Friends Newsletter
President’s Letter, January 2026
Happy New Year! What a joy it has been to spend time with you this year and to be greeting 2026 together. I think Helen Frankenthaler found the same joy in greeting the new. Here she is, above, celebrating in Grey Fireworks, which seems relevant to the season.
We are caught in a time of endings and beginnings. A time of turnover, with both anticipation and a little anxiety. A time when the snow and the sky in Minnesota create days of grey, and in which we humans, with our bustle and busyness, our hopes and dreams, provide the color. Let’s try to add a little more color to the world this year, shall we? Being a Friend, sharing smiles, laughter and community, helps make that wish a reality.
As always, we have a number of ways to spend time together this coming month. Our Friends Member Outings visit the Minnesota State Capitol building on January 7. On Sunday, January 11, we have a lecture by Alison Saar, an important contemporary artist whose work is in Mia’s collection. Meet other Friends members at our monthly Coffee and Scones, January 15. You’ll learn about Friends and how you can get involved. Of course, our Friends Book Club is near and dear to many. We’ll discuss The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder on January 16 and 17.
Finally, be sure to read all about the upcoming Friends Art and Architecture trip to Santa Fe! The deadline to register is December 30, so don’t put this off if you’re interested. We expect this to be very popular and have decided to use a lottery system to determine participants. Read all about it below and register soon!
Remember, too, to renew your Friends membership! We hope many of you have already renewed for 2026, but if not, please renew. We have so many wonderful events coming up, and don’t want you to miss out.
Thank you for being a Friend,
Liz Short
President, Friends of the Institute
Important January Dates
• January 7, 2026: Friends Member Outing to the Minnesota State Capitol Building
• January 11, 2026: Friends Lecture: Alison Saar
• January 11, 2026: Mia Family Day Volunteer Opportunity
• January 15, 2026: Coffee & Scones
• January 16 and 17, 2026: Friends Book Club: The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder
January Friends Lecture: Alison Saar
• Sunday, January 11, 2026, 2 p.m.
• Target Reception Hall
• Free; registration required
Alison Saar will give a lecture about her artistic practice, which spans sculpture, painting, and printmaking. She’s renowned for her powerful explorations of cultural identity, spirituality, and the African diaspora. Drawing inspiration from a variety of sources, including mythology, history, and personal experience, Saar’s work often incorporates found objects and traditional materials such as wood, metal, and glass.
Her evocative sculptures frequently address themes of resilience, transformation, and the complexities of race and gender. Saar discusses the importance of confronting sexism, racism, and bigotry, emphasizing that truly engaging with these complex issues requires striving to understand their essence. She explains that only by reaching this deeper understanding can we begin to dismantle the forces of racism and bigotry.
Saar’s art has been exhibited in major museums and galleries across the United States, and she’s recognized for her ability to intertwine narrative and symbolism in visually compelling forms that invite viewers to reflect on the human condition.
Get free tickets for this lecture.
Volunteer Opportunity: Lecture Ushers Needed
Happy New Year! Alison Saar is our first lecture for 2026, on Sunday January 11 at 2 p.m.
We’re always looking for volunteers to usher these events. It’s a great way to meet new Friends and be a part of our community. If you’d like to volunteer, email us.
Volunteer Opportunity: Mia Family Day
• Sunday, January 11, 2026
We’re looking for volunteers for Mia’s Family Day to help families with art projects. The shifts are just two hours, and the atmosphere is fun and casual. No art experience is needed, just a desire to assist families in their exploration of the arts!
If you’re interested, please email Family Day.
January Friends Book Club
• The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder by David Grann
• Friday, January 16, and Saturday, January 17, 2026, 10 a.m.
• Museum Tour, 11 a.m.
• Friends Office
• Free; registration required
Image credit: Charles Brookings. Cover Illustration. HMS Wager in Extremis. The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder, by David Brann. Double Day, 2023. Front Cover.
Join us in January as we read David Grann’s book The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder.
From Goodreads: “From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Killers of the Flower Moon, a page-turning story of shipwreck, survival, and savagery, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth. The powerful narrative reveals the deeper meaning of the events on the Wager, showing that it was not only the captain and crew who ended up on trial, but the very idea of empire.”
The Wager won the 2023 Goodreads Choice Award for Best History and Biography book.
We’ll discuss the novel over coffee at 10 a.m. and head to the galleries at 11 a.m. for a guided tour of the artworks selected to complement the book’s themes.
Attendance is limited to 10 participants. If you’ve been curious about our book club, join us. All are welcome! You’ll find the Friends office on the first floor of Mia, located in the hallway between the museum gift shop and Agra Culture Cafe. Reserve your spot by emailing the Friends Office or calling 612-870-3045.
Looking ahead to February, we’ll read James by Percival Everett, with discussions scheduled for February 20 and 21.
Friends Buy-A-Bus Donation
One of the programs the Friends are best known for is our School Bus Grants Program. Over the last 30 years, the grants have brought more than 50,000 students from the Twin Cities and the surrounding region to the museum to experience the wonder of art.
Recently, the Friends have expanded our transportation funding to provide support for bringing community partners to Mia. While the bulk of our transportation funds remain with school programs, the outreach to other community partners allows the Friends to support Mia’s mission of making the museum accessible to all.
In this season of giving, would you consider helping to defray transportation costs for schools and other community partners? Your generosity will sustain this vital Friends initiative for years to come.
Announcing a New Friends Series!
