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.
On March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day, Lowertown photographer Tom Dunn went on a walkabout around Lowertown and Downtown to capture signs of the Coronavirus Crisis’ impact on the neighborhood.
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.
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.
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.
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…”
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.
THE JAX, 39, of Lowertown Saint Paul passed away on April 30, 2016 after being fatally purchased for redevelopment. With great sadness, the St. Paul art community mourns the passing of a beloved art space that played an integral role in the Lowertown art scene for 39 years. Located at 253 E 4th Street in the historic warehouse that once housed Michaud Wholesale Grocers and The Jane Garrott Candy Company, The Jax provided affordable studios to artists and micro-businesses from 1977 until her passing.
Photos of the JAX Wake from Lowertown photographer Glen Jones.
Photography has always been important to Vaughan, particularly the potential for a good image to lift the human spirit. Landscapes and flowers are particularly good for uplifting the psyche and calming the soul in this way… think of it as ‘umami for the eyes’.
