Schmidt Spring Art Crawl returns

Making its return at the Schmidt Artist Lofts, 900 West 7th St., from April 29 to May 1, and the artistic living space is abuzz with creative energy as the event draws nearer.
Art crawl guests will have a chance to view and purchase the works of 60 artists, ranging from painters and sculptors to photographers and beyond. Art crawlers can also attend classes, an offering that began last January.
Among the artists to be featured is Kelly Ludeking, a metal artist who will be demonstrating live molten metal art. Guests will also have a chance to make their own.
While the event will carry COVID precautions, such as keeping the event to the brew house portion, and not artists’ apartments like past years, organizers feel safe being optimistic.
“We are allowing ourselves to be more optimistic realizing that things could change, and we are all looking forward to spring,”
In addition to the Lofts holding their art crawl, neighboring businesses — The Rathskeller by Mancinis, Rok, Keg and Case and the Friedli Gallery — also plan to hold events to complement the occasion.
Gilmer said that while the isolation caused by the pandemic had its obvious challenges, it also brought with it some upsides for the artists living and creating at Schmidt. While locked down, many had the chance to artistically experiment, often outside their typical genres and media, Gilmer said. The fruits of that creative labor and the creative airwaves that come with spring will be on display at the art crawl.
Also being featured is the annual spring nationwide arts competition sponsored by the U.S. House of Representatives. The contest is open to all high school students either attending school or residing in the Fourth Congressional District. All entries will be displayed in the Atrium Gallery of the Schmidt Artist Lofts as part of the art crawl. All entries will also be displayed in a digital exhibit on Congresswoman Betty McCollum’s official website, mccollum.house.gov. 
  The winning entry from the Fourth District will be displayed as part of a national exhibit in the U.S. Capitol. Entries by the runners-up will be displayed in Congresswoman McCollum’s offices in Saint Paul and in Washington, D.C. “Each year, I’m blown away by the talent and creativity of the young artists who submit entries to the Congressional Art Competition,” McCollum said per a release.