December 2023

Looking back to move forward
30 November 2023
Looking back over the last two years the Arts District community celebrated a lot of accomplishments, collectively and for individuals, starting with winning back-to-back Best Arts District awards 2022-2023. Many artists were featured in museum shows around the country including the Whitney and Renwick and here in the Twin Cities at the Walker, MIA and Weisman including artist Piotr Szyhalski, Dyani White Hawk, Aaron Dysart, Leslie Barlow, Christopher Selleck, Maggie Thompson, and Peyton Scott Russell....
A Year Focused on Art & the Environmentalist Cause
30 November 2023
Throughout 2023, this publication featured Northeast Minneapolis Arts District artists who are focused on the environment in their art practice. Each in their own way is probing our human relationship with the rest of the natural world. Each is considering the unique power art can hold in calling our collective attention to an environmentalist cause. Among the artists featured, there is a huge range in their approach to these questions. Some tackle climate change directly by using their art to convey...
Get your 2024 Northeast Calendar at local businesses
30 November 2023
By the first week in December, all sponsors of the 2024 Northeast Calendar should have them available for pickup while supplies last. The calendar tradition started over a decade ago as a fundraiser for Northeast Community Development Corporation, which merged at the end of 2020 with the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District. We salute the artists who made the monthly images: Julie Kutzke, cover and February; Janet Bayliss, January; Suzanne Skon, March; Seth Stattmiller, April and June; Michael Anderson,...
Does your company support volunteer hours?
30 November 2023
We recently became aware of a company that pays its employees to volunteer at organizations of the employee’s choosing. This community-centered company sees these opportunities as not only ways to connect to community, but also to give their people new skills and, potentially, leadership training. Art District Map with buildings Within the Arts District, volunteer opportunities run from greeting or tabling at events to selling tickets at the Speakeasy or serving on task forces and projects, writing...
Thanks for support - and checks still welcome
30 November 2023
We are thankful for the people who used the Give to the Max Day GiveMN platform to contribute to the work of Northeast Minneapolis Arts District. We also heard from many who wanted to save the transaction fees and send us good old-fashioned checks. If you are motivated to do so, the address is Northeast Minneapolis Arts District, 2505 Howard St. NE, Studio A, Minneapolis, MN 55418. Your contributions underpin efforts you read about year-round in these e-newsletters. Speakeasy bartenders hard at...
New airport exhibit is on the runway
30 November 2023
Our next airport exhibit is on the runway – figuratively, not literally. The Northeast Minneapolis Arts District is taxiing toward a new exhibit at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport, having applied to the Arts@MSP program and been accepted. There are no details at this point, but the call for artists will be developed. Artists who want to be notified of the opportunity should subscribe to the monthly e-newsletter at northeastminneapolisartsdistrict.org. Here are links to information...

November 2023

Dyani White Hawk Wins MacArthur Genius Award
01 November 2023
Northeast Minneapolis Arts District artist Dyani White Hawk, 46, who is Sičáŋǧu Lakota is one of 20 individuals who has been awarded a prestigious, $800,000 MacArthur Foundation grant, also known as the "genius" award. Dyani is extremely grateful for this web of support.
Our Arts-District Welcome Center Opens next Spring
01 November 2023
Who are we? How did we get here? Where are we going? The Northeast Minneapolis Arts District is opening up a welcome center to answer these questions and preserve the legacy of our arts community.
What could a football star's salary do for the arts?
01 November 2023
Imagine what the city of Minneapolis could do if the equivalent of a professional football star’s salary were dedicated to the arts. That’s $10 million. In the current mayor’s budget, which is up for a public hearing November 1 and again in early December, arts is barely mentioned. It shows up under Economic Inclusion and Recovery with $1.3 million for Vibrant Storefronts, a joint project of CPED (Community Planning and Economic Development) and the new Arts & Cultural Affairs department....
Who’s behind a new crop of Northeast murals
31 October 2023
Northeast Minneapolis resident Sarah Davis loves painting food. Until recently she had her studio at the Q.Arma building, a short walk from Uncle Franky’s at 728 Broadway St. NE where she proposed to show her art. Her inquiry morphed into a commissioned mural. The east facing wall of the Windom Park warming house/field building. snowshovel- hoe mural Windom Park Artist Rock Martinez   Compared to her fine art painting, it’s a more chunky style, which she said is a nod to the feeling of the restaurant’s...
By popular demand: Piotr Szyhalski's remarks from Vision Awards, and photo gallery from the event
31 October 2023
More than 150 people from all over the Twin Cities arts community enjoyed celebrating their friends, colleagues and leaders at the Vision Awards hosted by Northeast Minneapolis Arts District October 2 at the Ritz Theater. Click here to see more photos of the evening   Emcee Theo Langason Emcee Theo Langason kept things light and earnest, lauding awardee Dr. Barbara Bridges for “most butts in seats.” She responded by giving credit to the many Art to Change the World members in the audience for...
Remember the Arts District on Give to the Max Day, Speakeasy during open studios
31 October 2023
You can support the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District in two important ways this November. We’ll be raising funds through the Speakeasy in the basement of Casket Arts during the November 10-11-12 Fall Open Studios, thanks to 45th Parallel, Central Avenue Liquors, and Stray Dog along with the artists and building owners of the Casket Arts Community. Have a cocktail, help support bus transportation between buildings and other initiatives of the Arts District Consider donating to the Arts District...
Call for "birds" art at Zoo's nature center, still time to see tree-inspired art
30 October 2023
The call for art for the next Minnesota Zoo exhibit at the base of the Treetop Trail is open now, with birds as the theme. There's just two more months to see work by Northeast Minneapolis Arts District artists in Rooted in Nature: An exhibition of artwork inspired by trees at the Minnesota Zoo!

October 2023

Vision Award Winners
01 October 2023
On Monday October 2nd at the Ritz Theater starting at 6pm with an after party at Rogue Buddha Gallery. We honor five visionaries whose talents, passion and dedication to the Arts in the Minneapolis community and beyond. Here are bios about the honorees of  Vision Awards bestowed by Northeast Minneapolis Arts District. Please RSVP or show up the night of. The event is free. Dr. Barbara Bridges  In 2018 Barbara founded the nonprofit Art to Change the World.  In five short years including all of the Pandemic,...
Fall gallery shows roundup
01 October 2023
The season to see great art in galleries has arrived with a plethora of shows to see. Twin Cities Art Week wraps up Oct. 1 with gallery crawls, artist talks, film screenings and exhibition walk-throughs. Public Functionary and Dreamsong, among others, are participating in this 10 gallery extravaganza. You can read more in the Star Tribune’s write up. 
NE Sculpture 
 Make believe in Yourself “Make Believe in Yourself”  by PAINTALLICA opened Friday, Sept. 29 and runs through Oct. 21.  PAINTALLICA...
Burning Man after the mudpocalyse
01 October 2023
Last month we profiled Recovery Bike Shop’s owners’ experience with Burning Man. It was written before they left and was released just as reports around the globe were telling a story of the deluge of rain wreaking havoc on the event. We had a lot of responses to the story and felt it would be good to have a follow up. Josh Blanc was able to reconnect with Seth Stattmiller and get the lowdown. Photo by Elizabeth Richardson Photo by Elizabeth Richardson For Seth the best part was the mud. His Camp...
Nov. 10-11-12 is Fall Open Studio weekend in Northeast
01 October 2023
The Fall Open Studio Weekend, featuring several major art buildings in Northeast, will happen Friday, November 10 through Sunday, November 12 this year. Organized by NEMAA. Hours are generally 5-10 p.m. on Friday, Noon-8 p.m. Saturday, Noon-5 p.m. Sunday.

September 2023

Congratulations to the State Fair winning artists!
01 September 2023
There’s still a couple days left of the Minnesota State Fair.  If you’re heading there be sure to check out Northeast-based and NEMAA-member artists’ work at the Fine Arts Building. This year, 2,650 entries across 8 different categories were received, and only 332 made the final cut into the show. This year’s spectacular show features more than 30 artists from the district, with many of those winning awards! Pamela Belding’s first place sculpture “Fools Speed Ahead”. Pamela was...
For past recipients, the Vision Awards speak volumes about the community
01 September 2023
After a four-year gap, the Vision Awards return on October 2. Six artists and community members will receive awards this year, making up for the inability to host the event during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. 
Insights from Burning Man
01 September 2023
The Burning Man event has been around for 35 years. It is full of mystery and excitement, taking place in the Nevada Desert once a year for seven days at the end of August (the 27th through September 4 this year). Tens of thousands of people build a temporary city, and they hope, a society of connections that last beyond the event. They make and share art, then leave the desert as it was found, or better. I have always been interested in attending. Talking with Elizabeth Richardson and Seth Stattmiller...
Welcome to Minneapolis Arts & Cultural Affairs Department, Ben Johnson
01 September 2023
The city of Minneapolis’ new director of the Arts & Cultural Affairs Department, Ben Johnson, visited with board members from Northeast Minneapolis Arts District and toured studios at the California Building August 9. On staff since March, he said he’s been meeting with arts organizations, individuals, and other community resources to learn the current scene, on the lookout for big, unique ways to put Minneapolis on the worldwide cultural map. Growing up in Minnesota, Johnson went to every art...
Dreamsong in NY Armory Show and TC Art Week
01 September 2023
A cornerstone of New York’s cultural landscape since its founding in 1994, The Armory Show brings the world’s leading international contemporary and modern art galleries to New York each year, and Northeast-based Dreamsong will be part of it. They will be showing works by David Goldes and Alexa Horochowski in Dreamsong’s booth in the Presents Section (P34). Art by Alexa Horochowski Also, Dreamsong’s presentation at NADA House, and performances September 8 and 9 at Armory Off-Site will be centered...
Loretta Bebeau show in St. Cloud at Paramount Center
01 September 2023
“Lend me your hand” is the theme of Loretta Bebeau’s exhibit at the Paramount Center for the Arts, gallery C lower level, in St. Cloud, MN. It references her body of work that combined words in multiple languages with tracings of hands from the people who contributed the words. “Overall, my career has been formed by using found objects or reusing objects that appear in my life. The material is used to help me grow, going from now to the new. One needs to ask what specific thing needs to change? And...

August 2023

Maggie Thompson exhibits in the Renwick Invitational in Washington, D.C.
31 July 2023
Maggie Thompson is a textile artist and designer who has drawn inspiration from her Fond du Lac Ojibwe heritage and the broader Native American experience — but also from her own relationships and family history.
Conversations with Aribert Munzner
31 July 2023
Conversations with 93-year-old Aribert Munzner in his studio at the California Building are always inspiring and fascinating. Spending time with Ari is a rare privilege that leaves visitors feeling motivated to create new artwork.
“Doug Argue: Letters to the Future”
31 July 2023
Doug Argue, an alumni of the Arts District, is a name many people might not remember. From 1996-98 he had the 6th floor studio in the California building. If you have ever been to the Weisman Art Museum you might have seen a huge floor-to-ceiling chicken coop painting from 1994.
NE artists among 38 exhibiting at Minnesota Zoo’s Treetop Trail
31 July 2023
The Minnesota Zoo has repurposed its former monorail track along with decking made out of recycled milk jugs to create The Treetop Trail. The new trail will bring visitors up to 32 feet above the ground immersed in nature.
Picnic celebrated winning Best Arts District two years in a row
31 July 2023
It was a beautiful afternoon on the back lawn of the California Building. The celebration, marked the return of the pre-pandemic tradition of gathering in the summer, typically around the time of the solstice.
Oct. 2 - Save the date for the Vision Awards
31 July 2023
Northeast Minneapolis Arts District’s Vision Awards is returning October 2nd at the Ritz Theater. The goal of the Vision Awards is to recognize and elevate visionary thinkers, activists and people of action working in or for the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District ideals and mission both past and present.

July 2023

Thank you for the #1 Arts District win - and join in a potluck picnic July 20
29 June 2023
Scene from a past “Northeast Influential” picnic, traditionally held on the summer solstice. Northeast Minneapolis Arts District has been voted Best Arts District by the USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Travel Awards, the fourth award in eight years. The district won Best in 2015, earned second-place in 2021 then Best in 2022 and now 2023. “Everywhere we went with posters and table tents, people were so supportive in helping defend the title,” reported our folks on the ground getting...
On a clear day you can see the #1 award-winning NE Mpls. Arts District
29 June 2023
The results of the USA Today Reader’s Choice award for best Arts District are in. We would like to thank each and every one of you for taking time out of your day to vote. We successfully defended our title! Enjoy this photo tour through the District by photographer Lisa Roy. The California Building is home to 6 floors of art studios occupied by about 100 artists. Peyton Scott Russell’s Daskarone sculpture is located near Mojo Coffee Gallery. Regularly open to the public for Second Saturdays,...
Call for Art - Northeast Calendar - due September 1, 2023
29 June 2023
Would you like to visit your favorite Northeast businesses and see your art hanging on their walls? It could happen – if you enter the competition for the 13 months plus the cover of the Northeast Calendar. Over the years, the calendar has featured a wide variety of images representing aspects of the community – from obscure niches to obvious landmarks, the literal to the fantastical. Even the seasons have been portrayed in widely different moods. Leaves of autumn might be joyous or borderline somber,...
Brooke Bartholomew fuses environmentalism and feminism
29 June 2023
In a striking new body of work titled Two Degrees Warmer, Brooke Bartholomew is investigating the confluence of environmentalism and feminism. Hack Job by Brooke Bartholomew The series, which currently fills an entire wall of Bartholomew’s studio in Holland Arts West, is a study of the causes and effects of climate change, as told through the bodies of women. In each oil painting, focused on a distinct impact of human industry, the figure of a woman is situated in a distressed natural landscape;...
Key actions humans/artists can take to minimize impact on the planet
29 June 2023
This year the Arts Insights writers have been exploring artists for whom the environment is front and center. In my recent career shift I have been looking for a niche where I can make the most difference beyond shrinking my personal carbon footprint. Members of Art to Change the World’s Climate Change Action Affinity Group are also at varying points on their journeys, and we’ve been trading ideas and readings. — Margo Ashmore Pardon the pun. Keys/Locks of Love? Photo by Margo Ashmore, from the Park...
Congratulations to Solar Arts
29 June 2023
Solar Arts Building was chosen the Arts Ambassador recognized by Northeast Minneapolis Chamber at the Celebrate Northeast Parade Tuesday, June 20. Building manager Mike Schardin serves on the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District’s board of directors, and owner Duane Arens contributes in many ways to the Northeast scene. Solar Arts Building’s searchlights during one of the holiday events. Photo by Margo Ashmore. Solar Arts Building is a modern, environmentally friendly hub for Minneapolis’ creative...

June 2023

Claudia Poser and the sacredness of seeds
31 May 2023
Though we may not think of art and religion overlapping much now, there were whole centuries when art was made for primarily religious purposes, to convey mythologies and theologies, and to consecrate what was considered holy. Claudia Poser discovered this function of art as a child growing up in Germany; her mother loved art history, “so she dragged me to European churches every time we went on vacations.” On these visits, Poser saw countless reliquaries, enclosures to house the bones of saints,...
The Journey to a 300-chair Commission
31 May 2023
Thomas Menke moved into Northeast Minneapolis the week of 911. Big changes were afoot for him in 2001 as he was leaving his 20-year career as a graphic designer to become a furniture maker. His studio journey began in the Thorpe building. After 10 years he moved to the Northrup King Building. Seeking more square footage, he transferred to the Casket Arts Building Annex. Menke’s home and identity remain in Northeast, though his studio is just outside the Arts District. He also uses the maker...
Art-A-Whirl® sees phenomenally nice crowds
31 May 2023
Art-A-Whirl is like the proverbial blind man touching an elephant – depending on which part is touched, there can be a different impression. From my vantage point in the basement of Casket Arts, I was struck by how nice people were. There are some narrow doorways in the building, and people happily took turns passing, said excuse me, sorry, and thank you – in pleasant tones. Photo by Nik Linde, whose photography studio is in the Casket Arts Building.   The weather was perfect for all three days,...
State Historic Tax Credits reinstated: What it could mean for NE
31 May 2023
With all the hoopla about Walz checks and other much-publicized aspects of the Minnesota Legislature’s plans to spend the state’s surplus, a reinstatement and extension of the state’s Historic Structure Rehabilitation Tax Credit probably never hit local TV news. But stories of using the “state’s historic tax credits” appeared in local newspapers across the state, letters of support were written, and finally, with Gov. Tim Walz’ signing of the omnibus tax bill, this tool was restored and protected...
Thank you for Speakeasy success at Art-A-Whirl®
31 May 2023
Back at Casket Arts building for our second Speakeasy, Northeast Minneapolis Arts District board members, plus new and long-time friends, had a great time selling drink tickets to raise funds for the organization. 45th Parallel Distillery provided the spirits, Central Avenue Liquors provided beer, Nan’s Naughty and Nice provided Bloody Mary Mix for a Sunday morning treat. Stray Dog covered the commercial kitchen and bartending license. Northeaster writers and management joined the volunteer ranks...
Counting down to Arts District voting deadline
31 May 2023
If tradition holds, about a week before the June 12 deadline, the USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Travel Awards people will hide the leaderboard so we won’t be able to tell if we’re holding our lead or if Cleveland Ohio or one of the other arts districts in the running are overtaking us. So why do we good-naturedly keep pecking away at the votes once a day? Because nationwide recognition helps us with the local agenda of improving our service to all artists in the district and...

