Compiled by Lisa Roy
June is filled with powerful exhibitions, public art, open studios, and community celebrations. From new Social Justice Billboard Project installations at George Floyd Square and a 50-year tribute to WARM’s feminist arts legacy, to Tommy Smith III’s rare photographs of Prince, The Function Block Party, and monthly open studios across the district’s iconic arts buildings, this month’s roundup celebrates the creativity, connection, and cultural impact that continue to define the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District.
New Social Justice Billboards installed at George Floyd Square
On May 19th, NE Sculpture | Gallery Factory installed two new works as part of the Social Justice Billboard Project in George Floyd Square, Minneapolis, MN. A project they have been curating & administering since July 2020.
The new featured works include:
– “Gospel of George 9:29” by William Ransom: This work reflects on the revelation from the murder trial regarding the 9 minutes and 29 seconds it took to take George Floyd’s life. Ransom is an artist and sculptor whose work explores the intersection of material engagement, personal narrative, and our collective national story.
– “To All My Relations (Metakuye Oyasin)” by Ivan Watkins: This art depicts the cultural and spiritual connections between Black, Brown, and Red Nations. The imagery features a peaceful Rastaman and Native peace-pipe carrier wearing an American Indian Movement (A.I.M.) sash, with gravestones marked by the Black Lives Matter (BLM) logo. Watkins’ practice is deeply rooted in Lakota Spiritual Ways and his membership in the Native American Church.
You are encouraged to visit George Floyd Square at 38th St E & Chicago Ave S to experience these important additions to our community’s public art.
WARM Connections artist talk with Barbara Bridges June 9th
Form+Content Gallery is pleased to present “WARM Connections”, an exhibition highlighting work by thirty-three artists representing the many affiliate groups connected to WARM / The Women’s Art Registry of Minnesota, the groundbreaking feminist arts collective founded in Minneapolis in the 1970s.
The artists in this exhibit represent a sampling of the hundreds of women artists who brought WARM and its values into their personal, professional and artistic lives. Artists in “WARM Connections” represent WARM’s Associate Membership, Founding Members of WAVE Gallery in Lowertown St. Paul, the WARM Mentor/Protegee Program, the WARM Global Scroll Project, Hue & Eye, Second WAVE, and Art to Change the World (ACW).
“WARM Connections” is presented in conjunction with the exhibition marking the 50-year anniversary of the founding of WARM Gallery, “Legacy: The Women of WARM Gallery” at the Kickernick Gallery, 410 1st Ave. N. In Minneapolis (April 10-June 13, 2026).
Tuesday, June 9: 6-8pm: Barbara Bridges, Founder of Art to Change the World, will speak on the birth of ACW and its WARM foundations. Discussion of the WARM Mentor/Protegee Program will follow.
Thursday, June 18: 6-8pm: Rebecca Pavlenko and Jill Waterhouse will speak on the Global WARM Scroll Project, followed by a presentation by members of the on-going Second WAVE Collective.
Nine Moments, Nine Eras, One Legacy. A Visual Tribute to Prince at the Solar Arts Building June 4th:
Tommy Smith III has spent decades documenting the heartbeat of Minneapolis music culture through the lens of his camera. This remarkable exhibition showcases his rare and intimate photographs of Prince and legendary musicians of the Minneapolis Sound, spanning from the late 1970s through some of the most iconic eras in music history.
Featuring images captured across nine extraordinary moments in time, the exhibition takes visitors from early rehearsals and candid backstage scenes to electrifying performances at celebrated venues such as First Avenue and Metropolitan Stadium. Smith’s photographs preserve the spirit, energy, and evolution of a revolutionary musical movement that changed popular culture forever.
Included are breathtaking moments from the Controversy, Purple Rain, and Lovesexy eras, along with many rarely seen photographs that reveal both the artistry and humanity behind the music. Through Tommy Smith III’s lens, audiences are invited into a deeply personal visual journey celebrating creativity, performance, friendship, and the enduring legacy of Minneapolis music history.
This exhibition is a living archive of sound, style, and cultural transformation captured by one of Minneapolis’s visionary concert photographers.
Thursday, June 4, 2026 5–9pm First Thursday Open Studios
Solar Arts Building 711 15th Ave NE Minneapolis, MN
Live Music 2nd Floor Gallery Stage: Sadie Maguire, Aisa Micaiah, Pedro Bayón, Abdul Sesay, and Jun Sugiyama.
Art Studios & Galleries are open to shop! Be sure to check out co-host of this exhibit Michelle Streitz Prince Museum located in studio 203.
Free and open to the public. Kids and families welcome
The Function: Block Party is June 13th, 2026
The Function “Block Party” is a celebration of what makes our city so special – the resolve and creativity of our neighbors. Now more than ever it is important to come together to connect, reflect, process, and restore ourselves. All in all, this day is going to be a joyful expression of our love for the place we live, knowing that joy is an essential act of resistance and resilience.
For the past two years Public Functionary has hosted The Function as a ticketed event to raise funds to support PF’s programming. In light of how this year started for residents of the Twin Cities, entry to The Function “Block Party” will be offered on a sliding scale (0-$100). By removing the financial barrier to entry we hope to make The Function more accessible to the creative community and our neighbors in Northeast Minneapolis and beyond.
To register buy a ticket to this event (sliding scale $0-$100)
https://www.mplsart.com/events/the-function-block-party
June 13, 2026 | 3pm – 10pm, Northrup King Building
CARL OLTVEDT | IN FOCUS MAY 30 – JULY 4, 2026
Lowry Hill Gallery announces In Focus, an exhibition of drawings by Carl Oltvedt. We will celebrate In Focus with an opening reception on Saturday, May 30 from 5-8pm. Oltvedt will give an artist talk at 4pm on Saturday, June 27.
Carl Oltvedt works full-time as an artist in a variety of painting and drawing media. He retired from Minnesota State University Moorhead in 2015, where he was a Professor in the School of Art. He maintains a studio at the California Building. His paintings and drawings are included in numerous public, corporate, and private collections, including Mia, Minnesota Museum of American Art, Plains Art Museum, Fargo, ND, Rourke Art Gallery & Museum, Moorhead, MN, and the North Dakota Museum of Art, Grand Forks, ND.
Oltvedt’s continued interest in the form and behavior of egrets, herons, sandhill cranes, and gulls is the subject of this exhibition. These eight drawings are based on the artist’s own thousands of photographs, taken as Oltvedt follows the migratory seasons of these species in Minnesota. While a drawing originates from a photograph, the artist’s skilled drawing is of primary importance in the work.
Monthly Open Studios
California Building, Saturday, June 13th 11am – 4pm
Flux Arts Building, Every Saturday from 10am – 5pm
Northrup King Building, every Saturday from 12-4pm
Solar Arts Building, First Thursday, June 4th 5-9pm