Community Commons
Located on the museum’s first floor, adjacent to the Family Center, the Community Commons is a gathering area featuring art by youth studio students and artists participating in our community partnership programs. It’s an ideal space to check out some art, interact with one of our participatory activities, bring a coffee from the cafe and get some work done, or relax while recharging yourself or your device.
Exhibitions
Artwork on view in the Commons regularly rotates, representing selections from our Youth Studio classes or Community Partnerships.
Work Space
There is flexible seating available for working individually or in small groups of up to 8 people. Phone and laptop charging ports are also located throughout the hall.
Interactives
Artist and educator-designed activities can be found here, which explore ideas, themes, and materials found in the museum’s galleries.
Current Exhibitions
Creativity Academy
Enjoy selected works by Creativity Academy artists, all inspired by Mia’s collection, on display in the Community Commons Gallery, now through April 23.
Past Exhibitions
Vision for the Future: Embracing the Past and Present
In celebration of the Friends’ centennial year, Mia partnered with two Minneapolis high schools and one St. Paul elementary school to create art focused on how students see the future of their communities.
Ninga Izhichige Nibi Onji / I Will Do It For The Water
This exhibition explores the importance of nibi (the Ojibwe word for water) as a life-giving force. For the past ten years, Ojibwe artist and community leader Sharon M. Day has been guiding Nibi Walks as extended ceremonies to pray for the water.
Virtual Exhibitions
Creativity Academy
Mia’s Creativity Academy is a multiple-visit program for fourth-grade students, designed to foster creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program went virtual for the 2020-2021 academic year. In replace of an in-person exhibition, students submitted artwork to their teachers and the images have been made available here.
Breaking the Silence: International Women's Day
Participating artists call attention to the daily aggressions, whether physical or psychological, that all women face across the world and in every sector of society; this exhibition also honors and supports women who are or have been victims of domestic violence, and recognizes the resilience of cis- and transgender women and non-binary people who work to build more equitable and safe communities for all.