Minneapolis is an art gallery town, but unless you have some natural connection to the scene, you might not know this.
Galleries can be intimidating for the uninitiated. And that might come down to clichés: Artists are overly academic, these types of spaces are for rich collectors, normal people don’t belong here, etc.
Sure, there may be some truths above. But guess what? Most galleries are nothing like that. There’s a reason I include so many exhibition openings in Freeloader Friday: A gallery party is the perfect way to kick off an evening. Simply find a show that you think looks interesting, wander the space for 30 minutes while enjoying a beer or glass of wine (bring money for the bartender’s tip jar!), and be on your way. It’s free and low-commitment, plus it’s something unique to do in those weird hours before heading out to a show or house party.
The following is my guide to some of my favorite galleries (and two small museums) in town. However, it is in no way a complete list. I am sure I’ve forgotten a few great organizations—there are so many out there! But this is a list for newbies, and I think this is a pretty dang good place to start.
Feel free to shout out any spots I missed in the comments, and happy gallery crawling.
All My Relations Arts
Located in the American Indian Cultural Corridor, All My Relations showcases Native artists grappling with things like identity, American history, and mass culture. But while artists here often explore Native traditions, the work always feels current. “It’s really a space to welcome a dialogue of awareness and celebration that Native artists and people are still here, thriving, and are a vibrant part of the local creative/art world,” says Juleana Enright, gallery and programs manager.
All My Relations isn’t just a gallery. Its sister projects include the Native Authors Program, which showcases emerging writers; the Four Sisters Farmers Market (opening June 5); and a film festival featuring shorts, food trucks, and music. Added bonus: It’s in the same building as Pow Wow Grounds coffee shop. “The sharing of this space allows for the community to sense that this is a community gallery, for and by Native people, where they can feel safe, seen, and acknowledged, in a way that maybe they don’t always feel at non-Native led art institutions,” Enright says.
Coming up: “Creation.Story,” a group show blending the oral histories of the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Sioux Nation’s Lakota, Nakota, and Dakota tribes) with the modern-day people and ideas, opens Thursday, May 8.
Location: 1414 E. Franklin Ave., Minneapolis; allmyrelationsarts.org.
Northern Clay Center
Yes, you can buy mugs and bowls here. Really beautiful, amazing mugs and bowls. This is a great spot for gifts. But in addition to a bomb-ass members’ shop, Northern Clay regularly hosts gallery shows that aim to challenge common perceptions of what pottery and clay works can be: subversive, political, impossibly intricate. You can’t drink coffee out of this, but you sure can spend time thinking about it.
Coming up: New exhibitions and student showcases happen on a monthly basis, typically with two to three exhibitions at any given time. The annual American Pottery Festival, which highlights artists across the states, is an especially popular event, with workshops, guests of honor, and special sales typically hosted over a weekend in September.
Location: 2424 Franklin Ave. E., Minneapolis; northernclaycenter.org.
Dreamsong
Founded in 2021, Dreamsong focuses on exhibitions showcasing female-identified emerging and mid-career artists both local and national. There’s almost always a show happening here; past ones include Minneapolis muralist Ta-Coumba T. Aiken, Brooklyn-based ceramicist Ilana Harris-Babou, and New York installation artist SaraNoa Mark.
Coming up: “We are very much looking forward to our solo exhibition with renowned artist Julie Buffalohead,” says Dreamsong cofounder Rebecca Heidenberg. That show opens on May 16.
Location: 1237 Fourth St. NE, Minneapolis; dreamsong.art.
Somali History Museum
Did you know that there’s a museum in the basement of Midtown Global Market? Keep that in mind the next time you’re visiting the DMV or stopping by for lunch. This smaller space is packed with history, featuring over 700 artifacts curated by Osman Ali, who started his collection as a touring show he could take to schools and events for educational purposes. Items include textiles, milk jugs, household items, and the Aqal Soomaali, a nomadic hut that has popped up at cultural festivals and the Minnesota State Fair. The museum also occasionally hosts contemporary local Somali artists.
