Tim Chapp

How and why did you become an artist?

Creative expression is just so fundamental to the human experience, and some of us have no appetite for stifling ours, even as society demands much conformity. I am driven by sustainable community, and art is a tool that helps free our minds from the mold of existing (often unsustainable) ways of doing things. It helps us rise to collective action. It helps us find connection and inspiration. I think most of us have to face a lot of cognitive dissonance in order to be an active member of our modern society, and yet I also see a slow awakening to the contradictions, and unsustainable systems within which, and for which we operate. I believe in, and celebrate change as the inevitable. Sometimes my art is extremely deliberate and calculated, and other times it flows without intent. But my goal of strengthening our community through change is at the heart of every project.

What medium(s) do you work in?

Ink, acrylic, watercolor, origami, music composition, 3D printing, digital, video game design, and architecture

How long have you been working as an artist?

Artistic expression has been a lifelong pursuit. It was not until my mid-30s that I decided to try and sell my art. NEMAA helped awaken my creative potential just by organizing Art A Whirl, and showing me that people could open their homes for the event like this, while having the support of a reputable organization. NEMAA/AAW did light a fire that helped me to take myself more seriously as an artist, as well as the Fringe festival and the great arts community in Minneapolis, particularly Northeast.

What are some of your biggest inspirations as an artist?

Michael Reynolds (architect, earthships), David Bowie, Franz Liszt, Ben Folds, Regina Spektor, Leo Da Vinci, Mother Nature.

What is your connection to Northeast Minneapolis?

I bought a home in Northeast in 2007, and have made improvements to it since. NE is my community now.

How does Art-A-Whirl benefit you as an artist?

Being a part of Art A Whirl has given me access to my community beyond the dreams of my former self. I have always been focused on improving the world around me, but I’d long struggled with the feeling that I’m on a lonely journey. Lonely feelings still appear, especially given so much turmoil and disagreement. But through community, we find supportive voices, supportive structures, and people who have the same goals and methods, with whom to align and mutually advance.

I have met so many great people by opening myself up to my community and through sharing my art. I’d like to believe that I’ve touched many lives, where we otherwise would have continued on with some hopelessness and feelings of isolation. NEMAA and Art A Whirl foster that connection and bring us together.

Any good stories or memories of an experience at Art-A-Whirl that you can share? What stands out?

The first Art A Whirl I ever hosted at my house was such chaos. Artist Tammy Boots was on my roster, and 2 weeks before the event, I called her to tell her that I didn’t think I could be ready in time. You see, I had been building an addition on my house, which was not going to be ready for guests… I hadn’t even knocked down the wall between the old part of the house and the addition. Tammy stepped up. She dropped everything and helped me finish tearing my kitchen apart and knock the wall down. Several other friends came over the days that followed and helped me get everything else ready for the event. It was a great show of love and support, and it reminds me why I do this every year.

What do you wish more people knew about the arts scene in Northeast Minneapolis?

Find out for yourselves. It’s our treasure and you’re welcome to enjoy it.

Art-A-Whirl and NEMAA turn 30 years old in 2025. Can you believe it? What changes have you witnessed?

It gets bigger and better every year (with exceptions for Covid). I’m proud to be a part of this organization.

Why is art important in our community?

Metaphor is the most powerful tool of communication. We learn how other people think and feel by using metaphors, and we learn best when our 5 senses are employed in the learning process. Empathy is the result, and we are stronger collaborators as empathetic individuals. I think competition is lovely, but when it comes to working towards a better future, collaboration is supreme. Art is the metaphor that can instantly change a mood – or provoke a thought that changes the way you think forever. Because it invokes the 5 senses, and because it operates through metaphor, it is a tool of communication that outperforms any other when done well, and it fosters a collaborative mindset by invoking empathy. The message doesn’t always get through. Often, it’s interpreted differently than the intent. But that is the same with any form of communication. The freedom to misinterpret is part of art’s power.

Can you imagine a world WITHOUT the arts community in Northeast Minneapolis? How would the community be different?

A world without art is a world without hope. Even when it is an expression of hopelessness, art is still a yearning for connection, empathy, growth, resolve. It is there to remind us we’re not alone, and to help us improve our connection to one another.

What are your hopes and dreams for Art-A-Whirl, NEMAA, and/or the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District in the next 30 years?

Keep growing. Keep on arting. More sites. More party. Less pollution.

If you could make one change in Northeast Minneapolis, no matter the cost, what would it be?

​​There is a strong inverse relationship between vehicular traffic and how lovely a space is. My vision of the future includes a major shift in our transportation paradigm, towards Personal Rapid Transit (locally), high speed rail or vacuum transport (regionally), and a phase-out of asphalt-based transportation. Bike/scooter paths across the city will be dug into sheltered Walipinis. Community aquaponics greenhouses could be incorporated into the Walipinis, making low-cost, healthy food available to our community and visitors (don’t tell Bezos).

Tell us again why you love being an artist and what your work brings to the community.

I am kind of a nonstop idea generator. I can’t help myself. I wanted to better know how things work, so I became an engineer, but I couldn’t shake the artist out of me if I wanted to.

I think my professional experience (working with large-budget projects) has helped me dream big and realize that your ideas can be made real, especially when many collaborate. Your dreams may take a long time to realize, but if you’re relentless, your efforts will pay off. Maybe they’ll take you down a different or better road, or maybe just a road with less resistance. I designed and built an addition on my home, with the intention giving more space for arts in our community, and it has been that space for 8 years now, for both visual and the performing arts. NE Tree House is nearing a new transition point, where our public events will become more than just Art A Whirl. We are here to make artistic expression and collaboration more central to how we live our lives.