Public Functionary x Meet at Mia: “Giants”
Mia has partnered with Public Functionary (PF) to curate a five-week series of Meet at Mia programs surrounding our special exhibition “Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys.” Following an opening program on March 20, each week correlates with a theme of the exhibition: Becoming Giants, On the Shoulders of Giants, Giant Conversations, and Giant Presence. Programs include music, film screenings, live performances, tours led by the PF Curatorial Cohort, and more.
The PF Curatorial Cohort will draw on their established relationships within the community, to support artists throughout their entire engagement. PF and Mia are committed to serving as dedicated advocates for artists throughout and beyond their interaction.
Upcoming Programs
March 20: Giants
March 27: Becoming Giants
April 3: On the Shoulders of Giants
April 10: Giant Conversations
April 17: Giant Presence
About Public Functionary
Public Functionary (PF) is an artist-led space to dream and live in a world where multifaceted identities are celebrated and centered. Since 2012 in Northeast Minneapolis, PF has supported an emerging artist community of practice through studios, galleries, and performance spaces. Its core program, PF Studios supports and amplifies BIPOC and marginalized artists in the Northrup King Building, contributing to a more inclusive and equitable arts ecosystem in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District.
publicfunctionary.org | @pfunctionary | @pfstudios.mpls
About the PF Curatorial Cohort
SILENT FOX is a Minnesota-based visual artist, graphic designer, and muralist whose practice spans multiple media, including watercolor, acrylic, digital illustration, and photography. A graduate of Augsburg University with a BA in studio arts and graphic design, they have established themselves as a versatile creator under the banner of Silentfox.Studio. Their work has been recognized through Minnesota State Arts Board grants in both 2021 and 2022, supporting their community-focused artistic practice. As a lead director and creative curator of 13.4 Collective and member of Creatives After Curfew, their artistic philosophy, reflected in their chosen name, emphasizes the power of reflection and meaningful exploration in contemporary art-making.
MICA GRIMM is a multidisciplinary creative project manager and event producer whose decade-plus career focuses on advancing racial justice through innovative community engagement. Their portfolio includes collaborations with prominent organizations and artists, including Black Lives Matter National, The Walker Art Center, Campaign Zero, and Pussy Riot, as well as consultation work with former president Barack Obama and various nonprofits. Grimm specializes in creating inclusive events and initiatives that honor diverse community needs while building authentic connections. Their work consistently prioritizes the advancement of social and racial justice, with a particular focus on supporting BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities through meaningful collaboration and strategic event production.
MAIYA LEA HARTMAN is a self-taught multidisciplinary artist and muralist based in Minneapolis. Their practice encompasses drawing, painting, ceramics, and mixed media, with work that examines traditions of the African Diaspora through figurative art incorporating textiles and symbols. They serve as the director of artist development for Public Functionary’s PF Studios program and work as a lead artist with Creatives After Curfew, a collective formed in response to George Floyd’s murder. Through both personal artwork and community-based projects, Hartman creates spaces for Black experience, memory, and liberation, while contributing to conversations about police abolition and community-led safety.
YONCI JAMESON is a cultural curator, DJ, musician, and writer born, raised, and based in Minneapolis. Jameson has over a decade of experience in traditional West African percussion and jazz instrumentation, radio programming, and arts education and community organizing. Jameson explores, experiments, and expands into the past, present, and future of Black diasporic traditions by way of narrative prose and poetry, sound selection, performance, creative and collaborative ritual, rehearsals, jamming, putting pen to page, and breaking bread. Jameson aims to continue creating and sustaining spaces, conversations, and actions in solidarity with marginalized communities and in efforts to create a future free of anti-Blackness and queerphobia.
Program Details
March 20: Giants
Micamaryjane hosts opening night of the PF x Giants collaboration. The evening features the musical talents of ZORA, alongside poetry by Nyah Massey. Booscapes transforms the walls with projections, while DJ Vance and DJ Qbear keep the vibe flowing with thoughtfully selected music. Join the “I Am Collage” workshop with Silent Fox inspired by Deborah Roberts, and step into a one-of-a-kind photo experience designed by PF Studios artists and brought to life by photographer Bearboi. Yonci Jameson and Leslie Barlow offer casual walk-throughs of the exhibition.