Location: Midtown Global Market, 2925 Chicago Ave., Minneapolis; somalimuseum.org.
Soo Visual Art Center
Frequently referred to as SooVAC, this gallery is small but mighty. You’ll find it in an unassuming building between Bryant Lake Bowl’s parking lot and the Bryant Avenue Greenway entrance. This is a venue that often hosts two to three shows at a time, packing every inch of space with wild and colorful installations, large-scale works, and multimedia sculptures that will make you do a double-take—mostly made by local artists. “I envision [SooVAC] as a safe haven for artists to take risks, inviting the public to engage with their stories,” says Alison Hiltner, SooVac’s associate director. “We wish we had more space to exhibit all the mind-blowing artists that live in our region!”
The gallery stages two annual events. “Untitled,” which is turning 20 this year, invites a curator to create a group show however they see fit, and the results typically yield hundreds of works on the gallery walls. For “Collect Call,” now in its sixth year, art collectors exhibit pieces from their personal collections.
Coming up: Two exhibitions are opening this Saturday, May 10, from 6 to 9 p.m.: “THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED: AN ODE TO THE GREEN BOOK,” where CC Mercer Watson will pay homage to The Wiz and the essential African-American travel guide The Green Book, and “Woven Paths,” a show by Khadijah Zahra Muse exploring women-made textiles across the world.
Location: 2909 Bryant Ave. S., Minneapolis; soovac.org.
Highpoint Center for Printmaking
Uptown is alive! Look no further than Highpoint for proof. This space is part school, part open work space, and part gallery, which means people are always here, getting up to something. Folks of all ages can take classes and workshops on printmaking, and if you sign up for membership you gain access to all types of equipment and resources. Exhibitions often showcase student work, local grant recipients, and nationally known print artists.
Coming up: Free Ink Day, the center’s seasonal open studio event, is always a lot of fun, with demonstrations, hands-on workshops, and plenty of opportunities to try your hand at printmaking.
Location: 912 W. Lake St., Minneapolis; highpointprintmaking.org.
Gamut Gallery
Located on the fringes of downtown Minneapolis, Gamut is a locally focused gallery that also hosts a slew of artist talks, DJ dance parties, mini classes, workshops, and the holiday pop-up, Raging Art On.
The gallery’s current group exhibition, “Ebb & Flow,” celebrates the more subdued beauty of nature via abstraction. Think mossy greens, shades of brown, and textiles colored with natural dyes.
Coming up: Gamut turns 13 this year with a big b-day party on June 14 featuring a live mural painting, music, and more in the courtyard.
Also in June: “We’re launching a new exhibition called ‘Present Tense,’ a pop-up style show featuring work by LGBTQIA+ artists,” says Francesca Bernardi, gallery director and co-owner. “It’s a non-curated, community-first opportunity for queer artists to bring in their work and hang it on our gallery walls.”
Location: 717 10th St. S., Minneapolis; gamutgallerympls.com.
Pavek Museum of Electronic Communication
Lovers of lost technology, quirky devices, and early broadcast history need to check out this museum, which claims to have one of the biggest collections of media equipment in the world. There are consumer oddities like old TVs you tune with a dial, 1970s novelty radios made to look like soda cans, and early video game consoles. There’s tons of rare production equipment as well, including telegraph and telephone tech from the early 1900s, microphones and recording equipment from the golden age of radio, and a Magnetophon, an early magnetic tape machine that revolutionized the industry in the 1930s. “Our Nipper Circuit self-guided tour features 16 exhibits visitors can interact with,” says Kaeleen Laird, advancement manager at Pavek, whose favorite attractions include a Theremin folks can play, a 1940s jukebox you can drop a nickel in to hear a tune, and Pac-Man on the Atari 2600.
