Minneapolis Arts & Cultural Affairs

08/18/2026

Join True North Studio X Curioso Coffee Bar's first Youth Art Summer Exhibition, featuring amazing artwork by local artists ages 5–17! This free, family-friendly event is open to everyone—we can't wait to celebrate creativity with you!

Celebrate with us at our friends & family reception and back-to-school pARTy. Meet featured artists, get a Polaroid caricature by Gloria Kim of MN Doodle Booth, create at our ARTrageous Creation Station, add to our community art wall, and stop by the Tinsel Hair Station for a little back-to-school sparkle.

Date: Sunday, August 23
Time: 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Location: True North Studio at Seven Points, 3001 Hennepin Ave., Suite #1175

This Arts & Culture Vibrant Storefronts program is funded by the City of Minneapolis Arts & Cultural Affairs Department.

08/17/2026

The August meeting marks an exciting milestone, as it is the first to include the newly appointed Minneapolis Arts Commissioners. For the first time, all 13 wards will be seated, ensuring full citywide representation and bringing a broad range of perspectives to the arts in our city.

The Minneapolis Arts Commission advises the City Council and Mayor on arts-related issues and was chartered in 1974 with the mission to strengthen the arts and enrich cultural life in Minneapolis. The commission works closely with ACA staff and shares their goal of developing a strong and vital arts community throughout Minneapolis. Commission meetings are the third Wednesday of every month at 5:30 p.m. and are open to the public.

The public is welcome to join us at the August meeting:

Date: Wednesday, August 19
Time: 5:30 – 7 p.m.
Location: Public Service Building, 505 4th Ave. S, 55415 - room 100AB

08/14/2026

An informational meeting for the Northside Greenway Call for Artists will be hosted on August 18 at 3 p.m. To attend the virtual informational meeting email Dudley Voigt
at [email protected] to receive the meeting link.

Can't make the meeting?

The video will be posted on August 26 at www.minneapolismn.gov/call-for-artists

08/13/2026

Resurrection Fern public showing on August 18

Megan Mayer’s Resurrection Fern is a new dance supported by an inaugural 2025-26 Bridge Fund for Dance grant from the City of Minneapolis Arts & Cultural Affairs Department that funded a 40-hour Development and Research Residency. Join the dancers for a public showing of their work where they will share a synopsis of the research, followed by a brief reception.

Featuring performers: Charles Campbell, matt regan, Greg Waletski, Megan Mayer
Date: Tuesday, Aug 18
Time: 7 - 8 p.m., doors open at 6:40 p.m.
Location: Hennepin Arts Studio 900 (3RD Floor), 900 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis
RSVP: [email protected] RSVP and reserve your seats.

This activity is made possible by the Bridge Fund for Dance program through the City of Minneapolis Arts & Cultural Affairs Department.

08/12/2026

Next Wednesday, enjoy performances at cafes, restaurants, patios, and public spaces featuring jazz, folk, rock, Latin, electronic, pop, soul, hip hop and more.

Experience a new citywide celebration of live music with an afternoon of free live music across. More than 25 venues spanning from the Mississippi River to Eat Street along Nicollet Ave. Everyone is welcome, and all performances are free.

Follow Minneapolis Mile of Music for artist line up, venue map, and event schedule.

Date: Wednesday, Aug 19, 2026
Time: 4 – 8 p.m.

Funding is provided by the City of Minneapolis to honor and celebrate community resiliency. In collaboration with Cantus, the Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District, Twin Cities Jazz Festival, Dance Beat Agenda and Soul of the Southside.

Minneapolis Mile of Music is an independent event and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, endorsed by, or otherwise associated with the Mile of Music Festival in Appleton, Wisconsin.

08/11/2026

The weeklong Fall Forward Festival presented by Hothouse Studios returns to the Luminary Arts Center August 14 - 23.

This presentation and celebration of Twin Cities dance, features both the perennial companies who define us, and the newest voices in our community. The festival includes performances, educational experiences, and community engagement activations.

