State: MN

To complement The YES! House’s consistent work showcasing and supporting artists in the Southwest Minnesota region, The Exchange: Visiting Artist Series invites artists from across the Midwest to engage in a short-term residency at The YES! House, culminating in a public arts event showcasing their work. This series seeks to foster creativity, collaboration, and geographic cross-pollination.

Exposed Brick Theatre will engage playwright Ehkhudah Zar and will tour her play Muyehpen to Worthington, Minnesota.

Foci Minnesota Center for Glass Arts will host visiting artist Cedric Mitchell. Mitchell will present on his work & artistic practice (free to the public), teach a workshop for underserved youth, and have a multi-day residency in our glass arts studio. This visit will kick off our 2025 visiting artist programming.

Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center (CAFAC) will host workshops with visiting Danish blacksmith, Lars Mørch, in September 2024, focused on traditional blacksmithing techniques and knife-making. Workshops are open to beginners and experienced blacksmiths. Motivated by his passion to share his years of knowledge and skills, Lars will also lead a demonstration of forge-welding techniques, open to all.

We will work with area artists and local clays to build a clay oven and work with traditional Ojibwe clay forms.

Townsend is one of nine winners of the 2024 Midwest Award for Artists with Disabilities. This award is designed to support accessibility in the arts and celebrate the exceptional work of disabled Midwestern visual artists.

ArtReach will work with semi-rural & exurban libraries and other multi-disciplinary partners to present NEA Big Read in the St. Croix Valley. A month of programs will evolve around Kevin Wilson's unpredictable novel "Nothing to See Here" where the children are literally fiery. It challenges us to reconsider neurodiversity, self-control and caregiving. "What happens when we walk into the fire?"

The Great Nordic Shakespeare Festival in Ely, MN is a month-long event featuring one Shakespearean play and one contrasting contemporary production. Through free youth access, tours to schools, and educational workshops, our goal is to make Shakespeare's work accessible to rural and low-income households of Northern Minnesota, nurturing a lasting love for the Bard's legacy in our community.

Project Optimist will launch its Biophilia program, a series of features—commissioned and community-sourced—that celebrate the beauty of the natural world. They plan to work with artists, naturalists, scientists, folk schools, and other thought leaders to explore our affinity with nature.

Twin Cities Jazz Festival’s (TCJF’s) mission is to bring communities together to enjoy and appreciate the art form of Jazz and inspire new generations of youth. For 26 years, TCJF...