Arts - The arts have a home in North Minneapolis - The arts have a home in North Minneapolis

    Over the last 14 months in my role as the Northside Arts Collective (NAC) Executive Director I’ve had the opportunity to attend and be a part of a variety of arts events in our community. From great theater and divine music to planning for more great events - our backyard is filled with opportunity!

     The NAC has gathered a panel of arts leaders to share their success stories at the March 6 Hawthorne Huddle, 7:30 to 9 a.m. at Farview Park, 28th and Lyndale. Janet Zahn, Camden Music School; George Roberts, Homewood Studios; Karl Reichert, Capri Theater; Duane Atter, The Warren & Workhouse Theatre; Deanna Cummings, Juxtaposition Arts; Carrie Casserly, Lundstrum Center for the Performing Arts; Dudley Voigt, PEACE Foundation, and Bev Roberts and I will represent the Northside Arts Collective. We have a lively and interactive discussion planned complete with live music and prize drawings! Please come.

     In three years, Camden Music School has grown to 170 students studying with 10 part-time teachers, five days a week at two locations! Lundstrum Center recently moved into their spectacular new studios off Broadway. Juxtaposition Arts will ramp up the Remix Sculpture Park on Broadway and 2nd Street. Workhouse Theatre has been playing to sold out audiences. The Capri was filled to the brim when Miss Debbie Duncan and the Wolverines Jazz Trio lit up the stage. Papa’s Pizza has dedicated the walls of their new deli and gelato shop for local artists. The Warren is now offering weekly yoga classes and has gallery shows booked through the end of the year.

     So this is to thank all of you who have come out to support the arts in your community! I hope you know that there are lots of other good people taking advantage of our great community arts and that you might also find your way into the audience. Invite a friend to join you…especially your friends from beyond our borders. There’s more to North Minneapolis than what the media chooses to share.

     And most of these venues have generous donors who want to share the arts to those who might not otherwise afford it, so ask. Many also offer discounts and special prices for certain events. Just ask.

     And mark your calendars for Saturday, June 7 for the 5th Annual Spring Art Party, this year at Folwell Park and hosted by the Folwell Neighborhood Association. Hope to see you there!

    To learn about arts on the Northside, contact nacarts@earthlink.net or call 612-643-2050 to be added to our twice-monthly e-newsletter. We’ll have a link on our website soon, www.nacarts.org.