The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) opened its fourth annual Teen Perspectives exhibition on May 10, titled “Minneapolis as Monument,” featuring works by high school students addressing health and racial equity. The show, running through July 20, includes paintings, photos, sculptures, and video installations inspired by the murder of George Floyd five years ago and the concurrent “Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys” exhibition. Speakers included Virajita Singh, Mia’s chief diversity and inclusion officer, and Bukata Hayes of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, the program’s sponsor. Student artists like Lydia Nobrega and Joseph Willie created pieces that explore personal stories, community, and systemic racism.
This exhibition matters because it demonstrates how art museums can serve as platforms for youth voices on urgent social issues, particularly racial justice and health equity. By centering the perspectives of young people from a city still grappling with the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, Mia positions itself as a community anchor for dialogue and empathy. The program also highlights the role of corporate sponsorship—Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota—in sustaining such initiatives, and underscores the power of art to foster understanding across differences in a polarized era.