Do the Fall Crawl

Detail of St. Paul Art Crawl poster, courtesy St. Paul Art Collective.

 

Pumpkin spice lattes. Leaf peeping. Sweata weatha — all the markers of fall. Right? Wrong. On the Don’t-Miss list is the annual St. Paul Art Collective’s (SPAC) St. Paul Art Crawl. The collective has been arranging shows since 1977, but the crawl was officially launched in 1991. SPAC has been hosting it ever since.

Under the fairly new leadership of executive director Mariusz Kujawski, membership in the St. Paul Art Collective has tripled, from 200 to more than 750 artists, thanks to free memberships. Community is being built in the collective through Sketchy Nights, where artists can meet up and work together, learn from each other, and generally have a good hang.

There are also increased numbers of nonprofits and engagement from the city, Kujawski reports. Five nonprofits were SPAC members at the beginning of 2025, but just 10 months later, the nonprofit roster numbers 46, with their own networking and workshopping programming to build connections.

These outreach efforts have paid off in a greater diversity of artists and backgrounds, as well as wider geographic diversity, including artists in greater Minnesota or western Wisconsin who may not have a local art community.

These connections also led to a partnership between SPAC and downtown St. Paul, to host September’s Light It Up Night Market, which featured 10 artists and a sizable audience.

“It’s very important to have the community talk. And if we just had one location those folks probably already know each other with a certain point of view, but if we get the city to engage from different perspectives, we continue to learn from each other,” Kujawski says.

The SPAC board has also grown to nine members, and their worker mentality has led to better communication in more hyperlocal communities, and interconnectedness with each other. A Metro Regional Arts Council (MRAC) grant has also helped fund teachers, artists, and marketing.

All of this growth points to an auspicious kickoff for this fall’s crawl, which features 35 galleries and more studios than you can scour in a weekend, all open to the public for shopping, sipping, snacking, and buying.

No transpo? No problem. Metro Transit is partnering with the art crawl to provide free daylong tickets to anyone who wants to hop from place to place without worrying about a parking space. Find other resources on the site too, such as locations, digital and printable maps and lists of neighborhoods and artists so you can make an action plan.

Here’s a little taste of what you can see in St. Paul neighborhoods in every ward, ranging from the west side to the east side, Little Mekong to Cathedral Hill.

 

Pig's Eye Pottery by Jason Kaping at Great River Gallery

 

West 7th

If you’re familiar with the building with the mural on the side near the Schmidt Artists’ Lofts, then you already know the general way to get to Great River fine art gallery and pottery studio. Owned by Jason Kaping, a former software engineer turned Pig’s Eye Pottery proprietor, you’ll find a down-to-earth approach to beautiful art. Kaping calls this gallery one of two creative homes, alongside potter Olivia Jenson and ceramicist Leigh Bauer. Featured multidisciplinary artist Jeralyn Victoria’s work will also be displayed.  

“We’re a fine art gallery run by a potter with a software background,” Kaping says. “If you spend any time with potters, you’ll find we’re pretty low-key, down to earth. We’re children masquerading as adults. We play with dirt. Some of us have very formal art backgrounds at the gallery specifically, some came up grassroots and are self-taught. We have an interesting cross section,” he adds.

He says to expect a very low-pressure, good-time, welcoming environment where you might just sign up for a class or seminar to learn the “borderline soul-crushing” feeling of trying to throw a pot for the first time on the wheel, while seeing some great work by legit artists.

“Everyone needs pots, everyone needs art,” he says. “We’re not all as different as people we have been maybe pushed to feel.”

Creative Enterprise Zone

What does one do when one buys a collection of antique first aid kits? For husband-and-wife art enthusiasts Colin Murray and Jamie Compton, you learn the history and then have artists decorate and design them. These kits were once developed to help hobos who rode trains and often got injured due to their lifestyle.

