By Mary Barghout
As the cold season sets in, the Arts District presents ample opportunities to connect with and support local artists. From holiday markets to exhibitions, from textile art to craft beer, the NE Minneapolis Arts District has plenty on offer this December when it comes to inspiration and cheer!
California Building presents a Holiday Market and the Heavy Rotation exhibition
Add a trip to the California Building to your plans for the festive season this year! Find gifts for friends, family or even for yourself, while supporting some of the numerous local artists within this historic building.
- Date and Hours: Saturday December 14, 12-6pm
- Location: 2205 California St. NE Minneapolis, MN 554118
Heavy Rotation, an exhibit celebrating metal casting
Come meet the talented artists behind this dynamic medium, learn about the creative processes involved in metal casting, and experience some truly spectacular artwork.
- Date and Hours: Friday, December 6th | 5–8 PM
- Doors open at 5 PM, with a group discussion featuring the artists at 6 PM. A dance party will follow!
Featured artists: Bayani Genereaux, Brighton McCormick, Deetle Nelson, Erin Genereaux, Greg Volker, Jess Night, Lexly Smrekar, Nat Kim, Pete Gierzynski, Samael Leopold-Sullivan, Tamsie Ringler, Wayne E. Potratz, and Woody Stauffer
Casket Arts presents their 2nd annual Holiday Market and Everyday Icons exhibition
Grab a warm beverage from Corner Coffee and head over to explore the historic brick structures that make up the Casket Arts building while keeping an eye out for treasures to take home. Originally the site of the Northeast Casket Company from 1882, the structures were converted into artist studios in 2006. The three parts consisting of the Casket Arts Main Building, Carriage House and the NE Sculpture Factory will be open for their 2nd annual holiday market, featuring open studios for everything from painting, drawing, ceramics, jewelry, photography, woodworking, prints and more.
- Dates and Hours: December 14, 11 am – 5 pm
- Location: 681 17th Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413
Everyday Icons exhibition by Mary Catherine Solberg
Mary Catherine Solberg blends classic portrait techniques with modern mixed media, inspired by the Renaissance and Religious iconography.
- Date and Hours: Wednesday, December 11 4:30pm – 6:30pm
- Location: McNellis & Asato, Ltd. 8300 Norman Center Drive, Suite 170 Bloomington, MN
Flux Arts Building presents the first Flux Frost Fest
The holidays can be many things, and stressful is sometimes one of those things. If you’d love to (stress) squeeze and experiment with clay, while also having a chance to meet and support local artists, this first ever event from the Flux Arts Building might just be for you! The Clay Squared Gallery will be bursting with ornaments, specialty food items and other unique gifts. You can also do a make and take with Layl’s clay scraps. Potek Glass will also have ornaments and gift items. Then venture upstairs to Art to Change the World where you can meet more artists and do more art activities. All activities will be “pay what you want”. All funds raised from activities will be donated to Art to Change the World. The Hub (middle section of the building) will also be brimming with artists and food artisans!
Artisan Food Vendors featuring Hacienda San Jose chocolate and Norte Cafe coffee, Oliver the Potter, Becka Rahn, Deb Hutchinson, OTIWA Designs, JZB Art, Channa Kitchen, Shari Z Art & Design, and more to come.
- Date and Hours: 11am-7pm on Saturday December 7th
- Location: 2505 Howard St. NE Minneapolis, MN 55418
Grain Belt building presents Open Studios
Four studio mates celebrate the season with new work. Diane Scully, Jean Wright, Jo Garrison and Marcy Nelson-Garrison. Find us in the Grainbelt Warehouse.
