Friends Newsletter
President’s Letter, November 2024
Dear Friends,
October was chock-full of Friends events. We had everything: a pop-up private gallery viewing, a tour of the Midwest Art Conservation Center (MACC), a fall wine tasting fundraiser, our Art & Architecture trip to the Crystal Bridges Museum and the Ozarks area, and a Coffee & Scones gathering for new members. All this is in addition to our popular lectures and book club sessions. As I’ve attended these gatherings, I’ve noticed the wonderful camaraderie and fun that people are having. We connect with one another while enjoying art, festivities, or travel.
Meanwhile, the Friends’ commitment to bring students to Mia is in full swing. Our Outreach Committee supported transporting several busloads of children and teachers from the Tibetan Cultural School during the opening of Mia’s Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room on September 14. Our Transportation Committee already has applications for 79 buses to help bring students from Twin Cities area schools to Mia for guide-led tours.
As we head into the holidays and the end of the year, I ask you to take the time now to renew your membership and your commitment to the Friends. When you sign up or renew now, you’ll be set for 2025. Renew online or call the main Mia number at 612-870-3000 and specify that you are signing up for a Friends membership. And tell your friends about us!
This newsletter should reach you on November 1, the 306th day of 2024. There are 60 days left in the year. Let’s make the most of them!
Warmly,
Barbara Proeschel
President, Friends of the Institute
November Friends Lecture: Jody Folwell
O’ Powa O’ Meng: The Art and Legacy of Jody Folwell
Sunday, November 10, 2024, 2 p.m.
Pillsbury Auditorium
Join artists Jody and Susan Folwell and curators Adriana Greci Green and Bruce Bernstein for a conversation about the exhibition “O’ Powa O’ Meng: The Art and Legacy of Jody Folwell.”
“Many of my pieces have some kind of history behind them. Personal history mostly, and just the mere fact that I love Living in Santa Clara on the reservation. It’s a fullness of life. It’s security. It’s a sense of belonging because my ancestors are here, and they went through life here. I was born here. Raised my family here and I know I will die here. This gives me a sense of myself and a connection to all my ancestors and people in the future that will come from this place. That is so incredible.” — Jody Folwell
Jody Folwell has long been considered the “groundbreaker” who pulled Pueblo pottery forward due to her innovations and revolutionary approaches. Her work in the 1970s changed the surface of Santa Clara pottery. Her distinctive firings and use of various clay slips and nontraditional design elements allowed her to push forward her distinctive style that was grounded in tradition, yet fully modern.
For more than fifty years, Jody has stayed the course, fully devoted and committed to the Pueblo pot as her place of continual development as an artist. And as a place to experiment with new technical ideas and thoughts on their shapes and slips, and state her thoughts on her world.
Reserve your tickets for the lecture.
Reception to follow from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the Regis Court.
The pre-lecture tour is back! Another popular Friends benefit is the 45-minute pre-lecture tour. This lecture-themed tour starts the hour before the lecture.
Space is limited and advance registration is required. To register, call Mia’s Visitor Experience team at 612-870-3000. Pre-lecture tours are open only to Friends members and become available the same day as the lecture.
Tickets for all lectures and pre-lecture tour registration become available on the 15th of the month prior to each lecture—not before.
November Friends Book Club: The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight by Andrew Leland
Friday, November 15, 2024, 10 a.m.
Saturday, November 16, 2024, 10 a.m.
Friends Office
This November, the Friends Book Club invites you to discuss The Country of the Blind: A Memoir of the End of Sight by Andrew Leland, a Pulitzer Prize finalist. In this powerful memoir, Leland reflects on his experience of losing his eyesight due to a rare genetic disorder, offering an honest exploration of blindness and the impact of ableism on his journey. The Pulitzer Prize website praises the book for its “emotionally resonant” storytelling and unique perspective on living with vision loss.
You’ll have two opportunities to participate in the discussion: Friday, November 15, and Saturday, November 16. Both gatherings will take place at 10 a.m. in the Friends office, located behind the café on the first floor. After an hour-long book discussion, attendees are invited to join a guide-led tour from 11 a.m. to noon.
As the New York Times notes, Leland’s prose is “jazzy and intelligent…loaded with statistics and studies in some places, lyrical elsewhere, with licks of understated humor.” Don’t miss this thought-provoking event—sign up today!
