Programs

Adult Events and Activities

Meet at Mia

Learn more about this Meet at Mia event centered around <a href="https://new.artsmia.org/exhibition/in-our-hands-native-photography-1890-to-now">In Our Hands: Native Photography, 1890 to Now</a>, held on Thursday, November 9, 2023.
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https://new.artsmia.org/event/meet-at-mia-in-our-hands

Learn more about this Meet at Mia event celebrating Black History Month, held on Thursday, February 8, 2024.
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Learn more about this series of concerts held in Mia&#8217;s Target Park throughout summer 2024.
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Connect, create, kick back! Meet at Mia is a new series of free Thursday evening events for adults. Get to know us—and each other—with live music, art making, special programs, and unique food and drink (for purchase). No registration or secret handshake required.
Meet at Mia ranges from casual open studios to museum-wide art parties. Find what suits you on the event pages below.
Upcoming Programs
March 20 <a href="https://new.artsmia.org/event/pf-meet-at-mia-giants">Giants</a> 
March 27 <a href="https://new.artsmia.org/event/pf-meet-at-mia-giants">Becoming Giants</a> 
April 3 <a href="https://new.artsmia.org/event/pf-meet-at-mia-giants">On the Shoulders of Giants</a> 
April 10 <a href="https://new.artsmia.org/event/pf-meet-at-mia-giants">Giant Conversations</a> 
April 17 <a href="https://new.artsmia.org/event/pf-meet-at-mia-giants">Giant Presence</a> 
April 24 <a href="https://new.artsmia.org/event/meet-at-mia-open-studios/">Art in Bloom</a>

<h2 class="border-top-3"><a style="color: black" href="https://new.artsmia.org/programs/adult-events-and-activities"> Adult Events and Activities 
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Public Functionary x Meet at Mia: &#8220;Giants&#8221;

