Visit a Community Art Project Installation at a local park! MNPAiR, an Artist Residency in the Parks is an artist-in-residence program for artists exploring community and belonging. Paired with parks around Minnesota, these artists research and engage the park, offering workshops and creating artwork we can enjoy for years to come.

The goal of the MNPAiR program is to enhance a sense of welcoming and belonging to park users. Visit their website to find artwork near you. MNPAiR is a project developed with Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Metropolitan Council Metropolitan Regional Parks, and the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission in partnership with Forecast Public Art.

Knit Happens is Queermunity’s weekly gathering space for casual creativity, connection, and cozy chaos. Whether you’re into crafts, games, coloring, or just vibing with queer community, there’s something here for you. All ages and skill levels are welcome, and all materials for structured activities are provided—just bring yourself (and maybe a friend or two). Come as you are, stay as long as you like, and leave with a little more joy (and maybe a handmade boob or two).

Theater Mu's longstanding New Eyes Festival is an incubator for new Asian American voices, and its 2026 iteration features nationally selected, 10-minute plays that respond to the question, "What does freedom mean to you?"

The New Eyes Festival is free to attend, and audiences can expect a staged reading of each play. A reading is a form of theater without sets or full costumes, and actors read from scripts and incorporate minimal stage movement.

Come to the crowning of the Household Pet King & Queen of the Saintly City Cat Show! More than 200 cats from the United States and Canada will compete for the title of Best Cat at the Saintly City Cat Club's 48th Annual Championship and Household Pet Cat Show. A "King" and "Queen" cat will be caped and crowned by a member of the St. Paul Winter Carnival Royalty.

On behalf of the Jerome Foundation, Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) announces four recipients of the 2024/25 MCAD–Jerome Foundation Fellowships for Early Career Artists: Namir Fearce, Nik Nerburn, Amy Usdin, and Ger Xiong/Ntxawg Xyooj. The Jerome Foundation has supported this fellowship program since its inception in 1981.

This competitive fellowship provides $10,000 to each recipient for the production of new work. In addition to being featured in a group exhibition at the MCAD Gallery, fellows have an opportunity to meet with visiting critics during the fellowship year, write an essay about their work for the exhibition catalog, and participate in a public panel discussion.

Winter Warm-Up, a recreational program featuring inline skating and indoor running, returns to U.S. Bank Stadium this December.

Thirteeen Winter Warm-Up sessions will be offered this season beginning on Tuesday, December 2 and ending on Thursday, January 22. Winter Warm-Up is open to all ages and will take place on the stadium’s main and upper concourses at 5-9pm on Tuesday and Thursday nights.

Davu Seru, Curator of the Givens Collection, extends a special invitation to share your perspectives and insights as we develop a NEW African American Literature Curriculum Guide.

With tens of thousands of archival and manuscript materials that document the history of Black literature and culture, the Givens Collection of African American Literature and Life is an invaluable community and scholarly resource.

Craft and create with your library community. All skill levels welcome. Bring your own work in progress and join your neighbors in an afternoon of creating and chatting. Adults 18 and up.

The Sabathani Living History Museum offers an immersive journey through the rich history of the Black community in South Minneapolis, celebrating resilience, artistry, and community triumph. 

In this musical set in the 1590s, brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom are desperate to write a hit play but are stuck in the shadow of that Renaissance rock star known as “The Bard.” When a local soothsayer foretells that the future of theatre involves singing, dancing and acting at the same time, Nick and Nigel set out to write the world’s very first musical. But amidst the scandalous excitement of opening night, the Bottom Brothers realize that reaching the top means being true to thine own self, and all that jazz. (Content Warning: Language)

Unlabeled Theatre Company produces inclusive theatre performances, featuring and celebrating neurodivergent theatre artists.

Join us for an electrifying evening with The Solomon Sessions, a multicultural musical collective led by acclaimed trumpet player and educator, Solomon Parham. Experience a unique blend of jazz and hip-hop as The Solomon Sessions perform their original compositions, inspired by the legendary producer J Dilla. This one-night-only event is a must-attend for all music lovers in the Twin Cities.

Join internationally acclaimed poet Pádraig Ó Tuama for an intimate evening of poetry in support of the Loft. Known for his vivid explorations of language, conflict, belonging, and belief, Ó Tuama is the beloved host of Poetry Unbound and the author of celebrated works across poetry, memoir, and theology.

Founded in 2025 by House of Hope Presbyterian Church, Hope Arts Center is a nonprofit dedicated to uplifting the community through accessible, joyful, and innovative arts and wellness programming.

Join us for the world premiere of Pedacito de Tierra (Little Piece of Land), a powerful new work that weaves oral histories from the Puerto Rican diaspora in Minnesota into a contemporary chamber music performance.

This premiere event celebrates culture, history, and imagination—bringing together music and storytelling to honor the Puerto Rican community in Minnesota and beyond.

The Local Contexts Cultural Institution Working Group meeting will host a presentation from Emily Johnson and Leomary Rodriguez of Catalyst Dance and their work on the Decolonization Rider. The Decolonization Rider is a powerful tool designed to advance decolonization processes within cultural institutions while protecting artists, their work, and collaborators.

Back with more jaw-dropping feats of physics, the 2026 Physics Force Winter Shows return to Northrop with more big demos and exhilarating experiments. With physicists dropping from the air, barrels imploding from the power of atmospheric pressure, and Northrop's historic pipe organ showing the connection between science and music, this spectacular educational display brings science to life for students. 

Student Matinees at Northrop blend the thrill of live performance at a historic theater with the vigor of enriching education—inspiring students through dance, music, powerful storytelling, and now the amazing wonders of physics.

Accordo is a string ensemble composed of present and former principal string players of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Minnesota Orchestra. The group has been named “Best Chamber Ensemble” by the Minneapolis Star Tribune and “the dream team of chamber music” by Minnesota Monthly. Accordo has been performing since 2008 to consistently well sold and enthusiastic audiences.

Native Voices of Power is a January 2026 exhibition celebrating Indigenous strength, creativity, and cultural fire, curated by Marlena Myles (Spirit Lake Dakota). The show uplifts artwork and poetry that reflect the many sources of Native power — land, ancestors, ceremony, language, community, imagination, and the inner fire that continues to move through our nations.

Wiyounkihipi invites Native artists and poets to share work that expresses cultural strength in all its forms: quiet or fierce, ancestral or emergent, grounded in land or lifted by vision. This exhibition creates a space where our stories amplify one another, showing how creativity becomes strength and how art becomes a living expression of cultural continuance.

“Shared Selves” marks the culminating showcase of our current Artist-in-Residence cohort—a celebration of collective creativity, mutual witnessing, and the power of community-rooted art. Throughout their residency, each artist has explored new dimensions of their practice while building meaningful connections with one another. This final exhibition brings those journeys into conversation.

For this special closing show, each artist will share their work as well as original portraits— revealing the subject and the growing community among the artists. “Shared Selves” is both an ending and an opening: a testament to what becomes possible when queer artists create together, see one another fully, and choose to share themselves with the world.

Join Black Label Movement for a three day intensive full physicality, improvisation, repertory, and discussion designed to deepen each participants’ embodied practice. This intensive includes learning repertoire from the world premiere of Rules of Life, which opens the following weekend.

Black Label is a Minnesota dance company that makes wildly physical, naturally virtuosic, intellectually and emotionally engaging movement driven art and embodied activities that examine and engage the human condition to inspire vivid lives.

This evening’s Art Club welcomes guest artist Maggie Thompson (Ojibwe), founder of the local Native-owned textile studio Makwa Studio. Thompson will guide visitors through a textile-based project using unconventional materials.

Materials are provided and distributed on a first-come, first-served basis; supplies are limited. Activities are designed for all skill levels. No prior registration is required for Art Club. The more you visit, the more you’ll discover.

Join the community of Sustain Studio to celebrate their first year — a year of creating, growing, aligning, and learning what it means to live life on purpose. We’ll share light food, enjoy a cash bar with hosted NA options, and move through a simple intention-card making station to welcome the next year with clarity and creativity. You’ll also have the chance to experience some of what Sustain offers through gentle creative prompts and connection.

Join Mill City Commons at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) for a guided tour of “Royal Bronzes: Cambodian Art of the Divine,” an extraordinary exhibition that brings the Khmer Empire’s artistic brilliance to life. Together we’ll explore exquisite bronze statues, ritual objects, and sacred artifacts that illuminate a world where craftsmanship, spirituality, and royal authority were deeply intertwined.

Calling all fans of sci-fi, romantic comedy, and everything in between! Special Interest Theater invites you to its first ever GENRE DIVERGENCE staged reading series!

Genre Divergence is a staged reading series that allows neurodivergent playwrights to put their own spin on high-concept genre storytelling. Sci-fi horror! Thriller! Romantic comedy! Even magical girl anime! All genre that these playwrights have adored for years and wanted to put their own spin on.

Special Interest Theater is a brand new, Autistic-led theater company that seeks to uplift neurodivergent and disabled artists by allowing them to tell the stories THEY want to see onstage.

In a world marked by uncertainty and daily challenges, “Threading the Needle” invites visitors to reflect on resilience, creativity, and connection. This innovative exhibit explores the literal and metaphorical act of threading the needle—blending textile traditions with contemporary art to push boundaries and spark conversation.

Featuring 120+ works by Minnesota artists E. Holt, Cindy Fuerstenberg, Kandace Creel-Falcón, Lily Ova, and Raven Gizhibaayaanimad Mae, the show spans traditional and experimental approaches to needlework and textiles. Each piece offers a unique perspective on the power and versatility of fiber arts.

KOJB The Eagle presents The 3rd Annual Anishinaabe Music & Arts Celebration featuring Keith Secola, Annie Humphrey, Jada Brown, Chase Manhattan, Tall Paul, Makoonz Creations Fashion Show, MN MMIR Presentation, and more! This is a free all ages show.

There’s something magical about holiday music—especially when it’s performed live inside a cozy, jewel-toned Irish pub. The Sparkle Sessions bring soul-stirring harmonies, pub energy, and festive spirit to the heart of The Gaelic Glow at The Local Minneapolis in downtown.

This isn’t your average night out. Think fiddles, vocals, sing-alongs, and that heartwarming buzz only a holiday pub gathering can deliver. With every note and every laugh, the room glows a little brighter.

View the entries to this year's Student Art Contest! Students in grades 6–12 from Hennepin County are invited to enter the 2025 Student Art Contest. Winning art will be honored and exhibited at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. This year’s theme is: Belonging Begins Here: Our Stories, Our County, and Our Pride.

What does belonging mean to you? Tell your story through art—whether it’s about your neighborhood, your culture, your favorite local spot, or the people who make you feel at home. We want to see what makes your community special and what brings people together.

Step into a sparkling evening where classical music meets the street, the saddle and the stage. Hear vibrant works by Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland and more—performed by your Minnesota Orchestra.

After the concert, dance to vintage jazz from Belle Amour and enjoy a Champagne toast at midnight, on us! 

Though we come from all different walks of life, what binds us together is our humanity. “The Human Condition” explores the feelings, experiences, and connections that are uniquely human through myriad mediums and styles. Come look through someone else’s eyes, or find your own looking back at you.

Join the Oxboro Library to prepare for the new year with an art project! Join us as we create a vision board, making collages of our goals for 2026. Materials provided. No registration required.