Space is limited and advance registration is required. To sign up, call the Friends office at 612-870-3045 or email friends@artsmia.org.
December’s book: Jacqueline in Paris by Ann Mah
In December, the Friends Book Club will discuss Jacqueline in Paris, a novel by Ann Mah. Set in post-World War II Paris, the story paints a vivid picture of Jacqueline Bouvier’s year abroad, showing how her time in the City of Light influenced the woman who would later become First Lady.
In the Galleries: A Friend’s Perspective by Carol Stoddart
At the Moulin Rouge
October 12, 2024–March 9, 2025
Bell Family Decorative Arts Court
“Insouciance,” “lightness,” and ” joie de vivre” are the words used to describe the Moulin Rouge on its website. Maybe you have visited the iconic red mill cabaret on the hill of Montmartre in Paris where, since 1889, visitors have basked in the glow of all that gaiety. Thanks to the brilliance of the artist Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, you can see, feel, and hear what it felt like to be one of the bon vivants at the Moulin Rouge in 1894. His deft use of color, light, and form brings all that vibrancy to life.
Due to a congenital birth defect, Toulouse-Lautrec never grew taller than four feet eight inches. Because his short stature made him feel like an outsider, he found companionship among the habitués of the cabarets of Montmartre. Consequently, this exhibition also includes posters of other people Toulouse-Lautrec knew, like the performer Aristide Bruant. He may be familiar to you when you see his characteristic scowl, the red scarf flung around his neck, the black cape draped over his shoulders, and his black hat perched dramatically on his head.
The painting At the Moulin Rouge is on loan to Mia from the Art Institute of Chicago through March 9, 2025. Come be captured by the vibrancy of the images in this lively exhibit, which you can find on the third floor of the museum in the Bell Family Decorative Arts Court.
Art in Bloom 2025—Save the Date
April Showers Always Bring Flowers! Art in Bloom Returns
Thursday, April 24–Sunday, April 27, 2025
Join the Friends from Thursday, April 24, to Sunday, April 27, 2025, for the 41st annual Art in Bloom, Mia’s signature spring exhibition and largest fundraiser. This year’s theme celebrates the vibrant beauty of Latin America, with stunning floral interpretations of artwork from Mia’s collection and captivating commercial flower displays throughout the museum.
In addition to the exhibition, Art in Bloom features a variety of events, including lectures, demonstrations, tours, and an exciting opening night. Don’t miss Party in Bloom on Friday evening, April 25—a lively gathering perfect for celebrating the event with friends.
The Friends are currently seeking volunteers to join the Art in Bloom team. We are looking for a liaison to help coordinate Family Day on Sunday, April 27, and a volunteer coordinator to manage volunteer recruitment and activities throughout the weekend.
Please contact Laura in the Friends Office at 612-870-3045 or email friends@artsmia.org if you have interest in either role or would like to simply help with the event.
Friends Art & Architecture Trip
Ozarks in October: Bentonville, Eureka Springs, and Fayetteville Arkansas
Friends of the Institute recently sponsored a trip, Ozarks in October: Bentonville, Eureka Springs, and Fayetteville, Arkansas. The highlight of the trip was a visit to the area’s most iconic cultural institution, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, where the group was introduced to over 200 years of American art in the museum’s permanent collection. The group learned about the museum’s architecture and natural surroundings, designed by award-winning architect Moshe Safdie. The museum is currently constructing an addition to add 100,000 square feet to its existing 200,000 square feet, with plans to complete the project in the first quarter of 2026.
In Bentonville, the group experienced the diverse indigenous cultures of the Americas through prehistoric and historic art at the Museum of Native American History. In Eureka Springs, the group rode a tram through the Ozark mountain town to learn about its rich history and stopped to experience the serenity and appreciate the natural beauty of the Thorncrown Chapel, a glass chapel built by Arkansas’ most famous architect, E. Fay Jones, an apprentice who studied under Frank Lloyd Wright. The tour concluded with a visit to Fayetteville’s University of Arkansas campus and Washington-Willow Historic District before heading home to Minnesota.
Discovering: Friends Only Events
Wednesday, November 6, 2024, 10 a.m.
