WARM Connections, an art exhibition featuring 33 women artists who have participated in WARM/Women’s Art Registry of Minnesota, affiliated programs from the 1970s to the present
May 14 – June 20, 2026
On View: May 14 through June 20, 2026 (Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays 12:00 - 6:00 pm)
Artists’ Reception: Sunday, May 31, 2-5 pm
Presentation at 3:00 pm: Ellen Schillace, Historical Perspectives and Sara Church, Memories of Original WAVE
Additional Programming:
Tuesday, June 9: 6-8pm: Barbara Bridges, Founder of Art to Change the World, will speak on the birth of ACW and its WARM foundations. Discussion of the WARM Mentor/Protegee Program will follow.
Thursday, June 18: 6-8pm: Rebecca Pavlenko and Jill Waterhouse will speak on the Global WARM Scroll Project, followed by a presentation by members of the on-going Second WAVE Collective.
Form+Content Gallery is pleased to present “WARM Connections”, an exhibition highlighting work by thirty-three artists representing the many affiliate groups connected to WARM / The Women’s Art Registry of Minnesota, the groundbreaking feminist arts collective founded in Minneapolis in the 1970s. The artists in this exhibit represent a sampling of the hundreds of women artists who brought WARM and its values into their personal, professional and artistic lives. Artists in “WARM Connections” represent WARM’s Associate Membership, Founding Members of WAVE Gallery in Lowertown St. Paul, the WARM Mentor/Protegee Program, the WARM Global Scroll Project, Hue & Eye, Second WAVE, and Art to Change the World (ACW).
“WARM Connections” is presented in conjunction with the exhibition marking the 50-year anniversary of the founding of WARM Gallery, “Legacy: The Women of WARM Gallery” at the Kickernick Gallery, 410 1st Ave. N. In Minneapolis (April 10-June 13, 2026).
ARTISTS EXHIBITING Lynnette K. Black, Anne Black-Sinak, Elizabeth Blair, Barbra Bloy, Brenna Busse, Francene Christianson, Sara Church, Michele Combs, Gail Diez, Kelly Frankenberg, Mary Holmgren, Susan Huhn-Bowles, Anne Kleinhenz, Barb Kobe, Ann Popadiuk Larson, Brenda Litman, Layl McDill, Marcy Nelson-Garrison, Laurel O’Gorman, Alis Olsen, Pat Owen, Rebecca Pavlenko, Teri Snell Power, Jo-Ann Reske-Kirkman, Ellen Schillace, Karen Searle, Linda Seebauer Hansen, Joan Seifert, Krista Spieler, Jill Stebbins, Emily Talley, Karen Wilcox, Jill Waterhouse
ABOUT THE WARM AFFILIATED GROUPS
WARM’s Associate Membership activity developed alongside WARM Gallery. Facilitated by Marilynn R. Anderson and Beth Bergman, members could participate in monthly meetings, the slide registry, an annual juried show, the WARM Mentor/Protegee Program and numerous educational events. Membership was open to woman artists throughout Minnesota.
WAVE and WAVE Gallery The original WAVE Gallery grew out of WARM’s Associate membership. In 1983 a space was located in Lowertown St. Paul and 28 Associate Members committed to creating a new gallery space at 249 E. Fourth Street. WAVE represented a second-generation alternative space — post-1970s collectives, more fluid and less institutional. WAVE Gallery was the second gallery in the area that became the Lowertown St. Paul development/Arts district.
The WARM Mentor/Protegee Program, established in 1982 by Judith Roode and later led by Krista Kelley Walsh, paired professional artists with emerging artists, helping emerging artists (proteges) develop their skills, network, and professional presence under the guidance of established mentors. Over the life of the program, it served over 450 women.
HUE & EYE is a group of artists who were protegees of Jantje Visscher, a founding member of WARM Gallery and the WARM’s Mentor/Protegee Program. The group continues to meet with her to share and critique their work. For several artists exhibiting in “WARM Connections”, this association is a vital tool to strengthen and encourage pursuit of their work.
The Global WARM Scroll Project was an international art initiative associated with the Women's Art Registry of Minnesota. The project aimed to bring together women from across the globe to collaborate on a multi-paneled traveling scroll symbolizing unity and addressing shared experiences. It was highlighted at The Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing, China in 1995, focusing on recognizing common ground and imagining a way forward through art.
Second WAVE, also known as WAVE II, consists of artists from the original WAVE cooperative and newer members. Following the closing of the original WAVE gallery, the collective continued to meet and show their work in alternative spaces. Today the group still finds opportunities to exhibit together. Its primarily function is providing support and constructive critique of each other’s art work.
Art to Change the World is a diverse non-profit coalition of change makers employing the arts in service of positive social change. They are committed to serving ALL in their community. Founded in 2017, ACW has over 400 members (200 are artists) and has designed and hosted over 50 social justice projects and events.