The Object LIVE! Presented by Ameriprise Financial

Mia has partnered with Public Functionary (PF) to curate a five-week series of <a href="https://new.artsmia.org/programs/adult-events-and-activities/meet-at-mia">Meet at Mia</a> programs surrounding our special exhibition “<a href="https://new.artsmia.org/exhibition/giants">Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys</a>.” Following an opening program on March 20, each week correlates with a theme of the exhibition: Becoming Giants, On the Shoulders of Giants, Giant Conversations, and Giant Presence. Programs include music, film screenings, live performances, tours led by the PF Curatorial Cohort, and more.
The PF Curatorial Cohort will draw on their established relationships within the community, to support artists throughout their entire engagement. PF and Mia are committed to serving as dedicated advocates for artists throughout and beyond their interaction.
Upcoming Programs 
March 20: <a href="https://new.artsmia.org/event/pf-meet-at-mia-giants#march-20">Giants</a> 
March 27: <a href="https://new.artsmia.org/event/pf-meet-at-mia-giants#march-27">Becoming Giants</a> 
April 3: <a href="https://new.artsmia.org/event/pf-meet-at-mia-giants#apr-3">On the Shoulders of Giants</a> 
April 10: <a href="https://new.artsmia.org/event/pf-meet-at-mia-giants#apr-10">Giant Conversations</a> 
April 17: <a href="https://new.artsmia.org/event/pf-meet-at-mia-giants#apr-17">Giant Presence</a>
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<h2>About Public Functionary</h2>
Public Functionary (PF) is an artist-led space to dream and live in a world where multifaceted identities are celebrated and centered. Since 2012 in Northeast Minneapolis, PF has supported an emerging artist community of practice through studios, galleries, and performance spaces. Its core program, PF Studios supports and amplifies BIPOC and marginalized artists in the Northrup King Building, contributing to a more inclusive and equitable arts ecosystem in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District.
<a href="https://publicfunctionary.org/">publicfunctionary.org</a> | <a href="http://instagram.com/pfunctionary">@pfunctionary</a> | <a href="http://instagram.com/pfstudios.mpls">@pfstudios.mpls</a>
<h2>About the PF Curatorial Cohort</h2>
SILENT FOX is a Minnesota-based visual artist, graphic designer, and muralist whose practice spans multiple media, including watercolor, acrylic, digital illustration, and photography. A graduate of Augsburg University with a BA in studio arts and graphic design, they have established themselves as a versatile creator under the banner of Silentfox.Studio. Their work has been recognized through Minnesota State Arts Board grants in both 2021 and 2022, supporting their community-focused artistic practice. As a lead director and creative curator of 13.4 Collective and member of Creatives After Curfew, their artistic philosophy, reflected in their chosen name, emphasizes the power of reflection and meaningful exploration in contemporary art-making.
MICA GRIMM is a multidisciplinary creative project manager and event producer whose decade-plus career focuses on advancing racial justice through innovative community engagement. Their portfolio includes collaborations with prominent organizations and artists, including Black Lives Matter National, The Walker Art Center, Campaign Zero, and Pussy Riot, as well as consultation work with former president Barack Obama and various nonprofits. Grimm specializes in creating inclusive events and initiatives that honor diverse community needs while building authentic connections. Their work consistently prioritizes the advancement of social and racial justice, with a particular focus on supporting BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities through meaningful collaboration and strategic event production.
MAIYA LEA HARTMAN is a self-taught multidisciplinary artist and muralist based in Minneapolis. Their practice encompasses drawing, painting, ceramics, and mixed media, with work that examines traditions of the African Diaspora through figurative art incorporating textiles and symbols. They serve as the director of artist development for Public Functionary’s PF Studios program and work as a lead artist with Creatives After Curfew, a collective formed in response to George Floyd’s murder. Through both personal artwork and community-based projects, Hartman creates spaces for Black experience, memory, and liberation, while contributing to conversations about police abolition and community-led safety.
YONCI JAMESON is a cultural curator, DJ, musician, and writer born, raised, and based in Minneapolis. Jameson has over a decade of experience in traditional West African percussion and jazz instrumentation, radio programming, and arts education and community organizing. Jameson explores, experiments, and expands into the past, present, and future of Black diasporic traditions by way of narrative prose and poetry, sound selection, performance, creative and collaborative ritual, rehearsals, jamming, putting pen to page, and breaking bread. Jameson aims to continue creating and sustaining spaces, conversations, and actions in solidarity with marginalized communities and in efforts to create a future free of anti-Blackness and queerphobia.
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<h2>Program Details</h2>
<h3>March 20: Giants </h3>
Micamaryjane hosts opening night of the PF x Giants collaboration. The evening features the musical talents of ZORA, alongside poetry by Nyah Massey. Booscapes transforms the walls with projections, while DJ Vance and DJ Qbear keep the vibe flowing with thoughtfully selected music. Join the &#8220;I Am Collage&#8221; workshop with Silent Fox inspired by Deborah Roberts, and step into a one-of-a-kind photo experience designed by PF Studios artists and brought to life by photographer Bearboi. Yonci Jameson and Leslie Barlow offer casual walk-throughs of the exhibition.
