BLOOMINGTON
COMMUNITY M GUIDE 2024 2
Artistic expression shared in many ways
24 | Bloomington Community Guide | 2024
Staged dramas , comedies and musicals for all ages are among the many outlets for artistic expression showcased in Bloomington .
A variety of artistic opportunities are housed under the roof of Bloomington Center for the Arts , which provides stage , rehearsal , classroom , gallery and office space for several nonprofit arts organizations .
The Center for the Arts opened in July 2003 as part of Bloomington Civic Plaza . Financed through a voter referendum , an endowment and fundraising by the Bloomington Fine Arts Council – an association of Bloomington-based arts organizations – the Center for the Arts is home to two theaters and two art galleries .
The larger of the two stages is inside the Schneider Theater for the Performing Arts is a 366-seat theater that hosts a variety of musical and theatrical performances . The Black Box Theater is a smaller , multi-purpose space .
Bloomington Fine Arts Council members Angelica Cantanti Youth Choirs , Bloomington Chorale , Continental Ballet Company , Medalist Concert Band and NOTEable Singers hold performances in the Schneider Theater yearly and maintain office space within the Center for the Arts .
Artistry , which was formed in 2009 through the merger of a nonprofit theater group and a nonprofit visual arts and education organization , produces theater , curates gallery exhibitions and facilitates arts-based community development at the Center for the Arts .
Many of Artistry ’ s gallery exhibitions are on display in two galleries at the Center for the Arts . The Inez Greenberg Gallery is on the main floor of the Center for the Arts , while the Atrium Gallery is the building ’ s second-floor display space . Artistry is responsible for selecting and installing all of the exhibits that appear in the galleries , featuring works by local and regional artists .
Artistry is also a partner of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Bloomington ’ s South Loop District . Its visitor center houses the Confluence Gallery , a venue for emerging and established Minnesota-based artists who reflect the community and create artwork with a focus on nature and natural elements , ecology , conservation and the beauty of the Minnesota River Valley .
Not all of Bloomington ’ s performing arts organizations call the Center for the Arts home . Bloomington Symphony Orchestra performs many of its concerts in the Ives Auditorium of Bloomington ’ s Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center , and can be found performing outdoors many summers during Bloomington ’ s Summer Fete celebration and during the Normandale Lake Bandshell ’ s Thursday night music series .
In addition to orchestra concerts , the Masonic Heritage Center is home to concerts and productions , many produced by Sidekick Theatre , a not-for-profit theater company .
Information about the arts council and its members is available online at bloomingtonfinearts . com . Information about Artistry theater productions , art exhibits and class information is available online at artistrymn . org . A list of upcoming performances at the Ives Auditorium is available online at tinyurl . com / mhc-ives .