History and Programs

History

Articulture was founded in 2000 and supported by members of the community who saw a need for more visual arts programming in the immediate south Minneapolis area. Initially running classes and workshops for children and adults out of a church basement, we rapidly grew and moved into a storefront in the Longfellow neighborhood of south Minneapolis. As the organization evolved, we added various programs and workshops to better serve the needs of the community. In 2008, Articulture moved into the larger space in the Seward neighborhood, which has enabled further growth. In 2025 Articulture moved to a new location - to be revealed soon.

Programming

Our programs uphold our mission of empowering individuals through the process of creating art. From our summer camps for children to adult classes that serve a multitude of demographics, each program and project is curated to use art as a form of self-expression. Our programming seeks to provide opportunities for quality artistic learning on all levels.

Onsite classes

Articulture is best known for onsite visual art classes offered to the general public, of all ages and creative abilities.

  • Adults – classes and workshops

  • Teens – classes, workshops, and summer camps

  • Children – classes, workshops, winter/spring breaks, school release days, and summer camps

 

Art and Healing

This program is geared towards partnerships with social service and health field organizations offering arts experiences to marginalized and vulnerable populations.

  • Having an opportunity for a creative outlet alongside peers helps to build a feeling of acceptance, self-confidence, stress relief, and camaraderie.     

  • Programs are sustained through direct or indirect grant funds, for clients to explore, process, and have a creative outlet in a safe and inclusive environment.

    Examples of community members we have worked with:

    • Adults struggling with severe and persistent mental illnesses

    • Newly homed houseless groups

    • Adults with physical and cognitive disabilities

    • Houseless children

    • Single mothers

    • Domestic abuse victims

    • Rehab clients with alcohol and chemical addition

    • At risk teens

 

Public Art Projects

Articulture’s Youth Arts Collaborative (YAC) has produced a number of community public art projects in south Minneapolis, which are often centered around social justice and/or environmental issues.

  • Youth have the opportunity to work directly with teaching artists to ideate, design, and execute public art projects.

    • Teens learn artist and teambuilding skills along with experiencing the process of creating public art

    • They learn about the subject that the work is about — often centered around community, social justice, and/or environmental issues.

      • It also enables them to pass along this acquired knowledge to others in the community.

    • Past projects have been in the form of murals, utility boxes, and sculpture.

 

Outreach

Articulture is dedicated to offering arts experiences in different capacities and for different purposes.

  • Arts programs with community organizations and other nonprofits

  • Artist-residencies in the schools

  • After school art classes

  • Example – our partnerships with local Minneapolis public schools with quality art classes in established after school programs.

  • Corporate/nonprofit — teambuilding or art and healing needs

Impact

From January 2000 to August 2025, Articulture has served Twin Cities communities in the following ways:

- By providing accessible and high quality arts education to over 135,000 children and teens, as well over 28,000 adults, 

- By delivering artist residencies in metro art schools, and afterschool programs with Minneapolis Public Schools, 

- By bringing Art & Healing programs to children, teens, and adults in the metro area in partnership with nonprofits that serve vulnerable and marginalized populations,

- By implementing outreach programs with community organizations, such as Touchstone Mental Health, Hope Community, People Incorporated, Our Savior’s Community Services, Wayside Recovery Center, Partnership Resources Inc, CommonBond Communities, Banyan Community Center, People Serving People Shelter, The Magnet 55+, and libraries in Minneapolis and St. Paul. 

During this time, Articulture employed over 128 teaching artists, gave over 65 college students & newly graduated art majors arts education internships, and provided over 450 scholarships to connect students of all ages and backgrounds with creative expression through the visual arts. 

Articulture has communally created one public art glass mosaic sculpture and 3 large murals, released 21 Art Cars into the world, and was featured in “Healing Seward” documentary directed by Nicholas Longtin, “Every Day is a Parade” directed by Deacon Warner, in MPLSART, and on MPR.

From September 2025 to current time Articulture has partnered with Twin Cities Maker to offer classes at their space. While offering more possibilities for metro area adults who take creative classes and participate in the local arts community, it ceased providing onsite child and teen classes, as most of its resources became allocated to outreach programs to serve Minneapolis and Saint Paul community in partnerships with field organizations.

On-going partnerships:

  1. People Serving People Shelter (art programming to teens at two sites)

  2. Opportunity Partners (arts access and education to clients with developmental and physical disabilities)

  3. Minneapolis Public Schools (after school programs in local elementary schools)

  4. The Magnet 55+ (arts education and Art & Healing for elder learners)

  5. Keystone Community Services (after school programming for marginalized youth)

  6. Beechwood (Art & Healing for clients living with mental illnesses)

  7. Banyan Community (after school programming for marginalized youth)

Anti-Discrimination Policy

Articulture does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and firing of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, board, volunteers, contractors, vendors, partners and clients.