnesota Krampus society. Talented Lowertown photographer Tom Dunn kindly documented the event.
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 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 4, 2019 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
Twice a year artists open their studios and work spaces to showcase their artwork to thousands of visitors across the city. It is a great time to explore the many artists and artistic mediums that are found within St. Paul. In the art crawl’s ten art districts you can find 21 venues and over 300 participating artists who are waiting to talk with you! Hop the Green Line light rail to Downtown and Lowertown. Light rail rides are free with a pass you can download from the Saint Paul Art Crawl website. Saint Paul Art Crawl Catalog and Lowertown-specific map available here.
October 4, 2019 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
Lowertown Ethos | ART LIVES HERE is a community art event celebrating the creative residents of St.Paul’s storied art district produced by the St. Paul Saints Art Program and sponsored by local businesses. The three day event features a fine art exhibit, live music and dance performances, screen printing demonstrations, and an interactive art game. Where: St Paul Farmers Market, located between East 4th and 5th streets, and Wall and Broadway streets. When: Fall St. Paul Art Crawl | Oct 11-13, 2019 | Friday 6-10pm, Sat 7am-8pm, Sun 8am-5pm.
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.
January 9, 2019 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
Vlogger (“video blogger”) Tommy of the “Tommy Travels the 2nd” vlog visits Lowertown’s Northern Warehouse Artists’ Cooperative, and stops in for interviews with Nathan from Leather Works Minnesota and Michael Bahl from The Museum of Paleo-Osteological Interpretation. A super informative watch and a fantastic use of YouTube to explore and share the talent and craziness found in Lowertown, Saint Paul. (18:33 mins)
April 18, 2018 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
April 27, 28, 29, 2018 • Friday 6–10 PM, Saturday 12–8 PM, Sunday 12–5 PM. Recognized for its tremendous success, the Saint Paul Art Crawl has become a model arts event that is emulated in cities across the country. To the artists and residents of Saint Paul, the event means much more. The Art Crawl has evolved from a fun weekend art event to a framework for creating and fostering important, interdependent relationships between the arts community and the city of St. Paul.
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.
January 24, 2017 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
Following an involuntary exodus from the JAX building, after it was purchased for market rate rentals as part of the ongoing gentrification of Lowertown, artists from the community poster-tagged the building in the dead of night. Tom Dunn sent these photos to lowertown.info. Tom Dunn Photography specializes in commercial, business and fine art photography. The readers of Woodbury Magazine voted TDP Best Photographer. Located at 308 Prince St., Studio 242 in the Northern Warehouse, Tom Dunn Photography is part of the vibrant Lowertown Arts District of Saint Paul, Minnesota.
May 11, 2016 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
ROBERTA AVIDOR writes, “I’m an illustrator who’s lived in Lowertown for almost three years now. One of my specialties is creating illustrated maps, one of which is the Downtown and City of Saint Paul map for the Saint Paul Almanac. Working on that map and being involved with the Almanac was one of the factors that made it desirable to make the move from Minneapolis to Saint Paul. My husband, Ken, and I appreciate all the interesting events and people around here and strive to capture that vitality in our artwork.”
May 10, 2016 | Features, Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News, Lowertown News
A short documentary film by Dave Bellmont of Kinostadt Films chronicling the redevelopment of the Arts district in Lowertown, Saint Paul, Minnesota. The sale of a key art studio building causes the sudden displacement of more than eighty career artists. After calling the JAX building their home for almost forty years, the community mourns the loss and wonders about the artists’ place in the changing neighborhood. (13 minute version)
May 10, 2016 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
Rachel Wacker (a.k.a. Dolan Cyr) graduated with honors from the University of Notre Dame in 1999 with a B. A. in studio art and a concentration in philosophy and literature. Rachel now resides in the Lowertown Arts District where she is a full time artist, community art event designer, and emerging curator. She is an active member of the Saint Paul Art Collective, a coordinator for the Lowertown First Fridays Committee and the resident curator for 262 Studios’ public galleries.
May 7, 2016 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
I found my place in Lowertown a dozen years ago. I found a place where my art and ideas and expressions were supported and appreciated, and this allowed me to feel known and understood in a way I have never been before. Even those closest to me got to know me better through my art, because I’m not the best at words and therefore painting is my best form of communication. I found a place where people take the time to ask curious questions, and who really listen, even if they don’t fully agree with everything I’m saying. Open-mindedness, that’s the word. Inclusiveness. Support.
May 6, 2016 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
Two weeks ago I participated in my 33rd consecutive and final St Paul Art Crawl in Jax studio 306. Now, all of the artists have vacated the premises. It will be gutted and turned into upscale lofts as will the 262 Building across the street. I’m grateful for the 16 years I got to spend in that studio, the artist community I was able to be part of and the conversations I had with the homeless of Lowertown. My life is richer for it. Oh how I loved standing in the big north windows looking into the alley, but the view has changed.
May 6, 2016 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
All because our view included the JAX – all of your faces – your art – your hearts – your inspiration – your courage and spirit! Just by existing in the space around us and holding tight and fast to a passion for art and for humanity, you have made this community thrive for all – all of the artists here and for all of the people who visit and love what we create. Seeing the JAX artists go is devastating to me. Seeing this view change is heartbreaking and it puts a cloud over the future.
May 6, 2016 | Lowertown Art, Music & Culture News
Postcard advertising the JAX Wake, and the program handed out at the wake.
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.
