August 2024

Great Art Inspired by Water

New Exhibition: A Nation Takes Place

Curators: Tia Simone-Gardner & Shana M. griffin

Opens August 21, 2024

Co-curated by Tia Simone-Gardner and Shana M. griffin and with support from the Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment For the Arts, Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts, and the Terra Foundation of American Art, A Nation Takes Place draws together an international collection of artworks by 38 artists and from over 20 lending partners to help us comprehend the complexity of America’s formation, a project unthinkable without waterways, conquest, and slave ships. While the archive, with its limitations, provides some access to the past, some histories have been erased, others remain inaccessible to language, and others are resistant to being written. In these gaps, the artists in A Nation Takes Place invite us to interpret and understand these spaces where words cannot.

• Exhibiting Artists
• Lending Partners
• Exhibition Catalog
• Artworks
• Public Programs and National Convenings
• Residencies
• Support for A Nation Takes Place

Claire Foster-Burnett (United States, 1939–2023). Goldweights (Only the Strong Survived), 1996. (detail). Mixed media assemblage, 19.5 × 15.5 in. Courtesy of the Amistad Research Center

A Nation Takes Place: Exhibition and Book Launch Reception

Thursday, August 22 | 5:30 - 7:30p

After more than two years of conversation with interlocutors at institutions, initiatives, and projects, interrogating and exploring the creative possibilities of marine art beyond portraits of ships at sea, co-curators Tia Simone-Gardner (St. Paul, MN) and Shana M. griffin (New Orleans, LA), alongside the Minnesota Marine Art Museum, invite you to an intimate exhibition opening and catalog launch for A Nation Takes Place. 

The event also includes the launch of an accompanying catalog, A Nation Takes Place: Navigating Water and Race in Contemporary Art, distributed by the University of Minnesota Press. Following a riverside convocation by multidisciplinary artist and maker, Seitu Jones (St. Paul, MN), and a live gallery performance by Li(sa E.) Harris (Houston, TX), Tia and Shana will share the stage to amplify the generosity, scholarship, activism, and curatorial approaches that went into this effort that will translate into four place-based artist residencies and three national convenings. 

Calida Rawles (United States, b. 1976), Our Grace (detail), 2022. Jacquard tapestry, 96 × 78 in. (243.8 × 198.1 cm). On Loan from the Lehman Maupin Gallery. LM34839.

A Nation Takes Place: A Meal & A Meetup - Upper Mississippi Convening

Friday, August 23 | 12p - 2p

Over lunch, we’ll meet the organizers behind the exhibition, A Nation Takes Place, co-curators Tia-Simone Gardiner and Shana M. griffin and MMAM executive director, Scott Pollock. Guest panelists will also include catalog contributor Mai’a Williams (Winona, MN), and exhibiting artists Elana Mann (Los Angeles, CA), and Dameun Strange (Minneapolis, MN). 

Together, we’ll hear about the origins of the exhibition, how the themes of the exhibition came together, and why select artists, writers, and project partners were selected for this exhibition, and related 152 page publication, that asks us where does the historical representation of the sea intersect with the canon of “American Art”? Our convening will also take us through the exhibition, stopping to reflect on the large scale installations by Renee Royale (New York, NY) and kai lumumba barrow (Chicago, IL) before moving out to the Upper Mississippi River shoreline, where we’ll meet Seitu Jones and encounter Art Ark, his latest fully functioning floating art project that channels the spirit of radical social movements, born on the water, into experiences that foster critical conversations and nurture more just and vibrant communities.  

Katrina Andry (United States, b. 1981), The Promise of the Rainbow Never Came #6, (detail), 2018. Color reduction woodcut, woodcut, and mylar. 60 × 44 in. (153.4 × 11.76 cm). Courtesy of the artist.

Summer Seasonal Saturday: Artistic Odyssey

Saturday, August 10  |  10a - 5p  |  $1 Admission

Art is for everyone! Join the Minnesota Marine Art Museum for the Summer Seasonal Saturday on August 10. With $1 admission for all, this is a fun and lively day to visit the museum for first-time visitors and experienced museum-goers alike. Inspired by MMAM's current exhibition Ultra Mare: Kajahl, the theme of this Seasonal Saturday is Artistic Odyssey. Enjoy wandering the galleries on your own, or join a tour, listen to live music, try your hand at art-making, or visit one of our community partners. Bingo Overboard, everyone’s favorite search-and-find game, is always available- just don’t forget to pick up your prize!

Mississippi Sippin Concert Series: Hannah Mayree

Thursday, August 15 | 5p - 9p 

Free Outdoor Concert

Take in the sights, sounds and creative sensations of the Driftless region this summer, riverside at the Museum. With support from the Southeast Minnesota Regional Arts Council, we welcome singer, songwriter and music educator Hannah Mayree to the riverside stage for our last of this perennial summer favorite. Hannah’s music incorporates African rhythms and diverse European and American folk traditions. Featuring artist trunk shows from Shoppe MMAM, guest culinary partners, and seasonal one-off small batch beverages by our friends from Two Fathoms Brewing, Winona Minnesota’s newest riverside brewery. 

Mississippi Sippin is the perfect place to spend a sensational summer night outside on the Mississippi River. Looking to cool off? With more than 20,000 square feet of art to enjoy inside MMAM’s climate-cooled environment, there is something for everyone. 

From music and food, to paintings and photography, experience the many ways that art can be inspired by water at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum.  

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts & cultural heritage fund.

H2O Artist Lecture Series: Judy Onofrio

Saturday, August 24   |   1p - 2p  

$12 (MMAM members Free)

Join legendary sculptor Judy Onofrio for a special artist talk around her exhibition Deep Dive - a 4,000 square foot exhibition featuring nearly 30 works of art, including a body of new work reflecting on her childhood and earliest memories of living near the ocean. Learn more about her processes, inspirations and life's work. In-person and livecast from the Museum's Oberton Education Room. Limited in-person seats for 65 people. Online and onsite registration required in advance. Onsite participants get a complimentary copy of the 16-page Deep Dive: Judy Onofrio catalog, featuring two essays by Christoper Aitkins and Sherry Leedy, published with support from the National Endowment For The Arts.

Summer Public Tours

Summer Public Tours

Saturdays in August | 11a

Have you ever wanted to learn more about the exhibitions at MMAM? This summer take a deep dive into the galleries at MMAM with a docent–led tour. Every Saturday in August, join a 30-minute guided tour. Tours are included in the cost of admission, and no registration is required. 

Basecamp Paddle Painting Clinic with Sanborn Canoe Co.

Sunday, August 18   |   9a - 12p    |    $220

Learn from the pros at Sanborn Canoe and create your own painted canoe paddle! This clinic is part of Sanborn Canoe Company’s BaseCamp 2024 event in partnership with the Minnesota Marine Art Museum. Prior registration for this clinic is required, and the cost includes all necessary materials. You will leave the class with your own custom painted artisan canoe paddle! 

Are you looking in other ways to immerse yourself in artmaking? Take a look at our upcoming 2024 Studio Arts Workshops.

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Mission

To create meaningful art experiences that explore our relationship with water. 

Vision

To spark wonder, shift perspectives, and create a more compassionate and connected world for all, by boldly leveraging the generative capacities of great art inspired by water.

Values

• Center our work in Communities and Collaboration.  
• Steward Sustainability, Equity and Hospitality.
• Operate with Honesty, Transparency and Trust.
• Be Bold and Brave.
• Always Enterprising, Always Outstanding.