The651.com

Yes, yes. we know. This is the third Grand Old Day post on the651.com this week. BUT, before ya jump the gun and go back to Googling yourself, know that we’re just here to make sure you have everything you need to have a great time this weekend! And since I’m the arts and culture writer we thought it appropriate to toss in a little art-related Grand Old Day material for ya.

Did you know Grand Old Day has its own Art District that runs from Hamline, all the way up to Snelling? It totally does! And for those of you familiar with that stretch of road, you know that’s A LOT of street. And all dedicated to artsy coolness? Color us impressed. Check out the all-day Art Fair, sponsored by the art-lovin’ folks over at Lavender Magazine, who’ve helped wrangle together scads of amazing local and regional art vendors who will be on hand to entice you with their wares. See (and buy) paintings, sculpture, bric-a-brac, jewelry and much more. In addition, you’ll be treated to a display of Art Cars — you know, the zany, motorized art pieces that you see every once in awhile and say “What the…?” Get an up close peek; who knows? You may very well be inspired to jazz up your own ride! The Art Cars will also participate in the parade starting at Cleveland & Grand at 10am.

Also on the sched is the Walker Art Center & mnartists.org Open Field Drawing activity. Art supplies are provided so the public can join forces with local artists to create a collaborative art piece!  The center of the tables will contain the working pool of pieces. Start a new drawing, slide it back into pool, pass it around, alter, edit and amend it until the group declares it complete. The end result could be amazing, or it could be scary — you won’t know unless you try! A great activity for kids and adults alike. ArtStart Projects will also be on hand for you to make your own take-home art project. Cool, eh?

Oh, and don’t forget to stop into Grand Ave’s staple art supply store, Wet Paint, to stock up on fun items to keep the art-making going past Sunday!

The Grand Old Day Art District is located on Grand Ave between Hamline & Snelling. The event runs from 8am-5pm on Sunday, June 6th and is free and open to the public. For more info visit www.grandave.com.

We love when St. Paul artists represent themselves in our fair city. So is the case with comic book-style illustrator Dan Wieken, who is showing his latest work at ultra-hip menswear boutique BlackBlue. His work ranges from small-scale illustrations to epic murals, both depicting Wieken’s trademark creepy-cool aesthetic. Head to tonight’s reception to meet the artist, enjoy cheese and wine, and check out BlackBlue’s latest spring goods.

The opening reception is tonight from 7-10 p.m. at BlackBlue, 614 Selby Avenue, St. Paul, www.blkblu.com.

Warning: Visual overload ahead! This Saturday head to Snelling Avenue’s Nicademus Art for the next installment in their ongoing series of awesome art shows. This month, Saint Paul artists David Witt (a.k.a. DWITT) and Christopher Bowman team up for another collaborative incarnation in Gone Bye Bye.

Witt, a well-know illustrator and rock poster designer pairs his colorful signature style with seasoned mixed media artist and illustrator Christopher Bowman’s more intricate lines and frenzied pace. Two of the more prolific artists around these here parts, Bowman and Witt will present upwards of 200 collaborative and individual pieces in numerous shapes, sizes and mediums including screen prints, paintings, four foot panels of teeny-tiny illustrations, and drawings on used cookware.

What’s great about these two local artists is that their work is always priced to sell, which means pretty much anyone can afford a piece. Whether it’s a limited edition screen print for under $20 or a large work on canvas for a few hundos, DWITT and Bowman strive to make their works accessible to everyone — a feat not oft attempted by most artists. Like we always say, art collecting is for everyone! Not to mention, Nicademus also doubles as a framing business, so it’s really a one stop shop!

The opening reception for Gone Bye Bye happens on Saturday, May 8th from 7-11pm and will feature refreshments and live music from 20 Dollar Love. The exhibit also runs through the month of May. Regular store hours are Tuesday-Thursday 11am-7pm and Friday-Saturday 11am-5pm. Located at 225 N. Snelling Ave.
St. Paul. For more info visit www.nicademusart.com.

