HISTORY |
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||
"How did you ever get the name Icebox?" The first time the name Icebox was used was for Icebox Studio. The name was inspired by an old refrigerator that came with the space at 29 Glenwood Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. Howard Christopherson shared the space and refrigerator with fellow artist Dan Havel, and both artists adorned the old "Icebox" with a multitude of invitations, magazine clippings and bizarre pictures. It became so adorned that the paper was several inches thick, making it hard to recognize as a refrigerator. The name Icebox Studio was invented some time around 1986. Around that time, the old Century
Camera building that
housed Icebox Studio was vacated and torn down to make way for a
parking lot connected to the newly constructed Target Center. The
many artists with studios in the building were sent scrambling for
other workspaces. |
|||||||||
The original lower level space was nearly 3000 square
feet if you included the many closets, nooks and crannies. After some walls were sheet-rocked, it was time to celebrate. Howard decided that an exhibition would take place. Artist friends were assembled to create what would become the first exhibit at the new location.The title of the first show was Crystallized Phantoms, which opened in January 1988. It was a show that explored a variety of spiritual inspirations, in various media, created by eleven participating artists. Christopherson suggested making a group collaboration as a centerpiece for the show. Soon a mysterious and visually splendid chessboard evolved as each artist made 3 chess pieces depicting a personal “phantom.” The unique chessboard was amazing. It excited all of the participating artists and the crowd that came to the show. Later that year the chessboard was entered in the Minnesota State Fair as a group collaboration in sculpture, and it was awarded First Place. |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
LINK HERE TO PAST GALLERY EXHIBITS |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
Icebox was the first Minnesota gallery to record and archive most of it's past exhibits on this website. |
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||
  |
|||||||||
 |
In July of 2003 Icebox moved about one mile south of the original location to the fourth floor of the Northrup King Building at 15th and Jackson Street NE. Beginning with a 1700 square foot space, Icebox became comfortable in its new home. The gallery is well-lighted and custom designed and built by Howard Christopherson. "Out of the Black and Into the Blue" - a reversed lyric from Neil Young’s song “Out of the Blue”, became the Icebox motto during the move. Leaving the old space, black and cave-like, for a bright fourth story "sky" gallery, the gallery walls are painted in a combination of coastal blue and country cork with a white ceiling. The building is safe, guarded 24 hours and well maintained. People, Places & Dreams - Howard's darkroom is right next door. During the summer of 2005 Icebox Gallery added a new gallery.
The gallery was 500 square feet and is located directly across the
hall from the original space. The “Box” Gallery, as
it was called became history winter of 2008 when the economy crashed. Icebox was forced to This huge red brick building was once the headquarters for the Northrup King seed company. Now most of the building is leased to artists and other creative businesses, making it the greatest concentration of artists in the state of Minnesota. This area of NE Minneapolis surrounding Icebox's building is designated by the city of Minneapolis as the Fine Arts District. |
||||||||
 |
|||||||||
We want to encourage you to come and see hundreds of creative, hard-working artists making art in their studios within this building. Twice a year all of the art studios in the Northrup King Building open their doors to the public. Every May for "Art - A - Whirl" the NE Minneapolis Studio & Gallery Tour and again in November during "Art Attack" a special Northrup King Building event. Every Month, in the area now called the Minneapolis Arts District, artists and galleries hold open houses on the First Thursday evening from 5 until 9. This is a good opportunity to leisurely sample the creativity this part of Minneapolis has to offer. |
|
||||||||
FRAMING |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
Iceboxminnesota.com is the web presence of Icebox Quality Framing & Gallery. The Icebox website
is attractive, informative and easily navigated. Iceboxminnesota.com
currently archives most exhibits. |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
 |
|||||||||
The future of Icebox is
in the hands of everyone involved, including the owner, the employees,
the interns,
|
|||||||||
