St. Paul Art Crawl

Starts Friday: Lilacs may be shy of bloom and tulips sulky in the cold, but St. Paul's artists are springing for their 25th annual open-studio weekend. The three-day shindig is concentrated in the warehouses of Lowertown and environs, but extends along Grand Avenue and down University to Raymond, which has a convenient Green Line train stop. More than 300 artists will be showing and selling an exuberant mix of paintings, photos, pottery, sculpture, glass, jewelry, handmade clothing and even custom-built guitars. The something-for-everyone subjects include birds, bikes, cats, dogs, horses, cows, landscapes, urban nocturnes, portraits, flowers, flags, abstractions and more. DeAnne Parks' cheerful painting "Flight of Imagination," shown here, sums up the event's joyful spirit. As always, restaurants, brewpubs and coffeehouses join the festivities, so commit to an artful weekend. (6-10 p.m. Fri., noon-8 p.m. Sat., noon-5 p.m. Sun. Free. More info at saintpaulartcrawl.org) Mary Abbe