December 1, 2015, Tuesday - Community Conversation for the Future of The Soap Factory

Time:  6:00pm - 8:00pm

Location:  The Soap Factory, 514 Second St SE

Community Conversation for the Future of The Soap Factory

After one of its most ambitious years of programming, including:

 *Hand in Glove III, a national conference of alternative spaces and place curated and organized with Works Progress

*An IVEY Award winning remount of Crime and Punishment with Live Action Set and Dangerous Productions

*Wise Blood; Chris Larson and Anthony Gatto's collaborative opera exhibition, co-curated and co-commissioned by the Walker Art Center, presented to sold out audiences

*The 9th annual Haunted Basement, which included for the first time an exhibition highlighting the artistry of the project

*superusted, the 4th Midwest Biennial exhibition, curated by Cheryl Wilgren Clyne, presented the work of 17 artists from 5 states across the Midwest selected from over 120 studio visits, and was lauded as "the best local biennial of recent memory" by the Star Tribune

The Soap Factory will be rounding out 2015 with Piotr Szyhalski's Three Factory Pieces; an exhibition presented as part of Szyhalski's Labor Camp project. This exhibition opens Saturday, November 21 and will run through December 20.

 After this show, the Soap Factory will take a purposeful pause from programming for the early months of 2016.

Does this mean the Soap Factory is going away? Absolutely not!

Due to a confluence of events (required building improvements, a major grant loss associated with Ben Heywood leaving and 2016 fundraising tracking below plan) we need to step back and focus on making the institution of the Soap Factory strong and sustainable so that it can be around for another 25 years.

So, what can you do?

Please come to our public conversation (details below) to learn more about our current situation and help craft a way forward.

The Soap Factory has always been about its community: You—artists, volunteers, stakeholders, and advocates have always been what makes the Soap a unique space for arts and engagement. We need you now more than ever!

Thank you for all you have done and will do for the Soap Factory.

Please use this form to RSVP so we can accommodate all who wish to attend.