Ah, the Spring Art Crawl is back once again! This bi-annual art extravaganza’s  epicenter lies in Lowertown, but its tendrils tend to spiderweb throughout the entire city, moving farther and wider with each passing season.

art by Dillon Bakke / In Progress Art Show

This time around there will be more art to see, people to meet, and fun to be had than you can likely handle, so we suggest you make an itinerary and (attempt to) stick to it! On the Saint Paul Art Crawl’s website you can download a free map and a guide to all the registered locations and participating artists. And though being organized definitely won’t shield first timers from the barrage of color and cacophony that awaits, it’s best to be prepared.

Wear comfy shoes and stroll the expanses of numerous old warehouses filled to the brim with eccentric artsy types chomping at the bit to show you their work. Nibble some cheese, sip some wine, and chat it up with some weirdos — why not? Check out our suggestions below for special events, or visit the website and make your own plan!

Northern Warehouse

Rhea Pappas / Northern Warehouse

Dozens of artists studios plus a ground level gallery space; a film room where you can watch video pieces created by they buildings’ artists; a gallery show of artists Daniel Choma and Jamie Paul Lamb; 33% off work by awesome photographer Rhea Pappas, whose whimsical underwater shots are especially delightful. Also in the same building is the Black Dog Cafe, a happening hot spot where live music by Carnage, Beatrix Jar and others will entertain throughout the weekend (not to mention, you can get a fancy beer and a pizza!).

Northern Warehouse, 308 Prince Street, Lowertown

Back Alley Gallery

Another happenin’ spot will be the subterranean lair also known as the Back Alley Gallery.  Local illustrator DWITT and pals will be peddling their reasonably priced prints and awesome original artwork and just generally hanging out and being cool. If you’re nice, they might even give you something cold to drink and possibly a cookie, you never know.

Back Alley Gallery, 262 East 4th Street, Lowertown

In Progress Art Show

In the same vicinity as the Back Alley Gallery, you’ll find a cool group show entitled In Progress which features work by a number of local artists revolving around the theme of how our environments affect us and the people around us. And yes, there are a million possible interpretations, but we expect it’ll be fun to look at!

In Progress, 262 East 4th Street, #301 and 501 Lowertown

Bloodtime

Hit up the Everest building, a bit of a jaunt from Lowertown, but definitely worth the trip. Not only does this building hold dozens of great artists, but  local favorites Jesse Draxler and Justin Sehorn are presenting a dual showing entitled Bloodtime that we can’t wait to check out! It may even be worth your while to start off at Everest Studios, park for free, and take the complimentary shuttle service into Lowertown. Easy!

Everest Studios, 707 East Minnehaha Ave, St. Paul 55106

The Saint Paul Art Crawl runs from 6pm-10pm Friday, Noon-8pm Saturday, Noon-5pm Sunday. The event is free and open to the public. For more info visit www.stpaulartcrawl.org

Pop some popcorn, get in your “Slanket” and cozy up on the couch tonight to watch the premiere episode of the new Twin Cities Public Television arts show, MN Original, an new weekly series focusing on Minnesota artists and their creative processes.

For quite some time, the in-the-know team at MN Original (whose offices are based in St. Paul, btw!) have been quietly filming around the Twin Cities and beyond, interviewing musicians, visual artists, poets, writers, dancers, filmmakers, architects, designers and more (many of them based in ye olde Saint Paul!). Teaser promos have been circulating over the past couple of months, featuring enticing tastes of upcoming episodes that include everything from legendary local punk rockers to up and coming fashion designers.

Tonight’s kick off episode spotlights Photographer Alec Soth, metal sculptor Heather Doyle, Plein Air painter Joe Paquet, and the the musical talents of Twilight Hours and more. The show premieres at 7:30pm Thursday night on tpt2. It will repeat Saturday, April 24th at 6:30pm on the statewide MN Channel and on tptLIFE, Sunday, April 25th at 6pm and will then broadcast new half hour episodes at 7:30pm each Thursday going forward.

