St. Anthony: New Juxtaposition Arts complex will enhance economic, cultural development in Mpls.
By Neal St. Anthony l Star Tribune
Several of the $125 million-plus in commercial and residential projects planned for the main commercial artery on the North Side of Minneapolis are underway.
Architect’s rendering of the Juxtaposition Arts complex planned for N. Emerson Avenue and W. Broadway Avenue in Minneapolis.
Two of them will illuminate the artistic and economic future of W. Broadway Avenue.
Juxtaposition Arts (JXTA), which started as a North High after-school arts program nearly 30 years ago, will break ground Sept. 17 on a $12.9 million campus, replacing two ramshacklebuildings at W. Broadway and N. Emerson Avenue.
"This facility, a 16,000-square-foot, three-and-a-half-story building, will physically change the environment on this end of West Broadway," Managing Director Gabrielle Greer said last week.
She added that it will "change the way people think about north Minneapolis and the importance of us as a Black-owned organization that supports young people and connects to an entrepreneurial spirit that is JXTA's 26-year legacy."
The stunning building, designed by 4RM+ULA Architects, will be an expanded hub for hundreds of youth through its 12-week visual arts literacy training and apprenticeships. JXTA employs 100-plus young and adult artists and staff, and it attracts thousands annually to its shows and related events.
Investors include the McKnight Foundation, Pohlad Family Foundation, U.S. Bank, the city of Minneapolis, Hennepin County and hundreds of individuals.
JXTA was founded in 1995 by Roger and DeAnna Cummings, who moved in 2020 to the McKnight Foundation.
Roger Cummings, JXTA's chief cultural producer, said the $12.9 million capital, along with a companion $5 million "legacy campaign" for expanded programming and a reserve fund, cemented the aspiration "to become the only people-of-color-led arts organization in the state that owns its buildings. To have nearly reached our goal in three years, amid a global pandemic, is humbling."