January

Jan 26.  2024 launches with an at-capacity Freshwater Preview Party.  

MMAM kicks off the new year with the 2024 Preview Party, and has the busiest weekend in January in the museum’s history. This dynamic weekend features exhibition openings, gallery talks, book signings, and artist demonstrations.

Musical guest Jada Brown (Minneapolis, MN) takes the stage following a compelling artist talk featuring Mustafah Abdulaziz (Berlin, Germany), Monique Verdin (New Orleans, LA), and Karen Goulet (Bemidji, MN), in conversation with Mary Jo Klinker (Winona, Minnesota).

La Crosse Distilling Co., the event’s beverage partner, serves up artist-inspired libations while DJ Rhumpshaker (Winona, Minnesota) spins dance tunes late into the night.

The museum also launches its digital interactive gallery experience: an intergenerational quilt projection created by Anniessa and Zackaria Antar (St. Paul, MN) of Siricco Labs, with support from the Elizabeth and Callendar King Foundation.

Frozen River Film Festival, the presenting partner, screens the award-winning documentary My Louisiana Love at MMAM, while Sarah Johnson (Winona, MN) of The Joy Labs creates a new artwork, live and on-site,with contributions from the MMAM community.

The weekend marks the launch of the museum’s annual theme: Freshwater—a call to spark wonder, compassion, and connection across all communities.

It’s felt. It’s out there. And it’s underway.

2024 saw a major shift in the way we engage the communities we work with. Program participation surged 23% ahead of the year over, accounting for 43% of our total engagement numbers. 

February

Saturday, Feb 10.  Nkauj HMoob Dance performs at a record-setting Seasonal Saturday.  

More than 700 visitors attend the Winter Seasonal Saturday program, our quarterly signature community arts access program. The goal of Seasonal Saturday is to identify barriers to participation and remove them, for all of our community members.

Seasonal Saturdays are a hallmark MMAM experience, where the museum provides reduced admission, transportation to and from the museum, multilingual interpretation provided by Project FINE, and the participation of local nonprofits sharing vital community services. 

The theme of our 2024 Winter Seasonal Saturday is inspired by the new literary arts exhibition, Across a Wide Ocean: Remarkable Stories about the Origins of Identity, an exhibition featuring digital illustration of Khoa Le (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) and stories by Kao Kalia Yang (St. Paul, MN) from the book, The Most Beautiful Thing, published by Lerner Publishing, Carolrhoda Books. 

The day includes an artist demonstration by Mama Suzanne (St. Paul, MN) doing HMong Paj Ntaub, or traditional flower cloth and live musical performances in the galleries by Meredith Mihm (Winona, Minnesota) and Heidi Bryant  (Winona, MN) and Kerry Klungtvedt (Winona, MN), all made possible with support from WNB Financial, BNSF Foundation, and Coca-Cola of Winona. Additional Seasonal Saturday sponsorship comes from s2s Architects and Pelaez Creative. 

MMAM’s community arts access programs account for 13% of total engagements in a given year.  Designed by, for and of the varied communities we serve, community arts access programs reflect the organization's core values of collaboration, trust, and community. 

April

Saturday, Apr 20. More than 100 volunteers of all ages turned out for the museum’s inaugural Big River Community Clean, a new Earth Day initiative focused on protecting local waterways and natural spaces.

Volunteer crews gathered along the riverbanks, bottomland forests, and roadways surrounding the museum, collecting nearly 20 cubic yards of trash and recyclables. The event was organized in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Fastenal, Coca-Cola of Winona, and Target, and welcomed many first-time visitors to the museum.

This family-friendly event underscores a shared community commitment to environmental stewardship. Sustainability and water conservation are essential to the museum’s mission and long-term vision. As a cultural institution tasked with preserving more than 800 works of art under stringent environmental conditions, the museum is also committed to reducing the greenhouse gas emissions tied to its operations.

Beyond the galleries, the museum manages 4.6 acres of restored gardens featuring native prairie and riparian plants. These natural systems play a key role in mitigating erosion, reducing runoff, and supporting climate resilience.