The museum was named after its founder, avid radio collector and Dunwoody Institute electronics instructor Joe Pavek, and it’s also home to the Minnesota Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
Coming Up: This is a history museum with an eye to the future, regularly hosting tech and communication workshops for students of all ages (keep an eye out for S.T.E.A.M. Saturdays, which is free to anyone under 18). Other upcoming events include live readings of vintage radio plays, as well as fun lectures covering technology of the past, present, and future.
Location: 3517 Raleigh Ave., Minneapolis; pavekmuseum.org.
Public Functionary
PF isn’t just one studio. It’s actually seven spaces spread throughout the Northrup King building. That allows for a lot of versatility. Take, for example, its current program, Open Screen, which includes an ongoing gallery show, artists’ talks, film screenings, and hands-on workshops over the next few weeks.
So while they often host gallery shows, it’s not always the focus of their work. “We've built our spaces as a creative ecosystem centered on artists' needs,” says Tricia Heuring, artistic director and cofounder. “Unlike conventional galleries that prioritize public presentation, PF is a working hub where artists develop their practice.”
And that is what makes exhibitions in this space special, as each one is a chance to explore new artists trying new things, whether it’s a neon art installation or Hmong textile arts.
Coming up: PF’s art party returns in September with outdoor activations and installations. There’s also the annual studio exhibition in November, which is another great crash course on what PF Studios is about. “[It's] the perfect opportunity to get to know the next wave of voices shaping our local arts scene,” Heuring says.
Location: 1500 Jackson St. NE, Studio 144, Minneapolis; publicfunctionary.org.
Midway Contemporary Art
Founded in 2001, MCA offers a little bit of everything, with a focus on work by artists who haven’t exhibited in the Midwest—or the U.S. in general. Most of their shows are commissions; each year they give away six $10,000 grants. The gallery also has a library featuring an extensive collection of modern art books, DVDs, and reference resources, some of which can be checked out and taken home.
Coming up: Things will be getting experimental this weekend, as
Karthik Pandian will host an improv music/chanting event in response to his current video installation show, “Surrendur.” If that sounds a little too intense for you, the gallery’s annual benefit, Monster Drawing Rally, is a delightful and accessible event, with artists creating works live that sell for about $35 a pop.
Location: 1509 NE Marshall St., Minneapolis; midwayart.org.
Otherworldly Arts Collective’s ALTR Gallery
Do you like your art with a big dose of pop culture? Otherworldly is going to be your jam. You might already know them for their “Unicorn Art Show,” a super popular biannual(ish) pop-up party featuring art and ambience inspired by mythical creatures. They’re also home to “Gods and Monsters,” a yearly Halloween-themed group show filled with horror and admiration for gory flicks, scary books, and beautiful grotesqueries. Other shows here have featured skate deck art, tiny arts, kinky sex (NSFW!), and odes to video games.
Coming up: The unicorns are back with a sparkly glitter rainbow of party on June 14. They also currently have a call for dino-inspired art for a group show in August.
Location: 451 NE Taft St. Ste. 22, Minneapolis; oacmn.com.
FOCI Center for Glass Arts
It takes a very special artist to choose glass as their medium. Using fire and a metal rod to turn a pile of sand into a piece of work takes time, technique, years of experience, and (presumably) a high tolerance for burns. And that’s just one area of glass art creation that is showcased regularly at FOCI. In addition to hosting classes, mentorships, and open houses, they also put together a ton of banging art shows throughout the year demonstrating how versatile glass arts are, be it stained glass, jewelry, practical kitchen items, glass pipes, or sculpture.
Current exhibition: “Embracing Fallibility,” a wonderfully chaotic collection of neon sculptures by James Akers, is currently on display.
Location: 2213 Snelling Ave., Minneapolis; mnglassart.org.
