MPR News Arts Reporter Marianne Combs joins The Current's Steve Seel and Jill Riley to talk about Northern Spark in St. Paul and Arts on Chicago (Ave.) in Minneapolis -- two arts events where you can get involved in what's happening.

Northern Spark: The only all-night arts festival in the Midwest, Northern Spark will be held on Saturday (and into Sunday morning) in Saint Paul's Lowertown. And for those who can't stay up all night, Marianne describes a number of activities that happen before 9 p.m. Options include:

• the Science Museum of Minnesota's Beaker + Brush Discussion, the topic of which is Mayan culture, held at Bedlam Theatre;

1. Dance of a Thousand Water Dreams at Lambert's Landing on the Mississippi River, presented by Ananya Dance Theatre; and

1. Public Art Saint Paul's Get Wrapped! at Union Depot, where participants can make fly masks and wings and then "get wrapped" into a cocoon, as if caught in a spider's web.

Arts on Chicago: This arts-based community development project in Minneapolis stretches along Chicago Avenue from 32nd to 42nd Streets. Among the participants are the members of the Chicago Avenue Stilting Club, who will provide workshops, a performance opportunity and access to stilts for neighborhood kids, and photographer Wing Young Huie, who will photograph life on Chicago Avenue to connect those who don't know each other well or at all.

Plus, be sure to listen to Weekend Arts Roundup's new intro theme music.

Marianne Combs joins The Current's Morning Show for the Weekend Arts Roundup every Thursday at 8:30 a.m. Read about all the latest arts news at the State of the Arts blog at mprnews.org.

Related

• State of the Arts Blog
• Ananya Chatterjea links dance, social awareness
• Photographer Wing Young Huie goes beyond appearances
• Northern Spark moves to St. Paul in 2013