Our world-class contemporary-art showcase, the Walker Art Center, will be celebrating--and inspiring--made-in-MInnesota creativity this coming Saturday, April 9, with MN Made, a day of events and workshops keyed to our lovable local blend of sophistication and earthiness. The Walker, like The Line, defines creativity in capacious terms, so you'll not only be able to take part in a crafts sale, seed art and knitting workshops, a gallery tour, and a neo-folkie concert, but you can glean tips on chucking your day job and starting your own offbeat business.

MN Made will kick off at 11 AM with the opening of the Artist Mart, where more than a dozen local craftspeople and artists will display their wares for sale.

At 11:30, you can tour the Walker's new exhibition, The Spectacular of Vernacular, with curator Darsie Alexander.

From noon to 2 PM, the MN Made Seminars will explore how to quit your day job and do what you love, how to create a cool art scene beyond the borders of a major city, and how to market your art in bold and unconventional new ways.

From noon to 3 PM, there'll be a cornucopia of craft classes: knitting for beginners, collage and card-making, and--because this is Minnesota--seed art and Finnish belt weaving.

And at 1 and 2 PM, the Dusty Porch Sisters swing out with their indie-folkie-neo-bluegrass song stylings.

For more information, go here.


Photos, top to bottom:

Monstrous seed art by Liz Schreiber, who will lead a workshop at MN Made (photo courtesy of the artist)

Crafting will be a keynote. (photo courtesy Walker Art Center)

The Dusty Porch Sisters (photo by Marisa Wojcik)