Landmark Center & Schubert Club Museum
As we approach the end of the year, we hope you’ll join our November and December Friends Only events. These gatherings are designed to foster connections, celebrate the season, and create lasting memories with fellow friends. We’ll venture to St. Paul and the historic Landmark Center in November. December will find us celebrating the Scandinavian holiday traditions at the American Swedish Institute! Event details below. RSVP for the Friends Only events to Lezlie Pinske.
November Outing: Landmark Center & Schubert Club Museum Tour
Explore the historic Landmark Center and delve into musical and instrumental history at the Schubert Club Museum. Enjoy an informal social gathering for lunch afterward at Loon Café in St. Paul.
- Location: Landmark Center & Schubert Club Museum
- Date & Time: Wednesday, November 6, 2024, from 10 to 11 a.m.
We will rendezvous by the Visitor Information Desk near the 5th Street and Market Street entrances around 9:45 a.m. - Cost: FREE (Limited to 15 guests)
- RSVP Deadline: Noon on Friday, October 30. RSVP to Lezlie Pinske. Remember to let Lezlie know if you will be joining the lunch gathering following the tour!
December Festivities: Holiday Tour at the American Swedish Institute
Celebrate the 74th season of special holiday-themed tours at the American Swedish Institute. We have arranged a private tour of the festive Scandinavian traditions of Tomte: The Gnome, The Myth, The Legend.
Feel free to invite a friend. We’d love for them to experience one of the benefits of Friends membership!
- Location: American Swedish Institute
- Date & Time: Wednesday, December 4, 2024, 10–11 a.m.
We’ll rendezvous by the Gift Shop area around 9:45 a.m. - Cost: $25 per person (available for 40 guests/minimum 10 guests)
- RSVP Deadline: Noon on Friday, November 15th. RSVP and payment to Lezlie Pinske. Admission & $25 tour fee may be Venmo’d to @Lezlie-Pinske.
Recap: October outing to the Midwest Art Conservation Center
Our year of discovery began with the October Friends Only event at the Midwest Conservation Center. We went behind the scenes to meet some of their masters of art conservation and preservation. This fascinating tour took us into studios to see in-progress conservation work on paintings, objects, and print material. The MACC staff shared their process of assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of these treasures. The questions and curiosity were never-ending! Our thanks to the staff at the MACC for welcoming us into such a magical space.
Seasonal Giving: Buy-a-Bus Funding for School Bus Grants
As Friends of the Institute, we understand the significance of school bus transportation in advancing our mission. For thirty years, generous donations from Friends members have allowed us to offer bus grants to schools, giving educators the opportunity to bring students to Mia for an enriching, firsthand experience with the museum’s collections.
During this season of gratitude, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Friends’ School Bus Grants fund. Your contribution helps ensure that K–12 students can continue to participate in guide-led tours and educational programs at Mia. A donation of $250 covers the cost of one bus grant, but any amount is appreciated and will support this important initiative.
Make your donation and help sustain this vital program. Thank you for helping us keep the arts accessible to students for years to come!
Volunteer Opportunities Working with Families:
Monthly Family Days, Second Sundays
Sunday, November 10, 2024
Mia’s Family Day is a wonderful opportunity for families to enjoy free, hands-on art-making projects that change each month. It’s also a great chance for volunteers to get involved and share in the creativity.
Volunteers can help with art projects or greet and direct guests to the art studios. Choose from one of three shifts: 9:45 a.m.–noon, 11:45 a.m.–2:00 p.m., or 1:45 p.m.–4:00 p.m. Please specify whether you’d like to assist as a Wayfinder or an Art Helper.
Family Day takes place on the second Sunday of every month. The next Family Day is November 10. For more information, visit Mia’s Family Day page.
If interested, please email Pat Gale or call 612-868-1079.
Get Involved!
The Friends Membership Committee is welcoming new members this season by hosting Coffee & Scones gatherings. These small group events provide a wonderful opportunity for new Friends to meet existing members, connect with fellow newcomers, and learn about volunteer opportunities at Mia. Each gathering includes a 30-minute meet-up in the Friends Office, followed by a tour of art pieces funded wholly or partially by the Friends.
To help promote upcoming Friends activities, we’ve also created two new bookmarks listing our lectures, Friends Only events, and Book Club gathering available in the Friends. All Friends are welcome to stop by and pick up their bookmarks. See you soon!