For more information and to watch teaser videos visit www.mnoriginal.org.

Photos courtesy of B. Zon

For the past twelve years Sara Remke has been the reigning proprietress of Lowertown’s premiere off-beat hangout: The Black Dog Cafe & Wine Bar.  Located in the heart of the Lowertown art district within the Northern Warehouse, this bohemian cafe serves as stomping grounds for the area’s vast creative community as well as downtown business-types looking for a tasty lunch or a glass of wine after work. Eclectic rotating art shows featuring local artists brighten the walls, making the ambiance of the cafe feel communal and welcoming. During the day, the Black Dog is a great place to grab a cup of joe and work on your laptop or even relax with a book. The weekends often feature special events and live musical acts, including local jazzmasters (and Black Dog resident house band) The Fantastic Merlins each Friday Night. Definitely a cozy spot worth checking out. And who knows — creative inspiration may just strike you — it is the art district after all.

Owner Sara Remke took time out of her busy day to chat with us about her business, the Lowertown Arts Community, and what the Black Dog has in store for the upcoming St. Paul Art Crawl and beyond…

The Black Dog Cafe is sort of the home base for the Lowertown Art Scene. From a business perspective what’s it like being at the epicenter of such creativity and how do you tailor your business to be welcoming to the community?

Well, as you can imagine that has its pros and cons.  We are very happy to be in the center of so much creative life, that’s for sure.  Sometimes that creativity creates a bit of drama, but that comes with the territory.  You could say that we, The Black Dog, are a reflection of our neighborhood and our community.   People still have a lot of ideas for us, but at this point we kind of know what works for us and what does not. However, we’re constantly recharging and reinventing ourselves.  We love to invite musicians and artists to be a part of The Black Dog.  Each month we have new art exhibits and live music every Friday and sometimes on Saturdays.  Tango dancing once a month too! The Black Dog is very adaptable. We can move almost any piece of furniture and make room for all kinds of events.  The St Paul Almanac hosts their reading jams here and we’ve become part of that community as well.  McNally Smith students are showing films here twice a month and that has been really cool.

You host all sorts of cool music and art events at the Black Dog. What’s on the schedule for the St. Paul Art Crawl this April, and do you have anything especially exciting planned for 2010?

We have a show entitled Recycled set for April. We have invited  people to submit work that is made from recycled objects and materials.  Scott Demerenville is in charge of this show.  Folks are bringing their work in this week, and so far it looks interesting. On the weekend of Art Crawl we will have live music.  Friday nights are curated by Nathan Hanson, a wonderful sax player in the Fantastic Merlins.  The 23rd will be Carnage, Rahijta Ren on Piano and Brian Roessler on Bass. Raj and Brian play together all the time and Carnage will fit right in with these two. Saturday night will be Jimmi Langemo a bluesy, rock musician with really well written music. Larry Englund, a  KFAI DJ, will be spinning outside on our patio on Friday as well. We are also working on our annual block party which will take place in late July. I am working with a few awesome bands so now we can only pray for the good weather. That has not always been kind to us over here.

Not only are you a full service coffee bar, but you’ve also got a tasty menu. What are some of your most popular items? Do you have any special deals?

Our Cuban Sandwich is currently one of our most popular items.  When we got the Pioneer Press award it was amazing how many people came to try that out. We have good pizza, made to order. We are baking our own cakes. The Flourless Chocolate is always a hit and we make a killer mocha cheese cake and carrot cake, and our baked oatmeal (served with real maple syrup and warm milk) is also homemade here.  We serve a ton of breakfast items, including waffles and quesadillas on the weekends. When the Farmer’s Market is going and (and even when it is not) we are pretty busy on weekend mornings. Monday nights we have a deal that includes a Pizza and bottle of wine or 4 summit taps for $20 and we have a daily happy hour from 4-7 with beer and wine specials.