- Dates and Hours: Saturday December 7th and Sunday December 8th 9am-4pm
- Location: Grain Belt Warehouse – 77 – Studio 203, 77 13th Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413
Holland Arts East and Yellowbird Coffee Bar presents a Winter Market
If you’re looking for a caffeinated and approachable artist market to add to your Saturday rounds on December 21st, stop by the Holland Arts East Building, which conveniently shares space with the Yellowbird Coffee Bar. Grab a warm drink and take a look at what’s on offer from local artists before getting back into your weekend. Featured artists will be My Bit of Wonder, Samasti Studio, Brooke Bartholomew, Kyla Erickson Ceramics, Mary Castillo, Rank & File Vintage, Carbon Copy Co., and more. Don’t forget that Rank & File Vintage will also have an exhibition called Found & Collected in the Holland Arts East Gallery from Monday December 2 through Monday December 30th.
- Winter Market Date/Hours: Saturday, December 21, 2024 12pm-5pm
- Yellowbird Coffee Bar/Gallery Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-5pm, Sat-Sun 8am-5pm
- Location: 639 22nd Ave NE Minneapolis, MN 55418
Holland Arts East Gallery presents Found and Collected, a vintage showcase by Rank & File
This exhibition will explore the rich tapestry of artistic expression from the mid-20th century, highlighting a curated selection of vintage artworks that have been discarded and rediscovered. Featuring pieces from renowned and unknown artists alike, “Found & Collected” invites viewers to engage with art that is “vintage” or at least 25-100 years old.
Each piece has been thoughtfully sourced to tell a story of its own. From original prints and paintings to posters and paint-by-numbers, this collection emphasizes the potential of personal nostalgia. Each were “found” in diverse settings, from estate sales to flea markets, and “collected” into an exploration of artistic heritage.
“Found & Collected” not only celebrates the visual aesthetics of the 1950s to 1980s but also invites reflection on the enduring impact of art from the past and its resonance today.
- Gallery Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-5pm, Sat-Sun 8am-5pm
- Location: 639 22nd Ave NE Minneapolis, MN 55418
Hopkins Center For the Arts presents Decline and Fall exhibition
In this exhibition Marjorie Fedyszyn investigates the universal experience of loss and fragility from both a human and environmental aspect. Climate based change and the prevalence of invasive species play front and center in this solo exhibition, Decline and Fall at the Redepenning Gallery at Hopkins Center for the Arts. Using handmade abaca paper, Fedyszyn cast a replica of a green ash tree diseased by Emerald Ash Borer to serve as a significant reminder of the poignant physical and emotional loss of trees in our landscape and the vulnerability of this precarious time.
- Dates and Hours: December 5, 2024 – January 4, 2025, Opening Reception: Thursday, December 5, 6 – 8 pm
- Location: Hopkins Center For the Arts, 1111 Main Street, Hopkins, MN 55343
Northrup King presents Holiday Lane and Public Functionary (Studio 332 within the Northrup King Building) presents Biological Combinations exhibition
Unlike the other events listed here, the Holiday Lane of Northrup King will be open and bringing some light to the shortened days to each Saturday in December until the 21st! Bring friends and ‘make a day’ of getting lost in the historic building with sugar energy from delicious baked good bites from Blackberry Bakery (whose poundcake this writer can confirm, is DELICIOUS). Studios will be decked out in festive spirit and you will be able to meet artists and find the types of gifts you CANNOT find browsing the isles of stores or searching the usual big retailers online.
- Dates and Hours: Saturdays in December (+ Small Business Saturday!) 10am-4pm
- Location: Northrup King Building 1500 Jackson St NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413
Public Functionary (Studio 233 in the Northrup King Building) presents Biological Combinations exhibition
Biological Combinations features the debut of new work by Savannah Tines, inviting viewers to explore the intersections of past, present, and future forms of life. By combining found objects and obsolete technologies with traditional mediums, Tines constructs a terrestrial landscape that simulates an immersive, organic, and kinetic experience.
