This is a list of websites and listservs that we consider useful to visual artists in the Twin Cities. This is not a complete list, but with your help we’ll try to make it as comprehensive as possible.

MN Artists

MN Artists is our largest resource for the visual arts is MN Artists. This site has a lot of information and covers all the arts. Below are listed some of resources from this site for the visual artists.

Grants/Fellowships
Here you should find grants and fellowships for which Twin Cities artists are eligible..

Job for Artists
Here is one of two places to look for arts-related jobs.

Call for Artists
Here you will find general “Call for Artists.”

MPLSART.COM

MPLSART.COM publishes a comprehensive gallery calendar for Minneapolis & St. Paul. They publish a weekly email newsletter to highlight the events of the week…subscribe here.

Gallery Guide
If you want to find a gallery in the Twin Cities they make it easy to find here.

Art Events & Opening
If you want to quickly find the date and time of a gallery opening, definitely start here.

Written
My favorite area of the site is “Written.” Here you will find well done profiles, interviews and critical reviews.

Springboard for the Arts

Springboards programs provides artists with basic survival skills, like workshops on the business-side of being an artists.

Jobs Bank
You can’t do better than this if you want a job in the arts.

Events
This area focuses on events that help you see your art career in terms of a business; something that does not come naturally to most artists.

CAFE

CAFE is a national organization listing all types of art opportunities. If you are looking to show your artwork in group exhibitions, local or national, you can go to CAFE.

Please note, many have entry fees. but you can filter them out; or pay the fee, if you think the competition is worth it.

In most cases you are required to use their online system to apply. Once you get used to it, the system does make the application process easier, which means you can apply to several opportunities each month and still have time to make art.

They also list most of the national and international RFQs (Request For Qualifications), RFPs (Request For Proposals) for public art commissions, which rarely have fees.

However, your best bet for “local” public art RFQs and RFPs are in the next two blocks, Mary Altman’s listserv and Forecast Public Art.

Mary Altman’s Listserv

Mary Altman’s Listserv is a periodic email that focuses on public art RFQs and RFPs for public art commissions.

It’s a free service for the City of Minneapolis. Just email Mary Altman and ask to be on her Public Art email list.

Forecast Public Arts

Forecast Public Arts has been been supporting public artists in the Twin Cities since the late 70’s. They offer grants and fellowships as well as RFQ and RFP listings. It’s their mission to help public artists. Here is a direct link to their Opportunities Listing.

msp arts calendar

msp art calendar is a weekly email newsletter listing visual art events for Minneapolis and St Paul. You can use it as a web resource and/or have it sent to your email inbox every Sunday night. To subscribe send an email to hello@mspartcalendar.com.

Openings & Events

Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy

The office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy leverages the creative sector towards social and economic growth in the city of Minneapolis. The office is responsible for the development of the City’s arts and cultural planning and policies, creative economy research, creative workforce support, cross-sector collaborations, and the integration of arts-based strategies in City departments.

Visit Website

Arts@MSP – Artist Roster

The MSP Artist Roster is a juried pool of prequalified emerging, mid-career and established artists who can create artwork for various settings at MSP. Whether you create large public artworks, ceramic art, multimedia or two-dimensional artworks, it makes good sense to get on their roster.

You apply using submittable.com, where they ask for 5 pieces of information. If you have applied to any public art commission in the past, you’ll recognize these requests: artist statement, work samples, work sample list, a bio/resume & three references.

These opportunities are open to professional artists residing in the United States, however, regional talent is preferred.

To learn more about Arts@MSP go to their website here.

To apply to be on their roster click here.

To read a full article about the Arts@MSP program click here.