Travel

The Scene: Craft in the Twin Cities

Six local artists share the people and spaces that define Minneapolis and Saint Paul, cities built on the handmade.

By Sheila Regan and Jennifer Vogel
Artist contributors: Marvin Freitas, Amara Hark-Weber, Fred Kaemmer, Dom Venzant, Dyani White Hawk, and Ger Xiong / Ntxawg Xyooj
Contributor portraits by Dina Kantor
May 23, 2024

Summer 2024

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Photo by Kameron Herndon, courtesy of the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis

The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden at the Walker Art Center draws patrons during a fall event. Katharina Fritsch’s large fiberglass and polyester resin rooster, Hahn/Cock, is visible on the right.

Each edition of The Scene you’ll get an in-depth look at craft in a single city. Published twice per year, this special section goes beyond traditional travel articles. Instead it offer in-depth look at a city’s craft scene through the voices and perspectives of its artists.

In the following pages you’ll find lists of artists and craft-related spaces in Minneapolis and Saint Paul that are based on the recommendations of local contributors. This coverage is not comprehensive and we encourage you to continue exploring more of Twin Cities’ craft scene.

In this Scene:

ARTIST CONTRIBUTORS:
Marvin Freitas, Amara Hark-Weber, Fred Kaemmer, Dom Venzant, Dyani White Hawk, Ger Xiong / Ntxawg Xyooj

SPOTLIGHTS:
Maggie Thompson, Rammy Mohamed, Nathan Patrick White, Dusty Thune

EXPLORE THE TWIN CITIES:
Where to Buy Supplies, Artists’ Spaces and Events, Schools, Workshops, and Resources, Galleries, Studios, Markets, Museums

Introduction

by Sheila Regan

The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul straddle the Mississippi River near Minnesota’s eastern border. And while there is an air of competition between the two communities—one was built on milling, the other on the whiskey trade—culturally they function as one place that happens to have two downtowns and two city governments. What most people know about the Twin Cities is that they’re hot in the summer and frigid in the winter, though this is becoming less the case due to climate change.

Fewer people are aware that the metro is home to a large, vibrant Native American community and growing populations of Hmong, Latin American, and East African people. This evolution has brought its own challenges, but it’s made the Twin Cities a richer, more interesting, and more creative place to live and work.

Bastions of nonprofit organizations, Minneapolis and Saint Paul value and support the arts, including virtually all forms of craft. These are places where a diverse array of artists and makers thrive.

“We have multiple funding sources, both regional and statewide, that support artists across genres and across levels of career development,” says Sicaŋgu Lakota visual artist and curator Dyani White Hawk, who works out of a studio in Minneapolis and recently won a MacArthur Fellowship. “We have multiple beautiful museums that address a wide range of missions, dedicated curatorial and administrative staff, nonprofits that often support artists in focused areas of support and development, galleries and rotating cycles of open studios, festivals, and markets that all contribute to a beautiful and evolving art ecosystem.”

The Twin Cities offer a wealth of support for craft arts via private funders such as the McKnight and Jerome Foundations and organizations dedicated to craft, such as the Northern Clay Center and the Textile Center, as well as the Indigenous Roots Cultural Arts Center, where makers are supported through “Culture Bearer” opportunities.

Saint Paul–based fashion designer and clothing maker Rammy Mohamed creates custom dresses and gowns that incorporate the needs of the Muslim community while expressing elegant flair. “The silhouettes of some of my garments are inspired by different regions within Oromia that I get inspired by,” says Mohamed, who has enjoyed steadfast community support and whose work has been featured in InStyle. “I’m influenced by what’s around me, and I’m also taking what’s traditional and making it more modern.”

In the spring and summer months, Minneapolis and Saint Paul burst with craft fairs. In June, for example, the American Craft Council will host American Craft Fest at the historic Union Depot in Saint Paul. But you’ll also find artisans vending in a robust farmers market landscape, art studio tours like Northeast Minneapolis’s Art-A-Whirl and the Saint Paul Art Crawl, art fairs, and, of course, the Minnesota State Fair, home of the Creative Activities Building. That’s where thousands of visitors enjoy everything from delicate woodwork to elaborate needlepoint and quilting. The Fair also boasts the beloved seed art competition, where agriculture becomes the medium for ingenious mosaics.

