Minneapolis American Indian Center
Grand Reopening and Powwow
Wednesday, May 1
10 AM (parade)
11:30 AM – 2 PM (grand reopening)
5 PM (community powwow)
1530 E Franklin Avenue
Free
Help celebrate the newly renovated and expanded Minneapolis American Indian Center (MAIC) on May 1st! The festivities kick off at 10 am with a parade to mark the start of American Indian Month. The parade begins at Cedar Field Park (2500 Cedar Avenue) and ends at the Center, where a ribbon cutting will follow at 11:30 am. From 12 – 2 pm, the new space will be open for the community to view the facilities, meet staff, and participate in activities, including live performances by Keith Secola and the Sampson Brothers. Food will be available from the Gatherings Cafe and local food trucks. Finally, from 5 – 7:30 pm, a celebratory community powwow will be held, with the Grand Entry at 6 pm. For more details, visit maicnet.org or the Minneapolis American Indian Center Facebook page.
Art as Liberation:
A Journey Towards Collective Healing
Through May 4
Soomaal House Gallery
2200 Minnehaha Avenue
Free
In Art as Liberation: A Journey Towards Collective Healing, seven artists explore various facets of radical healing in three unique exhibits. Sponsored by the Somali Museum, this transformative project features the work of artists Ifrah Mansour, Mohamed Hersi, Tariq Tarey, Yasmin Yassin, Khadija Charif, Aesha Mohamed, and Abdurahman. The project aims to guide viewers through a journey of care and liberation, weaving individual and collective narratives to foster profound connections.
Exhibit hours: Saturday and Sunday, 1 – 5 pm.
Open Mic and Closing on Saturday, May 4 at 5 pm.
South High Spring Art Show
May 2 – 16
Modus Locus Gallery
3500 Bloomington Ave S
Free
Experience the work of over 200 talented South High students at Modus Locus Gallery this spring! A diverse array of media is represented, including ceramics, drawing, painting, photography, comic art, design, and sculpture. Everyone is invited to stop by and view the amazing work of our community’s youth.
Gallery Hours: Monday – Friday 4-7 pm, Saturday and Sunday 11 am – 5 pm.
The Politics of Eurovision
Thursday, May 2
6 – 7:30 PM
American Swedish Institute
2600 Park Avenue
Free – Registration Required
The Eurovision Song Contest, the largest televised music competition in the world, brings together participants from more than three dozen countries and has a global audience of over 160 million viewers. In this lecture, Dr. Devashree Gupta will discuss the history of Eurovision and how it played a role in Cold War rivalries, contributed to the construction of a modern European identity, and continues to be a place where politics and culture intertwine. Register at asimn.org/event/the-politics-of-eurovision.
2024 Queer Migration Series
Saturdays, May 4, 11, and 18
4 – 6 PM
Quatrefoil Library
1220 East Lake St
Free
This event series explores the joys, challenges, oppression, and transformation that members of our community have lived through in their migratory experiences. For more information about the Quatrefoil Library, visit the Quatrefoil facebook page or qlibrary.org.
May 4: Somatic Workshop on Migration. This workshop will educate participants on the trauma of having to flee your home, and what to expect from your body in response. We will learn helpful exercises and share information on local mental health and queer social resources.
May 11: Displaced, Migrated, Transformed: QTBIPOC Writing Workshop. Bringing together the themes of queer migration and of Black, Indigenous, People of Color’s historical and continual displacement, we will read and discuss poems by queer and trans writers of color and explore writing prompts about our migrations. Writers of any experience level are welcome, from “non-writers’’ to published authors. This event is exclusive to QTBIPOC folks.
May 18th: The Work Beyond Trans Refuge presented by MNTIRN. You may have heard that Minnesota has become a “Trans Refuge State,” MNTIRN (Minnesota Trans & Intersex Resource Network) is working hard to ensure that trans and non-binary folx coming into the state are supported. Come learn more about the work being done to make Minnesota a safer place for trans people.
