Meet at Mia: How One Museum Reimagined Summer Without a Blockbuster Exhibition

When the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) entered summer 2024 with no major special exhibition on the calendar, programming manager Anna Dilliard was presented with a significant challenge: how to retain audiences in the absence of the traditional blockbuster draw. With special exhibitions typically accounting for up to 30% of Mia’s annual attendance, this programming gap posed a real risk to visitor numbers and institutional visibility.

Rather than scaling back, Dilliard saw the opportunity to reimagine summer at Mia. Her solution? A bold, 16-week outdoor programming series designed to activate the museum’s courtyard and surrounding spaces with consistent, engaging events. Dubbed Meet at Mia, the initiative transformed a potential attendance slump into a season of connection, creativity, and community-building.

A Data-Informed Response to a Clear Attendance Gap

To define the scope of the challenge, Dilliard began with data. In fiscal year 2023, Mia welcomed 526,000 visitors, with special exhibitions like Botticelli and Renaissance Florence: Masterworks from the Uffizi drawing over 70,000 attendees in a single summer. That year, special exhibitions accounted for nearly a third of overall attendance. Even in a quieter exhibition year like FY2024, these shows still made up 14% of total visits.

Without a comparable blockbuster, Dilliard projected a gap of approximately 30,000 visitors. Setting a personal goal of attracting at least 10,000 people through alternative programming, she began to build a plan rooted in Mia’s pre-pandemic successes and community needs.

Before COVID-19, the museum’s Family Day and Third Thursday events were key audience drivers. While Family Day returned swiftly in 2021 and resumed in-person in 2022, Third Thursday—a monthly evening event aimed at adults—remained on pause. Dilliard, a former Mia intern who fondly remembered attending those evenings, was determined to bring adult audiences back into the building.

Mia en Plein Air – Image : Minneapolis Institute of Art

Pilot Programming Sparks a New Direction

Her first experiment came in August 2023 with Mia en Plein Air, a one-off outdoor event linked to the exhibition ReVisión: Art in the Americas. The pilot featured a Latin American DJ, food trucks, and collaborative workshops led by local artists. Drawing more than 700 visitors in one evening, it demonstrated clear appetite for evening events and confirmed that the museum’s courtyard was an underutilized asset.

Encouraged by the response—and fielding numerous requests to revive Third Thursday—Dilliard and colleagues from marketing, learning, and editorial brainstormed a new format and brand. The result was Meet at Mia: a casual, inclusive program series that invited visitors to simply “meet” at the museum, with no prior expectations beyond a good time.

Building a Weekly Community Destination

The first official Meet at Mia event took place in October 2023 alongside the exhibition In Our Hands: Native Photography, 1890 to Now. It featured Native American artists from the Twin Cities, live music, beadwork demonstrations, artmaking, and free tacos. Attendance doubled to 1,500.

From there, the program grew. Mia hosted events in November, December, and January, before scaling up dramatically for the summer season. Dilliard committed to programming every Thursday night from mid-May to mid-September—sixteen evenings in total—with a mix of concerts, film screenings, community rides, and themed celebrations.

Each month followed a consistent rhythm: a Bike Night, a Movie in the Park, and a Courtyard Concert. Every event included food, music, and a connection to Mia’s collection—whether through thematic artmaking or gallery tie-ins. For example, a screening of Loving Vincent was accompanied by a spotlight on the museum’s Impressionist galleries.

Meet at Mia: Bike Night – Image : Minneapolis Institute of Art

Community Marketing with a Creative Edge

A vibrant programming season required equally compelling marketing. Luckily, Mia had just appointed a new Head of Design and Editorial, Bobby Rogers, whose vision for rebranding the museum’s visual identity aligned perfectly with the project’s spirit. Moving away from traditional black-and-white branding, the campaign embraced colour, storytelling, and a sense of fun.

Billboards and buses promoted Meet at Mia across the Twin Cities. Postcards were distributed through local arts venues and cafes. Custom posters for Pride and Juneteenth events were screen printed on-site at the events and given away to attendees—transforming visitors into mobile ambassadors.

The goal, as Rogers described, was to reposition Mia as a vibrant third space—a place of gathering, reflection, and joy. Photography, illustration, and community modeling all contributed to the campaign’s visual storytelling.

Results, Reflections, and a Path Forward

When the final Thursday arrived in September, the numbers told a clear story: Meet at Mia had welcomed 13,000 visitors—surpassing the initial goal and recouping 43% of average special exhibition attendance.

Concerts proved the most effective draw, regularly attracting 1,000+ guests. Holidays like Juneteenth and Pride also boosted attendance, and creative touches—like inviting guests to bring their dogs or lounge on the lawn—helped build a loyal following.

There were, of course, lessons learned. Five bike nights was too many, and May movie screenings struggled with late sunsets. In response, the 2025 season will feature a more diverse set of themes, fewer overall events (13), and a stronger focus on live music. Dog Day, an old Mia tradition, will also make its return—complete with pup cups and matching bandanas.

With a full team now supporting her, Dilliard is aiming even higher this summer. The target: 20,000 visitors.

As she puts it, “Last year, we showed people what Mia could be. This year, we’re showing them why they’ll want to come back.”

–

Anna Dilliard from Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) spoke at the Museums & Public Programs Summit 2025.