The largest collection of Minnesota Art

Who is the biggest collector of Minnesotan art? The answer might surprise you - it certainly surprised me. I would’ve guessed the Walker, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, maybe the Weisman Art Museum at the U of M or a private collector. I would not have guessed the answer to be the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul - a museum not typically known for it’s art collection.

According to this article from the Star Tribune, the History Center has been collecting Minnesotan art since 1849, nine years before Minnesota became a state. Curator Brian Szott says the History Center will “exclusively collect work that is by and about Minnesota,'“ compared to other museums in the state that will collect various artworks as part of a larger exhibition. The Minnesota History Center website says their collection includes 6,000 works of art, 300,000 photographs, and 500,000 printed works.

You have an opportunity to view some of the vast collection in an upcoming exhibit “Art Speaks", which includes more than 175 pieces of art by 109 artists. This will be the first time in over 20 that the Center will have a major exhibition of it’s Minnesotan art. Curator Brian Szott says he focused on acquisitions made in the last 15 years, so the public can see lesser-known work.

Art Speaks opens on February 26 and will be available for viewing until July 31. I will definitely be checking it out!

-Jess