In the spirit of full disclosure, I tried to get to the Friedli Gallery and Studio on West 7th in St Paul for an event earlier this month – but life got in the way. So, I really made an effort today, once I drove by the Schmidt Artist Lofts and was reminded of the St Paul Art Crawl.
The Gallery is warm and welcoming. I’m not sure if it’s deceptively large or small. It feels cozy but there are several center points in the room it feels like the crowd distribution would be comfortable even when full. They have exhibitions that rotate every two months. Today, the space housed several Art Crawl artists and a good number of art fans. I can’t wait to go back when it’s quieter and the art “on the wall” will be more accessible for the currently showing Fourth Annual Book Arts Exhibition. But I appreciate the spirit of community in having the Art Crawl artists in for the weekend. The Friedli also hosts classes and events, such a sip-and-paints and make art classes with host artists.
The gallery is artist owned. In August 2020, Heather Friedli reopened the Thune Gallery as the Friedli Gallery. It was a friendly takeover/merger, in fact, former Saint Paul City Councilman Dave Thune. It looks like Mr. Thune may have some sort of office in the space. The office gives a feel of the space being a space of activity. It feels like a place where stuff gets done and people “serendipitously” meet just the person they needed at the right time. That feels like the power of Heather’s drive for community. I met Heather through shared civic engagement. We share space in the planning rooms and on the streets with Minnesota 50501 and Women’s March MN – along with Invisible Twin Cities.
Heather is a working artist. Today, she was exhibiting a number of landscape paintings. The colors are gorgeous – both muted and bright, like the sun shining on the green in a forest. The focus is on what you can see in front of you as you walk in nature. It feels like being there. I was drawn to the images from Northern Minnesota, where Heather lived and worked in the words for several years.
As a bonus, Heather does snow sculpture with the all-indigenous team, Team Dino Fight. She has won state and national awards.
It’s fun to check out a new art space and to learn about the interesting community makers we have in St Paul!
Mostly Minnesota 