Collective joy is celebrated at FLOW Northside Arts Crawl

The Northside is a proud community. Events like FLOW, the Northside’s annual art crawl, offer an opportunity to celebrate the community and the art produced by it. On Saturday, July 27, West Broadway from Russell to Penn Ave. became a living gallery for North Minneapolis artists. 

FLOW is a community event revolving around bringing the community together through the arts. Certain businesses and locations participate by hosting art galleries, public performances, food trucks, and fun activities. It is organized by the West Broadway Business and Area Coalition.

By Kailen Branson, Alissa Simmons, and Myesha Powell Summer Interns 

This year at FLOW, Juxtaposition Arts’ new skatepark attracted a constant cloud of onlookers as skaters shredded the quarter-pipes and ledges. Some were seasoned skaters; others had never been on a skateboard in their life. Kanandi Mack, a young but experienced skater said that at FLOW, “people can get together, and have fun.” Photo by Kailen Branson

James Nelson, a Juxtaposition Arts artist, is helping kids learn how to skateboard and has been part of FLOW for the past two years. He says the event is about “bringing together everyone here. On Broadway, in North Minneapolis, and the whole surrounding area. Celebrating the community.” Photo by Kailen Branson

Carl Forsline is an advocate for City of Skate, one of the partners who helped Juxtaposition Arts make their West Broadway skatepark possible. “We've been introducing skateboarding to young folks and any visitors of the Northside community. The goal is to make skateboarding more accessible as well as creating spaces for other arts and community activities,” he said. Photo by Kailen Branson

A team of Juxtaposition Artists proudly greet visitors at the entrance to their main building. Roger Cummings, one of the founders of the organization (not pictured here), said that “FLOW is a celebration of North Minneapolis and all its assets and culture. [To me] FLOW means a time to show what we've been working on all year, show some of the highlights.” Photo by Kailen Branson

Eight year old Anya Decker shows off her painting techniques at FLOW. Decker has been spray painting since she was five years old. In the future she wants to become an artist. “It's fun to do, and I like the colors of the spray paint,” she said. Photo by Myesha Powell

Alex Sveda shows off his best moves at the Juxtaposition Arts skatepark. “When I think of FLOW, I kind of just think of skateboarding when you can keep flowing around the park. Just a motion that you follow, and you can adjust yourself to that motion.” he said. Photo by Myesha Powell

Noah Stinson sat in the shade while listening to music. He traveled from South Minneapolis to check out FLOW for the first time. He had a positive experience: “I like that people are getting together and having fun, and my favorite part is the music,” he said. Photo by Myesha Powell

Jocelyn Beard is the owner of Jay’s Jam, a company that sells homemade jam. She has been attending FLOW as a vendor for eight years on and off. She has only missed three events. She enjoys seeing the community come together. She says that to her, FLOW means “community. It means highlighting what is good and what community support looks like on the Northside.” Photo by Myesha Powell