I’ve been a fan of the Black Dog even before it was the Black Dog — back in the Kuppernicus days — how has the community in Lowertown evolved since back then?

Well you are dating yourself a bit there. We have been here for over 12 years now. The neighborhood is certainly busier. We like that.  When we first opened it was almost scary to leave our employees down here at night. There were so few people on the street and very few businesses. Perhaps that is how Kuppernicus got so notorious. The new housing and more people living downtown has been a real boon to us. Also so many more small businesses have moved into Lowertown over the last few years and that’s brought a lot of new folks to downtown — and not just the government commuters. When people make their life in the downtown it changes the city a lot. Offices with 3-20 people are all around here and they come out for lunch and after work for drinks.

What are your favorite things about living in Saint Paul?

I own a home and work in downtown St Paul.  We have lovely parks with lots of cool stuff happening, like Music in Mears, the Jazz Festival, Movies in the Park, the Farmer’s Market, and just people hanging out eating lunch outdoors. That I can live in a house and walk to downtown in 5 minutes just blows me away. I can have the quiet of my backyard or the busy energy of West 7th anytime. St. Paul really is a city of neighborhoods with different characteristics. When we go out on the street I see all kinds of people that I know; seeing familiar faces that tells me that I really live here, and that it’s a community. You can find fantastic Latin flavors and food on the West Side, and incredible Asian food on University, Downtown can offer both elegant and casual dining options, all with in a three mile radius. St. Paul is a small town with really big and crazy ideas. It is small enough to where implementing those big ideas isn’t as hard as it may seem, and that is really rare. It’s a crazy town and I love it!

The Black Dog Cafe is located on the corner of 4th & Broadway in Lowertown St. Paul. For more information, special events listings and menu check out www.blackdogstpaul.com

The peeps over at McNally Smith College of Music have been busy bees this winter, working on a dynamic project that is one part visual art exhibit and one part music installation! Composers were paired with either a work of art or  a Twin Cities landmark and asked to create an original piece of music inspired by said art or landmark. The results culminate with this weekend’s public opening for McNally’s Art-Inspired Music Project.

The multi-faceted exhibit will feature art by local luminaries Allen Brewer, Laura Andrews, Rhea Pappas, Michael McColl, Brant Kingman, and Alonso Sierralta, and each piece will be paired with a custom iPod and a set of headphones that will play the composition paired with each. Additionally, there will be three videos of local landmarks The Saint Paul Cathedral, The Guthrie Theater and Loring Park, also set to original sounds created by local composers.

The intensive project was curated by McNally Smith faculty member William Franklin, a Liberal Arts instructor at the music college, with assistance from the Department Head of Music Composition, Chris Cunningham, along with additional support from The American Composers Forum. Featured composers include Ryan Horton, Alex Berglund, Maureen Lucas, Gabe Moore, Adam Conrad, J Allen, Michael Holloway, John Kent, and Gregory Reese.

The opening event on Saturday, March 27th runs from 10am-4pm and is free and open to the public. The exhibit runs through April 30th and is open to the public during regular school hours.

For more info, visit the exhibit page HERE

McNally Smith College of Music, 19 Exchange Street East, Saint Paul, 55101. Phone: 651.291.0177

A new exhibit at the Goldstein Museum of Design

They are often the under-appreciated or overlooked when it comes to the glue that holds a well functioning office together but now, thanks to a new exhibit at the Goldstein Museum of Design, secretaries will get their day in the sun!

The exhibit, How Secretaries Changed the 20th-Century Office: Design, Image, and Culture will run from February 6 through May 23, 2010 with an opening event on Friday, February 5 from 6-8pm.

The Goldstein Museum (364 McNeal Hall, 1985 Buford Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55108)  is off the beaten path on the Saint Paul campus of  the University of Minnesota.