Host micamaryjane
Performers ZORA and Nyah Massy
Projection Mapping Booscapes
DJ Sets DJ Advance and DJ Qbear
Art Making “I Am Collage” with Silent Fox
Custom Photobooth PF Studios artists shot by Bearboi
Food Truck West Indies
Unofficial Exhibition Tours Yonci Jameson and Leslie Barlow
Join us for a fresh take on the “Giants” exhibition with informal, artist-led tours guided by Leslie Barlow, PF Studios director, and Yonci Jameson, PF x Giants Curatorial Cohort member and radio host. These tours offer a chance to experience the exhibition through Barlow and Jameson’s unique perspectives—not as museum guides, but as an artist and community member. They’ll share their thoughts on their favorite works and invite open conversation about the themes, process, and impact of the collection.
March 27: Becoming Giants
In honor of the ways creativity passes through generations, vinyl selector DJ JamEZ showcases the art of the record as a time-tested archive while DJ MxKenna’s musical stylings celebrate Black women with a classic hip hop/neo soul set. The evening culminates in an organic community forum in the “Giants” exhibition, where moderator Yonci Jameson invites local artists and community members to respond to the collection’s featured artists and reflect on their own creative journeys.
DJ Sets DJ MxKenna and DJ JamEZ
Community Tufting NeekaSoDope
Food Truck Que Tal
“Giants” Artist Community Forum Moderator Yonci Jameson
Join radio host and writer Yonci Jameson in a participatory dialogue on the “Giants” exhibition. Gather with other local creatives and culture bearers to discuss your thoughts on the works in a lightly guided open forum. Consider how the exhibition speaks to art, culture, and our own lived experiences in the Twin Cities.
April 3: On the Shoulders of Giants
On the Shoulders of Giants speaks to the idea that no artist or cultural movement exists in isolation. It acknowledges the influence of those who came before—the pioneers, mentors, and visionaries who shaped the ways we create art and culture today. DJ Keezy and DJ Sci-Fi have both used music as a medium for representation and visibility. Through their work, they create spaces that are more than just gatherings—they’re cultural movements rooted in the traditions of resistance, joy, and collective empowerment.
Join Olu Famule (Cinefilmu) for experimental short film screenings that highlight the work of three local, emerging Black filmmakers who explore fresh takes on moving image traditions. Famule will also moderate a Q&A with the filmmakers and discuss the artist’s visual influences, themes present in their work, and what led them to the medium of film.
Featured Filmmakers Meti Mekonen, Wasima Farah, and Love, Ulysses
Filmmaker Q&A Moderator Olu Famule
DJ Sets DJ Keezy and DJ Sci-Fi
Food Truck ParraLily
April 10: Giant Conversations
Artists have always critiqued and commented on the world around them. Reframe your perspective through a conversation with local content curators, moderated by Za’Nia Coleman, participate in a workshop with a speculative fiction writer, and immerse yourself in sensory reflection with a DJ set by Sarah White.
DJ Sarah White embodies the practice of art as a tool for activism and storytelling. As a DJ, vocalist, and producer, her work transcends genres and mediums, blending music with a deep commitment to social change. Her sets are more than just sonic experiences—they’re narratives of history, resistance, and the rhythms of liberation.
Workshop Taiwana Shambley, Writing for Social Change
DJ Set Sarah White
Conversation Moderator Za’Nia Coleman
How are Minneapolis-based curators reshaping the arts landscape? This conversation explores practices that challenge traditional collection building, authorship, and audience engagement. Through grassroots models, collective publishing, experimental archives, and cross-disciplinary collaboration, curators are redefining their roles as facilitators, culture bearers, and community organizers. Inspired by “Giants” and the Dean Collection’s radical approach, panelists will discuss curating in service of artists and communities rather than institutions. What happens when collections center relationships over objects? How can digital platforms, performances, and festivals serve as living archives?
April 17: Giant Presence
Close out PF’s Meet at Mia series with a robust lineup of performers who’ll take over the museum for a night with big sound and energy. Giant gratitude!
Performers Sol Salvation Choir and Greg Grease
DJ Sets DJ McShellen and DJ Afro
Featuring BLAQ Dance Collective
Custom Portraits PF Studios artists
Food Truck ParraLily
Unofficial Exhibition Tours Yonci Jameson and Leslie Barlow
Join us for a fresh take on the “Giants” exhibition with informal, artist-led tours guided by Leslie Barlow, PF Studios director, and Yonci Jameson, PF x Giants Curatorial Cohort member and radio host. These tours offer a chance to experience the exhibition through Barlow and Jameson’s unique perspectives—not as museum guides, but as an artist and community member. They’ll share their thoughts on their favorite works and invite open conversation about the themes, process, and impact of the collection.