Winter, too, is filled with craft markets and events like No Coast Craft-o-Rama, as well as marketplaces housed at local breweries. Snowy weather poses no burden to Minnesota artisans, who simply take their talents outdoors, creating monumental ice and snow sculptures and designing interactive fiber creations inside the ice house galleries that populate the Art Shanty Projects on Lake Harriet in Minneapolis.

The scene is buoyed by funds flowing into the arts, thanks to the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. Passed by voters in 2008, this state constitutional amendment ensures that tax dollars pass through entities like the Minnesota State Arts Board and various regional arts councils. Twin Cities businesses also show up for craft. Snow sculptor, metal worker, and filmmaker Dusty Thune often taps into collaborations with local businesspeople on projects, whether he’s creating sculptural works for Can Can Wonderland’s mini-golf course—designed and built by artists—or finding sponsorships for other crafty endeavors. In turn, he lends a hand to fellow artists who may need his skills, exhibiting the good neighbor policy. “They call in favors back and forth and help grow the industry, grow the scene, and raise the bar on talent,” Thune says.

Sheila Regan is a freelance writer and an arts columnist for MinnPost.

Photo by Lane Pelovsky

A craft-loving crowd enjoys the Padraigs Brewing patio in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District during the annual Art-A-Whirl gallery crawl.

Marvin Freitas

Woodworker, furniture maker, designer

marvinfreitas.com | @marvinfreitas

Freitas was raised in Galicia, Spain, by his grandparents and moved to the Twin Cities from the East Coast with his wife in 2007. “I was inspired by my grandfather, who had tools and was always making and fixing the house. He was a mason as an immigrant in America. He was always working on anything—motors, cabinets, and so on. I just hung around and watched, asked questions, and learned. I love tools. Working with them is an amazing thing for me.”

Of the Twin Cities, Freitas says, “There are a lot of super-talented people here and it’s great to meet some of them when I am out.” When he first arrived, he worked as a maintenance manager for apartment buildings. Then he bought tools and began working out of his garage. Finally, after suffering rising rents and a few expensive moves, he purchased his own workshop in Minneapolis. It was tough finding a niche in custom work, says Freitas, who has built interiors for upscale hotels and restaurants around town, such as Argentinian steakhouse Porzana and Japanese restaurant Kado no Mise. “That’s why we do woodwork, welding, glasswork, and machining. I try to keep as much as possible in-house to keep busy. We can adapt to any changes as needed in the project to save time and money.”

ARTISTS FREITAS ADMIRES:
Interior and fashion designer Talin Spring of Spring Finn and Co., who designed Alma hotel and restaurant in Minneapolis and is now working in Paris; clothing designers Emily Freitas and Susan Kim, who founded Estella; chef and restaurateur Daniel del Prado; clothing designer and maker Benjamin Kelly of Dinosaur Hampton; and visual artist and sign painter Forrest Wozniak.

Photo by Dina Kantor

Freitas was raised in Galicia, Spain, and moved to the Twin Cities in 2007.

Amara Hark-Weber

Shoemaker

harkweberstudio.com | @harkweberstudio

Hark-Weber describes herself as “mostly from the Twin Cities,” though she spent her 20s and early 30s living in other parts of the country. She returned to Saint Paul 10 years ago when she launched her business as a shoemaker. “The Twin Cities is the perfect size to support professional craftspeople—big enough to be big enough, but small enough that folks get to know each other,” she says. “I don’t advertise, so most of my local customers find out about me by word of mouth. There are amazing museums and craft centers here, and this is possible because of community support for the arts. Minnesota has a thriving pottery scene, and loads of printers and artists/craftspeople in the literary and book arts. I think it’s just a special place that attracts really creative people.”

