That’s the thing about sign painting. I don’t have a job that I go to clock in and do my work and leave. I create. I have to hustle all of these jobs and I have a lot—like, I have six or seven,” Phil Vandervaart tells me from inside his South Minneapolis garage, which serves … [ Read more]
Art, Printed: Computers are redefining fine art. But is that a good thing?
January 2, 2019 by
Watching a lumbering 3D printer slowly churn back and forth, painstakingly adding minute layer to minute layer of material to an ambiguous shape is far from exciting. It can take hours—sometimes days—until a final product reveals itself. But for as cumbersome as 3D printing can be, the technology has had a profound impact on the art … [ Read more]
Artist Profile: Brad Jirka & Katherine Jones
January 2, 2019 by
Before it even hit the printer, Brad Jirka and his wife/collaborative partner Katherine Jones spent upwards of 65 hours on the model for this cover. Between laying out the initial design and recreating it 40 different ways in the 3D printing software formZ, the design duo behind Northfield studio Bohemiawerks eventually came full-circle, landing on … [ Read more]
Frontside 180: JXTA Arts turning vacant lot into a youth-designed art plaza and skatepark
December 7, 2018 by
At the corner of Emerson and Broadway in North Minneapolis lies a small vacant lot in an otherwise bustling neighborhood. Though it may look empty and idle, the site is actually in the midst of a radical metamorphosis from a gravel lot into a youth-designed art plaza and skatepark. Previously the home of youth arts organization Juxtaposition … [ Read more]
A lesson in drag at Guthrie Theater
August 10, 2018 by Leave a Comment
It takes more than putting on a dress and squeezing into nylons and high heels to be a true drag queen. You have to know the history of it, the community of it, the art of it. You have to know who you are and who you’re hoping to become. You have to commit to … [ Read more]
Hive Minds: How bees are inspiring food purveyors, artists, and policy wonks
June 14, 2018 by
Rawest Form of Honey Making a Comb-Back From peanut butter toast for breakfast to a hot toddy for breakf… a nightcap, a drizzle of honey makes everything better. And while local honey farmers have built a cottage industry around that spoonful of sugar, one farm is harvesting something a little less refined. Ames Farms is … [ Read more]
The Soap Factory 2.0: Renovation to add more artist space and restaurant to Minneapolis art venue
August 7, 2017 by
A daring, innovative Minneapolis art space is soon to rejuvenate its artistic game. Starting late September, The Soap Factory will update its 130-year-old industrial building with a $6.2 million dollar building improvement project. The renovation of the 52,000-square-foot space, once home to the National Purity Soap Factory, includes a top-to-bottom upgrade—the new Soap Factory will offer … [ Read more]
The Dark Arts: Graffiti walks the line between petty vandalism and complex art form
May 31, 2017 by
Provocative bursts of bold colors. Wild, distorted lettering. An urban canvas full of lines, shape, and form, soon to be wiped away—reconditioned to a beige, gray, or whitewashed surface. It’s the nature of the art—atypical, public, transient. It’s graffiti. But is it art? Building an identity in Philadelphia in the late 1960s, graffiti truly exploded … [ Read more]
For Art’s Sake: What the average Minnesotan stands to lose if NEA funding is cut
May 31, 2017 by
The budget battles over federal funding for cultural programs and organizations have tangible, pressing implications for the cultural economy and community access to the arts in Minnesota. If your kids got to see “The Sneetches” at the Children’s Theatre through a field trip at school, you’ve reaped the benefits of public funding for arts and … [ Read more]
Water is Life: Northern Spark builds on last year’s theme with an art festival along the Green Line
May 30, 2017 by
Water is Life” became the rallying cry of the water protectors trying to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline at Standing Rock, and now those words flow between St. Paul and Minneapolis via the Green Line train. Andrea Carlson’s colorful train-wrap design, which reads “Mni Wiconi” (water is life, in Dakota) on one side and “Nibi … [ Read more]
Minnesota Marine Art Museum unveils three notable acquisitions
October 4, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Minnesota Marine Art Museum, located along the Mississippi River in Winona, Minnesota, added to its already surprising collection of water-inspired art from world-renowned artists this weekend. Three paintings were unveiled to a room full of museum members and donors, Winona Daily News reports. The first painting was “Spring on the Hori River Overlooking Steckborn” (1946) by Otto Dix, a … [ Read more]
Your guide to all the public art
May 18, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Ever wonder where you can go to see art around the Twin Cities, besides in a museum? Start Seeing Art has the answer for you. The website has made a Google map that outlines every public art installation (murals, sculpture, mosaic, etc.) around the Twin Cities, including information about each piece. Now that the weather is … [ Read more]
Famed Swedish chef brings photo exhibit to the American Swedish Institute
April 8, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Magnus Nilsson, the acclaimed chef of Faviken Magasinet restaurant in Sweden who is also an accomplished photographer and cookbook author, is headed to Minneapolis. The American Swedish Institute announced today via press release that Nilsson will be displaying his traveling exhibit, “Nordic: A Photographic Essay of Landscapes, Food and People,” at the ASI June 2 to … [ Read more]
Surly Brewing’s 2016 featured artist contest closes February 17
February 15, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Are you an artist? Do you love beer? Then Surly Brewing has the job for you. Surly is choosing a new local artist to work with in 2016 as a part of their annual featured artist contest. The contest has been open since February 5 and still accepting applications until February 17. The chosen artist will … [ Read more]
Heat things up at Franconia Sculpture Park this Valentine’s Day weekend
February 12, 2016 by Leave a Comment
If you’re looking for something to do other than make googly eyes at your sweetie over a fancy dinner this weekend, read on. Franconia Sculpture Park‘s Valentine’s Day Hot Iron Pour is a unique, fun way to spend the day with the love of your life (or the person you’re hoping to be the love of your … [ Read more]
