Mpls. hosting 3 art fairs this weekend

by Heather Beckius, Minnesota Public Radio

Minneapolis hosts three art festivals this weekend. The biggest -- the Uptown Art Fair -- is the second most attended event in Minnesota after the State Fair.

The Uptown Art Fair features 360 artists from dozens of states and three countries. The festival also includes music, artist demonstrations and family activities.

Minneapolis also hosts the Loring Park Art Festival and Powderhorn Art Fair this weekend.

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Uptown Art Fair CEO Maude Lovelle says the fairs complement each other.

"We kind of bill this as the premier art weekend in the city of Minneapolis," Lovelle says. "Between all three of our events we probably reach close to a million people."

Lovelle says that beyond bringing visitors to the community, the Uptown Art Fair offers art awareness.

"Depending upon how successful our weekend is, we give a portion back to the community," she says. "In the past we've done such things as purchased bike racks. Over the past couple of years I think we've done over 80 new bike racks. We've purchased bicycles for our beat officers to maneuver around the community and keep us safe."