May 2023

Annie Hejny’s water paintings bring attention to the watershed
01 May 2023
If art is a form of attention, Annie Hejny is paying attention to water. “My work began with the way being around water made me feel and how it has been such a presence in my life.” During an assignment as a student in the Women’s Art Institute program at St. Catherine’s University in St. Paul, Hejny had the idea to paint with water taken directly from the Mississippi River. So began an ongoing practice of creating paintings with sediment and water collected from the bodies of water that inspire...
Moving from the Netherlands to the Arts District
01 May 2023
Surprisingly, DM Mak’s big move back to the Midwestern US was not self-initiated but rather came to her via a job opportunity for her Dutch partner. She embraced the opportunity and reports positive feelings of her experience so far in the Twin Cities. She came to the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District in search of studio space, reaching out to various places by word-of-mouth recommendations. By kismet, she landed in the Holland Arts East building, as it is on the way from her home to her kid’s...
Ilhan Omar visits NKB affordable housing project
01 May 2023
In April, U.S. Representative IIhan Omar visited the Northrup King Building in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District.  Artspace arranged for her to meet with some of the artists who have studios there. She received a tour of the  space where 85 units of affordable housing will be built later this year. Rep. Omar recognized the mission of Artspace, which is to create, foster, and preserve affordable and sustainable space for artists and arts organizations. They discussed resources the District Office...
Speakeasy Fundraiser
01 May 2023
Shhh! This should be the most widely known best kept secret…during Art-A-Whirl, in the basement of the Casket Arts Building, there will be a Speakeasy. That means all sorts of tempting cocktail options from 45th Parallel Distillery will be sold as a fundraiser for the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District. Pause and take a load off your feet anytime Friday May 19 from 5-10 p.m., Saturday, May 20 noon-8 p.m. and Sunday, May 21, noon-5 p.m. The Speakeasy will be open same hours as Art-A-Whirl. Past...
Looking for environment art stories
01 May 2023
The environment is a huge topic in our world today. We have noticed many Arts District artists working on the threats and challenges climate change is posing to the earth. If you are working on any aspect of the environment we would like to have a conversation with you about it. Contact us

April 2023

Arts@MSP - Opportunities available
01 April 2023
Have you seen the fabulous collection of art at the MSP airport? If so, you might be wondering how they chose the artwork that appears in many unique contexts, from the concourses to the rest rooms, and even projections at the baggage carousel. The program is called  Arts@MSP. They use an Artist Roster system to pre-qualify artists for future opportunities at MSP. When public art commissions become available, Arts@MSP staff present the applicants to a selection panel. The candidates are invited to...
Rosy Simas wins $550k Doris Duke award
01 April 2023
Rosy Simas is a transdisciplinary and dance artist who works primarily with movement of the body, image, objects and sound. Think: “installation in which performance happens.” Simas, an enrolled member of the Seneca Nation Heron clan, whose artistic career spans decades, recently received the Doris Duke award of $550,000. This peer-nominated award is for individual artists in the categories of dance, jazz and theater. It is meant to be an infusion of funds to give the artist security in life, rather...
Telling the stories of climate change through art
01 April 2023
Many of the most famous artists of all time specialized in depictions of nature: think Claude Monet’s lily pads or Vincent Van Gogh’s olive trees. But in addition to a rich history of art inspired by earth’s beauty, artists have long used their craft to draw attention to the plight of our planet and spark environmental action. Two artists in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District shared how they use the themes of their artmaking to encourage a deeper environmental connection and consciousness. Deborah...
Art and Nature at Silverwood Park
01 April 2023
Two artists from the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District are currently on exhibit at Silverwood Park: sculptor Marjorie Fedyszyn and painter Toni Gallo (Casket Arts Building and Thorp Building, respectively). Through their powerful explorations of loss and presence, each artist’s work prompts a deeper connection and responsiveness in our relationship to the natural world. Marjorie Fedyszyn (right) with visitors at the opening of Decline and Fall at Silverwood Park In the next ten years, Minnesota...
The Ecology of Artmaking with Emily Donovan
01 April 2023
Concern about the environment is no newer among artists than it is among scientists; climate change is central to the themes and subject matter of a growing movement of artists. But in addition to making art about environmental causes, artists have another, often less obvious way to take environmental action: the artmaking process itself. Emily Donovan in her studio in the Northrup King Building Every artist’s materials and process have their own ecological impact, using resources and generating...
Arts District is a vital system like the body
01 April 2023
There are 80 organs in a human body with six major ones: the heart, brain, kidneys, liver, skin and lungs. The Northeast Minneapolis Arts District also has six major organs. Northrup King Building (350 artists), The Ritz Theater (315 artists), Casket Arts (120 artists), California Building (102 artists), Thorpe Building (53 artists) and Q.arma building (52 artists). These buildings hold over 80% of the artists’ studios in the Arts District.  Cosmic Cloud brain storm by Josh Blanc The 18 art buildings...

March 2023

The 15-minute city perspective is at risk
28 February 2023
The Minneapolis 2040 plan seeks to make Minneapolis a 15-minute walkable city. Affordable housing, coffee shops and grocery stores on every corner, fighting climate change and racial disparities in housing and employment. That is a lot to accomplish in one document supported by changing the zoning laws. While the change in zoning laws does not require immediate change in use, it can accelerate the slow death of previous uses by making it infeasible to transfer ownership to anyone other than someone...
Creative mothers can "have it all"
28 February 2023
Mary Cassatt, 1844-1926, is known among the impressionists for her depiction of mothers and children, a subject matter that was radically domestic for the art world of the time. But despite her focus on the bond between mother and child, Cassatt chose not to have children of her own because she believed having a family would compromise her career. A century later, many women artists still feel this is true. Cassatt’s society may have preferred she be a mother than an artist, but in much of today’s...
Eyenga Bokamba Collaborates on “Translucent Beauty”
28 February 2023
California Building artist Eyenga Bokamba collaborated with musicians Saturday, Feb. 25 at MacPhail Center or Music for the Spotlight Series- Translucent Beauty. Under the artistic direction of Mischa Santora, this ongoing premier series brings to life collaborations of some of the Twin Cities’ finest artists. Bokamba was honored when Santora first approached her and was inspired by the thought of inviting people into the paintings via the music. Bokamba has since had the chance to immerse herself...
Airport "Chroma" exhibit brought NE artists sales, traffic
28 February 2023
The Northeast Minneapolis Arts District partnered with Arts@MSP last year to mount the exhibit “Chroma: A Spectrum of Beauty” in the C Concourse Art Gallery at Terminal 1 at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, and 59 artists from Northeast Minneapolis provided 82 works for the show. The Arts@MSP staff surveyed the participating artists after the exhibit and 29 responded. Some illuminating information was gleaned from the responses received: Six artworks sold. One commission was generated...
Christopher Selleck: Body//Weight opening March 18 in Mia’s U.S. Bank Gallery
27 February 2023
Christopher Selleck, Spencer (detail), 2019, Pigmented Ink Print Mounted to Dibond with Luster Laminate. Courtesy of the artist. Photographer Christopher Selleck’s show Body//Weight is in the final stages before installation in the U.S. Bank Gallery at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Since he was selected almost a year ago for the  Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program (MAEP), Selleck has worked closely with the museum to create the show—but the work itself is a culmination of seven years of exploration...
Ben Johnson named director Department of Arts & Cultural Affairs
27 February 2023
Ben Johnson is joining the City of Minneapolis as the first director of the recently created Department of Arts & Cultural Affairs. His decades of experience include managing departments and programs focused on arts and culture across the nation as well as here in Minnesota. He begins his role at the City March 13. Ben Johnson, Photo used with permission of city of Minneapolis. The department works with internal and external stakeholders to promote Minneapolis as a center for arts and culture...

February 2023

Talking about race: Artists and venue invite you in
31 January 2023
Peyton Scott Russell 40 year retrospective Artists of color who have studios in Northeast Minneapolis are helping the largely white suburban community around White Bear Center for the Arts (WBCA) appreciate the lived experience of black people. Beverly Tipton Hammond and Drew Hammond participated last fall with Healing the Breach by AHHA with Donald Walker and Kennedy Simpson. The opening for Peyton Scott Russell for his retrospective show is Thursday, February 2. AHHA stands for Artistry, Honesty,...
Climate change: What are you doing about it?
31 January 2023
What do artists and arts supporters think and do about, and beyond, their environmental footprint? Artists have long been at the forefront of social and political change, and with this existential issue, is it any different? Yes, because there’s the added element of getting one’s own house in order while convincing others. Image by Matt Palmer, via unsplash.com At Yale University, there’s a whole department devoted to climate communication. They’ve found in studies (starting many years ago) that...
2040 Plan - Input request! (or what now?)
31 January 2023
The Minneapolis 2040 plan originally passed in 2018 is still not in full effect 5 years later. A lot of consternation has happened since it passed. Multiple lawsuits have held up its implementation. The position of the Arts District regarding the importance preserving industrial/production land for current and future industrial/production use has never wavered. Art studios are industrial/production uses. The heart of our concerns is that these spaces will be eclipsed. The limbo of 2040 implementation...
"What makes a good arts district?" Hyperallergic asks
31 January 2023
In a story based on a handful of arts areas in the American Southwest, the online forum Hyperallergic took a look at what they’ve lost, gained, or wish for — any of which could be a cautionary tale or a pat on the back for our arts district. It appears as arts districts grow, other forces, from developers and city officials to universities, have sought to make arts districts better fit their purposes rather than working with an arts community to collaborate for a shared vision. The article shows...
Winter Photo Essay by Lisa Roy
31 January 2023
There's been no shortage of snow this year in the Arts District. Northeast has been covered in blankets new flakes before much can melt, creating an enchanting view of our beloved place, begging to be captured. Enjoy this winter photo tour through the District by photographer Lisa Roy.

January 2023

Inches, Feet … Miles
01 January 2023
In 2023 the Arts District (AD) will start its third decade – 20 years old as of the city’s enabling act Dec. 13, 2002. A lot has changed, and a lot has stayed the same in those years. The world was different. Cell phones were just starting to be used for business. There was no social media, the Internet was a bit player. People were unsure if Northeast Minneapolis was safe and if they should move or visit. There was no such thing as even a $100,000 house. Few developers were interested...
Curious arts community writers and critics needed
01 January 2023
If you like visiting artists’ studios and can write insightfully, Northeast Minneapolis Arts District may have assignments for you. For the Arts Insights page in the Northeaster newspaper, there are themes we have wanted to pursue, involving interviewing several artists on the same or similar subject, but we run short on time. The challenge is to write succinctly for that space, and longer pieces for use online if warranted. There is some monetary compensation, along with the privilege and fun of...
The Conscious Kingdom Book collaboration to help animals
01 January 2023
When you first enter studio 207 in the Casket Arts Building, you feel like you are “walking through the wardrobe” into another world. You are surrounded by lions, monkeys, zebras, wolves, and birds, large and small, that fill the studio. Taxidermy animals, all dressed in their finest regalia. Tina Wilcox created this surreal world of animalia and brought her collection to life in her book, “The Conscious Kingdom.” In the book, she “humanizes” her collection of humanely procured taxidermy, giving...
Northeast Calendars available to pick up
01 January 2023
If you don’t have your Northeast Calendar yet, here’s a list of sponsoring businesses that are distribution points.  If you stop by, ask for one – the calendars are so popular that a lot of businesses don’t put out a stack or they’d be gone in an instant. If you’re on a mission to simply get a calendar, we’re pretty sure that there will be copies at Clay Squared, the Northeaster newspaper, and the California Building if you stop in there. “Mount Quincy” by Janet Bayliss – “A...
Meet the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District/NECDC Board
01 January 2023
The Northeast Minneapolis Arts District Board are a group of arts advocates, community activists, artists, and business owners dedicating our time, energy, and skills to defend the artistic environment and culture by encouraging thoughtful preservation and development of the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District. Merging (12/30/2020) with Northeast Community Development Corporation made us “stronger together. We look forward to continuing to tell stories of the artists of the Art District.  Officers...
Drawing Rally draws art lovers in to MCA
01 January 2023
A continuous stream of art lovers entered the building at 1509 Marshall Street NE, best known as the former home of Fletcher’s Ice Cream, Saturday, Dec. 17. They were there for the Monster Drawing Rally, put on by Midway Contemporary Arts (MCA), the new building owner. Melissa Cooke Benson pondered the blending on her drawing of a Roman face. Ryan Gerald Nelson listened to music as he worked. In this case, monster meant “huge,” not beastly such as Godzilla or Frankenstein. It was MCA’s 12th drawing...

December 2022

Native American artists share experiences with cultural appropriation
01 December 2022
When Graci Horne was a child, her mother produced her first album of Dakota music. It was a good time financially for the family, Horne said, until they learned that the contract her mother had signed with a white woman gave away all of her rights to her music. “All of a sudden, she couldn’t perform her own songs,” Horne said. Graci Horne, Marlena Myles, and Ashley Fairbanks. (Photo by Karen Kraco) Horne, curator and story keeper for the Mnisota Native Artists Alliance (MNAA), was one of three Native...
116,000+ spent time with Chroma: A Spectrum of Beauty
01 December 2022
Travelers through the MSP International Airport – some rush to get where they’re going, others get there early and have longer waits, or lay over between flights. The Airport Foundation maintains a vigorous program of both commissioned permanent art and rotating exhibits (Arts@MSP) to make visitors’ experiences welcoming and memorable. The recent “Chroma: A Spectrum of Beauty” collection curated through Northeast Minneapolis Arts District spanned five display cases in Concourse C, available to view...
Thank you for successful Speakeasy and Give to the Max fundraisers
01 December 2022
November was a great month for Arts District fundraising. Thank-yous are in order: Thanks to distillery partner 45th Parallel for their donation of the spirits for the Basement Speakeasy held the weekend of November 4, 5 and 6. Visit 45th Parallel in Stillwater, MN or New Richmond, WI. Their roots were in Northeast, as their founder lived here until just recently. A street pole banner preserved by the city of Minneapolis made the perfect focal point of the Basement Speakeasy at Casket Arts. (Photo...
The Costume Collective recycles costumes, Next Stage recycles props, sets
01 December 2022
If you need a historical costume or if Santa needs a new suit, The Costume Collective has it all. Andrea Gross displayed a soldier costume, one of many available to rent from The Costume Collective. (Photo by Patti Hoffmann) The Costume Collective is a shop reimagined after COVID-19 closed the theater industry in 2020. Two major players in the costume rental business went dark during this time – The Guthrie’s Costume Rentals Warehouse on East Hennepin, and Brian Berberich and his Theatrical Costume...
New York Times reports handmade tile resurgence
01 December 2022
When Amy Heavilin and her husband reinstalled a fireplace in their Queen Anne home, they wanted its tile to echo fish scale accents on the home’s exterior. Their choice, handmade tile from Clay Squared to Infinity of Northeast, was vignetted in a New York Times article by Lia Picard Nov. 10, 2022. Heavilin said the kiln-fired tile with its color variations looks like it’s been there forever. [photo provided by Amy Heavilin] The Clay Squared crew were totally surprised at the mention, but co-owner...
An excuse to get to know your fellow artists
01 December 2022
If you like visiting artists’ studios and can write insightfully, Northeast Minneapolis Arts District may have assignments for you. For the Arts Insights page in the Northeaster newspaper, there are themes we have wanted to pursue, involving interviewing several artists on the same or similar subject, but we run short on time. The challenge is to write succinctly for that space, and longer pieces for use online if warranted. There is some monetary compensation, along with the privilege and fun of...
Gallery and exhibition news
01 December 2022
Many gallery show to attend by Northeast Minneapolis Arts District artists. Here are three we took note of. When the Water calls me back Embracing the luminous reflections and cyclical transformations of rivers and lakes, Annie Hejny combines collected freshwater sand sediment with acrylic to share the stories of these places. From the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan, her relationship with water illuminates each canvas as an invitation for us to remember that we are bodies of water too. The exhibit...
2023 Northeast Calendars coming soon
01 December 2022
Congratulations to Patricia Canney on her “Mojo Coffee Morning,” the front cover of the 2023 Northeast Calendar produced by the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District. With a studio in the California Building, she is devoted to the coffee shop. Calendars will be available free, first-come first-served, starting possibly the weekend of Dec. 3 but for sure by Dec. 7 at sponsoring businesses. Many of the previous years’ sponsors have returned. Periodic press checks for color registration quality control,...

