10 inspiring Minnesota art events to check out this fall
September 08, 2022
The Twin Cities are packed with work from up-and-coming artists all year round — and this autumn is no exception. Here are a few places and events exclusive to this fall season, as well as a few others that always welcome guests.
Twin Cities Art Week
The first annual Twin Cities Art Week will debut this October. The Dreamsong gallery in northeast Minneapolis will lead a group of 23 venues for a combination of live performances, films, and gallery crawls. Meet up for food, drinks, or to speak with artists. Or to do everything!
See the full list of participating locations here.
When: Oct. 12-16
Where: 1237 4th St. NE, Minneapolis, and other locations
Cost: Free
Katherine E. Nash Gallery
Beginning September 13, the Katherine E. Nash Gallery on the West Bank of the University of Minnesota will present A Picture Gallery of the Soul exhibit. The gallery is a space for those interested in learning more about Black history and culture through the lens of photography and mixed media from more than 100 Black American artists. “Rightly viewed, the whole soul of man is a sort of picture gallery, a grand panorama, in which all the great facts of the universe, in tracing things of time and things of eternity, are painted,” said Frederick Douglass, an abolitionist and artist featured in the exhibit.
When: Sept. 13 - Dec. 10
Where: 405 21st Ave. S., Minneapolis
Cost: Free
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Mia has been adding to their collection with Postwar + Contemporary Works on Paper. Recently, the museum has acquired paper-medium work from artists who’ve been underrepresented in the museum until now. When viewing the new work, you can also check out all the other traveling and permanent exhibits in the three-story building. Hours fly by when wandering through Global Africa, Global Contemporary, European, Asian art, and much more.
When: Through January 29, 2023
Where: 2400 3rd Ave. S., Minneapolis
Cost: Free
The M
Situated in St. Paul, the Minnesota Museum of American Art has partnered with the Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts to present In Our Minds, an exhibit examining the intersection of artistic research and fun. People don’t even need to be in the building: In Our Minds invites visitors to engage in multisensory play from the sidewalks and skyways of downtown St. Paul. The artists’ work asks the question, “Does art need to be ‘serious’ to have value?” The exhibit is described thusly: “Trusting their intuition to make material and aesthetic decisions as they go, these artists transform and enliven everyday materials and themes into prompts for curiosity, enjoyment, and an occasional bit of humor.”
When: Through Oct. 16
Where: 10 2nd St. SE, Minneapolis
Cost: Free
Twin Cities Film Fest
The Film Festival offers in-person and virtual films from American artists, about a third of whom have Minnesotan connections. The independent films will feature content related to climate change, LGBTQ+ folks, and BIPOC creators. A full line-up will be announced mid-September, with ticket sales beginning Oct. 1.
When: Oct. 20-29
Where: 1625 West End Blvd., St. Louis Park
Cost: Varies
Walker Art Center
Cameron Downey’s film Hymn of the Dust and Crystal Z Campbell’s film Go-Rilla Means War are coming to the Walker Art Center. A special screening will give an audience the chance to view the films, listen to an in-person conversation with the artists, and ask questions. Downey grew up in North Minneapolis, and his VHS crafted work examines the neighborhood’s history and urban landscape.
Note: Before this residency, Minneapolis’ Hair + Nails gallery displayed Downey’s curated event, Holding Space, an installation of video, light, and sound dedicated to the revolutionary actions in the wake of George Floyd’s murder.
When: Sept. 21
Where: 725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis
Cost: Free
Franconia Sculpture Park
Franconia Sculpture Park’s annual Art & Artists Celebration is a day full of events in Shafer, Minnesota. A few include a tour of the land art, an unveiling of a new sculpture, and a drag performance. The 5 p.m show will feature Camilo Lara, the creator of the Mexican Institute of Sound. In Franconia’s amphitheater, the Grammy winner will showcase how modern Mexican electronica fuses with folk music.
When: Sept. 24
Where: 29836 St. Croix Trail, Shafer
Cost: Free ($25 for the Lara show)
Northrup King Building
First Thursdays at Northrup King Building happen all year round, but may become even more enticing once temperatures begin to cool down. From 5-9 p.m., four floors of studios are open for guests to meet artists and chat about their work.
When: First Thursday of each month
Where: 1500 Jackson St. NE, Minneapolis
Cost: Free
Tweed Museum of Art
For those headed to Duluth to see the fall colors, a stop at the Tweed Museum of Art is another destination to explore. This University of Minnesota - Duluth exhibit is There Is a Woman in Every Color: Black Women in Art. Its description says: “Throughout, the exhibition employs the term ‘Black’ not to describe a monolith, but to convey the breadth of identities with ties to the African diaspora.”
When: Through Dec. 18
Where: 1201 Ordean Ct., Duluth
Cost: Free
WALRUS
If you’re searching for some art to call your own, Walrus is a consignment shop in the Camden neighborhood of North Minneapolis. The shop sells framed wall art made by local artists, as well as vintage finds. New selections are available every week, and the mission includes prioritizing “the artistic careers of our North Minneapolis neighbors and artists of color who disproportionately lack representation and resources in the art world.”
When: Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays
Where: 4400 Lyndale Ave. N., Minneapolis
Cost: Varies by art piece
This feature is part of The Current’s 89 Days of Fall series, helping you enjoy the best of the season with weekly guides to events, entertainment, and recreation in the Twin Cities.