Art-a-Whirl 2022
Review by: Sara Liebl, Writer/Photographer @lieblsara
Edited by: Andrew Perrizo, Owner/Editor @PlaylistTC
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A Sunny Sunday Afternoon at Art-a-Whirl
On the last Sunday of May, I was able to catch a friend of mine, Alyse Carbonell, play on the Q.arma (pronounced karma) stage in Northeast Minneapolis before playing a set with my own band, Foe, on the same stage. Art-a-Whirl is a three day extravaganza celebrating art, creation, and local businesses in Northeast Minneapolis. Events are hosted at countless venues, drawing thousands of people who are interested in local music, visual art, food, and drinks - to name a few. The weather cooperated brilliantly, giving us beautiful weather over the weekend, allowing participants to enjoy exploring the event, trying out food from local food trucks, and sipping on beers and iced coffees comfortably.
The History of Art-a-Whirl
Art-a-Whirl was conceptualized in 1995 by a group of artists who invited their fellow artists to hold open studio tours in neglected or abandoned factory buildings in Northeast Minneapolis. Art-a-Whirl quickly gained popularity, and grew into an event with thousands of participants, becoming an affair that spanned all across the Northeast Neighborhood. A few years later, the collective formed the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association (NEMAA) as an official non-profit organization.
“Today, NEMAA has over one thousand members (artists, students, galleries, businesses, nonprofits, and community friends), and produces the annual Art-A-Whirl open studio tour and the NEMAA 10×10 Member Art Show and Fundraiser. We also promote our members and year-round open studio events in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District, and foster connections and opportunities between artists and businesses, individuals, and organizations.” - Art-a-Whirl Official Website
Alyse Carbonell
Alyse Carbonell, is a very promising new and upcoming musician, writing indie folk tunes that are easy on the ear and relatable to just about any audience she plays for. A veteran of the local stand up comedy scene, she took the leap to fully dedicate herself to her music during the pandemic, spending much of her time writing. Alyse has been playing at local coffee shop, Curioso, regularly since this spring.
Braving the stage with nothing but a guitar in hand, Alyse proceeded to perform a fantastic set of covers as well as sharing her first three original songs, a huge step for any musician. A crowd immediately began to gather near the stage as she drew in passersby with her angelic and pure vocals, comparable to the members of The Staves, which perfectly captures the sound of the genre she seems to be settling into. Alyse mainly stays in a comfortable mezzo-soprano range, but does take the opportunity to show off her lower register, particularly in her original song, “Little Things.”
The highlight of Alyse’s performance were, without a doubt, her original songs. She fearlessly opened herself up to the audience, sharing her personal feelings and her life experiences unabashedly. Alyse’s writing style is simple, yet effective. She utilizes her guitar in an almost minimalist manner, shining the spotlight on her vocals and lyrics about love and life. Occasionally, Alyse will throw in some vocal fry, flips, and embellishments to make her performance more dynamic without crossing the line into over-dramatization. Another beautiful feature of her voice is her clean vibrato, which sneaks its way into the end of notes she is sustaining in straight tone. Alyse truly captures the essence of “less is more” in the perfect way.
Luckily, I was able to chat with Alyse to gather more insight on these introspective original songs -
“If You’re Mine” is a love song through and through, “To me, it's about falling in love with someone when you don’t really know them,” she explained, “It’s about that feeling when you’re imagining what a life with them would be like.”
“Fremont” is a very relatable reflection upon life, especially for young adults who may not have quite found their footing yet. “I was contemplating how interesting your early twenties are in that you’re not dependent on anyone and vice versa,” she mused. “It’s also about how there’s so much life ahead of you, even though it might feel like you’ve lived so much already”
What I consider to be Alyse’s most melancholy and wistful song thus far, “Little Things” is a product of heartbreak and learning to let go of someone you care deeply for. “Ultimately, this song is about knowing that you’re not meant to be together.”
If Alyse keeps up this momentum, she will become a force to be reckoned with in the indie folk pocket of the Twin Cities’ music scene. I am very much looking forward to following along with her journey, and am patiently waiting to hear some new original songs from her.
Vendors
Between Alyse’s set and my set, I had a chance to walk around and check out some of the vendors in the Workshop and Q.arma buildings. There was a wide selection of vendors in the area, including clothing, pottery, jewelry, visual art, food, drinks, coffee, and more. Most notably, I had the privilege of coming across the work of two very talented teen artists, Asher Campbell and Finley Wren Hanson. Looking at either of their work, you would think you were looking at pieces created by older and more seasoned artists.
Asher Campbell creates pieces that span various styles. He shows off his precise technical skills with a beautiful black and white portrait of a dog. He also experiments with the darker side of art, creating prints featuring melting faces and monster-like characters. You could also find some pretty cool custom shoes at Asher’s booth.
At only 13 years old, Finley Wren Hanson is already creating impeccable art. Shown at the Studio OKOK booth, I was stunned to hear how young the artist on display was. Finley seems to focus on realism with a touch of the abstract, for the most part showing off her skill of accurately capturing the human body.
(Some of the) Cutest Dogs at Art-a-Whirl
Of course, I couldn’t attend an outdoors dog-friendly event without accosting strangers to take photos of their dogs. Here are some of the cutest pups I came across in my time at Art-A-Whirl:
And the award goes to…
Vendor I wish I had purchased an item from (and probably will eventually) - Asher Cambpell
Favorite Lyric - “A fleeting moment where all I need is me/Kiss goodbye my childhood and start to finally breathe” - Alyse Carbonell, “Fremont”
Most intriguing food - vegan mac and cheese eggrolls