Hark-Weber thinks the local craft community has grown younger. “There seem to be a lot of upstarts, which is wonderful and exciting!” However, she says, “There aren’t many footwear makers, and that means that there isn’t much of an inter-craft community. But that would be true anywhere. People just don’t know that there are shoemakers tucked away, so they don’t think of looking us up.”

ARTISTS HARK-WEBER ADMIRES:
Toolmaker and bookbinder Brien Beidler, “because he is on a similar track as myself, working independently with small children, trying to make ends meet while producing extremely beautiful and well-made items”; paper maker and textile artist Mary Hark, because “she has constructed a career in the arts, building a workshop and studio from scratch and figuring it out as she goes”; Katrina Kubeczko, “textile artist and DIY diva, because she is always working, learning, and trying something new, and is one of the most intuitively creative people I have had the pleasure of knowing”; Sister Black Press, “because they are working hard and making beautiful, funny, and delightful work”; and Tony Santoyo, whom “I admire because he is fearless and his effervescent personality is present in all that he does.”

Photo by Dina Kantor.

Shoemaker Amara Hark-Weber in her Saint Paul studio.

Fred Kaemmer

Glass artist

fredsglass.com | @fredsglass

Though born in Milwaukee, Kaemmer moved to Saint Paul when he was 3 and considers himself to be “basically a Twin Cities native.” What inspires him? “Apart from the amount of art being made around here, there is a certain humility among the artists I run into. This allows for open sharing of ideas and information that can be helpful as you run up against various obstacles. While not unique to the craft community, this Midwestern, understated attitude is refreshing, especially in glass, where you can run into a fair amount of bravado and ego.” On the flip side, says Kaemmer, “A challenging thing for me as a glassblower is that we are a very ceramics-friendly region and people’s appreciation of, or appetite for, glass is less enthusiastic than in other regions of the US. We are a very practical group of people up here in Minnesota, and sometimes glass is a bit too impractical, flashy, or spendy, as we like to say.”

Kaemmer sees an evolution happening in the Twin Cities craft scene. “One big change for me is the aging of the craftspeople in my world. My mentors are all retiring, either by choice or necessity. We are losing a lot of knowledge and experience as these people step away from the making process. There are a lot of young people bringing new energy and new techniques into the craft/art scene, but there are a lot of people who paved the way, carved out a living, and cultivated markets who are no longer active and have a lot of wisdom to share.”

ARTISTS KAEMMER ADMIRES:
Judith Kinghorn is an “amazing jewelry designer and maker”; Jim and Renee Engebretson “are my mentors and makers of beautiful glass bowls—they live just over the border in Wisconsin, but don’t hold that against them”; furniture maker and designer Scott McGlasson of Woodsport in Saint Paul “expresses a cool aesthetic in wood”; Dean Lucker and Ann Wood “make great sculptures in wood and paper”; and mixed-media artist Joan Cox “is a fantastic painter.”

Photo by Dina Kantor

Glass artist Fred Kaemmer stands before a shelf of finished work in his studio.

Dom Venzant

Potter and educator

symcopotteryworks.com | @domvenzant

Venzant was born in Menomonie, Wisconsin, spending time on his grandfather’s dairy farm in Symco, but his family moved to the Twin Cities before he began kindergarten, so he considers himself to have been “strongly formed” by the local people and culture. “Believe it or not, I have found the support for the arts and crafts in Minnesota to be among the most robust in the country,” says Venzant, who has a studio in Minneapolis and teaches classes all over. “I never thought I would become an artist and craftsperson, but I’ve found a great deal of support for makers of various backgrounds, ethnicities, and identities. The Twin Cities are, and have been for some time, an inclusive cultural community,” embracing a large Hmong population, a growing community of Karen (from Myanmar), and “new residents from across South America and Africa.”

While Venzant notes that some support networks have been slow to establish and that “finding suitable and culturally appropriate mental health services has been a challenge in the Twin Cities,” overall, he says, “I am grateful, not just for the exposure to various foods and languages, but also the stories, music, and broadening of culture that has occurred.”

