The Wake

Three cases of beer, four and a half jugs of vodka, and two dozen bottles of wine fueled patrons and partygoers down Quincy Street’s crumbling brick road for Art on Quincy, an art crawl in Northeast Minneapolis. The participating galleries—Altered Esthetics, Density, and Q.Arma—presented three distinct atmospheres for one night of visual sensation. And despite the copious amount of free booze, no one got down on their hands and knees to explore the exhibit’s 160-plus works by more than 60 artists.

Sin is sexy at Altered Esthetics

Stepping from a winter-darkened landscape into Altered Esthetics is like crawling out of a black-and-white TV and into the Garden of Eden. The aging warehouse walls have been painted Granny Smith green, Red Delicious and Ginger Gold. It’s an appropriate décor leading into “The Art of Sin” exhibit, a hodgepodge of over 100 works lining the gallery’s lengthy halls and two small rooms.

Jamie Schumacher, a sprite of a woman even in 6-inch tall platform boots, curated the show. “I wanted to do a religious theme,” she said from behind a small table serving blood-red wine in clear plastic cups. What she got were multiple interpretations of the seven deadly sins, plus a peep show (“Given–The Curiosity,” Tim Guthrie), and a bible which was dyed, shredded apart, and sewn into banners worthy of the Renaissance Festival (“Untitled,” Emily Newman Kelley).

A surprising number of works—including a triptych of a nude woman swathed in plastic lined with rows of oranges, and a woman bound in a lace-up leather costume—were described as self-portraits on the white description labels beneath. And then there was the artist Pee Monster, who used the space to announce, “I was born on a pirate ship.” Take that, Johnny Depp.

Drinking and dancing at Density

The second stop proved light on art, but high on fashionable young things prowling for free fruity drinks—three and a half cases of vodka worth, to be exact. They weren’t exaggerating on their website, which claims, “We also can probably drink you under the table.”

In a large room, DJ Bach remixed hip-hop tunes and dance hits (think remixed Michael Jackson) under haphazardly strewn Christmas lights, while guests, either in pale pink button-ups or toe to neck black, spazzed before the Windows Media Player-like graphics projected onto a wall.

Josh McKevitt, wearing a black hat, black and white pin-striped blazer over a pink tee, skinny pants, silver chains and checkered shoes, appeared as cartoon-like as his images hanging in the neighboring room. Against bright pink backgrounds, a woman with nipples like the end of a plunger, a phallic monstrosity, and gushing blood competed for attention.

Hidden maps unfold at Q.Arma

Q.Arma’s large white walls glowed under spotlights wired to exposed pipes jutting from the ceiling. In front of Dan Forslin’s abstract paintings, The Overcomers Garage Band Trio played for the literati crowd sipping Savignon Blanc and bottles of beer. Across the room, Rachel Mayer’s acrylic paintings brightened the already cotton-candy walls on which they hung.

“History puts the saint in every dream” and “Each one other is having a different weather” are just two works in her collection, which is dominated by pastel shades rushing together in jagged edges; the kind formed when water droplets slip from paintbrush to canvas after a dip in cleansing waters.

“Basically I think of all my works as maps to places that I don’t know and haven’t been to,” said Rachel, a pixie-cut blonde and recent University of Minnesota graduate, with a BA in Fine Art.

Upstairs, the crowd dined on appetizers stationed near a group of framed Rift Magazine covers and a spine-tingling mixed media installation of large sea-urchin-like creatures creeping up the wall and clinging to a wooden ceiling beam (”Migration,” Alonso Sierralta). Three mini-dogs constructed of wire and stone (Mark E. Trelstad), and a vibrant painting commenting on the July 7 terrorist attacks in London (”On Guard,” Matt Sesow), added to the eclectic mix.

This winter’s art crawl was the second time the galleries joined creative forces, unlocking their doors and uncorking their liquor cabinets–and it won’t be the last. Art on Quincy will take place quarterly from here on out. For updates, check out www.artonquincy.com.

Altered Esthetic, 1330 Quincy St. Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6-8 p.m., Saturdays 1-5 p.m. and by appointment.

Density, 1300 Quincy St. Hours: Wednesdays 6-9 p.m., and by appointment.

Q. Arma, 1224 Quincy St. Hours: By appointment only. E-mail Jonathan at to schedule.