Artpaper Archive Now Available Online

Written by: Remo Campopiano

One of the most important historical records of the Twin Cities visual arts community is now available to the public. The complete run of Artpaper, published from February 1982 through October 1993, has been digitized by the University of Minnesota Libraries and is now freely accessible online.

Founded by artists Lynn Ball and Remo Campopiano in February 1982, Artpaper emerged as the downtown Minneapolis arts community was gaining both local and national attention. Conceived as a monthly tabloid newspaper devoted to the visual arts, it offered something that did not exist elsewhere: a publication created by artists for artists. Before the internet, it became an essential source for grants, exhibitions, employment opportunities, calls for artists, and the growing calendar of exhibitions and events across the region.

As the arts community matured, so did Artpaper. While it continued to provide practical information, its editorial scope expanded to include artist profiles, interviews, essays, exhibition reviews, criticism, and reporting on issues affecting the visual arts. As the publication matured, a growing community of writers, editors, photographers, and contributors—including Neal Cuthbert, Lane Relyea, Vince Leo, and many others—expanded its editorial scope, helping Artpaper develop into one of the region’s most respected voices on contemporary art.

The publication grew alongside one of the most remarkable periods in Minnesota’s cultural history. During the 1980s, the downtown Minneapolis gallery district expanded from a handful of spaces to more than 20 galleries clustered around the New French Bar, creating an energetic community of artists, galleries, critics, patrons, and arts organizations. Artpaper chronicled that transformation month after month, documenting not only exhibitions and events but also the conversations, debates, and ideas that defined an era many now recognize as the Twin Cities’ 1980s arts renaissance. It was part of a broader ecosystem of artists, galleries, nonprofit organizations, businesses, critics, collectors, and supporters that together shaped that remarkable period.

Several years ago, the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District launched the Arts District Welcome Center and the Minneapolis Arts History project. The Minneapolis Arts History project aims to preserve and archive Minneapolis’ vibrant arts community through Timeline exhibits, roundtable discussions, and oral histories.

Early on, it became apparent that preserving Artpaper was a priority. More than simply preserving old newspapers, the goal was to ensure that one of the most important primary sources documenting this pivotal period in Twin Cities art history would remain accessible to future generations.
The History Team worked with Deborah Ultan, Arts & Performing Arts Librarian, Archivist, and Curator at the University of Minnesota Libraries, who guided the project through the University’s archival process. Thanks to her expertise and the work of the University Libraries, the complete publication has now been preserved in the University’s UMedia digital collections, where it is freely available to artists, students, researchers, historians, and the general public.

For those who experienced those years, the archive offers the opportunity to revisit a remarkable period in the life of the Twin Cities arts community. For younger artists and researchers, it provides something even more valuable: the chance to explore the story through the pages that recorded it as it happened. Preserving Artpaper preserves not only a publication, but an essential chapter in the history of Minnesota’s visual arts community.

To learn more about the history of the Twin Cities visual arts community, visit the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District Welcome Center in the Timber & Tie Building, 904 14th Ave. NE, Minneapolis. The Arts District Welcome Center is open on Second Saturdays from 12–4 p.m. or by appointment.

Visit the Artpaper archive here: https://umedia.lib.umn.edu/item/p16022coll703:1345?facets%5Bcollection_name_s%5D%5B%5D=Artpaper&facets%5Bdate_created_ss%5D%5B%5D=1982-02