Houston County High School Art Show
Opening Reception: Saturday, April 24th from 4-6 pm
Additional Exhibit Hours: 10 am – 2 pm on Sun, Apr 25
Celebrate youth art at the third annual Houston County High School Art Show! Teens from Caledonia and Houston High Schools will display their art work for community members to see April 24 – 25, 2026.
Join us in celebrating and supporting our local young artists at the third annual Houston County High School Art Show opening on Saturday, April 24th! The reception will be from 4 – 6 pm; refreshments will be provided. Students from Caledonia and Houston High Schools will display a variety of art pieces they’ve created in the classroom over the last school year.
About Mainspring’s Youth Education Programs:
Mainspring launched this free program in June 2023 to create a fun and inclusive environment for creative rural teens in Southeast MN. Youth artists complete hands-on art projects and learn from professional artists.
Bread and Poetry: Writing about Food
Sat, May 9, 10 – 11:30 am at Mainspring
Led by : Kathryn Savage
$15 / Registration Required – Register here
Taking food as our inspiration, this creative writing workshop will focus on writing sensory rich poetry and prose. To write about food is to also write about agriculture, family, culture, and place. In this class, open to beginning and experienced writers, we will turn our attention to poems about food by reading works by celebrated poets and then generating our own writing from prompts. Come ready to read and write and get hungry!
About Kathryn Savage:
Kathryn Savage’s Groundglass: An Essay (Coffee House Press), explores topics of environmental justice and links between pollution and public health. Other writing has recently appeared or is forthcoming in Artforum, Ecotone, Guernica, VQR, and she is a frequent book review contributor to World Literature Today. She received a 2025 McKnight Fellowship in Writing and her work has been supported by the Minnesota State Arts Board, Jerome Foundation, and Tulsa Artist Fellowship. Savage is an assistant professor of creative writing at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
Kathryn Savage is a fiscal year 2025 recipient of a Creative Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Career Planning & Portfolio Kit Zoom Workshops
Career Planning: Thu, Apr 30, 5-7:30 pm
Free, registration required
Register Here
Where do you want to be both artistically and professionally? Learn how to define your values, identify key choices and develop a plan to achieve your career goals.
This workshop is a part of the 12-part Work of Art: Business Skills for Artists series, a professional development curriculum designed to teach business skills to artists in all disciplines. The curriculum is always available for free download, or you can buy a copy of the book to support your practice.
Note: This workshop is presented in partnership with Mainspring in Caledonia, MN and is for artists in the region served by the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council.
Portfolio Kit: Wed, May 13, 5-7:30 pm
Free, registration required
Register Here
Your portfolio is the core of your promotional material and professional calling card. Focus on the essential elements: sharpening your artist statement, tailoring your artistic resume, and curating and formatting your work samples.
This workshop is a part of the 12-part Work of Art: Business Skills for Artists series, a professional development curriculum designed to teach business skills to artists in all disciplines. The curriculum is always available for free download, or you can buy a copy of the book to support your practice.
Instructor: Dana Sikkila (she/her)
Bio: Dana Sikkila is a queer Minnesota-based interdisciplinary maker and creator. Known for her social practice and activism programs, creative consulting, public speaking, and her theory development within creative curriculum, Sikkila’s practices span from working in communities from rural to the Twin Cities. Her self-defining administration style has bridged the gap between arts creation and administration, through the development of numerous grassroots cultural projects and exhibitions throughout the state. Dana is also an Artist Career Consultant and Workshop Instructor with Springboard for the Arts. Visit her website at danasikkila.com
Note: These workshops are presented in partnership with Springboard for the Arts and is for artists in the region served by the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts & cultural heritage fund.
Houston County Artist Mentorship Exhibition
Opening Reception: Sat, June 6, 5-7 pm
Additional Exhibition Hours: Saturdays through June (June 13, 20, & 27th) from 10 am – 2 pm
FREE and open to all
Mainspring is proud to announce the Houston County Artist Mentorship Exhibition, featuring work from the 2025-26 cohort of artist mentees: Sarah Jane Babinski, Sammi Boyd, Heather Larson, and Rachel Von Arx. Please join us for the opening reception on Sat, June 6 from 5-7 pm to view the artwork and enjoy refreshments, artist remarks, and live music.
This program was created to meet a need for more direct support for early career or emerging artists in Houston County, in comparison to the amount of support for artists in neighboring counties. Through this program, Mainspring aims to foster a more supportive and inter-connected arts community in the largely rural Houston County.
Through the Houston County Artist Mentorship Program the four mentee artists have been mentored over the course of eight months through 1) art workshops taught by regional mentor artists; 2) tailored art career mentor sessions; 3) artist career training courses taught by leading Midwest arts organization Springboard for the Arts; and 4) this culminating art exhibit at Mainspring. The Mentor Artists for this cohort have been: TiAnna DeGarmo, Jovy Rockey, Miranda Lomeli-O’Reilly, and Kathryn Savage.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Houston County Artist Mentorship Program Round Two: Applications Open!
Applications Due Sun, May 10th, 11:59 pm
APPLY HERE
Mainspring is thrilled to announce that applications are open for the second round of the Houston County Artist Mentorship Program, an eight month stipend-paid program providing tailored mentorship for six Houston County emerging and/or early career artists.This program was created to meet a need for more direct support for early career or emerging artists in Houston County, in comparison to the amount of support for artists in neighboring counties. Through this program, Mainspring aims to foster a more supportive and inter-connected arts community in the largely rural Houston County.
The Houston County Artist Mentorship Program will train six mentee artists over the course of eight months through 1) art workshops taught by regional mentor artists; 2) tailored art career mentor sessions; 3) artist career training courses taught by leading Midwest arts organization Springboard for the Arts; and 4) a culminating art exhibit at Mainspring.
The participating six mentee artists will be mentored over the course of the program by four regionally established mentor artists, chosen for their position as an established artist in their regional community. Each mentor artist has experience with building an art career in a variety of ways. Mainspring specifically selected regionally located mentors artists so that participants can build relationships with artists in their own geographic area.
APPLICATION DETAILS
Any emerging and/or early career artist in Houston County is welcome to apply to this program. All artistic disciplines are welcome; applicants do not need to practice the art forms of the chosen established mentor artists to be eligible for this program. Applicants must be 18+ years of age and reside in Houston County.
Each participating artist will receive a $500 stipend, as well as free access to all program offerings.
Applications opened April 2nd and are due Sunday, May 10th by 11:59 pm via a Google Form application HERE.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
