From dirty alley to street art gallery

LynLake is becoming a destination for street art.
Thirty-one new locations for artwork were added to building walls by 64 local and regional artists representing an array of cultural communities during the 7th annual LynLake Street Art series July 12-14. Some adorn front and parking lot walls, others are tucked away in alleys, and one two-story space chimp overlooks the Midtown Greenway.
For co-producer Morgan Luzier of the LynLake Business Association, the event has been evolving, but it remains a show for the artists. “Our goal is to treat them right – to honor them and uplift their art form and expression.”
She acknowledges that they’re still trying to figure out how to engage the audience. “It isn’t like a craft fair where you walk around and buy finished art. It’s more about the process of art-making. The best way to see the show is to walk or roll it – and to do it a few times over the course of the weekend. What you see Saturday morning is light years away from what you see Sunday evening. Each artist has a completely different creative process and what I see as scribbles on a wall morph into the most amazing images, designs, and colors. And to think this is all with a can of spray paint. The mastery of technique is inspiring.”
She added, “I think we, as a culture, are still trying to integrate graf/street art, so the ‘spectator’ part is still evolving.”
The event not only beautifies the public realm, but also allows community partners, volunteers, sponsors, property owners, small business tenants, spectators, artists and vendors to connect.

How it began
In 2018, Josh Wilken-Simons of Legacy Glassworks (2928 Lyndale Ave. S) came back from a huge, multi-national street art/graf art show in Denver, Colo. and was inspired. He knew that the same level of talent exists in Minneapolis, and it could put LynLake on the map.
“As small business owners, we are always looking for ways to uniquely position our corridor. Uptown has the lakes. North Loop has the high brow stuff. Northeast has the breweries and the art studios. What if LynLake was the destination for something? What about street art? That was the genesis of the idea,” remarked Luzier.
The first year, Wilken-Simons got permission to paint the alley behind Legacy Glassworks. He invited about two dozen graf writers and crews to put up art.
“When I saw it, I mean, it was transformational (for me and the alley!),” recalled Luzier. “Here this old dirty alley with garbage and stink was transformed into an actual art gallery. I was sold on the idea that this could be ‘a thing.’”
In 2019, they doubled the budget and got more building owners on board to get artwork. “It’s a tough ask – ‘hey can we put up graf on your building?’ – but the good news is that usually when a ‘sanctioned’ piece goes up, it doesn’t get tagged,” said Luzier. “Plus, street art is temporary so we remind owners that we can always paint over it.”
In 2020, they managed to mount one mural. The “WE STAND AS ONE” welcomes people into LynLake right at the corner of Lyndale and 31st. “It’s a really powerful piece that we put up right after George Floyd. We were masked outdoors,” stated Luzier.
The past four years, organizers have focused on making it a better, more inclusive, more representative experience for the artists. They work to enroll small businesses to be a part of it and try to create a family-friendly, educational, creative experience for visitors. “We learn something new every year about this unique art form,” commented Luzier. “You have to remember that up until four years ago, ‘street art’ was vandalism and the artists were criminalized.
“But during George Floyd, what did people turn to to express their rage, fear, hopes and love? Spray paint. Turns out graffiti art is a deep self-expression just like acrylic or watercolor or sculpture, or music or dance.”

Writer’s style of painting
South Minneapolis native and street artist Joe Ellis was last year’s creative director. He helped elevate the “writers” style of painting. “Usually during street art shows, the focus on is mural,” pointed out Luzier. “But our show is equal parts mural and letterform (or ‘writers’) since writers are the foundation of the craft. Joe was the first to get letterform on a prominent wall (Cub Foods), and has really helped change the narrative around it.
“Imagine: you are an artist and the only thing you’re going to paint for the bulk of your career is your name. Of course, your artform, until recently, was a crime, so you’re not going to write your actual name, but a pseudonym. Now, think of the challenge: one name, usually three to five letters for your whole career. That takes some creative talent to stylize those letters 1, 2, 10, 1,000, 10,000 different ways.
“When you see letterform, just remember that. Serious skill.”

