MACT- Summer in our state is fantastic time to experience arts festivals, from the Grand Marais Arts Festival on the shore of Lake Superior, to the Lakes Area Music Festival in Brainerd, to the Worthington International Festival, the Minnesota Beethoven Festival in Winona, and nearly every community in between.
- The vibrant culture and art forms of Minnesota’s first peoples-the Dakota and Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) are celebrated, passed on, and expanded by Cansayapi Wicoicage Oti, the intergenerational cultural incubator at Lower Sioux Indian Community in Morton, Gizhiigin Arts Incubator on the White Earth Reservation which fosters artist entrepreneurs; Dakota Wichohan also in Morton; All My Relations gallery in Minneapolis; and the Cultural Arts Programs at AICHO in Duluth.
- Traditional arts of other cultures also are celebrated and passed on at North House Folk School in Grand Marais, Ely Folk School, Milan Village Art School, Marine Mills Folk School in Marine on Saint Croix, and the Rail River Folk School in Bemidji.
- Minnesota is home to countless artists who are inspired by the natural beauty of our state, and supported by a strong network of artist service organizations that help foster their artistic and career development, organizations such as Playwrights Center, The Loft Literary Center, Highpoint Center for Printmaking, American Composers Forum, Northern Clay Center, Springboard for the Arts, the Textile Center, and the American Association of Woodturners.
- Minnesotans have a passion for great writers, books, and independent presses. Our state is home to Booker Prize winner, Marlon James; Pulitzer Prize winner Louise Erdrich; and Newberry medal winners Kate DiCamillo and Kelly Barnhill. It is also home to Graywolf Press, publisher of the Claudia Rankine’s Citizen; Milkweed Edition, publisher of Robin Wall Kimmerer’s bestseller Braiding Sweetgrass; Minnesota Center for Books Arts, and Rain Taxi which hosts the annual Twin Cities Book Festival; Minnesota Northwoods Writers Conference in Bemidji; and Good Thunder Reading Series in Mankato.
- Minnesota is known for its world class theater including the Guthrie Theater and Hennepin Theater Trust, and the Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis; Commonweal Theater Company in Lanesboro, Penumbra Theatre and Theatre Mu in Saint Paul, and Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona.
- The arts light up Main Streets across the state from the NorShore Theatre in Duluth; the Andria Theater in Alexandria; the Fairmont Opera House; Paradise Center for the Arts in Faribault; A Center for the Arts in Fergus Falls; Paramount Center for the Arts in Saint Cloud; and the Sheldon Theatre in Red Wing.
- Our state was an early pioneer focusing on film making as an art form and an economic driver. Today, FilmNorth is recognized nationally for its work to foster and promote independent filmmakers, and the Catalyst Story Institute in Duluth is generating career opportunities and visibility for storytelling artists. Film goers can enjoy a number of film festivals including the Minneapolis St Paul International Film Festival, Frozen River Film Festival, the Highway 61 Film Festival, and Cine Latino.
- Art truly is for everyone in Minnesota, a place filled with public art. Forecast Public Art, one of the leading public arts organizations in the country is based here. The Walker Art Center’s iconic Sculpture Garden is a popular visitor destination. Franconia Sculpture Park showcases permanent and temporary public art works in its 50-acre outdoor museum. The spectacular Ardent Mills silo mural celebrates the diversity as a source of pride in Mankato. Downtown Minneapolis boasts two spectacular popular music icon murals, one of Bob Dylan, the other of local legend, Prince. The Bemidji Sculpture Walk brings a new collection of public art to city streets each year.
Minnesota Arts Are Everywhere