Friends have been enjoying a series of special fundraising events for the past few years. They’ve been held in lovely homes from Victorian to Mid-century Modern, a wine shop, a historic basilica, and Mia’s Wells Fargo Room, each spotlighting a Mia curator or special speaker and featuring great appetizers, good wine, and sweet treats. Intimate in size, popular with guests, and affordable in price, these events deserve their own name—and now they have it!
The Friends Great Gatherings Series will be sponsored by long-time, faithful Friends member Mary Olson, from January 2026 through June 2027. We’re grateful to Mary for believing in the value of this special series and underwriting it to foster its success.
Mary Olson has a way of showing up and making a meaningful gift to ensure that something special happens. She was a generous donor to our Delacroix fund and sponsored the beautiful “Friends For 100 Years” history book, paid for an Art in Bloom mailing, and generously shares her well-thought-out ideas to help us keep learning and growing.
Many thanks to Mary Olson for being the inaugural sponsor of the Friends Great Gatherings Series. We hope to see you at our next event so you can thank her in person!
Meet New Friends: Coffee & Scones
• Thursday, January 15, 2026, 10 a.m.
• Friends Office
Curious about the Friends of the Institute? Join us on Thursday, January 15, at 10 a.m. in the Friends Office for coffee, scones, and conversation. Learn about our 2026 events, explore volunteer opportunities, and connect with fellow Friends. Please RSVP.
Recap: Celebrating “Angels,” Past and Present
By Robin Keyworth
Linda Goldenberg, Barbara Goldner, Sheila Morgan, Patty McCullough: 1997 Needlepoint Artists. Photo Credit: April Netley.
Event Chair Beverly Hauschild-Baron with former Friends President Carolyn Dahl. Photo Credit: April Netley
Friends dressed in their holiday finest to celebrate angels in art and needlepoint at the November 20 Great Gathering “A Legacy of Angels.” The evening featured 75 stunning angel ornaments created by Friends members in 1997 to celebrate our 75th anniversary—and admired for years on our Christmas tree at Mia. Rescued from a storage bin, these unique pieces found new homes as guests scrambled to purchase every one of them, all to the magical sound of a harp!
President Liz Short introduced original artists Sheila Morgan, Patty McCullough, Linda Goldenberg, and Barbara Goldner, shown with their angels, and thanked the evening’s sponsors, Sheila Morgan and Mary Olson.
Learning is always part of our Great Gatherings, and it’s a special pleasure when Tom Rassieur is the teacher. Tom narrated a slideshow of angels in Mia’s collection with his usual grace and humor.
As always, the evening included appetizers, wine, sparkling water, and angel sugar cookies as a special touch. Congratulations to Beverly Hauschild-Baron and the Fundraising Events Committee for following up “Gatsby & Friends” with another festive evening!
Save the Date: Friends Spring Trip to Santa Fe
Yoshida Tōshi (Japanese, 1911–1995), Santa Fe, 1971, Woodblock print; ink and color on paper. Gift of the Clark Center for Japanese Art & Culture; formerly given to the Center by H. Ed Robison, in memory of his beloved wife Ulrike Pietzner Robison. 2013.29.493. © Yoshida Tōshi
The Friends at “The City Different”: Santa Fe
Our stay: The historic La Fonda on the Plaza Hotel
• Monday, April 6–Saturday, April 11, 2026
Our visit: Museum tours, Canyon Road gallery tour with Robyne Robinson, and artist studio visit with Cara Romero, as well as a historic walking tour of the city. Full schedule details upon arrival.
Our food: We’ll enjoy local, much-loved owner-created restaurants: the El Flamenco Spanish Cabaret and the internationally renowned four-star establishment Geronimo’s.
The cost: $2,200 (does not include airfare). Includes:
• Five hotel nights, double occupancy. A limited number of single-occupancy rooms are available for an up-charge.
• All museum tour fees.
• Four lunches and four dinners, with all tips and taxes. There will be one day where you’ll be “on your own” (except for hotel breakfast).
• Airport bus shuttle from ABQ Sunport – La Fonda, Santa Fe.
Airfare: You’re responsible for making and paying for your own flight arrangements. No flights are included in the trip. We can make suggestions for airlines so you may book accordingly to arrive at a specific time at the Albuquerque Sunport (airport) for our scheduled shuttle. Shuttle details to come.
Registration & Payments Due
• Friday, January 9, 5 p.m.: First payment of $1,100 due
• Friday, January 21, 5 p.m.: Second payment of $1,100 due
You may pay the full amount on January 9 if you wish.
We anticipate a lot of interest for this trip, so we’ll use a neutral, lottery system from the sign-up for determining the travelers. We have a limit of 25 travelers.
Enter the lottery by filling out the sign-up sheet, emailing us, or calling 612-870-3045 by December 30.
January Friends Member Outing: Minnesota State Capitol Building
• Wednesday, January 7, 2026, 10–10:45 a.m.
Enjoy a private tour featuring the architecture, art, and history of our state capitol. Available to 20 guests. No cost. Please RSVP by December 19, 2025, to Lezlie Pinske.
Preview future Friends Member Outings.
Save the Date: February Lecture
• Thursday, February 5, 2026, 6–7 p.m.
• Book signing to follow, 7–7:30 p.m.
The Friends lecture committee presents “The Art of Poetry, the Voices to Hear” with Michael Kleber-Diggs, award-winning poet, and Daniel Slager, publisher at Milkweed Editions.