Downtown/Lowertown : Featured Stories

We begin a new year with our feet on the ground, quite literally, with must-see dance performances, as well as talks by local authors on local history, and the unparalleled stargazing offered by the winter sky.

For families living in Artspace affordable artist live/work housing, to reside in a safe, secure building where they can create and are considered normal is not only nice, it’s necessary. It's also "a little place of heaven."

The City of St. Paul and its partners are utilizing an innovative method of managing stormwater to restore natural water systems, incorporate green infrastructure into sustainable communities and improve the urban ecosystem. 

Microloans help artists bridge the gaps between other sources of funding. Springboard for the Arts is currently testing a microloan model and has partnered with Kiva, a microlending platform that funds small businesses around the world.  

The first portion of the Capital City Bikeway opened this month, symbolizing St. Paul’s commitment to a new, dedicated biking infrastructure downtown.

During Artspace’s Breaking Ground “Idea Lab” October 14-15 in MSP, artists were identified as visionaries and leaders who bring the dark matter of communities--history, memory, relationships--to light through art and creative processes.

With autumn in MSP comes "the season," meaning so many art exhibitions, performances, parties and festivals that you could attend several events every evening. Here are our must-do's. 

Music, art, craft beer: Earlier this month, MSP'ers enjoyed a tantalizing glimpse of the (possible) future for a 1.5-mile stretch of St. Paul riverfront during the River Balcony Prototyping Festival.

Artspace’s annual Breaking Ground event evolves this year from one dynamic evening of speakers and performances to an immersive, two-day “idea lab” on Friday, October 14 and Saturday, October 15 in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

A new independent bookstore! A second ReStore store! Plus a community garden celebration and an art exhibit and fashion show featuring motorcycle helmets highlight September arts and culture.  

Not-to-miss Fringe shows, a neighborhood happy hour, beer and bikes…a few of our favorite things for August arts and culture.    

You don’t need a stats pack to accept the obvious: craft beer is big business in The North, particularly in MSP’s hottest neighborhoods. Here are seven new craft-beer concepts coming soon.

Festivals galore during the month of June, just a few of them listed here. There's the big one--Northern Spark 2016--as well as smaller neighborhood gatherings and opportunities to make new friends over food and brews.  

In declaring 2016 the Year of Music, the City of St. Paul showcases all of the music genres, schools, initiatives and venues thriving throughout the city as economic drivers and cultural amenities.

The second article in our two-part series about the diverse people and companies that helped build the Minneapolis-St. Paul theater community.