This weekend: Saint Paul’s Fall 2007 Art Crawl

Art Crawl Hotline at 651-292-4373; website at www.artcrawl.org

Fine arts, crafts, music and performance, photography, printmaking, textile arts, painting, bookbinding, pottery, sculpture, jewelry, computer arts, ceramics, chocolates, and more will be available for visitors. Artists range from students at Creative Arts High School to the elderly. Most artwork will be for sale.

While the Art Crawl continues to be based in Lowertown and Downtown Saint Paul, it now extends along University Avenue to include the new Carleton Lofts artists building at 2285 West University. Other locations are the ACVR Warehouse at Harriet Island and area galleries, including the Grand Hand Gallery on Grand Avenue, the Artist Mercantile, Evoke Gallery, Hosko Gallery and Master Framers in downtown. The Minnesota Museum of Art, and the American Association of Woodturners Gallery in the Landmark Center will also participate.

Saint Paul native, Caprice Glaser, submitted this years’ winning poster design , titled "Interconnect 4," a mixed media sculpture that is part of a series that Glaser is creating. She calls it her "life idea," saying that the sculpture’s little pieces portray the busy-ness of life, the shiny pieces are symbols of the special happy times in life, while the plain and solid parts depict the down-to-earth times in life. She has devoted much time to working on public art projects throughout the world , including the Children’s Park in downtown Saint Paul. She and artist Ray Bekoskie have begun doing six-foot by seven-foot paintings together. Glaser was mentored as a child by her mother, Frances Goellert , an animator with Disney Productions. Visit Caprice Glaser’s website at www.8blockrule.com

Two additional events are being held this year in conjunction with the Art Crawl. "Gathering at the River – Crepuscule 2007” will take place Saturday, October 13 from 2-5 p.m. at Harriet Island. The free, family-oriented event is sponsored by Art Start, East Side Arts Council, Teatro del Pueblo and musician –composer Douglas Ewart. Crepuscule is a Latin term meaning a happening at the twilight of the seasons.

Art Crawl is also teaming with the Dayton’s Bluff Community Council and the Lower Phalen Creek Project for the “Walk the Bluff” program. Participants will walk from the Mounds Park Overlook on the Bruce Vento Regional Trail to the Northern Warehouse in Lowertown where they can explore the Art Crawl before walking back to the overlook. For more details visit the website at www.phalencreek.org

The Art Crawl is free and open to all. Free shuttle transportation (disability accessible) is available to carry visitors to the various buildings and from some of the parking lots. Disability access is available in most buildings.

Mary Thoemke, a lifelong resident of Saint Paul, lives in the North End neighbood. Now working as a free lance writer, Mary is retired from Saint Paul Public Schools, and served as editor of the North End News, a community newspaper.