Weinstein Hammons Gallery
While this space showcases all kinds of arts, Weinstein Hammons hosts some of the best photography shows in town. That includes rare collections from Alec Soth, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Gordon Parks. One of my favorite shows here was 2019’s “Sanlé Sory: Volta Photo,” featuring a collection of portraits from the ‘60s and ‘70s from Sory’s studio in Burkina Faso (the fashion, wow!).
Right now: See a selection of photos from prolific St. Paul artist Gordon Parks exploring segregation, Black education, community, and family in the 1960s.
Location: 908 W. 46th St., Minneapolis; weinsteinhammons.com.
Textile Center
Don’t sleep on textile arts. While it may be one of the more underappreciated mediums, it’s an important one. Its history is our history, telling the stories of cultures, industry booms, labor movements, and recreation. It’s the comfort of a quilt passed down generations, a felted toy that sparks imagination in a child, that shirt you’ve loved for years that is falling apart, and it’s the stuff of revolutions.
In addition to a never-ending itinerary of classes, workshops, and guest speakers, the Textile Center regularly hosts group shows featuring a wide range of artists working in fashion, jewelry, protest art, and more.
Now and coming up: Carolyn Mazloomi’s quiltwork featuring critical moments in Black American history is currently on view. Mark your calendar for next April if you’re a crafter yourself, as the center’s annual garage sale is a can’t-miss event for discounted supplies, books, and machines.
Location: 3000 University Ave. SE, Minneapolis; textilecentermn.org.
Hair + Nails
Nope, this isn’t a beauty salon. It’s a gallery space that highlights contemporary artists. Delightfully odd events have included reimagined toys and beer cans, leather couches that have (artistically!) been torn apart, and a remarkable number of paintings of things set on fire. Is this the gallery for pyros? Maybe! It’s also a great place to check out original work from artists you won’t see anywhere else.
Currently on view: Julia García’s “Under Excess Sun” features mixed-media paintings capturing misty memories of concerts, game shows, and architecture.
Location: 2222 E. 35th St., Minneapolis; hairandnailsart.com.
Bockley Gallery
This contemporary art gallery focuses on artists working out of the Great Lakes area, including Indigenous talents like Jim Denomie, Dyani White Hawk, and Frank Big Bear. I’ve also seen some great shows here featuring photography work from Pao Houa Her and portrait painter Leslie Barlow, whom you might recognize as a 2022 featured artist for the Minnesota State Fair.
Coming up: Grace Rosario Perkins’s “Fruits of the Spirit” features dense, abstract paintings, and opens on Thursday, May 8, with an artist talk and reception from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Location: 2123 W. 21st St., Minneapolis; bockleygallery.com.
A few more galleries to check out:
Juxtaposition Arts
This place is so dang cool. While it’s mostly geared toward educating teens and younger artists in design, marketing, graffiti arts, and more, it’s also been known to host artsy events on the plaza as well as one-night-only shows. 2007 Emerson Ave. N., Minneapolis; juxtapositionarts.org.
Minnesota Center for Book Arts
Who knew you could do this with a book? Located in the Open Book Minneapolis complex, you can easily make an afternoon here by shopping books, enjoying coffee, and checking out the current exhibitions. 1011 S. Washington Ave., Suite 100, Minneapolis; mnbookarts.org.
Night Club
This crazy little punk-rock gallery made a splash on the scene with pop-up events and exhibitions around town before landing a spot briefly in St. Paul. They've gone rogue for now, but updates on their Insta suggest that they’ve secured funding and are planning more stuff for 2025. nightclub.gallery
Kolman & Reeb Gallery
One of my favorite stops during open studio nights in the Northrup King Building, Kolman & Reeb shows are always modern, but they’ve got a little bit of everything going on, from cityscape paintings to kinetic art. Northrup King Building, 1500 Jackson St. NE, #395, Minneapolis; kolmanreebgallery.
Form + Content Gallery
This members-based gallery is always up to something good. Their current exhibition featuring work by Hawona Sullivan Janzen looks fascinating. 210 Second St. N., Minneapolis; formandcontent.org.
