Named one of the top artistic destination points in the upper Mississippi River region by National Geographic Traveler Magazine, the Anderson Center has served the artistic community and the citizens of Minnesota through artistic leadership, program development, and support since 1995. A nationally registered historic landmark, the Anderson Center's mission is to uphold the unique wealth of the arts in the region; to develop, foster, and promote the creation of works by artists of all kinds; and to provide leadership and services that help ensure a strong, healthy arts community and a greater recognition of the value of the arts in society.
Restoring and preserving the buildings and grounds of the historic Tower View estate.
As a fully accredited member of the Alliance of Artist Communities and RES ARTIS: International Association of Residential Arts Centres, the Anderson Center serves creative people of all kinds: writers, poets, visual artists, sculptors, composers, dancers, archaeologists, anthropologists, scholars, and others. The interdisciplinary nature of the Center inspires creative dialogue among the disciplines and places the Center at the forefront of thoughtful exchange.
In addition to hosting 20 on-site artist studios and 2 on-site educational partners, the Center offers a black-and-white equipped darkroom, an outdoor kiln, glass blowing studio, blacksmith shop, printmaking facilities, and a press-in-residence.
The Anderson Center is the steward of the former estate of Dr. and Mrs. Alexander Pierce Anderson. Dr. Anderson gained worldwide renown for developing the America breakfast cereals known as “Quaker Puffed Wheat” and “Quaker Puffed Rice”. Built from 1915-1921, the Tower View estate is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and its distinctive Georgian Revival buildings and cylindrical red brick water tower have long been familiar Minnesota landmarks.
