SOO VISUAL ARTS CENTER INC

SooVAC is proud of our 10 years of supporting and exhibiting the best of local, emerging and underrepresented artists. But don't just take our word for it- here are a few stories about how we've helped Minnesota artists:

I emerged from academia in 2006 with an MFA in hand, but without any guarantees or rule books on how to survive as an artist. My first solo show was exhibited at the Soo Visual Art Center in Minneapolis. I often cite this opportunity as giving me the work ethic and audacity to amass and exhibit a large body of work. The exhibition served as a gauge for things to come and other opportunities followed as a direct result of this exhibition, it's press and reception. Currently I'm able to support myself as an artist and am widely exhibited, but I shutter to think of how things would have turned out if Soo VAC hadn't taken a chance on me.-Andrea Carlson

In the summer of 2004, I had the opportunity to exhibit my work at Soo Visual Arts Center as part of their annual Untitled juried group exhibition. The exhibition was among my firsts in the Twin Cities, and my inclusion had a profound impact on my career and my artistic development. The staff at SooVAC was immediately friendly and professional. They encouraged me to take risks and supported my site-specific work. They were instructive without being bossy. The professionalism and creative freedom I found at SooVAC is a rare and wonderful experience for a young artist.

The early support I received at SooVAC encouraged me to continue pursuing new venues for site-specific work. Since the Untitled exhibition, I have had the opportunity to exhibit my installations in galleries, art centers, and museums across the United States and abroad, and have been the recipient of several grants and awards. In all my subsequent exhibition experiences, I have never been treated better than I was at SooVAC.

This fall(2010), I will return to SooVAC for a two-person exhibition. It means a great deal to see their continued interest and support for my work. They have been there at two pivotal points in my career—first when I was an emerging artist, and now as I continue to develop my work and enter the ambiguously defined world of the mid-career artist. I am happy to see the scope of work featured in Soo’s ambitious and varied exhibitions, knowing that somewhere in the mix is another young artist who will have a similarly positive experience to mine.-Liz Miller

I still have an old note book from 7 years ago and one of the things in my "goals for the next year" list was to send a portfolio of my work to the Soo Visual Arts Center. It seemed like a lofty goal, but I worked on it and sent it in. Suzy and the staff at Soo were so kind and accessible- they didn't
show my work right away but they did give me great feedback and pointed in me in the direction of some "foot-in-the-door" venues-hair salons and coffee shops. I felt supported as an artist by Soo Vac even before they started
showing my work.

I can't even count the number of people in the past 5 years who have told me they first saw my art at Soo. I never imagined that I would have the success that I have had as a visual artist. I have shown in solo shows all over the United Sates, in the UK and in Canada. I have been featured in national magazines, and books. I have had commissions from major organizations and sold works to serious collectors. I have been able to make my living almost exclusively from my art. Best of all, I get to make art. I get to make art I want to make and I feel supported in doing so. My success has been the result of a handful of factors-but if I had to list the top 5 things that helped me in getting where I am today I would have to put Soo VAC on that list. There is no other venue in the Twin Cities that has managed to show cutting edge contemporary art and still remained accessible to the general population. It is a gem and our City would be at a loss without it.-Amy Rice