The M’s mission is to explore American identities and experiences through art and creativity. The M’s vision—from its perch in the middle of the country and at the heart of a diverse city—is that it can inspire understanding and our common humanity through the power of art, artists, and community engagement. Today, the M uses a collaborative curatorial and programming model centered on creative exchange and co-creation with artists, culture bearers, and communities with strong relationships with the region and who have historically and presently been excluded from many American art museums.

The M is one of the oldest visual arts organizations in Minnesota. It was founded in 1894 as the St. Paul School of Fine Arts, formally incorporated in 1927, and renamed the Minnesota Museum of Art in 1969. Today, the M is led by Executive Director Dr. Kate Beane and is a one-of-its-kind museum dedicated to community partnerships and a co-curation model. The M’s collection consists of more than 5,000 works of art, exploring American art of the 19th century to the present, particularly that of Minnesotan and regional artists. The M stewards and activates the collection through co-created exhibitions and programming that ensure the public can view and engage with the collection in new ways. The M also continues to build the collection in order to shed light on underexplored aspects of the American experience, with a focus on work by women, mid-century craft, and artists of color. The M’s physical hub, which is free to all, is located in the heart of downtown St. Paul. Currently, their exhibitions also grace local several nearby skyways.

Jerome Foundation supports the M’s commissioning and exhibition opportunities for early career artists. Opportunities for early career artists at the M include exhibitions, public art, teaching opportunities, commissions, and M’s permanent art collection acquisitions. The M invites early career artists to partner directly, focusing primarily on the quality of deep relationships and multiple engagements with artists. The M’s approach is typically not a one-time project but an ongoing investment in an artist and their development. The work of early career artists is featured throughout the museum from flexible spaces, such as the M’s window galleries and skyways, to curated exhibitions to the M’s permanent collection.