Midway Contemporary Art

MIDWAY CONTEMPORARY ART IS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT SUPPORTS THE CREATION OF AND REFLECTION UPON VISUAL ART. MIDWAY FACILITATES SIGNIFICANT NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE FIELD AND PRESENTS AUDIENCES WITH INTIMATE ACCESS TO VISUAL CULTURE.

EXHIBITIONS:IN THE SPRING OF 2022, WE CONCLUDED OUR OFF-SITE SERIES THAT WAS INITIATED IN 2020 BY PRODUCING NEW PROJECTS AND EXHIBITIONS AT LOCATIONS ACROSS THE TWIN CITIES AS A RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. ON APRIL 23 WE PRESENTED IN THE RIVER, AN AMBITIOUS PUBLIC PERFORMANCE BY CAMBRIDGE-BASED ARTIST KARTHIK PANDIAN IN COLLABORATION WITH AMERICAN INDIAN MOVEMENT ACTIVIST MIKE FORCIA AND AN ENSEMBLE OF TWIN CITIES-BASED MUSICIANS, DANCERS, MEDIA WORKERS, AND ACTIVISTS AT THE SITE OF THE FORMER COLUMBUS STATUE AT THE MINNESOTA STATE HOUSE. LIKE PREVIOUS MIDWAY OFF-SITE PROJECTS, IN THE RIVER ENGAGED OUR REGULAR AUDIENCE MEMBERS WHILE ALSO SERVING NEW COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING OVER 10,000 VIEWERS WHO TUNED IN TO THE LIVE STREAM PRESENTED ONLINE BY UNICORN RIOT. IN MAY OF 2022, WE BEGAN LIMITED EXHIBITION PROGRAMMING IN OUR NEW MARSHALL ST. FACILITY. WE PRESENTED NA MIRA: CONTRAPUNCTAL, THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF SOUND AND FILM INSTALLATIONS BY ARTIST NA MIRA AT ART SPACES ACROSS THE US AND INTERNATIONALLY. THE EXHIBITION REIMAGINED UNFINISHED WORKS BY THE LATE KOREAN-AMERICAN ARTIST THERESA HAK KYUNG CHA. WE PARTNERED WITH THE SWISS ART PERIODICAL PROVENCE TO CREATE AN ISSUE THAT INCLUDED NA MIRA'S RESEARCH AND ADDITIONAL WRITINGS ON CHA'S WORK, AND WITH LOCAL COMMUNITY RADIO STATION KFAI TO BROADCAST SOUND FROM THE EXHIBITION OVER THE RADIO DURING THE SUPER FLOWER BLOOD MOON ECLIPSE. IN JULY, WE SCREENED A SERIES OF FILMS BY A SPONGE MADE OF MIRRORS (ARTISTS JONATHON ROSEMOND AND WYATT LASKY). IN OCTOBER, WE OPENED AN EXHIBITION OF SCULPTURAL WORKS BY TETSUYA YAMADA. WE PUBLISHED A COMPANION BOOKLET WITH AN ESSAY BY ALAN LONGINO.LIBRARY:LAUNCHED IN 2007, OUR LIBRARY'S MISSION IS TO PROVIDE THE PUBLIC WITH THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE AND ACCESSIBLE RESOURCE FOR RESEARCH INTO CONTEMPORARY ART IN THE REGION. WE ADD BETWEEN 500-1,000 SELECTED TITLES TO THE COLLECTION ANNUALLY. HOLDING OVER 11,000 VOLUMES AS OF 2022 INCLUDING MONOGRAPHS, EXHIBITION CATALOGS, REFERENCE BOOKS, DVDS, AND PERIODICALS IT PROVIDES A BROAD OVERVIEW OF ARTISTIC ACTIVITY AND ART PUBLISHING FROM AROUND THE WORLD. MANY OF THE BOOKS AND OTHER MATERIALS IN MIDWAY'S COLLECTION ARE NOT OTHERWISE AVAILABLE IN MINNESOTA. THE LIBRARY DOES NOT REQUIRE MEMBERSHIP OR APPOINTMENTS; IT IS ENTIRELY FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. BECAUSE OF THIS UNIQUE ACCESSIBILITY, THE LIBRARY HAS BECOME A POPULAR DESTINATION FOR STUDENTS, ACADEMICS, ARTISTS, WRITERS, CURATORS, AND VISITORS TO THE TWIN CITIES.UNTIL THE PANDEMIC, OUR LIBRARY WAS NON-CIRCULATING. IN THE SUMMER OF 2020, WE BEGAN A CURBSIDE LENDING PROGRAM THAT WAS EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL. LIBRARY MATERIALS ARE FEATURED PROMINENTLY ON OUR WEBSITE, MAKING IT EASY TO BROWSE NEW ACQUISITIONS FROM ANYWHERE; PATRONS WERE ABLE TO REQUEST UP TO THREE BOOKS VIA EMAIL, SCHEDULE A TIME FOR CURBSIDE PICK-UP, AND RETURN THEM AFTER TWO WEEKS. SINCE REOPENING THE LIBRARY IN ITS TEMPORARY SIXTH ST. SE LOCATION FOR IN-PERSON USE IN SPRING OF 2021, WE HAVE CONTINUED TO PROVIDE CURBSIDE LENDING FOR THOSE WHO PREFER TO BORROW BOOKS FOR AT HOME USE.VISUAL ARTS FUND:THE VISUAL ARTS FUND IS A GRANT PROGRAM ESTABLISHED IN 2016 BY MIDWAY CONTEMPORARY ART WITH GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM THE ANDY WARHOL FOUNDATION FOR THE VISUAL ARTS. MINNEAPOLISST. PAUL IS ONE OF THIRTY-TWO METRO AREAS INCLUDED IN WARHOL'S REGIONAL REGRANTING PROGRAM, WHICH IS AIMED AT PROMOTING VIBRANT ARTISTIC ACTIVITY IN CITIES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. THE VAF SUPPORTS THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES HAPPENING OUTSIDE OF ESTABLISHED VENUES THAT ENGAGE THE PUBLIC WITH VISUAL ART AND MIGHT NOT OTHERWISE OCCUR.AFTER OFFERING A SERIES OF EMERGENCY AND COMMUNITY RELIEF GRANTS DURING 2020, WE RETURNED TO THE VISUAL ARTS FUND'S REGULAR GRANTMAKING CYCLE. IN DECEMBER 2022 WE AWARDED SIX $10,000 GRANTS TO PROJECTS INCLUDING WAITING ROOM'S 2023 EXHIBITION SERIES, AN ARTIST-RUN UNCONVENTIONAL GALLERY SPACE; DREAM CHAMBERS PUBLIC ACCESS TV, A MONTHLY ARTIST-RUN TELEVISION SERIES; REVIVED TREASURES, LIVING MEMORIES, A PROJECT THAT ENGAGES ELDERS WITH JEWELRY-MAKING AS A WAY OF PRESERVING HERITAGE; SEMILLAS, A LATINA ARTIST-RUN SPACE; STORY SEEDLINGS, PRODUCTION OF SHORT FILMS BY EMERGING BIPOC ARTISTS; AND TRANSLATION IS A MODE, A SERIES OF CROSS-GENRE WORKSHOPS HIGHLIGHTING TRANSLATION AS AN ACT OF RESISTANCE.