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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
