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
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—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…”
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.”
Twin Cities PBS’s documentary about the development of Lowertown. It was the birthplace of St. Paul and the focal point of the railroad industry built by the like of James J. Hill that made Saint Paul and Minnesota a key hub in America’s rail system. Then it fell into decay and abandonment. How did Lowertown return to vibrancy in the last few decades of the twentieth century? (56 minutes, 40 seconds)
