BRILLIANCE! MADE HERE to Feature 40 Showcase Storefront Windows with Light-Inspired Minnesota Art, Today

Brilliance! Made Here, downtown Minneapolis' urban walking gallery, will unveil a new fall/winter series of nearly 40 storefront window "Showcases," featuring Minnesota art inspired by the creative interpretation of light, on November 28, 2014. Led by Hennepin Theatre Trust and Joan Vorderbruggen, the Trust's Cultural District Arts Coordinator, Made Here is the largest storefront window initiative in the country. Brilliance! lights up the downtown Minneapolis Cultural District during an unveiling and free public launch from 6-7:30 p.m. on the Friday after Thanksgiving, November 28. Festivities will begin at Marin Restaurant and Bar, located at 901 Hennepin Avenue, and lead into guided walking tours of the window galleries at 6 and 7 p.m. The launch also coincides with the opening of the Holidazzle Village featuring the Minneapolis Christmas Market in Peavey Plaza. For more details, visit MadeHereMN.org.

For Brilliance! Made Here, the third major round of Made Here window exhibitions, artists were asked to interpret light in creative ways-to experiment with reflective materials or illumination in photographs, videos or projections, textiles, drawings or fiber art, for example. The theme pays tribute to the light-filled spirit of the holiday season and the art-filled window Showcases aim to bring back the tradition of downtown holiday 'window shopping' and family viewing of seasonal displays. The Brilliance! Showcasesencompass 15 city blocks and 11 different locations, many along Hennepin Avenue, plus seven sites in and around City Center.

Made Here features work by a wide-ranging group of nearly 50 Minnesota-based individual artists including Sonya Berlovitz, Chris Cloud, Asia Ward, Tina Blondell and Caitlin Karolczak using materials such as stained glass, gold leaf, mirrors and paint. In addition, there will be about 20 teenagers working through the Best Buy Made HereYouth Edition, a project that pairs youth with prestigious artist mentors like Wing Young Huie and Kirk Washington, Jr. Among the project highlights is a pop-up gallery at 319 1st Avenue, called the Made Here Intuitive Artist Showcase: A Celebration of Minnesota Based Self-Taught artists, with artists including Lauren Roche andDietrich Sieling. Diversity and inclusion among participants is a priority with the multi-faceted, 17-member panel that makes the artist selections. The Made Here Showcases were created by an equal number of men and women, with 46% of the artists coming from communities of color.

Special thanks goes to Made Here presenting sponsor Andersen Windows, the Minnesota-based company that not only supports the initiative, but has also curated a Showcase window about the company's artisan history, located on 5th Street and Nicollet Mall. Other participating organizations including the Art Institutes International Minnesota, the University of Minnesota Duluth School of Fine Arts and Perkins + Will architecture.

Made Here is an ongoing collaboration as part of the downtown Cultural District celebrating creativity from across Minnesota by temporarily filling empty storefronts or commercial spaces with the work of local artists and Minnesota heritage brands. It activates the Cultural District as a walkable center of arts, culture and economic activity to benefit residents, business and property owners, artists and visitors.

BRILLIANCE! Made Here Artists and Organizations:

· Made Here Best Buy Youth Edition Mentor Artists and Groups: Wing Young Huie/The Bridge for Youth through Free Arts Minnesota; Charles Fraser and students from Avalon School in St. Paul; Jason Quaynor/The Best Buy Teen Tech Center at Hennepin County Library-Minneapolis Central; Kirk Washington Jr./Breakfast Club through the Harrison Neighborhood; with additional artwork by Perkins + Will; Mach Fox and Wayne Nelson (730 Hennepin Ave.)

· Meena Mangalvedhekar, Cameren Torgerud and Emily Lynch (930 Hennepin Ave.,

former Northern Camera Exchange Building)

· The Art Institutes International Minnesota, multiple student displays (800 Hennepin Ave.)

• Jennica Kruse/Kristina Fjellman, Rachel Limon, Tim Carroll, Bill Cottman, (811 LaSalle Ave.)
• Chris Cloud, Sonya Berlovitz, Caitlin Karolczak, (705 Hennepin Ave.)
• Mary Jane Mansfield (701 Hennepin Ave. - former "Chevy's" Building)
• Amber Darling, (South Entrance, City Center)
• Asia Ward and Keith Braafladt; and the New Century Theatre showcase (7th Street Window Boxes, City Center)
• Super Secret Sewist Society, Hennepin Theatre Trust offices, 615 Hennepin Ave., City Center
• Caitlin R. Warner, Kurt Unnasch (New Century Theatre, Interior City Center)
• Aaron Brand, Erik Pearson (Interior, City Center)

· Paige Dansinger, Amy Sinning (Nicollet Mall entrance, City Center)

• Tina Blondell, Terrance Schubring; (6th Street, City Center)

· Emily Donovan; University of Minnesota, Duluth School of Fine Arts, (Gaviidae Common, 651 Nicollet Mall)

· Andersen Windows, Brian Matthew Hart/George Wurtzel, Chuck Olsen; Aaron Marx (Renaissance Square, 520 Nicollet Mall)

· Witt Siasoco, (314 N. 1st Ave.)

• Made Here Intuitive Artist Showcase: A Celebration of Minnesota-based Self-Taught Artists (319 N. 1st Ave.)
  • Audrey Bernard
  • Jaime Carrera
  • Ron Cooley
  • Venus DeMars
  • Andrew Moore
  • Jeff Petrich
  • C. Reed
  • Lindsay Rhyner??
  • Lauren Roche
  • Dietrich Sieling

These Made Here projects, directed by Joan Vorderbruggen, Cultural District Arts Coordinator, highlight the rich diversity of our cultural community. The Cultural District is a collaborative initiative with partners including Hennepin Theatre Trust, Walker Art Center, Artspace and the City of Minneapolis. Previous Made Here projects in downtown Minneapolis include a series of window Showcases around the former Block E, an expanded Summer 2014 window series, pop-up galleries in City Center as well as the Pedalstar Gallactica, a hand-crafted bicycle powered public sculpture.

ANDERSEN CORPORATION

Headquartered in Bayport, Minnesota, Andersen Corporation is the largest window and door manufacturer in North America. Founded in 1903, Andersen is an international corporation employing more than 9,000 people in locations across North America, with sales worldwide. The company is committed to supporting the community, donating more than $50 million to nonprofit organizations through its foundation. Visit www.andersenwindows.com for more information.

HENNEPIN THEATRE TRUST, owner of the historic Orpheum, State, Pantages and New Century Theatres, is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to arts-inspired community cultural development. We achieve our mission by presenting a rich mix of live performances, creating inspiring arts education experiences and advancing a thriving Cultural District in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Trust's activities include presenting Broadway touring productions and the related Broadway Confidential series, concerts, comedy, speakers and other variety entertainment plus educational initiatives including our SpotLight Musical Theatre Program and Critical Review, Teen Ushers, the Access Program and Family Day on Hennepin.