Friends Newsletter
President’s Letter, January 2025
Dear Friends,
Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2025! I hope you had a good holiday with some time to rest and recharge, as well as opportunities to celebrate with family and friends. Now we enter the new year and a fresh start.
Speaking of “new,” I have a few new items to report. We have two new promotional banners that stand about 7 feet tall with information about the Friends. They are hard to miss! You’ll start seeing them at lectures and other events to show when it’s a Friends event. We hope the banners will help increase our visibility. Naturally, we will be “flying” these banners high at Art in Bloom!
You’ve seen the bookmarks with a listing of all the lectures. Now we have another bookmark listing the Friends Members monthly events and Book Club sessions for the year. They come in handy for remembering the dates and details of our monthly programming.
We ended 2024 and will start 2025 with Mia’s two newest curators. Dr. Max Bryant gave us a wonderful and very informative lecture in December on Mia’s decorative arts collection. Dr. Galina Olmsted will give our January 9 lecture (at 11 a.m.) on Toulouse-Lautrec and 19th century Paris.
We have a new look to our Friends website. We’ve updated all information and photos. While there is still work to do to make sure that the site is user-friendly, the website has come a long way, so check it out!
Something not new but resurrected are the pre-lecture tours. These popular guide-led tours faded away during the pandemic, but they are back due to increased demand. You’ll want to make time for this great Friends benefit. The tours follow the theme of the lecture, start the hour before the lecture, and last approximately 45 minutes. Registration is required as the maximum participation is 30 people. Call 612-870-3000 to reserve your spot.
While there are a lot of exciting new projects to look forward to, what is not new is our commitment to supporting Mia and the work of the Friends. As we embark on this new year, I want to thank you for being a Friend!
Warmly,
Barbara Proeschel
President, Friends of the Institute
January Friends Lecture: Galina Olmsted, Associate Curator of European Art
At the Moulin Rouge
Thursday, January 9, 2025, 11 a.m.
Pillsbury Auditorium
Peek into the delightfully Bohemian world of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec as seen through the lens of Galina Olmsted, Mia’s associate curator of European Art, at the January Friends Lecture.
Focusing on his remarkable painting, At the Moulin Rouge—on loan from the Art Institute of Chicago—Olmsted will guide us through the essence of Parisian nightlife and Toulouse-Lautrec’s extraordinary talent for capturing the characters and energy of his time. This talk will offer a deeper understanding of the artist’s circle and the cultural revolution that shaped Paris at the turn of the century.
Don’t miss the opportunity to explore the “At the Moulin Rouge” exhibition, on view until March 9, 2025, featuring rarely seen works from Mia’s collection, including stunning French posters and drawings. This lecture will enrich your appreciation for an era that redefined art and entertainment.
Additionally, Olmsted will offer a sneak peek at some exciting recent acquisitions to Mia’s European Art Collection.
February Friends Lecture: Deborah Roberts
Thursday, February 20, 2025, 6 p.m.
Pillsbury Auditorium
Spend an evening with the Friends and Deborah Roberts, a mixed-media artist celebrated for her artworks that explore topics of Black childhood, at the February Friends Lecture. Roberts is joined in conversation by Mia associate curator of global contemporary art Leslie Ureña. This lecture provides a unique chance to hear Roberts share her artistic journey, techniques, and the motivations behind her powerful work.
Born in Austin, Texas, Roberts has made a profound impact on the art world with her signature style of fragmented portraits. Her creations blend elements of painting, collage, and symbolism to depict the complex experiences of Black children, particularly young girls. Through her art, Roberts challenges cultural narratives, forcing viewers to confront preconceived social constructs around beauty and worth.
Her artwork has been exhibited internationally, including recent acquisitions by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Guggenheim. Roberts draws inspiration from her own experiences in addition to historical and contemporary societal issues.
“As a child, I didn’t see myself reflected in the images society deemed beautiful. My work is about reshaping that narrative,” says Roberts.
Roberts’s work is rich with layers—literally and metaphorically. She combines fragments of magazine clippings, acrylic paint, and other media. The outcome is an amalgamation of textures and identities that often show both vulnerability and strength. Her art defies stereotypes, questions conventional standards, and highlights the individuality of her subjects.
Her artworks, such as Between Them (2019), feature collaged figures with bold colors and contrasting patterns that reflect the multifaceted identities of her subjects. “By putting together different faces as one face, it forces the viewer to look at that one face. Once you find that face, you find the humanity,” Roberts explains.
She goes on to say in an interview for her 2018 exhibition at the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, “If you can find yourself in her face, then you can see and embrace your own humanity. Once you see me as human, then we can coexist equally. That’s the basis of the work.”
This is more than just a conversation about art—it’s an invitation to see the world through Roberts’s lens and experience the transformative power of her vision.
January Friends Book Club
Chenneville: A Novel of Murder, Loss, and Vengeance by Paulette Jiles
Friday, January 17, 2025, 10 a.m.
Saturday, January 18, 2025, 10 a.m.
