The weekend-long LoLa art crawl, organized entirely by volunteers, showcases local art and funds local businesses in order to strengthen the Longfellow neighborhood community, according to volunteer member of the LoLa steering committee Dave Holliday.

The League of Longfellow artists (LoLa) dedicates itself to bringing attention to the artistic expression present in its tight-knit community, according to Holliday.

“Why buy art from Ikea or Pottery Barn when you can buy it from your neighbor?” Holliday said.

The art crawl features over 110 local artists working with many different types of mediums such as jewelry, glasswork, painting, collage, photography, textiles, pottery, sculpture and more, Holliday said.

Senior Tess McQuillan said she has frequented art festivals in the past due to her interest in exploring a range of local art.

“I really like the variety of art— sculptures, clothing, designs, paintings,” McQuillan said.

McQuillan said though many types of art interest her, jewelry is her favorite and she appreciates it more because her mother works in jewelry, which also allows her to recognize the importance of supporting local artists.

Holliday said the LoLa art crawl presents a more intimate, up-close quality than most art festivals due to its unique setting.

“The LoLa art crawl is different from many art festivals because the artists show their work from their homes and their personal studios, instead of from big galleries,” Holliday said. “Some of the artists are professionals, but most work other jobs and do art as a hobby, so it’s nice that they get a chance to showcase their work.”

Holliday said a distinctive attraction of the LoLa art crawl is that attendees who buy art will be  provided with a button announcing “I Bought Art” which will provide them with discounts at over 40 local businesses.

“The button is designed to bring business to our community sponsors,” Holliday said. “The artists get all the money from their sales— the local businesses don’t get a cut.  They generously donate their money to support the community and so we want them to get a return on their investment.”

McQuillan said she thinks the button-discount concept will encourage more people to go out and view local art as well as support local businesses.

“I really like the premise that you can go out and support artists but you also get a return on it. I think that’s a really good way to run an art festival,” McQuillan said.

Holliday said he believes high schoolers would enjoy getting a glimpse into varied Minneapolis art, and student artists particularly should go to the festival to see how artists can showcase their art despite having other jobs.

The art festival takes place 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 19 and 20 in the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis.