The North Suburban Center for the Arts closed permanently on July 15, 2024 (click here for full statement). While we are sorry to go, we are also celebrating 45 years of providing access to the arts in our community. To everyone who has volunteered, donated, learned, taught, exhibited, and worked with us, THANK YOU.

You are invited to the NSCA's Final Sale on Saturday, September 14, from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM. We are opening the firehouse doors one last time in support and celebration of our artists, staff, and community. The funds raised from our final event will go directly to paying closing costs, including final payments to artists and staff. Please join us for:

An in-person sale on most of our physical assets (NSCA merchandise, tables, chairs, shelves, art supplies, books, office supplies, and more) **Cash and check only at the sale**
An online auction for some of our collectible items (donated artwork, a portable stage, and more)
Online donations through this website.

The NSCA demonstrated that art is a powerful tool for connection, growth, accessibility, & innovation. Its programs created many opportunities to encourage lifelong connections to the arts and served artists, creatives, and community members alike to highlight the creative networks within the community.

About

The North Suburban Center for the Arts (NSCA) served the greater Twin Cities for 45 years (1979-2024). The organization began as a grassroots, women-led effort to create a place for creatives to gather in the Twin Cities’ north metro region and sought to fill the crucial gap in accessible creative opportunities for our surrounding communities.

The organization operated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and was based in Fridley from 1988-2024 (previously St. Anthony, Minnesota). Its mission was to foster community through engagement with the arts. While the art center’s original name was North Suburban Center for the Arts, it operated as the Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts from 1988-2021.

Grassroots Beginnings

MARJORIE GLASS (1923-2007) was the first Executive Director of the North Suburban Center for the Arts (NSCA). In the late 1970s, St. Anthony resident Phyllis Williams sought to bring an art center to the Twin Cities' north metro suburbs, akin to what already existed in southern suburbs like Edina and Minnetonka. However, Williams fell ill, allowing Marjorie to step in her role and lead the organization. Soon after, Marjorie secured the NSCA's first home in a former health club, located in the lower level of a shopping center in St. Anthony. The NSCA opened its doors and hosted classes and exhibitions, garnering significant public interest right away.

After less than a decade, Marjorie facilitated the transition of the NSCA from St. Anthony to Fridley. In 1988, the NSCA moved to the Banfill-Locke House, in part due to the approval of a Community Development Block Grant from the City of Fridley, and changed the organization's name to the Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts, a name it held until 2021.

"Chester" by Kelly Nygard