First Thursdays At Casket Arts, poster by Linnea Marie Doyle, © 2009-2010, used by permission of the artist.
Once a month the artists in the Casket Arts Building in Northeast Minneapolis open their doors to the public. The March date is coming up fast. The Casket Arts Building, which includes the Carriage House, has a rich history (see Casket Arts Photoblog). Not only did it used to be a genuine casket company, it’s one of the oldest surviving buildings in Minneapolis. And in 2006, after over 100 years on 17th Avenue NE, the Northwestern Casket Company moved their business to New Hope and sold the building.
That’s when two visionaries, Jennifer Young and John Kremer, turned vintage real estate into the Casket Arts Building. Together they work hard to maintain the integrity of the original structure, and create a thriving space for artists. I share Studio 318 with Liz and two other artists on what used to be the floor where women sewed and embroidered the inside of the caskets (more at Casket Arts Epilogue). It’s a beautiful space. Please stop by and visit if you are in the area!
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Date: First Thursday of Every Month
Time: 5:00pm – 9:00pm
Street: 681 17th Ave NE
City: Minneapolis, MN
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If you miss us this Thursday, we are open the First Thursday of Every Month from 5 to 9 pm at 17th and Madison Street NE. And don’t forget about one of the highpoints of the year for the Minneapolis Arts District, ART-A-WHIRL Open Studio and Gallery Tour which takes place May 14th – 16th, 2010 (in 2011, the dates are May 20th – 22nd). It’s a great way to kick off Spring in Minnesota — in community and support of the Arts.
-posted on red Ravine, Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010, with gratitude to Linnea for creating and giving us permission to distribute her poster. You can see more of her work at her website.
How I would love to see your studio and the tantalizingly named Casket Arts Building! Bet there are tons of photo ops, too..
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I’m always surprised (when I visit your studio at Casket Arts) that it was *so recently* used to build caskets and sew coffin liners. It seems like that should have happened 50 years ago or something.
I’m looking forward to Art-A-Whirl at Casket Arts.
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Oh, how I wish that I lived even a little bit closer (though I don’t actually wish to live in Nebraska or Iowa!) I would so “be there” tomorrow night. Have fun!
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Hey, QM. Just got up after spending most of the late afternoon sleeping off this gunk that I brought with me from my latest trip. I’m on antibiotics, so hope to knock it out soon. But I wanted to say how much I love that poster. What a talented artist! I’ll check out her other artwork when I’m up to doing so.
These two people who turned the building into art studios—well, they were visionaries, weren’t they? I’d love to see the place in person. Some day.
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QM, shhh, I’m using the ARCHIVES computer to write, and my boss would probably chage me $50, even tho it’s my lunch break! But I had to let you know how much I like this poster. Have you used it in any advertising? I think it would create a lot of interest. What did you have displayed last night? I remember my tour of the building on a quiet Sunday afternoon…would love to be there when it is humming with activity.
I’ve had so many urgent deadlines to meet this Spring, and I have missed the “neighborhood” of redravine. It’s been like body-surfing in the ocean; one crashing wave after another, and me dragging myself out of the water with a bathing suit heavy with wet sand.
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When I first saw the poster I wondered if yb did it. It would be a nice poster to hang on the wall. Do you sell copies of it to visitors at the Casket Arts Company art nights?
I look forward to a tour one day.
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Bo, I hope you get to visit Minnesota some day and we get together in the studio. And, yes, the Casket Arts Building has tons of photo ops. I started taking photographs of it even before I had a studio there. I just love it there. It’s like living history.
Teri, the history of the building is amazing. When I’m there, especially when I’m there alone at night, it feels like I’ve stepped back in time sometimes. I love being a part of what the building is about today — art, artists, cool independent businesses. I feel lucky to be there.
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breathepeace, I’d love to have you visit our studio in Minnesota some day. I know you get back to the Midwest in the summers. Maybe it will work out that we connect sometime.
yb, you, too. I hope you make it to the Midwest someday to visit our fair cities. You’d like the water and green. Would be fun to take you up to the Mother Lake — Superior. Glad you are feeling a little better. That grunge is nothing to sneeze about. I had something like it for the last 3 weeks, am just starting to feel like I have energy again this weekend. I was knocked way off track!
