St. Paul Art Crawl: 30 Years of Showcasing Art

Art enthusiasts rejoice! The St. Paul Art Crawl is back for 2021 and celebrates 30 years of supporting local artists, but this year brings a major change that allows visitors to take in even more art, galleries and performances.

What traditionally would have been a single weekend travelling through St. Paul’s neighborhoods will be spread across September through December. Each St. Paul “district” will essentially have their own weekend for artists to showcase their creations.

“The whole idea is to give people more chances to look at art and to look at more artists, because it was overwhelming to go to all of them in one weekend,” says Barbara Evan, a resident artist and planning committee member. “That means you can look longer; you don’t feel harried. You can take your time looking at the art. I see it as a positive thing.”

Evan represents the Harriet Island Artists, who will be hosting visitors the weekend of October 8–10. “We’re calling it Art on the Island, even though we’re not located right on Harriet Island,” Evan says. “But then, Harriet Island isn’t really an island, so we decided to stretch it a bit.”

The artists are coming out of a year of uncertainty as the repercussions of the pandemic and building sales have forced many of them to move from one space to another. “We just have to adapt is what it boils down to,” Evan says, noting that moving spaces into a renovated building has actually worked out well for the artists.

Now, Harriet Island Artists are once again able to open up their work spaces and invite guests to view their work, eat, drink, dance and enjoy live performances. Art on the Island will feature open art studios, live music, interactive art demonstrations, food trucks, live performances, and tango demonstrations all in one place.

Guests can wander the fourth and fifth floors of the newly remodeled Farwell Ozmun Kirk Warehouse to see painters, drawing artists, and more showcasing diverse styles from traditional to contemporary and everything in between. The building, located at 106 West Water Street, is in process of being renamed to “Warehouse 2”, but is still on maps and searchable as “ACVR Warehouse.”

“We’ve been working for two years now and we’re ready to have visitors,” Evan says. “We’d love to see people and can’t wait to show everyone our work.”

Art on the Island
October 8–10
106 West Water Street, St Paul
stpaulartcollective.org
facebook.com/HarrietIslandArtists