The collection dates back to the 1800s, all the way up to modern kits. These kits were then sent out to train-riding artists worldwide, from Budapest to Mexico. Those kits have made their way back to 2327 Wycliff Street in St. Paul, where they will be displayed alongside seven murals being painted as this article is being typed, and graffiti art will be painted over those.

The husband-and-wife team is paired with Kurtis, who owns Los Angeles–based tinygiants, the world’s largest graffiti model train collection. Kurtis’s knowledge of railroad graffiti history and present artists helped bring the Safety First installation to life, a very interconnected affair that will feature the work of graffiti artists from Aerub to Zwon.   

“Kurtis is the glue with the artists,” Murray says. “Somehow he tracked down one guy in a cabin in Canada. He’s very well respected, and to put all these artists together is going to be absolutely amazing.”

None of the items will be for sale — the idea is to preserve the history of railroad art, life, and graffiti art. In fact, Murray and Compton are hoping that the show will be museum-ready and they’ll have the chance to give these well-respected and talented artists a voice and showcase the history of this sometimes-overlooked genre of art in museums worldwide. See it this weekend before it pulls out of the station.

 

Arachnophobia, Violet Lux by Collette La Beau. Gouache & watercolor on watercolor paper. 10 x 10 in.

 

Lowertown

Perhaps the beating heart of the St. Paul Art Crawl is the collection of lofts and galleries located in Lowertown, and the Northern Warehouse is a great landing place. Violet Lux by artist Collette La Beau's vibrant and whimsical illustrations, most often created with gouache, watercolors, and acrylic paint, bring viewers right in.

“The goal with the art I make is to bring a bit of light into the world,” La Beau says. “Art has given me the opportunity to communicate things that may be better articulated through imagery. In my opinion, art allows space for thought and if an individual relates to it or it brings them joy or gives them a new idea or perspective, that's amazing.”

La Beau is a veteran art crawler, now on her fourth year. “I love participating because it is an event that brings people together, all for the love of art. Art Crawl gives an opportunity for patrons to look through the lens of the artist, being that they enter the spaces where myself and others create their work. The most important thing to me regarding the art community is to keep it alive in whatever ways possible such as community events like the Crawl.”

Their artwork will be accessible, from original pieces to prints, stickers, and greeting cards.

At Calendula Gallery, more than 30 artists who are committed to advancing the work of Gender Justice — including John Stumme, Maya Boo, CL Martin, Andrea Alice, Meranda Turbak, Matthew Woods, Karen Ask, Eli Olson, Helene Woods, Stuart Raymond, and Sara Vidar — will be on display. On Friday, October 10, at the opening reception, the artists and Gender Justice representatives will be available to chat about their artwork and their advocacy work. But there's more — part of the show includes a fundraiser with 50 percent of featured piece prices going directly to the organization. Select works from Lavender Road Gallery, noted with a purple dot, will also be available for purchase in support of the cause, too.

 

Good Night, My Love, Daniel Lager

 

West Side

Daniel and Barbara Lager have been artists for four decades, showing their work in galleries and outdoor shows nationwide. But this is their first time showing at the St. Paul Art Crawl, and to mark the occasion, they’re going big: Opening up Lager Gallery, a high-ceilinged front room of their West Side home, to show their distinctive work.

Daniel sparkling paintings have a special magic: They’re painted in reverse on the underside of clear acrylic — building the details first and the background last — for an immersive, colorful experience.

Barbara is a mixed-media artist, creating wall hangings, clocks, and jewelry made from niobium and anodized aluminum. She will also be selling her book of poetry and uplifting sentiments, Breathing and Beauty.

“it’s a big gamble when you create art, you’re invest time and energy. It’s a huge emotional investment. But you have to have continued optimism to be an artist, or you would fold, easy,” Barbara says. ◼︎ 

See artists' optimism at the St. Paul Art Crawl, which runs October 10–12. Friday, 6-10 PM; Saturday, 12 PM-8 PM; Sunday 12-5 PM.