UPLIFTING ARTISTS
The street art series is organized by the LynLake Business Association and its fiscal sponsor is the Jungle Theater. Cub Foods, Ackerberg Group, Lupe Development, Zeigler Cat, Scaffold Services, Butler Family Foundation, VFW Uptown, and the city of Minneapolis are repeat supporters of the street art festival.
The goal of the street art festival is to identify LynLake as a multi-cultural district of small business owners from all over the world; celebrate street art and the artists who do it; invite the residents into the public realm to explore and claim their space; and provoke conversations and collaborations, according to Luzier, who owns Balance Health and Wellness (2902 Garfield Ave. S) and is co-chair of the LynLake Business Association.
“For me, as a business owner, it’s really important that the event connects me to other business and building owners,” said Luzier. “We might not always agree on things (art or politics or whatever), but we are still neighbors. It’s good to know one another. If we learned anything from 2020, it’s that you should have your neighbors on speed dial. Also, to uplift artists.”

‘THE ART IS INSANE’
This year, rain most of the day on Saturday posed a challenge for painting. “One thing about street artists is they’re resilient. Not a primadonna bone in their bodies,” said Luzier. “Rain, heat, humidity, all of the above. They just want to paint and paint they will.”
There are five new pieces at the Lynhall, including two portraits on the front of the building and art by an all-women crew in the alley. Another crew painted in the alley behind French Meadow. “Cub Foods got a dope mural on the front of the building. I love the new one on the back corner of the VFW. I could go on and on,” said Luzier.
“I mean, the art is insane. We did an installation on the Greenway that will blow your mind – Lizardman’s two-story space chimp with an overlapping spherical ancient time piece. Thank you, Todd Jones, owner of the building, for allowing it!”
Artists in 2024 included Few and Far Women (Mavel, Meme, Dime, Polen, and Flora), EDSK (Stain, Elothes, Komed, Quake, Kiyote, Izue, Tots, CAS3), TKG (Ensure, Dable, Herp2, Gator18, Bike, Vision), ISK (Pets, Hibuk, Aloe, Glawk, Gnuts), Groe, Normal, Tryst Trigger Artworks, NMPH, Ehsor, The Ghor, Metonic, ERodE, Trace, Yuya, Natalie Clare, Pedal, EARTH2, Jayflo, Simone Alexa, Taylor Berman, Junt, Gentre, Lagood, Guros, Max315, Sout, Tom Jay, Ceeboots, Speaks, Guille, AvantGaga, Lizardman, Focus Smith, Epar, Spazz, Rosko, Alyssa Ashley, Jess Zottola + Nick Vanderloop and Type.
A community collaboration with SPRAYFINGER was set up in the parking lot next to the Uptown VFW. Ezra Young, age 17, of Roseville participated in the advanced area. “Grafitti art as an art form is something I really enjoy,” Young said. “It can be a stepping stone. It teaches you all kinds of art.”
Looking around, he said, “This is not just a grubby alleyway anymore. It’s art.”
There was an art market at Odd Market, miniture art show at Wrecktangle Pizza, H.E.A.L. Mpls Block Party at Sencha Tea Bar with the Uptown Community Coalition, a vintage market presented by BSTEEZYCURATIONS, a show at Mins Gallery, and a rooftop show at LynLake Brewery with Low & High.
Esai Luna of Legacy Glassworks was this year’s creative director. “He was transformational in bringing more small business owners into the celebrations, planning events for the artists, getting permissions that I didn’t think we could get, and really celebrating the crews,” praised Luzier.
Looking ahead, Luzier said they will continue to work on improving the artists’ experiences, keep enrolling the small business and resident communities into the planning and celebrating, and keep talking about the importance and impact of street art.
“Remember: it’s a reflection of our inner world. What it evokes in you is worth looking at/exploring/trying to understand,” said Luzier.