Further reinforcing this commitment, the Morgan Family Foundation has generously underwritten a new staff position: Associate Curator of Clean Water and Climate, beginning in 2025. This role will expand the museum’s environmental initiatives and help shape the next generation of climate-conscious programming and preservation.

May

Saturday, May 18.  Weaving Water Workshop shapes the direction for the museum’s fledgling Water Craft Open Studio program. 

After two immersive days of natural dyeing with plants sourced from the diverse riverine biomes of the Mississippi River, the Weaving Water Workshop concluded in the Oberton Education Room of the Minnesota Marine Art Museum (MMAM). Guided by lead instructors Karen Goulet (Bemidji, MN), Dr. Tammy Greer (New Orleans, LA), and Sarah Nassif (St. Paul, MN), the workshop welcomed eight fiber arts enthusiasts and lifelong learners committed to exploring the intersections of art, ecology, and culture.

The Weaving Water Workshop, founded by Nassif, served as a cornerstone event in shaping the direction of MMAM’s emerging Water Craft Open Studio initiative. Supported by an Arts Education Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, the museum created a new Studio Arts Coordinator position to launch a range of craft-focused programming—from multi-day workshops like Weaving Water to shorter, single-afternoon demonstrations.

Early findings from these pilot workshops underscore a strong community interest in developing a robust studio arts program at MMAM—one that offers artists, craft practitioners, and cultural bearers the opportunity to deepen their practices in relation to water and waterways, while also sharing knowledge in a welcoming, informal learning environment.

Part artist residency, part workshop, and part exhibition opportunity, the Water Craft Open Studio is envisioned as a long-term initiative by the museum’s curatorial team. It aims to foster creative exchange and celebrate the cultural significance of water through hands-on artistic engagement.

Approximately 25% of MMAM’s operating budget comes from a combination of private foundations and state and national granting agencies. Of that, 5–7% is supported by the Minnesota State Arts Board, a state agency dedicated to stimulating and encouraging the creation, performance, and appreciation of the arts in Minnesota.

June

Saturday, Jun 8. MMAM travels to La Crosse to punch out more than 500 ‘What’s Your Water Story’ buttons at Artspire.

Produced by the Pump House Regional Arts Center, Artspire is an all-inclusive, free community art event that attracts, engages and connects our diverse community through meaningful arts experiences, including visual, interactive, performing, literary arts and dance.  MMAM was invited to bring its button maker to the event asking participants to sketch, draw, collage, or ink and stamp, a personal water story or water memory, and the results were magnetic.  Grandparents, children, even pet owners of all ages and abilities lined up all day to create their own Water Story button.

In 2024, MMAM attended 10 outreach events, including Artspire organized by Pump House Regional Arts Center, Basecamp organized by Sanborn Canoe Company, Boats and Bluegrass organized at Prairie Island Campground, Family Art Day organized by River Arts Alliance, the Minnesota Children’s Book Fest organized by Anderson Center at Tower View, a series of community events organized by Engage Winona, a series of student welcome events at Winona State University, St. Mary’s University and Minnesota State College Southeast, and a multi-day mural making project at Winona Townhomes coordinated with The Joy Labs and Winona Housing Redevelopment Authority.

Outreach events are just one way the museum collaborates with other organizations to bring its educational mission - creating meaningful art experiences that explore our relationship with water - outside the museum walls and into the communities we care deeply about.   

July

Thursday, Jul 18. Humbird takes the stage for July Mississippi Sippin Summer Concert Series.

With support from Southeast Regional Arts Council, the museum organizes and presents three summer outdoor concerts, each drawing 250+ for a night out on the museum’s riverside patio, featuring the sounds of Mike Munson (Winona, MN), Humbird (Minneapolis, MN), and Hannah Mayree (Sacramento, CA). Shoppe MMAM hosts an artist trunk show at each of the performances, featuring artists Peter Sandker (Viroqua, WI), Lisa Truax (Winona, MN), and Zoe VandeBerg (Ho-Chunk Nation / Winona, MN.  Food pop-ups include The Chef’s Table (Winona, MN),  Linos Taqueria (Rochester, MN) and Crêpe Jean (La Crosse, WI).

