In 2004, Jamie Schumacher founded Minneapolis’ Altered Esthetics Gallery with the intent of “bringing artists together and creating a community dialogue.” The non-profit gallery is a space where both emerging and established artists can interact and explore their own creative interests without the pressure of producing work that is commercially viable. Since opening, Altered Esthetics — which is currently one of 18 galleries operating out of Minneapolis’ historic Q’arma building — has built a solid reputation within the Twin City’s creative community.
Altered Esthetics focuses on bringing together artists from a variety of disciplines and allowing them to create personal work to showcase in group exhibitions that explore current political and social topics. Previous shows have explored themes of political conflict, gender roles, and analog/obsolete technology. By creating an intersection between art and socially driven issues, the gallery is able to engage a crowd beyond those interested in Minneapolis’ art scene.
One of the gallery’s biggest draws is its annual Bicycle Art exhibit that encourages artists to create installations, sculptures, and mixed-media pieces that utilize bike parts and call attention to Minneapolis’ growing bike culture. Schumacher remembers one bike enthusiast who had never been to an art gallery before but found the show inspirational. “It was great for [him] to see art that wasn’t super elitist,” Schumacher says. “It was art that spoke to [him], so making those connections is a lot of what we do.”
The gallery’s current exhibition, AE Presents: HITCHCOCK, takes a detour from politically inspired work and instead celebrates Alfred Hitchcock‘s influence on pop culture. Throughout October, Altered Esthetics is featuring artists’ reinterpretations of Hitchcock’s work through visual art, installations, and original musical scores.
Schumacher initially came up with the concept of paying homage to prominent film directors while creating a collection that centered on the works of David Lynch, one of her favorite directors. The David Lynch show, Tales from the Black Lodge, garnered a huge response both from artists participating in the show as well as gallery attendants, so she decided to explore the concept further.
Altered Esthetics also hosts an annual Dios de los Muertos event on November 2. Local artists and community members are encouraged to participate in the event’s Oferenda Project in which artists partner with small businesses and organizations around town to create a traditional oferenda, or Day of the Dead, altar. The event also includes a gallery show and a candle light vigil to “remember and celebrate people that we lost in the past year.”
Aside from exhibitions, Altered Esthetics has always been committed to fostering the city’s up-and-coming artists and providing volunteer opportunities to those who want to become more involved with the gallery. The space is predominantly volunteer run, which has allowed the organization to continue growing and providing additional programs.
Starting next year, Altered Esthetics will be implementing a mentorship program that would pair promising artists with members of the gallery’s Board of Directors in order to help the newcomers develop their careers. Schumacher also is considering a transition from the gallery’s group-show tradition in order to create solo showcases that highlight the amazing work that is being produced by the Twin Cities’ next generation of artists. “We’re really excited about that because we’re hoping that we’re impacting the local art scene,” Schumacher says. “We’re figuring out the next direction that we want to move in [to] continue helping artists.”