How are you planning to spend your weekend? I’m so excited to be going for the first time to the Meander Art Crawl! This is a fabulous event taking place in our region.
The 10th annual Meander Art Crawl event will be held this weekend, Oct. 4, 5 and 6th. The award winning Meander is a free, self-guided tour of artist studios featuring 45 local artists from the Upper Minnesota River Valley. The Meander has become a tradition for friends and relatives to experience the “hidden gem” art studios, small towns and family farms to be found along the tributaries of the Minnesota River.
It was Ortonville Artist Don Sherman’s vision more than a decade ago that led to the development of Meander Art Crawl. Sherman sought to create a regional community that encouraged artists to fully embrace where they live and to invite others to share in the experience. He wanted local municipalities, regional government and businesses to embrace the promotion of local, place based art as an economic development strategy. By working with others over the past 10 years, Sherman’s vision is well on its way to becoming a reality.
A free brochure detailing the locations of the art shows can be downloaded online. More information can also be found on the Meander Facebook page.
This is a great way to check out southwest Minnesota in the fall, not to mention see and visit with incredible artists who make their living here. There are MANY Southwest Initiative Foundation connections in this part of our region, from many of the artists to the staff and volunteers behind the event.
I hope my friends and colleagues consider taking in this year’s Meander!
