Minneapolis Institute of Art announces partnership with West Elm LOCAL

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The Minneapolis Institute of Art celebrates local makers from Minnesota and across America in collaboration with West Elm LOCAL

Minneapolis, MN—February 1, 2016. The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) announced today a partnership with West Elm, the Brooklyn, N.Y. based home furnishings retailer, to bring products from 14 makers and artisans from the West Elm LOCAL program to a temporary shop within The Store at Mia. The shop-in-shop will include four Minnesota based makers – Louise Gray, Marvin Freitas, Mod Dog and Oh Dier – and 10 makers from across the country. West Elm LOCAL is an initiative started in 2014 that today supports 500+ small businesses and local makers in communities across North America.  The Store at Mia + West Elm LOCAL shop will open for a limited time beginning February 4 through May 29, 2016 and complements the “State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now” exhibition on view at Mia February 18 through May 29, 2016.

“The Store at Mia’s partnership with West Elm LOCAL highlights a shared dedication to celebrating local artisans, makers and designers from Minnesota and across America by showcasing their unique stories and product collections. Mia is committed to exploring new channels that deepen the visitor’s museum experience, and by aligning the timing of The Store at Mia + West Elm LOCAL with Mia’s “State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now” exhibition, people can extend the ideas behind the exhibition to a tangible, connected shopping experience,” said Hunter Wright, Venture Innovation Director at Mia.

“Our goal with West Elm LOCAL is to connect customers to the artists and makers in their communities. It’s an opportunity for people to potentially meet the artisan, learn about the making of a piece and create a human connection that truly changes the shopping experience,” said Mo Mullen, director of West Elm LOCAL. “Our partnership with The Store at Mia provides museum visitors a chance to discover local American talent while extending the platform for these 14 local makers to share their stories.”

The Store at Mia + West Elm LOCAL shop includes Minnesota makers Louis Gray (Alexandra Gray Bennet & Jocelin Johnson), Marvin Freitas, Mod Dog (John & Kari Finkler) and Oh Dier (William & Katie Dohman), in addition to 10 makers representing regions across America including Eric Trine (Long Beach, CA), Hemlock and Heather (Kristopher & Kelley Denby, Austin, TX), Molly M Designs (Molly McGrath, San Francisco, CA), Little Seed Farm (Eileen & James Ray, Lebanon, TN), BDB (Re Jin Lee, Brooklyn, NY), Bubo Handmade (Kristen Faircloth, Nashville, TN), Goods That Matter (Tippy Tippens, New Orleans, LA), Happy Habitat by Karrie Kaneda (Kansas City, MO), M.F.E.O. (Aaron & Claire Van Holland, Los Angeles, CA),and Monroe Trades (Patrick Glynn, Brooklyn, NY).

“State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now” is an exhibition on view at Mia February 18 through May 29, 2016 that draws from every region of the United States, offering an unusually diverse snapshot of contemporary American art. The Store at Mia + West Elm LOCAL will open during museum hours: Tuesday and Wednesday 10-5, Thursday and Friday 10-9, Saturday 10-5, Sunday 11-5

For more information on the makers and to access biographies and images of the products included in the West Elm LOCAL shop, please visit:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/kf8abh6kvdrgcsw/AACMQn4aNN1B4YdGPuCaLKova?dl=0