Featured Stories

Microloans Help Artists Build Sustainable Careers

Colleen Powers Tuesday, November 08, 2016

Microloans help artists bridge the gaps between other sources of funding. Springboard for the Arts is currently testing a microloan model and has partnered with Kiva, a microlending platform that funds small businesses around the world.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Philanthropy, Strong Local Economy, Talent Dividend

Downtown/Lowertown

Dark Matter Made Visible: Artists Illuminate Breaking Ground "Idea Lab"

Camille LeFevre Tuesday, October 18, 2016

During Artspace’s Breaking Ground “Idea Lab” October 14-15 in MSP, artists were identified as visionaries and leaders who bring the dark matter of communities--history, memory, relationships--to light through art and creative processes.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Philanthropy, Regionalism, Strong Local Economy

Riverfront/Mill District, Downtown, North Side, Downtown/Lowertown, Northeast

Lars Christiansen, Friendly Streets director, and organizer Darius Gray at a temporary parklet

Friendly Streets: Bottom-Up St. Paul Project Changes the Way People Look at Their City

Jay Walljasper Tuesday, September 27, 2016

The Friendly Streets Initiative, which grew out of a group of volunteers working with various neighborhood organizations to make biking and walking safer in the Hamline-Midway neighborhood, is now changing communities throughout MSP.

Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy, Sustainability, Transit Oriented Development, Transportation

Midway, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown

River Balcony Prototyping Festival, with Craft Beer Overlook, Previews "St. Paul's High Line"

Brian Martucci Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Music, art, craft beer: Earlier this month, MSP'ers enjoyed a tantalizing glimpse of the (possible) future for a 1.5-mile stretch of St. Paul riverfront during the River Balcony Prototyping Festival.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Nightlife, Philanthropy, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development

West Seventh, Downtown/Lowertown

Practitioners and Partners: Artspace Evolves Breaking Ground Into "Idea Lab" That Celebrates Artists

Camille LeFevre Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Artspace’s annual Breaking Ground event evolves this year from one dynamic evening of speakers and performances to an immersive, two-day “idea lab” on Friday, October 14 and Saturday, October 15 in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Affordable Housing, Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Philanthropy, Strong Local Economy

Riverfront/Mill District, Downtown, Downtown/Lowertown, Warehouse/North Loop, Northeast

So Artists Can Celebrate Themselves: Artspace's Remarkable Work with Cultural Communities

Camille LeFevre Tuesday, August 09, 2016

Artspace enjoys a long history of working with culturally distinct groups in the development of affordable artist live/work housing and community spaces. From El Barrio in NY to Honolulu, HI, these projects allow artists to celebrate themselves.

Affordable Housing, Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Design, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy, Regionalism, Reuse / Rebuild, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability, Talent Dividend

July Arts and Culture: Floating, Reading, Feasting and Exploration

Camille LeFevre Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Farm-fresh produce, handmade books on a floating library, historic walking tours along the Green Line and feasting locally are our top picks for July arts and culture in MSP.

Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy, Shopping, Strong Local Economy, Sustainability, Transit Oriented Development

Midway, Saint Anthony Park, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown, Payne - Phalen, Powderhorn

June Arts and Culture: Food for the Mind, Body and Soul

Camille LeFevre Tuesday, June 07, 2016

Festivals galore during the month of June, just a few of them listed here. There's the big one--Northern Spark 2016--as well as smaller neighborhood gatherings and opportunities to make new friends over food and brews.

Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Philanthropy, Sustainability

Riverfront/Mill District, Downtown, North Side, Uptown/Lyn Lake, Downtown/Lowertown

MSP's Theater Community Then and Now: Building New Rooms in a House They Constructed

Peg Guilfoyle Tuesday, April 19, 2016

The second article in our two-part series about the diverse people and companies that helped build the Minneapolis-St. Paul theater community.

Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Leadership, diversity, Nightlife, Philanthropy

Riverfront/Mill District, Macalester - Groveland, Cedar - Riverside/West Bank, Lake Street, Uptown/Lyn Lake, Downtown/Lowertown, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown

Cohorts, Capacity Building, Creative Communities: The Evolution of Artspace's Geographic Approach

Camille LeFevre Tuesday, March 22, 2016

The arts real-estate nonprofit Artspace is re-scaling its work to take a more geographic approach that includes consulting with a cohort of art organizations in Detroit and developing creative districts in rural Colorado.

Affordable Housing, Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Nightlife, Philanthropy, Regionalism, Shopping, Transit Oriented Development

Museums and Libraries as Co-Creators of Change

Gayle C. Thorsen Tuesday, March 15, 2016

New research reveals the catalytic role that libraries and museums are playing in rebuilding troubled neighborhoods. These important "anchor institutions" are helping drive economic, educational and social efforts in their neighborhoods.

Affordable Housing, Arts and Culture, Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, diversity, Philanthropy, Strong Local Economy

Greater East Side, Midway, Lake Street, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown, Payne - Phalen

Transit-Oriented Development in St. Paul: Connections That Create Value

Brian Martucci Tuesday, March 08, 2016

More transit means more value: How community-driven (Frogtown) and historically aware (Lowertown) TOD works using community-led initiatives paired with city-developed plans that include affordable housing.

Affordable Housing, Central Corridor, Coordination/Collaboration, diversity, Philanthropy, Strong Local Economy, Transit Oriented Development

Midway, Saint Anthony Park, North Side, Downtown/Lowertown, Thomas - Dale/Frogtown, Warehouse/North Loop

Funding, Policy, Persuasion, Need: How Artspace Gets Affordable Artist Live/Work Housing Done

Camille LeFevre Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Artspace’s residential projects fill a critical niche in a city’s ecosystem of affordable housing, particularly for artists. But making the case for public policies and resources to realize these transformative projects is challenging.

Affordable Housing, Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Creative Leadership, Design, diversity, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy, Regionalism, Strong Local Economy

Downtown/Lowertown, Northeast

MSP's Big Picture Housing Needs: The McKnight Foundation Weighs In

Interview by Christopher Hudson Tuesday, April 21, 2015

McKnight Foundation president Kate Wolford and program officer Eric Muschler at Clare Midtown talk about the foundation's affordable housing initiatives and how well-designed affordable housing is a community asset with long-term benefits.

Affordable Housing, Arts and Culture, Coordination/Collaboration, Creative Economy, Design, diversity, Philanthropy, Strong Local Economy

Riverfront/Mill District, Lake Street