BRLSQ reveals its newest gallery: Southside Preservation Society

Banner image: Christina Vang with Ka Oskar Ly working on a mural that will soon be hidden from view for years to come. All photos courtesy of Burlesque of North America.

 

Buy a former cocktail lounge to turn it into an art gallery and you'll have a few changes to make.

"The first thing we noticed when we got in here was, 'Oh, it's miserable to hang and change art shows on cinder block walls,'" says Wes Winship, one of the co-owners of Southside Preservation Society. We are standing at the bar of the former Lawless Distillery with co-owner Mike Davis and gallery director Katie Skujina. They are taking a short break to talk to me, just two weeks before the new gallery and event space opens to the public.

We look around the room and see walls in the state that they found them — all cinder block. A few fresh murals have been painted across them, with blank spaces where more will be painted in the coming days.

"We're going to have to redo the walls anyway," says Skujina. 

The trio is preparing Time Capsule, the inaugural show at Southside Preservation Society. Knowing the walls will soon be outfitted with framing and drywall, they invited over a dozen local artists to make original murals directly onto the existing surface before it is covered over.

"I just can't get the idea out of my head of what will happen 100 years from now," says Davis. "Someone tears down the drywall we put up and just uncovers this, you know, literal time capsule." 

The opening is Saturday, February 22 at 7pm, which will not only be the reveal of the murals for guests and a party for the new space, but a kickoff of this next chapter for the team. 

 

 

A New Chapter

Southside Preservation Society and the building it is housed in represent a new chapter for Burlesque of North America, the long-standing, much-loved screen printing and design operation co-owned by Davis and Winship. For most of its existence, Burlesque was located at Stinson and Broadway, though more recently they operated out of Midway. Davis and Winship have always rented; with the purchase of the South Minneapolis building, Burlesque owns its own shop for the first time.

Stinson and Broadway was also home to CO Exhibitions gallery, opened by Burlesque in 2010. Skujina joined as gallery director in 2018. She describes not wanting to be a third wheel to what she sees as a unique chemistry between Davis and Winship. Davis says she is more like their steering wheel.

CO closed its doors in 2020. The last show was a solo exhibition of mixed-media artist and illustrator Jose Dominguez. The show opened March 15, 2020, two days after Governor Tim Walz declared a state of emergency due to COVID-19.

Five years later, Dominguez is one of the artists selected for Time Capsule.

 

Jose Dominguez working on his mural for Time Capsule. 

 

"I'm excited about being a part of this cool project with a group of artists I admire and respect," says Dominguez. "I'm looking forward to what SPS becomes."

The slate of artists in Time Capsule was selected for its variety, some having worked with Burlesque on screen print projects (Andrés Guzmán, Martzia Thometz, Christina Vang), others on murals (Thomasina Top Bear, River). Some showed in the former CO Exhibitions gallery (Jennifer Davis, Dominguez). The team chose both artists they have known for years (Biafra Inc., Witt Siasoco) and others they’re collaborating with for the first time (Lora Hlavsa, Leah Zobott).

The artists say the idea of their work being buried behind a wall was both fascinating and exciting. "These murals will perfectly encapsulate the resiliency of art and artists," says Jennifer Davis, whose mural includes a smiling cartoon dog in tiny red shoes with a rainbow above its head. "I hope it stays covered until long after I'm gone."

It also may have affected their approach to their work. Dominguez's mural displays the colorful, elastic-faced cartoon portraiture that is recognizably his style, surrounding a calendar. "The first question a time traveler asks when arriving at their destination is ‘What year is it?'" he explains, "prompting the calendar."

 

Lora Hlavsa working on her Time Capsule mural. 

 

Why Southside 

Skujina says that Southside Preservation Society will offer some of the same elements that drew people to CO Exhibitions.

"There was a high-low quality to what CO did, something I'm very proud of. The quality of the work was excellent, yet it was still welcoming and open. I don't know anyone who felt intimidated to walk in, and I think that will be very present here. This is an approachable building, this is an approachable space."

She looks over to Winship and Davis. "We're going to make it beautiful, and I think probably more beautiful than Wes and Mike have ever done a space, because it's their first building. They have more skin in the game. I'm so excited to see the vision come to life and still have it be, like, ‘Please bring your aunt.’ I would love to get her a glass of wine and chat about some art."

At the same time, they hope Southside Preservation Society can mark an evolution in their story. Winship grew up in this part of South Minneapolis and currently lives only a few blocks away. His first forays into screen printing — what would grow to Burlesque as it is today — began in the ’90s in his parents’ basement, and in his cousin's garage off Powderhorn Park, wherever he could find a place to make things, both alone and with others. 

Winship has dreams of Southside Preservation Society becoming a powerful gathering spot of creative people, of everyone, in the area. Part clubhouse, part gallery, and part dance hall. The name is a declaration and also a hope: Call themselves what they hope to be, while not presuming to have earned the name yet. Something to build toward. A homecoming.

Davis added his dream of hosting educational programming and workshops. "We know how to print, we know how to design and produce posters and logos. We can bring people in to learn and to share things themselves," he says. In addition to being a home for the surrounding neighborhood and Twin Cities creative community, the team expressed an interest in bringing in artists from around the country and the world. 

