OUR
ART
GALLERIES
On display now
Music on Hennepin
Now through November 2025
As Hennepin Arts prepares for the world premiere of the stage adaptation of Purple Rain at the State Theatre, we take a closer look at the vibrant Minneapolis music scene that delivered Prince and the renowned "Minneapolis Sound."
The 1980s and 1990s were a vibrant and experimental musical era in Minneapolis that would reverberate globally. A talented collective of musicians, songwriters and producers - including Prince, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, The Time, Sheila E, Vanity 6, Jellybean Johnson, The Jets and many others - were instrumental in shaping this distinctive genre. Simultaneously, essential Minneapolis rock bands also arose, contributing profound elements to the indie/alternative scene that similarly found worldwide audiences.
Iconic local venues like The Longhorn, Taste Show Lounge, Goofy's Upper Deck, Duffs, Glam Slam and First Avenue & 7th St. Entry served as pivotal showcases for this prolific and influential set of artists who forever changed the landscape of indie rock, new wave, punk and funk.
Photographer Daniel Corrigan's work displayed in Jack Links Lounge, featured in the book Heyday: 35 Years of Music in Minneapolis, published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press in 2016, captures these music pioneers in action over four decades. More artifacts and ephemera from the era are held at the University of Minnesota Andersen Library, including materials curated for our display case by Performing Arts Librarian and Archivist Deborah Ultan highlighting pioneering women in Minneapolis rock during the 80s and 90s.
The exhibit further explores this rich musical legacy through displays in the stairwell and Best Buy Gallery. Featured there are vintage First Avenue materials from the archives at the Diverse Emerging Music Organization (DEMO), more Daniel Corrigan photographs, an original First Avenue & 7th St. Entry "wall of stars" by Nathan Meyer, a poster collection slideshow from the Hennepin County Library and a documentary film by Rick Fuller entitled First Avenue Hayday: 1985-1992.