Caché at the Casket
An
Art Show Like No Other in An Art Community Like No Other
Nestled
in the heart of the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District is a city block like no
other – one that is home to 140 artists.
Three buildings, the historic Casket Arts Building, the Carriage House
and the Factory, share the block with the Franconia in the City @ Casket
Sculpture Park. Every fall the
Casket Arts Community opens its doors for Caché at the Casket andinvites
everyone to share in what they already know – Casket Arts is a special
place. This year’s Caché is
scheduled for November 4 through November 6 and coincides with the Art-Attack
event at the Northrup King Building.
Northeast is definitely the destination for Twin Cities art lovers that
weekend.
The
Casket Arts Community boasts more full-time working artists per square foot
than most studio/gallery spots in the Midwest. With building space of just over 130,000 square feet, the
Casket Arts Community artists work in as little 10 square feet, to the massive
sculpture studios in the Factory that occupy thousands of square feet and everything in between.
In
one city block, the Casket Arts Community is home to 39 painters, 23
photographers, 13 sculptors, 12 jewelers, 6 furniture designers, 4 film makers,
6 print makers, 3 textile artists, 3 glass or ceramic artists, plus 34 more
artists working in a fascinating combination of other media– set design, book
making, recording artists, florists and, yes, even a custom caskets
designer. In all, 140 individual
artists work in the Casket Arts Community.
“The Casket Arts Community feels like a
small town to me. But instead of a
grocer, post office and hardware store, we have painters, sculptors, jewelers,
filmmakers, photographers and furniture designers,” said Marie Zellar, who
along with her partner Brian Wilcox owns findfurnish, a shop that restores and
curates midcentury and vintage industrial furnishings, objects and art. “We are in our own little block of the
City and most of us are here day in and day out practicing our arts and trades. We are not galleries – we are working
studios. When we open up our block
during Caché, you get to see not just finished art here but where and how art
is made.”
“As artists
most of us appreciate the stories and history a place reveals,” said
photographer Amy Baur, who collaborates with sculptor Brian Boldon. Tenants for
4 years, they design and fabricate large scale public art work as the
collaborative team In Plain Sight Art. “The vibe these buildings put out is informed by
the past and made better by the range of the artists who work here every day.”
This
year’s Caché also brings 30 guest artists to the block to make the event even
more special. “This is Casket’s
weekend to shine and we are pulling out the stops. We will have culinary
artisans and great local music to make this a festival for the artists here. They should be celebrated and this is
our celebration for the beautiful things they bring to us through their hard
work all year long,” said Jennifer Young, co-owner of the block along with her
partner John Kremer.
"Being
around other artists on a daily basis is inspiring and it makes you want to go
to work. I moved into the Casket Arts Building four and a half years ago
after falling in love with the history and character of this place," said
Sarah Sitarz of Sarah Michaela Designs. Sarah is partnering up with another
Casket tenant, Marisa Martinez of Meztiza Designs, to start a side business
called Quench Arts. "The Casket Arts Community is the perfect place for
Quench Arts where we'll offer jewelry classes to the public as well as host
private parties and corporate art groups. We are excited about growing our new
business in the heart of this vibrant art community."
Tour
the studios, meet the artists, see demos of pieces being made in the studios,
shop for that perfect piece, enjoy the Franconia in the City Sculpture Park and
the new Franconia Gallery, hear a variety of great music, relax with tasty
local food and drink inside or hit one of the gourmet food carts outside in the
sculpture park. Caché at the Casket is the Northeast
Minneapolis arts experience to take in this fall and coincides with the
Art-Attack event at the Northrup King Building. Come see the best that the Northeast Minneapolis Arts
District has to offer.
When:
November 4, 5 and 6, 2011
Event Hours: Friday,
5-10 pm & Saturday, 12-8 pm, Sunday 12-5 pm.
Where:
Casket Arts Community (The block of three buildings and the Franconia in the
City Sculpture Park, bounded by Madison St NE, 17th Ave NE and
Jefferson St, NE)
Address:
681 17th Ave NE and 1720 Madison Street NE, Minneapolis, 55413
Events are free and
open to the public.
Photos
of some of the artworks from the Casket Community and a list of artists are
available on the Caché website.