November 2022

Give to the Max Day Fundraising
14 November 2022
Donating to the Arts District on Give to the Max, your gifts made between November 3 and 17, up to $2,500 will be doubled. The matched pool was created by the owners of eight buildings: The California Building, Casket Arts, The Highlight Center, Holland Arts, Flux Arts Building, The Food Building, Q.Arma, and Solar Arts. Every dollar you donate to this campaign will be matched by these artist-centered, neighborhood treasures that ensure Northeast Minneapolis Arts District remains the #1 Arts District...
Public Functionary inaugurates new gallery with annual group show
31 October 2022
From before unseen space at the Northrup King complex has been fashioned a ramp-accessible gallery with a permanent but flexible lounge and hospitality area. Perhaps it’s a metaphor for what’s happening among the artists served by and serving this space. On October 15, Public Functionary staff brought chairs in from the lounge for an artist talk where Leslie Barlow, now a part of the leadership, said that until a previous show curated by PF she had “never felt so seen.” Top, from left: Adrienne Doyle,...
A Picture Gallery of the Soul
31 October 2022
There are few art shows in the Twin Cities that command your attention and respect on the level of A Picture Gallery of the Soul. The exhibit at the Katherine E. Nash Gallery at the University of Minnesota is one every serious artist, educator and history buff should take time to immerse themselves in (closes Dec. 10). There are 104 artists in the catalog, 122 represented in the show of Black photographers and related historical material, soundscape, and a series of events. Quoting from U of M literature,...
Speakeasy on Nov. 4-5-6
31 October 2022
When studios in Northeast Minneapolis open for the weekend of November 4-5-6, visitors can purchase cocktails at the basement Speakeasy at casketartsbuilding. The Speakeasy is open 5-10 pm on Friday, Nov. 4, 2-8pm on Saturday, Nov. 5 and noon-4pm on Sunday, Nov. 6 with profits going to support Northeast Minneapolis Arts District. The Arts District mission is “to catalyze the innovative spirit of artists through generative community development.” Dedicated to making the geography look more and more...
Mississippi River Pearl unveiling
31 October 2022
Starting with the theme One River’s Trash is the Same River’s Treasure the Mississippi River Pearl mixed media sculpture is an Art to Change the World collaboration: Project Manager Barbara Bridges and group members Frances Bates, Amáda Márquez Simula, Greg Volker, Margo Ashmore, Annie Merrell, Neil Granlund, Katherine Boyce, Alexis Schramel, and Kelly Frankenberg. Alexis Schramel, Katherine Boyce, Frances Boyd, Neil Granlund standing. Seated: Barbara Bridges, Annie Merrell, Amáda Márquez Simula....
230 Rose on the Avenue office & potential art space
31 October 2022
The former Avirat building has been purchased by dik Bolger and Carmen Gutiérrez Bolger. The couple recently gave a tour for Arts District board members and interested community folks, as they are looking for first-floor tenants (space for about 40 office workers or could be divided for some retail use and potential gallery in a lovely kitchen-social space). Eventual plans include artist studios in the basement. Carmen is a past president of Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association (NEMAA) and artist...
Plywood protest boards continue in storage at NKB
30 October 2022
Memorialize the Movement, while still looking for permanent space to display the plywood protest boards from the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, has moved to another storage space in the Northrup King Building. They were in the part of the building that will eventually be renovated for the six-story lofts. Memorialize the Movement (MTM) founder and Executive Director Leesa Kelly.

October 2022

Developer Tips posted on AD website
02 October 2022
In hopes that residential and commercial property developers will do their homework even before talking with us, the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District has posted a list titled “Three simple ways to incorporate art in development.” We encourage neighborhood organization members and others who are contacted by developers to get familiar with the page as it should be a good place to send people. Hook and Ladder metal work by Lisa Elias The vibrancy of the Arts District is a talking point, a selling...
Ecuador meets Afghanistan in one of the latest murals completed
02 October 2022
If it seems that the mural on the side of Football Pizza (aka Crescent Moon, amazing pizza!) appeared instantaneously, it actually did. A combination of painting and mosaic on a thin but strong sign-board substrate called maxmetal (TM), artist Victor Yepez prepared two 5×10-foot halves in his studio at Solar Arts Building. “I had to move a lot of stuff to make room,” he said, putting on some finishing touches on-site. Gustavo Lira and his crew are continuing to working on the side of The Mill,...
Melodee Strong artist talk Oct. 7, closing reception Oct. 15
02 October 2022
Lineas de Sangre” (Bloodlines) an exhibition of work by Melodee Strong will run through  Saturday, Oct. 15 at NE Sculpture|Gallery Factory, in back of the Casket Arts complex, 1720 Madison St. NE in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District. There will be an artist talk on Friday, Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. and the closing reception Oct. 15 from 4-6 p.m. Lineas de Sangre is a culmination of works examining and reflecting on the artist’s experiences growing up as a “mixed” girl in Minnesota. Through her writings,...
Conversation at the intersection of architecture and art
02 October 2022
Some architects are also artists, and some artists have architecture backgrounds or are interested in architecture. In the world of public art and in the world of building development, people with dual backgrounds can have an advantage to see ideas from many different perspectives – technical, artistic, community. Frank Stone Metal facade house In informal conversations we’ve started to think about how these two lines of study and practice can inform each other. It goes beyond asking architects and...
Northeast Calendar in the works
02 October 2022
Individual artists whose images were chosen for the 2023 Northeast Calendar will be contacted soon. The calendars will be available at sponsors in early December, in time for holiday giving. Ninety-nine images were submitted by a record number of 32 artists, and of the chosen, 9 are photographs and 5 are paintings or other artistic mediums, a similar percentage to the last few years. The Arts District thanks everyone for their creative entries, and thanks jurors Louise Harty, Ben Harris, Mohamed...
National recognition for Arts District volunteer
02 October 2022
Nominated by one of her staff and two officers of the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District, Margo Ashmore of the Northeaster newspaper has been recognized by Editor & Publisher Magazine as one of “25 over 50.” Margo Ashmore with camera, photo by Mike Madison. The award recognized a variety of older-than-50 innovators for their “strong work ethic, transformational mindsets, commitment to journalistic and publishing excellence, and their ability to lead during challenging times.” Common themes were...

September 2022

Artists celebrated at MSP International Airport
26 August 2022
The Airport Foundation MSP and Arts@MSP hosted a lovely event for artists whose work is in the “Chroma: A Spectrum of Beauty” exhibit along Concourse C at the Minneapolis & Saint Paul International Airport Terminal 1. Exhibit/Process Coordinator Michael Curran and guest, with Sheila Dickinson, one of the curators of the “Chroma” exhibit. On Tuesday, August 9, nearly 100 people including Northeast’s two council members were in attendance as Brian Ryks, Executive Director and CEO of...
Northeast Calendar entries due Sept. 1
26 August 2022
The September e-newsletter is coming out a little early this month as one more reminder to get entries ready for the 2023 Northeast Calendar. They are due September 1. Jurors will be looking for a variety of art mediums, seasons, locations and points of view. Entries should be derived from Northeast scenes and bring a smile. Think “what would I want to see on my wall all month long?” NE Calendar Cover from 2021 For 2022, four of the 13 monthly images chosen were not photographs. The cover was...
Congratulations, State Fair winning artists
26 August 2022
Folks have through Labor Day to visit the Minnesota State Fair and see Northeast-based and NEMAA-member artists’ work at the Fine Arts Building among the art from all corners of the state, and of course, Leslie Barlow’s poster image. Many won awards, leading off with Jeannine Spooner Kitzhaber’s “Newest New,” 1st Place in the Oil/Acrylic/Mixed Media category.  Pamela Belding’s “Evolution” and Kyle Fokken’s “Purser/Piggybank Series” took HM’s (honorable mentions)...
Syhalski's “We Are Working All the Time” at the Weisman inspires discussion
26 August 2022
What do Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Paul Gauguin, Marcel Duchamp, and Viola Frey all have in common? All were famous painters and sculptors who took a deep dive into the world of ceramics. MCAD professor and Casket Arts Studio artists Piotr Szyhalski steps into this realm with his latest museum show, the Weisman Art Museum’s (WAM) survey exhibition, PIOTR SZYHALSKI: WE ARE WORKING ALL THE TIME!  “The show features work in a variety of media across three decades of Szyhalski’s prolific and pioneering...
Mural Central update: Co-op celebration, Momo Sushi and The Mill
26 August 2022
As summer draws to a close, mural activity is accelerating. Philipo Dyauli’s work can be seen on the north side of Momo Sushi’s building at 1839 Central Ave. NE. Next door, at The Mill Northeast, 1851 Central, another mural is underway, the work of Gustavo Lira. The very beginnings of a mural to be executed on the north side of The Mill Northeast.   They are the third and fourth murals to go up so far as part of the Mural Central project by Minneapolis Chamber, NEMAA (Northeast Minneapolis Arts...
Urban Cattails Public Art Commission
25 August 2022
The RYA Apartment development in Richfield, Minnesota had its official opening on August 25, 2022.  The RYA development includes three sculptures. The Urban Cattails are the creation of Remo Campopiano and Justin Hossle. They are at the northern and southern ends of the development.  The sculpture entitled Breeze is by Foster Willey. Breeze is near the center of the RYA development. The RYA opportunity was organized by Northeast Sculpture | Gallery Factory and its director, John Hock. Urban Cattails...
Outta Wax setting up shop in former Flaire space
22 August 2022
Born of “pandemic panic” yet still coming together two years later, Outta Wax Record Pressing has plans for 4,700 square feet in the former Flaire Print shop at 2110 Washington St. NE. Sara Pette (pronounced “pet”), who lives with husband Nato Coles a few blocks from the shop, is collaborating with her brother John Pette and friend Alex Stillman who is managing the renovation. Under her (Alex’s) direction, the rest of the team, some of whom will eventually work in the operation, are renovating the...

August 2022

Northeast Minneapolis Arts District is #1, now what?
01 August 2022
To build on everyone’s dedication and networks responsible for the win, here’s what we recommend happen next regarding the USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Travel Award for #1 Best Arts District 2022. The customized logo is available for everyone’s use, assuming there’s some affiliation with or support for the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District. We hope to educate about the boundaries while welcoming broader participation. Use the logo (or its written form) in email correspondence, social media,...
Aldo Moroni is celebrated at last
01 August 2022
July 9, 2022, friends and family held an afternoon open house in Aldo Moroni’s honor. Aldo passed away on September 27, 2020 of pancreatic cancer, one of many to be celebrated first in private family gatherings (Naperville, Illinois) followed by more public events once the COVID-19 pandemic was better understood. Aldo’s art made big statements through pageantry, so it is not surprising his tribute include a parade (with brass instruments) around the Mill District near A-Mill Artist Lofts...
Four NKB-based artists at The Mill Yard
01 August 2022
The Mill Yard at Stonebridge Lofts, 1120 South 2nd St, Minneapolis, is hosting an Exhibition August 7 through November of 2022 called “Natural Selections.” Four of the exhibiting artists are from Northeast: Ingrid Restemayer, David Baer, Emily Donovan, and Dyan Padgett. All four have studios in the Northrup King Building. A reception will be held Sunday, August 7, from 4-6 p.m. Read more about all of the artists here.
Meet some of the newest Holland artists
01 August 2022
The artist and arts-building population of Northeast Minneapolis is growing. We like to meet and introduce new neighbors. Holland Arts East building at 22nd and Washington was hopping with visitors during Art-A-Whirl®. Here’s a link to Margo Ashmore’s article about some of the tenants. Holland Arts Northeast’s website, with leasing form and sign-up for event email notifications, is here. Unrelated to the Holland Arts East and West Buildings, the former Flaire Print and Spark Electric building...
Construction+Reconstruction residency show at NE Sculpture & Jac Flats
01 August 2022
How does art happen in hard-driving Los Angeles? Perhaps it happens when the pace slows down to that of an Omaha neighborhood storefront or in Story County Iowa’s big city, Ames. Thomas Prinz, Peter Goché, and Mike Nesbit at the Gallery Factory reception July 22. Artists from those three cities, already friends, converged at NE Sculpture|Gallery Factory to install work in a show called Construction+Reconstruction a group residency and exhibition by a total of nine artists, curated by Wendy Frieze,...
NEMAA looking for board members
31 July 2022
Are you an artist, professional, or community member interested in contributing your time and expertise to support the arts community in Northeast Minneapolis? Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association (NEMAA) is accepting applications for new board members! Click here to learn more and fill out their application form.
Art Hounds - Let's support each other
28 July 2022
Have you ever attended an art opening and wished more people could see the excellent work that you discovered, but seems like a well-kept secret? Or had your own art event that only your friends came by? art hounds It’s easier to promote someone else than it is to toot your own horn…at least, that seems to be a thing in Minnesota. And it’s wonderful when you get someone else’s endorsement. Those are principles behind Art Hounds. “From Minnesota Public Radio News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota...

July 2022

We Won Best Arts District in the USA
28 June 2022
Thanks for everyone’s help in winning “Best Arts District” in the USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Travel Awards. You were an integral part to winning this award. While it is easy for some to dismiss polls as frivolous, think of this one instead as an opportunity to coalesce a community around an idea and focus on the task at hand. Community engagement is Northeast Minneapolis Arts District’s super power. Our community is 1,200+ strong, and an informed, dedicated arts-loving and networked community...
Murals spring up on Central Avenue buildings
28 June 2022
North side of the Eastside Food Cooperative at 2551 Central Ave. painted by Four Story Collective and Creatives After Curfew No matter which way you travel Central Avenue, between 23rd and 26th avenues NE, you’ll see fresh mural work. By now, we’re all familiar with the enormous mural on the north side of the Eastside Food Cooperative at 2551 Central Ave. painted by Four Story Collective and Creatives After Curfew. Among the finishing touches: Text reading “Welcome to the Northeast Arts District.”...
Siasoco, LeFlore at Walker for Summer Social July 7
27 June 2022
Two local artists from the Four Story Collective will be at the Walker’s Wurtele Upper Garden, Thursday, July 7, from 5 to 8 p.m., free. Witt Siasoco in the context of his recent work Join public artist Witt Siasoco in a raucous night of art-making, music, and conversation about issues of land in the Twin Cities. Make a simple kite from a recycled broadsheet and watch it take flight over the Walker green space. Take in the tunes and dance to the sounds of DJ Chamun. Strike up a conversation inspired...
Congratulations to Leslie Barlow on State Fair commemorative
27 June 2022
Selected in March for the honor of making the Minnesota State Fair commemorative poster, Leslie Barlow unveiled her work June 9, 2022. The happy image, actually a collage of images upon closer inspection, depicts a family of color having fun at the midway, with reflected pinks and greens of neon lights giving it a cosmic feeling. For a comprehensive interview, behind the scenes in-process photos and a peek at the printing process, go here: A limited run of signed prints , along with posters and other...
2023 NE Calendar art due Sept. 1, 2022
27 June 2022
“Summer on Summer Street” by Mark Peterson Do you have a unique angle on photographing a Northeast Minneapolis landmark? Or a happy and colorful way of showing our changing seasons in a non-photographic medium? Submit up to five of your best Northeast-derived images for consideration in the Northeast Calendar competition. Artists and photographers interested in the calendar but not intending to submit images, if you would like to be considered as a juror (a volunteer role), please inquire. Full submission...
Discovering Chroma: A Spectrum of Beauty
27 June 2022
The Northeast Minneapolis Arts District‘s website has a wonderful catalog of information about individual artists in the new Chroma exhibit at the MSP International Airport. But there’s nothing quite like seeing it accomplishing the exhibit’s original intent – to show a progression of colors, from the blues and purples eventually through a series of earth tones and red (or vice versa). If you’re traveling between now and December 2022 you can see it at MSP Terminal 1 along the Concourse C Art Gallery...
2040 Plan halted, what comes next?
27 June 2022
A recent lawsuit stopped the implementation of Minneapolis’ 2040 Comprehensive Plan, and it’s not clear yet whether officials will contest the ruling or determine the plan’s environmental impacts – the curve ball that this suit threw. In either case, it’ll take time. Search on Minneapolis 2040 Plan The plan’s intent, in part, was to promote density, therefore walkability and less dependence on cars. But it also emphasized accommodating multi-family rental housing, which works against another priority,...
Georgette Sosin remembered; art force and mentor
27 June 2022
An accomplished painter and sculptor whose works appear at the Weisman Art Museum, Duluth’s Tweed Museum of Art, local temples, hospitals, and private collections across the country, Georgette Sosin, 87, was remembered at a celebration of her life on the summer solstice. By the time she and husband Henry, who passed away in 2009, landed in Northeast and participated in Art-A-Whirl, she was 61 and they were meeting the public on their own terms at the building Georgette bought in 1999 at 1231 Washington...

