Comments (0) BEST ART GALLERY - 2007

Creative Electric Studios

The best art galleries bring art inward and outward: They attract a group of prolific oddballs and minor visionaries, develop an aesthetic, and then push that work out into to the world. Creative Electric Studios—a Northeast Gallery run by musicians Dave Salmela and Kurt Froehlich, Jenny Adams, and photographer Karl Raschke—is so inspired (and inspiring) it not only seeks to introduce new artists to the city, but to make the city itself a form of art. Last year's shows included the macabre and fantastical work of William Schaff (who has also designed cover art for local band Kid Dakota), the installation and performance art of Chris Larson (whose "Shotgun Shack" show at CE went on to sell out in NYC), and the eerie, beautiful, and disjointed mini sculptures of Canadian artist Pattie Chalmers. Along with the Lit 6 group, the folks at CE also started the Electric Arc Radio Show, a comic and surreal series about roommates in search of something, anything. On a less formal basis, you can find this talented crew doing something just about every week, whether it's Froehlich playing mandolin with the Roe Family singers, Salmela holding down a seat on the Minneapolis Arts Commission, Adams promoting Walker events and more, and Raschke, always with his camera around his neck, capturing every moment in between.