UROC Gallery

Current Exhibit

Art and Faith Bridging the Jewish and Black Communities

Art and Faith Bridging the Jewish and Black Communities:

Stories of a Historic North Minneapolis House of Worship

May 10 through July 30
Opening exhibit, lecture, and reception: 4 p.m., Wednesday, May 10.  
Symposium, 9 a.m., Thursday, May 11.
 

The University of Minnesota Religious Studies Program and its partners will host an exhibit and two-day community-oriented opportunity to learn about and engage with the intertwining histories of the Jewish and Black communities in North Minneapolis.  The exhibit and symposium, titled Art and Faith Bridging the Jewish and Black Communities: Stories of a Historic North Minneapolis House of Worship, will take place at UROC. Opening exhibit, lecture, and reception: 4 p.m., Wednesday, May 10.  Symposium, 9 a.m., Thursday, May 11. Events are free and open to the public; in-person or zoom registration for the symposium is required. 

Symposium attendees will learn about North Minneapolis's marginalized communities through stories related to a landmark building that has served as the spiritual home of two congregations: the Jewish Tifereth B’nai Jacob congregation that built the building in 1926 and worshiped there until 1957, and the Holiness-Pentecostal First Church of God in Christ congregation that has worshiped in the building since purchasing it in 1957.

Past Exhibits

The World Inside You:

An artistic painting around the text: "The world inside you is wild and smooth, made of colors, cells, textures, and sounds- It's the song you'll sing with your magical voice."
Through March 14 Reception: 5 to 7 p.m., Thursday, March 9 The University of Minnesota's Creativity Camp Study is both scientific research and a wildly fun eight-day camp experience infused with creative exploration. This exhibition mirrors the camp’s overarching theme, focused around an invitation to travel “the world inside you.” Like exploring the ocean, exploring the self involves delving into constantly evolving depths and encountering unexpected multitudes. This exhibition invites the audience to experience the discoveries made by camp participants in their interior and creative journeys.

Investing in North Minneapolis

Illustration of a pocket neighborhood from a ground view

August 5 through September 12

The Investing in North Minneapolis exhibition presents community-informed student projects supporting an equitable and green North Minneapolis. In fall of 2021, North Minneapolis residents worked with University of Minnesota architecture students to develop urban planning ideas for North Minneapolis. Ranging from after-school activity centers to green art streets, Investing in North Minneapolis is an exhibit of those ideas in 20+ large format sketches and architectural renderings.

Embrace Humanity

An artistic interpretation of a trumpet player sitting on a map of the United States

Through August 3, 2021

Together

Collage of the several of the images from the Together slideshow

About the Artist

Sarah Sampedro is a Minneapolis-based photographer interested in social systems, relationships, community, and belonging. Her interest lies in revealing some of the hidden factors that construct social relationships: she has photographed her Minneapolis neighborhood in the midst of an argument over historic designation and gentrification, created a multi-media installation using racially restrictive real estate contracts from Hennepin County, and traveled across Europe to research and photograph border walls.

Minnesota Black Fine Art Virtual Show

A woman faces the sea and raises her hands, broken shackles on her wrists
Breaking Free by Ivy Vainio Created by Minneapolis-based Obsidian Arts through a juried open call process, the Minnesota Black Fine Art Virtual Show features works by artists of African descent who call Minnesota home.

"N the No"- February 1 through March 28, 2020

Ta-coumba Aiken

Artivist Ta-coumba Aiken brings his distinctive, healing-focused renderings to the UROC Gallery for "N the No."  Part exploration, part investigation, the show asks, "What is the truth? How might you live differently if you knew the truth?" 

She Inspires Me

She Inspires Me image
Female artists of all ages and skills share portraits and narratives of the women and girls they admire most in the world. Based on an idea by former Split Rock Arts Program Director Andrea "Andy" Gilats and curated by UROC Gallery Curator Hawona Sullivan Janzen, "She Inspires Me" is meant to delight, inspire, and illuminate what it means to be a woman and a role model in contemporary society.

The Moving Walls of Minneapolis

The Moving Walls image
Art is My Weapon founder Nikki McComb uses data exploring evictions in North Minneapolis as the guide for "The Moving Walls of Minneapolis." Part installation, part visual story, this exhibit, produced in partnership with the University of Minnesota Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, brings a deeply personal local perspective to our country’s affordable housing crisis.

The Caldwells: Black History and Beyond

The Caldwells Image
Charles Caldwell, his son Kenneth Caldwell, and his daughter Nakesha Caldwell bring their passions for painting to the UROC Gallery in "The Caldwells: Black History and Beyond." The show is a partial retrospective of Charles' work, but also features new work by all three artists.

In the UROC Gallery: "Joy in Translation"

Joy in Translation Image
Fine art photographer Anna Min spent the last year seeking out joy and wonderment in the modern world and answering the question, "Where does joy go when it's not around here?" The resulting exhibit—"Joy in Translation"— is a collection of images designed to delight the eye, inspire joy, and give the heart hope for another day.