Whether you’re a student at the U of Mn or a fellow Minnesotan, you know that the beginning of spring semester probably only consists of 2 weeks of actual 'spring', right? In fact, spring semester can get pretty depressing. You return from practically an entire month of being on break and enjoying the holidays with your friends and family. Some of you may have vacationed on sandy beaches, or perhaps on your couch with Netflix with your friends Ross, Rachel, Phoebe, Monica, Joey, and Chandler . No matter how you spent your vacation, returning to class can get a bit difficult. Not to mention the weather makes Minnesotans…a little bit more ice than nice. The WAM collective gets that. That’s why we’re on a mission. We have some really awesome stuff coming up this spring and we want you all to come. We want you to help us beat the cold weather with community and art.

Your semester wouldn’t be the same without the popular, and always very necessary, Study Night. Let’s be honest here. Doing homework and studying is never a particularly fun activity. So we’ve been trying to cook up ways to spice up the regular routine of staring at textbooks. Don’t believe that’s possible? Come check out our study space at the Weisman’s Riverview Gallery. The brilliant view of the Mississippi has to beat the ambiance of your messy dorm room. We promise to play some music that’ll keep you awake and we’ll even feed you snacks that aren’t stale ramen.

We are excited to announce a new feature of student night called Launch Pad, presented in collaboration with the Carlson Student Group Co-Lab. Launch Pad provides 'an opportunity for entrepreneurs within our community to connect and advise students chasing after the same passion – to make their business dream a reality.'

Looking for more of a study break? Take a tour of WAM's spring exhibits and impress your parents (or date) with your deep knowledge of 20th century and contemporary art (#winning). Not to mention we’ve decided to bring in, for all you stressed out students, some wonderful study companions. On the first study night of the semester, Feb 11th, PAWS (Pet Away Worry and Stress) will be returning with some lovable furry (or feathery?) friends. Coco Wagner will also be there to Henna some beautiful designs on you. If all else fails, come by for some retail therapy. The Sweet Heart Sale will be going on at the WAM Gift Shop from February 11th to February 13th. A perfect opportunity to buy that last-minute Valentines Day gift you forgot to buy yourself. We know you deserve it.

Words @ WAM: an Open Mic Night

February 18th 6pm-9pm

We’re teaming up again with the local literary community Hazel and Wren for our annual Words @ WAM open mic! This open mic night will also feature the talents of local writers Paula Cisewski (Ghost Fargo) and Peter Bognanni (The House of Tomorrow). Readers begin at 7:00 pm, in order of the sign-up sheet. The open mic is open to all interested wordsmiths of any genre: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, spoken word, and all literary mischief welcome. Readers will have 4 minutes and 30 seconds to read their pieces. Those who go over their time will have trashy romance paperbacks thrown at them. Seriously.

Socializing begins at 6. Literary mischief begins at 7.

CreativeMornings

March 6th 8:30 am-10am

We understand that 8:30 is early. We don’t doubt that many of you have gone to great length to make sure you don’t have class before 11. But our lecture has things that your class lectures most certainly don’t offer. Breakfast and Coffee. CreativeMornings, besides being a fantastic national lectures series that you should attend regardless, will have a full arsenal of food and caffeine waiting for you.  So we’re here to bring you on the ground floor. You’re gonna wanna get in on this. This semester the theme is “INK”. Last semester, we hosted twin-cities beloved host Mark Wheat. Who could be next? So come support the local speaker and enjoy a real breakfast. Cause come on, when was the last time you were even awake for that meal?

Later this semester….

Pop-up Park

April 20th – May 10th

In the last few weeks of the semester, WAM Collective and the School of Architecture’s Open Studio class will turn our museum's front plaza into a temporary park! The park will be inspired by the Pavement-to-Park movement and the museum’s featured spring exhibition: Feast: Radical Hospitality in Contemporary Art.  "This park will aim to shift perspectives and spark encounters that aren't always possible within a fast-moving and segmented society."

Eye Candy

April 22nd 6pm-8pm     

When we wrap up this semester, WAM Collective will be hosting its annual Design Showcase in partnership with the College of Design. The showcase, Eye Candy, is inspired by the exhibition Feast: Radical Hospitality in Contemporary Art and features student-designed outfits using nontraditional materials.

Well there you have it! As you can see we have many amazing things lined up for you guys this semester. So log off Netflix, get out of your pajamas, and come join us for what’s shaping up to be an impressive semester!