Art+Fire is this weekend!

We're really looking forward to participating in the annual Art+Fire Project, happening this Saturday the 26th, in the village park in lovely Stockholm, WI. This daylong interactive public art event culminates in the burning of a huge wooden sculpture (this year, it's the lake monster Pepie) on the shores of Lake Pepin. Kind of like Burning Man without the desert, right? CAFAC will be there all day, doing demos with our mobile welding lab and forge. It's a scenic 1.5 hours from Minneapolis... you should come!

We made MN Monthly's Best of the Twin Cities!

Best of the Twin Cities - Art Classes

It's a medium you probably didn't know existed. But fire art--made by heat spark and flame, yielding everything to sculpture to jewelry to fire-breathing--now has its own home in the newest and funkiest arts center in Minneapolis. The Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center just opened in a former movie theater, where artists weld and wield blowtorches and pound on anvils--a blacksmith shop without all the horses. And soon, you too, can learn the incendiary arts--through classes that promise to be a very hot ticket. 3749 Chicago Avenue South, Minneapolis 612 701 5030. cafac.org.

I LOVE this write up! It's perfect in so many ways, however "just opened" is a bit overzealous. We did manage to secure the last piece of financing last week and our architect, Jeff Schoeneck of UrbanWorks Architecture is taking our final drawings to the city this Friday to work their way through the permit process. We are a mere handful of weeks from beginning our build out, so hang on to your hats people!

and oh, our new phone number is 612.294.0400

SPEAK 2009: NORTHSIDE

This year's SPEAK Project closed out with a dedication ceremony for the northside project, which involved the creation of a gate for the Jordan Area Community Garden at the intersection of 26th and Knox in North Minneapolis. Artists, neighborhood residents, and community leaders gathered for a ceremony on Saturday, August 22nd, in which the gate was unveiled to the neighborhood. Those gathered for the dedication ceremony enjoyed a spoken word performance by our poets from Breaking Free, introductions to our partner organizations including the Hennepin County Home School, Breaking Free, the Jordan Area Community Council, and the Pohlad Family Foundation.

Congratulations and thank you to everyone who was involved in making our fourth year of the SPEAK project a success!

ART + KIDS + COMMUNITY = SPEAK 2009

IT'S TIME FOR SPEAK 2009!

Please join us for a celebration and dedication ceremony for the latest works from the SPEAK Project, 2009!

The SPEAK Project is a collaborative youth-produced exhibit featuring metal sculpture, painting, spoken word and digital photography which represents the important dialogue between the youth and our community. Please join us in celebrating the creative efforts of our kids with an afternoon of sculpture, poetry and images.

What: Two exciting projects this year! The SPEAK Project Dedication Celebrations will feature youth-produced poetry, photography, painting, and metal sculpture. Refreshments will be served.

SOUTHSIDE:

Where: We'll be at the Youth Farm Garden – 37^th Street and Chicago Avenue, South Minneapolis.

When: Saturday August 15^th, 2009, 4-6 p.m

NORTHSIDE:

Where: Jordan Community Garden - 26th and Knox, North Minneapolis

When: Saturday, August 22, 2009 4-6 p.m.

The SPEAK Project is organized by the Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center and made possible through generous donations provided by the Irwin Andrew Porter Foundation and the Pohlad Family Foundation.

For more information give us a shout at fireartscenter@gmail.com or 612.294.0400.

Can't wait to see you there!