When Mia acquired its Shiva Nataraja sculpture, in 1929, there were only a couple others in American museums. The legendary art dealer C.T. Loo had loaned it to Mia with the idea that someone would step forward and make the arrangement permanent. Someone did: Sarah Belle Pillsbury Gale, who lived just  ...

On the first day of class, last fall, Natasha Pestich had her students at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design get their hands dirty. They made stencils out of Mylar or paper, cutting out letters or designs. Then they took the stencils outside and used paint rollers and sponges to  ...

To all the mothers and the sisters and the wives and friends I wanna offer my love and respect till the end —Adam “MCA” Yauch, Sure Shot, 1994   Twice 10 years old, not fully told Since nature gave me breath My race is run, my thread is spun Lo here is fatal Death. —Anne  ...

Chaka Mkali, also known as I Self Devine, is a musician, MC, community organizer, racial-justice trainer, graffiti artist, muralist, and director of organizing and community building at Hope Community in Minneapolis. He is also the co-curator of “Rituals of Resilience,” an audio-visual experience at Mia featuring new music by Mkali and  ...

Keegan Xavi is a visual artist, art historian, and producer in North Minneapolis, and when she recently visited “In the Presence of Our Ancestors: Southern Perspectives in African American Art,” a new exhibition at Mia featuring the work of Black artists from the Deep South, she felt something  ...

A couple years ago, Mia received 11 paintings from the series known as the Impey Album, a gift from the collection of Elizabeth and Willard Clark. Lady Mary Impey had moved from England to India in 1773, when Britain’s East India Company was cementing control of the Indian subcontinent through bureaucracy  ...

The new exhibition “Freedom Rising: I Am the Story,” now on view at Mia, features more than a dozen quilts made by the Massachusetts artist L’Merchie Frazier, including one depicting the Civil War heroics of Robert Smalls. Born into slavery in South Carolina, Smalls escaped by commandeering the Confederate steamer he  ...

When Robin Wall Kimmerer was being interviewed for college admission, in upstate New York where she grew up, she had a question herself: Why do lavender asters and goldenrod look so beautiful together? Her question was met with the condescending advice that she pursue art school instead. But Kimmerer, an enrolled member of the  ...

Juan Lucero grew up in New Mexico, moving between Albuquerque and his Isleta Pueblo community, just south of town. As a teenager, he began working as a waiter in the restaurant of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, established in Albuquerque by all 19 Pueblos in the state to share their culture: dances, art, food, history.  ...

There’s no question that the holidays will be different this year. While there are many things we will miss this year (hugs from family and friends!), I’ve started to focus on tweaking our traditions and creating some new ones to keep our celebrations joyful and safe.  Spend Time Together, Apart Friendly  ...