Some areas the exhibit will explore include:
•  During the 20th century women poured into offices all over the U.S. to work as “typewriter girls,” stenographers, and secretaries. New spaces, furnishings, and clothing emerged to meet their needs, while popular culture glamorized them
•  The exhibition explores transformations in the workplace and women’s lives and features office equipment, furniture, fashions, magazines, and much more
•  Co-curated by Midori Green (Ph.D. candidate, Art History) and Katherine Solomonson (Associate Professor, School of Architecture and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Design) They mined archives from New York to Los Angeles, researched office design, and talked with scores of women who had been secretaries.
•  During the exhibition GMD will collect donations of gently used women’s office wear for Women Achieving New Directions
Related Programs

Along with the exhibit, there will also be a Curator’s Talk and a Coffee Break Series and information on that is below.

CURATOR’S TALK: SHAPING OFFICE CULTURE: SECRETARIES AND DESIGN, FROM “MISS REMINGTON” TO “MAD MEN”
Thursday, February 18, 6 PM, 33 McNeal
With exhibit curators Katherine Solomonson and Midori Green

COFFEE BREAK SERIES: THE OFFICE ON FILM
All films at 6:30 PM, 33 McNeal
April 20 Skyscraper Souls (1932)
April 21 The Best of Everything (1959)
April 22 Nine to Five (1980)

This exhibition and programs are supported in part by Friends of GMD, the College of Design, and the Fashion Group Foundation of Minneapolis/St.Paul, Inc. GMD funding provided in part by a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature, a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and private funders
Gallery Details

The Goldstein Museum Gallery is open Tuesday, Wednesday, & Friday 10am – 4pm, Thursday 10am – 8pm and weekends 1:30 – 4:30pm. The Gallery is closed Mondays and all University holidays. The Gallery is on the second floor 241 McNeal Hall.

When Local photographer Rhea Pappas graduated from MCAD in December of 2008, no one was surprised at how quickly she gained momentum. As a student, Pappas scored numerous awards and even taught at area high schools and at IFP (a job she still holds). Over summer break, she even taught community education in Duluth while living on a sailboat with her dog. Talk about dedication to the arts!

Upon graduation, the young photog (still just a mere 23 years old) scored her first gallery show in NYC; had her debut show in Minnesota; was sponsored by Aquatica Underwater Housing; and was accepted into the Northern Warehouse Art Collective in Lowertown Saint Paul, where she’s one of a group of artists who started the Lowertown First Fridays Art Crawl. With a style that seems to be one part surreal dream and one part poignant, real-life documentation, Pappas has, over the past year, turned her craft into an all-encompassing career that spans both the art world and the educational sphere.

We had a chat with this talented shutterbug about life in Lowertown, her art, and what’s on the horizon….

One of your main bodies of work is the underwater series. What inspired this and do you have any plans to do more underwater work?

The inspiration for the underwater work came from my previous project, Sister. People were telling me, “You need to photograph more in water.” Since this was my first time shooting in water, I definitely have a lot in store for 2010. I have some awesome collaborations, projects, and some huge shows coming up this year, all underwater.

You have a very interesting style of photography that often combines fashion editorial with photo journalism. How do you plan your shoots? Do you storyboard or plan out your shots, or do you just fly by the seat of your pants?

That’s a huge compliment, thanks! Usually I write first. I sit down and daydream while letting my mind go. This allows me to take in the images of my surroundings and mold it in my mind to a functional idea. Once this happens, all I have to do is set it up.

You also do photography workshops. Can you tell me more about that?

This year I am starting for the first time in the Twin Cities, a Photography Boot Camp. My new teaching studio is called: Rhe Pops Photo Ed, it’s starting here in February. I love teaching and it’s where my heart belongs. The one goal I wish to achieve in every class is to help inspire people to learn and create with photography in a way teachers rarely did for me. Otherwise, I do teach at IFP (independent Film Project) and love working with the organization greatly.

If you could shoot anything, anywhere, what would it be?

