On the weekend of June 5, Minnesota’s longest-running art fair celebrated its 59th anniversary. Hosted in the 50th & France district, the Edina Art Fair showcased talented artists from across the country, along with live music, an artisan culinary marketplace and a Minnesota-made marketplace.

Three Twin Cities artists, Bradley Fritz, Emily Glenn and featured artist Megan Murrell, shared their artistic processes and inspirations during the fair. 

Bradley Fritz, creator of the brand Fritzciti, is inspired by urban landscapes — particularly Minneapolis. While many artists’ work is derived from the peace of nature, Fritz finds the energy of the city more intriguing. 

“I was living in Colorado for the winter and trying to paint some mountains, and couldn’t get all the detail, and I started cutting out newspaper and putting it there, and it really worked,” Fritz said. “There’s this energy of the city, of the people… a positive energy.” 

To encapsulate this energy, Fritz uses multiple materials in his work, including old newspapers, maps, sheet music, acrylic paint and, most notably, gold sheet paper. 

“There’s retro stuff, newspapers and stuff, and an ad for Dial soap,” Fritz said. “We think we’ve changed so much, but you know, 80 years ago, same stuff, different generation.” 

Fritz’s work reminds us there is beauty in our city. To him, the energy of Minneapolis can only be described with artwork from many materials– a metaphor for the diaspora of people within it. They all have different passions, backgrounds and lives, and all coexist in the same place, Minneapolis. 

The Edina Art Fair has a block for emerging artists, a place where newcomers can share their work. One such artist, Emily Glenn, has been painting for eight years. Her work is derived from moments she’s experienced that feel special. She remembers these moments and creates a figurative representation of the feeling. 

“Anytime I have special moments is usually when I feel inspired to paint, so a lot of them, especially the ones that feature women, usually come from missing what that felt like,” Glenn said. 

Instead of taking pictures of these special moments, Glenn recounts her memories to encapsulate a metaphorical representation of the feeling. Much of Glenn’s artwork reflects positive emotions, brought to life through tranquil brushstrokes and calming colors. Though known for this approach, she also incorporates techniques such as splatter painting and palette knife work to add texture and variety to her pieces.

Megan Murrell was the selected feature artist of the fair this year. Murrell’s work depicts nature, and her inspiration comes from her passion to protect it. Her featured piece, “Welcome Migration,” could be seen on every block of the fair. According to Murrell, this piece has a more metaphorical meaning than most of her work. Created in February of this year, “Welcome Migration” reflects on the trauma experienced by the city of Minneapolis during Operation Metro Surge.

“I’m very into pollinators and monarchs and things like that,” Murrell said. “There’s never been a time when that symbol of the beauty of migration has been more important to me.” 

As a teacher and a mother, Murrell felt particularly affected by the turmoil. 

“It impacted students at our school, so I kind of think it’s my way of working it out of my system,” Murrell said. “You look at the humanity of it, too. And you’re dealing with people. And people deserve love. And there’s beauty in humanity, right? And there’s hope in humanity, and that’s kind of like what I want to put out there and remind again, it’s gonna sound cliché, but the beauty of being alive and existing with other people.” 

To push back against restrictive policies and negative rhetoric about immigration, Murrell’s work depicts the beauty of migration as a part of nature and humanity. 

The annual Edina Art Fair continues to be an important event for Minnesotans. Encounters with artists remind us of the vibrancy of our city and the importance of art in creating community. Next year, Edina Art Fair will celebrate its 60th anniversary, and for the special milestone, organizers plan to make it even bigger.