The cold air didn’t stop the vibrant energy seen in Minneapolis on May 17, 2025. This could only mean one thing: Art-A-Whirl had returned to electrify Minneapolis. Celebrating its 30-year anniversary, this sprawling three-day arts extravaganza once again provided a platform for local artists and musicians to introduce their craft. Inviting art enthusiasts and curious wanderers alike, galleries and stages allowed crowds to immerse themselves in the creative pulse of the Twin Cities.
Art-A-Whirl is more than just an art fair; it acts as a cultural phenomenon, showcasing the great artistic ecosystem that defines Minneapolis. As the largest open studio tour in the country, the event has grown from humble beginnings to a citywide celebration of creativity, inclusion and innovation.
Attending this event made me wonder: Beyond the artwork on display, what makes this annual event so vital to the community? What can a first-time visitor expect when diving into this event? And, perhaps most importantly, does it live up to its promise of access and connection?
Art-A-Whirl is an annual event organized by the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association (NEMAA). Visitors come for many reasons; some support local musicians, others to discover new artists or pick up unique pieces for their wardrobe or home, including pottery, glass work, metal work and a plethora of other items. For sophomore Margaret Bonin, who attended Art-A-Whirl for the second time, the appeal lies both in family and unexpected discovery.
“My dad just really loves listening to music…Last year, I came because there was a band that he thought I would really like that was performing. And this year I’m here because one of his cousins was playing. I also just love walking around being able to see everyone’s…art and how they interpret art and…everything is for sale, which is really amazing,” Bonin said.
Bonin especially enjoyed a vintage booth where the vendor customized thrift finds. “He had…many thrift finds. Some of them were…I think the word is appliqué, like, he customized them a little bit. But it was a really nice… high-quality selection,” she commented.
Her visit also sparked personal creativity and interest. “There was a glass art stand and it just reminded me of [how] I’ve always wanted to learn how to glass blow and it had resources, like pamphlets for Foci [organization] in the Twin Cities [for] glass blowing…I’ve always really wanted to do it and now I might try and do this over the summer,” she said.
The origins of this event are intimate. According to musician, longtime attendee, and cousin of Margaret’s dad, Jim Gruidl, who performed this year with his band The King James Version, the first Art-A-Whirl wasn’t held in grand studios or formal venues, it was hosted in people’s homes.
“I lived in the northeast [and] moved over here in 1987 and funny enough, I was playing in a band with a guy who lived downtown Minneapolis in a warehouse and he said, ‘Hey, do you want to go to this thing? It’s in your neighborhood. It’s called Art-A-Whirl,” Gruidl recalled.
That first experience stuck with him.
“It was the first one and it was just in people’s houses,” he said. Since then, attending Art-A-Whirl became part of Gruidl’s routine.
“I’ve been coming to it and they used to not have bands or anything, but I played around the city. And then slowly, as they started to add bands, I got to play a couple of times. And then it was just recently, through the connections with this particular space, Elias Metal, that we were able to play this show,” he said.
Bonin believes that events like these impact the Minneapolis community in a very positive way, bringing people together to appreciate art, socialize and foster a special kind of connection that matters the most in life. Gruidl comments on the connection aspect,
“It really makes it easy to be connected in a city when you have these kinds of events and you know whether it’s going to see a band on First Avenue or coming to this once-a-year thing, things really connect,” Gruidl said.
Events like Art-A-Whirl are also foundational to Minneapolis’s character.
“When you see an article online that says Twin Cities are [in the] top 20 places to live in the United States, one of the main reasons, you can cite Fortune 500 companies, but it’s really…this rich artistic culture that draws innovation and it draws creative people and it really makes it a fun place to be,” Gruidl said.
At the same time, Art-A-Whirl is as much about its layout and logistics as it is about what hangs on the walls. The event spans Northeast Minneapolis with venues featuring multiple floors of artist studios, accessible bathrooms and food vendors stationed nearby. While the event is walkable and well organized, navigating the space efficiently depends on where you start and Bonin commented on the varying masses of crowds in each location.
Transportation options included bike racks, metro buses, special Art-A-Whirl buses and limited parking, though the latter fills up quickly. Ranging from taco trucks to gourmet restaurants, food is abundant, often accompanied by live music just a few steps away.
From Gruidl’s politically charged songs to the skillful acrobatics from Xelia Aerial Arts and public murals, Art-A-Whirl is alive with perspective.
Gruidl spoke about his musical influence: “When I was young, I wrote a lot of what Paul McCartney called ‘silly love songs’ and now, [due to our current political climate and everything going on in the world], I write stuff that’s topical without being too heavy-handed.”
Continuing, he said, “The thing I’m trying to do is write these songs and put them out there in a way that I choose to deal with the world. So if anybody takes anything away, I want somebody to scream and yell and get it off their chest and feel like they’re in a better place after they hear [the set],” Gruidl expressed.
Art-A-Whirl’s significance represents what happens when a city invests in its creative infrastructure. It is polished, chaotic, calming and enlightening all at once. It continues to prove that art is not a luxury but rather a language that builds community.
As Gruidl put it: “Some of it may not be your cup of tea, but some of it may really speak to you. I’ve seen stuff I didn’t really care for and I’ve seen stuff here that…is brilliant. And…if I want, I can purchase it from the artist directly. So it’s really like the farm-to-table version of art, which is really perfect. So you just have to go. I don’t think there’s any reason not to go.”
Art-A-Whirl isn’t just an event, it’s a radical act of community. In a time when public trust is fractured and creative expression is increasingly commodified or censored, Art-A-Whirl is a reminder that art, when made accessible and shared freely, can still challenge systems and unite people across backgrounds. For anyone curious about Minneapolis’s creative spark, Art-A-Whirl is the place to find it. Art-A-Whirl will be back next year, in Northeast Minneapolis.