Friends Office
A few years ago, the Mia book of the month was News of the World by Paulette Jiles. The public tours of this book were hugely popular, as was the Friends book discussion. If you loved that experience, or if you missed it, you’ve got another chance when we gather on Friday, January 17, and Saturday, January 18, to discuss Chenneville: a Novel of Murder, Loss, and Vengeance, also by Paulette Jiles.
To quote from the Southern Literary Review, “Chenneville is a fine adaptation of a classic hero’s journey epic. It is both an action-adventure story and a splendidly well-written literary novel about a most painful period in our history.”
Union soldier John Chenneville suffered a traumatic head wound in battle. His recovery took the better part of a year as he struggled to regain his senses and mobility. By the time he returned home, the Civil War was over, but tragedy awaited. John’s beloved sister and her family had been brutally murdered. Traveling through the unforgiving landscape of a shattered nation in the midst of Reconstruction, John braves winter storms and confronts desperate people in pursuit of his quarry. Untethered, single-minded in purpose, he will not be deterred.
This sounds like a book that will lend itself to an in-depth discussion and a fascinating tour: just what we love about the Friends Book Club!
Whether you choose to join in the Friday or Saturday discussion, you’ll find the book club at 10 a.m. in the Friends office, behind the café, for a one-hour discussion, followed by a guide-led tour of objects from the museum’s collection that relate to the book. Space is limited and advance registration is required. To sign up, call the Friends office at 612-870-3045, or email us.
Based on the experience of our December book, when more people signed up than we could accommodate, we strongly encourage you to register as soon as you make your decision!
Upcoming: February Friends Book Club
Deacon King Kong by James McBridge on February 21 and 22. Mark your calendars!
Art in Bloom 2025—Signature Art Piece Announcement
Celebrating Latin American Art
Thursday, April 24–Sunday, April 27, 2025
Alfredo Ramos Martínez painted the Art in Bloom 2025 signature piece Las vendedoras de flores late in his career while living in Los Angeles. He and his family relocated to California in 1929 on the recommendation of his doctors because his daughter needed medical treatment. Upon his arrival, Ramos Martínez was welcomed by the Hollywood community, where was able to exhibit his artwork and count on commissions and support from the public.
His best work came at this time, as he focused on his heritage and depicted the Indigenous of Mexico with empathy and joy. Las vendedoras de flores is a fine example that shows a procession of traditional young Indigenous women bringing flowers to market. He portrays them with serenity and elegance in luminous colors.
In this superbly executed painting, one cannot only see the artist’s love for his homeland, but extraordinary talent and skill acquired from rich and diverse life experiences.
Born in Monterrey, Mexico, in 1871, Ramos Martínez began painting at an early age. After a portrait that he had painted of the governor of his state received an award in an exhibit in San Antonio, Texas, he was offered a scholarship to the renowned Academy of Fine Arts in Mexico City.
Good fortune came his way in the late 1890s when then President of Mexico Porfirio Díaz asked him to paint a special menu for a dinner in honor of Phoebe Apperson Hearst, the mother of William Randolph Hearst. She was struck by his talent and supported his travel and stay in Paris, where he remained until 1909.
While in Paris, he joined intellectual circles of other young Latin American artists and formed a close friendship with the well-known Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío. Alfredo Ramos Martínez also met prominent artists, including Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, Henri Matisse, Joaquín Sorolla Bastida, and Auguste Rodin. He explored different artistic styles and was particularly attracted to landscape painting.
Upon his return to Mexico, he rejoined the community at the Academy of Fine Arts in Mexico City, where he used the influences he learned in Europe to expand the School of Plein Air Painting. He was awarded the title of the Father of Modern Art. During this time, he taught many aspiring young artists, such as Rufino Tamayo (Mia’s “The Family). In 1920, he became the director of the Academy, where he had studied and taught.
Art in Bloom 2025 will take place the last weekend in April, beginning with the opening on Thursday, April 24, and featuring the popular Party in Bloom on Friday night, April 25. This year’s theme will honor Latin American culture in the Americas and the Twin Cities, embracing the region’s color, vibrancy, and rich traditions. Let’s make Art in Bloom 2025 a celebration to remember!
Would you like to join the Art in Bloom team? We are currently seeking volunteers to help plan and coordinate events throughout this exciting weekend. Please contact Laura in the Friends Office at 612-870-3045 or email us if you’re interested.
Art in Bloom 2025: Memorials and Dedications
Would you like a unique way to propose to your significant other, congratulate a colleague on retirement, or perhaps thank a teacher whose encouragement made a difference in your life?
The Friends are thrilled to announce the early planning stages for Memorials and Dedications as part of Art in Bloom 2025.
This cherished opportunity to honor loved ones or commemorate special moments hasn’t been available since before the pandemic, so we are delighted to announce its return this year. All proceeds will continue to support our mission of providing school groups with the chance to visit Mia and experience the transformative power of art.
We’ll share more details as plans unfold. Stay tuned, and thank you for helping us make art accessible to future generations!
Friends Only Events 2025
The following is a lineup of unique opportunities to explore the treasures of art, architecture, and history, specially reserved for us. RSVP for all Friends Only Events by contacting Lezlie Pinske.
