Arts and Culture : Featured Stories

We begin a new year with our feet on the ground, quite literally, with must-see dance performances, as well as talks by local authors on local history, and the unparalleled stargazing offered by the winter sky.

At the heart of Pillsbury House Theatre's work is commitment to its community; to foster connections and strengthen the relationships between neighbors and engage them directly in a multitude of meaningful ways.

For families living in Artspace affordable artist live/work housing, to reside in a safe, secure building where they can create and are considered normal is not only nice, it’s necessary. It's also "a little place of heaven."

To rephrase a popular aphorism, it's all stars and snowflakes until someone gets hurt...meaning, amid last-minute maker markets and star gazing this holiday month there's a "House of Cards" style production at the Guthrie to clear the senses and a concert to ground our sensibilities.

Microloans help artists bridge the gaps between other sources of funding. Springboard for the Arts is currently testing a microloan model and has partnered with Kiva, a microlending platform that funds small businesses around the world.  

For MSP makers, this month is among the busiest of the year as they sell their wares at holiday markets, boutiques and pop-ups happening at a crazy pace. But you can also tour a renovated machine shed and enjoy open art studios before the big freeze.    

During Artspace’s Breaking Ground “Idea Lab” October 14-15 in MSP, artists were identified as visionaries and leaders who bring the dark matter of communities--history, memory, relationships--to light through art and creative processes.

With autumn in MSP comes "the season," meaning so many art exhibitions, performances, parties and festivals that you could attend several events every evening. Here are our must-do's. 

Writer and landscape architect Diane Hellekson outlines a dynamic model for thinking about cultivation of the arts in Minnesota; specifically, she makes the case for seeing the health of MSP's arts and artists in ecological rather than economic terms.

Music, art, craft beer: Earlier this month, MSP'ers enjoyed a tantalizing glimpse of the (possible) future for a 1.5-mile stretch of St. Paul riverfront during the River Balcony Prototyping Festival.

Artspace’s annual Breaking Ground event evolves this year from one dynamic evening of speakers and performances to an immersive, two-day “idea lab” on Friday, October 14 and Saturday, October 15 in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

A new independent bookstore! A second ReStore store! Plus a community garden celebration and an art exhibit and fashion show featuring motorcycle helmets highlight September arts and culture.  

In the coming years, communities, businesses and nonprofits will increasingly look to architects for design solutions that extend well beyond buildings.  

Who are the local players behind MSP’s craft coffee scene? These four local roasters are undeniably at the movement’s fore, sparking a revolution in how we talk about roasting and experience tasting.  

Artspace enjoys a long history of working with culturally distinct groups in the development of affordable artist live/work housing and community spaces. From El Barrio in NY to Honolulu, HI, these projects allow artists to celebrate themselves.