fingerpaint

The energy of the Midtown Market on Chicago and Lake was not at all spoiled by the rain. Although there were less people than usual in the global market the energy was still high. The energy of the market is always apparent in its diversity. You enter this huge cold concrete building that was once a Sears, Roebucks and Co retail center, and are met by this wonderful, colorful community of mixed cultures. You find a diversity of smells, foods, merchandise, colors, and people. The colors and artwork really help energize the people of the once open retail main floor. A large portion of the energy in the Midtown is created by the exchange of goods. However, the real energy of the Midtown is the conversation and companionship that the surrounding community brings to the market. The emersion of different cultures, ethnicities, and ideas in the space that is the market creates an atmosphere that is extremely open and accepting. The magnetic like force of the ideas and community in the global exchange draws people from across Minneapolis and is crucial the markets success. The people are what give the store its energy. When the Sears building was empty the building had an ominous feeling abut it, this huge concrete structure that was fenced in and dominated by this tower which held who knows what. Although at night the building now reminds me of Gotham city, lit up by white lights along its main tower, the building has progressively become more inviting. It’s energy was lifted when the fences were taken down and the lights where added outside and inside. Now the building holds an awe-inspiring energy not just because of its enormity, but also because of its blend of the community’s ideas, artwork and its culture in general.