Craig Harris and Candy Kuehn share more than just a life together—they share a vibrant, creative partnership that has taken root in the California Building, where Candy has long been a well-loved presence in the art community. Recently, the couple moved into a large, light-filled space on one of the upper floors, and the energy they’ve brought together is palpable.
Craig, known for blending art, technology, and community in surprising ways, has a long history of making interactive and thought-provoking work. With a background in music and media arts, his early pieces explored sound and how people experience it in space and time. Over the years, that curiosity expanded into visual art, installation, and technology-based projects that invite people to engage—not just look or listen, but participate.
“I’m interested in how systems shape the way we behave and what we notice,” Craig has said. “When you create a framework, people will fill it with their own stories.” That kind of thinking shows up in works like Surface Tension and Trajectories, where data from the environment or from viewers themselves feeds into constantly evolving audio-visual landscapes.
But Craig isn’t doing this work in isolation. His partnership with Candy, an artist celebrated for her bold digital textiles and colorful, layered compositions, brings a deeply human touch to his structured, tech-driven style. Candy has been part of the California Building for years, and her warmth, humor, and mentorship have helped shape the space into the welcoming creative community it is today.
Together, Craig and Candy are a dynamic duo—balancing each other’s strengths and offering visitors something that feels both grounded and forward-looking. Their shared studio isn’t just a workspace; it’s a hub of experimentation, dialogue, and generosity. It’s a place where ideas fly freely, and where artists of all kinds stop in to talk, collaborate, or just soak in the vibe.
Candy’s influence adds even more dimension. Her digital compositions are a vivid exploration of color, texture, and layered meaning. Often blending elements from her own photography with digital tools, her work creates richly textured images that evoke both emotion and narrative. Drawing inspiration from nature, mythology, and the human experience, Candy’s visual language invites viewers into immersive journeys that resonate on multiple sensory levels. Her innovative use of digital media has made her a distinctive voice in the art community, bridging traditional techniques with contemporary expression. Her eye for color and her love of storytelling bring emotional texture to Craig’s structured frameworks. Her presence in the building, along with Craig’s recent arrival, has strengthened a legacy of collaboration that runs deep in Northeast Minneapolis. As artists, they are both committed to using their work to engage issues that matter: climate, equity, identity, belonging.
Craig and Candy are not only creating powerful work together—they’re helping sustain a culture of experimentation, curiosity, and care that defines the California Building. Their studio has quickly become a reflection of their values: open, exploratory, and deeply connected to the community. As Craig once said in a talk, “Art doesn’t live in isolation. It grows in connection—with people, with place, and with purpose.”
Their presence in the building is a reminder of how strong partnerships—creative and personal—can inspire not just art, but the entire ecosystem around it. In Craig and Candy’s studio, you’ll find the future of art not in flashy screens or loud declarations, but in the quiet power of shared space, mutual respect, and the belief that art can help us understand each other—and the world—a little better.
Written by Remo Campopiano and Friends
Links
Interference Arts