Lake Street Council Launches New, Interactive Lake Street Art Drop Series
By Caroline Burns
Beginning May 4, local artists to hide free art pieces along the Lake Street corridor for a creative scavenger hunt that is open to everyone.
The Lake Street Council has launched a new, interactive Lake Street Art Drop series that encourages visitors to explore Lake Street, discover local artists and support small businesses along the commercial corridor. On the first Thursday of each month, photo clues for the creative scavenger hunt will be released through the Lake Street Council’s social media channels to help lead participants to the hidden locations of local art pieces. While the amount of artwork hidden will change each month, there will typically be up to a dozen pieces to find. The first individuals to locate each art treasure gets to take it home at no cost.
“Lake Street is one of the most vibrant, multicultural commercial corridors in the Twin Cities, home to hundreds of local businesses and dozens of murals,” said Charise Canales, manager of placemaking and activation at the Lake Street Council. “The Lake Street Art Drop is a fun, accessible way for people to visit the corridor while also supporting local artists – and we encourage everyone who comes for the hunt to stay for dinner, drinks or shopping at a local business!”
The Lake Street Art Drop series will begin in May and last through September at rotating locations along the corridor, with the first drop scheduled for Thursday, May 4, at 6 p.m. To participate, follow @visitlakestreet on Facebook or Instagram for updates on the photo clues needed to successfully locate the hidden art. Artists will change each month, with each varying in specialties from photo prints and paintings to pottery, jewelry, and creative accessories.
The local artist for the first art drop on May 4 will be Anna Wienke, a south Minneapolis-based artist and founder of the We…Artist Collective, Studios & Gallery located along the Lake Street corridor, which received a 2022 placemaking grant from the Lake Street Council for a mural at its 2945 Garfield Ave. studio. A sneak peek photo of Anna’s art pieces that will be included in next week’s art drop can be downloaded here. Artists who would like to participate in a future Lake Street Art Drop can click here to submit an interest form. Each participating artist will be paid a $500 stipend.
“Public artwork is critical to telling the beautifully unique stories of each community’s people and places,” said Wienke. “I am thrilled to be the featured artist for the first-ever Lake Street Art Drop – which will make local artwork and their artists more accessible to art-hunting visitors. I highly encourage everyone to get involved in the fun.”
The Lake Street Art Drop series is made possible by a Great Streets grant from the City of Minneapolis. Great Streets has funded several other successful Lake Street Council initiatives aimed at strengthening community and art and creative placemaking along the corridor, including the Lake Street mural tour.
Lake Street Council is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization which engages, serves, and advocates for the Lake Street community in Minneapolis to ensure the vitality and prosperity of the commercial corridor. Its work includes research and strategic planning, business recruitment, safety and security; branding, marketing and public relations; community events, online and door-to-door communications; commercial energy retrofits and energy savings; small business advocacy; and management of Lake Street capital and natural resources. Its programs are intended to uplift the existing business community while raising awareness among potential shoppers and new business investors.