Events are now open for registration, so feel free to sign up for one—or all—today! Just be sure to RSVP before the deadlines and before spots fill up.
1. January: Jones Study Room
Enjoy a private viewing of print masterpieces with Tom Rassieur, the John E. Andrus III Curator of Prints and Drawings at Mia.
- Date & Time: Wednesday, January 8, 10–11 a.m.
- Location: 2400 Third Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN
- Cost: FREE (Limited to 15 guests)
- RSVP Deadline: Friday, December 27, by noon
2. February: Cafesjian Art Trust
Take a private tour of the current exhibition at the Cafesjian Art Trust, followed by an optional lunch gathering at Churchill Street Restaurant.
- Date & Time: Friday, February 7, 10–11:30 a.m.
- Location: 4600 Churchill Street, Shoreview, MN
- Cost: FREE (Limited to 20 guests)
- RSVP Deadline: Wednesday, January 29, by noon. Please indicate if you plan to join the lunch gathering.
3. March: Violin Guild of America Studio
Go inside the Violin Makers Studio and enjoy an evening of music, craftsmanship, and a bit of social aperitivo at the shop with Greg Sumners and master luthier Will Bartruff.
This is a joint event with the Friends of the Minnesota Orchestra.
- Date & Time: Wednesday, March 5, 6–7:30 p.m.
- Location: 265 7th Street West, Suite 301, St. Paul, MN
- Cost: FREE (Limited to 10 guests)
- RSVP Deadline: Friday, February 21, by noon
4. April: Walker Art Center
Enjoy a private tour of the “Ways of Knowing” exhibition.
- Date & Time: Wednesday, April 2, 10–11 a.m.
- Location: 725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis, MN 55403
- Cost: FREE (Limited to 20 guests)
- RSVP Deadline: Wednesday, March 26, by noon
5. May: Lakewood Cemetery
Enjoy a 1.5-mile walking tour of the grounds and buildings of Lakewood Cemetery and learn about its history.
- Date & Time: Wednesday, May 7, 10–11:30 a.m.
- Location: 3600 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55408
- Cost: FREE (Limited to 25 guests)
- RSVP Deadline: Wednesday, April 30, by noon
6. June: Al & Alma’s Lake Minnetonka Boat Tour & Luncheon
Take a boat tour of the historic boathouses of Lake Minnetonka, hosted by author Melinda Nelson. Learn about the matriarchs and patriarchs who shaped the Minneapolis Institute of Art. This is a Friends & Friends Event: Invite a friend to experience the benefits of Friends membership!
- Date & Time: Wednesday, June 4, 10–1 p.m.
- Location: 5201 Piper Road, Mound, MN 55364
- Cost: $75 per person (Limited to 40 guests); payment: Venmo @Lezlie-Pinske
- RSVP Deadline: Thursday, May 15, by noon
We hope you’ll join us for these exceptional events! RSVP for any Friends Only Events to Lezlie Pinske.
Coffee and Scones with the Friends
Wednesday, January 8, 2025, 10 a.m.
Wednesday, February 12, 2025, 10 a.m.
Friends Office
Curious to learn more about the Friends? Already a member and eager to meet other Friends? Join us for coffee, scones, and conversation. Each gathering begins with a 30-minute meet-up in the Friends Office, followed by a tour of art pieces funded wholly or partially by the Friends. RSVP by calling 612-870-3045 or email us.
Volunteer Opportunities: Working with Families
Mia’s Monthly Family Day
Sunday, January 12, 2025
If the new year is inspiring you to get involved in new opportunities and you’re looking for fun and easy ways to connect, please consider volunteering at Mia’s Family Day. Held the second Sunday of every month, Family Day offers creative options for families to enjoy together. From art projects to dance performances, storytelling and parades, each event is unique.
The next Family Day is Sunday, January 12. We need volunteers to help families create art projects and provide information and guidance to visiting guests. If interested, please contact Pat Gale.
Buy-a-Bus: Funding for Bus Grants
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Friends Winter Luncheon following Max Bryant’s captivating lecture! In addition to hosting inspiring lectures throughout the year, a key initiative of the Friends is funding buses to bring young learners to Mia for enriching art experiences.
It’s not too late to make a difference—consider donating to the Buy-a-Bus program and help us continue providing access to art for students of all ages!
Mia at the National Docent Symposium
Mia’s Friends have a long history of supporting the museum’s guides, including sending guides to the biennial National Docent Symposium. At the 2024 Symposium in Atlanta, Mia guides Kit Wilson, Marne Zafar, and Lyn Osgood proudly presented at the new Sip and Share event.
Their presentation, “Collectively Connecting with Colleagues,” highlighted the many ways Mia guides connect and collaborate—through Buddy Groups, Guide to Guide in the Galleries (G3), Book Tours, the Guide Council, and the guides’ online publication Insight.
We’re thrilled to share that Mia has been invited back for the 2026 National Docent Symposium—a testament to the innovative spirit and dedication of our guides.