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.
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.