ARTISTS VENZANT ADMIRES:
Potter and educator Lee Persell, “who specializes in wood fired ceramics”; Pratibha Gupta, a multidisciplinary artist and potter who is “the progenitor and guiding light for the kiln Tandava” in Glencoe, Minnesota; the “dynamic duo” of potter Mike Egan and metalsmith and jewelry maker Wendy Egan; composer, performer, musician, and instrument maker Martin Dosh, “who is constantly innovating”; and Laura Andrews, “an exquisite painter and educator who has helped to make my creative life possible.”

Photo by Dina Kantor

Venzant in the doorway to his studio holding one of his cups.

Dyani White Hawk

Visual artist and curator

dyaniwhitehawk.com | @dwhitehawk

White Hawk was born in Madison, Wisconsin, and moved with her husband and oldest daughter to the Twin Cities in 2011. Her mother had moved earlier, “so the Twin Cities have been home base for over two decades.” The Sicaŋgu Lakota artist believes Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund gives local artists an edge. “I am really proud to share that Minnesota has funding for the arts written into legislation,” White Hawk says. “The statewide buy-in for the arts is really apparent here, especially once you’ve had the opportunity to speak with artists and those in the field who live in states that don’t have such integral support. The fact that we have many available studio buildings and that these are often full demonstrates our collective commitment to creation and the commitment to artists and makers.” In addition, she sees “a wave of growth” in the arts “toward increased equity, inclusiveness, the celebration of diversity, and the dismantling of unhealthy racial, economic, and societal hierarchies. The strength of generations of activism that has culminated in the Twin Cities and tribal nations of Mni Sota is significant and continues to contribute to our world in profoundly important and influential ways.”

Even so, there are challenges to working out of a studio in Minneapolis. “First, I want to acknowledge, there are challenges in life no matter where you are or what you’re pursuing or dreaming toward,” White Hawk says. “I love our community, the land, the connection and proximity to family, my studio, and those who work with me. The greatest challenges are that our field is still very coast-centric and most people still have very little understanding of and exposure to Native history, communities, and people.”

ARTISTS WHITE HAWK ADMIRES:
Textile and beadwork artist Jennie Kappenman; textile artist and designer Maggie Thompson of Makwa Studio; beadwork artist Jessica Gokey; multidisciplinary artist Cole Redhorse Taylor; fashion designer and beadwork artist Delina White; quillwork and beadwork artist Melvin Losh; birch bark and quillwork artist Pat Kruse; and photographer and beadwork artist Jaida Grey Eagle.

Photo courtesy of Dyani White Hawk and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Dyani White Hawk works on She Gives (Quiet Strength VII), 2020, acrylic on canvas, 84 x 120 in. In the foreground is her Untitled (All the Colors), 2020, acrylic, bugle beads, thread, and synthetic sinew on canvas, 48 x 48 in.

Ger Xiong / Ntxawg Xyooj

Metalsmith, jewelry maker, textile artist

gerxiong.com | @gerxiong55

Xiong grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin, and moved to the Twin Cities three years ago, after finishing graduate school at New Mexico State University. “While I was in school, I saw a lot of great artworks and heard a lot of conversations within the Hmong arts community about the Twin Cities,” he says. “That was one of the major reasons why I decided to move back to the Midwest, specifically the Twin Cities. There is a really strong arts community here, and you can find that almost everywhere you go, whether it’s the street art, public sculptures, murals, or craft-based work within various communities. I think the most challenging thing here is that, although there are a lot of grants and support for the arts, the process of applying for them is labor intensive, yet you may or may not get the support.”

Overall, Xiong finds the local craft community to be energized and energizing. “I really love the changes in the various art scenes from BIPOC artists within the craft field,” he says. “I’ve seen more workshops, especially within the Hmong community, that teach craft-based processes that many young generations may not know of. These community-based events have really helped bridge together the generations.”

ARTISTS XIONG ADMIRES: Interdisciplinary artist and cultural producer Ka Oskar Ly; interdisciplinary artist Tshab Her, who emphasizes textiles and embroidery; jewelry artist, metalsmith, and teaching artist Amy Wilderson; sculptor and beadwork artist Erin Peña; and jewelry artist and metalsmith Jason Thomson.