June 2022

Co-op mural will welcome all to the Arts District
29 May 2022
Rich beautiful colors and engaging faces now introduce you to the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District at the corner of 26th and Central avenues NE. The works of Creatives After Curfew and Four Story Collective muralists are transforming the Eastside Food Co-op’s north wall. Luna with veggies Lisa Marie Brimmer with groceries Ella Young Ella Siasoco, Luna McIntyre and Lisa Marie Brimmer, local residents, hold fresh produce. Two scenes of young and old learning about gardening, sharing knowledge around...
Art-infused Timber & Tie apartments celebrate lease-up, public art
29 May 2022
Schafer Richardson’s affordable Timber and Tie Apartments, 900 14th Ave. NE, leased up in three months last fall, but with COVID uncertainties, the company put off its grand opening celebration to May 19, 2022. In attendance: Dignitaries, funders, and most of the artists whose work appears in the common areas and is being installed outdoors. Brad Schafer, co-founder and CEO, talked about the company’s production (since 2006) of 1,250 market rate units and 420 affordable units, of which this 175 unit...
CALL FOR ART - 2023 NORTHEAST CALENDAR
27 May 2022
We are looking for active, colorful, beautiful and/or funny images from Northeast that bring cheer and a feeling of togetherness, community. They can be, but do not need to be tied to recognizable individual neighborhood landmarks. ***Deadline: September 1, 2022 11:59 p.m.*** Current Year’s Cover Art by Suzanne Skon Jurors will look for variety in areas and seasons. Close-up photos of people should be accompanied by a note from the subject/s permitting use of the image. Crowd photos in public...
Art-A-Whirl® the accessible entry
26 May 2022
To train passengers coursing by Indeed Brewing, Art-A-Whirl® looked like huge party time. To others, it was a first opportunity to try selling artwork or craft wares. For still others, it was an excuse to talk intimate groups of community members gathered around for a simple hands-on exercise such as making a button or a fire starter, or mixing paint to match a color found in nature. Holly Tappen’s studio door at the California Building celebrates many years of participating. The event still serves...
New Airport Exhibit almost ready
25 May 2022
“Chroma: A Spectrum of Beauty from the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District” will be on view at the Thomson Reuters Concourse C Art Gallery at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport from June 10 until December 2022. The Concourse C Art Gallery is located in a ticketed area within Terminal 1, and is only accessible to those traveling. Sunset on the Mississippi River Bed by Lisa Roy The exhibition, which is in process of being installed, will include multidisciplinary works of 60 artists based...
Acknowledging foundation funding
25 May 2022
The Elmer L. and Eleanor J. Andersen Foundation “embraces the democratic ideals of fairness, justice and opportunity for all. Broad civic engagement, realizing the full potential of people, builds sustainable communities of life,” as noted in their values statement. Northeast Minneapolis Arts District is proud to announce receiving a general operating grant from the foundation. The Harlan Boss Foundation for the Arts has supported the upcoming Chroma exhibit at the Minneapolis – St. Paul International...

May 2022

Welcome to the Arts District!
20 May 2022
Mission: To catalyze the innovative spirit of artists through generative community arts development. The Arts District is an ecosystem of artists, arts organizations and businesses primarily in early 20th Century industrial buildings. While many artists participate in the public-facing events that so many visitors enjoy, The Arts at WorkSM refers also to the creatives who teach, or produce public art or private commissions. Learn more here about efforts to protect, promote, concentrate and grow this...
White Hawk in Whitney Biennial
01 May 2022
Dyani White Hawk’s work ‘Wopila | Lineage’ involved 20 people from White Hawk’s community beading what reads from afar as geometric swaths of color. Close up, the 14-by 8-foot beaded rows shimmer with quillwork texture. The artist describes it in part as “a moment of gratitude and women to the history of abstraction.” The work is hanging in the Whitney Museum’s prestigious Biennial show in New York City, at the fifth-floor entrance. Titled “Quiet as It’s Kept,” the Biennial is described on the Whitney’s...
Guggenheim fellow Ta-coumba Aiken's solo show at Dreamsong gallery
01 May 2022
A conversation with St. Paul artist Ta-coumba T. Aiken is a lot like taking in one of his paintings: Many layers and winding threads lead to findings that might shift as you further consider them. There’s a playfulness that also can manifest itself in his work. “It’s like a motion picture … or maybe an emotion picture,” he said, laughing at his play on words, but also dead serious as he described studio visitors’ shifting reactions to “Awakening,’’ the title piece in his upcoming solo exhibition...
Seeking tools to preserve Arts District industry
01 May 2022
The Arts District Land Trust Task force (a mix of Arts District board members and community members) is at the table helping the city of Minneapolis bring its zoning into alignment with the 2040 Comprehensive Plan. Our goal: To identify and develop tools to preserve and even improve the amazing creative ecosystem that is the Arts District while supporting new affordable housing development where it is appropriate, by developers who truly have the District’s and neighborhoods’ interests at heart. Group...
Research & art combine in Shoreham exhibit
30 April 2022
The 230-acre train and trucking facility in Northeast, Shoreham Yards, has become the exposé piece of Minneapolis artist, Gudrun Lock, who wanted to discover what more there is to the depot than its current aged state. Her research of over two and a half years is being showcased at Weisman Art Museum, 333 E. River Parkway, through May 15. Lock has resided in Northeast for 14 years. She would pass by Shoreham Yards, 2800 Central Ave. NE, on her daily dog walks. She is a professor at the Minneapolis...
Two collectives join for mural at coop
29 April 2022
Creatives After Curfew and Four Story Collective will join to paint a mural on the north side of the Eastside Food Co-op, painting live and in person throughout Art-A-Whirl weekend, May 20-21-22. It’s part of the Mural Central project, which invited proposals for various buildings. When the two groups discovered that the other would be applying, they agreed to work together. Between the two groups there will be 10 artists forming an all-star roster of muralists whose studios are located in Northeast...

April 2022

Call for Art: Forecast Public Art
22 April 2022
Forecast Public Art announces a new public art opportunity for a 3D work in St. Louis Park. The call is for a request for a qualifications round with a deadline of May 6, and a final project budget of $60,000. The owner of this development is very open to approaches and is hoping for modern, unique, interesting artwork. The timeline is short with an installation goal of Fall 2022. For more info: https://forecastpublicart.org/3d-public-art-opportunity-at-parkway-residences/ Please contact Tricia...
Heuring and Barlow ask for $2 million for a NE Arts Center
01 April 2022
Tricia Heuring and Lesile Barlow of Public Functionary went before the Minnesota House Capital Investment Committee on March 31st to ask for $2 million dollars to create an art center in Northeast Minneapolis Arts District. You can watch the testimonial on YouTube starting at 51:11 – HF4703 (Her) Minneapolis; Public Functionary community arts center funding provided, and money appropriated.
Art Books Abound
31 March 2022
Over the years many books have been written and published by or about artists who work out of the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District. Sarah Whiting published a book about the Artists in the Arts District with great images of the artists in their studios and short stories base on interviews she conducted with them. Many are books on important shows that showcased their works long after the shows went down. Piotr Szyhalski Labor Camp Report book was a specular book of all the images he created during...
Dreamsong presents Kristen Sanders and group exhibit curated by Night Club
27 March 2022
The new gallery Dreamsong on 13th Ave is showcasing third show since taking over former Walker executive director Olga Viso’s building.  Dreamsong is presenting two simultaneous exhibitions: a solo exhibition by Kristen Sanders titled Infinite Beach and a group exhibition titled Moon Spiral Heart Attack presented by Night Club, the curatorial project of Emma Beatrez and Lee Noble. A Street That Rhymes At 6am, by Monica Berger Moon Spiral Heart Attack transgresses the burden of this moment through...
ACW's Noble Truths presents The Art of the Flower
26 March 2022
Noble Truths is a new Art to Change the World project that invites visitors to an artist’s studio. Six ACW artist members have agreed to open their doors to the public for a look into their studios and their art practice. Each artist will approach the studio visit in their own unique way.  Some may demonstrate techniques or finished works, others might ask for a critique of a piece in progress, all will invite thought and conversation. Art to Change the World presents the first artist in it’s...
Written Wall by Loretta Bebeau @ NE Sculpture
24 March 2022
Written Wall by Loretta Bebeau a one person show. The reception for the artist is Friday April 1st from 6 to 8pm. Please join us! The show runs Friday April 1st -30th @ NE Sculpture I Gallery Factory. Regular Gallery hours are Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays 12noon to 5p. Visit the Gallery anytime Mondays, Tuesdays or Wednesdays 11a to 4p. For more info contact: northeastsculpture@gmail.com More details here: https://fb.me/e/32bakS8Jn
Jodi Reeb Joins Anita Sue Kolman
23 March 2022
We are thrilled to announce well-known Minnesota artist, Jodi Reeb, has joined Anita Sue Kolman as a Partner and Owner of the newly renamed Kolman & Reeb Gallery. With this change, you can expect a continuation of the best of past gallery activities, including contemporary art exhibitions from our gallery artists and from our new Project Space Grant Program. Jodi Reeb, co-owner of Kolman & Reeb Gallery Jodi has been an artist and a sales associate with the gallery for over ten years and a...
Artforce call for art: Mpls Convention Center, July-Dec
22 March 2022
Art Force requests submissions of original two-dimensional artwork by Minneapolis artists forthe S martArt Rotating Art Program at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The goal of the exhibit is to highlight the spectacular visual art created by local artists. An example of the Minneapolis Convention Center venue. Artwork by Owen Brown. Consideration will be given to artist: With a cultural or geographic perspective that is unique or appropriate to Minneapolis Who could be considered emerging in their...
Artforce call for Art: NordHaus Gallery
22 March 2022
Art Force is requesting submissions for the second exhibit of 2022 at the gallery at NordHaus. NordHaus is a collection of custom designed apartment homes on First Avenue NE in Minneapolis. The theme of the show is “Freedom.” The work should depict or respond to this theme. An example of the space. Artwork by Chris Watkins, Cameron Williams, and Ava Lambert, Cameron Williams We are seeking the following: Art by artists living and/or working in Minneapolis Art of professional quality and presented...

March 2022

Freakonomics of the art market
01 March 2022
Many artists I know are avid podcast listeners, some even make their own. Freakonomics, featured mostly on public radio stations has an excellent three-part series that is a must listen for any artist or consumer who wants a peek inside the dark morass that is the global art market. While the numbers may be higher in Northeast (according to a Northeaster newspaper poll) Freakonomics stated that nationwide only about 25% of the population goes to art shows or museums and only 20% own a piece of original...
Memorialize the Movement looking for space
25 February 2022
Leesa Kelly, founder of Memorialize the Movement (MTM), is participating in a fellowship named for Arthur C. McWatt (1926-2012), an African American researcher, writer, and educator who taught history and social studies for 33 years. He wrote “Crusaders for Justice” celebrating heroes of the Civil Rights Movement in Minnesota as well several magazine articles. The fellowship is a joint project of the historical societies of Ramsey, Anoka and Dakota Counties along with the Hennepin History Museum...
Aaron Dysart's Passage at Mia
25 February 2022
Congratulations to Aaron Dysart, whose studio is in the Casket Arts Building, on his Passage show that just wrapped up at Mia. Aaron Dysart’s Latitude Curran, who coincidentally is managing the next airport exhibit for the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District, wrote an insightful article for MPLSART.com on the subject. He observed visitors to Mia interacting with Latitude, the inflatable noodles (think car dealer attention-getters) programmed with carbon sequestration data from various countries....
New at MPLSART.com
25 February 2022
The MPLSART Sketchbook Project is a unique survey of the Twin Cities visual arts community during another challenging year. Started in 2020 as a way to connect and support artists during the pandemic, the 2021 project is the second iteration bringing together a whole new set of amazing Twin Cities artists. Throughout 2021, 70 local artists contributed 120 original works to a series of five traveling sketchbooks. Through the auction of the original sketchbooks, sales of the limited edition book, and...
The Promised Land: How Do We Change This
25 February 2022
“The Promised Land: How Do We Change This” is an immersive arts experience featuring provocative, dark, and raw assemblages of found objects, textiles, and mixed media. Andrew Moore describes his work as “reality art,” a powerful form of protest towards issues such as domestic abuse, gentrification, racism, and poverty.  “This work shows that my experience is unjust, as a formerly incarcerated Black man and member of the Panther Party, the truth gets lost in our society with all the violence we...
Frank Stone legacy house available for art/retail sales rental opportunity
25 February 2022
The house at 168 13th Avenue NE that artist Frank Stone wrapped in metal will be available starting in May. The current owner is looking for an artist/retailer tenant who will use the building for combination live/work/sell. Frank Stone and Lynn Olson (husband and wife) received the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District’s Vision Awards in 2019 for the vast effect they had on improving the community. Stone is a sculptor in metal and glass, using mostly salvaged materials. Olson, a retired judge, operated...

February 2022

NKB printmakers share ideas, combine mediums
31 January 2022
“The Print Club” is what Ingrid Restemayer has taken to calling a core group of Northrup King Building (NKB) artists who recently have begun to meet to share their work and information about printmaking. “It’s a way that we can collaborate and show together and start to create a little more energy or synergy,” said Dean Trisko, who organized the group and in whose studio the group’s first exhibition was presented. Bonnie Lauber Westover “Cat” “NKB Prints: a group printmaking show” included...
Call for Artists: A Showcase of NE Artists @ MSP Airport
30 January 2022
Building off the success of last year’s exhibitions at MSP Airport, the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District (NE-AD) is once again excited to invite artists to submit their work for consideration in a juried exhibition. We hope to highlight the many artists working across varied disciplines throughout the District, and intend to showcase works that represent a range of aesthetics, styles, and forms. For that reason, we have selected Chroma: A Spectrum of Beauty from the Northeast Minneapolis Arts...
Midway Contemporary Art purchases 1509 Marshall St. NE
30 January 2022
Midway Library from 2017 John Rasmussen, Director of Midway Contemporary Art announced that the nonprofit organization has purchased 1509 Marshall St. NE and will open there in May 2022 on the top floor. (Fletcher’s Ice Cream and other tenants are on first floor.) It is exciting to see another well-respected arts organization finding a permanent home right in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District, joining the renowned American Craft Council, Theater Latté Da and Coffee House Press, to name a few....
Call for sculptors - JROW
29 January 2022
The concrete plinths for JROW were poured this past summer in anticipation of sculptures to be located. The call closes on Feb. 26. Due midnight, February 26, 2022, sculptors are asked to propose existing work to be placed or new work to be created for the first set of three sculptures at JROW (Jefferson Right-of-Way, see related article on this site. Artists will be paid a total of $10,000 each for fellowships to produce work that can be later sold (after three years on display). Artists or teams...
$100,000+ in State Arts Board grants to NE artists
28 January 2022
Dawn Wing demonstrates how she uses Soft Kut, a kind of plate used for relief prints; it’s affordable and easy to cut, she says. A recent Minnesota State Arts Board grantee, Wing is also one of 11 printmaking artists at the Northrup King Building who recently held a show and open studios, with demonstrations for the public. See related story for examples of their work and descriptions of their techniques. (Photo by Karen Kraco) The Minnesota State Arts Board (MSAB) has released its list of 526 artists...
Mural artists: Apply for Central Ave project before Feb. 21
27 January 2022
Individual artists or teams of artists are invited to submit qualifications to be considered to participate in the design and installation of murals at specific locations along Central Ave NE. Mural Central is a collaboration between the Northeast Minneapolis Chamber, Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association (NEMAA), and Public Functionary to help define the Central Avenue corridor as a cultural district. Artists or teams operating in the Twin Cities are welcome to apply, but should have a connection...
Congratulations, Kolman & Pryor grantees
26 January 2022
Kolman & Pryor Gallery’s Project Space, an initiative launched by Kolman & Pryor Gallery’s co-founders Anita Sue Kolman and Patrick Pryor in 2021 to further support visual artists, announced its 2022 grantees: (clockwise in photo) Chris Rackley, Kate Casanova, Jil Evans, and Cameron Zebrun. The program awards four grants per year of $10,000 each to four Minnesota visual artists who have met the submission requirements. The goal of the grant program is to provide artists with the funds, space...