Right now I am on a family or adventure kick. I am really hoping to combine them both and shoot in Greece or France this year. Discovering my family from the past to present.  The image that started the project is of my mother in NYC.

You are also one of the ringleaders of the Lowertown First Fridays art crawl. How has that been going and what are your thoughts on Lowertown in general? How do the artists work together to draw attention to the district?

I think that Lowertown has been making a name for itself recently as others have been discovering it, but it’s been like this for sometime. I have only lived in Saint Paul about a year now, but it seems that my collaborations have been out of this world. The connections I have made down here have opened up many doors for me. When you think of all the artists who live in Lowertown, it’ll amaze you how many heavy hitters you’ll find. I’m 23 and due to the place I live I have had the opportunities to talk, show, and work with artists that show at the walker and international galleries. There is no other place in the state that has this kind of successful, high density area of working artists. All of us together make it worth while for people to come out and visit us with First Fridays and the Art Crawl. We respect each other enough to help and enjoy each other down here in Lowertown. That’s why four working artists (including me) wanted to start First Fridays.

Do you have any cool new projects coming up in 2010 that you’d like to divulge?

I would love to tell them all, but most of the really cool things are under wraps. I will say that I am in the works with a large gallery for a 4 month long show this summer, talking with specific fashion designers, and wanting to work with some larger events for developing promotional materials. I can talk about my new project on Ice Scuba Divers and also on the probability of a month in France sometime this summer for that family project I was talking about earlier. So, lots of stuff. You can keep up with new work on my flickr page.

What are your top 5 favorite things about Saint Paul?

Top 5… hmmmm….

1. The down to earth people and lack of pretentious behavior.
2. Lowertown- community is excellent (especially in the Northern Warehouse)
3. The Minnesota Boat Club and the Mississippi River
4. Great Waters, Sawadee, The Black Dog, Princess Garden, and Mississippi Market. Amazing food.
5. The respect for a living and breathing community. I love that things close at 9/10pm and people go to bed. Respect for self brings respect for the people surrounding you. St. Paul has got that down.

The Lowertown First Friday Art Crawl has been moved to the Second Friday (January 8th), this week only due to the New Year’s Holiday. The crawl runs from 6-9pm. Check out the Facebook page HERE for more info or visit the info page at MnArtists.org HERE.

Check out Rhea’s work on her website or flickr page.

Looking to mingle with St. Paul’s hippest art crowd? Look no further than Nicademus Art. By day a framing shop, this edgy art nook regularly rotates the work that graces its walls, and celebrates that rotation with fantastic art parties! Saturday’s opening reception features work by longtime artist and creative instigator Peyton Russell. Founder of North Minneapolis’ Juxtaposition Arts, an organization that links youth with local muralists and other artists to help engage and creatively inspire. Known around town as simply “Peyton,” Russell first made his mark as a well-known Northside graffiti artist in the 1980s, eventually founding Juxtaposition in 1995.

Taking a cue from the spontaneity of youth, Russell’s recent work has taken a more abstract turn by “letting the paint fall where it may,” and not over-thinking the creative process. The show title, Doodling by Peyton, is representative of a free-spirited style inspired by his young students. Using an original screen printing technique, drippy, delightful figures and designs add an imaginative spin on the typically meticulous art form of printing. Doodling is a show that will definitely have you feeling a bit nostalgic for your free-wheelin’ youth, when perfection wasn’t an issue and the stress of concentration was blissfully fleeting.

Saturday’s reception will feature music by Task Rock, refreshments, and the chance to rub elbows with Peyton Russell himself as well as other Twin Cities artsy types. The show runs through September 12th, so even if you can’t make the reception, a stop in to this cool spot during business hours is definitely encouraged. Buy a print and have it framed all in the same place!

Reception: Saturday, August 15th / 7-11pm / Free

Nicademus Art & Framing, 225 Snelling Avenue North, St. Paul, 651-207-8322