Art fairs offer artists the chance to display and sell their artwork. However, the traditional art fair also includes large crowds, little interaction artists and buyers and a big fee for participating artists.

John Bradley has come up with a more interesting and more friendly twist on the art fair for artist and enthusiasts alike: The Coffee Crawl.

The event will take place in various independent coffee shops throughout Minneapolis and St. Paul and on July 26, 9 a.m.–6 p.m.

Venues in and near the Bridgeland include Cupcake, 3338 University Ave. SE; Fireroast Mountain Café, 3800 37th Ave. S.; and Tillie’s Bean, 2803 E. 38th St.

The crawl will feature art ranging from the traditional paintings and photographs to one of a kind hand bags, handmade jewelry and journals — even performance art from local actors and musicians.

Bradley put out a call to all artists to participate in the event. All art was welcome, he said, “as long as the artist feels it is beneficial to themselves and others.”

By hosting the event at various locations, Bradley hopes to make the event less overwhelming for visitors while promoting independent coffee shops and making participation affordable for everyday artists.

Bradley is aiming to give visitors “a nice relaxed, fun time,” he said. “Art events can be very exclusive; this event will be inclusive for all artists and visitors

“This won’t just be artists hanging their paintings on the wall and never seeing people’s reaction to their work,” he explained. “We’ve having artists set up their tables or tents on the patios to sell their work and to talk with people. We want this to be a grassroots, neighborhood event.”

He hopes the coffee crawl will become a larger, citywide event in the future, giving more promotion to artists and coffee shops and more variety for the visitors.

For more information, call John Bradley at 612-968-9024 or visit the Coffee Crawl website.

last revised: July 24, 2008

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