January 2022

Call for Artists: A Showcase of NE Artists @ MSP Airport
30 January 2022
Building off the success of last year’s exhibitions at MSP Airport, the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District (NE-AD) is once again excited to invite artists to submit their work for consideration in a juried exhibition. We hope to highlight the many artists working across varied disciplines throughout the District, and intend to showcase works that represent a range of aesthetics, styles, and forms. For that reason, we have selected Chroma: A Spectrum of Beauty from the Northeast Minneapolis Arts...
Become A Metropolitan Regional Arts Council Grant Panelist
24 December 2021
Help the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council (MRAC) continue to improve art access in our region by becoming a grant review panelist. MRAC’s grantmaking process is unique in that they use a peer panel process to read and review grant applications. All panelists receive a virtual orientation, a $150 stipend, and reimbursements for caregiver expenses. Panelists will have four weeks to read and review up to 30 grant applications that are approximately four pages in length. All panel duties will be done...
JROW sculpture walk's potential celebrated
23 December 2021
Paul Miller of Minneapolis Public Works gets a unique view of Northeast’s latest “stone soup”-style project. Traveling in and out of Minneapolis by the Northstar commuter train, he sees JROW, XOXO and the two apartment developments that surround the soon-to-be sculpture path. Neighborhood residents see JROW from 22nd Avenue as a sidewalk at the base of the railroad tracks west of Madison St. NE or as an angled pedestrian continuation of Jefferson Street approached from 23rd Avenue NE. Becky Landon,...
Northeast artists works in Public Service Center's art core, reflecting communities and workers
22 December 2021
Minneapolis city government set transparency and one-stop-shop goals for its new Public Service Center. Several Northeast Minneapolis-based artists helped create the environment in which 1,100 city employees will work and interact with the public toward those goals. The building, kitty-corner from City Hall at 505 South 4th Avenue, consolidates departments that were scattered in several different service counters downtown and leased locations further away. The city hopes to recover some of the $195...
Piotr Szyhalski's Labor Camp Report prints in Weimar Germany ACC Galerie
22 December 2021
Piotr Szyhalski wrote on Instagram: “I am so happy for this: the first exhibition of the complete COVID-19: Labor Camp Report project outside of the US! From December 11, 2021 until February 20, 2022, all 225 prints will be on display at the ACC Galerie in Weimar Germany. It is presented as part of an international show called “Denunziation!” Curated by Knut Birkholz and Frank Motz. I want to extend my gratitude to Knut and Frank for hosting the Report in Weimar, with special thanks...
Congratulations to calendar artists
20 December 2021
The 2022 Northeast Calendars are available free at participating sponsors. For a list, see NE Calendar. Suzanne Skon’s image is on the cover and the following were chosen for the months: Mike Anderson, Janet Bayliss, Owen Brown, Sonja Hutchinson, Jason Jenkins, Jeffrey Kraker, Angela Lundberg, Mark Peterson, Dennis Ready, Pete Sandvik, August Schwerdfeger, Hannah Steen. Graphic artist Leann Johnson designed the calendar, and along with three independent judges – Ben Rasmussen, Pablo Lituma and Susan...

December 2021

Congratulations to calendar artists
20 December 2021
The 2022 Northeast Calendars are available free at participating sponsors. For a list, see NE Calendar. Suzanne Skon’s image is on the cover and the following were chosen for the months: Mike Anderson, Janet Bayliss, Owen Brown, Sonja Hutchinson, Jason Jenkins, Jeffrey Kraker, Angela Lundberg, Mark Peterson, Dennis Ready, Pete Sandvik, August Schwerdfeger, Hannah Steen. Graphic artist Leann Johnson designed the calendar, and along with three independent judges – Ben Rasmussen, Pablo Lituma and Susan...
Artist live/work spaces slated for Northrup King complex
02 December 2021
Rendering of Stormwater Street, looking north between the building now occupied by studios and businesses, and the to-be-converted buildings that will become artist live/work housing. (Courtesy of Artspace) When the sale of the Northrup King Building was made public in 2019, artists who occupied the building’s studio, gallery, and retail spaces took a wait-and-see attitude, said Loretta Bebeau. She has had a studio in the building for 19 years, served on the board of directors of the Northeast Minneapolis...
Communities reflect themselves in public art
01 December 2021
When is a wall more than a wall? Through art, a community can make a utility shed or an outhouse into a symbol of themselves. The latest examples of this have popped up in three Northeast neighborhoods: Logan Park, Beltrami, and Northeast Park, the latter of which hosted a celebration unveiling the newly minted artwork adorning a bathroom facility on the far side of its baseball fields. These three neighborhoods collaborated to put together funding to commission new public art in their parks. The...
Give to the Max Day successful
25 November 2021
Thanks to everyone who supported the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District on Give to the Max Day November 18. The link is still available at https://www.givemn.org/organization/Northeast-Minneapolis-Arts-District The Arts District’s mission is to catalyze the innovative spirit of artists through generative community arts development. It is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization. The goal of $2,500 was reached and matched by Mike Vennewitz in honor of the late State Representative Diane Loeffler, his...
Call for Art: Nordhaus Apartments
21 November 2021
Art Force is requesting submissions for the first exhibit of 2022 at the gallery at NordHaus. The theme of the show is “Reflections.” The work should depict or respond to this theme. The exhibition will be installed in late December 2021/early January, 2022 and will remain installed for six months. Artwork will be available for sale and Art Force will manage those transactions. Submissions should be received by 5 p.m. CST on Friday, December 3, 2022. More details at the link below. https://www.artforce.org/post/call-for-art-nordhaus-apartments      
Holiday Art Events in the District
21 November 2021
It is time to shop art for the holidays. Events include Birawer Holiday, Second Saturday California Building, Casket 2nd Saturday, Holiday Saturday Northrup King Building and Solar: 10th Annual Holiday Open House. Use this as your guide to holiday shopping in the district this year. Birawer Gallery Birawer Holiday Our Annual Holiday Show will be Saturday, December 4th from 1PM – 9 PM at Michael Birawer Gallery. Just like last year, we are offering several special promotions. Throughout the Holiday...

November 2021

Arts District wants to work with elected officials to leverage the geography
31 October 2021
First Ward candidates participating in the Arts District-sponsored forum Oct. 18: Elliott Payne and Kevin Reich. The Arts District forum held on October 18 was an excellent civic exercise for the arts community. The major candidates from Ward 1 and 3 participated. The discourse was cordial and meaningful. While there were many statements made about how all the candidates love and support the arts, this forum was meant to tease out the nuances of the candidates’ positions and how they see and want...
Fall open studio events first weekend in Nov.
30 October 2021
It’s time for Art Attack, Art This Way, Open Casket, Thorp Warp, California Dreamin’, ArtBlok Fall Sale, Fall In Q.Arma, Holland Days and more. For information on open studio events on the first weekend in November, go to NEMAA website for information and links to the various social media for the buildings.   Art Attack! Rawr, it’s Art Attack! The Northrup King Building’s highly anticipated event showcases four floors of amazing art and gifts that will attack all your senses – in...
Program manager wanted for airport show
28 October 2021
Opportunity to coordinate a prestigious international exhibit of local Arts District artists. The Northeast Minneapolis Arts District seeks a program manager for our next visual arts exhibit at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport. Position begins early November 2021, the exhibit installs June 2022 and Deinstalls December 2022. Stipend $2,500. The Arts at MSP Program has approved the theme Chroma: A Spectrum of Beauty from the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District for an exhibit in the five...
Give to the Max Day
28 October 2021
Once again, Northeast Minneapolis Arts District will be participating in the annual Give to the Max Day state-wide fundraiser, taking place this year on Thursday, November 18: https://www.givemn.org/organization/Northeast-Minneapolis-Arts-District Our goal is to raise $2,000 from individuals and businesses who share our organization’s passion for the Northeast Arts District.  Funds raised through the 2021 campaign will support critical advocacy work to ensure that the District remains vibrant,...
Animal-theme social comment
28 October 2021
“We Beasties: Explorations of the Intersections Between Humans and Animals” solo show featuring the sculptures of Northeast Minneapolis artist Kyle Fokken is at Metro State University in the Gordon Parks Gallery through Dec. 2. Formally inspired by antique toys and folk art, the centerpiece is a backwards flying pig that projects a cosmic collection of colored lights onto the gallery walls. Miniature shopping carts support the animal as it hurtles through space. This work satirically points to Jeff...

October 2021

Candidate forum Oct. 18 to focus on arts, land use
10 October 2021
You are invited to attend the 1st and 3rd Ward Candidates Forum for Minneapolis City Council on Monday October 18th 6:30-8:30 pm Ward 1 Candidates – Kevin Reich and Elliott Payne Ward 2 Candidates – Steve Fletcher, Merv Moorhead and Michael Rainville Questions will be focused on Arts and Land-use-related issues in a live forum at the Solar Arts Building event space, 3rd floor of 711 15th Ave. NE. Major candidates have confirmed participation. It promises to be a unique and lively event. Have...
To Van Gogh or not to Van Gogh
01 October 2021
The new Immersive Van Gogh show at 15th and Central on the border of the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District has stirred some controversy. The arguments seem to be focused on whether it is trite. And will it continue to gentrify the neighborhood with all these Van Gogh enthusiasts coming to see this show? For most artists going through art school in the 1990s and early 2000s, Van Gogh posters were everywhere at museum stores. Not local art but Klimt, Warhol and Impressionist artists’ posters. Those...
New art venues in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District
10 September 2021
Meet the people behind three of the newest art spaces in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District TOA Presents Rob Sherer credits the pandemic with spurring him to do what he’d dreamed of for a while, opening a space at 655 19th Ave. NE where gallerists from other cities can expose the artists they represent, to the Twin Cities buying audience. People weren’t travelling, and there’s a hunger to see things in person. Rob Sherer talks with friends Gabrielle Grier and Roger Cummings from Juxtaposition...
Mark your calendars for fall open studios
10 September 2021
This graphic from Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association says it all. See websites and Facebook of NEMAA and the individual buildings for details as they are known.
Transformation Iron Casting Event
10 September 2021
James Brenner Sculpture, in partnership with the Holland Neighborhood Improvement Association (HNIA), Art Is My Weapon, and Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center (CAFAC), is holding a Cast Iron Event on Tuesday September 21st from 7:00-9:30pm at the Water Basin next to Edison Highschool, 22nd Ave NE and Quincy Street NE in Minneapolis. The focus of this event is transformation and change: What do we need to let go of, and what do we need to embrace as a community and as individuals? At the event, disabled...
See NKB plans Oct. 7 at First Thursday
01 September 2021
October 7, 5-9 p.m., First Thursday open studios at the Northrup King Building, 1500 Jackson St. NE, will feature a look at plans for site improvements. There will be live music by Mwago Kuria; traditional English pasties from Potter’s Pasties; and a presentation by Artspace Rafala Green Fellows Shalom Cook and Pablo Lituma, who will share results from their Radical Asset Mapping Project in Northeast Minneapolis. The presentation will be at 7:00 p.m. in Gallery 332. Announced NKB site improvements...

September 2021

Murals bring Arts District, Northeast to life
02 September 2021
Artists Gustavo Lira  and Victor Yepez stood with Solar Arts Building manager Mike Schardin prior to cutting a ribbon for the mural, Solar Arts Fauna, that graces the back of the Solar Arts Building at 711 15th Ave. NE. They described it as meant for community members of all ages to enjoy. Rodrigo Oñate, also known as Roco Drilo, designed the piece and executed it with the help of assistant Joshe Montaño, Lira and Yepez. He became friends with them during Art-A-Whirl® shows when first starting his...
Beverly Tipton Hammond shares a wealth of knowledge
02 September 2021
When Beverly Tipton Hammond, dance instructor at Pure Water School of Dance, talks about her art, she tells mesmerizing stories, each with significance. Starting ballet at the age of five, she was already exposed to her family who sang, danced, played instruments, and often listened to music. Tipton Hammond believes she was born to dance. Originally raised on the East Coast, living between Baltimore and Washington D.C., she spent summers in Minneapolis starting at the age of nine after her parents...
Align new developments with Art
02 September 2021
For many art is essential to place and identity. Art provokes conversation and social media posts. However, art for many real estate developments tends to be an afterthought. Within the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District we want to change that process and invite all developers to integrate arts in the original budgeting process. This allows designers and architects to build locations for art into the program as well as think about locally made functional art from the beginning of the development...
Donna Bruni's solo Summer Solstice exhibit
02 September 2021
Donna Bruni Recent Paintings catalog. Image provided by Doug Flanders & Associates   Douglas Flanders & Associates presents a solo exhibition by Donna Bruni, of renowned local and international acclaim, through Saturday, September 25, 2021. The gallery is open Tues – Sat, 11am – 5pm; at 818 W Lake Street, next to the Bryant Lake Bowl. The entire show can be viewed in-person or online at flandersart.com. Bruni’s work is influenced by the ever-present movement of nature, the paradigm we...
Immersive Van Gogh seeks artists in residence
02 September 2021
Immersive Van Gogh, the visually striking exhibition that invites audiences to step inside post-Impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh’s incredible works of art, is inviting Minneapolis artists to apply to the Artist-In-Residence program. Local artists can apply for the opportunity to create and cultivate their work in a unique space over the course of a month-long residency around the theme of van Gogh. Artists should have an inventory of work to display and sell, be comfortable working within the...
Northeast Calendar 2022
02 September 2021
  NE Calendar Cover from 2021 A quick reminder to photographers, artists and dabblers; September 12, 11:59 p.m. is the deadline for submitting images to be considered for the 2022 Northeast Calendar. You are paid for your work $200 per image if selected. Full submission guidelines are at https://northeastminneapolisartsdistrict.org/archives/ne-calendar/ The annual printed calendar is now a project of the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District, a result of our merger with Northeast CDC.
Marketing Studies available to Artists
02 September 2021
The Small Business Institute at the University of St. Thomas offers a team of senior-level marketing students who will spend an entire semester designing a marketing project. The Small Business Institute (SBI) provides local businesses, non-profit organizations, and schools high-quality business consulting in the area of marketing. With the guidance of experienced faculty and with your input, a team of senior-level marketing students will spend an entire semester designing and executing your consulting...
California Building Second Saturday Open Studios Sept 11th, 11-4pm
01 September 2021
The historic California Building is home to 80 artists. Please join them on September 11th from 11-4pm for Open Saturday.

