In May of 2019, the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) held a multimedia release event for “The Illusion of Choice: Evictions and Profit in North Minneapolis” research project that included a presentation, a video telling the stories of tenants and landlords in North Minneapolis, an art installation with photos that explore the phases of eviction, and an illustrative simulation developed with the Juxta Art Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) team called the “Social Service Runaround.” Evictions are a social crisis in North Minneapolis caused by decades of…

With Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha, East Side Freedom Library, UMN Labor Education Services, PoliGraphix, Inquilinxs Unidxs Por Justicia, New Brookwood Labor College

In collaboration with community and labor organizations, I will paint a series of portraits of low‐wage worker leaders ‐‐ mostly people of color and immigrants ‐‐ with the aim of (1) encouraging workers to see themselves as leaders, individually and also in solidarity with each other, (2) bridging the “formal” and “informal” labor movements (unions vs. other working class organizing efforts), (3) expanding the base of these organizations as well as…

In January of 2019, the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) released its study of gentrification in Minneapolis and St. Paul between 2000 and 2015. “The Diversity of Gentrification: Multiple Forms of Gentrification in Minneapolis and St. Paul” used a mixed methods approach that combined a statistical analysis of neighborhood-level data with an in-depth qualitative analysis of interviews with public officials, community leaders, and neighborhood residents. The study found significant evidence of gentrification in the two cities.

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Renters Rights are Human Rights is a collaboration between the Minneapolis Renters Coalition, Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association, and Artist Cori Lin. This series of murals and portraits will deepen community understanding around what it means to live as a cost-burdened renter by highlighting the narratives and experiences of those spending more than 30% of their income on rent. The project will include four portraits of cost-burdened renters across Greater Powderhorn and four infographics that reflect this reality, which will be temporarily be installed in businesses and community sites across Greater Powderhorn, before becoming part of a large-…

What Repairs Are Required in My Apartment is a visual guide created as a collaborative effort between the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA), Minneapolis neighborhoods, and housing organizations who support tenant organizing.

Read more about What Repairs are Required in My Apartment and the story of how the guide came together at the Minneapolis Renters Coalition blog.

Community members are invited to participate in an upcoming “Cafe Con Alondra” forum about renter…