Minnesota Museum of American Art

This is a very exciting time for the Minnesota Museum of American Art (MMAA), full of challenges and - more importantly - opportunities. In January of 2009 the building where our permanent collection was housed was redeveloped by Ramsey County resulting in the closing of MMAA's gallery. Since then, members of the Board of Trustees have used the time to examine MMAA's vision and explore how we can better serve Saint Paul and continue to be one of our state's great destinations.

Even without a permanent home, MMAA is forging ahead in bringing great art experiences into your community with a slate of exhibitions scheduled through 2013 and new educational initiatives in the works.

Executive Director Kristin Makholm is currently working with other institutions and community members to create programming and events that will bring parts of the collection out to the public. Heading out "on the road," we are introducing our rich collections to new audiences from St. Paul to Fargo and Minnetonka to Northfield - visit the "Upcoming Events and Exhibitions" page on our website for information on all our current initiatives.

In addition to exhibitions, we are developing an educational program called Real Art + Real Kids, which will utilize parts of the MMAA collection to teach kids to be docents and curators of their own exhibitions. Co-organized with Compas, this program will unite kids from diverse cultural backgrounds around one collaborative exhibition. Through programs like these, MMAA will return as a leader in strengthening arts education for the most underserved districts in our communities.

Your donation will go to help MMAA in a variety of ways:

-To plan for upcoming exhibitions including a national touring retrospective of the work of Minnesota artist George Morrison, which will start its tour at the Plains Art Museum in Fargo in Fall 2012.

-To care for the outstanding art collection that has been a part of MMAA since the 1950s , including storage, insurance, maintenance, and a new inventory, which will commence this summer.

-To rebuild our staff and operations so that we can continue to strategize, plan, and implement exceptional exhibitions and events for you and your family.

-To re-establish our donor base so that we can once again find ourselves in a permanent building and a new home.

Your commitment to the future of the MMAA is crucial if we are to reestablish this museum as a leader in the arts in St. Paul, the region, and the state. It is our hope that you will be a part of these continuing efforts to fully utilize our collection through unique and accessible arts programming offered throughout the region and state.