The Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association is pulling out all the stops for their world-famous festival’s 30th year. Here are three LGBTQ+ Art-A-Whirl veterans to visit.
From May 16-18, artists across Northeast Minneapolis will open their studios for the 30th year of NEMAA’s Art-A-Whirl.
Since 1996, Art-A-Whirl’s attendance has grown from a few hundred to more than 120,000, making it the largest event of its kind in the nation, according to NEMAA.
This year’s festival will have a host of special features, from a passport challenge app to a commemorative sculpture at Holland Arts East to a co-branded beer with Pryes Brewing Company.
Pryes’ Art-A-Whirl Gold is a special edition of Pryes’ craft golden ale, a light, refreshing beer that tastes similar to Hamm’s. Pryes’ events manager Nick Webley says it will be available at bars and restaurants throughout Northeast during Art-A-Whirl.
NEMAA is also commemorating Art-A-Whirl’s 30th year by featuring 30 NEMAA member artists from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines. Lavender spoke with three of these artists who identify as LGBTQ+ to learn more about their art and how it feels to be a part of this milestone for Northeast Minneapolis.
Alicia De La Cruz (she/her)
Two-spirit artist Alicia De La Cruz, 31, says she spends around 14 hours each day doing beadwork.
De La Cruz, an enrolled member of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, has been doing beadwork since she was seven years old, taught by her grandma and aunts.
Now, her traditional craft is her full-time job. De La Cruz will be participating in her fifth year of Art-a-Whirl with her beadwork business, Waabooz Beading (“waabooz” means “rabbit” in the Ojibwe language.)
“It’ll be nice to have a unique type of art people don’t get to see very often,” De La Cruz says of her beadwork.
De La Cruz, who will be exhibiting at Quincy Hall this year, grew up going to Art-a-Whirl and says it was an honor to be a featured artist for its 30th year.
“I love being a part of Art-A-Whirl every single year, but this year does feel special,” she says.
When you visit De La Cruz at Quincy, expect to find a variety of colorful, skillfully crafted beadwork accessories, from earrings to keychains to the brims of cowboy hats. You might catch a glimpse of a rainbow motif, a shout-out to her two-spirit identity.
De La Cruz’s skill as a beadworker has led to a collaboration with the Minnesota Vikings and a residency at the Bell Museum, but beadwork is just one of many ways she keeps herself busy. De La Cruz will also have products from her company Waabooz Cosmetics for sale during Art-a-Whirl, and also uses painting, ink and mixed media in her artwork.
De La Cruz says non-Indigenous people often ask her if they can buy her beadwork, and they absolutely can.
“All of my designs are meant for everybody, and I wouldn’t sell them if they weren’t,” she says. “You’re supporting me. It’s the best thing you can do. I just want people to see more Indigenous artwork.”
Tim Chapp (he/him)
Despite its plain exterior, Tim Chapp’s house, better known as the Northeast Tree House, is a creative nexus of the neighborhood, complete with a green roof and a 16-foot rock climbing wall.
Though the rock wall will be closed for climbers during Art-a-Whirl, Chapp, 43, will be hosting 10 artists at his self-described “Willy Wonka house.”
“What I’m doing with my house here is trying to bring artists together and give them an opportunity not only to showcase their work but also to collaborate,” he says.
Chapp will also be 3D-printing robot parts for kids to play with during Art-A-Whirl.
Surprisingly, the painter/piano player/origami artist did not go to art school, but his engineering expertise aided in building the Tree House in 2016, which he says is the main way art has stayed alive in his life.
“NEMAA is such a great organization and I never would’ve gotten this far in my artistic self if not for them,” Chapp says.
Chapp’s acrylic paintings are psychedelic floods that spill across the canvas. Chapp describes them as “free-flowing, whimsical and not serious,” though a natural theme is present throughout his work.
Chapp, a gay man, says his sexuality is not a focus in his artwork, but his experiences feeling “othered” have helped him build empathy for people who aren’t like him.
Most importantly, Chapp says, “Everybody’s an artist.”
Andy Jacobs (she/they)
Andy Jacobs, 32, recalls witnessing an older man who was visiting her studio examine one of her weavings, say “Huh, that’s weird,” and walk away.
The interdisciplinary artist will open her studio at the Casket Building for this year’s Art-a-Whirl and says she enjoys being a fly on the wall to those interactions with her artwork.
“My practice is just an excuse to learn and connect, and that’s the M.O. of a Gemini,” she says.
Even though her work is “less commercial,” Jacob says she enjoys bringing an experience to Art-a-Whirl each year.
Though initially a printmaker, Jacobs is a self-taught weaver who found her artistic voice in textile arts and connection in the Twin Cities’ queer fiber arts community.
“When I started weaving and spinning, I just felt this instant ancestral connection, like my body knows how to do this,” Jacobs says.
Recently, Jacobs has been thinking through ecology while creating her organic, highly textural weavings, inspired by fiber arts as a global phenomenon that connects humans with nature.
Oh, and she’s a tattoo artist, too, but that’s just her day job.
Her most recent artistic endeavor has been jewelry making. Her pieces are dainty yet consist of beads of a variety of colors, sizes and shapes.
Jacobs says it’s an honor to be a featured artist for Art-a-Whirl’s 30th, and that she loves the energy of the festival each year, even though it can be overwhelming.
“I always need to take a day or two off to just be away from people,” she says. “But it’s a lot of energy and a lot of fun.”
