St. Paul is filled with many local and artistic talents who have always competed with those of commercial or national standards, but few acknowledge their presence or value to the city. Now, one event will bring together the best of the city’s music, entertainment and fashion.

St. Thomas students will have a chance to show their creative sides during their involvement in St. Paul’s first I AM ST. PAUL! event on Dec. 12 at the Amsterdam Bar and Hall, a variety and fashion show featuring local talent.

Sophomore Ellie Eischens is an assistant stylist for the event, and sophomore Lauren Lundstrom is the assistant producer.

I AM ST. PAUL! is a night focused on the arts and community in the city. The event features many facets of the art industry, including Minnesota native music groups, a drum line, a disc jockey, comedy acts and fashion. Guests will include the band Courtney McClean and the Dirty Curls, DJ Shannon Blowtorch and comedy group Double Blind Improv.

Producer Carrissa Glarner said St. Paul is great place to find creative minds.

“We have so much creative talent right here in the cities,” Glarner said. “Why are we just afraid of our Minnesota heritage and celebrating the talent we have right here?”

Glarner said she had to do extensive research to understand the city better.

“I really had to immerse myself into the people and the culture because there’s people out there that don’t know that much more about St. Paul than I do,” Glarner said.

Eager to start her portion of the project, Eischens helped picked out six local boutiques this summer to feature in the fashion show. She said the stylists wanted to include a variety of boutiques, which includes Primp, cheap and chic clothing for women; Karma, bohemian clothing for women; and BlackBlue, canvas and denim-type clothing for all genders, along with three other local boutiques.

Eischens said her job’s focus is to style the “non-model models,” who are local creative artists, not actual fashion models. Eischens said over the next month she will meet with the 20-30 non-model models individually at the six boutiques and create an outfit for them.

“I think the toughest part is going to be dressing these people based on their personalities because they aren’t your typical model, and they are all so individual and unique,” Eischens said.

Eischens, who is a marketing major and hopes to pursue something fashion-related, said it is also important to make the consultation appointments as close to the show as possible.

“A lot of boutiques switch their style on a month-to-month basis or even week-to-week, and we want to have the latest trends to be represented at our show so we can clearly represent each boutique,” she said.

On show day, Eischens said she will work on hair and makeup for the non-model models.

Lundstrom is also involved in getting small shops involved in the event, but she won’t be prepping the catwalk. Her job is to work with the local businesses to get them involved in the event and gain sponsorship.

“My main goal is to focus on smaller shops,” Lundstrom said. “I want them to be in the spotlight, and I want them to feel like they’re loved and I want them to get their message out there.”

Glarner said there is no real target audience for the show, but she expects to see many younger St. Paul residents.

“I think we will see a lot of 20-somethings take interest in an event like this because those are the people that are living here right now and trying to be immersed in the culture that’s around here,” Glarner said. “They are grasping the importance of shopping local, eating local, just being as local as possible.”

Sophomore Connie Dale expressed interest in attending the event and said the Twin Cities arts should be recognized because they makes the area distinct.

“It’s important to acknowledge the art scene because so often we forget that that is what makes a city unique,” Dale said. “It’s not the tall buildings or the shopping malls, every city has those. It’s the people and the creativity and the vividness of a culture that make us stand apart.”

However, Glarner said the show focuses less on the age demographic, more of a “cultured demographic.” She said it will not only benefit those interested but also the St. Paul community as a whole.

“I think what helps the community thrive is the arts and culture scene because that’s what people want to be surrounded by. It really helps you get to know the community and learn who these people are,” Glarner said.

Lundstrom said the staff is volunteer-based, which makes the event even more inspiring for the art community.

“I think that it’s really cool that people involved in this are doing it for their love and passion of the city,” Lundstrom said.

Eischens said I AM ST. PAUL! at its core focuses on the importance of showcasing St. Paul’s arts.

“I think getting this idea out there is going to help the artistic side of St. Paul come out. I feel like right now people think of St. Paul as very business-oriented, and they don’t really pay attention to all the art that’s going on, so I think this is really going to push that forward,” Eischens said.

Dale said support for the local community and St. Thomas students both grabbed her interest.

“If it’s an opportunity to support a fellow Tommie in their artistic endeavors, I would be even more willing to go,” Dale said.

Lauren Smith can be reached at smit7607@stthomas.edu.