District Speakeasy, shhh don’t tell anyone

By Mina Adsit/Jennifer Young

The Speakeasy opens again the weekend of November 13 through 15 during Fall Open Studios. Located in the basement of the Casket Arts Building, the Speakeasy serves season-appropriate cocktails and mocktails twice a year. Open during Art A Whirl and the Fall Open Studio weekend; sales benefit the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District organization. 45th Parallel Distillery donates the liquor. The family-owned Wisconsin distillery has a Northeast Minneapolis connection through owner Paul Werni. Paul was a long-time resident of Northeast and values the artist community. He continues to support the Arts District by sponsoring the Speakeasy.

The two annual events raise roughly $20,000 a year to strengthen the local arts ecosystem through exhibitions, storytelling, cultural preservation, public programming, and advocacy. The programs build community within the Arts District, supporting individual artists and promoting the Arts District as a regional asset. Recent programs
include gathering the long-term history of the Minneapolis arts scene, contemporary artists’ stories, recognition of significant accomplishments by individuals, and a yearly arts calendar. The programs include the following:
Communication -Artists’ voices are amplified with current stories shared through the Arts District News e-newsletter (1,200+ subscribers) and the Arts Insights feature in the Northeaster (40,000 distribution).

Northeast Minneapolis Arts District Welcome Center -900 14 th Avenue NE

History -The Minneapolis Arts History Project recordsoral histories, holds community roundtables, and produces timeline history exhibits, preserving the firsthand accounts of the artists, gallerists, cultural leaders, and communities who transformed Minneapolis into a nationally recognized arts hub. 

Origins: How the Spotlight Shifted from Downtown to Northeast: A history exhibit at the Arts District Welcome Center tracing Downtown’s 1980s art scene heyday to the birth of the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District. It’s open to the public during the Arts District’s fall open studio weekend, Saturday, Nov. 14 and Sunday, Nov. 15, 12–5 PM.

Arts District Digital Archive: A virtual home for the project’s two history exhibits, We Are Here to Stay: The California Building Story and Origins, along with its 11 completed oral histories. It launches November 20, 2026.

Recognition-The biennial Vision Awards honor individuals’ outstanding
dedication to the arts community. The awards celebration is a free event
attended by artists and arts supporters. Twenty people have been recognized so
far, and the next awards are planned for 2027.

Publicity -The annual juried Northeast Calendar features work by local artists.
The 2027 calendar coming out in November features 13 artists who were paid and fully credited for their work. Local business sponsors provide advertising revenue. The calendar is distributed for free at local businesses.
Every passing month introduces a new piece of art to the public.

2026 Calendar Cover – Artist Jeffrey Kraker

Paul Werni – Owner 45 th Parallel Distilling

Thank you, 45th Parallel Distillery, for raising a glass to Northeast’s artists year after