St Paul Art Crawl Tips

The art crawl officially begins in less than 3 hours. Final preparations are wrapping up and I'm feeling reasonably sane. The weather outside is crappy...cold and rainy. The cooler weather can actually be a plus--the studios stay cooler, but the rain is a pain. I'm not thrilled with the forecast for the rest of the weekend either.

Hopefully folks will still turn out for the crawl. Here are a few last minute crawl tips:

• Buy a crawl catalogue for a $1 donation. It contains a nifty map of the crawl, artist information, and a picture of one of my pieces (along with work of other artists).
• Wear comfortable clothes and walking shoes. You will be doing a lot of walking and after a while, comfort takes priority over fashion.
• Generally start on the top floor of a building and work your way down (except at our building--than start with Studio 300). It's easier and less tiring to go down steps. Don't count on elevators--some buildings don't even have public elevators.
• Select a few buildings to begin your crawl experience. I recommend starting with the Jax (again Studio 300) where I'm located. Seriously, the Jax has a high concentration of open studios. Also select at least one building that combines living space with art studios. The Northern Warehouse or Lowertown lofts (near the Jax) are great places to start.
• Although you won't find a meal, you will be offered plenty of treats. Some studios even serve wine. There will also be music and performers in some studios or outside buildings.
• Feel free to chat with the artists. They open up their studios so you can learn about their work and because they would like to hear what you think.
• And finally, have a good time.

See you there!