August 2021

Mia visitors gripped by Barlow, Szyhalski shows
01 August 2021
As a former museum guard, I can tell you most art works get a cursory couple of seconds notice. Rarely do people spend 5-10 minutes at each piece, reading and studying, discussing…but that’s what I observed many visitors did during a visit to the shows by two local artists at Mia, the Minneapolis Institute of Art.   Leslie Barlow and Piotr Szyhalski , who both work out of the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District, show some very timely work of what our society is going through both politically and...
LeFlore will be part of “longest Mural in Minnesota” 
01 August 2021
The City of Bloomington will have new art through Ua Si Creative. The WE mural will be located in the South Loop neighborhood on 9,000 square feet of walls at the corner of American Boulevard and 30th Avenue South. Reggie LeFlore at work, photo by Margo Ashmore “We are so pleased to announce that a stakeholder panel selected Ua Si Creative as the curator and producer of the WE mural in the South Loop. Ua Si’s thoughtful process for artist selection and coordination, approach to the theme, and engagement...
The power of hands, the power of connection 
01 August 2021
George Floyd Square in South Minneapolis appeared both joyful and mellow on a Sunday afternoon July 11 with the sounds of gospel music and preaching emanating from a parking lot on one corner and an informal meeting of minds on another. Xavier Tavera and Maria Cristina (Tina) Tavera were there with fellow artists and supporters of the Social Justice Billboard Project that sits on top of buildings on the corner of 38th and Chicago avenues.  Xavier’s portrait-style photographs of hands making various...
Industrial land lost since 1984
26 July 2021
Using Geographic Information Systems software and publicly available data, University of Minnesota grad student intern Kenny Niemeyer created this version of our signature map, showing the locations of Arts Insights advertisers.  Since 1984, industrial land use in Minneapolis has been converted and developed for other uses. Across the entire city, the acreage of industrial land use reduced by 41% from almost 5,000 acres to just 2,900. The above Northeast Minneapolis Arts District map highlights...
Public Art at Timber & Tie: Request for Qualifications
26 July 2021
Members of the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District Land Trust Task Force recently toured the new Timber and Tie Urban Apartments  being constructed at 900 14th Ave. NE (a block west of Central), soon to be leased to persons at or below 60% of the Area Median Income.  Community amenities include a 5,000 square foot divisible maker’s space which is for lease to one group or several individual or smaller group artists, and a 500 square foot gallery space.  NE SCULPTURE | Gallery Factory will be administering...
Theater Latté Da announces new season
26 July 2021
Theater Latté Da has announced its 24th season. The season kicks off with “Puttin’ Up the Ritz” (Nov. 13 and 14). The re-opening concerts offer audiences the opportunity to raise a glass to celebrate a return to the Ritz Theater in Northeast Minneapolis with performances from the upcoming season, and an insider’s look into new works in development as well as favorites from award-winning Latté Da productions. “All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914” (Nov. 26 – Jan. 2, 2022), the poignant docu-musical...
Loretta Bebeau at Regions
25 July 2021
Loretta Bebeau shared her process of combining hands and languages. The video and stills were made while working on a commission for Regions Hospital, brokered through ArtForce’s Leslie Palmer-Ross. View Video
California Building Second Saturday Open Studios Aug 14 11-4pm
20 July 2021
The historic California Building is home to 80 artists. Please join them on August 14th from 11-4pm for Open Saturday

July 2021

Weigh in on creating a new Arts Office for Minneapolis
01 July 2021
In late July, the Minneapolis City Council will vote on an ordinance establishing a Department of Art and Cultural Affairs. Ninth Ward Council Member Alondra Cano, who spearheaded the effort to create the office, said that the arts are a five billion-dollar industry in the city, and the new department “would acknowledge how much we receive from it.” She added current arts support is diffused, the city needs a “dedicated, centralized, and reliable funding source” (the general fund) for arts projects...
Nick Legeros: Sculpting a Life — new book
01 July 2021
Cover of Nick Legeros’s book Nick Legeros, prolific sculptor, was  honored by the  Edina Community Foundation; they worked to produce a book this spring that features the recognizable sculpture work of the Edina native. Nick’s studio has been a staple on 14th Avenue NE Minneapolis for over 20 years. His career spans more than 500 works of art. From his Minneapolis-based Blue Ribbon Bronze studio and foundry, Nick creates commissioned work for clients ranging from cities and businesses...
Preserving plywood protest boards
01 July 2021
Memorialize the Movement (MTM) founder and Executive Director Leesa Kelly.Anyone who wants to “own a piece of this history,” referring to the plywood protest art created after the murder of George Floyd, gets “a flat and resounding NO” from Memorialize the Movement (MTM) founder and Executive Director Leesa Kelly. “You can attend the public events like anyone else,” but the idea of people making historic artifacts something only available to whoever visits their home “is just a grotesque concept,”...
Arts District needs images for 2022 Calendar
01 July 2021
The Northeast Minneapolis Arts District is looking for active, colorful, beautiful and/or funny images from Northeast or by artists based in Northeast that bring cheer and a feeling of togetherness, community, even healing. Images can be, but do not need to be, tied to recognizable individual neighborhood landmarks. Jurors will look for variety in areas, seasons and perspectives. NE Calendar Cover from 2021 The merger of the Arts District with Northeast CDC underscores our commitment to artists of...
Priorities and leverage: Support for arts office
29 June 2021
Reprinted/adapted with permission from the Northeaster newspaper. There are many reasons to support expanding the city of Minneapolis’ commitment to arts, from arts’ intrinsic value, to a desire to catch up to otherwise comparable cities. We urge support for a new department of Arts and Cultural Affairs. Public comment is open now through July 21 online  (see MyNortheaster.com for link). The full text of the ordinance is available at https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/File/2021-00387. The Northeaster’s...
How they looked at zoning in 1968
29 June 2021
University of Minnesota graduate student Kenny Niemeyer is interning with the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District this summer cataloging the land uses, talking with building owners and exploring ways to preserve maker space and compatible industry. Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Mapping, he created this version of the map readers usually see, showing the locations of the entities that advertise on the Arts Insights page in the Northeaster newspaper. The map shows land use in 1968, scanned...

June 2021

Corner to Corner
01 June 2021
Two shows on the Southwest and Northeast corners of the Arts District are going on simultaneously. Zoran Mojsilov‘s show at the Grain Belt Bottling House, and Witt Siasoco’s paintings in a Lowry/Central storefront. Mojsilov’s exhibit hosted a collaborative pop up poetry reading (Vimeo below) by Bryan Thao Worra Zoran Mojsilov show image created by Candy Kuehn Thao Worra commented: “Reading my poem “The Dancer Introduces One Of His Aspects” from my 2008 collection...
Call for Artists: Creative Response Funds Available for Community-Based Artists to Support Community Well Being
20 May 2021
Photo by Pierre Ware of Harvest Feast by Sayge Carroll and Keegan Xavi. The Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy invites applications for the Creative Response Fund- Community Well-Being grant opportunity. Community based artists in Minnesota are invited to gather a team and apply for Creative Response Fund grants of up to $15,000 per project, 13 projects will be awarded in 2021. Learn more here. Application Deadline: June 30th, 2021 at 11:59pm CST. Interested applicants can join a zoom...
Remembering Spencer Silver
20 May 2021
Described in the Casket Arts directory as a retired 3M chemist who has spent the last 30 years painting in acrylics and oils, Spencer Silver’s latest multi-canvas floral and natural works featured ideas about the prairie. When he passed away at age 80 on May 8, we learned (if we didn’t know already) of his fame as the co-inventor of the Post-It Note. Silver invented the repositionable adhesive many years before colleague Art Fry put it to use bookmarking his choir music. Silver was named in dozens...
Meet Kenny Niemeyer, intern
20 May 2021
University of MN graduate student Kenny Niemeyer will use his GIS (Geographic Information System) skills to help the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District’s Land Trust Task Force catalog arts spaces, industrial uses and businesses in the Arts District, and meet with arts and industrial building owners. Niemeyer is in his second year at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, concentrating in housing policy and environmental planning. His undergrad degree is in global studies (environment and sustainable...
If Northrup King Buildings' walls could talk
20 May 2021
The undeveloped buildings in the Northrup King complex, 1500 Jackson St. NE, each present interesting challenges or opportunities. Northeast Minneapolis Arts District board members got a sneak peek tour May 24. Artspace is committed to maintaining the existing artist studio space in current configuration. Planning around redevelopment of vacant buildings is actively underway. A six-story building sits at the end of the in-use dock level next to the building we now think of as Northrup King Building....

May 2021

Documentary photos, and art, move awareness and change
01 May 2021
by Josh Blanc Art has been front and center throughout the past year responding to the pandemic and the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Art throughout history has always been a powerful medium for society to understand complicated and difficult situations. For reference, two artists who documented their societies’ indifferences and brutality were Francis Goya of Spain 1746 -1828 and American Gordon Parks, 1912 -2006. Francis Goya’s “Third of May 1808” painting...
The Wary and the Fierce
29 April 2021
“It’s fun to realize that all the connections I had to get this project done happened in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District or just outside of it. We are so lucky to live/work in such a great community that we can take advantage of these connections and work together,” said Kyle Fokken of his latest project.  The Wary and the Fierce by Kyle Fokken Permanently installed as a gateway outside the event center where the Mankato State University Mavericks hockey team plays, the heads of two bulls...
Notes Around the Arts District
29 April 2021
by NE-AD Board of Directors Ouroboros-as-Mind-35-x-37-2 • The Northeast Minneapolis Arts District board congratulates Public Functionary, recipient of the remaining $1 million from Intermedia Arts. The organization is inviting collaboration at hello@publicfunctionary.org. For more information, see their website and Facebook page. • Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association continues to walk the transitional fine line between encouraging people to come in person/by appointment for Art-A-Whirl® May 14-16,...
Thinking of donating?
28 April 2021
Thinking of donating to NE Mpls. Arts District? You can do it anytime by going to our Donate page on this website. From May 1-11 we’ll also be on GiveMN.org participating in SpringForwardMN. https://www.givemn.org/organization/Northeast-Minneapolis-Arts-District. One of our goals for SpringForwardMN is to raise funds to pay photographers to document the Arts District for uses like this effort. To put our best foot forward while properly compensating artists. Also, whenever you see a themed gallery...

April 2021

The Social Justice Billboard Project and NE SCULPTURE
31 March 2021
The Social Justice Billboard Project and NE SCULPTURE | Gallery Factory are delighted to announce that the National Academy of Design, Abbey Mural Committee has awarded support for 2021-22 Phase II production. This launches Phase II of the Social Justice Billboard Project, through February 2022. The Social Justice Billboard Project elevates BIPOC voices and artwork in the Minneapolis community using the three billboards facing the intersection of 38th and Chicago, the site of George Floyd’s...
Arts District Envoy on the Radio
30 March 2021
Submitted by Layl McDill … On March 27, Art to Change the World was the co-host of the Connections Radio on AM950. The topic of conversation was the Arts District Palette – Where Neighbors and Artists Mix. The developers of the Huxley have commissioned 224 pieces of art by NEMAA and ACW artists to be given as part of a welcome swag bag to the new residents. Director Barbara Bridges invited Council Member Kevin Reich, artist and Tres Leches gallery owner Alison Price and ceramicist and...
Salute to Karen Wilcox
29 March 2021
“Hope” acrylic and oil on plaster, 2020. by Karen Wilcox By Josh Blanc … Artist and studio organizing consultant Karen Wilcox parted from Northeast Minneapolis Arts District/NECDC board of directors at the end of March 2021. Karen was part of the first generation of the board, which started in 2014. She quickly took the role of secretary. Ms. Wilcox is a master of the English language; her skills are evident in the Arts Insights pages and our monthly e-newsletter, where she has edited and even...
Home Stretch for Voting for Arts District Award
26 March 2021
  Photo by Mike Madison We are half way though the daily voting for the best arts district competition. We are currently in 3rd place in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Travel Awards. Last time we were nominated, we won this award (2015). It was accomplished with a dedicated artist community of 800 artists and friends voting daily. Today we estimate we have 1200 artists in the Arts District, so our chances should be higher. But to accomplish this feat again we will have to harness our best...

March 2021

Dyani White Hawk is the 2020 Bemis Alumni Award Winner!
28 February 2021
Dyani White Hawk. Photo by David Ellis. Dyani White Hawk (Sičáŋǧu Lakota) is a visual artist and independent curator based in Northeast Minneapolis Arts District in the Thorp Building. White Hawk was a 2017–18 Bemis exhibiting artist in Monarchs: Brown and Native Contemporary Artists in the Path of the Butterfly. The annual $5,000 unrestricted award is designed to provide financial support to increase the capacity of a Bemis alum’s practice. Funds may be used for any purpose and do not need to be...
NEMAA ponders May event
28 February 2021
At their annual meeting February 23, Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association’s board and staff talked about plans to support member artists in promoting even more robust online stores than they mounted for recent events, and to launch those improvements around the typical weekend for Art-A-Whirl.  They reviewed some of the government guidelines for social distancing, and are leaving it up to artists and building management to figure out whether to be open and what hours, suggesting that visitors be...
Woodworkers make their mark
28 February 2021
“People looking at art furniture are not price shopping,” said Tom Schrunk. They’ve already gone to other stores and they’re looking for something that makes their own statement, fits their physical stature or the size of their rooms. “It might cost more, but maybe not a lot more.” Thomas Schrunk can’t read music, but the folks who make Steinway grand pianos consider him a virtuoso of veneer. Photo courtesy of Steinway In the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District, there are about 200 artists...
American Craft Council - gem in our midst
28 February 2021
When the COVID-19 pandemic tanked art fairs and craft sales last year, the American Craft Council teamed up with other national organizations to host hundreds of people on a series of Zoom calls talking about relevant survival topics. This national organization occupies a suite at the former Grain Belt Brewery, 1224 Marshall St. NE, where a library of archives of many regional craft organizations and competition slides from early artisans serve to inspire current artists of all genres. It’s the 80th...

February 2021

Social Justice Exhibit Dates Extended
21 February 2021
Saturday, February 20th and 27th  from noon-4pm. There are limited number of people allowed, so I will be in my studio #170, clay@3 on February 13th so stop by and say hi after you see the show.   Masked will be in the Social Justice Exhibit, completed January, 2021 Artists of the 2021 Social Justice Exhibit:  A. Drew Hammond, Beverly Tipton Hammond, Kathy Mommsen, seangarrison, Broderick Poole, Loretta Bebeau, and Karen Kraco. In this new work above, I carve directly...
Northeaster awarded for arts and more
31 January 2021
By Karen Kraco Arts figured prominently in the Northeaster newspaper’s awards from the Minnesota Newspaper Association’s Better Newspaper Contest, judged by journalists from another state. The Northeaster won a first place for Use of Photography as a Whole in its circulation category, and Mike Madison, a photographer with studio in the Casket Arts Building won a first in Portrait & Personality for his portrait of Warren Thomas Fenzi. Liz Jensen’s story on Tuscaloosa, a movie directed by Philip...
Artist and Art-A-Whirl Instigator David Felker dead at 80
30 January 2021
By Mark Peterson When his friends were asked for a word to describe David Felker, “visionary” came up more than once. Felker, who died December 31 in Washington State following an earlier stroke and COVID-19, played a pivotal role in the creation of Art-A-Whirl® and the resultant flowering of the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District in the 1990s. Photo of Dave Felker by Hal Gage California Building president John Kremer said Felker came into his office in 1995 with a proposal for an art studio tour...
Call for Art: The Huxley Commissions 224 Artworks
30 January 2021
By Barbara Bridges Art to Change the World (ACW) has issued a call for art, and objects, coupons or other contributions from Northeast businesses, restaurants, organizations and banks. The non-profit ACW is organizing a neighborhood networking project to welcome more than 100 new neighbors at The Huxley apartments. It’s named Arts District Palette: Where Artists and Neighbors Mix (ADP:WANM). The Huxley, at 657 22nd Ave. NE, is under construction. When finished, the J-Row sculpture trail will run...
Northeast Minneapolis Arts District at MSP Airport
18 January 2021
By Margo Ashmore Travelers spending time at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport will enjoy viewing art by hundreds of Northeast Minneapolis Arts District-based artists. Part of the Airport Foundation’s Arts@MSP program, the exhibit “Passages” includes a slide show of images by 182 artists and a history of the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District as well as two-dimensional and three-dimensional works by 21 artists. It is located in the Thomson Reuters Airport Mall Gallery in Terminal 1. Additionally,...

January 2021

An Original Art A Whirl Creator Dies
03 January 2021
for dave felker when you write a poem for someone that’s left us, someone that’s passed on, you’re always looking for a doorway in, a passage towards something deeper, something significant, something that touches the soul. my door to dave was his sweetness. now i know that i just wrote about how sweet charlie thysell was, and he was one beautiful man, but damn, dave felker was such a sweet man too. i guess i’m just blessed with the sweetest of friends. so this story starts...
Politics on Paper
01 January 2021
By Josh Blanc Our society has had many years of difficult political conversations. What is right and wrong? How do we solve problems? How do our choices in policy affect those we don’t know or understand? A popular way for the public to digest complicated political conversations is the political cartoon featured in newspapers and social media. Steve Sack, an artist who used to have a studio in the Northrup King Building, is one of the most recognizable political cartoonists in Minnesota. There are...
“STRONGER TOGETHER,” Northeast Minneapolis Arts District and Northeast CDC have merged
31 December 2020
The Northeast Minneapolis Arts District and the Northeast Community Development Corporation directors announce they have merged, as of Dec. 30, 2020, to become Northeast Community Development Corporation, dba (doing business as) The Northeast Minneapolis Arts District, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. “Some of the recent land development within the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District threatens the integrity of the land designated by the City of Minneapolis as industrial zones. This underscores...

