University of Minnesota

The Arts at the University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota offers a vibrant, multifaceted arts environment deeply rooted in its College of Liberal Arts and supported by world‑class facilities across campus. At its cultural core is the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, designed by Frank Gehry and featuring more than 20,000 works.

Adjacent to that, student-curated galleries like the Coffman Art Gallery and the Larson Gallery (at St. Paul) provide rotating exhibition opportunities, while the Katherine E. Nash Gallery and the galleries within the Regis Center for Art support faculty, graduate, and undergraduate shows, spanning painting, sculpture, digital media, and interdisciplinary projects. The Regis Center boasts robust facilities for ceramics, printmaking, sculpture, metals, woodshop, black-and-white and digital photography, and moving-image production. Complementing these are the Rarig Center and Barbara Barker Center for Dance on the West Bank. The historic Northrop Auditorium, fully renovated by 2014, hosts major concerts, dance, film, and guest lectures, while the Ted Mann Concert Hall stages university ensembles, guest performers, and academic events. A lesser-known gem is the Whole Music Club in Coffman Memorial Union — a longstanding student-run venue notable for hosting acts like Green Day and The Replacements. The campus landscape also includes the Goldstein Museum of Design on the St. Paul campus, with over 34,000 design objects that support teaching and research in fashion, material culture, and design history.

Combined with the wealth of student-led and public programming, including gallery shows, live concerts, dance productions aligned with social themes, and exhibition partnerships, these resources make the University of Minnesota a fully integrated arts ecosystem.