"This museum is for the beloved public."
I love that. And I love this little - truly, The Smallest Museum In St. Paul! - museum made out of an old fire-hose case outside of the Workhorse Coffee Bar on University Avenue in St. Paul. A few years back I did a story for Thrillist about the tiniest places in Los Angeles ... and this darling museum would have fit right in.
I was doing my little coffee break exploration of the Twin Cities, and decided to cross the river to see what new coffee stuff was happening over there. While the coffee was good, and the staff was super friendly and cool at Workhorse, I was mostly charmed by the creative museum (established with funding from The Knight Foundation in 2014!) just outside their door.
Artists submit their work and a panel decides on who gets what month, AND the artists get paid! THAT is how you support your local artists. July's featured artist is Sheila Smith (who also happens to be the Executive Director of Minnesota Citizens for the Arts and Chair of Creative Minnesota - so she might have been a ringer!) and her exhibit of Weird State Capitol Souvenirs. The reception for Smith will be held at Workhorse on July 27 from 12-2 pm, where visitors can draw their own weird state capital souvenir and add it to the collection. *The garters were my favorite.
This is just the kind of thing that makes me happy that I came from the Twin Cities, and also what always makes me happy to be back in them. Creativity. Fun. Whimsy. Art. Inclusiveness. Kindness. And the kind of place that does things for "the beloved public".
Love.
The Smallest Museum In St.Paul/Workhorse Coffee Bar
2399 University Avenue West
St. Paul, Minnesota 55114
www.smallestmuseumstpaul.com
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