On our Local Current blog, we often write about local music venues. We wanted to add a touch of visual flair to our coverage, so we asked Minneapolis illustrator Allegra Lockstadt to create original illustrations of eight venues.

Allegra explains the thinking behind her approach:

I wanted to create a really romantic feel to these. Concerts, performances and the places where they happen are places of experiences: experiences that can be transient, that can be magical, intimate, memorable, and nostalgic. Stylistically, having a color palette that's all about twilights and dusk reflects this vibe and, generally, that's the time of day people are going to concerts. Think sunsets, blush colors, almost dusty neons, brightness from neon signs, lights emanating at night, and so forth. I also wanted to use light from the venue as a core focal point in each image to draw a viewer in.

Among Allegra's influences for these illustrations were Australian illustrator Anna Pan/Anna Xiin, NYC illustrator Adrian Tomine, and the clean and concise linework of cartoonist Chris Ware; as well as Japanese woodcuts, and an Uptown Minneapolis street scene by Francesca Buchko.

For this group of illustrations, we chose eight venues we often cover: First Avenue, the 7th Street Entry, the Turf Club, the Cedar Cultural Center, the Xcel Energy Center, the State Theatre, Icehouse, and of course MPR's own Fitzgerald Theater.

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