Mississippi Sippin Summer Concert Series have become a perennial favorite for the community as well for our destination traveller audiences who plan an overnight to Winona.  

Whereby approximately 18% of our audiences are from Winona, MN, another 12% from La Crosse, WI and another 10% from Rochester, MN, daytrippers and overnighters from the Minneapolis / St. Paul, MN metropolitan area make up the largest visiting segment.  

MMAM is invested in building a vibrant creative economy that both supports local businesses and our tourism economy, while also creating an attractive place to live, work and study.  Partnerships with the Winona Chamber of Commerce, Visit Winona, Great River Road, Great River Rail, and Explore MN - the states’ leading destination marketing agency - are essential to sustaining MMAMs goals as a destination museum with a vested interest in building a strong, vibrant and resilient community. 

August

Sunday, Aug 4.  - The last day to see an exceptional collection of 19th Century landscape paintings, on loan to MMAM from the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

More than 40 significant artworks—including iconic paintings by William Bradford, John F. Kensett, Martin Johnson Heade, Frederic Edwin Church, and Albert Bierstadt—return to the New Bedford Museum after an exclusive lending agreement with MMAM.. Loaned from six private collectors and six prominent institutions, the exhibition is curated by Naomi Slipp, the Douglas and Cynthia Crocker Endowed Chair for the Chief Curator (New Bedford, MA).

The exhibition reexamines traditional American landscape painting through a fresh, inclusive lens, intentionally highlighting the often-overlooked contributions of female 'nature' artists. Stunning works by Mary Mellen, Lucy Maria Durand Woodman, Emily Noyes Vanderpoel, and Ellen Day Hale are featured alongside their more widely recognized male contemporaries. The presentation challenges conventional narratives by integrating still life, needlepoint, watercolor, and decorative arts—mediums through which many women historically engaged with and depicted the natural world.

As part of its commitment to bringing collections out of storage and into communities, MMAM partnered with over 100 lending institutions in 2024, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Denver Art Museum, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, and Walker Art Center. These collaborations have enabled the presentation of well-researched exhibitions and thoughtfully curated works that broaden the public’s understanding of American art history.

With support from the Terra Foundation for American Art, MMAM is now working with a national cohort of museums and curators to explore how art reflects our complex and evolving relationships with waterways—past and present.

September

Saturday, Sep 21.  For the Love of Water Gala and Art Auction raises $40,000.00 for the museum

While MMAM has steadily increased its relationship with foundations and major art initiatives to account for nearly 25% of its operating budget, individual donations received through membership and cash gifts continue to make up the majority of the organization’s contributed revenue.  

Compared to a year over, the museum experienced a 31% increase in individual giving in 2024.

Our annual For The Love of Water Gala and Art Auction played into that effect.  In its third year now, For the Love of Water raised nearly $40,000.00, thanks in large part to the 130+ that attended the event, and to the donors who purchased artworks from featured MMAM exhibiting artists, including Anne Labovitz (Minneapolis, MN), Kami Mendlik (St. Croix, MN) and Dwight Hwang (Los Angeles, CA), to name a few.   

Our presenting partners, La Crosse Distilling Company, Heirloom Seasonal Bistro, Bring The Joy, go above and beyond to create a memorable night out at the museum.  A four-course Driftless inspired dinner, curated by chefs paired with curated cocktails, included farm fresh ingredients from Featherstone Farms, Blue Fruit Farms, Sacred Blossom Tea, and the Frickson Family Farm.

October

Thursday, Oct 2. SPARK! program participants takes to the river onboard Winona Tour Boat

While numbers matter, the Minnesota Marine Art Museum (MMAM) subscribes to the belief that we don’t just count heads—we make heads count. Few programs embody that philosophy more fully than SPARK!, MMAM’s signature creative engagement initiative for individuals living with memory loss and their care partners.