December 2020

The Dakota 38
01 December 2020
Thursday, December 3, 2020 – 8:00pm Watch the movie on YouTube at the link below Cost: absolutely FREE Panel Discussion on Zoom at 8pm CDT Casket Cinema continues a season of pandemic cinema with a virtual screening of a documentary filmed in MN and South Dakota, “THE DAKOTA 38”. Filmed in 2008, finished in 2012, it follows a group of Native Americans on horseback as they journey 330 miles from South Dakota to Mankato. The viewer and the riders are lead by on this vision quest by own...
For jobs and arts: Arts District fights to preserve industrial land
30 November 2020
On Friday, Nov. 13, the Minneapolis City Council voted against the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District’s interest for the property development on 2301 California St. NE. It was disheartening as the vote was 12 to 1 with only one council member (Lisa Goodman, who is not from Northeast) voting against the development. Here lies truth from 2301 California St protest The fight has awakened a resolve to find multiple ways to accomplish the goal of preserving the Arts District. The fight has strengthened...
Results from “the Max"
30 November 2020
Thursday, November 19 was a lot of fun, as Give to the Max Day generated approximately $6,600 for the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District. We gave away two Water Taxi experiences, to Mark Jones and Larry & Patti Rogacki, as prize incentives for donating during two time periods at a certain level. Suzann Beck Last Rose of Summer Thanks to the following people, some off-line and a few anonymous, we raised in excess of our $2,500 goal which was matched by Mike Venne-witz in honor of State Representative...
A slice of what you’ll see at airport
30 November 2020
Curators are hard at work putting the finishing touches on plans for two exhibits that will be mounted at the MSP International Airport in mid-January. The “Arts@MSP exhibits, featuring Northeast artists, will be on display through 2021. Applicant notifications will be sent soon. The Arts@MSP program is sponsored by the Airport Foundation MSP, in partnership with the Metropolitan Airports Commission. Hundreds of artwork images were submitted for a slide show that will soon be available online. Thanks...

November 2020

Give to the Max for the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District
15 November 2020
Support Northeast Minneapolis Arts District on Give to the Max Day (or before) and your contribution will be matched! Mike Vennewitz, in honor of State Representative Diane Loeffler, has challenged the Arts District to raise $2,500 that he will match. Every contribution up to $2,500 logged in by noon on Thursday, Nov. 19 will be doubled. Rep. Loeffler was a joyful art buyer and giver, and she recognized the policy work needed to preserve and expand space for people of all backgrounds and skills to...
Fighting City Hall and Developers
08 November 2020
The fight goes on! The 2301 California St. NE development is currently in process until Friday Nov. 13th when the city council will decide whether they will deny the zoning change that will stop the project or NOT and let the project go forward. We still have a chance to stop this project and others like in the future. Your voice and energy is needed this week. While we support affordable housing in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District, such housing should not be substandard or hazardous and should...
The Developer Graveyard Art Happening
08 November 2020
The Developer Graveyard Art Happening Wednesday, November 11th at High Noon at California Building Masks required You are Invited The artists and neighbors of the NE Minneapolis Arts District are going to create The Developer Graveyard Art Happening at the 2301 California St NE site. We are looking to create tons of art gravestones at the site. The Arts District wants to empower artists and community members to lay this thing to rest.  Bring pre-made (left over from Halloween painted grey with black...
Rosalux Open Door Exhibition Submission November 5th
01 November 2020
Rosalux is excited to announce an open call for submissions for our annual Open Door exhibition which will launch on December 8th of this year.  Due to the COVID Pandemic, we will be hosting this year’s exhibition online as part of our Home-Works series and as an exhibition in print.  Open Door is an exciting opportunity for artists outside the collective to share their work with our audience and become a part of our community. Because of the new exhibition format submissions will be free this...
Give to the Max Day
01 November 2020
By Margo Ashmore Support the Arts District on Give to the Max Day “The best thing about Northeast is its eclectic vibe …[it’s where] old and new Minneapolis meet. The southern portion … is filled with dive bars … around for decades, award-winning new restaurants, breweries and art studios galore that come even more alive during the annual Art-a-Whirl studio tour…The Arts District is a highly walkable area within it … that offers a little of everything that makes greater Northeast the neighborhood...
NE Land Grab
29 October 2020
By Josh Blanc The current development proposal by LS Black Developers at 2301 California Street is an brazen attempt to take existing I-1 industrial land and turn it into an “affordable mixed use housing”. This type of housing will not help people currently living in tents in the parks.  The developers thinly disguise their proposal by offering the minimum production space to appease the arts community. They have not reached out to the arts community to even ask who we are and what we...

October 2020

Council Member Steve Fletcher caught off guard by opposition
02 October 2020
Bottineau Neighborhood Association (BNA) has a long history of support for building new affordable housing, so it apparently caught developers and Council Member Steve Fletcher off guard to hear opposition to the latest proposal for housing at 2301 California Street NE. The issues germane to the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District are these: 23rd & California St NE LS Black Proposed building   1. Inadequate production space. The building, which promises 164 units of multi-bedroom housing...
Tribute to Aldo Moroni, a community builder
02 October 2020
by City Councilman Kevin Reich Last December, the City of Minneapolis celebrated the life and contributions of a beloved and iconic artist with a resolution honoring our own Aldo Moroni. This week we mourn Aldo’s passing. Much more than just a great artist, he was a consummate community builder. He saw everyone as his neighbor, and he centered his neighbors in all of his work from the smallest bronze replica of a landmark building to ambitiously sprawling civilizations; likewise, he centered...
Reinventing Gift Giving
01 October 2020
Down with Soulless Gifting – Support the Stand With Artists Project (SWAP) ACW Registry by Barbara Bridges Community: a feeling of connectedness with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals. You may be a member of many communities related to faith, school, work, social action, gardening and family. The Northeast Minneapolis based global non-profit, Art to Change the World, bonds its community with the belief that art CAN and DOES change the world. We are currently challenged...
aldo poem memory story
01 October 2020
by Dougie Padilla so, do you remember back in the olden times, like maybe fifteen years ago when aldo grew up and destroyed most all the civilizations of babylon, grew them out of bag after bag of clay, created endless small ancient buildings and towns, labored long ecstatic hours/days/months, all in his studio/gallery in the california building in northeast back in was it the zeros? well, me, i remember him, mad as a hatter, dressed all babylonian, tromping thru his enormous earthen creation of...
The weight we carry
28 September 2020
OPENING RECEPTION: Friday, September 11, 7-9 pm at the Gallery Factory, with safety precautions in place. Link to Facebook event here. GALLERY HOURS: September 11 – October 10, Thursday, Friday, Saturday 12-5 pm or by appointment (612-743-6664) with safety precautions (see below). Find directions and a map on our website here. Note: In light of safety concerns, we will be practicing social distancing, limiting to ten people in the gallery at one time, supplying masks to those who do not have...
Airport Thank You!
26 September 2020
Artist Kyle Fokken The Northeast Minneapolis Arts District is thrilled with the enthusiastic response to our Call for Artwork for our year-long exhibits, scheduled to launch at MSP International Airport in January 2021. 70 artists submitted work for consideration on the Passages theme, and more than 40 for The Art of Abstraction. The curatorial process, choosing from these submissions, is now underway. In addition, there will be more than 500 images in the looping Slide Show. This is a great opportunity...
Reading through Reconstruction
24 September 2020
Adapted from the newsletter of Eat My Words Bookstore This collection of books comes mainly from the depths of an old friend’s uncle’s house. From deep within the basement, shrouded in dust, these writings are about the colossal failure and small successes of the American Reconstruction Era. Titles such as An American Crisis, From Blood Shirt to Full Dinner Pail, and The Avenger Takes His Place all have an ominous ring to them. I don’t remember much about the Reconstruction Era from history class;...
Witt Siasoco and Carry on Homes 2020 census events in the Arts District
19 September 2020
Creative CityMaking (CCM) is proud to support CCM artist Witt Siasoco and the Carry on Homes team (and winners of the Creative City Challenge) to extend their programming for the 2020 Census. CCM funding supported the team’s September events in Northeast Minneapolis, where they engaged community members about the importance of completing the 2020 Census. Updated NEWS a federal judge U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh overturned the attempt to cut off the Census, so now they have until Oct. 31 to...
Art supply donation drive to celebrate "Collection Point"
13 September 2020
The City’s new facility for Solid Waste & Recycling services in Northeast Minneapolis Arts District is also home to “Collection Point,” a new public artwork. To celebrate, the City is holding an art supply donation event. “Collection Point” was recently completed and installed at the southeast corner of the East Side Storage and Maintenance Facility, at 351 26th Ave NE. Inspired by the many seen and unseen collections within Northeast, artist Randy Walker designed and assembled this...

September 2020

Three opportunities to show your work at the MSP Airport Deadline September 15
30 August 2020
The Northeast Minneapolis Arts District has arranged for a group of exhibits at the Minneapolis / St. Paul International Airport. All eligible artists may apply to the unjuried Slide Show as well as one of the curated exhibits (Passages OR The Art of Abstraction). These exhibits will introduce the traveling public to the many artists of the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District and the wealth of thought-provoking and memorable visual art being created here. In addition to showcasing artists’ best work,...
Lizard lands a home: Mary Johnson’s larger-than-life animals
30 August 2020
by Mike Madison Mary Johnson’s whimsical sculptures can be seen from blocks away. Her most recent installation, “Lizard Lounge,” has a new permanent home at East Side Neighborhood Services (ESNS), 1700 Second St. NE. “I started and completed it in 2008, but I’ve worked on it several times, most recently last week. It’s based on 1950s roadside attractions—they always had a catchy name. It’s made with stucco. The materials are all genuine to what a 1950s roadside attraction would...
Art/Include/Act, a virtual PechaKucha Sept. 13
29 August 2020
by Margo Ashmore The Northeast Minneapolis Arts District hosts “Art/Include/Act,” a virtual PechaKucha event. It’s Sunday, September 13, 2020, 7 p.m. via Zoom. Artists are making news for helping express and heal recent and historical trauma. But bringing communities together through arts is a time-honored practice. “Art/Include/Act” looks at the social practice of involving community members’ voices through collaborative art-making. Visual and/or performing arts, temporary or permanent. PechaKuchas...
Quarantine Confidential: Hend Al-Mansour
28 August 2020
Written by Rosalux Gallery Rosalux Gallery has done a series of articles about their artists called Quarantine Confidential. The articles touch upon challenges, funny moments, and reveal what artists do during these challenging times with their creative minds. Thank you, Rosalux Gallery and the artists, for sharing these interviews with the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District. Quarantine Confidential: Hend Al-Mansour What’s your favorite disaster movie? The title is “Between Heaven and Earth,” a...
Northeast Calendar call for images – due Sept. 10
26 August 2020
by Margo Ashmore The deadline for submitting artwork to be considered for the Northeast Calendar is fast approaching; September 10. The Northeast Community Development Corporation (NECDC) coordinates the Northeast Calendar, and is soliciting images that represent the 14 Northeast neighborhoods. New guidelines this year: An image may represent a neighborhood simply due to the artist living or working in that neighborhood. It does not have to be a landmark. All mediums welcome. “We’re looking...
Mirror at Rosalux Gallery
06 August 2020
“Isn’t it ironic that ‘2020’ often refers to seeing things more clearly? Well, this year has certainly done that. 2020 has grabbed us by the shoulders and given the world a much needed shake. First, a global quarantine forced humankind to break from the normal routine of ‘commute, consume, repeat.’ Shocking at first, but in hindsight, it’s become clear that we don’t need to live that way — something Mother Nature has been begging us to realize for decades. And then,...

August 2020

Mirror at Rosalux Gallery
06 August 2020
“Isn’t it ironic that ‘2020’ often refers to seeing things more clearly? Well, this year has certainly done that. 2020 has grabbed us by the shoulders and given the world a much needed shake. First, a global quarantine forced humankind to break from the normal routine of ‘commute, consume, repeat.’ Shocking at first, but in hindsight, it’s become clear that we don’t need to live that way — something Mother Nature has been begging us to realize for decades. And then,...
Arts District artists to showcase at MSP Airport
31 July 2020
Online submissions open August 15 for three Northeast Minneapolis Arts District exhibit opportunities at MSP International Airport. Arts@MSP Program awarded the proposal sent by Arts District board member Leslie Palmer-Ross and Exhibit Coordinator Denise Tennen. Work will be on display January through December of 2021. “Visitors to the airport may have lots of time to take in the exhibits while they wait for flights. This is a great way to invite them to include the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District...
NE Arts District seeks greater community participation
31 July 2020
by Josh Blanc Since its inception in 2012, the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District e-newsletter has published 100 editions. About a dozen writers, poets and reporters have contributed material about artists and their experiences in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District. More than 240 individuals or institutions have been mentioned or profiled. The goal has been to get the broadest perspective on what artists create, build and think about. For example, in September 2017, Aldo Moroni wrote about...
NE Sculpture | Gallery Factory's Social Justice Billboard Project
21 July 2020
The first three works of the Social Justice Billboard Project are up! You can see the artworks by William Ransom, Peyton Scott Russell and Melodee Strong on our Instagram and Facebook, or in person at the vigil site on 38th Street and Chicago Ave. South, Minneapolis, MN. A big thank you to all who have supported the Project so far by donating or sharing the information with their communities. Because of your help and generosity, the SJBP GoFundMe has raised over $12,000, enough for a year-long payment...
NEMAA "10x10 Online Shop" Call For Art
21 July 2020
Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association’s 10×10 Online Shop will will be launched to the public Saturday, Sept. 26 at 5 p.m. This virtual event will serve as both a fundraiser for NEMAA as well as a promotional and sales opportunity for NEMAA artists who donate work. Deadline September 16, 2020. Artists may donate work through September 16, and those who donate before August 16 get first priority to appear in publicity. All artworks will be available for purchase for $35.00, proceeds to benefit NEMAA....
Michelle Woster joins the Arts District Board
20 July 2020
We welcome Michelle Woster to the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District Board. She brings a voice of the theater community. Since 2018, Michelle has been the managing director of Theater Latté Da, the entity that owns The Ritz Theater. Before that, Michelle served as the managing director of Ten Thousand Things Theater, where she worked for ten years with the company’s small staff and board to grow this locally-recognized treasure into a leader on the national theater scene. She has also held senior...
Four Painters at Kolman & Pryor Gallery
20 July 2020
Inspired by the Walker Art Center’s Painter Painter exhibition in 2013, and the “epic conversation” they enjoyed afterward, Kolman & Pryor Gallery co-owner, Patrick Pryor, and gallery artist, Betsy Ruth Byers, have co-curated a follow-up exhibition featuring new work by four Minnesota artists, Samuel Bjorgum, Regan Golden, James Holmberg, and Syed Hosain. The exhibition, Four Painters, opens September 12 and runs through October 31. Visitors can view the show in person at the gallery on Saturdays,...

July 2020

Artists respond to Floyd’s murder, systemic racism
29 June 2020
Compiled by Josh Blanc The murder of George Floyd has marked a new consciousness in Minneapolis and beyond. Artists from the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District with different vantage points, and who have been working on issues of equality and justice for many years, are engaging on the front lines in this transformative moment. #creativesaftercurfew by Leslie Barlow Using the hashtag #creativesaftercurfew, Leslie Barlow and about two dozen other predominantly BIPOC (Black/indigenous/people of color)...
Creative Feed: Co-op will trade food for art, pay for supplies
29 June 2020
Co-op Art: Corn, by Charles Lyon Eastside Food Co-op introduces Creative Feed, a new way to bring even more local art to Central Avenue and to support the community of artists who call Northeast Minneapolis home. Eastside Food Coop is opening windows, walls, and walkways to the artists of Northeast. Proposals are requested from Minneapolis visual artists for temporary, two-dimensional public artwork centered on themes of food, healing, nature, justice, community and solidarity. Proposals can include...
Northeast artist selected for Roseville public art project
29 June 2020
by Mark Peterson Northeast artist Kao Lee Thao was one of twenty selected to design and decorate nearly seven-foot-high fiberglass rose statues, all of which will be displayed in outdoor spaces throughout Roseville from July 1 to October 31, as part of the “Roseville in Bloom” public art project. Hmong Story Cloth Kao Lee Thao   Thao is also one of five artists selected to create a mural on glass for Minneapolis’s new Public Services Building, set for completion this year. The mural will reflect...
Northeaster newspaper readers embrace the arts
29 June 2020
According to 250 community members who responded to the Northeaster online survey conducted May 6 to June 15, local arts ranked high among things to do. The most popular entertainment venues visited in the previous twelve months were movie theaters (74%), bars and clubs (65%) for Northeaster readers surveyed, followed closely by live performing arts and art museums (64% each). More than half (54%) reported visiting one or more art studios. A variety of other activities were offered, including attending...
Northeast Calendar Call for Art: Due Sept. 10
28 June 2020
To provide cheer and inspire community every day of the year, the Northeast Calendar returns for 2021. Artists of all mediums are welcome to submit images representing each of Northeast’s 14 neighborhoods, by September 10, 2020. A total of $3,000 will be awarded, $200 per image with one image as the cover, at $400. The calendars will be distributed free through sponsoring businesses in December. Northeast Community Development Corporation coordinates the calendar, and expresses a preference for active,...
Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy virtual office hours
28 June 2020
Community members are welcome to reserve virtual ‘office hour’ time with the City of Minneapolis’ Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy team. “Once someone inquires, we can provide our phone number for a one-on-one call. We don’t have all the answers but can help people/businesses/organizations think through their issues and direct them to good resources,” said Brenda Kayzar. Reservations are required. Upcoming dates and contact information: For meetings with Gulgun Kayim, Director of Arts, Culture...

