By Tim Gihring Erika Lee’s grandfather came to the United States from China in 1918, sailing into the harbor of San Francisco. He was 16, a farmer’s son. The Chinese Exclusion Act, which was designed to stop nearly all Chinese immigrants from entering the country, had been in place for 36 years. But he had  ...

By Alyssa Machida “Let’s begin by saying that we are living through a very dangerous time…. So any citizen of this country who figures himself as responsible—and particularly those of you who deal with the minds and hearts of young people—must be prepared to ‘go for broke.’ Or to put it another way, you must  ...

When the Minneapolis Institute of Art began planning its February Open House, it knew it would need some help. Mia began hosting Open Houses last year, on Friday nights, when the museum can welcome its community, families, and friends for an evening of free programs. The February event would celebrate Black History Month with music,  ...

By Jay Nuhring Remember the shiny brass furniture from the early 1980s? And the obsession consumers had with Spanish Oak cabinetry, burnt orange laminate countertops, and earth-tone shag carpet? They’re back! The year 2020 marks the beginning of a new decade in design, and rightly so—trends have about a 40-year cycle. Out with the cool  ...

Art in Bloom, Mia’s perennial fundraiser produced by the Friends of the Institute, is now celebrating spring in place, thanks to COVID-19. So why not enjoy it at home with a wedge of fresh lime? We’re talking, of course, about a gin and tonic. Few drinks announce the arrival of warmer months as briskly as  ...

By Jay Nuhring Spring is my favorite time of year for many reasons, the least of which are that my birthday is in late April and I love a good spring thunderstorm. The smell of earth after a hard rain makes me hopeful for warmer days. Here are some tips for shedding the winter doldrums  ...

By Diane Richard Long before anyone knew what COVID-19 was, or that Mia would close this spring because of it, Holly Young was in Bismarck, North Dakota, thinking about the 2019 Sante Fe Indian Market. It was several months before the nation’s premier showcase for Native artists, and Young was looking for a challenge. So  ...

This past January, a new kind of photography show opened at Mia, in the Harrison Gallery. “Just Kids” is an exhibition of photographs of, by, and for kids, organized at Mia in partnership with middle and high school students. Nearly a dozen teens from Minneapolis and St. Paul collaborated with Casey Riley, curator of Photography  ...

By Tim Gihring With work-from-home in full swing, are you finding your quarantine quarters a little lacking? Do you dread logging into the morning meeting, coveting your colleagues’ digs while you slump at your desk seemingly made of Legos and leftover Ikea hardware? Yes, the ideal home office is the new status symbol, and Mia  ...

Sky Hopinka says he’s always known who he is. His father is a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, in Wisconsin; his mother is descended from the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, in California. They met on the powwow circuit, traveling across the country to perform, and when Sky came along he joined them in the  ...