Minnesota Media Arts

Help Power the Future of Minnesota’s Media Legacy!
Minnesota Media Arts (MNMA) is at the forefront of preserving the stories that shape our culture. We don’t just talk about saving media — we do it, guiding artists, communities, and organizations through the vital steps of rescuing, restoring, and reimagining their audiovisual history for a new generation.
And thanks to your support, we’re making a real impact.

What’s New & Groundbreaking?
MNMA just wrapped up the Melisande Charles Media Collection project, funded by the Minnesota Historical Society. We preserved and digitized the remarkable work of this influential multimedia artist — a triumph for artists’ legacies in Minnesota!
And there’s more:

• Intermedia Arts Minnesota has entrusted MNMA with the emergency stabilization and care of its historic media archives — helping safeguard decades of community-based cultural expression. (2025 Campaign)
• * “An Early History of Community Access Television in Minnesota” is now in the planning phase — a documentary on the pioneering University Community Video Center and the Changing Channels TV series. (2025 Campaign)
• * Community Media Preservation Strategies & Workshops, a new statewide initiative to build grassroots preservation knowledge and capacity. A program partnership by Minnesota Media Arts (MNMA) and St. Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN)
  
  *These programs have been financed in part with funds provided by the State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society.

Why It Matters
Our collective memory is stored on fragile formats — aging videotapes, cassettes, reels, slides, and photos — and every year more of it disappears. With your help, we’re reversing the loss. MNMA provides expert consulting, archival-quality media conversion, and long-term access strategies — empowering communities to protect and share their stories.

What We Do — AV Media Preservation
MNMA’s three-part preservation model:

1. Stabilize & Organize: Secure and re-box collections, photograph for inventory, and secure storage.

2. Digitize & Convert: Using archival-grade methods to convert tapes, reels, and more into accessible digital formats.

3. Access & Share: Guide creators toward platforms, hosting options, and our own developing digital archive repository. 

4. Advocate and Educate: Seminars and community archiving workshops, in collaboration with SPNN 

What’s Next — And How You Can Help

Since the pandemic, we’ve operated remotely. In 2025-26, our goal is to secure a permanent home — a centralized space for our:

• Preservation labs

• Production studio

• Workshops and events

• Media archive storage

We’re also expanding our AV preservation seminars, community archiving events, and media showcase platforms. 

Your contribution helps fund it all.

Join the Movement

Every donation supports our mission to preserve Minnesota’s audiovisual heritage — one tape, one story, one community at a time. Let’s keep our cultural voices alive and accessible.

🔗 [Support MNMA on GiveMN] 📷 [Explore Recent Projects] 💬 [Get Involved or Contact Us]