Art-a-Whirl

Man, we’re getting old. It seems like just yesterday that Art-a-Whirl was the fresh-faced l’il whippersnapper of a neighborhood arts festival, a new hip event in a rather stodgy part of town that nobody was really sure would see a second year. Now, in year eight, it’s well past the point of becoming an expected (and most welcome) annual tradition, especially for those of us who live in the area. Lotsa open studios, lotsa gawkin’ at art, lotsa kids’ events and bands. Several artists will give live demonstrations of their disciplines all weekend long, the coolest of which is a tie between Tyler St. Studios’ aluminum pour (noon-4 pm Saturday only) and the Island Glass folks’ glass-blowing demos—they’ll even let the kids try it. There are more than 300 artists in this year’s show, which fans out for miles across Northeast. You can pick up brochures listing individual studios at kiosks all over the neighborhood or at the fest’s website. Our recommendation is to start over at the Northrup King building, 1500 Jackson St.—the three-story warehouse space has by far the highest concentration of studios at a single location. (612) 788-1679, art-a-whirl.org