Photo by Dina Kantor

Metalsmith, jewelry maker, and textile artist Ger Xiong in his studio.

SPOTLIGHT

Maggie Thompson

Indigenous textile artist and designer Maggie Thompson’s knitwear business, Makwa Studio, is expanding with the help of a new industrial knitting machine, for which she just completed certification. Now the Minneapolis-based artist is building inventory with an eye toward baby blankets, leggings, and five panel hats. “The phase we’re in right now is creating the ability to do more and then expanding and building,” Thompson says.

makwastudio.com

Photo by Jaida Grey Eagle, courtesy of Maggie Thompson

Portrait of Maggie Thompson.

SPOTLIGHT

Rammy Mohamed

Oromo fashion designer and clothing maker Rammy Mohamed often looks to fine art painting for inspiration. She admires Claude Monet and Jean-Michel Basquiat, and most recently became obsessed with Los Angeles–based painter Ferrari Sheppard. Mohamed, who works out of her boutique in Saint Paul, draws on Oromian traditions as well as Indian culture when making her dresses and gowns. “We have a kindred spirit,” she says. “I love using their beadwork and their techniques to incorporate into some of my bridal wear.”

instagram.com/ramadhan_designs

Photo by Krizia Studios

Portrait of Rammy Mohamed.

SPOTLIGHT

Nathan Patrick White

Sourcing wood from a local arborist friend as well as through connections in Northern Minnesota and spots around the Twin Cities, Nathan Patrick White makes chairs, bowls, spoons, and boxes, “using my lathe as much as possible,” he says. Recently, White expanded his knowledge base at the North House Folk School in Grand Marais—where he also sometimes teaches—and is bringing those skills to his new studio located in the Purity Bakery Building in Minneapolis.

npwoodworks.com

Photo by Sadie Sigford

Portrait of Nathan Patrick White.

SPOTLIGHT

Dusty Thune

A special education teacher in Saint Paul, Dusty Thune is a sculptor working primarily with metal, but he’s also a champion snow carver. Thune’s interest in snow art goes way back to his youth, when he’d create sculptures in an urban park near his parents’ home. One year, his sister enticed him to enter a contest, and they won a prize. “It was really fun and I got the bug to do it again,” he says.

houseofthune.com

Photo by Jason Arney-O'Neil

Portrait of Dusty Thune.

Places and Spaces

Where to Buy Supplies

“Continental Clay of Minneapolis has a great deal to do with my success as an artist and craftsperson,” says Dom Venzant. “Local, knowledgeable, and supportive, this family-run and organized business has provided clay, equipment, materials, supplies, and support for the vast majority of my creative pursuits over the last 20 years.” Fred Kaemmer likes Continental Clay, too, and checks there “for shaping tools or really nice turntables.”

Offering hardware, a range of metals and alloys sorted by type or shape, and various cutting and welding services, Coremark Metals in Minneapolis “has anything you need in metal,” says Kaemmer.

Dyani White Hawk recommends Fire Mountain Fabrics and Supply in Brooklyn Park, a suburb of Minneapolis, which stocks a huge selection of fabric and also ribbon skirt kits.

“Moving to the Twin Cities has allowed me better access to materials that are oftentimes used in traditional Hmong craft,” says Ger Xiong. “I buy a lot of my materials—embroidery floss, metals, coins, and so forth—at Hmongtown Marketplace and Hmong Village,” both in Saint Paul. “They have a really great amount of fluorescent embroidery thread that I often use in my work, fabrics that are directly related to Hmong textiles, everyday objects, ceremonial objects, toys, garments, hats, winter clothes, medicine, shampoo, and a lot more! I definitely recommend checking these spaces out. And while you’re there, grab some food and drinks.”

When Marvin Freitas is looking for wood for a project, he checks Industrial Lumber and Plywood in Minneapolis, Metro Hardwoods in Maple Grove, “and local loggers for larger slabs. There are so many and the prices are all over, so I just shop around to meet clients’ budgets.”

