Minnesota's undeniable center of arts and entertainment lies in the Twin Cities, Minneapolis and St. Paul. However, cities like Duluth, Rochester, St. Cloud, and Moorhead also boast their fair share of arts offerings. Even in smaller communities, like Winona, visitors will find culture. In fact, New York Mills (population 1,200) placed on USA Today Weekend Magazine's list of top five culturally cool towns (1994); in the top 50 of Funkytowns, USA (Mark Cramer, 1995); and was featured in The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America (John Villani, 1994). Across the state, a number of arts centers feature a wide variety of visual and performing arts, including gallery exhibits, performances, and films.
Arts and Crafts
Those who love arts and crafts will find numerous museums, galleries, studios, and festivals to browse and buy to their hearts' content. Even at the Minneapolis Farmer's Market, you can take home handmade pottery, rugs, and more, along with your bag of fresh produce.
Many top-notch museums and galleries make their homes in the Twin Cities. Among the most prestigious is the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, which includes a gallery for Minnesota artists, as well as exhibits from their collections and international touring shows. The Northrup King Building houses studios for approximately 130 artists, ranging from photography to couture clothing. While some operate mainly as production studios which open only for special events, others maintain regular public hours. This is an excellent place to go for people who would love to talk to artists about their work.
Another good way to see contemporary arts and crafts and speak to the creators is by taking a studio tour. Studio tours take place all over the state, and they tend to be self-guided. A few annual tours include the Autumn Winds Studio Tour (Moose Lake area in September), Meander (upper Minnesota in early October), and the Minnesota Pottery Studio Tour and Sale (upper St. Croix River area in May). Of course, you'll also find arts and crafts festivals across the state, such as the Riverfront Fine Arts and Crafts Festival in Northfield.
Arts centers provide another excellent outlet. The Owatonna Arts Center, Paradise Center for the Arts in Faribault, and the Paramount Theatre and Visual Arts Center are just a few places where visitors can immerse themselves in the arts.
Crafts in Minnesota include functional items created by the state's Native American tribes, such as the Ojibwe and Dakota. For the Ojibwe, birch bark was an indispensable material used for baskets, canoes, and other necessities. Floral designs decorated many of their creations. The Dakota created pottery, and they embellished items like bags and moccasins with beadwork. To see traditional Native American crafts, head to the Mille Lacs Indian Museum, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, or the community center at the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.
For immigrants to Minnesota, traditional crafts were important, too. Swedes used birch bark to make round boxes with carved wooden handles, decorating the boxes with stamped motifs and painted designs. Pottery and fiber crafts such as knitting, quilting, and needlework were also important. Travelers can get an in-depth look at these crafts in Minneapolis at the Textile Center or the Northern Clay Center. In Red Wing, stop by Red Wing Pottery, founded in the 1860s, to watch potters create goods the old-fashioned way. To see a wide variety of contemporary crafts, check out the Minnesota Crafts Festival, held in June in St. Paul.
Film and Literature
Minnesota has nurtured quite a few film and literature luminaries. For both film fanatics and bookhounds, the state offers a number of fun places and festivals.
Brother writing/directing team Joel and Ethan Coen hail from Minneapolis, and they shot much of their Oscar-winning film Fargo (1996) in various areas of Minnesota. Actress Jessica Lange and Monty Python alum Terry Gilliam are also Minnesota natives. But perhaps the most famous film personality from the Land of 10,000 Lakes is Judy Garland. Garland fans will want to visit the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids. The museum includes the house where Garland was born, as well as memorabilia and a gift shop.
Travelers who want to go beyond the standard movie house will find a number of options. The Winona Film Society shows foreign films one weekend per month at the Winona Art Center. The Omnitheater, part of the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul, shows documentaries on history, nature, and science topics on a gigantic, nine-story domed screen. Several film festivals also take place throughout the state, such as the Square Lake Film & Music Festival (Stillwater), Whiskey Creek Film Festival (Wadena), and the Frozen River Film Festival (Winona). Historic, renovated theaters are another option to the multiplex.
On the literary side, Minnesota boasts the first American to win a Nobel Prize for Literature – Sinclair Lewis. Born and raised in Sauk Centre, he drew on his small town background in such novels as Babbitt (1922) and Elmer Gantry (1927). Contemporary romance writer LaVyrle Spencer has made the New York Times bestseller list 12 times, with books like The Fulfillment, Family Blessings, and Morning Glory. Folksy humorist Garrison Keillor is best known for his popular Lake Wobegon series of novels, as well as its symbiotic radio show, A Prairie Home Companion. To hear the latest news from Lake Wobegon, travelers can attend the weekly live taping of the radio show, performed at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul.
Besides reading, travelers can experience other literary delights in Minnesota. For live storytelling, drop by an event held by the Northstar Storytelling League, or go to the Black Master Storytellers Festival in September to hear African and African American tales. Friends of the St. Paul Library holds numerous programs and events, such as Fireside Literary Readings, the Chicano & Latino Writers Fest, the O'Shaughnessy Award for Irish Poetry, and the Twin Cities Jewish Book Festival. To see examples of traditional bookmaking and contemporary book art, head to the Minnesota Center for Book Arts in Minneapolis. Visitors can also watch experts and novices as they practice printing, bookbinding, and paper making.
Performing Arts
Theater, music, and dance thrive in Minnesota. The theater community is especially strong, with Minnesota coming in second to New York in terms of number of seats per capita. Among its professional theaters, three have received Regional Theater Tony Awards. Then there's the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, a company whose three stages make it the largest professional dinner theater in the U.S. From large cities to small towns, theater is popular entertainment.
Minnesota's theaters run the gamut, from the renowned Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis to the Northern Light Opera Company in Park Rapids. Children's theater, comedy clubs, community theaters, and college theater programs provide for all sorts of dramatic tastes. Crazy about the Bard? Get thee to Winona during the summer for the Great River Shakespeare Festival. Those who'd like to participate in the drama will find several B&Bs which host murder mystery dinners, such as the Spicer Castle in Spicer.
When it comes to music, Minnesota has an illustrious past. Many well-known musicians from the state began their careers here, including the Andrews Sisters, Bob Dylan, Prince, and Soul Asylum. To learn more about the state's influential musicians, visit the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame in New Ulm.
Travelers will find just about any kind of music they could want to hear, especially in the Twin Cities area and at Rochester's Riverside Concert Series. Classical aficionados won't want to miss the opportunity to attend the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, considered among the world's best. Several other symphony orchestras play around the state as well. Rural areas reflect the state's Scandinavian heritage, with many groups playing folk music from Sweden, Norway, and Finland. Popular music festivals include Ironworld's International Polkafest (Chisolm), the 10,000 Lakes Festival (indie and rock bands, in Detroit Lakes), and the Bayfront Blues Festival (Duluth). From giant arenas to nightclubs to coffeehouses, the Minnesota music scene is vast and vibrant.
For dance, a variety of local troupes and touring companies perform throughout the state. In Minneapolis, an excellent dance venue is the Northrop Auditorium, which presents companies from around the world. Ballet Minnesota and Ethnic Dance Theatre are among the state's local companies. Zenon Dance Company works with emerging American choreographers to create new works in modern and jazz styles. Its creative approach has made it one of the country's leading dance repertory companies. Those who'd like to cut a rug themselves while visiting will find a number of places to dance and in all sorts of styles, including swing, Middle Eastern, flamenco, Scandinavian folk dances, and more.
Despite Minnesota's largely rural nature, the arts flourish in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. For visitors who enjoy cultural pursuits, Minnesota's arts and entertainment communities are sure to satisfy.
