The Stevens Square Center for the Arts (SSCA) is a nonprofit, educational community arts center with a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status in the Stevens Square neighborhood of Minneapolis.
SSCA was formed in the summer of 2003 as a partnership between the Stevens Square Community Organization (SSCO), JAS Apartments, and local Minneapolis artists to renovate vacant commercial space into a community asset. Located above the Third Avenue Food Market, SSCA has been transformed into 5,500 square feet of gallery and studio space.
What SSCA Does
- Supports local artists by providing a place for the artist community to exhibit their work, hold performances, and promote and sell their work.
- Provides affordable artist work studios for local artists.
- Hosts regular art and design exhibitions featuring local and innovative artists in its gallery.
- Supports the annual Red Hot Art Festival in the Stevens Square-Loring Heights neighborhood (in partnership with SSCO and other partners.)
- Organizes an annual Zine fair and hosts a Zine Library.
- Works with other local arts organizations to provide programming available to the community.
- Stabilizes the Stevens Square neighborhood by serving as a community center that puts “eyes on the street.”
- Promotes citizen work by giving local artists and residents a place to create an organization that has a tangible impact on their community.
How SSCA is Run
SSCA is run entirely by volunteers and overseen by a Board of Directors. The organization’s operations are supported through studio rental and space rental fees, through donations by patrons and members, and by funding from local grant-making organizations for special projects. Click here for information about Exhibition and Hanging Fees.
SSCA’s Purpose
- To provide resources and support to artists at all levels of development living and working in the vicinity of the Stevens Square – Loring Heights neighborhood.
- To attract artists to Stevens Square and develop the reputation as a place where art is created.
- To provide a forum for member artists to share ideas and work.
- To serve as a resource to provide for the continued development and improvement of the Stevens Square-Loring Heights Neighborhood.
Want to know more? Feel free to send us a message, we’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have!




