This May, the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District unveils a historic milestone: the launch of the Arts District Welcome Center and its first biannual Timeline Exhibition, “We Are Here to Stay: The California Building Story.“
Located in the Timber & Tie Building at 900B 14th Avenue NE, the Arts District Welcome Center has been in development since early 2024. Created to serve as an information hub and cultural archive, the center was born from a community-wide recognition of the urgent need to preserve the district’s remarkable artistic history. Since then, the team has conducted 12 artist interviews, collected stories and images, surveyed over 90 tenants, and built a robust programming plan aimed at cultural preservation and public engagement.
At the heart of the space stands a 12-seat roundtable—painted by California Building artists Aribert Munzner and Jim Gregory—designed to foster inclusive dialogue across generations. Behind it stretches the new timeline exhibit: over 50 panels highlighting personal stories, archival images, and pivotal events that shaped the California Building and the broader Northeast arts scene.
The story begins in the early 20th century, when the building served as a bustling manufacturing plant. But the real transformation started in 1991, when Jennifer Young and John Kremer took a bold step—buying the deteriorating factory and converting it into studio spaces for displaced artists from the downtown warehouse district. It was a gamble, but it worked. Artists found a safe, affordable, and collaborative home, and a cultural movement was born.
This interactive and immersive exhibit honors those early artists and their ongoing impact. Visitors will experience a vivid and deeply personal narrative told through visuals, quotes, and audio, tracing a path from the building’s industrial roots to its status today as a thriving creative hub.
One such story centers on sculptor Aldo Moroni, whose presence shaped the early tone of the building—and Lisa Roy & Remo Campopiano, who carried forward Aldo’s vision legacy of hands-on collaboration and public engagement.
More than just a celebration, “We Are Here to Stay” is an invitation—to reflect, to connect, and to imagine what’s next.
Opening Event:
May 2nd, 2025
VIP: 6-7pm, General Public: 7-9pm
At the Arts District Welcome Center
900B 14th Avenue NE, Minneapolis
This is not just history. It’s your story too.
Written by: The Timeline Team: Remo Campopiano, Melanie Bethke, & Katherine Boyce
Learn more:
🌐 northeastminneapolisartsdistrict.org/programs/arts-district-welcome-center