“I often shop at Northland Visions in Northeast Minneapolis for thread, sinew, needles, and other beading supplies,” says White Hawk. “But for the extensive bead purchasing my studio practice requires, I rely on bead vendors all over the States and do a ton of sourcing online.” She also shops at Blick for paint and art supplies and at JoAnn for sewing supplies.

“Most of my glass supplies come from online sources, which is not unusual for glassblowing,” says Kaemmer. “I do, however, use several local merchants for studio supplies.” Smith-Sharpe Fire Brick Supply in Minneapolis “deals with all things refractory and they know their stuff.”

Photo by Mike Mosedale

Northland Visions, a Native-owned gallery and retail shop, has been around in one form or another since 1995. “I often shop at Northland Visions in Northeast Minneapolis for thread, sinew, needles, and other beading supplies,” says Dyani White Hawk.

Artists’ Spaces and Events

Short-lived last winter due to warm weather and melting ice, the Art Shanty Projects is a village of ingenious vernacular ice houses built on Lake Harriet in Minneapolis by musicians and artists working in various disciplines.

Minneapolis’s Barebones Puppet Theater is known for its Annual Halloween Outdoor Puppet Extravaganza, a spectacle that includes giant puppets and aerialists.

Can Can Wonderland in Saint Paul, which features an 18-hole miniature golf course designed and created by local artists and an arts retail shop, promises “the most experiential art experience you’ve ever had, all while sinking putts.”

Hmong Cultural Center on University Avenue in Saint Paul “has a good collection of Hmong craft-based work and shows a good amount of Hmong culture and history,” says Ger Xiong.

In Saint Paul, Indigenous Roots provides accessible space “to promote and practice holistic well being through indigenous arts, culture, and tradition” and is working with artists, cultural groups, neighbors, and others to develop the 7th Street Cultural Corridor.

Established in 1977, the Minnesota Lace Society was formed to educate the public on “all aspects of lace.” They do this through programs, classes, demonstrations, and other events.

Northeast Minneapolis is considered the city’s arts district, and no wonder. It’s home to the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association’s annual Art-A-Whirl open studio tour, a gazillion studio spaces, and the American Craft Council, which is located in the renovated Grain Belt brewery near the Mississippi River. Another high point is the Flux Arts Building on the corner of Lowry Avenue and Howard Street, which houses Clay Squared to Infinity and Potek Glass. Fans can also visit artists across Northeast through First Thursdays in the District.

Spread across dozens of galleries, shared spaces, and artist lofts, Saint Paul Art Crawl—organized since 1991 by the Saint Paul Art Collective—takes place every spring and fall.

Photo by Jenny Burwell, courtesy of Highpoint Center for Printmaking

Instructor Edson Rosas prepares screens for a workshop at Highpoint Center for Printmaking in Minneapolis.

Schools, Workshops, and Resources

Founded in New York in 1943 and based in Minneapolis since 2010, the nonprofit American Craft Council offers a range of support to craft artists in all parts of the country, including professional mentoring, a virtual marketplace, in-person events, online forums, and the quarterly magazine American Craft. Says Dom Venzant, “I have found that the American Craft Council, Springboard for the Arts, and the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council are three tremendous organizations that support and provide opportunities for creative projects at both the group and individual level.”

“They do cool stuff!” says Marvin Freitas of the Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center in Minneapolis. Offering studio space and classes in blacksmithing, enamel work, encaustic painting, glasswork, metal casting, jewelry and small sculpture making, and metal fabrication, this organization is in fact pretty cool.

St. Paul–based American Association of Woodturners hosts a gallery of wood art in its Landmark Center headquarters, publishes American Woodturner magazine, promotes a bounty of resources for lathe lovers on its website, and puts on an annual symposium promoting the art form, which will be held at the RiverCentre in June 2025.

Founded in 1981, CLUES, or Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio, works toward social and economic equality and well-being for Latinos in Minnesota. Their efforts include arts programming, such as vibrant Día de los Muertos events featuring traditional craft and a Saint Paul gallery that spotlights the work of Latino/a/x artists.

Offering classes in everything from furniture making to bowl turning, Fireweed Community Woodshop in Minneapolis aims to “empower women and nonbinary makers through the art of woodcraft.”

