Grantmakers in the Arts welcomes you to Minnesota (Twin Cities)— the home of the Dakota and the Ojibwe/​Anishi­naabe people—at the convergence (Bdoté) of the Mississippi (Wakpá Tháŋka) and Minnesota Rivers for the 2025 GIA Annual Conference, Building Solidarity, Rooted in Justice! In a time of division and erasure, the arts remain a force for truth-telling, bridge-building, and solidarity. Minnesota—home to Indigenous sovereignty movements, Black liberation struggles, and immigrant cultural imprints—offers a profound lens into the complexities of belonging, resistance, and repair.

As we mark the five-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, we ask: How do we mend the social fabric fractured by injustice? How do we resource artists as trusted stewards of collective memory? How do we push through discomfort to build solidarity?

This convening calls on funders, artists, and cultural leaders to "trouble" dominant narratives—holding multiple truths, investing in cultural movements, and challenging revisionist histories. We will explore:

• Building Solidarity Across Difference – Real allyship across racial, rural-urban, and political divides.

• Indigenous Sovereignty & Movement Histories – Uplifting Native leadership in cultural funding.

• Arts & Political Resistance – Defending public arts funding and mobilizing for justice.

• Narrative Power & Truth-Telling – Confronting erasure and preserving untold histories.

Through storytelling, dialogue, and site visits, we will gather as a trusted forum to envision bold futures and reaffirm the power of artists in movements for justice. Join GIA members, colleagues, and allies from October 19-22 in the Twin Cities, Minnesota—where movements take root, where stories shape history, and where the work of solidarity continues.