June 2020

Our city is on fire. Our hearts are broken.
31 May 2020
Two poems by Eyenga Bokamba. Our city is on fire. Our hearts are broken. Painting titles part II. This is a recitation of painting titles for a healing world. Pictured behind me: “Meditation on Silence” created in 2010. #blacklivesmatter #justiceforgeorgefloyd #heal #create #speak “These poems were constructed from titles of paintings the artist created over the past 11 years while basing her studio practice in NE Minneapolis.” Eyenga Bokamba’s Instagram  www.eyengabokambapaintings.com
Jeff Lohaus Tribute
30 May 2020
Jeff Lohaus riding his sculpture outside his studio Photo by: Foster Willey   Inside Jeff Lohaus’s studio  Photo by: Foster Willey Sculptor and painter Jeff Lohaus died suddenly over Memorial weekend. Lohaus once sold miniature sculptures of a pierogi on a fork, fundraising for a larger installation surrounded by words in several languages to celebrate the many cultures that have foods similar to the Polish or Ukrainian pierogi. Fellow artist Jack Pavlik said on Facebook “I knew Jeff in...
Zoran's Corner of NE
29 May 2020
by Josh Blanc At the new playground beyond Sheridan Memorial Park, you’ll encounter the first actual climbing boulders in the city not made of plastic, and other sculptures by Zoran Mojsilov. Before you get there, visible from the Broadway Bridge or walking to the river end of 13th Avenue, you’ll see Zoran’s outdoor studio. It’s a place where the public is invited to watch him work and a gift by the artist to the community—art enjoyment for those who can not afford to purchase a large sculpture....
Virtual Art-A-Whirl Recap
28 May 2020
by Leslie Palmer-Ross and Margo Ashmore Under the restrictions of the COVID-19 directives, we were not able to gather in person for the largest studio crawl in the country, but Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association’s feverish effort to build virtual aspects of Art-A-Whirl paid off, and the event site artawhirl.org will remain open for business all summer long. Bicycle Theory and Curbside Marketing, LLC, teamed up with NEMAA and hundreds of artists to post studio tours and demonstrations, as well...
Message from the Board
27 May 2020
George Floyd watercolor by Kara van Wyk We are in an intense time in our city and our world. The COVID-19 international challenge had been all-consuming. Minneapolis is now the newest epicenter of response to systemic racism after the murder of George Floyd, a black man, by police officers was captured on video. We condemn the racist violence exhibited by the Minneapolis Police Department leading to George Floyd’s death and are outraged and overwhelmed with sadness. Our city is in a lot of...
Heads Up - Grants for Businesses with No Employees Coming Soon!
23 May 2020
by City of Minneapolis office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy Businesses with no employees will be able to apply for grants up to $3,000. There will be a separate application process and deadline posted to the Hennepin County website. Check the Hennepin County small business website for application details and sign up to receive notifications. Self-employed creatives are eligible to apply.

May 2020

Art-A-Whirl LIVE! All Summer Long
14 May 2020
NEMAA Presents the 25th Art-A-Whirl ONLINE Art-A-Whirl is the largest open studio tour in the country, and is celebrating its 25th year! Due to COVID-19, we can’t gather together across Northeast Minneapolis this May, but over 1,000 artists, galleries, bands, businesses, restaurants, and breweries are active and ready to connect with you through the Art-A-Whirl Online Experience. + Find artists by map location, studio building, or medium. + Browse over 800 artist profiles and shops with shipping...
NEMAA Director Anna Becker Interviewed on Art Wunderful
14 May 2020
On his weekly Podcast “Art Wunderful” (Episode 15), Rogue Buddha Gallery owner Nicholas Harper interviews Anna Becker, the Executive Director of Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association (NEMAA). Their discussion revolves around this year’s Art-A-Whirl (LIVE ONLINE), and also includes some of the organization’s history and how it connects artists to the wider community. To listen to this podcast and others, visit www.roguebuddha.com/PODCAST.
"Max Rabitat" Along the River First Gateway Trail
28 April 2020
Mary Johnson’s sculpture, “Max Rabitat,” has attracted much photographic attention since first landing on 22nd Avenue NE across from the California Building.  On April 17, the social distancing mask was added. Coordinated by NE Sculpture | Gallery Factory, “Max”  is a third entry on what will become the River First Gateway Sculpture Trail, along 22nd Avenue NE from Central to the Mississippi River, and along Marshall Street NE from roughly 18th Avenue to Lowry. Nearby in the...
Art365: Printmaker Emily Gray Koehler
26 April 2020
By Mark Peterson A visit to Emily Gray Koehler’s sun-filled studio in the Thorp Building found her in the midst of a printmaking project for an upcoming exhibition in Red Wing, Minnesota.  The show would be the nineteenth annual Poet-Artist Collaboration, at Red Wing Arts Depot, a project that matches visual artists and poets in a kind of double-blind pairing; each artist gets a poem to work from, but the two artists never meet until the exhibition begins. On Friday, March 13, Koehler was printing...
Sharing an Art Collection in "Shutdown" Time
25 April 2020
Staying home, ordered to stay at home, suddenly working from home—we are all suddenly spending so much more time in the place we mostly take for granted. This has forced many of us to look again at our surroundings. As so much business has moved to online interviews or Zoom meetings, we are all getting glimpses into the insides of other people’s homes. This has caused Marc Clements of Follow the Muse Studio to look with a fresh eye at the art that he and his wife Daphnae Koop have in their...
Minnesota Self Employed (Artists!) Now Eligible for Unemployment Insurance
24 April 2020
Self-employed workers and contractors are typically not eligible for unemployment benefits. However, in this unprecedented crisis the State of Minnesota is offering unemployment compensation for the self employed and 1099 workers. This includes those with only part-time employment. Independent contractors and gig workers should qualify. Artists, gig workers, and the self employed who have lost work from the coronavirus crisis should apply now. HERE is a useful article from Minnpost that briefly explains...

April 2020

Layl McDill Goes Virtual for ART365
31 March 2020
Our very first ART365 virtual event took place on FaceBook and then on Instagram Tuesday, March 31. It was really fun and gave some ideas for what artists can do to safely bring visitors into their studios. Layl McDill, a polymer clay artist, worked with bits of clay on her studio bench, and took cues from the online participants for suggestions about what animals she should make, what color they should be, etc. Layl is amazingly quick and agile with her fingers, and also makes use of a few tools...
The Artist's Role In a Time of Crisis
31 March 2020
Arnold Böcklin, The Plague, 1898 This past month the world has changed and a new chapter has started for all of us. Shock, fear, worry of fulfilling basic needs, wonder of what is coming next—it’s all on the table. For all of human history artists have been appreciated for their unique ability to reflect back what they see through the works they create. Some great historical examples are featured in Daily Art Magazine, “Plague in Art: 10 Paintings You Should Know in the Times of Coronavirus,”...
Loretta Bebeau Tells Her Story
31 March 2020
As part of our “Please Tell us a Story” series, Loretta Bebeau submitted this photograph. Hands have been traced from special people in her life. Work in progress. Follow Loretta at https://www.facebook.com/loretta.bebeau Loretta Bebeau painting Loretta Bebeau Hands  
Weathering the Storm: Tips for Artists
30 March 2020
ART WUNDERFUL PODCAST with NICHOLAS HARPER www.roguebuddha.com Weathering the Storm: Tips for Artists Art Wunderful, the art podcast where art is a religion. New episodes available every Monday. Nicholas Harper offers his perspective on arts related topics and his experiences within the arts as well as hosts conversations with artists, collectors, arts related professionals and art enthusiasts.   https://media-west.podserve.fm/media/episodes/user_940/752/ART_WUNDERFUL_Ep._10_-_Weathering_the_Storm.mp3
Safe Ways to Gather, Make Art & Have Fun
30 March 2020
Video Conferencing – Zoom With our whole community ordered to stay home people are looking for other ways to be social. This has created a big demand for Video Conferencing and Online Gaming technologies. A few days ago I tried to video call a few close friends. I had technical difficulties with almost everyone I contacted. One couldn’t get their sound working another forgot to buy a webcam and head set with their new desktop computer. Technology is not often easy, but with a little patience...
"Please Tell Us a Story"
30 March 2020
Daphnae Koop We are in a surreal time period and the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District board is trying to get perspectives, the experiences of the artists in the district, to share in our e newsletter and possibly in the Arts Insights page in the Northeaster. Please tell us a story, about one or two paragraphs, a poem, short story, video or image of your experiences and or thoughts. Keep them coming—as we all go through this we would like to create a kind of storybook to document this moment. What...
Remo's Perfect Distraction
29 March 2020
The MPCNC LowRider2 designed by Ryan Zellars Biding my time; that’s an idea alien to me, but that’s what we appear to be doing.  We’re doing what we are told and staying home waiting for IT, the demon virus, to pass.  Everything we need we are ordering online, even food. I need some nuts and bolts but fear the hardware store. However, speaking of nuts and bolts, I decided to start a new project. I’m building a Painting Machine, a way to put paint to canvas using a computer and an XYZ machine....
Updated COVID-19 Resource Page
29 March 2020
The public health crisis caused by the Coronavirus, COVID-19, is impacting our entire community. The Northeast Minneapolis Arts District is where people engage in social and cultural public events, art, musical and theatrical events, art making, working, manufacturing, communing over food and drink, happy hour gatherings, shopping, worshiping, learning, playing, and many more social and physical activities. These activities form the lifeblood of our community. Everyone and everything is impacted....

March 2020

Five Poets at a Local Podium
05 March 2020
Written by Mark Peterson Along with 25,000 books, Scott VanKoughnett’s Eat My Words bookstore holds four to six literary-related events a month, including poetry workshops and author visits. On Saturday, February 22, people attending got a bit of both. The event’s title, “Powerful Female Poets,” should get an award for truth in advertising. Each of these (currently local) poets got a chance to stand up straight and tell the truth, and each of them did. The intimate space in the back of the store,...
Mercury Mosaics featured story for Upsize Magazine!
05 March 2020
Mercedes Austin, founder and owner of Mercury Mosaics, was featured on the cover of Upsize Minnesota magazine’s January-February issue, and inside the publication in an article about “finding funding.” Many might not have heard of Upsize as it is a Minnesota magazine aimed at small business owners. It is always newsworthy when an artisan can do a crossover into other community news and vice versa. The featured article focuses on non-traditional funding, an area where many artists...
PechaKucha Included an Intimate Conversation with 80 Strangers
05 March 2020
“The Art of Death as Part of Life and Beyond,” a PechaKucha Night held March 1 at Rogue Buddha Gallery, brought people of all ages, genders, orientations and ethnicities into the same room, said one observer. At this joint event a series of fast-paced presentations of images was followed, after a break, by Death Café Twin Cities, a format in which people explore death-related topics in groups of eight to ten. About 40 people of the 80 in attendance for the PechaKucha stayed for the Death Café, which...
ART WUNDERFUL Podcasts
03 March 2020
Nicholas Harper has thrust himself into the world of Podcasting. If you have ever wanted to get the insights of an artist and gallery owner working in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District, this is an excellent virtual way to engage. Called ART WUNDERFUL, Nicholas describes its mission as spreading the gospel of the arts, their essential value to our everyday lives and to offer a deep dive exploration into this most mysterious of subjects. Weekly episodes oscillate between solo commentary on art-related...
NEMAA Annual Meeting Review
02 March 2020
Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association’s new president Brian Burke kicked off his part of NEMAA’s annual meeting on February 25 with a message of accessibility — he said he’s open to talk with anyone interested, email brian@NEMAA.org. The organization, which produces Art-A-Whirl, not only paid off $75,000 of debt from 2018 in 2019, but now has moved $40,000 into savings. Following the example of prior leaders, according to treasurer Nancy Przymus, NEMAA would like to see about one-third of their...

February 2020

Randy Walker's New Public Art
01 February 2020
Collection Point being built Artist Randy Walker has created an iconic public art piece as a welcoming entry point into the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District at the new East Side Storage and Maintenance Facility in the Holland neighborhood. The facility at the corner of University and 26th Avenues is a multi-purpose municipal operations campus for city vehicles, equipment, storage, maintenance and offices. While many of the city’s fleet of garbage trucks and garbage bins are in the building,...
District-sponsored Forum Connects Hundreds to Candidates
30 January 2020
The crowd at candidate forum To assist voters in learning about the multitude of candidates running for the Minnesota House of Representatives 60A seat, five Northeast Minneapolis neighborhoods and the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District held a forum on Monday, January 13 at Solar Arts Building. The lively format gave insights into candidates’ creativity and approach as well as their understanding of specific issues. An estimated 225 people attended the forum, and 4,686 voted in the January 21 primary,...
14 Arts District Artists Win Minnesota State Arts Board Grants
28 January 2020
Fourteen artists working in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District were awarded The Minnesota State Arts Board Grants totaling $135,800. Most will receive $10,000 for their projects. Congratulations to all the recipients. John Akre, Leslie Barlow, Colleen Bertsch, Kristin Boldon, Marjorie Fedyszyn, Annie Hejny, Rebecca Krinke, Gregory Lecker, Morgan Mercer, Kathy Mommsen, Beth Peloff, Russ White, Andy Richter and Mary Welke. John M. Akre will create My Northeast and Yours, a film essay combining...

January 2020

City Leaders Honor Noted Mpls Artist Aldo Moroni
01 January 2020
Mayor Jacob Frey and the City Council celebrated artist Aldo Moroni with an honorary resolution on December 13th at the City Council meeting. Moroni, who faces terminal cancer, has been a fixture in the Minneapolis arts community since the early 1970s. Artist Aldo Moroni. Photo courtesy of Steve Ozone. Moroni, whose career spans more than four decades, is known for sculpting small-scale civilizations. He worked with the City of Minneapolis and Marcy-Holmes neighborhood to create Sixth Avenue Stroll,...
Arts District Artists Featured at MSP
01 January 2020
The HATCH committee of the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District is pleased to announce the successful submittal of a proposal for multiple exhibits at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. The exhibits will both feature the District as a destination and promote its arts and artists through display of work. The first exhibit is slated for late 2020 with a second exhibit to commence in early 2021. The ARTS@MSP program is supported by the Airport Foundation. Please look for opportunities...
State Rep Candidate Forum January 13
31 December 2019
Twelve candidates have filed for election to fill the 60A Minnesota House of Representatives seat that is open due to Diane Loeffler’s passing. Partnering with neighborhood groups, the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District is planning a forum to help inform voters prior to the Tuesday, Jan. 21 primary. The forum will be held at Solar Arts by Chowgirls (3rd Floor), 711 15 th Ave. NE. Monday, Jan. 13 from 6 to 8 p.m. Doors open at 5:30. Margo Ashmore of the Northeaster newspaper will moderate. Rep. Loeffler...
2020 SNO Ball to Benefit Northeast Arts District
30 December 2019
Sheridan Neighborhood Organization has made a great gesture of support for the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District. Its semi-annual fundraiser SNO Ball has historically raised money for neighborhood improvements, as well as for local nonprofit organizations. The SNO board of directors has announced that it will share a portion of the proceeds from SNO Ball 2020 with the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District. Having this neighborhood support is a huge benefit for the organization, both logistically...