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mom, I think of you a lot and miss you on red Ravine. I know things are crazy with work right now. I hope it eventually gets better for you. Thanks for risking the comment!
I remember when you visited the studio and it was all quiet with few people around. You’d really like it when it’s bustling during Art-A-Whirl in May. There are not a ton of people who come to First Thursdays but we keep trying. We were talking about it last Thursday and I think people just have so much going on, they have to choose what they are able to do.
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Bob, thanks for stopping by. I’m certain you’ll get a tour of the Casket Arts Building some day. It just seems like it will happen!
As far as the poster, our artist friend Linnea (she’s in the studio next to ours) created it for the express purpose of generating more interest in First Thursdays at the Casket Arts Building. She sent it out to the artists associated with Casket Arts and gave us all permission to distribute it and use it to advertise First Thursdays.
We have it up on our studio door and try to post it around town when we can. Linnea is a great artist and illustrator. She has about three or four lines of art going with her illustration and painting, all completely different. I’m always in awe of people who can illustrate. It’s a talent I don’t have but always wished I did have. I’m quite fond of this poster and grateful to Linnea for letting us post it.
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I like how what used to be a preparatory place for the dead now houses new creations.
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christine, me, too. It’s a good juxtaposition. Breathing creative life from a building that is over 100 years old into new artwork. I also have a feeling that some of the caskets they created were pieces of art to behold. I wish I could have seen some of them along the way. Maybe one casket every 10 or 20 years. A casket museum would be kind of cool.
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[…] She’s got the Corrales Art Studio Tour coming up this weekend. And I’m gearing up for Art-A-Whirl 2010 at the Casket Arts Building, May 14th-16th. So, for the next couple of weeks, we’re allowing […]
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[…] Arts District in Northeast Minneapolis. I share a studio with Liz and two other artists in the Casket Arts Building. We’d love to see you at Studio 318. I am displaying the first print installation of my […]
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[…] collaboration with Lotus sprang from the keys of my Royal typewriter on a Sunday afternoon in the Casket Arts Studio. Feel free to join us if you wish. You can learn more about the project’s beginnings at […]
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[…] again. It’s time to post on red Ravine, to journal and print more photographs. This week is First Thursdays. Stop by and see us! What I really want to say is that I appreciate the community that visits here. […]
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We’re at First Thursdays for another hour. Studio 318 in the Casket Arts Building. Come on by. Had some great conversations with the guests tonight. And a surprise — a man Liz met at Art-A-Whirl said he had a Polaroid and did she want it. She said, “Yes!” He said he’d come back on First Thursdays and give it to her.
Sure enough, he came back tonight with the Polaroid, an archival piece in and of itself. But wait, bonus! He also had a Rangefinder – a Bolsey from the 1940’s that belonged to his dad’s ex-girlfriend’s husband. Well, it’s a long story. Cool cameras though! Thank you, Ronald!
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We will be at the studio this week for First Thursdays, getting ready for Art-A-Whirl 2012. It’s coming up May 18th-20th, 2012. Hope you can stop by Studio 318 in the Casket Arts Building this May to see my work. Love to see you there.
Here’s the link to this year’s info on Art-A-Whirl 2012 (LINK). BTW, the cover of this year’s AAW directory is a painting by graphic designer Gail Wallinga who also created the masthead design for red Ravine. Congrats to Gail!
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Art-A-Whirl (AAW), presented by Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association (NEMAA), is one of the largest open studio tours in the country. During Art-A-Whirl, private artist studios and galleries are open to the public, creating a unique atmosphere to connect with artists and purchase original artwork.
ART-A-WHIRL TAKES PLACE ANNUALLY
THE THIRD WEEKEND OF MAY
2012 Dates & Hours:
FRIDAY, May 18th – 5:00-10:00 p.m.
SATURDAY, May 19th – NOON-8:00 p.m.
SUNDAY, May 20th – NOON-5:00 p.m.
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