Welcome Home

To the Minneapolis American Indian Epi-Center 1530 East Franklin Ave.

By HARVEY WINJE

The Minneapolis American Indian Center (MAIC), an emblematic gathering nexus of Indigenous people developed five decades ago between 1968 and 1975, has undergone a decade long transformation that includes total renovation of its building edifice and surrounding grounds that doubles the building’s physical size while also embellishing an outdoor message of strength, resilience, and pride, and adding new landscaping amenable to gathering outdoors.

This transformation heightens its stature on East Franklin Avenue to something that is exceptionally different from what that street was in 1975. MAIC is now the epi-center of a mile-long American Indian Cultural Corridor that has a dozen Indigenous organizations along it, and over two dozen more within one and a half miles.

The Minneapolis American Indian Center once again centralizes the many activities and functions that didn’t stop for two years while this total renovation took place, but now has them all under one roof once again as it extends its services and impact to all four directions in time to prepare for its 50th Anniversary in 2025.

Related Images:

The Minneapolis American Indian Center is Officially Open!

By NATALIE RADEMACHER, MAIC Communications Coordinator

There’s been a buzz of activity at the Minneapolis American Indian Center over the past month. The temporary fences have been removed, the construction work has winded down, and Staff have returned. As of May 1, the Center is officially reopened.

After being closed as the Center underwent historic renovations, we are thrilled to be back in our home and open to the community again. Our longstanding programs and activities are resuming services this month in their new and improved spaces.

We are grateful to the Bdote Learning Center, Baby Spaces, Many Rivers East, and other spaces we called home during the renovations over the past couple years. We are especially grateful to the Community for their continued support during that time. The renovations enable us to continue being a keystone of the Twin Cities Native Community. for years to come.