A visual collage of work by the featured artists at the 2021 Loring Park Art Festival. Clockwise from upper left: Jay Nielsen, Megan Murrel, Emily Gray Koehler, Aryn and Courtney Kern, Janine Schwendinger, Josh Driver.

140 juried artists. Seven featured Minnesotan artmakers. That’s the Loring Park Art Festival’s opening salvo for its return this year after a pandemic-imposed absence. The acclaimed festival returns Saturday, July 31 and Sunday, August 1 in Minneapolis’s Loring Park.

This year’s festival will feature a rich variety of styles and art forms, including jewelry, printmaking, glass, textiles, photography, clay, painting, drawing, sculpture, wood working, ceramics, mixed media works, and more. Most of the artworks will be available for purchase, with a wide range of prices.

The 7 featured Minnesotan artists are:

• Josh Driver (Josh Driver Photography) of White Bear Lake, MN.
• Aryn and Courtney Kern (Longshadow Woodworks) of Little Falls, MN.
• Emily Gray Koehler (Printmaking) of Minneapolis, MN.
• Megan Murrell (Megan Murrell Illustration) of Minneapolis, MN.
• Jay Nielsen (Jay Nielsen Jewelry) of Minneapolis, MN.
• Janine Schwendinger (Wolf Tracks Clay) of Pine Island, MN.

At a Glance

• Website: www.loringparkartfestival.com 
• When:
  • Saturday, July 31, 10 am to 6 pm
  • Sunday, August 1, 10 am to 5 pm 
• Where: Loring Park at Oak Grove and Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis.
• How Much: Free to Attend.
• Who: 140 juried artists of varied disciplines selected from 300 applicants nationwide.
• What to Eat: Choose from an anticipated 20 food vendors, including the Lakes & Legends Beer Garden.

About the Loring Park Art Festival 

The Loring Park Art Festival was founded in 1999 by Pat Parnow, Mary Ann Wunderlin, and Carol Haubner. It is currently produced by Artists for Artist LLP and managed by artist partners Pat Parnow and Cindy Jacobson. Since 2000, the festival has combined creative expression and community connectedness to surprise and delight all who attend. With beautiful ponds and formal gardens, Loring Park makes an idyllic spot to celebrate art for two days each summer in downtown Minneapolis. This is the festival’s 21st year and its 20th offering (the 2020 festival was cancelled due to Covid precautions). 

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Basil Considine

Basil Considine was the Editor of the Twin Cities Arts Reader from 2018-2022. He served as Performing Arts Editor and Senior Classical Music and Drama Critic for the Arts Reader's first five years, before succeeding Hanne Appelbaum. He was previously the Resident Classical Music and Drama Critic at the Twin Cities Daily Planet and remains an occasional contributing writer for The Boston Musical Intelligencer and The Chattanoogan. He holds a PhD in Music and Drama from Boston University, an MTS in Sacred Music from the BU School of Theology, and a BA in Music and Theatre from the University of San Diego.

Basil was named one of Musical America's 30 Professionals of the Year in 2017. He was previously the Regional Governor for the National Opera Association's North Central Region and the 2021-2022 U.S. Fulbright Faculty Scholar to Madagascar.

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