The open call selection process is a unique opportunity for any emerging artist to have a chance to show their work at the festival. The call for 2015 projects is currently open (details here). Artists and teams will be selected in January.
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Our event is free to attend. Keeping it accessible is important to us.
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Supporting artists in the creation and presentation of art in the public sphere is not free. In fact, it requires additional resources because the infrastructure for necessities like lighting and electricity simply isn't there.
The inaugural Northern Spark event was a pie-in-the-sky idea made possible largely through a major government grant that is no longer available to us. We now rely on several income sources, including the government, foundations, businesses, and a lot of individuals, like you!
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Here's how your dollars directly support Open Call projects:
- Artist fees
- Technical support (i.e. engineers, producers, electricians, etc)
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Site permits and security
- Electricity, lighting, and audio support
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Signs and materials
- Clean up
- Cherry pickers!
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THE IMPACT
The Northern Spark festival offers hundreds of local and national artists a huge, public platform.
Artists benefit from a truly unique opportunity to stretch the boundaries of what's possible, launch or build their careers, and often create larger than life work on a massive stage. In turn, our audiences get to witness and participate in once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
Moreover, we partner with cultural institutions to keep their doors open and admission-free for special late-night programming. This allows people to take risks on new artforms and experiences.
Community events of this scale and magnitude don't happen often or easily.
Your support makes all the difference. Help us continue to energize our creative community and vibrant city!
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THE PERKS
Help us commission five new art projects, and pick up one of our great perks, like:
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Limited Edition Commemorative Art Prints by NS Artists: Piotr Szyhalski (2011), Robin Schwartzman (2012), Jenni Undis (2013), & Kate Casanova (2014)
- An original experience - Project yourself onto the Gold Medal silos with Luke Savisky and 4 friends!
Note: This is your one and only chance to claim certain rewards.
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01 $10 / Sparking Toy to #Spark5 - All gift levels $10 and up (Pickup only)
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02 $25 / 2015 T-shirt - Design is forthcoming. Examples from past years above.
(Please add $5 for shipping.)
03 $25 / NS Postcard - Personal team thank you on a postcard featuring the art of an
NS artist.
04 $30 / Tincture Workshop - Learn how to make your own medicine with foraged herbs and your own vodka or brandy with Powderhorn Kitchen artists Jess Hirsch and Ginny Sims.
05 $50 / Letterpress Print by Piotr Szyhalski (NS 2011-14 artist). Limited run. (Image not available.)
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06 $40 / Limited Edition Letterpress Print by Jenni Undis of Lunalux (NS 2013-14 artist). Edition of 30. Design forthcoming. Take a chance!
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07a$55 / "Wonder" Limited Edition Print by Robin Schwartzman (NS 2012 artist). Archival print of artwork inspired by NS 2012. Print approximately 26x12 inches. Edition of 50.
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07b $500 / "Wonder" Original hand-painted, 2-D Art by Robin Schwartzman (NS 2012 artist). New 2-D, hand-painted original sign art (with lights) inspired by NS 2012. Original shown above.
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08 $75 / Floating World In
White (2014) by Kate Casanova (NS 2014 artist) Archival
Pigment Print of Original Paper Collage. Dimensions approximately 25x21 inches. Edition of 50.
09 $100 / Project
Yourself onto the Gold Medal Silos with Luke Savisky and 4 friends. Meet Luke. Enjoy a test run of his project. Includes
digital file of group photo. Limit 5. Test run photo of 2014 staff
pictured above.
10 $100 / BIG BANG - 2015
T-shirt + 2015 Commemorative Ltd Ed Print - Big Bang for
your Ben Franklin.
11 $100 / EXTENDED PLAY Spark Pack - Launch Party, Breakfast, + T-shirt
Plus, Partner Perks!
$100 / Walker Art Center Individual Membership + NS 2015 T-shirt
$150 / Northrop Dance Tickets - 2 tickets for 2014-15 season
And VIP packages with NS events.
RISKS AND CHALLENGES
The biggest challenge of an outdoor festival is inclement weather. After four festivals, we've learned a few lessons about organizing an all-night, outdoor festival. On the bright side, the Farmer's Almanac forecast for Minneapolis in mid-June 2015 is “hotter and drier than normal.” Still, we'll be making some format changes this year to better support individual artists, their projects, and the festival experience in the event of rain.
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Your continued participation in and enthusiasm for this beloved event is one of the big reasons we keep doing it.
Simply put, we do Northern Spark for you—and we wouldn’t want to do it without you! Please donate what you can and help us spread the word.
Thank you for your support!
The 2015 team: Ady, Alyson, Kerri, Matthew, Sarah, Steve, Tyler, and Will.
#nspk #Spark5
Northern Lights.mn is a 501(c)3 arts organization. All gifts are tax-deductible (minus the fair market value of any claimed perk).
Note: Offline giving is also accepted, 100% tax-deductible, and very much appreciated! Make checks payable to "Northern Lights.MN" and mail by Dec. 31st to: Northern Lights.mn • 2751 Hennepin Ave. Suite 231, Minneapolis, MN 55408
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MORE ABOUT THE OPEN CALL The call for 2015 projects is open until Monday, January 12, 2015 at 9pm CST. For the 2015 festival, artists are being asked to propose ideas that explore the fundamentals of what makes Northern Spark unique—nighttime, light, duration, participation, innovative art, unique memories, and community. We are interested to see how artists propose to build on that tradition. Find out more details here.
PHOTO CAPTION AND CREDITS
01 Video image overlay: Jim Campbell, Scattered Light - Photo by Patrick Kelley.
02 Crowd on Stone Arch Bridge with Gold Medal Silos in the background, 2011 - Photo by Nicole Larson.
03 MakeSh!t, Public Acts of Drawing, 2014 - Photo by Wendy Schreier.
04 West River Parkway, 2011 - Photo by Dusty Hoskovec.
05 Annicha Arts, In Habit: Living Patterns, 2012 - Photo by Patrick Kelley.
06 Chris Larson, Celebration/Love/Loss, 2013 - Photo by Dusty Hoskovec.
07 Luke Savisky, E/x MN test photo, 2014-15 - Photo by NS staff.
(Perk photos)
08 Mother Nature, Gravity Waves and Lightning on West River Parkway, 2014 - Photo by Ian Hanson.
09 Michael Murnane, Under Ice, 2012 - Photo by Patrick Kelley.
10 Jenny Schmid and Drew Anderson, Night Demons, 2012 - Photo by Adrianne Mathiowetz.
WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT NORTHERN SPARK
“It was fun to be a part of a city alive with people and art late at night. “
“I was surprised and delighted to see so many people of all ages walking around and taking it all in, even at 3 am. The area was filled with art lovers and it felt safe wonderful to explore the city at night.”
“When it was 5:30 in the morning and my friends and I were taking the last free bus from the Soap Factory to the Walker, and we were all covered in paint and glitter, we burst out into ""I Don't Want to Wait"" and even random people we didn't know joined in.”
“The best thing about NS was the community that was created by sharing the challenge of staying up all night. There was this feeling of ‘we are all in it together!’ “
“There was fantastic energy…you could tell people were loving strolling outside on such a beautiful night and craving artistic inspiration.”
“…it provoked thought, stirred the senses (sight & sound), and made me want to see more.”
“I loved not knowing what was going to happen next. It was a beautiful evening and we just headed out into the night, ready to be surprised.”
01 $10 / Sparking Toy
