After 60 years, the Uptown Art Fair is no more. At least how it ran for the majority of those six decades. It will now be replaced by a new event dubbed the SoMi Art Fair and will take place at Bachman’s in South Minneapolis.
Programming Director Jill Osiecki says it's just not possible to return the event to it's former glory after major changes in Uptown.
"It kind of pains me to say that it's possible that it wouldn't come back to that area," Osiecki explains. "The reconstruction of Hennepin Avenue put in medians in the center aisle and we're unable to have things like an emergency vehicle get down the street anymore, with having booths on both sides."
Osiecki says with the event still being run by the Uptown Association, funds from the event will help make way for new art events in Uptown in the future.
"This event and this partnership allows us to essentially be a fundraiser to get other things happening in Uptown, Minneapolis," Osiecki says. "We're not backing off from that. It just has to be reimagined and has to evolve. And if we don't, it's just not going to exist at all."
The reconstruction along Hennepin Avenue was completed in November. The City of Minneapolis says the new design improves space for people to walk, ride transit, bike, and drive along one of the city's busiest roads. The layout also provides space for enhanced stations of the future METRO E Line.