Host micamaryjane 
Performers MMYYKK, ZORA, and nyah estelle 
Projection Mapping Booscapes 
DJ Sets DJ Advance and DJ Q Bear 
Art Making &#8220;I Am Collage&#8221; with Silent Fox 
Custom Photobooth Created by PF Studios artists Maiya Lea Hartman and Silent Fox, captured by Bearboi 
Unofficial Exhibition Tours Yonci Jameson (6:30 p.m.) and Leslie Barlow (7:30 p.m.) 
Join us for a fresh take on the “Giants” exhibition with informal, artist-led tours guided by Leslie Barlow, PF Studios director, and Yonci Jameson, PF x Giants Curatorial Cohort member and radio host. These tours offer a chance to experience the exhibition through Barlow and Jameson’s unique perspectives—not as museum guides, but as an artist and community member. They’ll share their thoughts on their favorite works and invite open conversation about the themes, process, and impact of the collection.
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<h3>March 27: Becoming Giants </h3>
In honor of the ways creativity passes through generations, vinyl selector DJ JamEZ showcases the art of the record as a time-tested archive while DJ MxKenna&#8217;s musical stylings celebrate Black women with a classic hip hop/neo soul set. The evening culminates in an organic community forum in the &#8220;Giants&#8221; exhibition, where moderator Yonci Jameson invites local artists and community members to respond to the collection&#8217;s featured artists and reflect on their own creative journeys.
DJ Sets DJ MxKenna and DJ JamEZ 
Community Tufting NeekaSoDope 
Food Truck Que Tal 
&#8220;Giants&#8221; Artist Community Forum Moderator Yonci Jameson, 7:30 p.m.* 
Join radio host and writer Yonci Jameson in a participatory dialogue on the “Giants” exhibition. Gather with other local creatives and culture bearers to discuss your thoughts on the works in a lightly guided open forum. Consider how the exhibition speaks to art, culture, and our own lived experiences in the Twin Cities. 
*Exhibition ticket required; tickets are timed and limited.
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<h3>April 3: On the Shoulders of Giants </h3>
On the Shoulders of Giants speaks to the idea that no artist or cultural movement exists in isolation. It acknowledges the influence of those who came before—the pioneers, mentors, and visionaries who shaped the ways we create art and culture today. DJ Keezy and DJ Sci-Fi have both used music as a medium for representation and visibility. Through their work, they create spaces that are more than just gatherings—they’re cultural movements rooted in the traditions of resistance, joy, and collective empowerment.
Join Olu Famule (Cinefilmu) for experimental short film screenings that highlight the work of three local, emerging Black filmmakers who explore fresh takes on moving image traditions. Famule will also moderate a Q&amp;A with the filmmakers and discuss the artist’s visual influences, themes present in their work, and what led them to the medium of film. Screenings begin at 6:30 p.m. Free ticket required; <a href="https://tickets.artsmia.org/events/0195af1b-4d7b-b6ed-35af-50f32bb71b82">reserve your ticket here</a>.
Featured Filmmakers Meti Mekonen, Wasima Farah, Bakar Elmi, and Love, Ulysses 
Filmmaker Q&amp;A Moderator Olu Famule 
DJ Sets DJ Keezy and DJ Sci-Fi 
Food Truck ParraLily
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<h3>April 10: Giant Conversations </h3>
Artists have always critiqued and commented on the world around them. Reframe your perspective through a conversation with local content curators, moderated by Za’Nia Coleman, participate in a workshop with a speculative fiction writer, and immerse yourself in sensory reflection with a DJ set by Sarah White.
DJ Sarah White embodies the practice of art as a tool for activism and storytelling. As a DJ, vocalist, and producer, her work transcends genres and mediums, blending music with a deep commitment to social change. Her sets are more than just sonic experiences—they’re narratives of history, resistance, and the rhythms of liberation.
Workshop Taiwana Shambley, Writing for Social Change 
DJ Set Sarah Maricha White 
Food Truck West Indies 
Conversation Moderator Za&#8217;Nia Coleman, 7 p.m. <a href="https://tickets.artsmia.org/events/0195af27-9047-1d2e-a3c4-0434cec69c52">Free ticket required; register here</a>. 
In response to the ethos of The Dean Collection—&#8221;by the artist, for the artist, with the people&#8221;—Minneapolis-based artists and curators that are reshaping the arts landscape will explore practices that challenge traditional ideas of collection-building, authorship, and audience engagement. Panelists Adrienne Doyle, Wordsworth Musinguzi, Eshay Brantley, and Ego Ahaiwe Sowinski speak with moderator Za&#8217;Nia Coleman about what it means to curate in service of artists and communities. What happens when collections, digital platforms, exhibitions, and zines are built around relationships instead of objects?
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<h3>April 17: Giant Presence </h3>
Close out PF&#8217;s Meet at Mia series with a robust lineup of performers who&#8217;ll take over the museum for a night with big sound and energy. Giant gratitude!
Performers Hooks, Sol Salvation Choir, and Greg Grease 
DJ Sets DJ McShellen and DJ Afro 
Featuring BLAQ Dance Collective 
Custom Portraits by Godfree Spain 
Food Truck ParraLily 
Unofficial Exhibition Tours Leslie Barlow and Yonci Jameson 
Join us for a fresh take on the “Giants” exhibition with informal, artist-led tours guided by Leslie Barlow, PF Studios director, and Yonci Jameson, PF x Giants Curatorial Cohort member and radio host. These tours offer a chance to experience the exhibition through Barlow and Jameson’s unique perspectives—not as museum guides, but as an artist and community member. They’ll share their thoughts on their favorite works and invite open conversation about the themes, process, and impact of the collection.

