Art lovers crawl through St. Paul this weekend

Julie Keller, Embers

​This Friday marks the start of the 30th year for the Saint Paul Art Crawl. What began as a small gallery hop in the artists' studios of Lowertown and downtown has grown to encompass much of the city, from Harriet Island, to Grand Avenue, to the University/Raymond area of town. If festival-goers choose their events wisely, they should be able to check out free live entertainment, people watch, purchase art for less than $10, and sample a little wine. Once again the Art Vending Machine will be returning to the crawl. For $5 patrons will receive an original, cigarette-pack sized piece of art. The machine is located by the Black Dog Café (308 Prince St.), and proceeds will benefit Altered Esthetics and the Saint Paul Art Crawl.

Also during the event starting at 4 p.m. Friday and running for 14 hours straight will be SoundCrawl, an ongoing party celebrating local musicians. Performances include Laptopia, a laptop marching band/parade featuring musicians (and a few art cars); student performances over at McNally Smith College of Arts; concerts over at TPT and the Black Dog; and a late night DJ party in Zeitgeist Studios. For a complete schedule, visit www.soundcrawl.com.

Other activities include wine tastings over at Lowertown Wine and Spirits (262 E. Fourth St.), an ongoing art show featuring the work of Ta-coumba Aiken at the Grand Hand Gallery (619 Grand Ave.), and rapid-fire cabaret-style performances at Studio Z (275 E. Fourth St.).
 
With over 300 artists, studios, and galleries on this self-guided tour there are a million different combinations to consider. Plan your stops, using the free shuttles, and be sure to visit some of the participating cafes and restaurants along the way for nourishment... and perhaps a little libation as well. For more information, visit www.stpaulartcrawl.org.

Some of the featured art for this year is posted below.

Bruce Palmer Rossport

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