I WONDER…Art Workshops
Barnaamij farshaxanka carruurta oo bilaash ah
Tuesdays May 7, 14 and 21
5 – 7 PM
East Lake Library
2727 E Lake Street
Free
For youth in grades 1-9 and their families. Explore painting, drawing, poetry, and more through guided workshops at East Lake Library! No registration is required and all materials are provided. Instruction is in Somali and English.
Eurovision Finale Countdown
Thursday May 9
5 – 8 PM
American Swedish Institute
2600 Park Avenue
Free
Attention all Eurovision fans and Eurovision curious! Join Ethan Bjelland, a staff member of Norway House and passionate Eurovision enthusiast, to watch the performances of all 2024 finalist countries. This program is open to all, so feel free to bring your friends to enjoy performers from a few countries…or watch them all!
AL·TER·NA·TIVE by Frank Buffalo Hyde
May 9 – June 13
All My Relations Arts
1414 E Franklin Avenue
Free
This solo exhibition features paintings and sculptures by multimedia artist Frank Buffalo Hyde, (Onondaga/Niimíipuu [Nez Perce]). Self-proclaimed as consciously and culturally non-transactional, Frank’s work comments on cultural appropriation and societal disruption through his uncompromising satirical eye. His allegorical work disarms through banter and is geared toward Native people first. Through humorous musings on what we elevate as a society, what we agree is valuable as a society, and our unbreakable ties to our devices, Frank’s work provides a layered commentary on the collective unconsciousness of the 21st century. For hours and additional programming, please visit allmyrelationsarts.org.
Little Earth Mother’s Day Powwow
Saturday, May 11
1 PM, 7 PM
Cedar Field Park
2500 Cedar Avenue S
Free
Honor moms together with your neighbors at this year’s Little Earth annual Mother’s Day Powwow. Grand entry will be at 1 pm and 7 pm. Bring a blanket or chair and come celebrate our community!
Youth Garden Planting Party
Wednesday, May 22
6-8 PM
East Phillips Park
Free
Youth ages 5-17, help us plant our community garden with tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, beans, herbs, flowers, and more. We will plant, play games, and enjoy slushies together as we launch the growing season in East Phillips!
Haunting Beauty: Relics of the Mill City
Through 2024
Hennepin History Museum
2303 3rd Avenue S
Pay As You Can
Haunting Beauty presents fourteen Minneapolis cityscapes by the late artist and architect Mike Melman, who spent decades photographing the aging and seemingly abandoned grain elevators, flour mills, factories, and railroads of the Twin Cities. In recent years, he returned to his earlier photographs to create these gloomy and quiet painted scenes that pay homage to the relics of Minnesota’s industrial past. For visitor hours and information on other exhibits, go to hennepinhistory.org.
Pioneers and Soldiers Cemetery
Memorial Day Program
Monday, May 27
9:40 AM – noon
Lake Street & Cedar Avenue (Enter on Cedar)
Free
Please join us for the 154th Memorial Day program at Minneapolis’ oldest existing cemetery. The program begins at 10 am, but the wonderful Seward Community Concert Band will begin to play at 9:40. There will be Scouts, students from the Minnesota Transition School’s Junior ROTC, flags, poppies, and, of course, veterans. The program lasts about 45 minutes. A history talk (seated, rather than touring) will begin shortly after the program ends (at approximately 11 am). Both events are free and everyone is welcome. To learn more about the Cemetery, visit friendsofthecemetery.org.
Locked In : Care-fully Breaking Free
Tuesday, May 28
6-8 PM
Plymouth Congregational Church
1919 La Salle Avenue
Sliding Scale, including Free
Presented by zAmya Theater Project, Locked In : Care-fully Breaking Free is a participatory play investigating systems of care both inside and outside the arena of public health and housing. The project, created in partnership with the Twin Cities chapter of Campaign Against Racism and Adrian Jackson of Cardboard Citizens, puts a spotlight on housing insecurity at a time when Minnesotans have a historic opportunity to invest in safe, affordable housing for all through the Our Future Starts At Home campaign.
ASL interpretation will be provided. Registration is encouraged but not required. For more information, go to zamyatheater.org.
