While exploring the often-told narrative “Downtown Minneapolis was a vibrant arts scene, but developers took over and displaced artists moved to Northeast Minneapolis,” much more nuanced stories have emerged. The team working on the spring-opening exhibit at the Arts District Welcome Center reports progress and has gained funding and expertise, committed to preserving history through the voices and lived experience of the people who made it happen.
The current, inaugural exhibit: We Are Here To Stay: The California Building Story, will close with a gathering Thursday, January 29, from 4:00–7:00 PM at 900 14th Ave. NE; all are invited. The exhibit focuses on the first building purchased exclusively for artist workspace, the owners seeking to break the cycle of artists finding space, building community, and then being forced out. Let’s reflect on where we’ve been—and where we’re going.
To begin the work on the yet-to-be-titled next exhibit, over the past few months, the Arts District Welcome Center’s Roundtable hosted group conversations between gallerists, artists and other people who were downtown in the 1970s and 1980s to reflect on how it all started, share important accomplishments, and learn about the hard-earned lessons.
These individuals helped establish what became a nationally recognized hub for contemporary art, experimental art, and community building. These discussions are providing invaluable insight into how the scene took shape, what conditions allowed it to flourish, and why it ultimately began to unravel, leading to the dispersion of artists and galleries across the metro area by the 1990s.
We have also brought together participants who played key roles in the emergence of the Northeast Minneapolis arts community in the 1990s. The conversations enable us to bridge two crucial eras and observe how creative community members responded to changing economic, social, and real estate pressures.
Together, these meetings have challenged long-held assumptions and filled in gaps in understanding Minneapolis’ arts history. They have been essential in helping map timelines, understand cause and effect relationships, and identify both the strengths and vulnerabilities of past arts ecosystems.
The next phase will involve in-depth interviews and recording oral histories spanning the 1970s up until 2016. The oral histories have been grant-funded by the Minnesota Historical Society. The overall project received funding from a City of Minneapolis Partnership Engagement Grant and contributions from individuals.
A pivotal chapter in Minnesota’s creative history will be documented in the exhibit and its permanent online counterpart. By providing context, inspiration, and insight into how strong arts communities are built, stories of Minneapolis’ arts history are preserved for future generations.
The exhibit team now includes Project Manager Melanie Bethke, Digital Timeline/Exhibit Team Leader Remo Campopiano, Content Co-leads author Katherine Goertz and journalist Margo Ashmore, Curatorial Consultant Barak Adé Soleil, Writer Katherine Boyce, Videographer Kyle Ensrude.
View the online version of our first Timeline Exhibit:
Written by the Exhibit Team