“I don’t really hang out in the art world too much, which is probably a character flaw I should work on,” says Fred Kaemmer. “But as for art hubs in the Twin Cities, I’m thankful that Foci Minnesota Center for Glass Arts is now well established. It gives people the opportunity to gain an appreciation for all facets of the glassmaking process through hands-on learning, demonstrations, and exhibitions.” Amara Hark-Weber concurs, adding that Foci is part of an “unusual concentration of craft centers here.”

Forecast, a national public art organization based in Saint Paul, offers Making It Public workshops for artists interested in taking their work into the public realm.

Hark-Weber points to Highpoint Center for Printmaking in Minneapolis, which offers cooperative studio space, exhibitions, equipment, and classes. “That is really special about the Twin Cities,” she says.

The Saint Paul–based Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, with funding from the Minnesota State Arts Board, awards grants and support to a wide range of artists and gets the thumbs up from Venzant.

Hark-Weber recommends Minnesota Center for Book Arts in Minneapolis. Founded in 1983, this nonprofit visual arts center “celebrates the art of the book” by offering exhibitions and classes in letterpress printing, bookbinding, hand papermaking, paper marbling, and more.

With a dedicated, tax-based funding stream passed by voters in 2008, the Minnesota State Arts Board is a major supporter of the arts and, through a series of granting programs, spreads dollars to many craft organizations in the Twin Cities, including the American Craft Council.

Launched by Ini Iyamba, vice president of product design and development at Faribault Mill, MN4MN promotes and fosters “Minnesota’s diverse and burgeoning community of emerging artists, designers, and businesses.”

Mudluk pottery studio is a “Black/queer/woman owned ceramics sanctuary” in Minneapolis that provides classes in wheel throwing, hand-building, sculpture, and glaze application to students at all levels.

Hark-Weber recommends Northern Clay Center in Minneapolis, which offers exhibitions, classes, studio space, artist talks, and grants.

Founded in 1991, Springboard for the Arts aims to “support artists with the tools to make a living and a life, and to build just and equitable communities full of meaning, joy, and connection.” Venzant also recommends this organization, which has offices in Saint Paul and Fergus Falls, Minnesota, and provides grants as well as career consultations.

Run by ceramic artists Mitch Iburg and Zoё Powell, Studio Alluvium in Saint Paul offers workshops on working with local clay, making various types of vessels, and more.

Through classes, exhibitions, and events, the goal of the Textile Center in Minneapolis is to “honor textile traditions, promote excellence and innovation, nurture appreciation, and inspire widespread participation in fiber art.” Hark-Weber gives this organization the thumbs up.

Photo by Rik Sferra

Works by artists nouf saleh and Delaney Keshena on display at Public Functionary.

Galleries, Studios, Markets

A program of the Native American Community Development Institute, the gallery All My Relations Arts on East Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis highlights contemporary Native art and is integral to advancing the careers of Native artists.

“You can find beautiful jewelry, crafts, and so much fabulous literature at Birchbark Books in the Kenwood neighborhood of Minneapolis,” says Dyani White Hawk.

Bockley Gallery is a “contemporary art venue and curatorial practice based in Minneapolis,” focused on artists from the Great Lakes region and “Indigenous artists across Turtle Island.”

Founded in 1972 by Peter and Mary Deneen in their two-car garage in Saint Paul, Deneen Pottery has grown to employ 50 craftspeople who make custom, hand-thrown ceramic mugs, tankards, and tableware.

“Of course, there are also the huge events like Art-A-Whirl, and different ‘culture districts,’ but I get a bit overwhelmed at large, intense gatherings,” says Hark-Weber. “I prefer to visit little galleries like The Grand Hand,” which specializes in fine American craft.

Founded by artists in 2001, Midway Contemporary Art is a “nonprofit, non-collecting visual arts organization in Minneapolis that presents temporary exhibitions, maintains a public research library, and presents regular public programs.”

