By Topic: Lowertown Underground Artists


Lowertown reinvents to recover: Cancelled weekend art crawl returns as virtual art month

Lowertown reinvents to recover: Cancelled weekend art crawl returns as virtual art month

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.

Displaced Lowertown artists finally feel secure in their new digs

Displaced Lowertown artists finally feel secure in their new digs

Nigel Parry, Downtown St. Paul VoiceUncertainty, 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.

Artist Spotlight: Tara Weatherly, cofounder of Sendero Flamenco

Artist Spotlight: Tara Weatherly, cofounder of Sendero Flamenco

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.”

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