Art Extravaganza

I've been Missing In Action because my best friend, Julie had been in town for a few days. Since Julie is my art-sister, a kindred spirit, we criss-crossed the town taking in all the art galleries and studios that we could in just a few short days.

Thursday we enjoyed First Thursday in Northeast Mpls's Northrup King building. Wowza! The Northrup King building is an old, old seed/office building that has been converted to artist studios. The artists open up their studios the first Thursday of the month (along with 2 weekend art crawls each year). The building & studios were simply beautiful...wood floors, spacious...Plus it's a huge building. There are a wide variety of artists in the building--painters, weavers, sculptors, photographers, mixed media...we could not take it all in. I will definitely be returning!

Friday we took in the Spring Flower Show at the Como Conservatory. I'll be posting some gorgeous pictures in the days to come. The visit has already inspired some new artwork.

Oh ya, Friday evening we managed to sneak in a few art openings just under the wire. Julie and I were relaxing from a busy day when my hubby called and told me about an art opening in the coffee shop just a block away. We ran over and caught the opening in the coffee shop (Black Dog) and AZ gallery next door. AZ was ready to close their doors (it was 9:30 pm), but allowed us to take a quick look...and well worth it. I plan to return for a closer look.

Saturday we made a trip to my favorite local museum, the Mpls Institute of Arts. Always so much to see. And always free!

Rounding out Julie's visit was lots of good food and good conversation. It was a wonderful visit...busy, but rejuvenating! There's nothing like spending a few days with your best friend.