Community Commons
Located on the museum’s first floor, adjacent to the Family Center, the Community Commons is a gathering area featuring art by youth studio students and artists participating in our community partnership programs. It’s an ideal space to check out some art, interact with one of our participatory activities, bring a coffee from the cafe and get some work done, or relax while recharging yourself or your device.
Exhibitions
Artwork on view in the Commons regularly rotates, representing selections from our Youth Studio classes or Community Partnerships.
Work Space
There is flexible seating available for working individually or in small groups of up to 8 people. Phone and laptop charging ports are also located throughout the hall.
Interactives
Artist and educator-designed activities can be found here, which explore ideas, themes, and materials found in the museum’s galleries.
Virtual Exhibitions
Creativity Academy
Mia’s Creativity Academy is a multiple-visit program for fourth-grade students, designed to foster creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program went virtual for the 2020-2021 academic year. In replace of an in-person exhibition, students submitted artwork to their teachers and the images have been made available here.
Breaking the Silence: International Women's Day
Participating artists call attention to the daily aggressions, whether physical or psychological, that all women face across the world and in every sector of society; this exhibition also honors and supports women who are or have been victims of domestic violence, and recognizes the resilience of cis- and transgender women and non-binary people who work to build more equitable and safe communities for all.
Current Exhibitions
Ninga Izhichige Nibi Onji / I Will Do It For The Water
This exhibition explores the importance of nibi (the Ojibwe word for water) as a life-giving force. For the past ten years, Ojibwe artist and community leader Sharon M. Day has been guiding Nibi Walks as extended ceremonies to pray for the water.
Past Exhibitions
Keep the Fire Alive Youth Mural Project
In summer 2020, Mia partnered with All Nations Indian Church, Indigenous Peoples Task Force, and SAMHSA Native Connections to help create a mural with the Keep the Fire Alive theater troupe.
Challenging Stereotypes Series by Art Team
Wings of Hope 2020
As part of the Minneapolis Monarch Festival, organized by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and the Nokomis East Neighborhood Association, visitors were invited to take a selfie in front of this new set of butterfly wings, created by Argentinian artist Claudia Valentino (Clau).
Your Story, Our Story: Student Immigration Experiences
This exhibition features original artworks and stories by LEAP High School students, created as part of Your Story, Our Story, presented in partnership with the Tenement Museum in New York City.
Juxtaposition Arts: Contemporary Face Jugs
Over the past months, Juxtaposition Arts’ teaching artists Sayge Carroll and Jordan Hamilton worked with apprentices to create the face jugs displayed here. As Folk art, face jugs have become a significant feature in the history of African-American art.
Día de los Muertos
In partnership with Centro Tyrone Guzman, Mia presents a Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) altar by artist Monica Vega. Día de los Muertos is a cultural tradition from Mexico when families remember those who are no longer with us and, in doing so, keep their spirits alive.
“Yes, and…”
Artist Sam Gould created this activity in response to two of Mia’s exhibitions, Martin Luther: Art and the Reformation and Resistance, Protest, Resilience.