Bloggers help raise money for Uptown Art Fair charity

For the first time, blogging is helping the Uptown Association/Uptown Art Fair raise money for an important cause, art education in the Minneapolis schools.

Local Twin Cities celebrities painted ceramic plates that will be auctioned off at the Suburban World Theater (off Lake and Hennepin) during the Uptown Art Fair. The money raised will fund a Northern Clay Center artist residency program for students in the Minneapolis schools, giving them the opportunity to work with clay under the instruction of a professional artist.

I emailed photos of the plates to the celebrities and invited them to talk it up to help drive people in to bid on the plates in the silent auction. Several responded immediately and said they would post the photo on their blog and write about it. Jason DeRusha even started a bidding war on Twitter. Feel free to take part in it! It's so great to have this vehicle for spreading the news in a fast and impactful way.

If you want to know more information go to the Uptown Art Fair website, check out local celebrities blogs to see their pieces or just go straight to the Art Fair where the auction will take place:

Suburban World Theatre
(Hennepin Ave between West Lake Street & 31st Street)
Friday, Aug. 7: Noon - 8:30 pm
Saturday, Aug. 8: 10:00 am - 8:30 pm
Sunday: Aug. 9: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

The money goes to the Northern Clay Center's ClaytoGo program!

If you feel compelled, help us spread the word!

Kari Logan

You like music? We've got it at the Uptown Art Fair this weekend, August 7-9!

8 Switch is band comprised of individually talented musicians and together, they are a truly unique band. Known for their tight and funky foundation mixed with fluid improvisational skills, 8 Switch is notorious for putting on a memorable show. Combining funk, Ska and hip-hop, 8 Switch truly knows how to get a crowd shaking their bootie. Come down and listen to them….rather dance with them all night!

Check out their music http://www.myspace.com/8switchassembly
Or at the band’s Website: http://randomactband.com/
8 Switch goes on Friday, August 7th at 8pm. 
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It’s not enough for a band to know how to play the hit songs; they need to know what hits to play. Bringing their mixture of electric and acoustic style to cover songs by classic favorites such as Eric Clapton and the Beatles, to modern day groups such as Train and Jack Johnson, Random Act succeeds in both these areas. With a set list of over 50 songs, don’t miss a beat because you’ll be sure to hear the familiar songs that you love. 

Preview them out on their website or come see them live at the Uptown Art Fair!
Random Act goes on Friday, August 7th at 6pm.

Art with flair

Joseph Becker is definitely not afraid to play with colors, lines and space. According to Becker, color is what elicits the emotional response of the viewer from each piece. The erratic lines in his pieces are visually interesting and unexpected, while the hot pinks, neon oranges and rich greens he uses differentiate his work from other glass artists.

Check him out at Booth 217.

The photographs of Xavier Nuez capture the color and light of urban settings in the pitch black of night time. Each piece features the site of the photo, along with the time of night the photo was taken. Each piece features the site of the photo, along with the time of night the photo was taken. Most photos were taken at around two a.m. and capture the red, green and blue lights of industrial settings and alleys. The vivid colors of the photographs against the darkness of night make the viewer wonder where the abundance of light captured in the image is coming from.

See his work at Booth 200 on Lake Street.

Marc Sijan is a long-time fair artist who always draws a crowd at the top of the mall. His sculpture creations are so lifelike, viewers often lean toward them tentatively for feat that they may come alive and reach out at the crowd. Similar to mannequins, the life-like sculptures are different characters, including a butler, a dancer and a woman fresh from the swimming pool with synthetic water drops covering her life-like skin.

Marc Sijan's Booth 1101 is a must-see.

(Click on the map below to enlarge and see where the artists booths are located.)

Expose yourself to art!

Kina Crow's whimsical creations are small characters interacting with one another through window-like pieces. These fun creations play on the characteristics of the people depicted. Some are sweet and others mischievous. Her work incorporates the three dimensional visual interest of sculpture, in a format you can hang on the wall at home. Winner of the 2-D Mixed Media Best of Show Award at the 2008 Uptown Art Fair, Crow's creations are a must see.

Find her at Booth 3303 on the Mall for the 2009 Uptown Art Fair.

The paintings of Phill Singer combine fantasy with reality. Often featuring animals in ironic settings, the work emphasize what we have all imaged. Snapshots of dreams, paintings of blue whales breaching in a golden wheat field and an array of animals stacked on top of a beach ball are eye-catching for any audience.

Phill will be located in Booth 244 on Lake Street for the Art Fair.

Melissa Dominiak's paintings do not conform to rectangular constraints. Her vivid yet subdued works seem to be glimpses into the private settings of inanimate subjects. The soft feel of the paintings as well as the column-shaped canvases she uses add a feeling of intimacy to the settings. Her work seeks the beauty of the everyday and the ordinary.

Melissa is located at Booth 1207 on the Mall for the Art Fair.

(Click on the map below to enlarge and see where the artists booths are located.)

2009 Commemorative Print Unveiled

The Uptown Association is please to unveil the 2009 Uptown Art Fair Commemorative Print:

Uptown Fusion by: Lonnie Broden (Twin Cities, Orono artist)



Lonnie Broden grew up on a farm near Murdock, MN where she began painting at a young age.  She earned a Bachlor of Arts degree in painting from the University of Minnesota – Morris and then went on to Berkeley, where she began her exhibition design career at the Lawrence Hall of Science.

Lonnie has taught exhibit design and environmental graphic design classes at the University of Minnesota and runs her own art and design business – Lonnie Broden Design.  She also consults with the Science Museum of Minnesota, after many years of serving as their head of exhibit design.

Lonnie Broden finds inspiration in all kinds of Minnesota setting like rusting machines and peeling paint right next to shiny metal and neon lights. Uptown Fusion is a 2-D mixed media print that combines painting and photography that captures the rustic sign from the historical Uptown Theatre, combined with images of the farmer’s market. It also chronicles the years the Uptown Art Fair has been in existence.

The Uptown Art Fair will be a fusion of art, flavor and flair where Lake Street meeting Hennepin Avenue in Uptown Minneapolis starting August 7 and going through August 9.

The Uptown Art Fair has won over 70 International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA) Pinnacle Awards.  Art Fair Sourcebook listed the 2007 Festival a 8th in the nation.  The Harris Guide ranked it as the #1 Art Fair in Minnesota!

2009 Uptown Art Fair

Always the first full weekend in August, where Hennepin Ave meets Lake Street come to enjoy the fusion of art, flavor and flair for the 2009 Uptown Art Fair. Uptown Minneapolis is an eclectic mix of commercial, retail and residential properties in South Minneapolis. The intersection of Lake and Hennepin is the center of a lively, upbeat business district and is the busiest intersection in the State of Minnesota. Choose from a variety of creative and original works of art including sculpture, painting, photography, woodcarvings, glasswork, jewelry, multimedia compositions and more. Over $2.5 million of art is sold during the festival, ranging from quality reproductions and limited editions to one-of-a-kind treasures. A highly competitive juried art show, the Uptown Art Fair receives over one thousand applications from which an esteemed panel of judges selects around 350 of the country’s best artists. Enjoy food and drinks from 20 different vendors, as well as non-stop entertainment on the performance stage. An average of 350,000 people attend annually, making it the 2nd most attended statewide event in the state behind the Minnesota State Fair. For more information, go to the Uptown Art Fair website. Stay tuned for highlights of this years event, special programs and artist bios! We look forward to seeing you there on Friday, August 7 - Sunday, August 9.


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