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Announcing Our 2016 Program!
Join us for an exciting year at The Soap Factory as artists move in to our first floor gallery space for active experimentation, as we celebrate a milestone anniversary and as we showcase the work of emerging artists through two new exhibitions. 

The Soap Factory's Emerging Artist Residency Program
May 1st - Sept 23rd

The Soap Factory introduces an exciting new summer program, opening its doors and inviting local emerging artists to experiment in our space!

Each month from May through September, our three galleries will be occupied by emerging artists, appointed and mentored by 15 different Soap Factory alumni artists and curators. These artists-in-residence will be allowed to make new work directly in the space, responding to the gallery environment and to one another. At the end of each residency we will be hosting a public opening, dates and other public programming TBA. Please visit soapfactory.org this April to find out more. And be sure to follow our social media accounts this summer to keep up with what our studiomates are creating!

The Haunted Basement 
September 23rd - October 31st
2016 marks the milestone 10th anniversary of The Soap Factory's Haunted Basement! And to celebrate, we plan on breaking ALL the rules. 

Director Christopher Barton and Associate Director Walker Friend have been brought on board to create and curate the most horrifying Haunted Basement experience yet - incorporating new nightmares only we can conjure along with some old favorites we just CAN'T let you forget - no matter how hard you've tried.

This year's Haunted Basement will also include a retrospective exhibition in the first floor gallery space showcasing the artistry behind 10 years of this unique project.

And, join us on April 9th, 2016 at Squirrel Haus Arts for a 10th Anniversary kickoff gala and Haunted Basement fundraiser! More details below!

Submission Shows
Nov 12 - December 18

Curated from our 2015 call for submissions, The Soap Factory welcomes another group of emerging and mid-career artists to exhibit in our galleries.

Participating artists in our upstairs galleries: Jack Pavlik, J. Myszka Lewis, Anna Campbell, Adam Caillier and Michael Mott, Katayoun Amjadi, The Shaft, Heather Buechler, Lindsay Foster and Mimi Cabell.

Our new and improved basement gallery will be home to new work and installations by local artist, Mathew Zefeldt.

Both submission shows will be opening November 12th, 7-11pm, running until December 18th. More information to be posted this Spring, be sure to visit soapfactory.org for the most up to date information and calendar.

And stay tuned for our next call for submissions coming June of 2016!

Volunteer Biennial
Jan 14 - Feb 12

Created and planned by artists who know The Soap Factory best, our volunteer biennial showcases the talents of The Soap Factory's volunteer force in a collaborative group show. Stay tuned for submission dates and more info this summer!
Art(ists) on the Verge 7 Opens THIS SATURDAY, March 12th
Image of AOV6 artist Claire Barber's project, When You Know You Know. Photograph by Rik Sferra.

The Soap Factory and Northern Lights Present: Art(ists) on the Verge 7 (AOV7)

Join us on March 12th, 2016 from 7-11pm for a FREE opening reception in celebration of AOV7!
This exhibition features new work from five Minnesota-based artists. AOV7 is an intensive, year-long, mentor-based fellowship program for emerging artists working experimentally at the intersection of art, technology, and digital culture.

One of the fundamental concepts defining the mission of the Art(ists) On the Verge Fellowship is the commitment to emerging artists whose practice often falls outside of and in between the traditional notions of media or disciplines. The Art(ists) On the Verge fellows are no exception. Their work at The Soap Factory engages with a broad spectrum of ideas.

Please visit Northern.Lights.mn to learn more about their organization, AOV, and their other programs.

AOV7 Artists: Eric F. Avery, Torre Edahl, Jessica Henderson, Joshua McGarvey, and Liza Sylvestre

Check out our soapcast interviews with the artists:

Artist Interview with Joshua McGarvey

Gallery hours will resume Sunday, March 13th, 12-5pm

Gallery Hours:
Thurs & Fri 2-8pm
Sat & Sun 12-5pm

Join us for AOV7 artist talks!
April 16th, 3-5pm

Thank You, Colin!
Congratulations to our Building and Installation Manager Colin Marx on his new job as Facilities Manager for Disjecta Contemporary Art Center in Portland, Oregon! We're excited for you but we'll miss you!

Kick Off the 10th Anniversary of the Haunted Basement with an Un-Gala Fundraiser
Join us for an evening of fundraising and debauchery as we kick off the 10th anniversary of the Haunted Basement!

WHEN: April 9th, 2016 from 7pm to midnight
WHERE: Squirrel Haus Arts; 3450 Snelling Ave, Minneapolis, MN
Tickets Available NOW at: http://www.tempotickets.com/assclowngala

The Soap Factory's Haunted Basement kicks off its milestone tenth anniversary (HBX) with an excruciatingly special fundraising event that could only be named THE ASSCLOWN GALA.

Join us at Squirrel Haus Arts as we the launch our first-ever Indiegogo campaign, which will include offers for exclusive enhanced experience packages for this year's HBX, and many other never-before-seen offerings from our Haunted Basement vaults.

Don't worry - nobody will jump out from a dark corner to scare you at this party! However, you may have a close encounter with some dementedly delicious appetizers and beverages.

Our team of creepy clowns will be there to guide you through attractions such as our Violent Auction (courtesy of The Break Room) and the HBX Assclown Makeover & Selfie Station.

We'll also have fortune tellers on hand to help celebrate the announcement of our 2016 Haunted Basement Tarot Deck - 78 cards of original images created by an array of Haunted Basement artists from years past and present. Assclown Gala guests will be the very first invited to preorder this incredible item.

Want more? How about first dibs on Haunted Basement 2016 tickets? That's right. For one night only, you can call first dibs on this year's HBX tix, months in advance of our scheduled on-sale date in August.

All proceeds from The Assclown Gala will fund The Soap Factory's Haunted Basement and the artists who make it happen.