Solar Arts Building presents the 13th annual “Light Up the Night, Light Up a Life” holiday arts show
Looking for more of a festive event with a chance to find artist created gifts? Then be sure to stop by the Solar Arts Building on the weekend of December 5th through the 7th. There will be music, local brewery Indeed will have craft beers on tap and a chance to meet artists and explore the 1st and 2nd floors of the historic Solar Arts Building. Guest artists to be present are: Renée Boynton, Jackie Anderson Lavendart Design, Becca David, Deb Ripp, Rose Cooper, Carly Bearseason, and more!
• 40+ Artists & Makers – Crafting pieces that are bold, unique, and anything but ordinary. Each one brings a story and soul that can’t be found in a store aisle.
• Live Music – TBA – A lineup so good, we’re keeping it under wraps. For now anyways… Bands will be on the 2nd-floor Gallery Stage adding a killer soundtrack to your holiday experience.
• Indeed Brewing on Tap – Because shopping is just better when a craft beer is involved. First floor.
- Dates and Hours:
- • Thursday, Dec 5th: 5-9pm
- • Friday, Dec 6th: 5-10pm (follow the searchlights)
- • Saturday, Dec 7th: 12-8pm
- Location: 711 15th Ave NE Minneapolis, MN 55413
Taking Flight: Birds, Nature and Art At Play – an exhibition at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (Concourse F, Terminal 1)
Taking Flight is an interpretation of birds and nature by artist Susan Feigenbaum. In this exhibition, you may recognize some familiar Minnesota birds in their natural habitats, while other compositions take off in a flight of imagination and feature unreal birds in otherworldly environments.
By combining her ceramic art with her appreciation for birds and nature, Susan hopes that viewers will take a fresh look at abstract art, ceramic sculpture, and where we find birds—in their natural habitats—and in our own daily lives and imaginations.
Susan Feigenbaum is a ceramic artist and educator based in the Twin Cities. Her sculpture is shown year-round at the Northrup King Building in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District.
Susan has received Minnesota State Arts Board grants, commissions, and awards in local, regional, and international juried exhibitions. Her public artwork is featured in a permanent installation at the Eden Prairie Outdoor Center.
Arts@MSP made this exhibition opportunity possible.
For more information, please contact the artist at www.susanfeigenbaum.net
Ceramic wall sculpture on wood base by Susan Feigenbaum, “Taking Flight,”
MSP Terminal 1, Concourse F , Photo provided by the artist.
Thorp Buliding presents Holiday Open Studios
Ever felt inspired by a piece of art to create something yourself? The folks at Dashfire Bitters were moved to create new cocktail recipes based on some of the art to be found in the Thorp building. Now that’s a reason to head to the Thorp Building holiday open studios! Grab a cuppa tea from Diamonds Coffee Shoppe or maybe grab something a bit stronger from Dashfire and take a wander through the studios in the building. Some of the line up of artists to be present will be: Wild Wolf Clothing Co., Rebecca Thvedt and Emily Gray Koehler. Don’t forget to catch some of Emily Gray Koehler’s work at the Water, Earth, Sky exhibition which is running until January 12th at the MN Arboretum.
Date: Saturday December 7, 12pm-8pm
Location: 1618 Central Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413
The Underground Art gallery presents group show Elemental
The Underground Art gallery presents its second group show and final show of 2024 titled ELEMENTAL. The four elements, namely, earth, water, air, and fire, are the vital sources of life on our planet. As an ancient concept, this vitality has thus been depicted for centuries, holding influence across philosophy, science, religion, and art. ELEMENTAL highlights how artists today continue to utilize the four elements to influence their work and creative practice. The show features 2D and 3D works by the following 16 established Minneapolis artists:
NOVEMBER 22 – DECEMBER 21, 2024
Katherine Boyce, Marie-Claire Dozois, Gina Gaetz, Mark Granlund, Bri Harrington, Cynthia Holien, Annie Hejny, Sander Kolodziej, Kendall Laurent, Brynne Macosko Paguyo, Colee Recke, Ingrid Restemayer, Hadley Rittgers, Halle Rittgers, Dean Trisko, and Susan Wagner.