St. Paul Art Crawl opens gallery doors to art lovers

You can tell that Ted Kaemmer is a family guy. Talking in his studio on 9th Street in St. Paul, we are frequently interrupted by his two daughters, making sure Daddy gets enough to eat. "I started here three months after she was born," he says, indicating his eldest daughter and the artwork that surrounds him. A St. Paul native and U of Wisconsin-River Falls graduate, Kaemmer set up his own studio three years ago to do what he loved for a living—blow glass. For tonight’s St. Paul Art Crawl, he also hosts his former teacher and fellow glass blower James Engebretson, and two other artists with their works on the second floor.

Kaemmer was just one of dozens of local artists displaying their work at last weekend’s St. Paul Art Crawl, the 22nd annual opportunity to connect art lovers with those who try to make a living creating it.

The varied items Kaemmer has on display mirror the varying techniques he uses. Be it the shattered-looking surfaces of his vases (an effect achieved by dipping the hot glass into water), colorful tiny glass splints sprinkled inside bowls, or simply new shapes that seek to defy traditional forms—and challenge viewers expectations. "People want glass to have a function. They want it to hold soup or flowers." Kaemmer says.

So how do you sell glassworks that don't necessarily end up on the dinner table?

One way, he says, is to rely on family collectors. "My mom will buy anything I make," he admits. "But a few people are emerging as fans,” he is quick to add.

What about the Internet? Kaemmer does not actually sell his works online but, like many artists, he shows some of them on his Web site. "So many people have access—it is helpful."

But, of course, selling remains key. "The blowing part is the easy part almost. [But] how do you put yourself out there in a way that generates income?"

Crawling on, I met George Jones, father and self-described "cheap help" of Lisan Gallery founder Elissa Jones. Entering through several back doors from a more traditional gallery setting into the semi-darkness of Trikkx bar, I was about to leave, when he pointed to some of their artists' works.

Wooden trays with pressed flowers that look unreal enough to be painted, photographs of semi-naked women in semi-provocative poses that intentionally lack something to actually be perceived as either. A piece on three small canvases that looks like a child's reinterpretation of Caspar David Friedrich's eternally romantic Monk by the Sea with its garish, simple yet fascinating colors. A photo-realistic picture of a naked woman (is that a theme?) staring through a window and through space. "We have an ecclectic group of artists." Jones says.

Not to mention an unconventional setting. The actual gallery is located in East St. Paul ("an emerging area," he states) but Trikkx on Robert Street is a more convenient location for Art Crawl visitors - and an interesting twist. "[We want to] have people realize that art is attainable for everybody,” he explains. “You don't have to come to a stuffy gallery."

That "stuffy gallery" is an interesting product itself. When Elissa Jones opened it in 2006, she and her father looked for artists to commission by putting out an ad on Craigslist. They began with about 25 local artists and are working with almost 50 now, a dozen of whom have never shown before. The Internet has proven to be a helpful tool since then - even if Lisan doesn't sell online. "At minimum, six times a week people will come in and say 'I saw your website'. Or people want to see a piece that is on the site," Jones says. "[Also] a lot of the artists do Myspace," Jones adds as he recalls one New York-based artist who contacted them after visiting their Web page to show her works in the Twin Cities area.

How does the Art Crawl fit into all this? The event organized by the Saint Paul Art Collective is ostensibly an opportunity for about 200 St. Paul artists to present their works to the general public and for the general public to shamelessly invade the secret sanctuary of their ateliers and workspaces. It is financed both by donations and funds provided by the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council through an appropriation by the Minnesota Legislature.

"It's pretty good exposure, just having people see my stuff," says Kaemmer.

Jones agrees. "I haven't sold a million pieces, but it's been OK." Will Lisan Gallery be back for the next Crawl? "Sure," he replies, without hesitation—or consulting his daughter.