Launched over a decade ago by Heather Casper, MMAM’s Curator of Learning and Community Impact, SPARK! offers monthly art-inspired experiences that foster connection and conversation. A beloved annual highlight is the guided river adventure aboard the Winona Tour Boat, led by Captain, and now District 26A Representative Aaron Repinski (Winona, MN). 

In 2024, SPARK! served more than 125 participants—a 6.5% increase from the previous year.

The program began with support from The Helen Bader Foundation, which recognized the unique role that museums, cultural institutions, and nature centers can play in supporting families affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Today, local healthcare providers such as Winona Health and Gundersen Health Foundation have joined in, helping move health care beyond clinical walls and into meaningful, community-based settings.

SPARK! is just one example of how MMAM is building deeper community connections through arts access. Toddler Tuesday, another core community arts access program, promotes early childhood development while combating social isolation and fostering community networks among caregivers. And Ride the Wave—a quarterly initiative led by artist and therapist Sarah Johnson (Winona, MN)—offers mindfulness and mental wellness through hands-on art experiences.

Together, these programs represent MMAM’s commitment to being more than a place where art hangs on the walls. We’re a catalyst for curiosity, care, and community. By meeting people where they are and creating space for connection, MMAM is helping to build a healthier, more inclusive world—one relationship at a time.

November

Tuesday, Nov 19.  November School Field Trip Week kicks off, providing art experiences for 213 K-12 students and 8 different local and regional schools. 

In 2024, the education team at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum introduced a dynamic new model for welcoming school groups (Pre-K through 12th grade) into the museum. Field trips are now offered during six specially designated weeks throughout the school year, with programming delivered by a core group of trained volunteer educators and docents. Tailored by age group and area of interest, these experiences are designed to help students develop critical thinking skills and connect the artworks they encounter with their own lives and communities.

Thanks to renewed support from the Winona Foundation, the museum also prioritized removing transportation barriers—a growing challenge for many districts facing budget cuts—by offsetting bussing costs for visiting school groups.

The results were striking: school group attendance surged by 507%. Over the course of the year, 1,772 students visited MMAM through school partnerships.

And perhaps even more significantly, many came back. General museum attendance among K–12 youth grew by 23%, showing that MMAM is not just a one-time stop, but a destination that students and families want to return to.

That momentum was bolstered by the launch of Art For Every Child, a new initiative that offers every fifth-grade family a one-year complimentary membership to the museum. With this incentive, MMAM is ensuring that art remains accessible, engaging, and meaningful for our youngest visitors—cultivating a lifelong relationship with creativity and culture.

December

Friday, Dec 6.  MMAM travels to the terminus of the Mississippi River to host a convening for museum professionals, artists, curators and creative writers.  

With support from the Terra Foundation of American Art, the museum co-organizes a one-day convengin for curators, artists and museum professionals who are committed to exploring the ongoing conversation about race and waterways in America with the ByWaters Institute at Tulane University and the Amistad Research Center in New Orleans, LA.  

Initiated by the seminal exhibition project, A Nation Takes Place, organized and produced by MMAM, this would be the first of three major convenings around major waterways (the second at Mystic Seaport Museum, Mystic, CT and the third, Jim’s Journey: Huck Finn Freedom Center, Hannibal, MO).

Presentations by Ama Rogan (New Orleans, LA),  executive director at A Studio In The Woods, Jason Wiese (New Orleans, LA), chief curator at Historic New Orleans Collections, and Andrea Andersson (New Orleans, LA) founding director and curator at Rivers Institute seed an inspiring and lively panel of artists, including Katrina Andry (New Orleans, LA),, Willie Birch (New Orleans, LA),, Martin Payton (New Orleans, LA), kai lumumba barrow (New Orleans, LA) and Brenda Marie Osbey (New Orleans, LA), facilitated by curator, Shana M. griffin (New Orleans, LA.).

The conversation is livecast and helping MMAM reach a new milestone for online engagement.  102,798 people go to MMAM.org in 2024, surpasses the organization's 2023 online visitor record by 10,854 unique visitors. 

Efforts to expand online program offerings increase participation from across the country, helping to reduce barriers related to physical location, enabling more people to engage with our work.