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Feb 22, 2008

Bikes & Beer


The Starr brand bottle opener fits perfectly on your water bottle mount. The key thing though is to fabricate something that will offset the angle so that your bottle will fit underneath. I used a Park tire lever cut to fit.
Feb 18, 2008

Feeling Surly?

Morbid T-Shirts now available

Feb 10, 2008
ARTCRANK + A poster party for bike people

Other than walking, biking is the most widely accessible form of locomotion in the world. And other than coloring with crayons, the poster is the most widely accessible form of artistic expression. It was only a matter of time before the two hooked up.

The sparks of the idea that became ARTCRANK were first struck when my friend Aaron Pollock and I worked on a logo, coffee cards and some postcards for this new bike shop in downtown Minneapolis called One On One. I loved the refurbished warehouse space, the hardwood floors, the coffee shop and, of course, the bikes. But what really intrigued me was that Gene and Jennifer Oberpriller, the shop’s owners, wanted it to be something more: a space where local and national artists could exhibit their work to a new audience.

Art and bikes might strike some as an odd pairing. But Minneapolis is a town that foments and supports an incredible volume of creativity in every imaginable form. After attending a few packed openings at One On One, including the amazing Tour de France photos by Caroline Yang, I was convinced. More importantly, I was inspired to find a way to bring my bike crush and art fixation together. In the fall of 2006, I ran into Gene at politically themed show called Poster Offensive, put on by my graphic designer pal Jeff Johnson. In the middle of a crowded room, we turned to each other and said simultaneously, “Bike poster show.” And the wheels were set in motion.

Working in advertising and being married to a graphic designer, I’ve had the good fortune to meet a lot of smart, talented creative people – many of whom are avid bikers of every stripe. When I started putting the 2007 show together, they were the first people I contacted. Through word of mouth, I soon had a roster of 35 artists. The next few months of nights and weekends were a manic blur of activity: Creating and printing the show poster, postcards and business cards. Learning basic html coding so that I could update the site. Going down to One On One on Saturday mornings with a car full of tools to rig up cables that the posters would hang from. Working out trades and other arrangements for food, beer and live music for the opening night party. Designing order forms, mailing poster tubes, dropping off stacks of postcards, sending emails, posting on web forums, and talking up the show to anyone and everyone who would listen.

All the way up to the day of the opening, I had no idea of how it would work out. I'd never put on an art show before, so I was preparing myself for the worst: No one would show up. The evening would consist of me and the artists awkwardly milling around an otherwise empty room with our hands in our pockets, food getting cold on the counter, cash registers silent.

The shop closed at 5:00 to finish setting up for the 7:00 opening. I’d been busy hanging the posters and tying up various loose ends throughout the day, and I finally got to spend a moment just taking in all the amazing work with a combination of hopefulness and pride. At 6:30, my wife and Jeff came by to drag me next door to Cafe Havana for dinner. There wasn't anything more for me to do beyond pace nervously anyway. I figured the doors would open at 7:00 and people would maybe start showing up around 7:30 – assuming they'd show up at all. So I sat down to a vodka martini and a towering plate of grilled vegetables, rice and black beans, and tried in vain not to look at my watch. At 7:15, I couldn't wait any longer, so we settled up and walked the 25 feet back to One On One.

It was a cold spring evening, and the shop’s front window was so fogged over by condensation that I couldn't see inside. When I walked through the door, the place was already packed. I ran into Gene, who was making his way through the crowd with his daughter, Hannah, sitting on his shoulders. “What have we done?!?” he yelled at me in semi-amazement. I spent the next seven hours accepting thanks and congratulations from the artists, friends and people I’d just met, ducking behind the counter to bag posters when things got especially busy. Luckily, I had a 10,000-watt grin and a tidal wave of adrenaline to get me through.

Somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 people enjoyed ARTCRANK that night, and almost all of them went home with at least one poster. Gene, Brad, Karna, Sam, Reed and Megan at One On One handled the evening in stride, but agreed it was the biggest crowd they’d ever had for a show. It’s an experience I’ll never forget, and one that I can’t wait to top with the 2008 show.

* * *

ARTCRANK 2008 + Saturday, April 5 + 7:00 p.m.

ARTCRANK is a showcase of bicycle-inspired original artwork you can enjoy looking at and afford to take home.

This year's show opens the night of Saturday, April 5 at One On One Bikes + Coffee + Stuff, located in the Minneapolis Warehouse district at 117 Washington Avenue North. There'll be new posters by 34 artists and designers, plus food, drink, music and more.

More information on the show and the artists can be found at www.artcrankpostershow.com

Art, in paper and metal

A poster party for bike people

Sammy ministers to the masses

Hurl grabs a bite

More of the opening night crowd

All photos courtesy of Scott Haraldson. Who rocks.