Headliners to include: Ananya Dance Theatre. Arena Dances, Black Label Movement, Duniya Drum and Dance, and Vie Boheme.

Featured Artist include Alexander Hille, Pier Loup, Amez Dance, Emily Michaels King, Hatch Dance, Javan Mngrezzo, Lily Conforti, Jake Nehbass, Paper Doll Productions, Merdian Movement Company, Rhythmically Speaking Dance
Ruby Jospehine Dance Theatre, Shapeshift, Technica Movement, and Shannon Hartle Dolan.

Full lists of event dates and times available at https://my.luminaryartscenter.com/overview/3314

Fall Forward Festival was originally the brainchild of The Cowles Center and is now under the helm of Hothouse Studios. Hothouse believes in the robust local dance community, and our endless potential to create work that challenges and entertains audiences.

The 2026 Festival is funded in part by the City of Minneapolis Bridge Fund for Dance.

08/10/2026

Join the celebration of the opening of After the Rainbow...Pride Cultural Arts Center's first community art exhibition

Featuring the work of 20 incredible LGBTQIA2S+ artists, this exhibition explores what comes next, after the rainbow, after the parade, after the celebration. Through painting, photography, sculpture, fiber arts, mixed media, and more, these artists invite us to dream, heal, imagine, and build our shared future together.

Pride Cultural Arts Center hopes you'll join the evening of art, connection, and community as we celebrate the talented artists who made this inaugural exhibition possible. Come meet the artists, experience their work, and celebrate the creativity, resilience, and vision of our community.

Date: Saturday, August 15
Time: 5- 8 p.m.
Location: Pride Cultural Arts Center, 1201 Harmon Place, suite 104

This Arts & Culture Vibrant Storefronts program is funded, in part, by the City of Minneapolis Arts & Cultural Affairs Department.

08/07/2026

Arts Midwest is looking to honor 18 culture bearers across the Midwest with $5,000 awards to support their cultural practice.

Every community has people who carry its stories, teachings, and creative practices forward to ensure cultural knowledge remains alive and accessible for future generations.

You may apply if you live in in our region, you have a folk arts or traditional cultural practice that you have engaged in for at least 10 years, and you focus on sharing knowledge with others.

If this sounds like a good fit for you or someone you know, submit an application by August 18.

The 2026 Midwest Culture Bearers Award celebrates and supports the work of Midwest culture bearers and folk arts practitioners.

08/06/2026

Call for Artists to apply to the Northside Greenway art project!

The City invites artists and artist teams to apply for the Northside Greenway project. The four-mile Greenway route is from 44th Ave N. to 4th Ave N. on Humboldt Ave N. and Irving Ave N.

Dates and deadlines:
August 18, 3 p.m. - Virtual informational meeting.
August 19, 4 p.m. - Deadline to email your questions.
August 26 - Review the posted questions and answers document.
September 14, 4 p.m. - Upload a completed application.

Learn more and apply at www.minneapolismn.gov/call-for-artists

08/05/2026

Free food, panel discussion, performances, a gallery exhibition, resources to support Cuban artists, and more on August 8!

2 Cuba w/Love: A Hip Hop Global Impact Anniversary Celebration is a community event that shares materials from the 2024 cultural exchange between Cuban and U.S. artists in Minnesota. 2 Cuba w/Love is also a chance to give back and support artists in Cuba as they continue to navigate a changing world.

Gallery exhibition featuring: DigieMade Photography + Bair Stories for TruArtSpeaks with panel discussions, short film, performances and more!

Date: Saturday, August 8
Time: Noon - 4 p.m.
Location: Capri Theater, 2027 West Broadway Avenue, 55411
RSVP for free at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2-cuba-wlove-a-global-impact-anniversary-celebration-tickets-1994316978769

This Cultural Districts Arts Fund activation is funded, in part, by the City of Minneapolis Arts & Cultural Affairs Department. It is also presented in partnership with Maia Maiden Productions and will work closely with Son Dos Alas to resource artist friends in Cuba.