Mia: Minneapolis Institute of Art

The Minneapolis Institute of Art, more commonly known as Mia is (arguably) the best arts & history museum in Minnesota. From a plethora of art, spanning multiple continents, to ancient artifacts and an exhibition room that houses multiple shows a year, Mia has so many different items to see and experience. Personally, I have been going to Mia for my entire life, as I am extremely interested in art. This museum has been an integral part of my life, and one of my earliest memories is visiting the museum with my middle school class and seeing the giant Chihuly glass sculpture right as you enter the museum. Even now I am taking multiple class trips every year to Mia to gain knowledge and insight into the art world. 

For my Advanced Painting class, we were tasked with going to Mia and choosing a pattern that we saw in any piece of art there and making our own painting in response to the pattern. This experience was one of the best moments I have had in my painting class, because it was bringing both my love for painting at school and Mia together. Even going for a short class period one day immediately brought me so much inspiration. Being able to go to Mia for class is always my favorite activity.

Over the summer, I spent every Saturday I had free at Mia with my mom walking around and soaking in the museum. We started on the second floor, experiencing the South East Asian art. Having spent so much time at the museum over the summer, I learned just how vast the collection of South East Asian art is at Mia. I spent hundreds of hours in the museum, drawing each ink scroll to gain a better understanding of ancient painting techniques. This led me down a rabbit hole of reproducing masterpieces using the ancient techniques, gaining knowledge that I now use in the art I make everyday. Mia is almost constantly exchanging these paintings as well, meaning that each time you visit, there will most likely be new art that you haven’t seen before. 

My favorite kind of art is French Impressionism, and lucky for me, Mia has a relatively large collection that you can visit. Even though it is tucked away in the back corner of the museum, the room consists of paintings from well known artists such as Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Vincent van Gogh, and Pierre Bonnard. Bonnard is my favorite painter, and the painting that Mia has on display by him is absolutely breathtaking. The painting on display is called “Dining Room in the Country,” and it is one of multiple that Bonnard painted depicting his wife at their house in the French countryside. Not only is the painting absolutely beautiful, but it is extremely large as well, which means that the viewer can easily see the color and brushstrokes Bonnard used to express himself. 

Not only does Mia have a multitude of different international artists, but they often have art from local artists as well. Over the summer there was an exhibit of my favorite artists from here in Minnesota, Alec Soth. Soth is a photographer who went to the Breck school, often photographing people on their own, creating a sense of loneliness and longing. He also is also well known for his landscape photographs of the American Midwest, and the exhibit at Mia showcased this extremely well. 

All in all, Mia is an extremely amazing place that the Twin Cities has, and the fact that it is so close to school makes it even better. Not only are they showcasing art from around the world, but there are most definitely niches that each person can experience and love on their own. The museum is always changing its exhibitions and the art that goes along with it, so each trip is new and exciting. I love Mia and I can’t wait to visit it again soon, as I know I probably will.