The Traffic Zone Center for Visual Art (TZCVA) is an

artist cooperative An artist cooperative (also co-operative or co-op) is an autonomous visual arts organization, enterprise, or association jointly owned and democratically controlled by its members. Artist cooperatives are legal entities organized as non-capital sto ...

located in the historic

Warehouse District This is a list of notable warehouse districts. A warehouse district or warehouse row is an area found in many urban setting known for being the current or former location of numerous warehouses. Logistically, warehouses are often located in indust ...

of downtown

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, United States. Founded in 1993, TZCVA was established to create an artist-owned and managed building that provides stable, safe, and affordable studio, teaching and exhibition space for mid-career visual artists. TZCVA is a partnership between Artspace Projects, Inc., a leading national non-profit real estate developer for the arts, and a cooperative of 23 artist-members. TZCVA is housed in a restored six-story Chicago-style limestone warehouse located in the North Loop neighborhood at 250 Third Avenue North, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55401. The Traffic Zone building is of significant historic and architectural interest and is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

(NRHP). Erected in 1886 for the Moline, Milburn and Stoddard Company as a warehouse for storing farm machinery and implements, the building was expanded two years later and converted into a commercial bakery operated by the

National Biscuit Company Nabisco (, abbreviated from the earlier name National Biscuit Company) is an American manufacturer of cookies and snacks headquartered in East Hanover, New Jersey. The company is a subsidiary of Illinois-based Mondelēz International. Nabisco's ...

(Nabisco). From 1951 to 1992, it housed an appliance parts business. In 1992, the warehouse was purchased by

Artspace Projects Artspace Projects, Inc is a nonprofit organization based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that develops performance spaces for artists, otherwise known as placemaking. Description Artspace Projects has its headquarters in Minneapolis, and also has offic ...

with financial assistance from the

City of Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, the

McKnight Foundation The McKnight Foundation, a Minnesota-based family foundation, advances a more just, creative, and abundant future where people and planet thrive. Established in 1953, the McKnight Foundation is deeply committed to advancing climate solutions in ...

, the Dayton Hudson Foundation, the General Mills Foundation and other funders. Extensively renovated by LHB Engineers & Architects (Minneapolis), the restored warehouse re-opened in 1995 as the Traffic Zone Center for Visual Art. Members of the TZCVA cooperative have included an eclectic, international mix of painters, photographers, printmakers, conceptual artists, sculptors, book artists, and ceramicists."Members of Traffic Zone.
Traffic Zone Center for Visual Art website
Many are past recipients of fellowships and grants from the

(Minneapolis); the Bush Foundation (

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

); th
Jerome Foundation
(New York & St. Paul); th
Minnesota State Arts Board
(St. Paul); the

Pollock-Krasner Foundation The Pollock-Krasner Foundation was established in 1985 for the purpose of providing financial assistance to individual working artists of established ability. It was established at the bequest of Lee Krasner, who was an American abstract expression ...

, (New York); and the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

(Washington, D.C.). As part of its community-oriented educational mission, TZCVA sponsors workshops, classes, presentations, and quarterly exhibitions of contemporary art by local, national, and international painters, sculptors, photographers, printmakers, book artists, and installation artists. Organized by co-op artists and guest curators, these exhibitions are presented in the Traffic Zone Gallery, the cooperative's ground floor exhibition space. TZCVA also hosts semi-annual "Open Studio" events to allow members of the community to meet co-op artists and view and purchase artwork in a studio setting. Current TZCVA artist-members include

Harriet Bart Harriet Bart is a Minneapolis based conceptual artist, known for her objects, installations, and artists books. Early life Harriet Bart was born in 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota, and earned a degree in textiles from the University of Minnesota in 197 ...

, Kristie Bretzke, Perci Chester, David Collins, Lisa Colwell, James Conaway, Jim Dryden, Jil Evans, Bette Globus Goodman, Bonnie Heller, Bruce Hudson-Bogaard,

Vesna Kittelson Vesna Krezich Kittelson is a Croatian American painter. Kittelson was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina and grew up in Split, Croatia. Kittelson received her B.A. in law from the University of Split in 1970. She moved to the United States and attend ...

, Paul Ka Yin Kwok,

Lisa Nankivil Lisa Nankivil (born 1958, Minneapolis, Minn.) is a contemporary American painter and printmaker. Life and work Nankivil grew up in Winona, Minnesota, an historic Mississippi River town located in the bluff country of southwest Minnesota, wher ...

, Jon Neuse, Howard Oransky, Steve Ozone, Rebecca Pavlenko, Patrick Kemal Pryor, Jodi Reeb, Wilber H. Schilling, Harold B. Stone, and Jantje Visscher. Commercial and non-profit building tenants include Artspace Projects, Inc.,

Graywolf Press Graywolf Press is an Independent publisher, independent, non-profit publishing, publisher located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Graywolf Press publishes fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Graywolf Press collaborates with organizations such as the Co ...

Indulgence PressJames & Mary Laurie BooksellersPro-Choice Resources
among others.

Notes

External links

Official website of Traffic Zone Center for Visual Art, Minneapolis"Building Blocks: Traffic Zone Center for Visual Art"Artspace Projects, Inc., MinneapolisGraywolf Press, MinneapolisNational Register of Historic PlacesNorth Loop Neighborhood Association, MinneapolisWarehouse District Business Association (WDBA), Minneapolis
{{National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota 1993 establishments in Minnesota Art galleries established in 1993 Arts centers in Minnesota American artist groups and collectives Artist cooperatives in the United States Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Contemporary art galleries in the United States Culture of Minneapolis National Register of Historic Places in Minneapolis Tourist attractions in Minneapolis Warehouses on the National Register of Historic Places Chicago school architecture in Minnesota