Midway Contemporary Art

MIDWAY CONTEMPORARY ART IS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT SUPPORTS THE CREATION OF AND REFLECTION UPON VISUAL ART. MIDWAY FACILITATES SIGNIFICANT NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE FIELD AND PRESENTS AUDIENCES WITH INTIMATE ACCESS TO VISUAL CULTURE.

IN 2020, WE MADE A MAJOR CHANGE TO OUR EXHIBITION PROGRAM AS A RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC BY INITIATING A SERIES OF OFF-SITE PROJECTS AT LOCATIONS ACROSS THE TWIN CITIES. AT THE START OF 2021, THREE OF OUR OFF-SITE PROJECTS PRODUCED IN THE FALL OF 2020 REMAINED ON-VIEW FOR PUBLIC VISITORS, INCLUDING A SERIES OF PHOTOGRAPHIC LIGHT BOXES BY TWIN CITIES-BASED ARTIST PAO HOUA HER AND OUTDOOR SCULPTURE BY MINNEAPOLIS-BASED TETSUYA YAMADA AT THE HMONGTOWN MARKETPLACE IN ST. PAUL, MN, AND A LARGE EARTHWORK INSTALLATION, STADIUM, BY LA-BASED ARTIST AND MUSICIAN JASPER MARSALIS. BOTH YAMADA AND MARSALIS' WORKS WERE ON VIEW THROUGH JUNE 2021, AND HER'S WORK REMAINED ON VIEW THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. IN EARLY FEBRUARY 2021, WE PRESENTED REYNOLS SONIC MARATHON AT STADIUM, A ONE-DAY SOUND INSTALLATION ORGANIZED BY MEXICO CITY-BASED RED SOCIAL AT THE SITE OF STADIUM. THIS 12-HOUR SONIC MARATHON WAS LIVE-STREAMED ONLINE THROUGH RED SOCIAL'S WEBSITE AND DREW OVER 900 REMOTE LISTENERS. THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER AND FALL, WE BEGAN WORKING CLOSELY WITH CAMBRIDGE-BASED ARTIST KARTHIK PANDIAN ON PREPARATIONS FOR AN AMBITIOUS PUBLIC PERFORMANCE, IN THE RIVER, THAT WOULD TAKE PLACE IN SPRING 2022. IN OCTOBER, WE OPENED DISCOUNT GARGOYLES, A GROUP EXHIBITION OF SCULPTURE AND SOUND PIECES AT A PARKING RAMP IN DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS THAT INCLUDED THE WORKS OF 12 ARTISTS. MIDWAY OFF-SITE CONTINUES TO ENGAGE OUR REGULAR AUDIENCE MEMBERS WHILE ALSO SERVING NEW COMMUNITIES AS WE SITE THE PROJECTS IN NEIGHBORHOODS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. SINCE OPENING IN 2007, OUR LIBRARY HAS HELD ONE OF THE MOST CURRENT COLLECTIONS ON CONTEMPORARY ART IN THE REGION. THIS 10,000+ VOLUME RESOURCE IS EASILY ACCESSIBLE AND HAS REGULAR HOURS. VISITORS DO NOT NEED AN APPOINTMENT AND CAN BROWSE THE COLLECTION AT THEIR LEISURE, MAKING IT USEFUL AS AN INTRODUCTION TO THE FIELD AS WELL AS FOR IN-DEPTH RESEARCH. THE LIBRARY DATABASE HAS A PROMINENT LOCATION ON OUR WEBSITE, WHERE STUDENTS, ARTISTS AND RESEARCHERS CAN SEARCH REMOTELY. "THE VISUAL ARTS FUND IS A GRANT PROGRAM ESTABLISHED IN 2016 BY MIDWAY CONTEMPORARY ART WITH GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM THE ANDY WARHOL FOUNDATION FOR THE VISUAL ARTS. MINNEAPOLISSAINT PAUL IS ONE OF THIRTY-TWO METRO AREAS INCLUDED IN WARHOL'S REGIONAL REGRANTING PROGRAM, WHICH IS AIMED AT PROMOTING VIBRANT ARTISTIC ACTIVITY IN CITIES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. THE VAF SUPPORTS THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES HAPPENING OUTSIDE OF ESTABLISHED VENUES THAT ENGAGE THE PUBLIC WITH VISUAL ART AND MIGHT NOT OTHERWISE OCCUR.AFTER OFFERING A SERIES OF EMERGENCY AND COMMUNITY RELIEF GRANTS DURING 2020, WE RETURNED TO THE VISUAL ARTS FUND'S REGULAR GRANTMAKING CYCLE IN 2021. IN DECEMBER WE AWARDED $60,000 IN GRANTS TO: GENERATION MAGAZINE, WHICH AMPLIFIES VOICES OF ARTISTS IN THE CAMBODIAN DIASPORA; NIGHT CLUB, AN EXHIBITION SERIES IN A RESIDENTIAL SPACE IN SOUTH MINNEAPOLIS; PAPA, AN ARTIST-RUN PUBLICATION AND EXHIBITION SPACE IN ST. PAUL; SCORCHED FEET, A BILINGUAL BROADSIDE WITH ESSAYS AND VISUAL WORK BY MEMBERS OF THE LATINX AND BIPOC COMMUNITIES; SHALAY, MAANTA IYO BERRI: DHIGAAL ABUUR (YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW: ARCHIVE CREATION), AN EXHIBITION AND DIGITAL ARCHIVE OF SOMALI VISUAL ART; AND THIS CITY IS A POEM, A STOREFRONT PUBLIC ART INSTALLATION IN ST. PAUL. THE NEXT VAF ROUND WILL OPEN IN THE FALL OF 2022."