“I have shopped at Woodland Crafts Gift Shop located in the Minneapolis American Indian Center and Northland Visions in Northeast Minneapolis for many years,” says White Hawk. “They are both wonderful hubs for Native-made jewelry, art, crafts, home goods, foods, and beyond.”

“I recommend the XIA Gallery on University Avenue in Saint Paul,” says Xiong. “It has a great variety of Asian American and other BIPOC artworks and a rotating gallery space. They do a lot of great community-based work such as hand-based workshops.”

With its studios, galleries, and performance spaces, Public Functionary in Minneapolis supports the expression of arts and culture and empowers young artists, especially those who identify as BIPOC, queer, trans, or gender fluid.

Rogue Buddha Gallery in Minneapolis celebrates “hauntingly beautiful . . . works of art with an emphasis on magical realism, pop-surrealism, and the wondrously dark.”

Founded in 2001 by artist Suzy Greenberg, Soo Visual Arts Center in Minneapolis is a nonprofit art space that features artist talks, exhibitions, and workshops, and focuses on provocative art and that of underrepresented artists.

Photo by Leanghout Prom

A guest at XIA Gallery & Cafe enjoys a macrame hanger made by Na Vang, owner of Macradolls. The hanger is Vang's take on the xauv traditional Hmong necklace.

Museums

Billed as a “Nordic-inspired cultural hub,” American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis offers art exhibitions, educational programs, and more inside a 33-room mansion built in 1908.

Bell Museum’s spacious and stylish digs in Saint Paul house exhibitions, restored wildlife dioramas (some painted by Francis Lee Jaques), and the Whitney and Elizabeth MacMillan Planetarium.

Established by the family of businessman and philanthropist Gerard Cafesjian to share his art collection with the public, Cafesjian Art Trust in Shoreview features an extensive sculptural glass collection.

“Hmong Museum just opened up their physical location at Hmong Village” in Saint Paul, says Xiong. “So I recommend checking out their new space, as they will have rotating exhibitions throughout the year.”

Known simply as Mia, Minneapolis Institute of Art aims to “inspire wonder through the power of art.” It is home to more than 90,000 works representing 5,000 years of world history.

The Minnesota History Center in Saint Paul offers exhibits, a library with access to the state’s historical documents, a museum store, and a cafe. The center serves as the headquarters of the Minnesota Historical Society—which supports a Native American Artist-in-Residence program—and houses its collections and archives.

Founded in 1894, Minnesota Museum of American Art in Saint Paul is one of the oldest visual arts organizations in Minnesota. Its aim is to “showcase the unique voice of American artists with a new focus on living Minnesotan artists.”

Open in their current location since 2005, The Museum of Russian Art in Minneapolis holds a collection of thousands of sculptures, paintings, porcelain figurines, woodwork, folk art, and cultural artifacts, and promotes the understanding of Russian people, art, and culture.

Walker Art Center in Minneapolis is a multidisciplinary contemporary art center that hosts exhibitions and events, with an adjacent 11-acre sculpture garden containing Claes Oldenburg’s and Coosje van Bruggen’s well-known sculptural fountain, Spoonbridge and Cherry.

Situated on the University of Minnesota’s Minneapolis campus, the 90-year-old Weisman Art Museum offers exhibitions “that place art within relevant cultural, social, and historical contexts.” WAM also presents “organized letters, symposia, tours, and special events focused upon educational themes.”

Jennifer Vogel is senior editor of American Craft.

Ger Xiong was featured in The Queue.

Read the interview

This article was made possible with support from the Windgate Foundation.

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The Scene: Craft in the Twin Cities

Six local artists share the people and spaces that define Minneapolis and Saint Paul, cities built on the handmade.

Each edition of The Scene you’ll get an in-depth look at craft in a single city. Published twice per year, this special section goes beyond traditional travel articles. Instead it offer in-depth look at a city’s craft scene through the voices and perspectives of its artists.

In the following pages you’ll find lists of artists and craft-related spaces in Minneapolis and Saint Paul that are based on the recommendations of local contributors. This coverage is not comprehensive and we encourage you to continue exploring more of Twin Cities’ craft scene.

In this Scene:

Introduction