The Minnesota Institute of Arts has a new exhibit showcasing how mental health can be dealt with through art.
According to a Minnesota student survey, roughly 44% of teens report experiencing mental distress.
That’s why the MIA is offering up the new exhibit, according to Anna Dilliard, manager of programming.
“The world can be very scary,” says Dilliard. “There’s a lot that that is impacting them all at once, coming from every angle.”
To combat their emotional discomfort, many enrolled in MIA’s seven-week program culminating in their Teen Perspectives exhibition.
“Students start out kind of working with our art therapist Lissa Karpe, who will lead them through different art therapy directives, which are art projects without an outcome,” Dilliard explains. “It’s more about like projecting what you were feeling inside onto a paper or canvas or whatever.”
Anna discovered that by the end of the program, each person’s confidence had significantly progressed.
“Being here, working with artists from around the area and having access to this space whether it’s the collection or like the various different art materials, because we have so many art materials, it just removes a lot of barriers for them. And there’s less pressure to get things right,” Dilliard adds.
Teen Perspectives: Yesterday and Today
When: May 9, 2026 – August 30, 2026
Where: Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Katherine Kierland Herberger Gallery, Community Commons. 2400 Third Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404.
What: This exhibition features artwork by Twin Cities high school students that explores the connection between art and wellness. The teen artists look at how mental and behavioral health, identity, and creativity have been linked over time, and how people today use creative tools to heal, express themselves, and care for their communities.
The MIA notes that this is a free exhibition. More information is available here.