 

Andrés Guzmán at work on his Time Capsule contribution.

 

Join the Party Saturday

Before leaving them to continue preparing the space, I ask what people can expect on opening night. 

"It's always a celebration," says Davis. "We hope it will be a good mix of new faces and a reunion of all our CO people. There'll be music happening, and good times, good energy. We've never done the super bright lights with everyone just, you know, quietly milling about."

Attendees will be able to see the murals before they are covered over. Artists will also have original work for sale. And people will have a chance to make their own contribution to the walls. 

"It will be a party, absolutely, yes. Every other opening has been. You get a nosh, you get a sip," said Skujina. "We need to get a little bit loud. One hundred percent." 

 

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Artist Q&A: Burying Work Behind a Wall  

What follows are a few reflections by four of the 14+ muralists on their pieces, participation, and the visionaries behind Burlesque and the new space.

 

Did the knowledge that your artwork will be buried in the wall impact your choices?

Lora Hlavsa: When Mike originally pitched me on Time Capsule, I was really excited to be invited to participate alongside some of my favorite local artists, but I was also pretty nervous as I had never painted a wall before. The majority of my work has been on smaller wood panels using acrylic paints, but I’ve always been curious about mural work and admire so many of the muralists and artists who are included in this show. I took this as an opportunity to experiment with painting on a wall in a low-stakes environment — the fact that it would be buried made me feel a little less anxious because if I hated it, it would be buried under a wall anyway. 

Xee Reiter: When I read the description of Time Capsule, my first thought was, "Cool, I get to paint whatever I want?" Then…"Wait, but it’s going to be covered up?" I decided to do something I’d never done before. I painted myself painting. 

 

Xee Reiter working on their mural, as seen in the sneak peeks on @southsidepreservationsociety.

 

How did you decide what your mural would be for the space? How did your mural come together? 

Jose Dominguez: I like to think about the work and this moment as traveling time.

Lora Hlavsa: When deciding what I wanted to paint on the wall, I wanted it to be reflective of the moment that we are currently in so that if someone cracks open a wall 50 to 100 years from now they have an indication of how I was feeling. It’s somewhat political, but given the amount of censorship this administration has already perpetrated, I think it’s important that we artists don’t censor ourselves.

Jennifer Davis: I painted my mural on Jan 28, 2025. Since this is a time of great anxiety for many of us, I wanted to spread a little positivity and cheer. 

Xee Reiter: I asked Mike to take a reference photo when I got there so it would capture the lighting, the energy and…me that day. It took me a few hours to complete. The fact that I will be lurking behind the finished walls is a bit creepy, but nonetheless, it reminds me that there is a permanence to temporaryism in art making. From inception to parting ways with your final work. 

 

SM: Any reflections on Mike Davis, Katie Skujina, and Wes Winship, as a part of the Twin Cities arts ecosystem and/or as hosts and collaborators? 

Lora Hlavsa: Speaking as a creative in the Twin Cities, I think it’s undeniable the impact that the Burlesque and CO crew have had on both the physical and creative landscapes in the Twin Cities. From posters reppin’ some of Minnesota’s homegrown musical talent to Chroma Zone, the crew has clearly made it a mission to elevate artistic talent in the Twin Cities and help make this a better and bolder place to live. I first met the crew when they invited me to be a part of CO Exhibition’s Tropical Sour show at Modist Brewing in 2021, and I’m grateful that they’ve been a champion of my work in the last five years. I think that this new space is going to be an incredible next step for the crew, and the vibe they are already building in the space is immaculate. Going in to paint on the walls at the new space was such a great experience: being surrounded by other artists I admire and appreciate with good tunes playing and conversation flowing…you can’t beat it.

Jennifer Davis: The team at Burlesque is so kind and supportive. I’ve been fortunate to work with them for 16-plus years! (and I've documented all of it on my cheesy blog). I've also been honored to make a bunch of prints with Burlesque: My 2017 Artcrank poster, these owl prints, whale, bat and mushroom mini print set, and a sloth…I'm probably forgetting some stuff! They always have such fun, inventive ideas. I can't wait to see how they expand the community in the new Southside space.

Any other thoughts to share about the opening of this new space and/or Time Capsule?

Xee Reiter: I’ve struggled to find a space that is truly all-embracing of the whole artist and going beyond the snobby, sterile setup. Thanks to Burlesque for making it possible for creatives to share what we live and love to do and for continuing to lead the way. For Time Capsule I’ll be showing some of my miniature scale 3D dioramas for the first time along with prints. I’m stoked for the opening of the show, to have painted alongside some of my favorite artists and for the many more future events at Southside Preservation Society. 

Jose Dominguez: I'm excited about being a part of this cool project with a group of artists I admire and respect. I'm looking forward to what SPS becomes! ◼︎ 

 

Time Capsule opens on Saturday, February 22, 7 – 10pm at Southside Preservation Society, 2619 28th Ave S in Minneapolis. Follow along on Instagram @southsidepreservationsociety.

To learn more about Burlesque of North America, visit their website or follow them on Instagram @brlsq.