Women's Art Resources of Minnesota

Women's Art Resources of Minnesota

Company type	Nonprofit organization
Industry	Arts, Feminist art
Founded	January 28, 1976 (1976-01-28) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Defunct	2021 (2021)
Fate	Dissolved
Headquarters	Minneapolis, Minnesota , United States
Area served	Minnesota, United States
Key people	Catherine Jordan (executive director from 1982)
Products	Art exhibitions, educational programs, artist mentorships, publications (WARM Journal)

Women's Art Resources of Minnesota (WARM) was a Minnesota-based organization dedicated to women's art. Established in 1976 under the name Women's Art Registry of Minnesota, it functioned as a feminist artist collective and operated the WARM Gallery in downtown Minneapolis from 1976 until 1991. The organization ceased operations in 2021.

Founding Period

WARM originated during the early 1970s feminist art movement within the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Its beginnings trace back to 1973 with a slide registry of women artists from Minnesota, created by Lynn Lockie Warkov and Susan Fiene. The collective organized exhibitions and critically examined the presence of women artists at institutions such as the Minneapolis Institute of Art and the Walker Art Center. Prominent feminist artists including Judy Chicago visited the area, while Chicago, Miriam Shapiro, and faculty from the College of St. Catherine played key roles in establishing WARM’s foundation. Their cooperative gallery approach was influenced by discussions at the 1975 Mid-west Women's Artists' Conference.

Formed as a cooperative by 37 women artists in 1976, WARM became Minnesota’s first feminist artist cooperative. The organization operated on a non-hierarchical basis with shared governance, officially registering as a nonprofit on January 28, 1976, and limiting its membership to 40 individuals. Members were responsible for paying dues, attending monthly meetings, and dedicating a minimum of 300 hours annually to support both organizational and gallery activities.

WARM Gallery (1976–1991)

In 1976, the collective launched WARM: A Women's Collective Artspace (commonly known as WARM Gallery) located at 414 First Avenue North in Minneapolis’ Warehouse District, occupying a former millinery shop. Inspired by New York City’s A.I.R. Gallery—an early women's cooperative founded in 1972—WARM Gallery showcased solo and group exhibitions featuring women artists such as Grace Hartigan, Alice Neel, Joan Semmel, and Joan Snyder.

Beginning in 1980, WARM initiated the Feminist Perspectives lecture series under the direction of Joyce Lyon. This monthly program attracted influential art critics and historians including Linda Nochlin, Robin Morgan, Lucy Lippard, and Germaine Greer, continuing until 1984.

That year also saw the expansion of the WARM newsletter into a quarterly publication titled WARM Journal, with design work by Patricia Olson. The journal included fiction, poetry, and art-related articles authored by Minnesota women, overseen by an editorial committee comprising Susan McDonald and Elizabeth Erickson. By 1985, its distribution approached 5,000 copies. Grounded in cultural feminism, it was one of the few interdisciplinary art magazines locally available and remained the only regularly issued art periodical in the Twin Cities until it ceased publication in 1987.

Catherine Jordan joined as gallery coordinator in 1981 and advanced to executive director in 1982. During her tenure, WARM established the Mentor Program that same year to connect emerging artists with experienced professionals for mentorship lasting two years; an intensive variant offered shorter mentorships spanning one to three months.

In October 1986, WARM organized "The Contemporary Women in the Visual Arts" national conference at Minneapolis Plaza Hotel. The event featured presentations by Wilhelmina Holladay, artist June Wayne, Janet Wolff, among others. Exhibitions were held throughout galleries across the Twin Cities alongside a traveling exhibition showcasing artist Harmony Hammond.

Following this conference, WARM accumulated substantial financial liabilities. The opening of the nearby Target Center in 1990 led to parking challenges and decreased gallery attendance. Coupled with increasing rent costs, these factors compelled the board to close WARM Gallery in January 1991. Nevertheless, the organization maintained its nonprofit status and continued its Mentor Program while relocating its offices initially to University Avenue in St. Paul and subsequently to the Women's Building on Rice Street.

Post-gallery period

Following the closure of its physical gallery, the Women's Art Registry of Minnesota persisted in organizing exhibitions and sustaining both educational initiatives and professional development programs. Additionally, WARM maintained an online art registry that highlighted artists from local and regional spheres and circulated a digital newsletter. In 2010, the organization adopted a new identity as Women's Art Resources of Minnesota.

Impact and legacy

The WARM Gallery served as an essential exhibition venue outside conventional galleries for women artists in Minnesota, playing a significant role in revitalizing the Warehouse District's economy and shaping Minneapolis’s arts landscape. It emerged as a prominent Midwestern center during the formative years of the feminist art movement across the United States.

In 2006, the Weisman Art Museum at the University of Minnesota presented artworks by twelve longstanding members of WARM, an event captured in Joanna Inglot’s 2007 publication WARM: A Feminist Art Collective in Minnesota. To commemorate its 40th anniversary in 2013, exhibitions were held at the University’s Katherine E. Nash Gallery and Robbin Gallery.

The archives of the Minnesota Historical Society contain a comprehensive collection of documents and media pertaining to WARM. The organization officially dissolved in January 2021.

Notable members

• Harriet Bart, conceptual artist
• Hazel Belvo, painter and draftswoman
• Sally Brown, draftswoman
• Elizabeth Erickson, painter
• Carole Fisher, installation artist
• Linda Gammell, photographer
• Vesna Kittelson, painter
• Joyce Lyon, draftswoman and landscape artist
• Susan McDonald, painter and printmaker
• Patricia Olson, painter and graphic designer
• Judith Roode, figure drawing specialist, mentor, educator
• Sandra Menefee Taylor, painter, sculptor, performance artist
• Jantje Visscher, painter and printmaker

External links

• Women's Art Resources of Minnesota
• Finding aid for the Women's Art Registry of Minnesota Records, Minnesota Historical Society