Artistic photo of musicians playing guitars and people dancing with red and teal backlighting

<a style="color: black;" href="https://tickets.artsmia.org/events/0193e565-7c1c-d9d9-1b45-09cd98f22f2c"><button class="background-black">Reserve Tickets</button></a> 
Mia’s award-winning podcast, <a href="https://new.artsmia.org/the-object-podcast">The Object</a>, tells the surprising, true stories behind the art and artists in the collection. Called “playful, thoughtful, and elegant” and “on par with This American Life” by critics, it’s the museum as you’ve never heard it before. The Object LIVE! is a new series of live taping events—everything listeners love about the podcast brought to life on stage.
May 11, 2025 
This live taping of Mia’s award-winning podcast The Object, hosted by Tim Gihring, features musical guest Dessa, fun quizzes and prizes, curator conversation, and of course storytelling. All about humor in art, surrealism, and Mia’s beloved Aphrodisiac Telephone by Salvador Dalí—on his 121st birthday! It’s “Your Lobster is Ringing!” Take the call, bring your mother (it’s Mother’s Day, folks!) and join us for an afternoon to remember.
Singer, rapper, and writer Dessa has made a career of bucking genres and defying expectations, performing both at Lollapalooza and with the Minnesota Orchestra, writing for the New York Times and, most recently, publishing a cocktail book of essays and recipes based on her music. She&#8217;s lectured on art and philosophy at universities and hosted a BBC radio show on the science of being human. NPR’s All Songs Considered has called her “a national treasure” of “incredible gravitas and presence and humanity.”

Connect, create, kick back! Meet at Mia is a new series of free Thursday evening events for adults. Get to know us—and each other—with live music, art making, special programs, and unique food and drink (for purchase). No registration or secret handshake required.
Looking for more to do? Check out <a href="https://new.artsmia.org/event/meet-at-mia-open-studios">Meet at Mia: Open Studios</a>.
PF x Meet at Mia: &#8220;Giants&#8221; 
Mia has partnered with Public Functionary (PF) to curate a five-week series of Meet at Mia programs surrounding our special exhibition “Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys.” Following an opening program on March 20, each week correlates with a theme of the exhibition: Becoming Giants, On the Shoulders of Giants, Giant Conversations, and Giant Presence. Programs include music, film screenings, live performances, tours led by the PF Curatorial Cohort, and more.
The PF Curatorial Cohort will draw on their established relationships within the community, to support artists throughout their entire engagement. PF and Mia are committed to serving as dedicated advocates for artists throughout and beyond their interaction. 
<a href="https://new.artsmia.org/event/pf-meet-at-mia-giants">March 20</a> Giants 
<a href="https://new.artsmia.org/event/pf-meet-at-mia-giants">March 27</a> Becoming Giants 
<a href="https://new.artsmia.org/event/pf-meet-at-mia-giants">April 3</a> On the Shoulders of Giants 
<a href="https://new.artsmia.org/event/pf-meet-at-mia-giants">April 10</a> Giant Conversations 
<a href="https://new.artsmia.org/event/pf-meet-at-mia-giants">April 17</a> Giant Presence

Meet at Mia

Past Programs

Meet at Mia: In our Hands

Meet at Mia: Celebrating Black History

Meet at Mia: Courtyard Concerts