Northeast's Changing Landscape

Musicians perform during Art-A-Whirl 2013. Photo by Jeanne Oss

As Art-A-Whirl grows, how symbiotic is the relationship between the Open Artist Studio Tour and the events and music held at local bars? There is a perception among some in the Northeast community that the focus of Art-A-Whirl is shifting towards music and bars and away from visual art, as a recent City Pages article explores. Others in the community believe the entertainment components are necessary to continue to build audiences, with the bars bringing people who otherwise wouldn't attend AAW. In the NEMAA Visitor Survey conducted during AAW 2013, the primary reason given to attend AAW for 64% of the respondents was (still) to view and potentially purchase artwork.  

Public Art at the Northeast Library

Installing the frieze

Hennepin County Library recently commissioned a frieze to be installed at the Northeast library branch, 2200 Central Ave NE. On the library’s large south wall, the 40 x 4 foot horizontal frieze features the talents of artists who live and/or work in Northeast Minneapolis. To facilitate the development of this public art project, Hennepin County contracted Jack Becker of Forecast Public Art. A committee involving Hennepin County Library, the Friends of the Northeast library, and others, discussed numerous public art options. Rather than showcase the work of only a single artist, Jack Becker proposed a frieze that could approximate the breadth of work done in NE Minneapolis. This theme to highlight the art produced by multiple NE artists seemed to resonate most strongly, with panel members recognizing the impact of the arts in helping to shape the NE community's history.