Various Build Sites

The 2026 Community Builds will support the creation of three artist-led shanties developed through community participation and mentorship in preparation for Art Shanty Projects’ signature winter festival. Each year, Art Shanty Projects transforms a frozen Minneapolis lake into a vibrant, temporary public art community, featuring interactive shanties and performances that embrace the challenges and beauty of winter. Visitors are invited to explore these imaginative spaces and experience art in a unique, immersive winter landscape.

Location: Powderhorn Park

BareBones Productions, a Minneapolis-based collective of visual and performing artists, is best known for its large-scale outdoor puppet performances and community art events. Their work transforms public spaces into vibrant stages, often featuring stilts, bicycles, and giant puppets.

The 2025 Halloween Outdoor Puppet Extravaganza will present four bilingual and ASL-interpreted public performances, supported by inclusive puppet-making workshops and storyboarding sessions. This cult-favorite event invites audiences of all ages to experience imaginative storytelling, visual spectacle, and community celebration in true BareBones fashion.

Location: Midtown Global Market

The acclaimed low-voice ensemble Cantus will present a special hour-long choral performance at the Midtown Global Market, celebrating cultural identity, migration, and belonging through vocal music. Known for its warmth, expressive power, and innovative programming, Cantus has earned praise from publications like The Washington Post and The New Yorker for its “exalting finesse” and “spontaneous grace.”

Now in its 31st season, Cantus continues to push the boundaries of choral music while maintaining its hallmark collaborative approach, performing without a conductor to create intimate, human-centered performances. This event brings their world-class artistry to a community gathering space, inviting audiences to connect through powerful shared musical experiences.

Location: CLUES and other venues

Dark Muse Performing Arts, founded by Vanessa Brooke Agnes in response to the George Floyd uprising, is dedicated to healing and radical community care through the arts. Born from grassroots action and protest performances, the organization creates spaces for expression, solidarity, and connection.

Its upcoming event, RootFest, is a one-day festival centering Black, Brown, queer, and trans individuals through music, poetry, movement, and storytelling. Designed as a space for healing and empowerment, RootFest blends art and community engagement to celebrate resilience, creativity, and collective care.

Location: 912 W Lake St, Minneapolis, MN 55408

The Highpoint Center for Printmaking is dedicated to supporting artists of all levels and creating an inclusive space for learning, creativity, and community engagement.

Their annual Print Fest is a two-day celebration of printmaking, featuring artist showcases, live demonstrations, interactive stations, and hands-on workshops. Open to all, the event invites visitors to explore the art of printmaking, connect with artists, and experience creative expression in an accessible, welcoming environment.

Location: 1500 E Lake St, Minneapolis, MN 55407

In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre (HOBT), a Minneapolis institution known for its large-scale puppetry and community activism, is celebrating the Brazilian lambe-lambe theater tradition—a unique form of miniature puppetry performed inside small, portable stages.

This project will offer hands-on workshops introducing participants to lambe-lambe techniques, culminating in an outdoor festival showcasing these intimate performances. Building on HOBT’s 50-year legacy of creativity and community engagement, the project blends artistry, imagination, and cultural exchange to bring stories to life in new and unexpected ways.

Location: Reverie Restaurant

Spirit of May Day is a cultural gathering following the historic May Day Parade, featuring performance stages, art installations, and a vendor market celebrating BIPOC and LGBTQ+ makers. Originally started by In the Heart of the Beast Puppet Theatre (HOBT) in the 1970s, the parade and festival have been beloved spring traditions for decades. After recent challenges, community arts organizations came together in 2023 to revive the event, keeping alive its mission of joy, inclusion, and creativity while welcoming spring—no matter the weather.

Location: Robert’s Shoes Corner

Internationally renowned Mexican artist Jose Luis Fitch Jimenez will present the Urban Art Village, a series of four free, hands-on workshops designed to empower artists with creative and financial skills. The program integrates public art, entrepreneurship, and collaborative projects, giving participants tools to succeed while fostering community engagement.

Known for his wide-ranging visual art—including screen prints, stencils, murals, collages, and sculptures—Jimenez’s work is featured in over 450 private and institutional collections worldwide, including the Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, Minneapolis Institute of Art, and the National Museum of Mexican Art. Through these workshops, Jimenez brings his international experience to inspire and equip local artists for sustainable creative success.

Location: 3010 Minnehaha Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55406

The Soul of the Southside Festival, Minneapolis’s largest Juneteenth celebration, honors Black creativity, resilience, and freedom through music, art, food, and community. Held at the intersection of Minnehaha Avenue and East Lake Street, it brings together venues like The Hook and Ladder Theater, Moon Palace Books, Arbeiter Brewing, and The Historic Coliseum Building for a free, family‑friendly celebration.

In 2025, the festival theme is “FAMILY: A REVOLUTIONARY FORCE,” celebrating the strength and legacy of Black families. As part of this year’s programming, Ancestral Food Waves will explore Black foodways and intergenerational healing through live cooking demonstrations and storytelling, highlighting the deep cultural connections food creates across generations.

Location: East Lake & Chicago Ave

The Great Northern Festival (TGN) is a 10‑day winter celebration that brings people together during Minnesota’s coldest months to connect, stay active, and celebrate community, culture, and the environment.

In 2025, TGN will present Light on Lake, a public projection art installation series that transforms sites along East Lake Street into illuminated canvases showcasing community storytelling and cultural expression. This project highlights the festival’s mission to inspire connection, foster creativity, and encourage collective care, even in the heart of winter.